Stepping and swinging exerciser

An exerciser includes a post having a lower portion rotatably secured to a base. Two pulleys are rotatably supported on the base. Two foot supports are pivotally supported on the base and are coupled to the post by one or two cables which are engaged over the pulleys and the post, such that the foot supports may rotate the post via the pulleys and the cables and such that the user may twist his body while stepping with the foot supports. Two actuators are coupled to the foot supports for applying the resistive force against the foot supports.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to an exerciser, and more particularly to a 
stepping and swinging exerciser. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Two typical stepping exercisers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,111 to 
Wang et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,512 to Yu and comprise a complicated 
structure for coupling the handle to the foot supports and for allowing 
the handle to be rotated by the foot supports. However, the structures are 
complicated such that the manufacturing costs are greatly increased. 
The applicant had developed a swinging and stepping exerciser and issued as 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,809 to Lin, which includes a pair of foot supports 
coupled to a handle by a gear engagement. 
The present invention has arisen to provide a novel stepping exerciser. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a stepping and 
swinging exerciser which includes a greatly simplified structure for 
allowing the user to conduct both stepping and swinging exercises and for 
decreasing the manufacturing cost of the exerciser. 
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided an 
exerciser comprising a base including a pivot shaft provided thereon, a 
post including a lower portion rotatably secured to the base, a pair of 
pulleys rotatably supported on the pivot shaft, a pair of foot supports 
pivotally supported on the base at a pivot axle, and at least one link 
engaged over the pulleys and the post and including two ends secured to 
the foot supports respectively for coupling the foot supports to the post 
and for rotating the post via the pulleys and the link. 
A barrel is further rotatably engaged on the post, and means for securing 
the barrel to the post. The barrel includes a follower secured thereon, 
the link includes a middle portion engaged over the follower for rotating 
the post via the follower and the barrel. A securing means is further 
provided for securing the middle portion of the link to the follower. 
A stop means is further provided for preventing the link from being 
disengaged from the pulleys. 
A resistive means is further provided for applying a resistive force 
against the foot supports and includes two actuators secured between the 
pivot shaft and the foot supports for applying the resistive force against 
the foot supports. The foot supports each includes a slot formed therein, 
the actuators each includes a lower bracket slidably engaged in the slot 
of the respective foot supports for allowing the lower brackets to be 
adjusted along the slots respectively, and means for securing the lower 
brackets to the foot supports respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-3, a stepping and 
swinging exerciser in accordance with the present invention comprises a 
base 10 including a tube 11 extended upward from the middle portion of the 
base 10 and a post 12 having a lower portion rotatably secured in the tube 
11 by bearings and having a handle 14 provided on top thereof. A clamping 
ring or the like may be used for rotatably coupling the lower portion of 
the post 12 to the tube 11 and for preventing the post 12 from being 
disengaged from the tube 11. The post 12 may also be rotatably secured to 
the base 10 directly without the tube 11. As shown in the drawings, a 
barrel 16 is engaged on the post 12 and secured to the post 12 by a 
fastener 18 such that the post 12 and the barrel 16 rotate in concert with 
each other. The post 12 may be received in the tube 11 when the fastener 
18 is released (FIG. 4). 
A pair of foot supports 20 each includes a front portion pivotally secured 
to the base 10 at a pivot axle 21 for allowing the foot supports 20 to be 
rotated about the pivot axle 21. A follower 30 is secured to the barrel 
16, or may be directly secured to the post 12 and rotated in concert with 
the post 12. The base 10 includes a pivot shaft 19 secured to the upper 
and front portion of the tube 11 and preferably parallel to the pivot axle 
21. Two pulleys 32 are rotatably supported on the pivot shaft 19 and 
preferably perpendicular to the pivot shaft 19. A link, such as a cable 
34, has a middle portion engaged over the follower 30 and then engaged 
over the pulleys 32 and has two ends secured to the foot supports 20 
respectively, such that the foot supports 20 are coupled together via the 
link 34, and such that the post 12 and the handle 14 may be rotated by the 
foot supports 20 via the pulleys 32 and the follower 30 and the link 34. A 
fastener 36 may secure the link 34 to the follower 30 for allowing the 
follower 30 to be solidly or tightly rotated by the link 34. 
Alternatively, the link 34 may also be engaged with the follower 30 with a 
frictional engagement for allowing the follower 30 to be rotated by the 
link 34 without the fastener 36. Instead of a single link 34, two cables 
34 may be provided and each includes a lower end secured to the respective 
foot support 20 and each includes a middle portion engaged over the 
respective pulley 32 and each includes an upper end secured to the 
follower 30, such that the follower 30 may also be rotated in a 
reciprocating action by the foot supports 20. Without the follower 30, the 
link 34 may also be directly secured to the post 12 such that the post 12 
may also be rotated by the foot supports 20 via the pulleys 32 and the 
link 34. A bar 39 is secured on the pivot shaft 19 and includes two ends 
disposed right above the pulleys 32 for preventing the link 34 from being 
disengaged from the pulleys 32. The bar 39 does not contact with the 
pulleys 32 and will not interfere with the rotational movement of the 
pulleys 32. 
Two actuators 38 may be secured between the foot supports 20 and the pivot 
shaft 11 of the base 10 for applying a resistive force against the foot 
supports 20. As best shown in FIG. 3, the foot supports 20 each preferably 
includes a slot 22 formed in the middle portion along a longitudinal 
direction of the foot support 20. The actuators 38 each includes a lower 
bracket 24 slidably engaged in the slot 22 and secured to the foot support 
20 by a fastener 26 for allowing the lower bracket 24 of the actuators 38 
to be adjusted forward and rearward about the foot supports 20. The 
actuators 38 may apply a greater force against the foot supports 20 when 
the lower brackets 24 are adjusted rearward along the slots 22 
respectively. 
In operation, the follower 30 and thus the barrel 16 and the post 12 may be 
rotated by the foot supports 20 via the pulleys 32 and the link 34, such 
that the user may conduct swinging exercise in addition to the stepping 
exercise. 
As shown in FIG. 4, the post 12 may be received in the tube 11, and the 
foot supports 20 may be rotated upward about the pivot axle 21, and the 
base 10 may include a rear portion that may be rotated about the front 
portion of the base 10 to a perpendicular position relative to the front 
portion of the base 10 or parallel to the tube 11, such that the exerciser 
may be folded to a compact configuration for facilitating the storing and 
transportation purposes of the exerciser. 
Accordingly, the exerciser in accordance with the present invention 
includes a greatly simplified structure for allowing the user to conduct 
both stepping and swinging exercises and for decreasing the manufacturing 
cost of the exerciser. 
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of 
particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been 
made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed 
construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted 
to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as 
hereinafter claimed.