Abstract:
An anchor device for elastically resistive exercise apparatus is disclosed. The cactus-tree anchor device has a rigid elongated vertical backbone. Protruding from the elongated backbone is a plurality of curved, upward-pointing arms resembling the trunk and arms of a Saguaro cactus. Pairs of these curved arms protrude from opposite sides of the elongated backbone. These arms facilitate the easy connection of elastic members, such as coil springs, to the anchor device while helping to prevent elastic members from becoming inadvertently dislodged during expansion and contraction of the elastic member. Mounting members located at upper and lower ends of the vertical backbone allow the anchor device to be mounted on or within the exercise apparatus. The anchor device is particularly adapted for use in a Pilates combination chair exercise apparatus.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/084,277, filed Feb. 25, 2002, entitled DEVICE FOR ATTACHING AN ELASTIC MEMBER TO AN EXERCISE APPARATUS. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to an anchor device for elastically resistive exercise equipment.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Today, many types of exercise equipment are available for fitness and medical purposes. These purposes include improving cardiovascular ability, toning and strengthening muscles, controlling weight, and improving flexibility. Several types of equipment aid a user in this regard by creating some form of effective resistance against repeated body movements.  
           [0004]    A pilates-style combo chair is one such exercise device. The frame of this device is a basic box-like structure designed to rest on a horizontal surface such as a floor. One or two pivot arms protrude out of an open front of the box-like structure. Each of the pivot arms has one end fastened to the frame of the box. A step support is mounted on the free end of each pivot arm. In order to perform various exercise movements, the user typically sits on or leans against the top of the box, stepping or pressing down on the step support with his or her foot or hand to rotate the pivot arm downward. One or more elastic members, such as coil springs, provide tension against the user&#39;s downward movements.  
           [0005]    One end of each coil spring is attached to a pivot arm. The other end of each coil spring typically has a hook that must be inserted into the eye of an eyebolt fastened to the inside or the inner sidewall of the combo chair structure. The user must physically bend down to look under the top of the chair in order to align and engage the hook into the eyebolt. This action is awkward and inconvenient for the user as it is often difficult to attach the spring without visually watching the connection as it is being made.  
           [0006]    Thus, there is a need for an anchor that easily and securely connects one end of an elastic member, such as a coil spring, to the frame of an exercise apparatus such that the elastic member remains securely connected to the apparatus as the tension in the elastic member is varied or modulated.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    An anchor device in accordance with the present invention solves the above and other problems and has a general shape of a cactus-tree. The device has a rigid elongated vertical backbone adapted to be fastened to the frame of the exercise apparatus. Protruding from the elongated backbone is a plurality of curved, upward-pointing arms resembling the arms of a Saguaro cactus. The arms are spaced along the vertical backbone and project outward from opposite sides of the backbone. These curved arms facilitate easy connection of elastic members, such as coil springs, to the anchor device while helping to prevent the elastic members from becoming inadvertently dislodged during expansion and contraction of the elastic member. Mounting members located at the top and bottom of the vertical backbone allow the anchor device to be mounted on or within a piece of exercise equipment.  
           [0008]    One embodiment of an elastically resistive exercise apparatus that incorporates the cactus-tree anchor device of the present invention has a box-like frame structure with parallel pivot arms mounted to the frame and protruding through an open front face of the frame. Foot bar supports are provided at the distal end of each of the pivot arms. Elastic members connect the distal end of the pivot arms to the exercise apparatus frame. Each of the elastic members has a hook or eye at one end to secure the elastic member to the pivot arm and an eye or hook attached to one of the arms of the cactus-tree anchor device fastened to the frame.  
           [0009]    These and various other features as well as advantages that characterize the present invention will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exercise apparatus that incorporates an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a separate front view of an anchor device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a separate side view of the anchor device shown in FIG. 2 FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial perspective view of a portion of the exercise apparatus shown in FIG. 1.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]    One type of exercise apparatus that incorporates an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. This pilates-style combo chair  100  has a pair of split steps  102 . The split steps  102  may easily be converted into a single step by inserting a common dowel (not shown) horizontally through a bore  108  passing longitudinally through each of the two aligned split steps  102 . As shown in FIG. 1, each step  102  is at the free distal end of a pivot arm  104 . The other end of the pivot arm  104  is rotatably connected to the base of the box-like frame structure  106  using a self-lubricating bearing hinge  105  for smooth operation and rotation of the arm  104 . The step  102  is padded and covered with a non-slip material such as rubber to minimize accidental slippage of a user&#39;s hand or foot upon the step  102 . One or more elastic members, such as coil springs  110 , each have one end  112  connected to the pivot arm  104  via a hook-and-eye bolt or a knob anchor  120 . The other end  114  of each spring  110  is fastened to a cactus-tree anchor  122  in accordance with the present invention. The cactus-tree anchor  122 , shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is described in detail further below.  
         [0014]    A user typically performs various exercises by placing one or both feet upon the step  102 , supporting the remainder of his or her body on the top of the chair  100 , and performing a series of stepping movements, pushing against the steps  102 . The springs  110  provide a level of resistance that may be varied by changing the combination of springs  110 , and/or by moving the elastic members to different arms  126  of the cactus-tree anchor  122 . For example, the combo chair  100  of FIG. 1 has two knob anchors  120  on each pivot arm  104  and eight arms on each of the cactus-tree anchors  122  to which elastic member ends  114  may be connected. Either one or both of the springs  110  may be attached to the cactus tree anchor  122  on different arms  126 . As each arm  126  is at a different position with respect to the pivot of the arm  104 , the range of resistance provided by the spring  110  through the arc of motion will be different.  
         [0015]    Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the present invention includes a wide variety of elastically resistive exercise apparatuses with elastic member anchor devices mounted in or within these apparatuses. The Pilates-style combo chair  100  is described as an exemplary piece of equipment that benefits from the present invention and should not be viewed as limiting the equipment embodied in the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIGS. 2 and 3 depict, respectively, separate front and side views of an embodiment of the cactus-tree anchor  122 . In this preferred embodiment, the anchor  122  is formed of a single piece of sheet metal such as steel. The anchor  122  has a rigid elongated backbone  124  along a central vertical axis  123  of the anchor  122 . In another embodiment of the present invention, the elongated backbone  124  may be a cylindrical rod with a substantially circular cross section. In yet another embodiment, the elongated backbone  124  may be a hollow tube with a substantially rectangular cross section. In a still further embodiment, the elongated backbone  124  may be formed in a channel shape (with a U shaped cross section) from sheet metal.  
         [0017]    Protruding outward from the elongated backbone  124  is a plurality of arms  126 . The arms  126  protrude outward from the backbone  124  in a generally horizontal direction. Each of the arms  126  has horizontal portion  125  curving into a vertical portion  127  that is generally aligned in a vertical plane with the central vertical axis  123 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the vertical portions  127  of the arms  126  are extend parallel to the backbone  124  and are spaced therefrom by a gap sized to accommodate an end  114  of the springs  110 . In this embodiment, the elongated backbone  124  and the upward-pointing curved arms  126  resemble the trunk and arms of a Saguaro cactus. One skilled in the art should appreciate that other placements and alignments of the arms  126  are also within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0018]    The tips  129  of the vertical portions  127  of the arms  126  may be enlarged to inhibit slippage of an attached spring  110  from around the vertical portions  127 . These enlarged tips are only one example of a feature to reduce slippage that may be employed. In another embodiment, the arms  126  may each have a slight rearward finger-like bend at the tip  129  to help prevent dislodging of the spring  110  from the cactus-tree anchor  122 . In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a knob-like protrusion or band just below the tip  129  may act as a guard to hold attached end  114  of the spring  110  in place.  
         [0019]    The upper end of the rigid elongated backbone  124  merges into an upper mounting member  128  that extends at right angle to the backbone  124 . The upper mounting member  128  is used to connect the cactus-tree anchor  122  to the underside of the top of the frame  106  of the chair exercise apparatus  100 . Similarly, the lower end of the backbone  124  has a lower mounting member  130  used to connect to the anchor  122  to the back of the frame  106 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the mounting members  128  and  130  are flat plate portions adapted to be fastened to the top and back respectively of the exercise apparatus  100  via screws or bolts  138 . The lower mounting member  130  may also have a bottom flange portion  131  that extends at right angle over the base of the chair  100  and can be additionally bolted to the base of the chair  100 . One skilled in the art should appreciate that other methods of fastening the anchor  122  in place are also within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0020]    Referring back to FIG. 1, the chair exercise apparatus  100  has two springs  110  attached to each pivot arm  104 . Each spring  110  has its free end  114  free to be attached to its corresponding vertical set of arms  126  on the anchor  122  corresponding to that pivot arm  104 . A user can apply either spring  114 , or both, to each pivot arm  104  by simply slipping the free end  114  of each spring  110  over one of the arms  126  of the corresponding anchor  122 . Spring tension may be changed by simply reaching behind the chair  100  and repositioning the end  114  of each spring  110  to a different anchor arm  126 . When a spring  110  is not being used, it rests in one of a pair of generally U shaped depressions or recesses  132  in a spring cradle  134  attached to the pivot arm  104 .  
         [0021]    The cradle  134  is best shown in FIG. 4. The cradle  134  is positioned preferably midway between the step  102  and the pivot of the arm  104 . The spring cradle  134  positions the spring  110  for ready use and prevents undesirable banging around of an idle spring  110  when only one spring  110  is being used. The cradle  134  is preferable formed from plastic or wood and has a U shaped channel bottom recess  136  that fits around three sides of the pivot arm  104 . The cradle  134  is preferably fastened to the pivot arm  104  with a hook and loop fastener fabric so as to be removable. However, the cradle  134  may alternatively be adhesively bonded, bolted or screwed to the pivot arm  104  for a more permanent installation.  
         [0022]    It will be clear that the present invention is well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those inherent therein. While an exemplary embodiment has been described for purposes of this disclosure, numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. In the illustrated embodiment  100 , each of the springs  110  has a loop at each end for attachment to the anchor  120  on the pivot arm  104  and the anchor  122 . Other arrangements at the free ends of the springs  110  may also be utilized, i.e., hooks, knobs, etc with the same result. Each of the anchor arms  126  may be shaped differently than as shown and described above. For example, the portions  127  may be curved rather than straight. They may also be bent backwards from the plane of the central backbone. The tips  129  may be enlarged. The anchor  122  may be formed of several pieces bonded together rather than formed of a single piece of sheet material. If knobs are formed on the ends  114  of the springs  110 , the ends  114  may be simply slipped into the slot formed between the backbone  124  and the arms  126  of the anchor  122 . All such changes are encompassed in the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.