High-low pulley rack system for weight machine

Abstract

A pulley rack for an exercise machine includes a support frame, an upright extending generally vertically within the support frame, a counterweight having one or more counterweight pulleys, the counterweight moveable in a vertical direction relative to the support frame, one or more guide pulleys mounted to the support frame, a cable end assembly mounted to the upright, and a pull cable having a fixed attachment end connected to the cable end assembly and a pullable end freely passing through the cable end assembly. The pull cable is routed through the cable end assembly, the counterweight pulleys, and guide pulleys such that a force exerted on the pullable end raises the counterweight. A section of the pull cable extends from the pullable end through the cable end assembly and downwardly to one of the guide pulleys mounted below the cable end assembly.

Claims

1. A pulley rack for an exercise machine, the pulley rack comprising: a support frame; an upright extending generally vertically within the support frame; a counterweight having one or more counterweight pulleys, the counterweight moveable in a vertical direction relative to the support frame; one or more guide pulleys mounted to the support frame; a cable end assembly mounted to the upright; and a pull cable having a fixed attachment end assembly and a pullable end freely passing through the cable end assembly; wherein the pull cable is routed through the cable end assembly, the counterweight pulleys, and guide pulleys such that a force exerted on the pullable end raises the counterweight, wherein the fixed attachment end assembly of the pull cable is connected to the cable end assembly adjacent to a first vertical side of the upright, and wherein a section of the pull cable extends from the pullable end through the cable end assembly and downwardly to one of the guide pulleys mounted below the cable end assembly along a second vertical side of the upright.

2. The pulley rack of claim 1, wherein the cable end assembly is vertically slideable along the upright.

3. The pulley rack of claim 1, wherein the cable end assembly is lockable in a plurality of positions along the upright.

4. The pulley rack of claim 1, wherein the cable end assembly is lockable in any of a plurality of holes in the upright.

5. The pulley rack of claim 1, wherein the cable end assembly comprises a pivot pin permitting rotation of at least a portion of the cable end assembly about an axis parallel to the upright.

6. The pulley rack of claim 1, further comprising a bar catch mounted to the upright above the cable end assembly, the bar catch adapted to support a barbell at a predetermined height.

7. The pulley rack of claim 6, further comprising a safety spotter arm mounted to the upright above the cable end assembly, the safety spotter arm adapted to prevent the barbell from dropping below a second predetermined height.

8. The pulley rack of claim 6, wherein the cable end assembly is mounted to the upright at a bottom location of the upright, wherein the barbell rests on the bar catch mounted above the cable end assembly, and wherein the pullable end of the pull cable is affixed to the barbell such that force exerted vertically on the barbell raises the counterweight.

9. The pulley rack of claim 1, wherein the pull cable is routed through one of the guide pulleys between a first of the counterweight pulleys and a second of the counterweight pulleys.

10. A pulley rack for an exercise machine, the pulley rack comprising: a support frame; a counterweight having one or more counterweight pulleys, the counterweight moveable in a vertical direction relative to the support frame; one or more guide pulleys mounted to the support frame; a cable end assembly moveably mounted to an upright; a first cable section extending from a fixed connection at the cable end assembly along a first vertical side of the upright to a first of the counterweight pulleys; and a second cable section extending downwardly from a pullable connection at the cable end assembly along a second vertical side of the upright around one of the guide pulleys and to the first of the counterweight pulleys; wherein the counterweight is vertically moveable by a force exerted on the pullable connection of the second cable section; and wherein movement of the cable end assembly along the upright does not move the counterweight.

11. The pulley rack of claim 10, wherein the first cable section extends upwardly from the fixed connection to one of the guide pulleys.

12. The pulley rack of claim 10, wherein the first cable section extends around a second of the counterweight pulleys between the cable end assembly and the first of the counterweight pulleys.

13. The pulley rack of claim 12, wherein the first cable section extends around one of the guide pulleys between the first of the counterweight pulleys and the second of the counterweight pulleys.

14. The pulley rack of claim 10, wherein the first cable section extends around one of the guide pulleys between the cable end assembly and the first of the counterweight pulleys.

15. The pulley rack of claim 10, further comprising a bar catch mounted to the upright above the cable end assembly, the bar catch adapted to support a barbell at a predetermined height.

16. The pulley rack of claim 15, further comprising a safety spotter arm mounted to the upright above the cable end assembly, the safety spotter arm adapted to prevent the barbell from dropping below a second predetermined height.

17. The pulley rack of claim 10, wherein the first cable section and the second cable section define a continuous length of cable.

18. A method of operating an exercise machine, the method comprising: moving a cable end assembly along an upright of a support frame, wherein the cable end assembly has a fixed attachment to a first end of a pull cable adjacent to a first vertical side of the upright, and wherein a second end of the pull cable is pullable through the cable end assembly; and locking the cable end assembly in one of a plurality of positions along the upright; wherein the pull cable, between the first end and the second end, extends downwardly from the cable end assembly along a second vertical side of the upright and is routed through one or more guide pulleys mounted to the exercise machine and one or more counterweight pulleys mounted to a moveable counterweight; and wherein moving the cable end assembly along the upright does not alter the position of the moveable counterweight.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising exerting a force on the second end of the pull cable to raise the moveable counterweight, wherein the moveable counterweight is raised regardless of the direction of the force exerted on the second end of the pull cable.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising attaching a barbell to the second end of the pull cable, the barbell adapted to rest on at least one bar catch mounted to the upright.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable exercise machine including a high-low pulley rack system;

(2) FIG. 2 is a front view the exercise machine of FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a side view the exercise machine of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 4 is a top view the exercise machine of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 5 is a cable schematic of the high-low pulley rack system;

(6) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cable exercise machine of FIG. 1 with a barbell and barbell hooks;

(7) FIG. 7 is a front view the exercise machine of FIG. 6;

(8) FIG. 8 is a side view the exercise machine of FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 9 is a top view the exercise machine of FIG. 6;

(10) FIG. 10 is a side view of the exercise machine of FIG. 6 with a user performing a chest press exercise;

(11) FIG. 11 is a side view of the cable exercise machine of FIG. 1 with the user performing a pulldown exercise; and

(12) FIG. 12 is a side view of the exercise machine of FIG. 6 showing an alternative counterweight arrangement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(13) For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “lateral”, “longitudinal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosure as it is oriented in the figures. However, it is to be understood that the disclosure may assume alternative variations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary aspects of the disclosure. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics related to the aspects disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting.

(14) The present disclosure relates generally to exercise or weight machines and, more particularly, to an adjustable high-low pulley rack that allows a user to vary the location of a pull cable for performing exercises on a cable exercise or weight machine. Certain aspects of the components of the exercise or weight machine and the high-low pulley rack system are illustrated in FIGS. 1-12.

(15) Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, an exercise machine 10 including a high-low pulley rack 100 is shown. The exercise machine 10 includes a support frame 12 to which the counterweights 200 and the components of the high-low pulley rack 100 are attached. In particular, the high-low pulley rack 100 includes uprights 101, cable end assemblies 110, and pull cables 121. The exercise machine 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1 shows a pair of high-low pulley racks 100 arranged in tandem on the exercise machine 10. However, it is to be understood that in other aspects, a single high-low pulley rack 100 may be used.

(16) Referring now to FIG. 2, each upright 101 includes a plurality of indexing holes 102 spaced vertically along the upright 101. The plurality of index holes 102 cooperate with a popper pin 111 of the cable end assembly 110 to lock the cable end assembly 110 to the upright 101. The popper pin 111 of the cable end assembly 110 can be locked into any one of the plurality of index holes 102, permitting the user to position the cable end assembly 110 at a desired vertical position on the upright 101.

(17) Referring now to FIG. 3, each cable end assembly 110 of the high-low pulley rack system 100 includes the popper pin 111, an upper end pulley 112, and a lower end pulley 113. The upper end pulley 112 and the lower end pulley 113 are arranged on opposing sides of the pull cable 121, such that the pull cable 121 is supported whether it is pulled downwardly or upwardly by a user. If the pull cable 121 is pulled downwardly by the user, the pull cable 121 at least partially engages the lower end pulley 113. Conversely, if the pull cable 121 is pulled upwardly, the pull cable 121 at least partially engages the upper end pulley 112. The cable end assembly 110 may include a pivot pin 114 which permits the upper end pulley 112 and the lower end pulley 113 to rotate about an axis parallel to the upright 101. In this manner, the upper end pulley 112 and the lower end pulley 113 may self-align horizontally in the direction which the pull cable 121 is pulled.

(18) With continued reference to FIG. 3, a fixed end connection 122 of the pull cable 121 is attached to the cable end assembly 110. A pullable end 123 of the pull cable 121 freely passes through the cable end assembly 110 between the upper end pulley 112 and the lower end pulley 113. The pullable end 123 includes a retention device 124 which prevents the pullable end 123 from slipping backward through the upper end pulley 112 and the lower end pulley 113. The retention device 124 may be, for example, a ball encompassing a portion of the pull cable 121 which it too large to pass between the upper end pulley 112 and the lower end pulley 113.

(19) Referring now to FIG. 5, the pull cable 121 is routed from the fixed end connection 122, through the counterweight 200, and back to the pullable end 123 at the cable end assembly 110. More specifically, the pull cable 121 is routed through one or more guide pulleys 130 mounted to the support frame 12 of the exercise machine 10 and one or more counterweight pulley 131 mounted to the counterweight 200. Each of the guide pulleys 130 and counterweight pulleys 131 changes the direction of the pull cable 121. A first section 121a of the pull cable 121 extends from the fixed end connection 122 at the cable end assembly 110 to one of the counterweight pulleys 131, such that the weight of the counterweight 200 imparts tension to the pull cable 121. The first section 121a of the pull cable 121 may be routed around one or more of the guide pulleys 130 to provide additional guidance and stabilization to the first section 121a. A second section 121b of the pull cable 121 extends from one of the counterweight pulleys 131 to the pullable end 123 of the pull cable 121, such that the tension imparted on the pull cable 121 by the counterweight 200 induces the pullable end 123 of the pull cable 121 towards the cable end assembly 110. The second section 121b extends downwardly from the cable end assembly 110 such that other components of the exercise machine 10 may be mounted to the upright 101 above the cable end assembly 110 without obstructing or being obstructed by the second section 121b. The second section 121b of the pull cable 121 may be routed around one or more of the guide pulleys 130 to provide additional guidance and stabilization to the second section 121b.

(20) With continued reference to FIG. 5, the cable routing arrangement of the pull cable 121 described above allows the cable end assembly 110 to be adjusted vertically along the upright 101 as desired by the user. When the popper pin 111 of the cable end assembly 110 is released and the cable end assembly 110 is moved up or down the upright 101, the pull cable 121 travels freely over the guide pulleys 130 and the counterweight pulleys 131 without moving the counterweight 200.

(21) Referring now to FIG. 6-9, the exercise machine 10 is shown with the high-low pulley rack 100 is arranged for the user 50 to perform a chest press exercise. A barbell 30 is positioned on bar catches 31 mounted to the uprights 101. Additionally, safety spotter arms 32 are mounted to the uprights 101 below the bar catches 31. The cable end assemblies 110 are attached to the uprights 101 in a position below the bar catches 31 and safety spotter arms 32. The pullable ends 123 of the pull cables 121 are routed around the upper end pulley 112 of the cable end assemblies 110, and the pullable ends 123 are clipped to the barbell 30 such that pushing the barbell 30 upwards imparts tension to the pull cables 121. Referring now to FIG. 10, if sufficient force is exerted against the barbell 30 by the user 50, the force transmitted through the pull cables 121 raises the counterweight 200.

(22) Referring now to FIG. 11, the exercise machine 10 is shown with the high-low pulley rack system 100 is arranged for the user 50 to perform a pulldown exercise. The cable end assemblies 110 are attached to the uprights 101 in a position above the user 50, and a bar or other gripping device 40 is attached to the pullable ends 123 of the pull cables 121. The pullable ends 123 are routed around the lower end pulley 113 of the cable end assemblies 110, and the user 50 exerts downward force on the pull cables 121 to raise the counterweight 200.

(23) Various embodiments of the counterweights 200 may be used with the high-low pulley rack 100. FIGS. 1-11 illustrate a trolley arrangement for the counterweight 200. Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 7, a trolley 201 houses the counterweight pulleys 131. The trolley slides up and down a guide of the support frame 12 as the pull cable 121 is pulled by the user 50. The trolley 201 may have one or more pegs 202 projecting generally outwardly such that standard weightlifting plates 203 may be loaded onto the pegs 202.

(24) Alternatively, the counterweights 200 may be a weight stack arrangement, as shown in FIG. 12. The weight stack arrangement includes a plurality of plates 211 having axially aligned bores which slide along one or more guide shafts 212 connected to the support frame 12. A carrier 213 houses the counterweight pulleys 131. A pin 214 or other locking mechanism may be used to fix one or more of the plurality of plates 211 to the carrier 213. Thus, when the pull cable 121 is pulled, the carrier 213 and any plates 211 fixed to the carrier 213 provide resistance to the user 50.

(25) While various aspects of the high-low pulley rack 100 were provided in the foregoing description, those skilled in the art may make modifications and alterations to these aspects without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, it is to be understood that this disclosure contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any aspect can be combined with one or more features of any other aspect. Accordingly, the foregoing description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. The invention described hereinabove is defined by the appended claims and all changes to the invention that fall within the meaning and the range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.