US3762703A - Exercising apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Exercising apparatus having a frame which supports a seat and a pair of handle bars. A bicycle-type pedal mechanism is mounted on the frame to be operated by a person occupying the seat and normally steadying himself in a substantially uprignt position by holding the handle bars. The seat is mounted on the frame for side to side rocking movement about an axis extending longitudinally of the frame. A connecting rod and associated drive-transmitting parts connect the pedal mechanism to the seat so that the pedal action imparts a rocking motion to the seat which requires the user of the apparatus to exercise his body in the region of the pelvis to match the movement of the seat.

Description

United States Patent 1 Gibbs 1 1 Oct. 2, 1973 l l EXERCISING APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Thomas T. Gibbs, 1539 Edgeware Rd., Victoria, British Columbia, Canada [22] Filed: Jan. 18,1971

[21] Appl. No.: 107,001

[52] US. Cl. 272/73, 280/229 [51] Int. Cl A63b 23/02 {58] Field of Search 272/33 R, 33 B, 53.1, 272/57 12.58, 73, 79 R; 128/25 R, 33; 280/219-229 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,550,992 5/1951 Goodrich 272/58 2,790.439 4/1957 Mayers 272/73 X 2.943.854 7/1960 Levinson... 272/33 R 3.432.164 3/1969 Decks 272/53.l X 1.647.616 11/1927 Goodrich 272/53.l X 2,320,489 6/1943 Turner et al 272/73 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 478,575 1l/1969 Switzerland 272/58 Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Richard J. Apley An0rneyFetherstonhaugh & C0.

[57] ABSTRACT Exercising apparatus having a frame which supports a seat and a pair of handle bars. A bicycle-type pedal mechanism is mounted on the frame to be operated by a person occupying the seat and normally steadying himself in a substantially upright position by holding the handle bars. The seat is mounted on the frame for side to side rocking movement about an axis extending longitudinally of the frame. A connecting rod and associated drive-transmitting parts connect the pedal mechanism to the seat so that the pedal action imparts a rocking motion to the seat which requires the user of the apparatus to exercise his body in the region of the pelvis to match the movement of the seat.

PATENTED 2|975 3.762.703

SHEET 10F 3 INVENTOR THOMAS T. GIBBS PATENTEDBBT 2 3.762.703

sum ear 3 mvzurore' THOMAS T. GIBBS WWW (22 ArroRNEYs PATENTEDHBT 2 3.762.703

SHEET 30F 3 WVEQTOP THOMAS T:. 61888 ATTORNEYS EXERCISING APPARATUS This invention is concerned with exercising apparatus; in particular it is concerned with apparatus in which the user is obliged to bend his spine laterally in an attempt to maintain an upright position. It is observed that such an exercise, besides resulting in working of the muscles of the trunk, also results in a beneficial activation of the contents of the abdominal cavity.

From one aspect according to this invention there is provided exercising apparatus which has a frame and a seat pivoted to the frame to be rockable from side to side, rotary drive means is provided and a connector is extended between the drive means and a part of the seat spaced from the axis about which the seat is pivotable so that rotation of the drive means results in the seat being rocked from side to side and the person using the apparatus is obliged to curve his spine laterally in an attempt to maintain an upright attitude. The connector is desirably rotatably mounted upon an eccentric element secured to the drive means such as a cam or a crank.

It is also envisaged that the apparatus of this invention may be embodied in a stationary exerciser similar to a bicycle type exerciser, or it may be a movable apparatus such as a wheelchair or a more or less conventional bicycle.

If the exerciser is embodied in a stationary apparatus, the device in its simplest form may comprise a post or other base with a seat pivoted to it and a pedal driven crank or cam with a connecting rod extending between the crank and the seat to cause, upon rotation of the crank or cam, the seat to be rocked about its pivotal connection to the post. It is to be appreciated that the connecting rod will be connected to the seat at a position spaced from the pivotal connection of the seat to the post and there may be a lever or the seat itself may constitute a lever through which the force imparted by the connecting rod works to pivot the seat.

In a more complex stationary device, the apparatus may comprise a bicycle type exerciser in which the person using the apparatus not only derives the benefits of the exercise herein described but also may work against the retarding force on the bicycle such as a friction device or a compressible piston and cylinder.

In a wheelchair arrangement, it is convenient to arrange that rotation of the ground wheels of the chair cause the cam or crank on the shaft of the wheel to rotate and to connect that cam or crank through a connecting rod which is rotatable upon it to the seat or to a lever attached to the seat so that as the ground wheels turn the seat is rocked from side to side. It is considered particularly beneficial to arrange that the back of the wheelchair be fixed so that it does not move with the seat in this way to restrain the upper part of the spin of the person sitting in the seat but to cause the lower part of the spine to move thus inducing movement of the spine rather than tilting of the whole body. Conveniently the connecting rod is arranged to be adjustable so that the degree of pivoting caused by movement of the chair is variable from no movement at all to a greater or lesser degree of movement.

In a travelling bicycle type exerciser the base of the apparatus will be constituted by the wheeled frame of the bicycle and the rotary drive seat can conveniently be the pedal shaft although clearly it could be the wheel axle.

In drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 1 is a rear end view of a fixed exerciser according to this invention,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a detail of the apparatus in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a side view of another embodiment of this invention,

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of another embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 8 is a front elevational of still another embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken on theline 99 of FIG. 8,

FIG. 10 is a horizontal section taken on the line l0--l0 of FIG. 9, and

FIG. 11 is a detail view of a modified seat mounting.

The embodiment of the exercising apparatus generally indicated at 8 and shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 comprises a frame orpost 10 which is secured to the floor by a base plate 11 so as to be rigidly supported in the upright position.

Spaced an appropriate distance above the base plate 11, and mounted on thepost 10, is abearing 12 within which atransverse shaft 13 is journalled, the shaft havingend portions 14 and 15 projecting on opposite sides of said bearing. On theend portion 14 of theshaft 13 there is non-rotatably secured apedal arm 16 and apedal 17 is secured to the pedal arm in conventional fashion.

Theend portion 15 of the shaft which projects from the opposite side of thebearing 12 is non-rotatably fitted with apedal arm 18 having a portion formed into acrank 19. Apedal 20 is mounted on thepedal arm 18. Thus theapparatus 8 is provided with a rotary drive generally indicated at 24 which includes the eccentric element orcrank 19.

Post 10 is formed of alower tube 27 and a telescopingupper rod 28 and aseat 30 is mounted on the upper end of said rod. The height of theseat 30 above the base plate 11 can be adjusted by opening aclamping ring 32 on the upper end on thetube 27 and by sliding therod 28 in or out as required before retightening said clamping ring.

The connection between theseat 30 and therod 28 is made through abracket 33 which has acylindrical bearing surface 34 within which is received anaxle 35 secured to the upper end of the rod. The two parts of thesplit bracket 33 are interconnected by a clampingbolt 36 which normally is adjusted to permit theseat 30 to rock freely on theaxle 35.

Theseat 30 is of the bicycle saddle kind and has con ventionalhelical springs 37 and 38 secured to the underside thereof. Coaxially with thesprings 37 and 38 arebolts 39 and 40 respectively and L-shapedbrackets 41 and 42 are secured to those bolts by means ofnuts 43 and 44.

The vertical limbs of thebrackets 41 and 42 have aligned holes through which a threadedbar 45, which constitutes a lever in the manner described hereinafter, is passed.Nuts 46 secure the lever tobracket 41 andsimilar nuts 47 secure said lever to thebrackets 42. Thelever 45 terminates in aball 50. Extending between thelever 45 and thecrank 19 is a connectingrod 60 which is provided at the upper end thereof with asocket 61. Theball 50 is rotatably mounted in thesocket 61 and thus therod 60 is operatively connected to theseat 30 by means of thelever 45 and associated parts to effect a universal connection between the seat and the connecting rod.

The connectingrod 60 is formed of anupper rod 63 which is slidably received within alower tube 64. The upper edge of thelower tube 64 has a cut-away portion 65, see FIG. 3, and acollar 66 is firmly secured to the tube end to encircle this cut-away portion. Aboss 67 is formed on theportion 66 and is provided with a screw-threadedopening 68 in which awing bolt 69 is located, the bolt projecting through theportion 65 to engage therod 63. In this way therod 63 can be adjusted telescopically within thetube 64 and can be clamped in any position by turning thewing bolt 69 whereby to accommodate variations in the height of theseat 30 above the base plate 11.

Additionally the length of the connectingrod 60 can be varied to accommodate lengthwise adjustment of thelever 45 within the L-shaped brackets 41 and 42. By adjusting the position of thelever 45 whereby to locate the ball 50 a selected distance from thebracket 41, the degree to which theseat 30 is rocked from side to side can be varied to suit the individual using theexercising apparatus 8.

Thetube 64 forming the lower part of the connectingrod 60 issecured to thecrank 19 of thepedal arm 18 by means of aclamp 72 to which the lower end of the tube is pivotally secured by means of a rivet orother pin 73.

In the operation of theexercising apparatus 8, the user sits on theseat 30 with his feet on thepedals 17 and 20 and operates therotary drive 24 to rock the seat from side to side. In order to maintain his balance and keep his head and chest upright as is desirable the user is forced to move his pelvis with theseat 30 and this exercises the waist and leg muscles as well as having beneficial effect on the internal organs.

Theapparatus 8 can readily be converted to a normal exercising machine by loosening thewing bolt 69 to disconnect thetube 64 from therod 63 so that these two parts are free to telescope one within the other. The clampingbolt 36 is then tightened to lock theseat 30 against rocking movement about theaxle 35 whereupon theapparatus 8 can be pedalled in the manner of a conventional exercising machine.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 4 and is a stationary bicycle type exerciser. This exercising apparatus which is generally indicated by the numeral 80 comprises aframe 82 having atubular post 83 which is secured to the floor by abase plate 84 and platform 85. Arod 87 is telescopically received in the upper end of thepost 83 and handlebars 88 are fitted to this extension. The handle bars 88 are adjustable as to height by virtue of aclamping ring 89 which secures therod 87 within thepost 83.

Asecond post 92 is secured to abase plate 93 in a position spaced from thepost 83. At the upper end ofpost 92, atelescoping rod 94 supports aseat 95. Theseat 95 is made vertically adjustable by means of aclamping ring 96 which locks therod 94 to thepost 92.Upper end 98 of therod 94 is bent to be horizontal or nearly so and is received within a cylindrical split bearing 99 secured to the underside, of theseat 95. Thus theseat 95 is rockably mounted on therod 94 for side to side movement. Clampingbolts 100 extend through to bearing 99 to permit theseat 95 to be locked in a horizontal position if desired.

A transverse lever 104 is operatively connected to theseat 95 by means generally indicated at 105, which connecting means may be of the same construction as used on theapparatus 8. Lever 104 is connected to arod 106 by a ball and socket joint generally indicated at 108.

Apparatus 80 is provided with a rotary drive generally indicated at 112. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, theapparatus 80 has athird post 114 and therotary drive 112 is carried by this post. Thethird post 114 supports abearing 115 which journals atransverse shaft 116 upon whichpedal arms 117 and 118 are secured in conventional fashion. Theshaft 116 carries an eccentric element orcam 120 to which the lower end of the connectingrod 106 is secured by means of apin 121 and acollar 122. It will beappreciated that, as thepedal arms 117 and 118 are turned and the connectingrod 106 is reciprocated, theseat 95 is caused to rock about the axis of thebearing 99. Thus, the same beneficial exercise can be obtained from the apparatus as is derived from use of theapparatus 8.

The connectingrod 106 is constructed of telescoping parts which are adjustable as to length to accommodate different seat heights in the manner described with reference to the embodiments in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Also the parts of therod 106 can be disconnected to permit relative movement of the rod parts and the seat can be fixed in a horizontal position by tightening the clampingbolts 100.

It is thought convenient that theapparatus 80 be provided with a damping piston and cylinder unit against which the user of the apparatus can exert himself in turning the pedals. Theunit 130 is pivotally connected as at 132 (FIG. 4) to thepost 83 and is similarly connected as at 131 (FIG. 6) to thecollar 122 which is rotatably mounted on thecam 120.

Additionally it is considered desirable to mount a partially brakedfly wheel 136 on apost 137 and to connect the flywheel through a sprocket andchain drive 139 to theshaft 116 whereby said flywheel is driven by rotation of the pedals. Also thepedals 117 andl 18 may be mounted on thetransverse shaft 116 to be angularly adjusted relatively thereto and in this way can vary the exercise obtained by the user of the apparatus.

In FIG. 7 there is illustrated still another embodiment of the present invention, this apparatus 140 being a wheeled bicycle. The bicycle apparatus 140 is largely of conventional construction except that it has a cam 142 fitted to ashaft 143 of the rotary drive means 145 thereof. A connectingrod 147 operatively connects the cam 142 to connectingmeans 149 carried by aseat 150. Theseat 150 is secured as at 152, and in the same manner as is shown in FIG. 5 for example, so that it can rock from side to side as the bicycle is pedalled along the road.

When the apparatus 140 is pedalled along somewhat in the manner of a conventional bicycle, the rider is required not only to keep his balance but also to maintain the upper part of his body in a substantially vertical position and in order to do this he must move his pelvis with the laterally rocking seat. This exercises the leg and waist muscles as before and at the same time the rider receives the normal stimulation of the forward motion experienced when riding a bicycle.

Should the rider tire from the additional exercise supplied by the rocking motion of theseat 150 it is a simple matter to disconnect the two parts of the connectingrod 147 so that no drive is transmitted thereby. Theseat 150 is then locked in the normal horizontal position of use by themeans 152 whereupon the exercising apparatus 140 is converted to a conventional bicycle.

Referring now to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 8, the numeral 160 indicates an exercising apparatus in the form of a wheelchair. Thewheelchair apparatus 160 comprises aframe 162 mounted onground engaging wheels 163 and 164 as well ascas tor wheels 165 and 166. A transversely extendingaxle shaft 170 is journalled in theframe 162 and thewheels 163 and 164 are suitably mounted on the ends of this shaft so that the chair can be maneuvered while the shaft is being rotated. Theframe 162 is provided with a fixedbackrest 172 and a rockingly mountedseat 174. Theframe 160 and theseat 174 have overlappinghinge plates 175 and 176, see particularly FIG. 9, these plates being interconnected by longitudinally aligned hinge pins 177 whereby the seat can rock from side to side.

Apparatus 160 includes a rotary drive generally indicated at 180 and having an eccentric element which consists of acrank 181 formed on theshaft 170. Arod 184 normally connects the crankedportion 181 of the shaft to abracket 185 secured, to the underside of theseat 174.Rod 184 is universally connected as at 188 to the crank 181 and to provide such a connection said shaft is fitted with a slidably and rotatably mounted ball 189., see particularly FIG. 10. Aring 190 formed on the lower end of the connectingrod 184 encloses theball 189 and this ring is secured to said ball by means of pivot pins 191. Theball 189 is free to rotate about theshaft 170 and therod 184 can pivot relative to said ball and this forms theuniversal connection 188. In order to secure theconnection 188 in a selected position on theshaft 170, a pair ofcollars 193 are mounted on the shaft one on either side of theball 189. Clampingbolts 194, see particularly FIG. 8, fix the slidably mountedcollars 193 to theshaft 170.

An identically constructed universal connection 197 (FIG. 8) secures the opposite end of therod 184 to thebracket 185. A pair ofcollars 198 fitted with clampingbolts 199 hold theconnection 197 in a selected position on thebracket 185.

It will be noticed that thebracket 185 is disposed parallel to the crank 181 and that both these members are spaced to one side of the hinge pins 177 which secure theseat 174 to the horizontal members of theframe 160. When the connectingrod 184 is positioned at the extreme right (FIG. 8), the maximum throw of thecrank 181 is used and as thewheelchair apparatus 160 is wheeled along, theseat 174 is tilted from side to side. The seat occupant once again is required to swivel his pelvis with theseat 174 and, in doing so, performs the same beneficial exercise as before. The effective throw of thecrank 181 can be decreased by moving the connectingrod 184 to the left (FIG. 8), this being done by adjustment of thecollars 193 and 198, and thus the degree to which theseat 174 is tilted or rocked from side to side can be varied to suit the individual using thewheelchair apparatus 160. If it is considered desirable that theseat 174 remain stationary, therod 184 is moved inwardly or off thecrank 181 entirely and on to thestraight portion 185A of thebracket 185.

It is to be appreciated that with the embodiments of the invention illustrated herein the user is obliged to curve the spine laterally to maintain an upright attitude as the seat rocks. This action is one which not only exercises the muscles of the trunk but also causes the contents of the abdominal cavity alternatively to be compressed and extended in a beneficial manner. Such an exerciser is considered to be extremely useful to people in sedentary occupations and it is considered that the invention may find application in for example office chairs where the rotary drive to the seat could take the form of a small motor.

Thebackrest 172 has been described as being fixedly secured to theframe 162 and this is an important feature of thewheelchair apparatus 160. A person using theapparatus 160 for exercise may lean forward slightly to clear thebackrest 172 but, if he wants to exert an even greater effort, he can press rearwardly against the backrest so that he must keep the upper part of his body stationary. The head and shoulders then will have little tendency to sway from side to side and only movements of the waist and pelvis will be made to follow the side to side rocking motion of theseat 174. A similar fixed backrest can quite readily be incorporated into the other embodiments of the invention.

The seats of the four embodiments of the exercising device have been shown mounted for rocking movement about a horizontal axis extending longitudinally of the exercisers and lying in a generally vertical plane but it will be noted said axis does not have to be truly horizontal. In FIG. 11 for example, seat A is shown to be rockingly mounted onupper end 98A of therod 94, this rod end being upwardly inclined at a slight angle to the horizontal. The generally horizontal seat 95A is provided with a split bearing 99A which is fitted with clamping bolts A as before, the remainder of apparatus being constructed as previously described for the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. Similarly, the other three embodiments can have their seats tilted from the horizontal to changethe seat action.

As the seat 95A is rocked from side to side in the above described manner, the tilted position of the rod end 98A causes a slight turning movement of said seat. The person occupying theseat 98A is required to turn his pelvis for and aft to some extent as he moves it up and down with the side to side motion of the seat and this additional body movement increases the benefits derived from use of the apparatus.

I claim:

1. Exercising apparatus comprising a frame, a seat pivoted to the frame for side to side rocking movement, a bicycle-type pedal drive mounted on the frame including a rotatable shaft extending transversely of said frame, an element rotatable with the shaft and eccentric thereto, a connecting rod, first means pivotally connecting one end of the connecting rod to the seat and including lever means, and second means pivotally connecting an opposite end of the connecting rod to the eccentric element whereby a person seated on the seat and pedalling the pedal drive with his feet causes said seat to rock from side to side, said lever means including adjustment means to vary the effective length of said lever means to vary the extent to which the seat is rocked from side to side upon rotation of the shaft.

of the connecting rod to the eccentric element whereby a person seated on the seat and pedalling the pedal drive with his feet causes said seat to rock from side to side, said first means including a lever extending transversely of the frame, said lever being adjustable to change the effective length thereof and thereby vary the extent to which the seat is rocked from side to side upon rotation of the shaft, and said connecting rod including two telescopically interconnected elements releasably secured together to permit disengagement of the seat from the pedal drive.

Claims (3)

1. Exercising apparatus comprising a frame, a seat pivoted to the frame for side to side rocking movement, a bicycle-type pedal drive mounted on the frame including a rotatable shaft extending transversely of said frame, an element rotatable with the shaft and eccentric thereto, a connecting rod, first means pivotally connecting one end of the connecting rod to the seat and including lever means, and second means pivotally connecting an opposite end of the connecting rod to the eccentric element whereby a person seated on the seat and pedalling the pedal drive with his feet causes said seat to rock from side to side, said lever means including adjustment means to vary the effective length of said lever means to vary the extent to which the seat is rocked from side to side upon rotation of the shaft.

2. Exercising apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said connecting rod includes two interconnected elements secured together to permit disengagement of the seat from the pedal drive.

3. Exercising apparatus comprising a frame, a seat pivoted to the frame for side to side rocking movement, a bicycle-type pedal drive mounted on the frame including a rotatable shaft extending transversely of said frame, an element rotatable with the shaft and eccentric thereto, a connecting rod, first means pivotally connecting one end of the connecting rod to the seat, and second means pivotally connecting an opposite end of the connecting rod to the eccentric element whereby a person seated on the seat and pedalling the pedal drive with his feet causes said seat to rock from side to side, said first means including a lever extending transversely of the frame, said lever being adjustable to change the effective length thereof and thereby vary the extent to which the seat is rocked from side to side upon rotation of the shaft, and said connecting rod including two telescopically interconnected elements releasably secured together to permit disengagement of the seat from the pedal drive.

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