Abstract:
An exercise system includes a lattice formed of vertical uprights and arms attached to the upright. An exercise device is disposed on the arms and allows a user to perform various exercises thereon.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     A. Field of Invention  
         [0002]     This invention pertains in general to the exercising devices, and more particularly to a system that incorporates a portable and removable device and increases the range of exercises that can be performed with said exercise device.  
         [0003]     B. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Exercising has become a favorite pastime not only in the United States but all over the world. More people are engaged in this activity then any other types of leisure. Of course most exercises performed today require various types of devices. Initially most devices, such as for example, the jumping rope, were quite simple. Another simple exercise device consisted of a bar with a single elastic rope three or four feet long and extending between the two ends so that a person could hold the bar and push down on the rope with his feet. A variation of this device consisted of the elastic rope with two handles at the ends of the rope replacing the bar.  
         [0005]     However none of these prior art devices were very versatile since they could be used only for a very limited number or kinds of exercises. Slowly, exercising devices progressed to a point were many of them are very complicated, hard to use, expensive, and generally uncomfortable to use. Many of the present day devices consist of various combinations of mechanical devices such as support surfaces, seats, chairs, wheels, chains, ropes, pulleys, weights, bar bells and oddly shaped rods. A person from the Middle Ages would immediately recognize these devices for what they really are: torture tools.  
         [0006]     As the size and complexity of these devices increased, they became more and more complicated to use, require a large space, special instructions, and very often should not be used without the supervision of specially trained professional personnel. Moreover, the devices may also require electrical power and are hazardous.  
         [0007]     All these factors increase the cost of the devices to the point were they can be afforded only by very rich persons, and/or can be used only in gyms or health spas. Moreover, despite of, or possible because of their complexity, these devices can be used to perform only one exercise, or even if they are adaptable to more than one exercise at a time and require extensive and time consuming changes in configuration before they can be switched over to a different exercise. However, performing the same exercise over and over again is extremely monotonous and takes a lot of perseverance to continue More importantly, a single exercise is beneficial only to a limited number of muscles, and at the same time. Performing the same exercise for a long time is detrimental because it tires the addressed muscles, while other muscles are neglected.  
         [0008]     In my U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,776,041 and 6,048,291 I described an exercise device that consists of five major components: a bar and four flexible, elastic members made of a pliable material. Preferably the flexible members are provided at their ends with loops or other limb engaging elements for engaging the foot or the hand of the person as shall be described in more detail below, depending on the type of exercise that is to be performed. Preferably a sheath covers the bar and the elastic members are all attached to the sheath. The sheath and the elastic members can be molded from a rubber-type material to form a single integral unit. Two of the members may be elongated and have a cross section which changes gradually from the bar to the handles. Preferably this cross section gradually increases thereby providing an increased resistance generated by the two members when they are partially rolled on the bar.  
         [0009]     Since I have developed these devices I have discovered that while they are very useful in performing many exercises, they are difficult to use to perform certain stretching and other types of exercises that require the devices to be held stably from a stationary structure. Therefore I have developed a system for facilitating these types of exercises using my device.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     Briefly, an exercise system constructed in accordance with this system includes a lattice of vertical members, arms secured to the bars and spaced and arranged to selectively and removably hold exercise devices of the kind described above. Brackets may be used to secure the lattice to a wall and/or ceiling. The exercise devices can be placed on different sets of arms at will to allow a user to perform a selected exercise. At the completion of the exercise, the devices can be removed and placed on a different set of arms, or used freely, without the need for the arms 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  shows a somewhat diagrammatic front view of the exercise device described in my previous patents;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  shows an orthogonal view of a lattice used in the subject exercise system; and  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  shows a partial front view of the lattice with several exercise bars disposed thereon. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     In order to provide a better understanding of the invention, a simplified description is first provided of my original exercise device in conjunction with  FIG. 1 . The exercise device  10  includes a bar  12  with four dependent elastic members: two short members  14  and two long members  16 . The members  14 ,  16  include loops  18  can be grasped to allow a user to pull on the respective members. The bar  12  is provided at its two ends with respective handles  20 . Long members  16  are preferably tapered as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows a lattice  30  constructed in accordance with this invention. The lattice consists of several upright or vertical members  32 . These members can be equal in length to the height of a room or can be shorter but should not be shorter than about 6 or 7 feet to allow users of different heights to use the system. The members  32  are spaced at about 2 or 2½ feet laterally from each other. Vertical members support a plurality of horizontal members or arms  34 A,  34 B,  36 A,  36 B,  38 A,  38 B arranged in pairs at predetermined heights. Horizontal members can be secured to the vertical members by screws (not shown) or other well-known means. In order to insure that the lattice is stable during exercises, it is provided with brackets  40  that secure the lattice to a wall (not shown). Alternatively, or in addition, the lattice may also be secured to a ceiling by well known means. In order to increase the stability of the lattice, a structural bar  44  may be provided that extends horizontally and is attached to each of the vertical members  32 .  
         [0016]     The complete exercise system is shown in  FIG. 3 . In this Figure only three upright members  32  are shown and the member  44  is omitted. As can be seen in this figure, one or more exercising devices  12  can be positioned on top of one of the pairs of arms, preferably just behind the upright members  32 . The devices  12  can be just seating on the arms, or can be secured to the arms by ropes, rubber bands (not shown), or by wrapping the long members around the arms, as shown in  FIG. 3  at  41 . The devices  12  can be positioned on different arm pairs so that they are at different heights. A person can then perform various exercises using the devices on the arms. The length of the arms  34 A,  34 B etc. is selected to insure that the devices  12  can be properly seated. The arms can be the same length as the brackets  40 . In fact, the devices  12  can also be placed on brackets  40 . The upright members, arms and brackets can have square, circular, oval or any other type of cross-section.  
         [0017]     It should be noted that several people can exercise on the system at once, each being positioned between two uprights  32 . Once each person completes his set of exercises, he can remove the exercise device  12  and due other exercises with it.  
         [0018]     While most of devices  12  are shown in the Figures as being mounted horizontally, they can be mounted vertically as well, as shown in  FIG. 3  at  12 A. The device  12 A is secured two to brackets (not shown) by any known means including its own straps (not shown).  
         [0019]     Numerous modifications may be made to this device without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.