Shoulder exercise machine

A new Shoulder Exercise Machine for exercising and developing the shoulder muscles. The inventive device includes a frame assembly, a weight stack mounted in the frame assembly, a base assembly mounted to and extending outward from the frame assembly, a seat and a backrest supported by the base assembly, a pulley system supported by the frame assembly and the base assembly, and a lifting cable coupled to the weight stack and reeved through the pulley system. The seat and the backrest are adapted to support a user positioned in a forward facing direction with his or her back to the frame assembly wherein the user grasps both ends of the lifting cable and raises his or her arms to lift a selected amount of weight from the weight stack and thereby exercise his or her shoulder muscles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to exercise machines and more particularly 
pertains to a new Shoulder Exercise Machine for exercising and developing 
the shoulder muscles. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of exercise machines is known in the prior art. More specifically, 
exercise machines heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist 
basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, 
notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art 
which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and 
requirements. 
Known prior art exercise machines include U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,747; U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,176,601; U.S. Pat. No. D 348,495; U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,198; U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,817,943; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,429. 
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and 
requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new Shoulder 
Exercise Machine. The inventive device includes a frame assembly, a weight 
stack mounted in the frame assembly, a base assembly mounted to and 
extending outward from the frame assembly, a seat and a backrest supported 
by the base assembly, a pulley system supported by the frame assembly and 
the base assembly, and a lifting cable coupled to the weight stack and 
reeved through the pulley system. The seat and the backrest are adapted to 
support a user positioned in a forward facing direction with his or her 
back to the frame assembly wherein the user grasps both ends of the 
lifting cable and raises his or her arms to lift a selected amount of 
weight from the weight stack and thereby exercise his or her shoulder 
muscles. 
In these respects, the Shoulder Exercise Machine according to the present 
invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs 
of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily 
developed for the purpose of exercising and developing the shoulder 
muscles. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
exercise machines now present in the prior art, the present invention 
provides a new Shoulder Exercise Machine construction wherein the same can 
be utilized for exercising and developing the shoulder muscles. 
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described 
subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new Shoulder Exercise 
Machine apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the 
exercise machines mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result 
in a new Shoulder Exercise Machine which is not anticipated, rendered 
obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art exercise 
machines, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a frame assembly, 
a weight stack mounted in the frame assembly, a base assembly mounted to 
and extending outward from the frame assembly, a seat and a backrest 
supported by the base assembly, a pulley system supported by the frame 
assembly and the base assembly, and a lifting cable coupled to the weight 
stack and reeved through the pulley system. The seat and the backrest are 
adapted to support a user positioned in a forward facing direction with 
his or her back to the frame assembly wherein the user grasps both ends of 
the lifting cable and raises his or her arms to lift a selected amount of 
weight from the weight stack and thereby exercise his or her shoulder 
muscles. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional 
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which 
will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon 
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature an essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new 
Shoulder Exercise Machine apparatus and method which has many of the 
advantages of the exercise machines mentioned heretofore and many novel 
features that result in a new Shoulder Exercise Machine which is not 
anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the 
prior art exercise machines, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new Shoulder 
Exercise Machine which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and 
marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new Shoulder 
Exercise Machine which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new 
Shoulder Exercise Machine which is susceptible of a low cost of 
manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly 
is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby 
making such Shoulder Exercise Machine economically available to the buying 
public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
Shoulder Exercise Machine which provides in the apparatuses and methods of 
the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously 
overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new Shoulder 
Exercise Machine for exercising and developing the shoulder muscles. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new Shoulder 
Exercise Machine which includes a frame assembly, a weight stack mounted 
in the frame assembly, a base assembly mounted to and extending outward 
from the frame assembly, a seat and a backrest supported by the base 
assembly, a pulley system supported by the frame assembly and the base 
assembly, and a lifting cable coupled to the weight stack and reeved 
through the pulley system. The seat and the backrest are adapted to 
support a user positioned in a forward facing direction with his or her 
back to the frame assembly wherein the user grasps both ends of the 
lifting cable and raises his or her arms to lift a selected amount of 
weight from the weight stack and thereby exercise his or her shoulder 
muscles. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
Shoulder Exercise Machine that would allow a user to isolate the shoulder 
muscles for maximum development. 
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
Shoulder Exercise Machine that could be used by individuals of various 
strength abilities. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 4 
thereof, a new Shoulder Exercise Machine embodying the principles and 
concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the 
reference numeral 10 will be described. 
As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the Shoulder Exercise Machine 10 
comprises a frame assembly 20, a weight stack 30 mounted in the frame 
assembly 20, a base assembly 40 mounted to and extending outward from the 
frame assembly 20, a seat 50 and a backrest 58 supported by the base 
assembly 40, a pulley system 60 supported by the frame assembly 20 and the 
base assembly 40, and a lifting cable 70 coupled to the weight stack 30 
and reeved through the pulley system 60. The seat 50 and the backrest 58 
are adapted to support a user positioned in a forward facing direction 
with his or her back to the frame assembly 20 wherein the user grasps both 
ends of the lifting cable 70 and raises his or her arms to lift a selected 
amount of weight from the weight stack 30 and thereby exercise his or her 
shoulder muscles. 
The frame assembly 20 includes a pair of vertical frame members 21, an 
upper cross member 24, and a lower cross member 25. Each of the vertical 
frame members 21 have a lower end 22 resting on an underlying surface and 
an upper end 23. As such, the upper cross member 24 interconnects the 
upper ends 23 of the vertical frame members 21 and the lower cross member 
25 interconnects the lower ends 22 of the vertical frame members 21. The 
frame assembly 20 also includes a pair of vertical guide rods 26 extending 
between the upper cross member 24 and the lower cross member 25. Each of 
the vertical guide rods 26 have an upper end 27 and a lower end 28 wherein 
the upper ends 27 thereof are secured to the upper cross member 24 and the 
lower ends 28 thereof are secured to the lower cross member 25. 
The weight stack 30 includes a plurality of weight plates 31 including a 
top plate 35, a selector rod 36 depending from the top plate 35 and 
extending through the weight plates 31, and a coupling pin 38 for coupling 
a selected number of the weight plates 31 to the selector rod 36. The 
weight plates 31 are vertically stacked upon each other and have a 
selector-rod hole 32 therethrough through which the selector rod 36 
extends. In addition, each of the weight plates 31 have a pair of guide 
holes 33 therethrough through which the vertical guide rods 26 extend. As 
such, the weight plates 31 are vertically and slidably mounted on the 
vertical guide rods 26. Furthermore, each of the weight plates 31 have a 
coupling hole 34 through the face thereof. Accordingly, the selector rod 
36 has a plurality of selector holes 37 therethrough each corresponding to 
one of the weight plates 31 wherein the user may select the amount of 
weight to be lifted by inserting the coupling pin 38 through the coupling 
hole 34 of a selected weight plate and into a corresponding one of the 
selector holes 37 provided in the selector rod 36. In an illustrative 
embodiment, the weight of each of the weight plates 31 is about 2.5 
pounds. 
The base assembly 40 rests on the underlying surface and includes a base 
member 41 extending outward from the frame assembly 20 and a pair of side 
members 44 each projecting from opposite sides of the base member 41. The 
base member 41 has a first end 42 and a second end 43 and each of the side 
members 44 have an inner end 45 and an outer end 46. Accordingly, the 
first end 42 of the base member 41 is secured to the frame assembly 20 
such that the base member 41 perpendicularly extends from and is aligned 
with a midplane of the frame assembly 20. The inner ends 45 of the side 
members 44 are secured to the base member 41 intermediate the first end 42 
and the second end 43 thereof such that side members 44 perpendicularly 
project from the base member 41 and are offset from the frame assembly 20. 
In an illustrative embodiment, the backrest 58 is supported by a first 
support member 59 extending upward from the base member 40 and the seat 50 
is supported by a second support member 51 perpendicularly extending 
outward from the first support member 59. Accordingly, the seat 50 and the 
backrest 58 are aligned with the midplane of the frame assembly 20. In a 
preferred embodiment, the seat 50 is height adjustable. As such, a 
vertical adjustment member 54 having a plurality of adjustment holes 55 
therethrough is mounted to an underside of the seat 50. Accordingly, the 
vertical adjustment member 54 is slidably fitted within a vertical opening 
52 provided in the second support member 51. The vertical adjustment 
member 54 is retained in a desired position by a retention pin 56 
selectively inserted through a horizontal hole 53 provided in the second 
support member 51 and through one of the plurality of adjustment holes 55 
provided in the vertical adjustment member 54. 
As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, a footrest 48 is provided at the 
second end 43 of the base member 41. In a preferred embodiment, the second 
end 43 of the base member 41 is curved slightly upward such that footrest 
48 is positioned slightly above the underlying surface. In a preferred 
embodiment, the footrest 48 comprises an elongated bar 49 perpendicularly 
secured to the second end 43 of the base member 41. 
As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the pulley system 60 comprises a 
weight stack pulley 61 mounted on the top plate 35 of the weight plates 
31, a pair of upper pulleys 62 mounted on the upper cross member 24 of the 
frame assembly 20, a pair of lower pulleys 63 mounted on the lower cross 
member 25 of the frame assembly 20, and a pair of side pulleys 64 each 
mounted on one of the side members 44 of the base assembly 40. The weight 
stack pulley 61 is oriented and rotates in a plane generally perpendicular 
to the midplane of the frame assembly 20. The upper pulleys 62 are mounted 
on the upper cross member 24 in a spaced-apart parallel relationship and 
are oriented and rotate in a plane parallel to the midplane of the frame 
assembly 20. The lower pulleys 63 are mounted on the lower cross member 25 
in a spaced-apart relationship in alignment with the upper pulleys 62. In 
a preferred embodiment, the lower pulleys 63 are oriented at an acute 
angle to a plane parallel to the midplane of the frame assembly 20. In 
addition, the side pulleys 64 are pivotally mounted on the side members 44 
in alignment with the lower pulleys 63. 
The lifting cable 70 has a first end 71 and a second end 72. As such, the 
lifting cable 70 includes a mid-section 73 intermediate the first end 71 
and the second end 72, a first-half section 74 extending between the 
mid-section 73 and the first end 71, and a second-half section 75 
extending between the mid-section 73 and the second end 72. Accordingly, 
the mid-section 73 of the lifting cable 70 is reeved through the weight 
stack pulley 61, the first-half section 74 is reeved through one of the 
upper pulleys 62, one of the lower pulleys 63, and one of the side pulleys 
64, and the second-half section 75 is reeved through the other upper 
pulley 62, the other lower pulley 63, and the other side pulley 64. In an 
illustrative embodiment, the upper cross member 24 has a pair of cables 
holes 24a vertically therethrough through which the first-half section 74 
and the second-half section 75 of the lifting cable 70 pass. 
In a preferred embodiment, a pair of stirrup handle assemblies 79 are 
provided wherein one of the stirrup handle assemblies is coupled to the 
first end 71 of the lifting cable 70 and the other stirrup handle assembly 
is coupled to the second end 72 of the lifting cable 70. 
In use, a user sits in the seat 50 in a forward facing direction with his 
or her back to the frame assembly 20. To isolate and exercise the various 
shoulder muscles, the user sits in the seat 50, grasps the stirrup handle 
assemblies 79, and raises their arms in various arrangements. In a first 
arrangement, for example, the user sits in an upright position with his or 
her back against the backrest 58, grasps the stirrup handle assemblies 79 
with their palms facing down, and simultaneously raises their arms 
laterally and upward above their shoulders. In a second arrangement the 
user sits in an upright position with his or her back against the backrest 
58, grasps the stirrup handle assemblies 79 with their palms facing down, 
and simultaneously raises their arms forward and upward above their 
shoulders. In a third arrangement the user sits in an upright position 
with his or her back against the backrest 58, grasps the stirrup handle 
assemblies 79 with their palms facing up, and simultaneously raises their 
arms forward and upward above their shoulders. Furthermore, in a fourth 
arrangement the user sits in a bent position with their back oriented at 
an angle to the backrest 58, grasps the stirrup handle assemblies 79 with 
their palms facing down, and simultaneously raises their arms laterally 
and upward above their shoulders. Accordingly, with the Shoulder Exercise 
Machine 10 the user may easily isolate and exercise the various shoulder 
muscles for maximum development. 
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the 
present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. 
Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and 
operation will be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.