Patent ID: 7250021
Filing Date: 2007-07-31
Classification: A63B

Abstract:
1. Exercise apparatus of the type that includes a housing with at least one rope guide, a rope that extends through said at least one rope guide and that has rope portions on opposite sides of said at least one rope guide, a pair of handles that are each coupled to a different one of said rope portions and that each has a grip that can be grasped by fingers of a hand to pull said different rope portions, and a mechanism that is manually operable to enable lengthening or shortening of said rope portions, comprising: at least one windup spool coupled to said rope, and a spring device that urges said spool to turn to windup rope thereon and that allows said spool to turn to unwind rope therefrom, to respectively shorten and lengthen at least one of said rope portions, but only when said spool is released to wind up rope; a manually operable release mechanism that normally prevents rotation of said spool and that is operable by a person while that person grasps said grips of said handles, to release said spool to windup or unwind rope; said release mechanism being capable of being not operated to not release said spool and being capable of being operated to release said spool, all while a person grasps said grips of said handles and pulls the handle away from said at least one rope guide to lengthen a rope portion or allows the handle to move toward said at least one rope guide to shorten a rope portion; said rope portions being coupled so a person can pull one rope portion to apply tension to lengthen it while applying about the same tension to the other rope portion to resist shortening it.