Exercise apparatus resistance unit

• US 7,762,935 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David J. Dodge, William C. Doble
• Original Assignee: David J. Dodge, William C. Doble
• Inventors: Doble, William C., Dodge, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thanh; Loan H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ganesan; Sundhara M
• Application Number:
  US11/595,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20070054790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 482121-122, 482/129, 482/128, 482/127, 482/130
• US Class Current: 482/121
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/02 using resilient force-resisters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/154 using special pulley-assemblies

Abstract

An exercise apparatus resistance unit includes flex members to bend to provide a resistance, a first end piece, a second end piece provided another end of the flex members to secure the flex members to rotate and translate within the body according to a bending motion of the flex members, a main pulley, and auxiliary pulleys rotatably provided on the first end piece. The resistance unit may provide a variable resistance.

Claims

1. An exercise apparatus, comprising:

a body;

a resistance unit to provide a resistance, the resistance unit comprising;

flex members to bend to provide the resistance;

a first end piece provided on an end of each of the flex members to rotatably secure the one end of the flex members to the body;

a second end piece provided at an other end of each of the flex members to secure the flex members to rotate and translate within a guide area defined in the body to guide the second end piece in a direction of a lateral translation of the second end piece according to a bending motion of the flex members;

a main pulley provided on the second end piece to rotate with respect to the second end piece; and

auxiliary pulleys rotatably provided on the first end piece.

2. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first cable and a second cable, wherein:

the auxiliary pulleys comprise a first pulley drum, a second pulley drum, and a third pulley drum, the first, second, and third pulley drums each sharing an axis of rotation;

the first, second, and third pulley drums to selectively rotate together;

the first cable runs between the auxiliary pulleys and the main pulley to form a loop therebetween, the first cable to run from the first pulley drum to the main pulley to the second pulley drum to close the loop when the cable is pulled in a first direction and to open the loop when the cable is pulled in a second direction; and

the second cable is provided on the third pulley drum to rotate the auxiliary pulleys when the first, second, and third pulley drums are selected to rotate together.

3. The exercise apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and third pulley drums have a first diameter and the second pulley drum has a second diameter to create a mechanical advantage.

4. The exercise apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the auxiliary pulleys comprise a pulley body having first pulley diameter, a second pulley diameter, and a third pulley diameter;

the cable runs between the auxiliary pulleys and the main pulley to form a loop therebetween, the cable to run from the first pulley diameter to the main pulley to the second pulley diameter; and

the cable runs to the third pulley diameter to rotate the pulley body.

5. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pulley arm to connect the main pulley to the second end piece.

6. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary pulleys rotate on a same axis as the first end piece.

7. The exercise apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of pulley drums have one or more stop holes defined therein to lock the pulley drums to rotate together.

8. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flex members are tubular structural members having a variable resistance, and further comprising a flex member rotator to rotate the flex members with respect to the first and second end pieces.

9. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary pulleys comprise a plurality of pulley drums.

10. The resistance unit of claim 9, wherein the one or more flex members have a variable bending resistance.

11. The resistance unit of claim 9, wherein the one or more flex members comprise tubular structural members that have a directionally variable resistance.

12. The resistance unit of claim 11, further comprising a tube rotation device to rotate the tubular structural members to change the bending resistance.

13. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first end piece is rotatably connected to the body on a first axis,

the auxiliary pulleys rotate on a second axis, and

the second axis is offset from the first axis.

14. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein an axis of the main pulley and the auxiliary pulleys are offset from ends of the flex members by a predetermined axis-offset amount and offset from a neutral axis of the flex members by a predetermined neutral-axis-offset amount to provide a combination of compressive force, a couple and a bending load to flexible beam.

15. The exercise apparatus of claim 14, wherein the couple comprises a uniform bending moment throughout the flex beam.

16. The exercise apparatus of claim 14, wherein the bending load comprises a uniformly increasing bending moment that is zero at the flex beam ends and a maximum at a mid-span point of the flex beam.

17. The exercise apparatus of claim 16, wherein the maximum is equal to a cord height of a bend times a total cable tension.

18. An exercise apparatus, comprising:

a body;

a resistance unit to provide a resistance, the resistance unit comprising;

flex members;

a first end piece provided on an end of each of the flex members to rotatably secure the one end of the flex members to the body;

a second end piece provided at an other end of each of the flex members, the second end piece being within the body, the flex members being configured to bend with respect to the first end piece and the second end piece and to translate within the body;

a main pulley provided on the second end piece to rotate with respect to the second end piece; and

auxiliary pulleys rotatably provided on the first end piece.

19. The exercise apparatus of claim 18, wherein the body comprises a guide area defined therein, said guide area being configured to constrain the second end piece to slideably translate.

20. An exercise apparatus, comprising:

a body;

a resistance unit to provide a resistance, the resistance unit comprising;

flex members;

a first end piece provided on an end of each of the flex members to rotatably secure the one end of the flex members to the body;

a second end piece provided at an other end of each of the flex members, the second end piece being configured to secure the flex members to bend and slideably translate within the body with respect to first end piece;

a main pulley provided on the second end piece to rotate with respect to the second end piece; and

auxiliary pulleys rotatably provided on the first end piece.