Exercise devices – User manipulated force resisting apparatus – component... – Utilizing resilient force resistance
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-21
2002-05-07
Donnelly, Jerome W. (Department: 3764)
Exercise devices
User manipulated force resisting apparatus, component...
Utilizing resilient force resistance
C482S072000, C482S121000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06383122
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an exercise and therapeutic apparatus and more specifically a rebound system and an improved method of altering the resistance of the carriage that the exercise participant travels upon.
BACKGROUND
The Invention relates to the art of exercise apparatuses that generally consists of a stationary frame, a moving carriage, a kickplate, a resistance system and a rebound system. The exercising orientated is positioned in a supine position on the carriage as it travels in a longitudinally oscillating or reciprocating motion by exerting a force upon a kickplate that is attached to the foot end portion of the frame or by pulling upon arm cords connected head end portion of the frame.
Prior exercise apparatuses that have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,042,797 and 5,364,327 that are also applications made by the inventor, disclose resistance systems that allow adjustability from the foot end portion (the portion where the kickplate is located) of the exercise apparatus only. This required the exercising participant or therapist to adjust the elastic members near the kickplate that is located to the foot end portion of the frame.
More advanced exercising participants exert greater force upon the kickplate therefor reposition the frame in a longitudinally footward direction. Hence, the acceleration of the mass of the carriage and exercising participant in the longitudinally headward direction creates a counteracting force upon the kickplate and frame in the longitudinally footward direction. This force is great enough to overcome the frictional forces between the lower ground contact portions of the frame and the surface the exercise apparatus rests upon. To help counteract the longitudinally footward movement of the frame, oftentimes the foot end portion of the apparatus was positioned against a wall. This allowed the longitudinally footward force exerted upon the kickplate and frame to be transferred to the rigid wall.
This presents a new problem for the individual changing the resistance exerted upon the carriage. To increase the resistance additional elastic members are grasped from the foot end portion of the carriage and then attached to the foot end portion of the frame. Likewise, to decrease the resistance elastic members that are attached to the extreme foot end portion of the frame are disengaged from the frame and the head or handle portions of the elastic members are returned to the foot end portion of the carriage. Because the foot end portion of the machine was usually positioned against a wall, to add additional elastic members the exercising participant or therapist had to reach under the kickplate and grab the head portions of the elastic members from the carriage and pull in a longitudinally footward direction to a mounting bracket on the extreme foot end portion of the frame. This was an awkward movement that was difficult to execute and other times was not feasible because of the immediate location of the wall.
Another issue with the earlier designs was that the elastic members that were not in an operative position traveled with the carriage. This added extra mass to the carriage which in turn created greater forces upon the exercising participant during accelerations.
A further issue with the earlier designs was that the elastic members would develop cracks on the interior surfaces near the head or handle portions. The structure of the handle portion of the elastic members consisted of a handle member that has a barbed longitudinally extending member with a smaller diameter that is frictionally engaged within the end portion of the hollow rubber tube. When the person adjusting the elastic cord grabbed on to the handle portion of an elastic strap oftentimes they would not pull the handle portion substantially longitudinal in an aligned manner with the longitudinal axis of the elastic member. But rather, they would apply a moment perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elastic member. This caused a slight rotation of the head portion about an orthogonal axis to the longitudinal axis of the elastic member. The effect of this moment was that it caused the barbed insert of the head member to gouge into the interior surface of the elastic member. The effect of the gouging of the interior surface was most pronounced at the deepest inserted portion of the barbed member that was inserted into the elastic member. After many cycles of changing elastic members from an inoperative positioned to an operative position, the elastic members would break as a result from a crack that began on the interior surface near the end portion of the barbed insert of the head member.
There is further an improved rebound system over the prior art devices (namely the assembly discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,797 discussed further below). The prior art rebound systems were effective in storing energy and not allowing excessive accelerations upon the carriage when the exercising participant traveled beyond the intended longitudinal range of motion. However, the prior art rebound systems were difficult to adjust in the longitudinal range of motion of travel of the carriage, and further, they were more expensive to produce.
BACKGROUND ART
Relevant prior art is disclosed in three earlier U.S. patent applications by the present inventor. The earlier applications are U.S. Ser. Nos. 696,254, 786,540, and 001,192. The apparatus of U.S. Ser. No. 001,192 comprises a platform or carriage, termed a shuttle, being mounted on rollers which engage the tracks of a track assembly or frame. The shuttle is further interconnected to the track assembly with primary and secondary energy storage and release systems comprising elastic cords. The tension forces in the cords of both systems are adjustable to influence the at-rest location of the shuttle on the tracks and the forces applied to the shuttle by the cords as the shuttle moves with respect to the tracks.
The primary system interconnects between the shuttle and both ends of the track assembly. The secondary energy absorption and release system is in constant engagement with the track assembly and intermittent engagement with the shuttle, the shuttle engaging the secondary system when the shuttle approaches one or both the extreme of its reciprocating motion on the tracks.
The engagement between the secondary system, specifically the rebound assembly, and the track assembly is effected by engagement of projections from the rebound assembly with structural stop members attached to the track assembly. The stop members are positioned so that they are engaged by the projections as the shuttle nears the limits of its travel along the tracks. After engagement the rebound assembly stopped while the shuttle continues to move, stretching the elastic cord(s) and producing forces which decelerate, stop and re-accelerate the shuttle in the opposite direction or assist the primary system in doing so if the primary system is set to operate at that point.
A more significant piece of prior art known to the inventor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,327 that is issued to him. This application discloses an exercise apparatus having a frame that comprises two longitudinally extending tracks and a kickplate. The apparatus further has a carriage which is designed to move longitudinally in a reciprocating motion on the frame. The primary energy storage and release system comprises elastic cords attached to the bottom of the shuttle and to the ends of the track assembly at various points along the cords, using ferrules on the cords engaging slots in the end structures of the track assembly. These cords may be connected, and thus constantly engaged during operation, between the shuttle and one end of the track assembly, the shuttle and the other end of the track assembly or the shuttle and both ends. The system functions to bias the shuttle and its occupant toward a position along the tracks between its ends, the forces in the cord(s) serving to decelerate, stop and reaccelerate the shuttle at each end of its travel along the tra
Donnelly Jerome W.
Hughes Robert B.
Hughes Law Firm PLLC
LandOfFree
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