Exercise machine having full weight or half weight selection mechanism

• US 7,211,030 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Guofang Cao
• Original Assignee: Guofang Cao
• Inventors: Cao, Guofang
• Primary Examiner(s): Donnelly; Jerome
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hwang; Victor K.
• Application Number:
  US11/279,429
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 482 92- 94, 482 98-103, 482/138, 482/908
• US Class Current: 482/99
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00181 comprising additional means assisting the user to overcome part of the resisting force, i.e. assisted-active exercising
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0628 for vertical array of weights
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/063 Weight selecting means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/154 using special pulley-assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/908 Adjustable

Abstract

A exercise machine has a pulley for user'"'"'s flexibility to choose between training at the selected weight plates'"'"' full weight, or at the half weight when the pulley is engaged. A latching switch is used for easy selection of going between the full weight and half weight mode. A counter weight block is attached to an end of the cable, to keep the tension of the cable when the exercise machine is used in the full weight mode.

Claims

1. Exercise machine having full weight or half weight selection mechanism, comprising:

a. a plurality of weight plates housed in a frame;

b. a bridge on the top weight plate;

c. a pulley on the top weight plate under said bridge; and

d. a cable stringing around said pulley through holes on the bridge and through the top portion of said frame, allowing users of exercise machine to pull the first end of said cable when used in training, resulting in the use of half force as indicated by the selected weight plates.

2. Exercise machine of claim 1 wherein said top plate is in the form of a central stem having associated insertion pin for selection of desired weight by choosing to insert into specific weight plate within the vertical range of said central stem.

3. Exercise machine of claims 1 or 2, further comprising:

a. a counter weight block and a stop block on a second end of said cable;

b. a frame block on the outside of said frame, so that second end of said cable is strung through said frame block, allowing said counter weight block to pull the cable tight;

c. a latching switch on top of said bridge;

d. a connecting block on said cable; and

,

e. a locking block on top of said bridge, so that a pin of said latching switch can be slidably inserted through a hole in said connecting block and into a hole in said locking block, resulting in said connecting block going up and down in synch with the up and down of the weight plates when said latching switch pin is latched into the holes in said connecting block and said locking block, and resulting in said connecting block going up and down in twice the travel as the up-down travel of the weight plates when said latching switch pin is not latched into the hole of said connecting block.

4. The exercise machine of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of pulleys on top and outside surface of said frame to guide the cable, allowing cable of the user-end to be directed to any desired directions and the counter weight end of said cable to be suspended down towards the gravity pull.

5. The exercise machine of claim 3, wherein said stop block and said counter weight block may be combined into an integrated block, serving both as counter weight when the pulley is disengaged in full weight usage mode and as cable tensioner when the pulley is engaged in half weight usage mode.