Adjustable pull-rope exercise device
First Claim
1. Exercise apparatus of the type that includes a housing with at least one rope guide, a rope that extends through said at least one rope guide and that has rope portions on opposite sides of said at least one rope guide, a pair of handles that are each coupled to a different one of said rope portions and that each has a grip that can be grasped by fingers of a hand to pull said different rope portions, and a mechanism that is manually operable to enable lengthening or shortening of said rope portions, comprising:
- at least one windup spool coupled to said rope, and a spring device that urges said spool to turn to windup rope thereon and that allows said spool to turn to unwind rope therefrom, to respectively shorten and lengthen at least one of said rope portions, but only when said spool is released to wind up rope;
a manually operable release mechanism that normally prevents rotation of said spool and that is operable by a person while that person grasps said grips of said handles, to release said spool to windup or unwind rope;
said release mechanism being capable of being not operated to not release said spool and being capable of being operated to release said spool, all while a person grasps said grips of said handles and pulls the handle away from said at least one rope guide to lengthen a rope portion or allows the handle to move toward said at least one rope guide to shorten a rope portion;
said rope portions being coupled so a person can pull one rope portion to apply tension to lengthen it while applying about the same tension to the other rope portion to resist shortening it.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A compact exercise device (10) of the type wherein a person grips handle devices (12, 30) lying at opposite ends of a rope that extends through a housing (22), the person pulling one end of the rope away from the housing while resisting movement of the other end of the rope towards the housing to exercise. A windup spool (114) lies in one of the handle devices and a spring (130) urges the spool to wind up rope by a spring, but the spool is normally prevented from turning in either direction by a release mechanism (110). A person who holds a handle grip (100) with most fingers of his/her hand, uses his/her thumb to depress a button (90) to operate the release mechanism. While the thumb continues to depress the button, the person moves a handle device away from the housing to lengthen the effective length of rope, or moves a handle device towards the housing to shorten the effective length of rope. In another device, windup spools (226, 228) lie in the housing, and a person depresses a button (202) on the housing to operate the release mechanism.
72 Citations
15 Claims
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1. Exercise apparatus of the type that includes a housing with at least one rope guide, a rope that extends through said at least one rope guide and that has rope portions on opposite sides of said at least one rope guide, a pair of handles that are each coupled to a different one of said rope portions and that each has a grip that can be grasped by fingers of a hand to pull said different rope portions, and a mechanism that is manually operable to enable lengthening or shortening of said rope portions, comprising:
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at least one windup spool coupled to said rope, and a spring device that urges said spool to turn to windup rope thereon and that allows said spool to turn to unwind rope therefrom, to respectively shorten and lengthen at least one of said rope portions, but only when said spool is released to wind up rope; a manually operable release mechanism that normally prevents rotation of said spool and that is operable by a person while that person grasps said grips of said handles, to release said spool to windup or unwind rope; said release mechanism being capable of being not operated to not release said spool and being capable of being operated to release said spool, all while a person grasps said grips of said handles and pulls the handle away from said at least one rope guide to lengthen a rope portion or allows the handle to move toward said at least one rope guide to shorten a rope portion; said rope portions being coupled so a person can pull one rope portion to apply tension to lengthen it while applying about the same tension to the other rope portion to resist shortening it. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. Exercise apparatus of the type that includes a housing with at least one rope guide, a rope that extends through said at least one rope guide and that has rope portions on opposite sides of said at least one rope guide, and a pair of handles that are each coupled to a different one of said rope portions, wherein:
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said at least one rope guide includes a pair of upper rollers with primarily longitudinally elongate cylindrical roller surfaces of a coaxial length equal to a plurality of diameters of said rope, that are rotatably mounted about largely parallel first axes on said housing and that are separated by more than a diameter of said rope, and said rope guide includes a lower roller that lies under said upper rollers to directly receive and pay out a rope portion from and to a gap between the upper rollers and that is rotatably mounted on said housing about a second axis that is primarily perpendicular to said first axes, said lower roller having a primarily cylindrical roller surface with a length equal to a plurality of diameters of said rope; wherein said longitudinally elongate cylindrical roller surfaces allow said rope to extend at a wide range of angles from the vertical out of said at least one rope guide. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. Exercise apparatus of the type that includes a housing with at least one rope guide, a rope that extends through said at least one rope guide and that has rope portions on opposite sides of said at least one rope guide, a pair of handles that are each coupled to a different one of said rope portions and that each has a grip that can be grasped by fingers of a hand to pull said different rope portions, and a mechanism that is manually operable to enable lengthening or shortening of said rope portions, comprising:
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at least one windup spool coupled to said rope, and a spring device that urges said spool to turn to windup rope thereon and that allows said spool to turn to unwind rope therefrom, to respectively shorten and lengthen at least one of said rope portions, but only when said spool is released to wind up rope; a manually operable release mechanism that normally prevents rotation of said spool and that is operable by a person while that person grasps said grips of said handles, to release said spool to windup or unwind rope; said release mechanism being capable of being not operated to not release said spool and being capable of being operated to release said spool, all while a person grasps said grips of said handles and pulls the handle away from said at least one rope guide to lengthen a rope portion or allows the handle to move toward said at least one rope guide to shorten a rope portion; said at least one rope guide includes a pair of upper parallel roller that are rotatably mounted on said housing about parallel first axes and that are spaced apart by more than a diameter of said rope, and a lower roller that is rotatably mounted on said housing about a second axis that is perpendicular to said first axes, said rope extending between said upper rollers and at least partially about said lower roller.
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15. Exercise apparatus of the type that includes a housing with at least one rope guide, a rope that extends through said at least one rope guide and that has rope portions on opposite sides of said at least one rope guide, and first and second handles that are each coupled to a different one of said rope portions, said first and second handles having first and second grip shafts that each has a shaft axis wherein:
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said at least one rope guide includes a pair of upper rollers that are rotatably mounted about largely parallel first axes on said housing and that are separated by more than a diameter of said rope, and a lower roller that lies under said upper rollers and that is rotatably mounted on said housing about a second axis that is primarily perpendicular to said first axes; and
includinga windup spool rotatably mounted in a first of said handles and a spring in said first handle that turns said spool to windup said rope and that allows said spool to turn to unwind rope from said spool; a manually operable release mechanism that normally prevents rotation of said spool and that is operable by the thumb of a hand of a person who grasps said first grip shaft with other fingers of the same hand, to release said spool to windup or unwind rope thereon.
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Specification