Exercise devices – User manipulated force resisting apparatus – component... – Utilizing force resistance generated by user only
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-15
2001-01-16
Donnelly, Jerome (Department: 3764)
Exercise devices
User manipulated force resisting apparatus, component...
Utilizing force resistance generated by user only
C482S127000, C482S904000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174269
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field
The present invention relates to the field of kneeling push-pull exercise apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a compact mobile exercise machine that exercises the abdominal, back and arm muscles in the kneel-prone-kneel movement.
2. State of the Art
The benefits of regular exercise to improve overall health, appearance and longevity are well documented in the literature. One of the most difficult muscle groups to exercise is the abdominals. For exercise enthusiasts the search continues for safe apparatus that provides exercise to tone the abdominals without back strain.
Many devices have appeared recently to aid the user in the performance of situps from a prone face-up position with the intent of easing back strain. Situps, even with assistive devices, have low appeal and often the devices find their way to a permanent storage area.
Another abdominal exercise method developed by the Royal Canadian Air Force requires a person to start in a kneeling position on hands and knees, then push his body forward, sliding out along his hands until prone with arms extended. The exerciser then returns to the kneeling position by reversing the sliding action. This is a most difficult exercise and would not be embraced by the average exercise participant. However, with an assistive apparatus the kneeling to nearly prone to kneeling sequence can be most beneficial to exercise the abdominal, back and arm muscles.
Various roller and track devices have attempted to provide assistive kneel-prone-kneel exercise. Tolchin in U.S. Pat. No. 1,984,165 provides a track and hand trolley with a compression spring biased to return the hands to the kneeling position similar to the Torso Track marketed by Fitness Quest on TV. Mattox in U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,961 offers a roller/track device having elastic cords attached to a hand grip roller where the elastic cord is also attached near the knee to return the hand grip roller towards the knees.
Osbourne in U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,824 shows a number of tracks which allow push-pull exercise. Oswald in U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,483 shows a push-pull type exercise device for the kneel-prone-kneel sequence having separate trolleys for the knees and hands that can be fixed or sliding. Palacios in U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,901 adds an elbow rest trolley to the trolley/track kneel-prone-kneel method. Wang in U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,935 shows a stretching device that provides a pair of poles that slide on tracks connected by elastic bands. Agamian in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,572,701 and 3,589,720 shows a trolley/track for gymnastic exercise with the feet. Cencig in U.S. Pat. No. 3,101,944 offers trolley/track exercise.
The simplest kneel-prone-kneel device is the classic exercise wheel. Shiek et al. in U.S. Pat. No. D306,886 shows a pair of wheels rollably attached to a straight rod used for hand grip. Novak in U.S. Pat. No. 1,824,920 uses a pair of inline wheels with brake. Wilkin in U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,867 offers an exercise wheel with roller teeth to vibrate the user during push-pull operation. Mattox in U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,866 adds elastic tubing to the handles where the knees hold the tubing while the operator is in the push mode to assist in the return mode. A spiral spring is added to the exercise wheel in R.O.C. Pat. 276503 and to a pair of wheels by Barbeau in U.S. Pat. No. 2,821,394.
Ott in U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,475 shows a single wheel having a handle concentric with the wheel pivot axis several methods of windup for assistive return including a spiral spring within the wheel, elastic resilient elements acting in one plane within the wheel and a torsion bar/spring or stranded cable within the handle. Chiou in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,325 adds a pair of spiral springs intended to engage the handle at different positions of wheel movement for non-linear torque windup about the handle as an assisted exercise wheel.
Waldeck in U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,284 shows an exercise tractor with multiple wheels in contact with the floor attached to a seat with elastic bands intended for seated leg exercise.
The assisted trolley/track apparatus lack compactness and tend to be costly to fabricate. The assisted exercise wheel tends to strain the wrist as the hand must resist the windup torque and tend to have only one direction of movement. None of the prior art provides a compact self-contained apparatus that stores energy during the push mode and returns the handle to the kneeling position without wrist strain.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One objective of the present invention is to provide a compact trolley type device without tracks having internal energy storage that can be used directly on the floor or other inclined supporting surface for kneel-prone-kneel sequence of exercise.
Another objective of the present invention is a low cost exercise tractor having a low profile that can be stored under a bed.
Another objective of the present invention is an exercise tractor having hand grips that do not torque the wrists during kneel-prone-kneel exercise.
The present invention provides a compact push-pull exercise tractor having a roller in contact with a supporting surface such as the floor, a handle offset to the roller pivot axis and energy storage system. The operator begins in the kneeling position with hands on the tractor with arms generally near the vertical position. The hands push the tractor handle forward to a stopping position with the operator nearly prone. During the forward tractor movement, torque energy builds in the energy storage system. As the operator reverses the movement, torque energy drives the tractor towards the knees to assist the operator return to the kneeling position.
The tractor can build torque in either direction of movement from a starting position. The maximum return torque is determined by the distance traversed by the tractor and pre-torque bias. Pre-torque bias occurs when the tractor initiates ahead of the operator and is pulled back to a starting position. The reverse torque energy stored drives the tractor forward to the initiation position and the returning torque begins to build thereafter. Because the handle is offset to the roller axis, the stored torque energy does not strain the wrist. The tractor is also suitable for leg exercise where the operator is seated with bent legs for the starting position. With feet on the handle, the tractor is pushed forward to a stopping position with legs extended whereupon the torque energy stored would assist the legs return to a bent leg starting position.
In the preferred embodiment, a pair of rollers having textured exteriors are in contact with a supporting surface. The textured exterior can be a tread pattern or simply a sand grit adhered to the circumference for added traction to the support surface. The rollers are connected with a concentric windup surface that is a lesser diameter than the rollers. Each roller is connected at a pivot axis to a pair of side plates positioned parallel and out board of the rollers. A handle rod passes through and is attached to the side plates offset the roller pivot axis. A wheel is positioned adjacent each side plate to rotate about an axle shaft positioned distal the roller pivot axis. A concentric sleeve is positioned between the wheels to rotate freely upon the axle shaft.
A long elastic cord is attached to the windup surface proximate each roller. The elastic cord is spirally wound relaxed around the windup surface and wheel axle sleeve between elastic cord attachments. As the rollers turn, each end of the elastic cord is wound onto the windup surface to store torque energy. The intermediate elastic cord wraps provide a cord of sufficient length to accommodate multiple revolution wrapping needed to provide a long tractor stroke. During the return stroke, the elastic cord provides the torque energy needed to rotate the rollers thus assisting the operator back to the starting kneel position. The tractor will operate in either direction.
An alternate energy storage embodiment uses cable to wrap the windup surface in place of the
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