Exercise machine

Exercise machines include a hydraulic torque resistance device having a rotor which is connected to a pair of vertically movable pedals. In one disclosed embodiment of the invention a vertically adjustable seat is provided in conjunction with a pair of handle bars respectively connected to the pedals in a manner such that downward movement of one of the pedals is accompanied by rearward movement of the associated handle bar. Simultaneously with the downward movement of one pedal the other pedal moves up and the other handle bar which is associated therewith the other pedal moves in the forward direction.

The present invention relates in general to a new and improved machine for 
use in exercising one's legs, and it relates more particularly to a new 
and improved exercise machine wherein a pair of pedals are adapted to be 
moved up and down in substantially vertical directions, such movements 
being opposed by an adjustable hydraulic resistance device. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Machines for exercising the legs have often incorporated rotationally 
movable crank and pedal assemblies of the type commonly found in bicycles. 
Indeed, such machines frequently include a pair of handle bars and a 
bicycle type seat or saddle. While rotary movement of the pedals is a very 
good exercise for bicyclists, that is not the usual movement of the human 
legs. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Briefly, there is provided in accordance with the present invention a new 
and improved exercise machine having a pair of pedals mounted for 
reciprocal, substantially vertical movement. The pedals are interconnected 
to one another and to a hydraulic resistance device such that when one 
pedal moves up the other pedal moves down. The effect on the person using 
the machine is similar to climbing stairs. 
In one embodiment of the invention a pair of handle bars are respectively 
connected to the pedals and move back and forth toward and away from a 
saddle-like seat in synchronism with the up and down movement of the 
pedals. 
In another embodiment of the invention the pedals are replaced by foot pads 
and the seat is replaced by a platform located rearwardly and below the 
lowermost positions of the foot pads. When using this version of the 
invention, the person using the machine steps up on one of the food pads 
with one foot and then steps on the other foot pad with the other foot. 
The resulting movement of the legs has been found to provide a 
particularly effective exercise. 
An important feature of the exercise machines of the present invention is 
the use of hydraulic resistance devices which resist movement of the 
pedals and the handle bars equally in both directions. In one embodiment 
of the invention straps which extend over the tops of the exerciser's feet 
are provided so that his or her legs can be used to lift the pedals 
against the resistive force of the hydraulic force resistance device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
Referring particularly to FIG. 1 there is shown an exercise machine 10 for 
use in exercising the upper and lower parts of the human body. The machine 
includes a base frame 12 which is made up of a rigid, horizontal tubular 
member 13 and a plurality of laterally extending horizontal cross members 
14. The cross members 14 are affixed to the longitudinal member 13 by 
suitable means such as by weldments 15. Five foot members 16 are 
respectively mounted to the bottom sides of the members 13 and 14. The 
central longitudinal frame member 13 extends forwardly of the frontmost 
cross member 14. A shaft 18 extends through a suitable hole in the frame 
member 13 and is affixed thereto as by welding. A pair of wheels 19 which 
are respectively journaled on the opposite end portions of the shaft 18 
are dimensioned such that the wheels are a short distance above a flat 
floor on which the five feet 16 rest. Preferably the feet 16 have an 
elastomeric friction surface on the bottom to prevent spurious movement of 
the machine along the floor on which the machine 10 rests. 
A tubular member 20 is affixed at its bottom to the top side of the central 
frame member 13 as by welding and may be seen to extend upwardly and to 
the rear at an angle of about 70 degrees from the horizontal plane. The 
member 20 is square in cross-section and another tubular member 21 having 
an external cross-section complementary to the external cross-section of 
the member 20 is telescopically fitted therein for adjustable movement 
along the longitudinal axis of the member 20. A saddle type seat 22 is 
suitably affixed to the upper end of the member 21. A plurality of holes 
23 are provided in the front side of the member 21, and a pin and knob 
assembly 24 is mounted at the top of the member 21 for axial movement in 
and out of a selected one of the holes 23 for adjusting and locking the 
seat at a selected height from the base 12. An angular bracket member 26, 
which is also tubular and square in cross-section, is welded at its ends 
to the base member 13 and to the upright member 20. The use of tubular 
frame members provides a high strength to weight ratio, which facilitates 
movement of the machine when desired. 
In order to move the machine, a person simply lifts the machine off of the 
feet 16 by applying an upward force to the seat 22 which tilts the machine 
about the axis of the shaft 18. When thus tilted, most of the weight of 
the machine is supported by the wheels 19 whereby the machine can be 
readily rolled from one place to another. 
Extending upwardly in a vertical direction from the base 12 is a tubular 
frame member 28. An additional brace member 29 of tubular construction is 
welded at its respective ends to the frame member 28 and to the base frame 
member 13 to maintain the upright frame member 28 in the vertical 
position. Extending upwardly from the top of the frame member 28 is a 
tubular support member 30 to the top of which is mounted a dial plate 32 
carrying a rotatable torque adjusting knob assembly 33 as more fully 
described hereinafter. 
Mounted on top of the forward horizontal frame portion 12a is a rigid plate 
36. The plate is affixed to the frame by suitable means such as weldments 
(not shown). A rotary hydraulic torque resistance device 38 rests on and 
is secured to the plate 36. The torque resistance device may be of any 
suitable construction wherein rotation of a shaft 40 is resisted by a 
constant torque throughout its range of annular movement. A preferred 
hydraulic torque resistance device is described in my copending 
application Ser. No. 296,680 filed Jan. 13, 1989. In that device there is 
provided a rotor to which the shaft 40 is axially connected. As the shaft 
and rotor are rotated, hydraulic fluid is forced from one side of a stator 
to the other through a valve which provides an adjustable restriction in 
the hydraulic line between one side of the stator and the other. This 
adjustable valve is identified in FIGS. 2 and 3 at 42 but is not visible 
in FIG. 1. A control cable 43 extends from the valve 42 to the control 
knob assembly 33 to permit a person seated on the seat 22 to adjust the 
torque required to rotate the shaft 40. 
As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a cross arm 45 is affixed at the center 
thereof to the shaft 40 and is connected at its ends by a pair of special 
bearings 47 and 48 to a pair of pivot blocks 50 and 51. The pivot blocks 
50 and 51 are rotatably supported on a shaft 53 which is affixed to and 
extends from the upright frame member 28. Extending upwardly from the tops 
of the pivot blocks 50 and 51 are a pair of handle bar support rods 55 and 
56. The lower ends of the rods 55 and 56 are affixed to in the sides of 
the blocks 50 and 51. 
As can best be seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the handlebar assemblies are 
mirror images of one another and each includes an upstanding plate member 
63 having a circular upper end portion 63a provided with a plurality of 
radially spaced holes 65. The handlebar assemblies also include handlebar 
members 67 which have an outwardly turned handle portion 67a at one end 
and a circular portion 67b at the other end. The circular end portions 67b 
complement the circular portions 63a of the plate 63. A shaft 69 extends 
from each plate 63 through a central opening in the corresponding circular 
portion 67b, and a pair of handles 70 are threadedly secured over the ends 
of the shafts 69 to lock the handlebars in adjusted angular positions 
relative to the support rods 55 and 56. In order to lock the handlebars in 
the adjusted positions a detent lug (not shown) may be provided on each of 
the circular portions 67b for reception in a selected one of the holes 65 
in the plate portions 63a. Adjustment of the handlebars is accomplished by 
loosening of the handles 70, pulling the handlebar outwardly to release 
the lug from the holes 65 and then rotating each handlebar to the desired 
position where the lugs are aligned with selected ones of the holes 65. 
The handles 70 are then tightened on the shaft 69 to lock the handlebars 
in the adjusted positions. 
A pair of pedal support arms 72 and 73 are affixed at the front ends 
thereof to the portions of the blocks 50 and 51 below the shaft 53. A pair 
of pedals 74 and 75 are respectively connected to the rear end portions of 
the support arms 72 and 73 by jack shafts (not shown) which extend 
outwardly from the support arms. A pair of straps 80 are respectively 
affixed to the pedals for disposition over the feet of the person using 
the machine. 
OPERATION 
When about to use the machine for the first time, a person will pull the 
seat adjusting knob forwardly to release the member 21 from the member 20, 
and he or she then adjusts the vertical position of the seat to that which 
is believed to be the most comfortable. The straps 80 can be adjusted to 
permit the users feet to fit comfortably on the pedals while still being 
relatively tight to permit the application of an upward force to the 
pedals 74 and 75 by the person sitting on the seat 22. 
While sitting on the seat a person can exercise both the legs and the upper 
parts of the body by grasping the handlebars with the hands and placing 
the feet on the pedals under the straps 80. The pedals are then moved up 
and down using the leg muscles and the handlebars will simultaneously move 
back and forth in a front to rear direction. Unlike riding a bicycle the 
pedals do not move in a circle but move essentially up and down. Moreover, 
the force required to move the pedals up and down is constant throughout 
the entire range of pedal movement. 
If it is desired to exercise only the upper part of the body, the user can 
allow his or her feet to simply rest on the pedals and use only the 
handlebars and only the legs are then used to pivot the blocks 50 and 51 
and the crossarm 45. Also, rather than pushing down on the pedals, the 
user may only pull up on the straps 80 and thereby exercise another 
entirely different sets of leg muscles. Similarly, the handlebars can 
either be pushed forward only or pulled backward only. An important 
feature of the exercise machine 10 is the fact that irrespective of the 
direction of movement of the pedals or the handlebars the force required 
to pivot the crossbar 40 is constant throughout constant throughout its 
entire stroke. This is very different from the force required to rotate 
the wheel or wheels of a bicycle where the force varies greatly from a 
maximum to a minimum as the pedals rotate through 360 degrees. 
An additional advantage of the machine 10 is the ability of the person 
seated on the seat 22 to adjust the force required to be applied to the 
pedals and to the handlebars to effect movement thereof. The force 
adjusting knob 33 is located at a readily accessible place for facile 
adjustment by a person seated on the seat 22. 
Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown an exercise machine 100 for use in 
exercising the lower body parts only. In many respects it is identical to 
the machine 10, and like parts are identified by the same reference 
numerals. Like the machine 10 the machine 100 utilizes a rotary hydraulic 
torque resistance device 38 having a shaft 40 to which a cross arm 45 is 
affixed. Unlike the machine 10, the machine does not have movable 
handlebars which move simultaneously with the foot pads. Rather, the 
machine 100 incorporates a pair of fixedly disposed padded arm rests 102 
and 103 which are positioned at a fixed elevated position by a yoke frame 
105 which is mounted to the top of the vertical support member 28. 
A platform 107 is affixed to the rear of the base frame 108 rearwardly and 
below the foot pads 74 and 75. The exercise performed on the machine 100 
simulates walking up a flight of stairs. In use, the adjusting knob 33 is 
moved to the maximum resistance setting on the dial plate. A person stands 
on the platform 107 and first places one foot on one of the foot pads and 
then places the other foot on the other foot pad. The person then selects 
the amount of resistance desired for exercising by moving the adjusting 
knob 33 to the desired position. The person then shifts his or her weight 
to one foot which causes that food pad to move down and the other foot pad 
to move up. This cycle is repeated throughout the exercise. If desired, 
the arms and the upper body can be used to assist the lower parts in 
shifting the body weight from one pedal to the other. 
Referring to FIG. 5 there is shown still another exercise machine 120 
embodying the present invention. The machine 120 is used to exercise the 
muscles used in cross country skiing. Like the machines 10 and 100 it 
incorporates a rotary hydraulic resistance device 38 which is mounted on a 
base frame 122 of the machine at the front and thereof. It includes a 
rearwardly disposed platform 124 on which the person using the machine 
stands. The machine is similar to the machine 10 and like parts are 
identified by the same reference numbers. The machine 120 thus includes a 
pair of pivot blocks 50 and 51 which are pivotable on a horizontal shaft 
126 which is mounted to the vertical frame member 28. A pair of arms 128 
and 130 are mounted to the tops of the blocks 50 and 51 and extend 
upwardly therefrom. A pair of handle grips 132 and 133 are respectively 
provided at the upper end portions of the arms 128 and 130. The arms 128 
and 130 extend upwardly from the blocks 50 and 51 in a substantially 
vertical direction forwardly of the platform. 
An upstanding frame member 135 is mounted to the top of the frame member 
135 and extends forwardly at an angle of about 15 degrees. A torque 
resistance control knob 33 and associated dial plate 137 are carried by a 
support plate 140 which is affixed to the top of the frame member 135. A 
digital readout display 139 is also provided. The control knob 33 and the 
display 139 are located for convenient viewing and use by a person 
standing on the platform. 
Extending from the bottoms of the blocks 50 and 51 below the shaft 126 are 
a pair of foot pad support arms 142 and 144 over the end portions of which 
are mounted two pedals 146 and 148. It will be seen that stepping on the 
pedal 146 causes the block to pivot in a counterclockwise direction as 
viewed in FIG. 5 and thus causes the crossarm 45 to also rotate 
counterclockwise as viewed from the top. At the same time the arm 128 
pivots in in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 5. The foot pad 148 
and the arm 130 pivot simultaneously in a counterclockwise direction. 
While the present invention has been described in connection with 
particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in 
the art that many changes may be made without departing from the true 
spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended by 
the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications which come 
within the true spirit and scope of this invention.