Exercise machine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-gym machine which enables a user to perform a plurality of different exercises for the whole body. More specifically the present invention relates specifically to a power tower machine in which the user utilizes a combination of the user body weight (calisthenics) in addition to variable elastic bands to provide additional assistance or resistance. This advanced power tower hereby disclosed incorporates an arrangement of multiple handles, various pulleys, elastic cables and steel wire connected to a special waist belt to be put on by the user. The elastic cables depending on their anchor points either from the top or the bottom pulley, generates assistance or resistance to the user respectively for the specific workout. A set of sensors, processor and Bluetooth transmission unit is integrated on the power tower to process, transmit, process and manage several workouts performance indicators via a dedicated mobile application offering a virtual coaching capabilities. Also with internet connection, the mobile application offers an IoT (Internet of Things) concept enable virtual competition with other users using the same machine and mobile application.

Claims

1. A power tower multi-gym machine, comprising: a frame; a set of handle grips and pads attached to the frame and providing different positions of exercise; an upper one-groove pulley attached to an upper portion of the frame; an upper three-groove pulley attached to a mid-upper portion of the frame; a lower one-groove pulley attached to a lower portion of the frame; a lower three-groove pulley attached to a mid-lower portion of the frame; a group of elastic bands providing assistance and resistance to exercise motion, wherein the group of elastic bands is functionally engaged with the upper and lower three-groove pulleys; upper and lower collectors attached at both ends of the group of elastic bands; an upper steel wire attached at one end to the upper collector and functionally engaged with the upper one-groove pulley; a first hook attached to another end of the upper steel wire; a lower steel wire attached at one end to the lower collector and functionally engaged with the lower one-groove pulley; a second hook attached to another end of the lower steel wire; and a waist belt configured to be selectively coupled to the first or second hook.

2. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said group of elastic bands is sliding only on the upper and lower three-groove pulleys.

3. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the upper and lower three-groove pulleys are U-shaped groove pulleys.

4. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the upper and lower steel wires are sliding only on the upper and lower one-groove pulleys.

5. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the upper and lower one-groove pulleys are V-shaped groove pulleys.

6. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising an adjustable strap configured to couple the waist belt to the first or second hook.

7. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the waist belt consists of two halves comprising a front half and a back half, which are attached together around a waist of the user.

8. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 7, wherein the front and back halves of the waist belt are attached together by two adherence straps comprising male and female adherence surfaces.

9. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 7, wherein the waist belt further comprises one D-ring on the front half and one D-ring on the back half for attachment to the first or second hook.

10. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 7, wherein the front and back halves are reinforced with stainless steel stays.

11. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 7, wherein the waist belt further comprises a neoprene belt attached to an inner side of the waist belt for fostering fat burning on the waist area.

12. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the upper and lower one-groove pulleys are linked to encoders to measure movement of the upper and lower steel wires.

13. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 12, wherein the encoders are connected to a microprocessor and transmission unit for communication to a mobile phone device.

14. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising an integrated weighing platform including four load sensors fixed underneath four legs of the power tower multi-gym machine.

15. The power tower multi-gym machine as defined in claim 14, wherein the load sensors are connected to a microprocessor and transmission unit for communication to a mobile phone device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective isometric view of the power tower multi-gym machine incorporating a multiple pulley system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the elastic cables, the collector and the hook in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective isometric view of the waist belt and the D ring hangar in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective isometric view of the sensors mounted on the power tower multi-gym machine in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective side view of the elastic band, steel wire, the pulleys and the mounted encoder on the pulleys in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

(6) FIG. 6 is a perspective isometric view of a user using the power tower multi-gym machine in combination with the waist belt assembly to perform push-up workout with assistance function, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective isometric view of a user using the power tower multi-gym machine in combination with the waist belt assembly to perform pull-up workout with resistance function, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 8 is a perspective isometric view of a user using the power tower multi-gym machine in combination with the waist belt assembly to perform crunch workout with assistance function, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(9) While the invention can be embodied in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described in detail, a preferred embodiment of the present invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated herein.

(10) Referring now to FIGS. 1-8, various views of the power tower multi-gym machine, which is designated general by the reference character 100, are shown. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the power tower multi gym machine 100 includes a steel chassis, grips linked to the chassis, forehand rest pad, pulley system incorporating two one-groove pulleys, two three-groove pulleys, three elastic bands attached to collector, and flexible wire, adjustable strap ending with a hook, waist belt with front and back hook ring. The group of the elastic bands, collector, adjustable straps, and hook are shown in more detail in FIG. 2. The waist belt is illustrated in more details in FIG. 3. These components will be described in more detail below.

(11) The frame of the power tower multi-gym machine 100 includes a main steel chassis 101, the handle grips 102, 103, 104, 105, 107 with anti-slip texture (covered with foam pad in higher variants), and leg support 106 covered with foam pad (in all variants) are welded/bolted together to the main steel chassis 101 in a manner known in the art. The pulley system consists of the pulley frame 110 welded to the main steel chassis 101. The upper and lower one-groove V shape pulleys 112 and upper and lower three-groove U shape pulleys 111 are bolted to pulley frame 110 in order to enable free swiveling.

(12) A back support wide strap made of fabric 108 is attached to the steel chassis 101 by means of four holes in the corners of the fabric to be hanged to four pins fixed on the chassis in a manner that is well known in the art.

(13) A forehand pad 109 filled with semi rigid foam is bolted to the steel chassis 101.

(14) For the purpose of the present invention, the elastic bands 113 used in this invention have a tubular shape. A desired set tension may be reached by selecting the color-coded elastic band and the combination of the number of bands. The elastic bands may be provided as a set of elastic tubes that have different colors: e.g. yellow, green, red and blue, with each color corresponding to a different resistance. One or two or three elastic bands can be attached to the two collectors 114 by pulling the cable, which decrease its thickness and squeezing the terminal of the elastic band 113 (shown in FIG. 2).

(15) The construction of the cable system 200 is described herein and illustrated in FIG. 2. In both ends of each elastic band 201 there is an integrated bulk of rubber 201a to be placed in to the collector 202 by pulling and squeezing the terminal 201b of the elastic band.

(16) The collector 202 made of lightweight aluminum has three tight grooves enabling the fixation of the elastic band. On the other side of the collector 202, a steel wire 203 crosses the middle of the collector through a hole 202a and is stopped by a washer 203c fixed to the wire 203. The wire's end is fixed to the collector by means of the threaded shape in the end of the wire 203 tightened with a nut 203a

(17) On the other side of the wire 203, a knothole 203b is created by means of folding and tightening the wire.

(18) The adjustable strap 205 is fabricated from nylon fabric with two ends 205a and 205c in the form of a keyhole. A buckle 205b is regulating the length of the double folded strap 205.

(19) The snap hook 204 is used to connect the knot hole 203b with the adjustable strap end 205a

(20) FIG. 3 shows the details of the belt 300 which includes two half sides, front 310 and back 320.

(21) The two halves are fabricated from nylon fabric, padded with a thin layer of foam reinforced with stainless steel stays 301 similar to the collar stays.

(22) An independent neoprene rubber belt is attached back to back to the inner side of the belt back half 320 by means of adherence strap.

(23) Two D-rings 305 are stitched to the outer side of the two half belts 310 and 320.

(24) The back half belt 320 includes two adherence straps on both ends consisting of male adherence surface 303 and female adherence surface 304.

(25) In order to connect the two half belts 310 and 320, the male adherence strap 303 is slipped through the buckle 306 attached to the front half belt 310, then pulled to fit the waist size of the user then folded and put on the female adherence surface 304.

(26) The electronic sensors module attached to the machine 100 is fully illustrated in FIG. 4. Two angular movement encoders 401 and 402 mounted on the upper and lower one-groove pulleys 112.

(27) A weighing steel platform 403 is attached to the bottom of the chassis 101, on which the user stand to measure his or her weight. Four load sensors 404 are located beneath the four legs of the chassis.

(28) All these sensors are connected to a state-of-the-art processor 500 with Bluetooth communication to send the processed information to the mobile phone device 502.

(29) FIG. 5 illustrates the angular movement encoders 401 and 402 mounted on the upper and lower one-groove pulleys 112. The encoders measure the angular movement of the elastic band in factor of the pulley diameter translated into different signals, i.e., the start and the end of the exercise, the numbers of repetitions and the rest time in between.

(30) FIG. 6 illustrates the push-up exercise performed in the mode of additional support by means of connecting the harness to the cable from above.

(31) FIG. 7 illustrates the push-up exercise performed in the mode of additional resistance by means of the connection of the harness to the cable from below.

(32) FIG. 8 illustrates the crunch exercise in the mode additional support by means of connecting the cable from above.

(33) It is to be understood that a wide range of changes and modifications to the embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and these changes and modifications are contemplated herein. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of the invention.