Patent Publication Number: US-8540609-B2

Title: Climber appliance

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application Ser. No. 12/927,425, filed Nov. 15, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,021,276, which is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 12/586,761, filed Sep. 28, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,092,348, which is a divisional application of Ser. No. 11/710,576 filed on Feb. 26, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,594,877, and claims priority on provisional application Ser. No 60/781,838, filed on Mar. 13, 2007. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE OF THE DESCRIBED APPARATUS 
     The described apparatus relates generally to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to exercise equipment that can be used to provide a user with a climbing type exercise. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Climbing is recognized as a particularly effective type of aerobic exercise, and as a result, exercise machines facilitating this type of exercise are popular for both home and health club use. There have been a variety of approaches taken in designing stair climbing apparatus as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,497,215, 4,687,195, 5,135,447, 5,180,351, 5,195,935, 5,222,928, 5,238,462, 5,318,487, 5,403,252, 6,855,093, 7,153,238 and Re. 34,959 as well as PCT application WO/94/02214. Typically these machines utilize a pair of pedals which are adapted for vertical reciprocating motion to provide a user who is standing on the pedals with a simulated climbing exercise. The vertical reciprocating motion is generally translated into a rotary motion by a suitable system of belts, gears and clutches, for example. The rotary motion that is imparted to a shaft, flywheel or the like is usually opposed by a variable source of resistance force, typically an alternator, eddy current break or the like that is responsive to a control signal for selectively varying the level of resistance. Also, it is not unusual to include features such as controlling and monitoring the speed of the pedals by the operator or by computer programs. Other approaches additionally provide for an upper body workout. For example, many health clubs have climbing walls. Another example is the Versa Climber apparatus sold by Heart Rate, Inc. of Costa Mesa, Calif. which is a mechanical hydraulic device that along with pedals provides a set of moveable handholds for an upper body workout. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION 
     Therefore, given the increasing popularity of climbing as an exercise, one object of the described apparatus is to provide an improved climbing exercise apparatus as well as an apparatus that can provide for an improved climbing experience. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a right perspective side view of a climber mechanism illustrating a first embodiment of certain aspects of a climber mechanism; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  provide a right side view of the mechanism of  FIG. 1  with pedals, a handrail and arm handles in a first and in a second position respectively; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective side view of a portion of the belt and pulley arrangement of the mechanism of  FIG. 2B ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic and block diagram of a control system for the mechanism of  FIGS. 1 and 5 . 
         FIG. 5  is a right perspective side view illustrating certain aspects of a second embodiment of a climber mechanism; 
         FIG. 6  is a right perspective side view of a portion of the climber mechanism of  FIG. 5  illustrating certain aspects of the handle bar arrangement and support frame; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectioned right perspective side view of a portion of the climber mechanism of  FIG. 5  illustrating certain aspects of the track and pedal assemblies; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the pedal assembly of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a right sectioned view of the climber of  FIG. 5  illustrating a load and pedal connection assembly that can be used with the climber of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged sectioned perspective view of the load and pedal connection assembly of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is an enlarged sectioned bottom perspective view taken along lines  11 - 11  of  FIG. 10  illustrating a portion of the pedal connection assembly and a pedal impact absorption arrangement; 
         FIG. 12  A and  FIG. 12B  provide enlarged side perspective views of the pedal connection assembly of  FIG. 11  in a first and in a second position respectively; 
         FIG. 13  is a sectioned enlarged top perspective view of a pedal link to rocker connection assembly that can be used with the climber of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1 ,  2 A-B and  3  provide views of an example of a first embodiment of a climber mechanism  10  that provides an illustrative environment for describing certain aspects a climber mechanism  10 . For simplicity, only the right pedal, handrails and arm handles of the climber mechanism  10  are shown in  FIGS. 2A-B . Support for the mechanism  10  on a horizontal support surface  11  such as a floor is provided by a frame  12  that includes: a horizontal frame member  14 , a forward floor support  16 , a rear floor support  18 , a curved center support  20  secured to the horizontal support member  14  and forward floor support  16 , a central vertical frame member  22  secured between the horizontal frame member  14  and the curved center support  20 , and a vertical support member  24  secured to the curved center support  20  by a pair of brackets  26  and to the horizontal support member  14 . In addition, extending from a handrail support  28  that is attached to the vertical support member  24  is a pair of side handrails  30  and  32  and a pair of generally upwardly extending fixed hand supports  34  and  36 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-3  a pair of tracks  38  and  40  are connected to the vertical frame member  22  and the horizontal frame member  14  at an angle of preferably about 30 degrees to the floor. It has been found that an angle of 30 degrees provides the preferred angle to simulate the climbing of terrain such as hills, although variations of 10 to 15 degrees from the preferred 30 degrees can in some circumstances be desirable. A rear frame member  41  is located between the tracks  38  and  40  and likewise connected to the vertical frame member  22  and the horizontal frame member  14  such that the member  41  is parallel to the tracks  38  and  40 . 
     The climbing mechanism includes a pair of pedals  42  and  44  that are mounted for movement along the tracks  38  and  40  respectively. Although the pedals  42  and  44  can be mounted on the tracks  38  and  40  by a number of different mechanisms, preferably a pair of pedal support mechanisms  46  and  48  of the type as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  of U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,441 are used for this purpose and in this case would include a set of guide rollers  50 . By the same token, the tracks  38  and  40  are substantially linear although there may be some implementations of the climbing mechanism  10  where nonlinear or curved tracks might be desirable. In this particular implementation of the climber  10 , a belt  52  is attached to a lower rear portion of each of the pedal support mechanisms  46  and  48  at a point  54  and lead around a pulley  56  that in turn is rotatably attached to the rear frame member  41 . Also attached at a point  58  of the right pedal mechanism  46  and to a point  60  of the second pedal mechanism  48  is a drive belt  62 . Preferably, the belt  52  is a ribbed rubber belt but other flexible members can be used such a linked chain. In the embodiment of the climber mechanism shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the drive belt  62  extends from the first pedal mechanism  46  to an idler pulley  64  mounted for rotation on frame member  22  then extends to downwardly over the pulley  64  to a first one way clutch  66 . The drive belt  62  is engaged with a grooved pulley on the first one way clutch  66 , twisted 90 degrees and extends up and over a central idler pulley  68 . The central idler pulley  68  is mounted for rotation on the frame member  20  utilizing a pulley support structure  70  as shown in the figures. Twisted back 90 degrees, the control belt  62  is engaged with a second one-way clutch  72  mounted for rotation on frame member  22  then extends to the attachment point  60  on the second pedal mechanism  44 . 
     In operation, the pedal connection mechanism including belt  52 , although not necessary for the basic operation of the climber  10 , will act to cause one of the pedals, for example pedal  42  to move downwardly along track  38  when the other pedal, for example pedal  44  moves upwardly along the track  40 . By the same token, the pedal connection mechanism including the drive belt  62  will act to cause one of the pedals, for example pedal  42  to move upwardly along track  38  when the other pedal, for example pedal  44  moves downwardly along the track  40 . These connection mechanisms result in what can be termed a dependent pedal operation where the motion of the pedals  42  and  44  are dependent on the motion of the other pedal. This represents the preferred operation of the climber  10 , but it should be understood that under certain circumstances independent operation of pedals might be considered desirable for a climber mechanism. 
       FIGS. 2A ,  2 B and  3  illustrate one type of mechanism that can be used for providing a load or resistance to movement of the pedals  42  and  44  in a downward direction. Included in the resistance mechanism, indicated generally at  74 , is a drive pulley  76  secured to a shaft  78 . The shaft  78  is mounted for rotation in the vertical frame member  22  and in this embodiment  10  both of the one way clutches  66  and  72  are also secured to the shaft  78  for rotation with the shaft  78 . A first belt  80  is engaged with the drive pulley  76  and a first intermediate pulley  82  that is secured for rotation on a shaft  84  that in turn is mounted for rotation on the curved frame member  20 . Also secured for rotation with the shaft  84  is a second intermediate pulley  86 . To provide a resistance force, an alternator  88  that includes a flywheel  90  is secured to the curved frame member  20  and is connected to the second intermediate pulley  86  by a second drive belt  92  engaged with an alternator pulley  94  secured on an alternator shaft  96  as is the flywheel  90 . In this embodiment of the resistance mechanism  74 , the pulleys  76 ,  86  and  94  along with the intermediate belts  80  and  92  form a speed increasing transmission so that the alternator shaft will rotate at a significantly greater speed than the shaft  78 . It will be appreciated that the transmission has been described in terms of the preferred embodiment, but there are many different arrangements that can be used for providing a resistance force to the pedals  42  and  44  including different types of transmission mechanisms such as geared arrangements and hydraulic mechanisms along with different sources of a resistance force including eddy current brakes and friction mechanisms. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , this embodiment  10  of the climber mechanism, also has, as is conventional in exercise equipment of this type, a control panel  96  that includes an information display  98  and a set of user controls  100 . In this embodiment  10 , the control panel  96  is secured to the vertical support member  24  and includes a microprocessor  102  for controlling the climbing mechanism  10 . It should be noted that the microprocessor  102  or a similar control circuitry can be located elsewhere on the climber mechanism  10 . One of the advantages of the type of apparatus described herein, especially the use of linear tracks  38  and  40  for the foot pedals  42  and  44  where the pedals  42  and  44  are connected for dependent operation, as for example by the single belt  62 , is that it is possible for the apparatus  10  to maintain a constant torque on the one way clutches  66  and  72 . This characteristic facilitates the implementation of exercise programs where either the pedals  42  and  44  are maintained at a constant speed by varying the resistance generated by the alternator  88  or the alternator  88  can be programmed to provide a constant resistance where the pedals  42  and  44  vary in speed. 
     The climber mechanism  10  as described above can be modified to also provide a total body exercise program. As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , this embodiment of the upper body mechanism can include a pair of moveable arm handles  104  and  106 . Here, the moveable arm handles  104  and  106  are pivotally attached to the vertical frame member  24  along with a pair of corresponding arm extensions or rocker members  108  and  110 . The arm rockers  108  and  110  are in turn connected to the pedal support mechanisms  46  and  48  by a pair of links  112  and  114  that can be comprised of rods or metal tubes for example. It should be noted that the links  112  and  114  are preferably composed of a rigid material but, under certain circumstances, a flexible material such as a wire cable could be used where, for example, some independence between the movement of the pedals  42  and  44  and the arm handles  104  and  106  is desired. As a result of the arm handle assemblies that include the rockers  108  and  110  along with the links  112  and  114 , the moveable arm handles  104  and  106  will move in synchronism with the corresponding foot pedals  42  and  44  thereby providing the user with exercise that involves his arms and upper body as well as his legs and lower body. As noted above, other arrangements can be used to connect the arm handles  106  and  108  to the pedals  44 . For example, flexible members such as cables can be used instead of the rods  112  and  114  especially in the type of apparatus where the belt  52  is used to connect the pedal support mechanisms  46  and  48 . 
       FIGS. 5-13  depict various aspects of a second and preferred embodiment  200  of a climber mechanism. As with the embodiment  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the climber  200  includes a control panel  96  having a display  98  and user controls  100 . In general, the climber  200  can operate in the same manner as the embodiment  10  described above. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  provide perspective external views of the climber  200  that includes a pair of foot pedal assemblies indicated at  202  and  204 , each having a foot pedal  206  and  208 . To provide a climbing motion, the foot pedal assemblies  202  and  204  move or reciprocate along a pair of track assemblies  210  and  212  that a shown in detail in  FIG. 7 . Various frame elements such as a front forward floor support  214  and a vertical frame member  216  provide support for the climber  200  on the horizontal surface  11 . In the preferred embodiment, the vertical support  216  is a monocolumn formed out of a generally cylindrical metal tube. A pair of side handrails  218  formed out of a cylindrical and  220  can be added to the climber  200 . In the preferred embodiment, the handrails  218  and  220  are formed out of a single tubular material and are secured to the vertical member  216  by a bracket  222  or other suitable connection means. In addition to providing support for a user on the climber  200  the handrails  218  and  220 , although not necessary to the operation an apparatus of the type  200 , can provide additional structural support or act as part of the frame structure for the climber  200 . In addition to the handrails  218  and  220 , the preferred embodiment of the climber  200  includes a pair of fixed arm handles  224  and  226  that are secured to the frame and in this case the vertical frame member  216 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the climber  200  also provides a total body exercise capability by, in this embodiment, including a pair of movable arm handles  228  and  230  that are connected to the foot pedal assemblies  202  and  204  for movement in unison therewith. In this case, the moveable arm handles  228  and  230  are included in a pair of an arm handle assemblies where the right arm handle assembly is indicated generally by  232 . Although various arrangements of levers, gears, cables, hydraulics and the like can be used, the preferred embodiment of the arm handle assembly  232  includes a rocker member  234  pivotally connected at a point  235  to a link member  236 . Here, the rocker  234  is secured to a hub member  238  that in turn is free to rotate about a shaft (not shown) which can be secured to the monocolumn  216  or other parts of the frame. Also, attached to the hub  238  is the arm handle  228 . As a result, the arm handle assembly  232  is effective to connect the arm handle  202  to the foot pedal assembly  202  such that the arm handle  202  will rotate back and forth as the foot pedal  206  moves up and down along the track assembly  212 . The left arm handle assembly including the arm handle  230  operates in the same manner. 
     Another aspect of the climber  200  is the addition of a step  240  secured over the ends of the handrails  218  and  220 . The step  240  makes it easier for a user mount the climber  200  by shortening the distance the user needs to reach or step on to the pedals  206  and  208 . The climber  200  additionally includes a housing  242  as a protective element. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates another feature which is a three point support arrangement for the climber  200  where the climber  200  is essentially supported on the floor  11  by the monocolumn  216  and the handrails  218  and  220 . The track assemblies  210  and  212  can also be used to provide this support. This arrangement makes it possible to do away with a longitudinal frame member such as the horizontal frame member  14  shown in  FIG. 2A . 
       FIG. 7  is a sectioned view depicting details of the track assemblies  210  and  212  of the preferred embodiment of the climber  200 . Each of the track assemblies  210  and  212  includes a track, represented by the right . track  244 , that are secured at their forward end to the monocolumn  216  and their reward end to a horizontal rear floor support member  246 . Covering the tracks including the track  244  are a pair of track covers  248  and  250 . The track cover  248  is shown in  FIG. 7  in broken away form and slid upwardly and in a forward direction as indicated by an arrow  251 . This arrangement allows ready access the tracks, including track  244 , for assembly and maintenance purposes. Also, the preferred structure of the climber  200  includes a central structural member  252  that is directly connected between the monocolumn  216  and the rear support member  246 . In this particular implementation of the track assemblies  210  and  212 , a bracket arrangement  254  is used to connect the tracks, including track  244 , to the central structural member  252  and hence to the monocolumn  216  and a second bracket or clamping arrangement indicated at  256  can be used to connect the tracks including track  244  to the rear support member  246  and the central structural member  252 . In this embodiment, a central cover  258 , shown in exploded form in  FIG. 7 , is used to cover the central structural member  252 . Also, a pair of lower track housings, represented at  260 , can be used to further enclose the track assemblies  210  and  212 . The step  240 , as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , also serves to enclose the rear floor support member  246  as well as the bracket arrangement  256 . It should be appreciated that by using housings and covers of the type  248 ,  250 ,  256 ,  258  and  260 , not only can user safety be enhanced but maintenance activities can be reduced since elements of the pedal assemblies  202  and  204  as well as the track assemblies can be substantially enclosed and largely protected from sweat and other user generated debris. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates in exploded form the preferred embodiment of the pedal assembly  204  which is configured to operate on the track  244  that has a rectangular cross-section having an upper  258  and a lower  260  planar surfaces along with a pair of planar side surfaces  262  and  264 . A roller carriage  266  having a front top roller  268  and a rear top roller  270  along with a bottom roller  272  is engaged with the track  244 . Additionally, the carriage  266  can also include one or more side rollers such as a set of rollers  272  and  274  that abut the lateral surface  262  of the track  244  along with one or more side rollers that abut the other lateral side surface  264  of the track  244  in order to aid in aligning the carriage  266  on the track  244 . It will be appreciated, that although a number of roller arrangements can be used with a track of the type  244  such as the configuration shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,441, the arrangement shown in  FIG. 8  is preferred since the two top rollers  268  and  270  in combination with a single bottom roller  272  located beneath provides sufficient support for the pedal  206  on the track  244  for a climber type apparatus of the type  200 , especially when the tracks are orientated at about a thirty degree angle with the floor  11 . 
     The carriage  266  in the preferred embodiment of the pedal assembly  202  is then secured within a pedal bracket  278  with a lower attachment plate  280  with a set of fasteners indicated at  282 . The pedal  206  is attached to a pair of flanges  284  and  286  configured on the upper portion of the pedal bracket  278  by a set of fasteners indicated at  290  and  292  that are secured through a pair of mounting members such as  294  configured in the pedal  206 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the pedal bracket  278  also encompasses the track cover  248  permitting the carriage  266  and hence the pedal  206  to move along the track  264 . In this embodiment, the mounting member  294  also includes an aperture  296  for receiving a shaft  298  that is used to pivotally connect the link  236  to the pedal assembly  202  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIGS. 9 ,  10  and  11  depict the preferred arrangement, which can be used in the climber  200  to control the operation of the pedals  206  and  208  including providing a load or resistance to the downward movement of the pedals  206  and  208 . In this particular implementation of the climber  200 , a belt  300  is attached to a bracket  302  and  304  that extends from the lower portion of the pedal assemblies  202  and  204  respectively. The belt  300  is attached to the brackets  302  and  304  by a pair of clamping assemblies  306  and  308  and lead around a pulley  310  that in turn is rotatably attached to the central structural member  252 . Also attached by the clamping assembly  306  of the right pedal assembly  202  and to the clamping assembly  306  of the left pedal assembly  308  is a drive belt  312 . As with the belt  62 , the belt  312  is preferably a ribbed rubber belt but other flexible members can be used such a linked chain. In the embodiment of the climber mechanism  200  the drive belt  312  extends from the first pedal assembly  202  to a grooved pulley  314  secured for rotation with a first one-way clutch  316  that in turn is mounted for rotation on shaft  318  secured to a frame member indicated at  320 . The drive belt  312  is twisted 90 degrees and extends down and under an idler pulley  322  that is mounted for rotation on a frame member  324 . Twisted back 90 degrees, the drive belt  312  is engaged with a second grooved pulley  326  which is secured to a second one-way clutch  328  that is mounted for rotation on the shaft  318 . The drive belt  312  then extends to the attachment point  308  on the pedal assembly  204 . 
     As represented in  FIGS. 9 and 10  in essentially schematic form, resistance is preferably provided by a mechanism that includes a drive pulley  330  secured for rotation with the shaft  318 . A first belt  332  is engaged with a shaft  334  or small pulley mounted for rotation on the frame. An intermediate pulley  336  is secured for rotation on the shaft  334 . To provide the resistance force, the alternator  88  that includes the flywheel  90  is mounted to the frame  20  and is connected to the intermediate pulley  336  by a second belt  338  engaged with an alternator pulley (not shown) secured on the alternator shaft  96  as is the flywheel  90 . In this embodiment, the pulleys  330  and  336  along with the belts  332  and  338  form a speed increasing transmission so that the alternator shaft  96  will rotate at a significantly greater speed than the shaft  318 . As with the transmission  74  described above in connection with the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3  it will be appreciated that the transmission has been described in terms of the preferred embodiment, but there are many different arrangements that can be used for providing a resistance force to the pedals  206  and  208  including different types of transmission mechanisms such as geared arrangements and hydraulic mechanisms along with different sources of a resistance force including eddy current brakes and friction mechanisms. 
       FIGS. 11 ,  12 A and  12 B illustrate the preferred embodiment of an impact absorption assembly  340  that can be used with an exercise apparatus such as the climber  200 . One of the objects of the impact absorption assembly  340  is to reduce impact forces on the user&#39;s feet as the pedals  206  and  208  reach or hit the bottom of the apparatus  200 . In this particular embodiment, a resilient member  342  is secured to a support flange  344  extending downwardly from the plate  280  on the pedal assembly  202  and a corresponding resilient member  346  is secured to a support flange  348  on the other pedal assembly  204 . In addition to or alternatively a second set of resilient members  350  and  352  can be attached to the lower end of the climber  200  such as the member  246  and aligned with the resilient members  342  and  346  respectively so that the members  342 ,  346 ,  350  and  352  will compress when the downward motion of each of the pedals  206  and  208  terminates at the bottom of the apparatus  200  as depicted in  FIGS. 12A and 12B . Although a variety of materials and configurations can be used as resilient members including metal springs, the preferred construction is an elliptically shaped member composed of an elastomeric material. One advantage of an elliptical configuration is that it provides a variable deflection rate which tends to further reduce impact stresses on the user&#39;s feet and legs. Also, as shown in  FIG. 12B , one of the resilient members, here  350 , has a greater deflection rate than the other resilient member  342  which can further reduce impact stresses. TECSPAK® elastomeric bumpers provide a suitable configuration and material for the resilient members  342 ,  346 ,  350  and  352 . 
       FIG. 13  shows a preferred method for pivotally attaching the rocker  234  to the link  236  at point  235 . As depicted in the sectioned away view of  FIG. 13 , a shaft  354  is inserted through the rocker  234  with a ball and socket assembly  356  attaching an end  358  of the link member  236  to the shaft  354 . To prevent rotation of the link  236  about its axis, a spring clip  360  is secured at a first end between the rocker  234  and the ball joint  356  on the shaft  354  and at its other end to the end  358  of the link member. 
     The above descriptions represent preferred embodiments of a climber mechanism intended for heavy duty health club type usage along with the preferred embodiments of various features and arrangements that can be used in this type exercise machines or related machines such as stairclimbers. The inclusion and implementation of various features such as moving arm handles, pedal mechanisms, resistive load mechanisms and shock absorption arrangements will depend on a number of factors including the purpose and cost of the apparatus. For example, for machines that are intended for health club usage a sophisticated control system is made possible by the use of an alternator whereas in a low cost home machine, a simple friction device might suffice and an impact absorption mechanism might not be considered necessary.