Abstract:
Exercise machine ( 10 ) wherein a frame ( 20 ) is provided with at least one upr-ght ( 21 ) substantially vertical and prismatically shaped; the upright ( 21 ) presenting at least one elongated body ( 26 ) able to serve as a guide to a pack (P) of flat bodies ( 31 ) able to be actuated longitudinally for the execution of training exercises; the upright ( 21 ) being externally delimited by a longitudinal shell ( 22 ) shaped prismatically and laterally facing the flat bodies ( 31 ); at least one plate ( 14 ) engaging the upright ( 21 ) in sliding fashion to isolate the flat bodies ( 31 ) from the outside in co-operation with the shell ( 22 ); coupling organs being provided inside the shell ( 22 ) to connect said upright and the elongated body ( 26 ) rigidly to each other according to a longitudinal direction.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an exercise machine, effectively employable for strengthening and/or rehabilitation purposes. 
     Every exercise machine comprises a plurality of devices co-operating together to allow the execution of exercises aimed at training one or more regions of the body. 
     Among such devices, always present are a frame, a load unit, a seat, and an articulated device employable by a user to exchange power with the load unit, naturally for training purposes. The frame supports a platform and comprises a frame obtained by welding metal pipes, previously cut to measure. This frame presents a base portion that realizes the support for the seat, and an upper portion that supports and normally delimits the load unit. 
     The latter is traditionally of the gravity type, and realized by means of a plurality of metal plates of a determined weight. The plates are stacked together, and constrained to slide vertically by means of two rods, in turn vertically supported by the frame. In this case, the rods-plates assembly defines a sliding guide device wherein the rods define the guide and the plates the slide. Naturally, the user has the possibility of isolating on each occasion a set number of plates to form a load of a given size. This load can be actuated by the user through a flexible cable variously passing around pulleys supported by the frame. Traction on the flexible cable is exercised by means of handles, bars or the like, and during the operation of the machine the plates defining the load are alternatively lifted and lowered with respect to a rest position. This position is reached at the end of the exercise, or in the case wherein, accidentally, the user releases the handle when the plates are still lifted. Highly trained athletes can reach the ability of lifting loads exceeding 100 kilograms. 
     Therefore, for safety reasons, the load unit is isolated from the outside by means of a metal grate. This grate is fastened to the pipes of the frame in a removable manner by means of a plurality of connecting elements, such as screws and/or rivets. Each exercise machine is specialized according to the type of exercise that such a machine must perform and it presents a frame of a different kind, with different dimensions. 
     Exercise machines like the ones described above present a mechanical structure obtained by assembling very simple components. This constructive aspect allows for a significant reduction in raw material costs, but considerably complicates the productive process: the need to realize the frame starting from a plurality of metal tubes forces the completion of a large number of metalwork interventions, at the end whereof painting must be performed. Moreover, the fact that the structure of the machine is welded considerably complicates maintenance activities, such as the replacement or upgrading of the number of plates equipping the load unit. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The aim of the present invention is to realize an exercise machine that is free of the drawbacks described above. 
     A further aim of the present invention is for the part of frame reserved to the load unit to be of particularly rapid and economical construction, and substantially free of welded components. 
     According to the present invention an exercise machine is realized comprising a frame provided with at least an upright, vertical and prismatically shaped; said upright supporting at least an elongated body able to serve as a guide and a pack of flat bodies able to be actuated longitudinally for the execution of training exercises; each of said flat bodies presenting a portion coupled transversely to said elongated body, to render said flat bodies angularly fixed and free to slide with respect to said elongated body; at least one plate supported by said upright in a position facing said flat bodies to isolate them from the outside; characterized in that said upright is externally delimited by a prismatically shaped longitudinal shell, able laterally to cover said coupled portions; longitudinal coupling means being provided to connect rigidly together said upright and elongated body; said plate being delimited laterally by at least a substantially rectilinear longitudinal border; said shell presenting at least a longitudinal seat slidingly engaged by said longitudinal border. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention shall now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non limiting embodiment, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first preferred non limiting embodiment of a machine realized according to the prescriptions of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged scale perspective view, with some parts removed for the sake of clarity, of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged scale plan view, with some parts removed for the sake of clarity, of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale plan view, with some parts removed for the sake of clarity, of a detail excerpted from FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged scale plan view, with parts removed for the sake of clarity, of a second preferred embodiment of FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In FIG. 1, the number  10  indicates, in its entirety, an exercise machine effectively employable by a user to perform training or rehabilitative exercises, without thereby losing its general nature. 
     With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the machine  10  is provided with a frame  11  comprises a platform  12  and a modular metal structure or frame  20  positioned above the platform  12 . Such frame  20  delimits in its interior a load unit  30  and supports an articulated device  40  which can be actuated by the user to train the femoral muscles. This articulated device  40  is able to cooperate with the unit  30  itself in such a way as to allow the exchange of power with the machine  10 . The machine  10  lastly comprises a seat  50  set alongside the frame  20  to support a training user by means of articulated device  40 . 
     The frame  20  is provided with at least one upright  21  substantially vertical and prismatically shaped. In particular the frame  20  comorises two uprights  21  positioned to face each other, each of which is delimited externally by a shell  22  having C-shaped cross section and concavity facing the other upright  21 . The two uprights  21  isolate between them a volume V of determined shape and constant section, thus also presenting prismatic shape. This volume V is closed at the top by a lid  23  which, in turn, is connected removably to the uprights  21  themselves, in particular by means of threaded coupling. The unit  30  presents, within the volume V, a plurality of flat plates  31  of substantially parallelepiped shape, and made of metal material of a set thickness. These plates  31  are stacked together inside the aforementioned volume V to form a so-called “weight pack ” P. This weight pack P can be alternatively lifted and lowered by a user during training by means of the device  40 . Each upright  21  is provided with a device  24  to guide the plates  31  along the vertical direction, which shall be better described farther on. With particular reference to FIG. 3, the device  24  comprises a rib  25  obtained in a single piece with the shell  22 . This rib  25  is laterally delimited by two converging sections  25   a , mutually joined by a substantially flat surface  25   b , whose extension is equal to the extension of the upright  21 . This surface  25   b  serves as a bearing surface for a rod  26  which is connected in a manner that is removable by loosening connecting means comprising a plurality of horizontally mounted screws (known and not shown) equally distributed along the respective upright  21 . Thus the rod  26  and the shell are mutually connected through the interposition of the rib  24 . Such screws allow to realize a mating contact between the rod  26  and the rib  24 , and hence can be considered as longitudinal connecting means for the rod  26  itself. 
     The plates  31  belong to the load unit  30 , and each of them is delimited by a profile that follows the negative of the shape of the cross section of the volume V itself. In particular, each plate  31  presents a central portion  32  presenting a servicing hole  33  of a determined diameter, centrally positioned. Each plate  31 , moreover, presents, in correspondence with each of the two uprights  21 , a matched end portion  34  delimited by an open and concave profile, able to define a transverse seat for the rod  26 . In particular each portion  34  faces and is coupled to the rods  26  of the two uprights  21 . Thus each plate  31  is connected to the respective rod  26  in an angularly fixed manner and is free to slide vertically between the uprights  21 . 
     With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, each shell ends with two longitudinal sections  28 , positioned at opposite sides to the rod  26 . The two sections  28  laterally cover the portions  34  of the plates  31 , and co-operate with a pair of substantially parallelepiped plates  14  to close the volume V at the front and rear. In particular, each plate  14  is positioned between the two front/rear sections  28 , and is delimited by two longitudinal borders  15  which engage, each, a longitudinal seat  29  obtained in the end position on each section  28 . 
     With reference to FIG. 2, the load unit  30  presents a latching device  35  which can be activated by the articulated device  40  for the lifting and subsequent lowering of the plates  31  for training purposes. This latching device  35  comprises a pin  36  that extends vertically inside the holes  33 , and presents an extension approximating and being slightly larger than the height of the totality of the plates  31 . Such pin  36  is delimited at the top by a hollow organ  37 , and it presents, along the body, a plurality of rings  38  of a diameter that approximates and is slightly smaller than the diameter of the holes  33 . Such rings  38  are uniformly distributed and separated in twos by a distance equal to the thickness of the plates  31 . The device  35  comprises a flexible cable  39 , normally made of metallic or textile material with negligible stretching, provided with an end engaging the organ and closed by a known fastening element, not shown herein. The cable  39  presents, on the side opposite Lo the organ  37 , an end connected to the articulated device  40 , for controlling the position of the isolated plates  31  for training purposes. 
     The latching device  35  further comprises a pair of pulleys  41  positioned on the side of the articulated device  40 . The two pulleys  41  are supported by the lid  23  in an axially fixed and angularly rotating manner, in such a way as to pass the cable  39  on the exterior of the lid  23  towards the articulated device  40 . In parLicular, the exit of the cable  39  towards the outside is enabled by the fact that the upright  21  positioned on the side of the articulated device  40  externally presents a groove freely engaged by the cable  39  itself. 
     The device  35 , moreover, comprises a locking organ able to be selectively fastened on the pin  36  in such a way as to isolate a set number of plates  31 , and able to delimit a set number of plates  31  for the definition of the training weight pack P. The aforementioned locking organ is realized by means of a fork shaped body  42  provided with a substantially U-shaped seat with transverse dimensions approximating the diameter of the body of the pin  36  between two rings  38 . Clearly, by placing the body  42  between two rings  38  positioned between two plates  31  stacked together in rest position, the weight pack P is divided into two groups of plates  31 . The top group lying between the organ  37  and the body  42  itself is thereby rendered substantially integral to the pin  36  and therefore is employable for training purposes by means of cable  39 . 
     With reference to FIG. 2, the frame  20  comprises a pair of tubular bodies  43  bent to an L shape and placed alongside each other and at the side of the legs of a user positioned on the seat  50 . Each tubular body  43  presents a horizontal section  44  connected to the upright  21  positioned to the right in FIG. 2, and a vertical section  45  bearing down on the platform  12 . The two sections  44  support in axially fixed and angularly rotating manner a pulley  46  and a cam  47  of the device  40 , around the periphery whereof is wound the cable  39 . The sections  44  further support in angularly rotating and axially fixed manner, to the right of the cam  47  in FIG. 2, a lever  48  coaxial to the cam  47 , provided with a tubular padding  49 . The lever  48  is L shaped and it presents a rectilinear section positioned facing the legs of a user set on the seat  50  in such a way that it can be actuated with alternating rotatory motion to train the lower limbs. Naturally, the cable  39  terminates with a respective end integrally connected, in known fashion, to the cam  47 . 
     Use of the machine  10  is easily understandable based on the description orovided above and requires no further explanation. 
     It should be noted that the particular conformation of the uprights  21  allows them to be manufactured with extrusion or forging processes. Such technological processes allow to employ light materials to obtain hollow tubular bodies with particularly advanced mechanical characteristics. In particular, using materials such as light alloys (for instance aluminum alloys) or so-called composite materials (such as glass and carbon fibbers) allows greatly to simplify the assembly and transport of the exercise machines inside and outside manufacturing facilities, with great economic advantages. 
     To be stressed is the great assembly ease that allows to obtain a weight pack P protected by plates with very simple operations, such as that of inserting the plates directly on the uprights after placing them on the platform in the exercise position. The frame can be assembled directly at the user&#39;s home without requiring any welding operations. 
     Maintenance operations such as the replacement of pin  36  with one of different length, in order to have available a weight pack P comprising a higher number of plates is immediate, given that access to the volume V is obtained simply by extracting the plates  14  upwards. 
     It is superfluous to specify that the basic structure of the machine  10  will be specialized on a case by case basis to take into account the specifics of the bodv region to be trained. In any case different frames will share the parts relating to the respective weight packs P, differing from each other only in the vertical extension of the uprights  21 . This aspect also contributes to lower manufacturing costs. 
     Constructing the uprights  21  with composite material further allows to eliminate the painting operation. Otherwise, operating with light alloys or aluminum, the painting problem can be solved through a work process that improves their mechanical characteristics such as shot-peening. 
     Lastly, it is clear that the machine  10  described and illustrated herein can be subject to modifications and variations without thereby departing from the protective scope of the present invention. 
     For instance, with reference to FIG. 5, the particular shape of the uprights  21  allows their realization by extrusion, constructing dies that integrate a cavity able to define the negative of the section of the rod  26 . In this way the shell  24 , the rib  25  and the rod  26  shall be mutually integral (obtained from the same piece). The number of pieces to be manufactured for each machine  10  will decrease, thereby facilitating assembly operations and inventory management. In this case the upright  21  presents substantially E-shaped cross section, with the rod  26  defining the center tooth of the E. 
     Moreover, in order to limit any problems with sliding on the central tooth of the E, the plates  31  can be modified with reference to FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b . In these cases, simply with friction reducing means obtained by coating each of the portions  34  with a sleeve  51  open in correspondence with the tooth of the E, and made of material presenting high sliding ability in contact with a metal surface (for instance, polytetra-fluoro-ethylene, or PTFE, as in FIG. 4 a ). Better yet would be to coat the plates  31  with similar materials (FIG. 4 b ), at the same time obtaining a quieter operation of the machine  10 , thanks to the dampening of plate  31 —plate  31  impacts. 
     The invention thus conceived may be subject to numerous modifications and variations, without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all components can be replaced with technically equivalent elements.