US3784193A - Friction type exercising device with separate handgrip exerciser - Google Patents

Abstract

An exercise apparatus includes a platform adapted to be mounted by a person and rotate responsove to a twisting motion executed by such person. An arm extends generally upward relative to the platform and is disposed for being grasped by the person on the platform. The platform and the arm undergo coordinated counterrotating motion in response to the twisting motion, thus providing muscle toning and exercise to a user. A latching device is provided to latch the platform after it has reached its limit of rotational excursion and to unlatch it in response to a manually supplied force whereby to obtain additional exercise for hand and arm muscles. A valve is provided to control the amount of fluid passing from a resilient fluid type hand exerciser on the arm. The apparatus has a structure for limiting the rotation of the arm and the platform. The resilient hand exerciser may have a spring substituted for the resilient fluid type hand exerciser, to require the user to exert a larger twisting force to rotate the platform against a friction brake.

Description

limited States Patent 1 [111 3,784,193

Simjian Jan. 8, 1974' FRICTION TYPE EXERCISING DEVICE [57] ABSTRACT WITH SEPARATE HANDGRIP EXERCISER An exercise apparatus includes a platform adapted to inventor:Luther j 7 Laurel be mounted by a person and rotate responsove to 21 Greenwich, Corm- 06330 twisting m'otion executed by such person. An arm ex- [22] Filed, July 1 1972 tends generally upward relative to the platform and is [52 US. Cl 272/68, 272/79 D, 272/DIG. 3,

2 W ,i MWAZ JQLQQ LQJ [51] 1111.0 ..A63b 23/00, A63b 21/22, A63b 21/00 58 Field of Search 272/79 D, 79 R, 82, 272/83 R, 57 A, 57 B, BIG. 3, DIG. 5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,573,808 11/1951 Ravoire 272/57 B 3,207,510 9/1965 Gibson 272/57 B 3,384,369 5/1968 Rumell 272/57 A 3,441,271 4/1969 Palacios..... 272/57 A X 3,467,374 9/1969 Auer v272/57 B 3,575,412 4/1971 Arsenian 272/57 B Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Exar i rer- -William Browne Attorney--Ervin B f Steinberg disposed for being grasped by the person on the platform. The platform and the arm undergo coordinated counterrotating motion in response to the twisting motion, thus providing muscle toning and exercise to a user. A latching device is provided to latch the platform after it has reached its limit of rotational excursion and to unlatch it in response to a manually supplied force whereby to obtain additional exercise for hand and arm muscles. A valve is provided to control the amount of fluid passing from a resilient fluid type hand exerciser on the arm. The apparatus has a structure for limiting the rotation of the arm and the platform. The resilient hand exerciser may have a spring substituted for the resilient fluid type hand exerciser,

' to require the user to exert a larger twisting force to rotate the platform against a friction brake.

PATENTED 81974 SHEET t [If 4 FRICTION TYPE EXERCISING DEVICE WITH SEPARATE HAND GRIP EXERCISER SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention refers to an exercise apparatus which is particularly adapted for use by golfers, baseball pitchers and other persons who wish to exercise their main body muscles and also their arm and hand muscles. It has been recently stated by many authorities that the most desirable exercise apparatus is one in which many muscles of a person are in motion and are stressed for extended periods of time. Typical of a preferred apparatus of this type is, of course, the bicycle type exercising device which may be an actual bicycle operated over a road or the stationary type bicycle apparatus used in the home or in an exercise studio. The bicycle type apparatus provides primarily exercise to the leg muscles of an operator and while stimulating, on account of such exercise, the heart muscle to produce increased blood flow, there are other muscles in the human body which are not to any measurable extent in use with this type of device.

The present exercise apparatus is one which provides a different type of exercise byrequiring a person to execute a twisting motion, such as is required during pitching a ball or playing golf. To this end, the apparatus disclosed hereafer comprises a platform adapted to undergo limited rotational excursion in response to a person disposed on the platform executing a twisting motion. An arm extending forwardly from the platform is grasped by the person and responsive to the motion of the platform, the arm is urged into counterrotation, thus providing an exercise which sould greatly contribute to the loosening of body muscles and subjecting the body andarm of the user to a rapid and forceful motion inherent in the aforementioned sports. Furthermore, the present apparatus is designed with a means for strengthening the hand and arm muscles of the user by providing a hand grip to be squeezed cyclically during such exercise.

The above described features and objectives are obtained in a very simple and expedient manner. There is no requirement for electric motors or driven parts. In this manner the present invention discloses a most ver satile and useful exercise apparatus which has wide application not only among persons interested in physical fitness, but also among persons engaging in various sports such as golf, baseball, basketball and the like. The broad principle of the present invention together with a preferred embodiment thereof will be more clearly apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exercise apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 in FIG.-2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2 with the platform removed;

FIG. 5 is a plan view similar to FIG. 4 with top sup-.

port plate removed;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken alongline 66 in FIG. 3, but with arm displaced from the position shown in FIG. 3 to reveal certain details;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 8 is a partial view of a modification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the figures and FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 in particular, the exercise apparatus is designed so that a person standing or in knee bent position on the rotatably.mountedplatform 10 grasps with one or both hands thehandle bar 12 or thevertical extension 14 of anarm 15. Responsive to the person executing a body twisting motion, the platform is caused to rotate in one direction, such as is'indicated by the arrow A, FIG. 1, while thearm 15 is caused to-undergo a coordinated counterrotation, see arrow B. As illustrated in FIG. l, thearm 15 is in its central position, but it will be understood from the description hereinafter that theplatform 10 andarm 15 are adapted to undergo bidirectional motion from this central position. The rotational excursion of the platform and arm is limited, typically bei ng BO degrees for the platformin either direction from the central position, but this value shall in no way be interpreted as limiting since, quite obviously, the rotational excursion may be made greater or smaller to suit the conditions desired.

Referring now also to the other figures, thehandle bar 12 is mounted upon thevertical extension 14 of thearm 15 which is constructed with a lowerhorizontal section 16 extending from beneath theplatform 10. Thehorizontal section 16 of thearm 15 is sufficiently long to cause thevertical extension 14 to clear the peripheral surface of theplatform 10 and the underlying support structure.

The exercise apparatus is supported upon a floor by a set offeet 18, FIG. 3, which depend from ahorizontal base plate 20. Thearm 15 is pivotally anchored by apin 22, extending vertically through thearm section 16 into thebase plate 20 at its lower end and into atop support plate 24 at its upper end. Thetop plate 24 andbase plate 20 are secured in fixed spaced relation by a set ofposts 26, and these parts in combination form the stationary support for the movable platform and arm. A pair oftubular spacers 28 encircling thepin 22 retain thehorizontal section 16 of thearm 15 in predetermined horizontal position between theplates 20 and 24. Thepivot pin 22 is situated adjacent the free end of thearm 15 and toward the rear of the exercise apparatus. In order tostabilize the other end of thearm 15, across bar 30 is mounted upon thehorizontal section 16, FIG. 5, forward of thepin 22. A pair of'spacedrollers 32 journalled in the cross bar and adapted to roll on the top surface of theplate 20 provide the'stability for the arm while permitting angular excursion of thearm 15.

Ayoke 34 is slidably mounted upon thehorizontal section 16. Apin 36 depends from theplatform 10 and engages anaperture 37 in theyoke 34. As theplatform 10 rotates, thepin 36 via yoke 34 pivots thearm section 16 about thepin 22. The yoke reciprocates along thearm section 16 as the platform is rotated from its central position to an angular displacement and returned. Angular displacement 0 of the arm is increased by moving thepin 36 toward thepivot pin 22 and is decreased by moving the pin toward the center of rotation of theplatform 10. Upon going beyond the center of rotation of the platform, the arm will no longer counterrotate, but undergo an angular excursion in the same direction as the platform.

Theplatform 10 is mounted upon a ball bearing 40 which is nested in thetop plate 24, FIG. 3. Acircular aperture 42 in thetop plate 24 guides theplatform 10 in a circular path by virtue of three dependingrollers 44 fastened to theplatform 10 and cooperating with the vertical edge of theaperture 42, FIGS. 3 and 4. Alower flange 45, which is an integral part of eachroller 44, projects beneath thetop plate 24 to prevent lifting of theplatform 10.

With the particular arrangement for instance, the arm rotates aboutpin 22 by anangle 6 either side from the central position when the platform ,counterrotates about its center by the larger angleA latch pin 50, FIG. 6, is provided to latch the rotatedarm 15 and platform in either extreme position. Thepin 50 is secured to aleaf spring 52 which allows the pin to run up aramp 54 as thearm section 16 approaches and drop into anaperture 56 of thearm section 16 to lock the arm in position. For unlatching, the person performing the exercise squeezes theappropriate hand grip 58, left or right on thehandle bar 12, which when squeezed to the predetermined extent raises through aflexible cable 60 the lever 64 (FIG. 3) in the direction ofarrow 65 to lift theleaf 52 and consequently thepin 50 out of theaperture 56. Thelever 64 is pivotally fastened at 66. If the latching feature is not desired, it can be disabled by rotating therespective handle 72 from position C to position D, FIG. 6, thus rotating aneccentric cam 70 aboutpivot 71 to raise theleaf 52 andpin 50 to the dotted position indicated byarrow 74.

Thehand grip 58 includes resilient means, such as anair bulb 76 or spring means 76A, FIG. 8, to restore the lever and cable to its normal non-actuated position. The latching and hand grip means are designed primarily to provide exercise for the hand and arm muscles of the person using the exercise apparatus. For requiring the use of a predetermined amount of force, thebulb 76 may include an adjustable vent valve which acts differentially, i.e., fluid is expelled from the bulb slowly requiring increased force, but admitted to the bulb rapidly, see for instance my copending application for U.S; Letters Patent Ser. No. 189,354 filed Oct. 14, 1971. Alternatively, a compression spring 76A with or without force adjusting means may be used, see FIG. 8. Still further, the purchaser of the apparatus may be provided with a set of springs to enable him to substitute increasingly forceful springs as the exercise progresses.

A further feature of the present apparatus resides in the provision of means for varying the resistance or drag of the platform to rotational displacement. To this end, afriction shoe 80, FIG. 7, is positioned for being urged into frictional contact with the underside of theplatform 10. The shoe is mounted to anarm 82 which extends through anaperture 83 in thetop plate 24. Thearm 82 is secured to alever 84 which is supported by a centrally locatedpivot 85. The opposite end of thelever 84 is constructed to receive ahelical spring 88 which is adapted to be compressed beneath awasher 90 fastened to the lower end of an adjustingscrew 92 threaded into theplate 24. By rotating thescrew 92 theshoe 80 is urged into variable frictional contact with the underside of theplatform 10, thus requiring the expenditure of a greater or smaller twisting effort to cause the desired rotational excursion of theplatform 10.

For providing vertical adjustment of the arm as is required for persons of different height, a slot 100 (FIG. 3) forms a bifurcated lower end of thetube 102 which mounts the handle bar. Thetube 102 is secured Within thevertical extension 14 of thearm 15. Upon tightening anut 104 which draws a threadedwedge 106 into thetube 102, the bifurcated end is expanded against the inside ofvertical extension 14 to obtain a locking action.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that while two latching arrangements are shown, one left and one right, the apparatus may readily be redesigned to include only a single latch with the manual gripping means located centrally.

When the latching arrangement is disabled the angular excursion of the platform and arm still remains limited. As illustrated, theedges 96, FIGS. 1 and 2, of the wrap aroundenclosure 98 limit the motion of the arm. In order to prevent a sudden stop of the motion of the platform and arm, padding may be used to soften the impact or, alternatively, friction means are used to retard the motion of the platform and arm as the limit of their angular excursions is reached.

A further feature of the present apparatus will comprise a counting means for counting the quantity of rotational motions imparted to the platform. This may include a single counter for all motions or separate counters for left and right rotation. The counter can be coupled to thehand grip device 58 to separate or combine the number of unlatching operations.

Instead of theyoke 34 andpin 36 mechanism described and illustrated hereinabove, it will be apparent that other mechanisms can be used to achieve coordinated counterrotation between thearm 15 andplatform 10. Typical of such an alternative embodiment is the use of two meshed gears in which case the platform is coupled to one gear and the arm is pivotally fastened and rotated responsive to the motion of the second gear. In this latter case, if desired, it is possible to shorten the distance from the center of rotation of the platform to thearm 15 as the arm undergoes its angular rotation.

It will be apparent that the foregoing exercise apparatus constitutes a most versatile and effective exercise and training apparatus, useful for general fitness exercises, but also for imparting the desired exercises to golfers and other and similar sports enthusiasts. The striking simplicity of the present apparatus renders it ideally suited for installation in the home, office and professional establishments.

I claim: 1. An exercise apparatus comprising: a user support means rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane on the apparatus and adapted to support a person and be rotated in response to a twisting motion executed by such person disposed on said user support means; an arm means extending generally upward relative to said user support means and disposed for pivotal movement in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the support means while being grasped by the person when on said support means, and

means coupling said arm means and said support means to one another for permitting said last two mentioned means to undergo separate and coordinated counterrotating motions with respect to each other due to the twisting action of a user, and said support means including a platform.

2. An exercise apparatus as set forth inclaim 1, and means disposed for limiting the angular excursion of said support means and said arm means.

3. An exercise apparatus as set forth inclaim 1, said arm means extending upward from a location beyond the peripheral surface of said support means.

4. An exercise apparatus as set forth inclaim 1, said means coupling said arm means and said support means and being adjustable to permit the angular excursion of said arm means to be less than that of said support means.

5. An exercise apparatus as set forth inclaim 1 and resilient means adapted to be squeezed manually mounted to said arm means.

6. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 5, said resilient means including force resisting means which opposes the force exerted when squeezing.

7. An exercise apparatus comprising:

stationary support means for providing a base support;

a user support means rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane on the apparatus and supported by said stationary supportmeans and adapted to be rotated in response to a twisting motion by a person;

means coupled between said stationary support means and said inner support means for permitting said user support means to be rotated relative to said stationary support means;

an arm means extending generally upward relative to .said user support means and being disposed for pivotal movement in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the user support means while being grasped by a person disposed on said user support means, and

further means coupled to said stationary support means, said user support means and said arm means for permitting said user support means and arm means to undergo separate-and coordinated counterrotating motions with respect to each other in response to a twisting motion executed by a person on said user support means.

8. An exercise apparatus as set forth inclaim 7, said further means including a pivot member securing one end of said arm means to said stationary suppo rt means, and a motion transmitting element coupled be tween said user support means and said arm means near said pivot member for permitting said user support means and arm means to undergo coordinated counterrotation relative to each other.

9. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 8, said motion transmitting element including a pin and a yoke coupled to said arm means, and stabilizing means coupled to said arm means and engaging said stationary support means for stabilizing the arm means during its movement.

10. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 8, and means disposed for limiting the bidirectional angular excursion of said user support means and and arm means from a central position.

11. An exercise apparatus as set forth inclaim 7, and including latching means for latching said user support means and said arm means when predetermined excursions are attained, resilient means adapted to be squeezed manu'ally, said resilient means being mounted for operation by a person on said platform, and means coupling said resilient means to said latching means for unlatching said latching means responsive to said resilsaid fluid responsive means including a differential valve means for permitting a flow of fluid.

16. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 11, said resilient means comprising a spring.

17. An exercise apparatus as set forth inclaim 7, and means for adjusting the height of said arm means relative to said user support means.

18. An exercise apparatus comprising:

stationary support means for providing a base support;

a user support means rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane on the apparatus and supported by said support means and adapted to be rotated by a person;

means coupled between said stationary support means and said user support means for permitting said user support means to be rotatable relative to said stationary support means;

an arm means extending upward from the level of said user support means and being disposed for pivotal movement in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the user support meanswhile being grasped by a person standing on said user support means;

further means coupled to said stationary support means, said user support means and said arm means for permitting said user support means and arm arm to undergo separate and coordinated counterrotating motion with respect to each other in response to a twisting motion executed by a person on said user support means, and

additional means for adjusting the force required to cause rotation of said user support means relative to said stationary support means.

19. An exercise apparatus as set forth inclaim 18,

said additional means comprising firctional means coupled between said stationary support means and user support means.

, 20. An exercise apparatus as set forth inclaim 18 and latching means selectively settable to be operative to latch said user support means and said arm means in their rotated position relative to said stationary support means when a predetermined angular excursion of said user support means and said arm means has been reached, and means disposed for being operative by a person and coupled to said latching means for disengaging said latching means responsive to a predetermined force.

Claims (20)

1. An exercise apparatus comprising: a user support means rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane on the apparatus and adapted to support a person and be rotated in response to a twisting motion executed by such person disposed on said user support means; an arm means extending generally upward relative to said user support means and disposed for pivotal movement in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the support means while being grasped by the person when on said support means, and means coupling said arm means and said support means to one another for permitting said last two mentioned means to undergo separate and coordinated counterrotating motions with respect to each other due to the twisting action of a user, and said support means including a platform.

2. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 1, and means disposed for limiting the angular excursion of said support means and said arm means.

3. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said arm means extending upward from a location beyond the peripheral surface of said support means.

4. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said means coupling said arm means and said support means and being adjustable to permit the angular excursion of said arm means to be less than that of said support means.

5. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and resilient means adapted to be squeezed manually mounted to said arm means.

6. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 5, said resilient means including force resisting means which opposes the force exerted when squeezing.

7. An exercise apparatus compRising: stationary support means for providing a base support; a user support means rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane on the apparatus and supported by said stationary support means and adapted to be rotated in response to a twisting motion by a person; means coupled between said stationary support means and said inner support means for permitting said user support means to be rotated relative to said stationary support means; an arm means extending generally upward relative to said user support means and being disposed for pivotal movement in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the user support means while being grasped by a person disposed on said user support means, and further means coupled to said stationary support means, said user support means and said arm means for permitting said user support means and arm means to undergo separate and coordinated counterrotating motions with respect to each other in response to a twisting motion executed by a person on said user support means.

8. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 7, said further means including a pivot member securing one end of said arm means to said stationary support means, and a motion transmitting element coupled between said user support means and said arm means near said pivot member for permitting said user support means and arm means to undergo coordinated counterrotation relative to each other.

9. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 8, said motion transmitting element including a pin and a yoke coupled to said arm means, and stabilizing means coupled to said arm means and engaging said stationary support means for stabilizing the arm means during its movement.

10. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 8, and means disposed for limiting the bidirectional angular excursion of said user support means and and arm means from a central position.

11. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 7, and including latching means for latching said user support means and said arm means when predetermined excursions are attained, resilient means adapted to be squeezed manually, said resilient means being mounted for operation by a person on said platform, and means coupling said resilient means to said latching means for unlatching said latching means responsive to said resilient means being squeezed to a predetermined extent.

12. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 11 and means for adjusting the force with which said resilient means must be squeezed to reach said predetermined extent.

13. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 11, said means coupling said resilient means to said latching means comprising a flexible cable.

14. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 11, said resilient means including fluid responsive means for restoring the cable to its non-actuated position.

15. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 14, said fluid responsive means including a differential valve means for permitting a flow of fluid.

16. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 11, said resilient means comprising a spring.

17. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 7, and means for adjusting the height of said arm means relative to said user support means.

18. An exercise apparatus comprising: stationary support means for providing a base support; a user support means rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane on the apparatus and supported by said support means and adapted to be rotated by a person; means coupled between said stationary support means and said user support means for permitting said user support means to be rotatable relative to said stationary support means; an arm means extending upward from the level of said user support means and being disposed for pivotal movement in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the user support means while being grasped by a person standing on said user support means; further means coupled to said stationary support means, said user suppOrt means and said arm means for permitting said user support means and arm arm to undergo separate and coordinated counterrotating motion with respect to each other in response to a twisting motion executed by a person on said user support means, and additional means for adjusting the force required to cause rotation of said user support means relative to said stationary support means.

19. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 18, said additional means comprising firctional means coupled between said stationary support means and user support means.

20. An exercise apparatus as set forth in claim 18 and latching means selectively settable to be operative to latch said user support means and said arm means in their rotated position relative to said stationary support means when a predetermined angular excursion of said user support means and said arm means has been reached, and means disposed for being operative by a person and coupled to said latching means for disengaging said latching means responsive to a predetermined force.

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