Patent Publication Number: US-RE43167-E

Title: Exercise device

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/566,854, filed Apr. 30, 2004. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Exercise devices of many types are known. Examples of such devices or exercise systems are those sold under the Universal® and Nautilus® trademarks. 
     The Universal® machine system provides a single machine which is essentially an aggregation of several separate exercise devices, each part only performing one exercise operation on a single part of the body. 
     Such prior art systems have the disadvantage that the user is required to move physically from station to station to exercise the entire body. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus which allows multiple exercises to be carried out on a single device and which permits stretching, extension and mobility exercises to be carried out, as well as resistance training. 
     Pursuant to this object, and others which will become apparent hereafter, one aspect of the present invention resides in an exercise apparatus having two parallel longitudinally extending handrails that are horizontal to the ground. A longitudinally extending base unit rests on the ground and legs connect the hand rails to the base unit. The base unit includes a rail assembly and a rail support frame. Four roller pads are mounted on the rail assembly so as to be individually movable along the rails. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the rail assembly includes two pairs of the rails. Each of the rails has a C-shaped cross-section and the rails of each pair are arranged so that the C-shaped sections face one another. 
     In still another embodiment, the rail assembly is pivotally mounted at one end to a first end of the rail support frame so that the rail assembly can be pivoted between a horizontal position and an angled position. A support member is pivotally mounted to a second end of the rail support so that the support member can be pivoted between a stowed position and a use position in which the support member supports the rail assembly in the angled position. 
     Yet another embodiment of the invention provides a backboard pivotally mounted to the base unit at a first end of the rail support frame so as to be pivotal between a first, horizontal position in which the backboard rests against the top of the base unit, and a second, vertical position in which the backboard is parallel to the legs at one end of the exercise apparatus. 
     In still another embodiment, each of the roller pads has a main body dimensioned to fit between a pair of the rails, an upper platform is mounted on the main body so as to be above the rails when the main body is between the rails. The upper platform has a width that is greater than a distance between the rails of a pair of rails. Each roller pad further has wheels arranged on each side thereof so as to ride along a lower flange of the rails. 
     A further embodiment of the invention provides guide wheels at the front and/or back ends of the main body of each roller pad. The guide wheels are rotatable about a vertical axis and are arranged to be in engagement with the back wall of the C-shaped rails. 
     A resistance mechanism can be provided for each of the roller pads so that each of the roller pads is subjected to independent resistance during movement along the rails. 
     In yet another embodiment of the invention, the platform of each roller pad has mounting holes. A carriage having projections that are insertable in the mounting holes can be mounted to the roller pads. The carriage has a bench member pivotally mounted thereon so that the bench member can be pivoted between a position in which it rests completely against the carriage and a position in which the bench is at an angle to the carriage. The bench also has a support member mounted on a bottom side of the bench for supporting the bench in the angled position. 
     The backboard can also be provided with holes for mounting additional exercise components. Such exercise components can include a circular rotatable seat. 
     The base unit can also be provided with a centrally located vertical hole into which add-on components can be mounted. Such add-on components can include a propeller member that is rotatable about a central axis for the rotatable seat member. The propeller member, in another embodiment, can have a plurality of evenly-spaced holes in its surface. These holes also serve for mounting additional components such as a crescent-shaped or round rotatable member. To use the add-on components, one either stands, sits or places one&#39;s hands thereon. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of one embodiment of the inventive device; and 
         FIG. 2  is a view showing the backrest in a vertical position; 
         FIG. 3  is a view as in  FIG. 1  showing another operative position of the apparatus; 
         FIG. 4  is an end view of the rail structure; 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the base; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a roller pad; 
         FIG. 7  is a view showing the bench at an angled position; 
         FIG. 8  is a view as in  FIG. 7  showing a tensioning device; 
         FIG. 9  is a view showing a propeller add-on component; 
         FIG. 10  is a bottom view of the propeller component; and 
         FIG. 11  shows the propeller component mounted on the exercise apparatus. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings, as can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the device has a frame with two parallel hand rails  1 , a base unit  2 , and legs  3  arranged at the ends of the hand rails  1  and base unit  2  for connecting the hand rails  1  to the base unit  2  so that hand rails  1  are at a distance from the base unit  2  sufficient to permit a person standing on the base unit  2  to hold the hand rails for  1  support. 
     A backboard  6  is pivotally mounted to the legs  3  at one end of the base unit  2 . The backboard  6  pivots between a first, horizontal position as shown in  FIG. 1  and a second, vertical position as shown in  FIG. 2 . The backboard  6  is held in the second, vertical position by at least one blocking member  12  that is rotatably attached to one of the legs and can be pivoted to hold the backboard  6  in the vertical position and can also be pivoted away from the backboard to permit movement to the horizontal position. It is to be understood that other types of locking mechanisms are possible and would be evident to those skilled in the art. The illustrated and described blocking member is only one possible construction for a device which could accomplish the same purpose. For example, other suitable devices would be a strap which is attached to the backboard and wraps around a portion of the leg to hold the backboard in place, or a magnetic connection wherein a magnet is provided either on the backboard or one of the legs and a metal plate is provided on the other of the backboard and the legs so that when the backboard is in the vertical position the magnet and the metal plate make contact and hold the backboard in position. 
     The base unit  2  has four longitudinally extending, parallel rails  4 . Each rail is a C-channel and the rails are arranged in pairs so that the channels of two rails face one another to form two parallel tracks, as shown in  FIG. 4 . The tracks are held in parallel alignment by cross members  15 . The cross members  15  also serve to hold the rails together as a single construction. This construction of rails is pivotally attached at one end to the rail support frame  5  of the base unit  2 . The rail support frame  5  is configured so that when the rails  4  are in a horizontal position the upper surface of the rails is substantially level with the upper surface of the rail support frame. In order to hold the rails  4  in an angled position, a support member  16  is provided, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The support member  16  is pivotally attached at one end to the rail support frame  5  so that the support member can be pivoted into an upper position in which the rails rest on the support member, again as shown in  FIG. 3 . The support member  16  also pivots down to a horizontal position in which the support member  16  is beneath the rails  4  when in the position shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     A strap or handle  17  is provided at the end of the rail construction to assist in pivoting the rails up out of the rail support frame  5 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , four independent roller pads  7  are provided with two of the roller pads being arranged in each pair of rails  4 . The roller pads  7  are independently movable along the rails  4 . Each roller pad  7 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , has an upper platform  18  that is wider than the gap between the pair of rails, and a main body portion  19  that fits between the rails. This is visible in  FIG. 4 . Each roller pad  7  has four wheels  20 . Two of the wheels  20  are arranged on each side of the main body  19  and rotate about horizontal axes. The wheels run along the side flanges of the C-channels which form the rails  4 . The roller pad  7  can also be provided with guide wheels  21  arranged on the front and/or the back of the main body  19 . The guide wheels are rotatable about a vertical axis, as shown in  FIG. 6 . The guide wheels  21  ride against the back wall of the C-channels which form the rails, for the purpose of stabilizing linear movement of the roller pad  7  along the rails  4 . 
     A separate resistance inducing device is provided for each of the roller pads  7  so that independent resistance is provided to each of the pads. The resistance can be provided, for example, by a spring or an elastic member. In  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the resistance is provided by a spring  22  that is attached to the rail support frame  5  at one end of a pair of rails. A cable  23  is connected at one end to the spring  22 , then passes 180° over a pulley  24  at the center of the base and then is connected at the other end to one of the roller pads  7 . In this way, when the roller pad is moved along the rail, the spring  22  provides resistance to the movement. Other types of mechanisms for providing resistance are known to those in the art and could easily be substituted for the spring construction described. Additionally, by disconnecting the cable  23  from the roller pad  7 , the roller pad  7  can be used without resistance. 
     Each of the roller pads is provided with at least one hole  9  in the upper platform  18 . A carriage  8  is mountable in the holes in the roller pad  7 , for example, by pins or other projecting shapes. The carriage  8  has a bench  25  that is pivotally mounted at one end to the carriage  8  so that the other end of the bench  25  can be raised and lowered. A support member  26  is pivotally mounted to the bottom of the bench  25  so that when the bench  25  is pivoted from the carriage  8 , the support member  26  can drop down to hold the bench  25  at an angle to the carriage  8 . This is shown in  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 8  shows an additional tension mechanism  27  that is attachable to an end of the carriage for providing resistance to movement of the carriage. This tension mechanism  27  can be either an elastic member or a spring member, for example. Other constructions of resistance devices are within the knowledge of those skilled in the art. 
     Holes  13  are provided in the backboard  6  for the mounting and use of additional components. Similar holes are also provided in the carriage  8 , and a hole  13 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , is provided in the center of the base unit  2 . This hole  13  extends vertically through the base unit  2  when the rails are arranged flat in the rail support frame  5 . 
     One of the additional components is a propeller  11  shown in  FIGS. 9-11 . The propeller  11  has a downwardly extending pin  28  that is insertable in the central hole  13  in the base unit  2 . The propeller  11  is rotatable through 360°. The propeller can also be inserted via the pin  28  into any one of the holes in any of the other components of the inventive exercise device. 
       FIG. 1  shows rotatable seats  10  that have pins that are insertable in the holes of the roller pads  7  or the backboard  6 . As with the propeller mechanism  11 , the seats  10  can be mounted in any desired holes to provide varying types of physical movement possibilities. A crescent-shaped support member  29  is illustrated in  FIG. 11 , as are circular support pads  30 . These pads  29 ,  30  also have pins that are mountable in the various holes of the various components so as to provide differing exercise possibilities. 
     At the non-hinged end of the rail assembly, at least two of the rails are provided with stops  14  that prevent the roller pads  7  from leaving the rails  4  when the rail assembly is in the angled position. 
     Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.