Exercise devices – User manipulated force resisting apparatus – component... – Utilizing resilient force resistance
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2001-10-02
Donnelly, Jerome W. (Department: 3764)
Exercise devices
User manipulated force resisting apparatus, component...
Utilizing resilient force resistance
C482S140000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296598
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable exercise device adapted for selective human muscle conditioning and development.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The need for practical and efficient devices suited for muscular toning and human body conditioning is a long established one. There are a variety of exercise devices, including powered machines, that selectively challenge different sets of body muscles. One area of sought exercise is directed to the abdominal, biceps, and triceps muscle sets. One such device described in the patent literature as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,425 (granted Aug. 3, 1993 to J. V. Miller et al). The Miller patent teaches a device that involves direct, progressive resistance to the user over the field of action. This means that during movement over the inherent range of motion for the prior art device, that its resistance level increases linearly, as opposed to a preferred constant plus consistent resistance level throughout the device range of motion.
Boland U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,138 (Jun. 2, 1998) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,685 (Oct. 12, 1999) are both directed to a lap-based exercise device for conditioning abominals and arms, with the later '685 patent disclosing an alternate embodiment entailing a resilient band tensioning means (FIG. 11), and providing an optional pivoting action for the upper cross bar member 70.
In the present embodiment of the Abs exercise machine, the user is now able to perform a crunch exercise as compared to the users of my earlier devices. Those provided more of an old fashioned style of sit-up exercises which was a combination abdominal/hip flexor routine.
The present embodiment of this device affords more of a concentrated abdominal workout without involving the hip flexor muscles.
In lying on the floor performing an old fashioned sit up, one raises their entire torso off the ground, which involves both the abdominal and hip flexor muscles. In the last 20 years, fitness trainers now recommend lying on the floor and raising only your shoulders off the ground, thereby isolating the abdominal muscles and intentionally neglecting the hip flexor muscles. The present embodiment takes this modern day approach referred to as a “crunch,” so only the present device allows the “crunch” to be effected in the comfort of a chair without having to get on the floor to exercise.
In this new embodiment, an abdominal crunch workout is provided by the pivoting action afforded by a second set of blastomeric joints connecting the upper and lower pairs of generally vertical side bars.
Both U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,685 and this herein described new embodiment affords an oblique (side) abdominal workout by allowing the chest crossbar to pivot and twist. Patent '685 affords this pivoting just below the middle of the chest crossbar in component 89 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 on patent '685. The new embodiment affords this same oblique abdominal workout except the pivoting action is afforded by two elastomer joints (upper set) at each end of the chest crossbar as in
FIGS. 9 and 10
.
Moreover, the present embodiment has fewer structural components, while providing some greater versatility, in that the crotch and chest nesting components are integrated. This permits pivoting on both sides of the chest high horizontal bar, and not centrally via elastic-type couplings. As a result of simplified fabrication, the present device is less costly to manufacture and market.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a portable abdominal (lower, upper and sides ABS) and arms exercise device that can be used alternately for abdominal toning and triceps muscle toning, by simple realignment of its operating position.
It is another primary object of the invention to provide an exercise device which incorporates the option of performing an added crunch exercise while reducing the number of structural components from that seen in the prior art devices.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a device employing a linkage-based system versus a direct resistance system yielding a lineal and consistent resistance throughout its range of motion.
A yet further object of the invention is to provide a portable unit that folds up for easy shipment and/or storage.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a device which precludes the need for positioning of the hands adjacent the user's chest (as seen with Miller '425 FIGS. 11 and 12), rather by steadying the device just within the user thighs, thus making for a concise and focused abdominal exercise.
Another object of the present device is to angle the track and the machine in the user's lap, so that the user's forward motion against the crossbar resistance is downward, thereby increasing the “crunch” proper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided an exercise device adapted to alternately condition abdominal muscles by relying on a rolling lever type of mechanism coupled with a linkage-based, counter resistance means, which configuration allows for a consistent and smoother range of motion for the exerciser. The new device includes a transversely-oriented first member proximal to the inner lap of the device user, and is centrally pinned to an elongate first pair of rigid parallel members, serving as a lap-based component, the first parallel pair also define a recessed, elongate trough, which receives pivotally therein, one longitudinal end (lower) of a rigid single spanning bar and its associated tensioning means; the other longitudinal end (upper) of the spanning bar is pivotally pinned to an upper cross-bar, which cross bar is itself mounted straddling an upstanding second pair of spaced-apart, elongate members being anchored at their lower longitudinal ends to the lap-engaging, longitudinal ends of the elongate first pair of members.
At the outer (distal) longitudinal end of the lap-based, first pair of members, there is centered a third elongate, rigid cross bar, which cross bar further preferably includes a set of manually grippable means for activation of the exercise device, while the same device is supported in the seated user's lap, and is resting against his chest. The grippable means themselves comprise upwardly-oriented, opposing terminal segments of the distal horizontally-aligned bar.
As noted, the single spanning bar terminates within the trough of the first pair of parallel members and is, at its lower end, adapted to affect reciprocal linear movement therein, by responding to user's exertion made on the gripping bars in a gap-closing direction. The spanning bar lower end is functionally tied to a horizontally-aligned, tensioning band, which band provides the counter force (resistance level) to the user's force being exerted on the grippable means over the device range of motion. An alternative means for the counter force would be a hydraulic cylinder on a spring-based device.
The chest high, transverse member is preferably provided with a pair of sleeve-type cushion elements that serve to ease the compression force on the user's chest, occurring while user is exerting either a crunching, or performing a triceps extension exercise.
The lap-based (centered) first pair of parallel members are each further provided with a linear channel disposed lengthwise of its inner surface, with the resulting opposing channel thus presenting a running track for a roller-mounted short crossbar, which cross bar is pinned to the lower end of the spanning bar, so as to engage same in a sliding manner. This form of resilient flexible linkage for the spanning member permits it to move reciprocally within the device trough, in response to the countervailing forces, being first exerted on such spanning member by the operatively attached elastic band and concurrently, but intermittently, by the upstanding second cross member. This translation is effected when the linked crossbar that is chest-side is swung arcuately toward the hand grippable cross member on the outer end
Amerson Lori Baker
Donnelly Jerome W.
Eglington A. R.
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