Exercise apparatus with a user controlled, gravity operated shifting mechanism

Abstract

An exercise apparatus is provided where a user selectively changes the amount of effort required to operate the machine on demand without interrupting the workout. A manual shifting process allows the user to selectively change the amount of resistance with the gravity included positioning of a resistance weight on a lever arm.

Claims

1. A gravity-assisted, selectively adjustable exercise apparatus, comprising: a lever arm having a proximal end and a distal end; a pivot point positioned between said proximal end and said distal end, said lever arm rotates a predetermined angle about said pivot point, wherein the elevation of said distal end is selectively altered; a resistance weight operably interconnected to said lever arm, wherein said resistance weight is movable between a first position and a second position along said lever arm when said resistant weight is in an unlocked state, and said resistance weight is immovable between said first position and said second position in a locked state, and wherein said resistance weight is movable away from said pivot point and toward said pivot point based on said predetermined angle and gravitational pull; and a trip mechanism operably interconnected to said resistance weight, wherein upon receiving an input from a user during an exercise, said trip mechanism causes said resistance weight to move between said first position and said second position to change the distance between said resistance weight and said pivot point.

2. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein said resistance weight is a wheel that moves between said first position and said second position based on gravity.

3. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein said input is said predetermined angle of rotation of said lever arm about said pivot point.

4. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein said trip mechanism comprises: a trip rod, wherein said trip rod is spring-biased toward said lever arm; a trip lever, wherein said trip rod is disposed between said lever arm and said trip lever; a cable operably interconnected to said trip lever; wherein when said lever arm rotates said predetermined angle about said pivot point, said trip rod overcomes said spring bias and contacts said trip lever, and wherein said trip lever pulls said cable to cause said resistance weight to move between said first position and said second position.

5. The exercise apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a resistance weight assembly, said resistance weight assembly comprising: a disconnect pawl operably interconnected to said trip mechanism; a rotatable pivot arm disposed proximate to said disconnect pawl; a latch bar operably interconnected to said rotatable pivot arm, wherein said latch bar has an extended state where said latch bar contacts at least one roller bushing disposed on said resistance weight and an unextended state where said latch bar does not contact said at least one roller bushing; wherein said trip mechanism, upon receiving said input, pulls said disconnect pawl to rotate said pivot arm, and wherein rotation of said pivot arm causes said latch bar to change from said extended state to said unextended state, which causes said resistance weight to move between said first position and said second position.

6. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein said proximal end of said lever arm is operably interconnected to a weight stack.

7. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein said distal end of said lever is operably interconnected to at least one of a handlebar and a handgrip.

8. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein said trip mechanism is at least one of a foot pedal, a hand lever, and an electronic device that pulls a cable which causes said resistance weight to travel between said first position and said second position.

9. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, said trip mechanism further comprises: a first trip rod positioned on a proximal side of said pivot point, wherein when said distal end of said lever arm is higher than a normal lifting range, said first trip rod causes said resistance weight to move between said first position and said second position; and a second trip rod positioned on a distal side of said pivot point, wherein when said distal end of said lever arm is lower than said normal lifting range, said first trip rod causes said resistance weight to move between said first position and said second position.

10. An exercise apparatus with a user-operated resistance adjustment mechanism, comprising: a lever arm having a proximal end and a distal end; a pivot point positioned proximate to said proximal end, said lever arm rotatable about said pivot point; a traveling wheel rollable between a first position and a second position along said lever arm, wherein a force required to lift said distal end of said lever arm can be selectively changed by a user of said apparatus, wherein said traveling wheel is configured to roll away from said pivot point and toward said pivot point based on gravitational pull; a user-activated release assembly which selectively releases said traveling wheel to roll between said first position and said second position; and a trip mechanism operably interconnected to the release assembly, wherein said trip mechanism is activated based on an elevation of said distal end of said lever arm, and said trip mechanism causes said release assembly to selectively release said traveling wheel.

11. The exercise apparatus of claim 10, wherein said release assembly comprises: a disconnect pawl; a rotatable pivot arm disposed proximate to said disconnect pawl; a latch bar operably interconnected to said rotatable pivot arm, wherein said latch bar has an extended state where said latch bar contacts at least one roller bushing disposed on said traveling wheel and an unextended state where said latch bar does not contact said at least one roller bushing.

12. The exercise apparatus of claim 10, wherein said traveling wheel moves between said first position and said second position and toward said pivot point when said distal end of said lever arm is higher than a normal lifting range.

13. The exercise apparatus of claim 10, wherein said traveling wheel moves between said first position and said second position away from said pivot point when said distal end of said lever arm is lower than a normal lifting range.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the general description of the disclosure given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosures.

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an exercise apparatus;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one end of a lever arm;

(4) FIG. 3 is an elevation view of a trip mechanism; and

(5) FIG. 4 is an elevation view of a resistance wheel.

(6) To assist in the understanding of the embodiments of the present invention the following list of components and associated numbering found in the drawings is provided herein:

(7) TABLE-US-00001 Component No. Component 2 Exercise Apparatus 4 Frame 6 Weight Stack 8 Pedestal 10 Lever Arm 12 Handle 14 Trip Mechanism 16 Resistance Wheel 18 Gear Track 20 Cable 22 Knob 24 Cover 26 Pivot Point 28 Trip Stud 30 Trip Rod 32 Trip Lever 34 Disconnect Pawl 36 Pivot Arm 38 Latch Bar 40 Roller Bushing 42 Electronic Device

(8) It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and various dimensions may be altered. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) Those of skill in the art will recognize that the following description is merely illustrative of the principles of the disclosure, which may be applied in various ways to provide many different alternative embodiments. This description is made for illustrating the general principles of the teachings of this disclosure and is not meant to limit the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

(10) Now referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of an exercise apparatus 2 is provided. A frame 4 provides a rigid structure for the exercise apparatus 2 where various components and assemblies may be interconnected to the frame 4. In this embodiment, a weight stack 6 comprises plates that are interconnected to the frame 4 via two guides. The plates are selectively interconnected to the guides such that the plates may traverse vertically during utilization of the exercise apparatus 2. A pin is partially disposed between individual plates, and the location of the pin determines which plates may traverse vertically during utilization of the exercise apparatus 2. Plates located above the pin may traverse vertically while the plates located below the pin remain stationary. The greater number of plates that traverse vertically, the greater the amount of weight or resistance provided against the user's efforts.

(11) The frame 4 comprises a pedestal 8 where a lever arm 10 is disposed. The lever arm 10 has a proximal end and a distal end that comprises a handle 12 for a user to engage. The lever arm 10 interconnects to the pedestal 8 at a pivot point between the lever arm's 10 proximal and distal ends. One skilled in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments the pivot point may be disposed at one of the proximal or distal ends, or even extend beyond these ends. A cable interconnects the lever arm's proximal end to the weight stack 6 such that the cable translates the weight of the plates to the lever arm 10. A user engages the handle 12 to conduct lifting exercises. As the user moves the handle 12 and the lever arm 10, the weight stack 6 is engaged and increases the amount of effort necessary to perform a given lifting exercise. The user selects the amount of weight or resistance provided by the weight stack 6 before engaging the exercise apparatus 2 to conduct lifting exercises. In addition, a counter weight may be disposed on the lever arm 10 between the lever arm's 10 proximal end and the pivot point to further customize the amount of weight lifted by the user.

(12) A resistance wheel 16 operably interconnected to the lever arm 10 provides additional weight against the user's efforts. The amount of weight or resistance provided by the resistance wheel 16 is variable. As the resistance wheel 16 moves away from the pivot point and further toward the distal end of the lever arm 10, the more weight or resistance is provided against the user's efforts. The resistance wheel 16 may move based on gravitational pull in some embodiments of the present invention. Gravity and other ways to move the resistance wheel 16 are described in further detail below.

(13) The user activates a trip mechanism 14 to dictate the resistance wheel's 16 position along the lever arm 10. The user may activate the trip mechanism 14 with a variety of inputs. For example, a foot pedal may be mechanically linked to the trip mechanism 14. When a user is lifting the handle 12 and wants to increase or decrease the amount of weight, he or she may engage the foot pedal. In another example, the angle of the lever arm 10 may activate the trip mechanism 14. When the user lifts the handle 12 higher than the normal range of motion during exercise, the trip mechanism 14 is activated and the resistance wheel 16 moves closer to or further from the pivot point. One skilled in the art will appreciate a variety of inputs to activate the trip mechanism 14 including, but not limited to, voice activation, motion sensors, thermal cameras, oxygen sensors, etc.

(14) Now referring to FIG. 2, a partially disassembly view of the exercise apparatus is provided. As discussed above, a handle 12 is disposed on a distal end of the lever arm 10. The handle 12 may be a straight, tubular bar as shown in FIG. 2. In other embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the handle 12 may be any shape or handle type known in the art. Examples of the handle 12 include, but are not limited to, a bent bar, a strap with elastic properties, a rotating cable handle, a double stirrup handle, etc.

(15) Two gear tracks 18 disposed on the lever arm 10 provide a location for the resistance wheel 16 to traverse along the longitudinal length of the lever arm 10. The resistance wheel 10 may comprise one or more gears that operably interconnect the resistance wheel 10 to the gear tracks 18 in a rack-and-pinion configuration. Other embodiments of the present invention may have gear tracks 18 that have planar surfaces and are not configured to receive gear teeth from the resistance wheel 10. Instead, embodiments of the present invention may have a resistance wheel 10 that moves along gear tracks 18 using wheels, planar surfaces, bearings, or any other position translating means known in the art. Further, in some embodiments the exercise apparatus may not have gear tracks 18. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, stops are disposed at either end of the gear tracks 18 to limit the resistance wheel's 16 domain of travel along the lever arm 10.

(16) Covers 24 may be selectively interconnected to each side of the lever arm 10. These covers 24 protect the user against the resistance wheel 16 as it moves along the lever arm 10. Further, the covers 24 may comprise markings that indicate how much more weight or resistance is provided against the user's lifting motion.

(17) A cable 20 extends from the resistance wheel 16 and operably interconnects the resistance wheel 16 to a trip mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 3. When the user activates the trip mechanism 14 with an input, the trip mechanism 14 actuates or pulls the cable 20 which causes the resistance wheel 16 to change positions. A knob 22 is also provided on the resistance wheel 16 so that a user may manually vary the position of the resistance wheel 16 along the lever arm 10 and gear tracks 18.

(18) Now referring to FIG. 3, a trip mechanism 14 according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided. The lever arm 10 rotates about a pivot point 26. The trip mechanism 14 is disposed underneath the lever arm 10, and the lever arm 10 comprises two trip studs 28 to engage two trip rods 30 of the trip mechanism 14. One trip stud 28 is positioned on the proximal side of the pivot point 26, and one trip stud 28 is positioned on the distal side of the pivot point 26 (i.e., closer to the user and the handle). Each trip rod 30 is spring-biased toward the corresponding trip stud 28. As a user engages the lever arm 10 and rotates the lever arm 10 about the pivot point 26, the trip studs 28 deflect the trip rods 30. During the normal lifting range of the exercise, the deflecting trip rods 30 are of no consequence.

(19) However, if a user lifts the lever arm's 10 distal end higher or lower than the normal lifting range, then the trip rods 30 engage a trip lever 32 to activate the trip mechanism 14. Thus, the rotational position of the lever arm 10 is the input to activate the trip mechanism 14, and there are two rotational positions that activate the trip mechanism 14. When the user raises the lever arm's 10 distal end higher than the normal lifting range, then the trip stud 28 on the proximal side of the pivot point 26 engages the associated trip rod 30, which in turn engages the trip lever 32. Similarly, when the user lowers the lever arm's 10 distal end lower than the normal lifting range, then the trip stud 28 on the distal side of the pivot point 26 engages the associated trip rod 30, which in turn engages the trip lever 32. One skilled in the art will appreciate that a user may adjust the trip studs 28 and trip rods 30 to vary what is a normal range of motion during an exercise.

(20) Once the trip lever 32 is engaged by one of the trip rods 30, the trip lever 32 actuates or pulls the cable 20. As discussed in further detail below, the physical pull of the cable 20 causes the resistance wheel 16 to move along the longitudinal length of the lever arm 10. In addition, the trip lever 32 extends outward such that a user may manually engage the trip lever 32 and cause the resistance wheel to move along the lever arm 10.

(21) In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, the resistance wheel 16 moves along the length of the lever arm 10 based on gravitational pull. In other words the resistance wheel 16 has a locked state where the resistance wheel's 16 position is fixed relative to the lever arm 10, and the resistance wheel 16 has an unlocked state where the resistance wheel 16 is free to travel along the lever arm 10. Therefore, when the user raises the lever arm's 10 distal end such that proximal trip stud 28 engages the associated trip rod 30, the resistance wheel 16 moves toward the pivot point 26 to decrease the amount of effort needed to lift the lever arm's 10 distal end. Similarly, when the user lowers the lever arm's 10 distal end such that the distal trip stud 28 engages the associated trip rod 30, the resistance wheel 16 moves away from the pivot point 26 to increase the amount of effort needed to lift the lever arm's 10 distal end. Moving the resistance wheel 16 based on gravitational pull allows a user to maintain a grip on the handle 12, foot position, form, balance, rhythm, etc.

(22) Some embodiments of the present invention may include a ratchet mechanism operably interconnected to the trip mechanism 14 wherein the ratchet serves as the input to activate the trip mechanism 14. The ratchet mechanism may be configured to activate the trip mechanism 14 after a predetermined number of repetitions. For example, the ratchet mechanism may activate the trip mechanism 14 every 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. repetition to cause the resistance wheel 16 to change positions along the lever arm 10.

(23) Now referring to FIG. 4, a resistance wheel 16 and associated components are provided. Extending outward to either side of the resistance wheel 16 is an axle and gears, which operably interconnect to the gear tracks 18 such that the resistance wheel 16 may vary its position along the lever arm 10.

(24) Two latch bars 38 and four roller bushings 40 are disposed on the resistance wheel 16, and these elements dictate whether the resistance wheel 16 is in a locked state (unable to move along the lever arm 10) or unlocked state (able to move along the lever arm 10). When the latch bars 38 extend outward from a housing and contact one or more of the roller bushings 40, then the resistance wheel is in a locked state. When the latch bars retract within the housing, then the roller bushings 40 do not prevent the resistance wheel 16 from rotating, and the resistance wheel 16 is in an unlocked state.

(25) The cable 20 is actuated or pulled when the trip mechanism 14 is activated, and the latch bars 38 retract into the housing which allows the resistance wheel 16 move along the lever arm 10 and vary its position relative to the pivot point. The cable 20 is interconnected to a disconnect pawl 34. When the cable 20 pulls the disconnect pawl 34, the disconnect pawl 34 rotates a pivot arm 36 which in turn pulls a knob lever. The knob lever pulls a wire which is interconnected to the latch bars 38, and the latch bars 38 retract into the housing. As mentioned above, a user may pull on the knob 22 which is disposed on the end of the knob lever to manually retract the latch bars 38 within the housing and place the resistance wheel 16 in an unlocked state. Once the cable 20 pulls the disconnect pawl 34 a certain distance, the disconnect pawl releases the pivot arm 34, and the latch bars 38 retract back into the housing.

(26) One skilled in the art will appreciate that other embodiments may include electronic roller bushings 40 or other electronic components. In one embodiment, the trip mechanism 14 sends an electronic signal to a solenoid roller bushing 40 that extends to contact a latch bar 38 in an extended state or retract into the resistance wheel 16 in an unextended state. Similarly, the solenoid may be disposed proximate to the resistance wheel 16 and selectively insert an element into recesses or apertures in the resistance wheel 16 to dictate the position of the resistance wheel 16 along the lever arm 10.

(27) When the user activates the trip mechanism 14 and the resistance wheel 16 is in an unlocked state, the resistance wheel 14 may move along the lever arm 10 according to a variety of parameters. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, the parameter is a predetermined distance. Since there are four roller bushings 40 evenly spaced on the resistance wheel 16, one cycle of trip mechanism 14 activation results in a rotation of the resistance wheel 16. Because the resistance wheel's 16 gears operably interconnect to the gear tracks 18, the resistance wheel 16 moves along the lever arm 10 by a predetermined distance of the gear diameter times /4. Therefore, variation of the gear diameter and/or the number of roller bushings 40 affects the predetermined distance that the resistance wheel 16 travels.

(28) In some embodiments, the gear diameter may be between approximately 0.5 inches and 24 inches. In various embodiments, the gear diameter may be between approximately 3 inches and 12 inches. In other embodiments, the gear diameter may be any one of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 inches.

(29) In some embodiments, the number of roller bushings 40 is between 1 and 16. In various embodiments, the number of roller bushings 40 is between 2 and 8. In other embodiments, the number of roller bushings 40 may be any one of 4, 6, and 8. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the roller bushings 40 are not necessarily evenly spaced about the resistance wheel 16.

(30) In the embodiments described above, the trip mechanism 14 is physical in nature where the position of various linkages activates the trip mechanism 14 and actuates or pulls the cable 20. In various embodiments, the trip mechanism 14 may be an electronic device 42, and there may be a variety of inputs that activate the electronic device 42. In one embodiment, the electronic device 42 is an electric linear actuator that is in electronic communication with a sensor. The sensor may detect a particular motion of the user, a voice command from the user, a position of the lever arm 10, oxygen content, an infrared signature, or any other quality commonly detected by sensors. The sensor may activate the electronic device 42 to actuate or pull the cable 20 to place the resistance wheel 16 in an unlocked state.

(31) Next, some embodiments of the present invention my employ a different type of resistance wheel 16 that does not move along the lever arm 10 based on gravitational pull. The resistance wheel's 16 motion may be powered by electric linear actuators, pneumatics, hydraulics, magnetism, or any other power sources commonly known in the art.

(32) This also means that resistance wheel 14 may move along the lever arm 10 according to parameters that do not include the number of roller bushings 40 or gear diameter. For example, the resistance wheel 16 may be placed in an unlocked state for a predetermined time. In another example, the resistance wheel 16 may move along the lever arm 10 in variable distance or time increments. In addition, the resistance wheel 16 may continuously move along the lever arm 10 in an unlocked state such that the resistance or weight experienced by the user is continuously increasing or decreasing during the particular exercise.

(33) The resistance wheel 16 may also not be in the shape of a wheel. In alternative embodiments, the resistance wheel 16 may be a mass of any shape that moves away from or closer to the pivot point to vary the resistance or weight experienced by the user.

(34) The phrases at least one, one or more, and and/or, as used herein, are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions at least one of A, B, and C, at least one of A, B, or C, one or more of A, B, and C, one or more of A, B, or C, and A, B, and/or C means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together.

(35) Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, dimensions, conditions, and so forth used in the specification, drawings, and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term about.

(36) The term a or an entity, as used herein, refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms a (or an), one or more and at least one can be used interchangeably herein.

(37) The use of including, comprising, or having, and variations thereof, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Accordingly, the terms including, comprising, or having and variations thereof can be used interchangeably herein.

(38) It shall be understood that the term means as used herein shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112(f). Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term means shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials, or acts, and the equivalents thereof, shall include all those described in the summary of the invention, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

(39) The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for illustration and description purposes. However, the description is not intended to limit the invention to only the forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the invention are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.

(40) Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings and skill and knowledge of the relevant art are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments described herein above are further intended to explain best modes of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such a manner, or include other embodiments with various modifications as required by the particular application(s) or use(s) of the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.