Patent Publication Number: US-6659919-B2

Title: Leg exerciser

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed toward an exercising apparatus and more particularly toward a leg exerciser which allows a user to perform a variety of exercises including leg extensions and leg presses. 
     While it has always been recognized that exercising of the lower body and particularly the legs is desirable, it has also been problematic. Although walking, jogging and running may provide substantial aerobic benefits to the body, they are not particularly useful exercises for strength conditioning. Such exercises are also not useful for a number of specific muscle groups in the lower body. 
     Exercise machines commonly referred to as weight machines have been designed which allow a user to exercise specific lower body muscle groups. These exercise machines frequently include a weight stack mounted for vertical movement which is linked to various exercise stations by way of a linkage system such as cables and pulley mechanisms. Moveable portions of the exercise machine are then engaged by the user and these mechanism isolate the motion and loading of a specific muscle group. 
     As is well known in the art, the resistance, range and angle of motion required to exercise one muscle group are frequently very much different than those required to exercise a different muscle group. For example, the type of motion and the amount of resistance required to perform leg extensions is very different from the type of motion and amount of resistance required for performing leg presses. As a result, the exercise equipment needed to perform leg extensions differs significantly from the type of equipment required to perform leg presses. 
     Because the type of exercise equipment required to perform different lower body leg exercises differs significantly, a person wishing to perform both types of exercises must employ two different pieces of equipment. Alternatively, a single multi-exercise apparatus could be designed that simply incorporates sufficient equipment to allow several types of lower body exercises to be performed. Such equipment, however, would tend to be relatively large and cumbersome. While this would normally not create a problem in a commercial setting such as a public gym or the like, such equipment would not be useful to the average person wishing to exercise at home. 
     Undoubtedly, attempts have been made to consolidate different types of equipment into a single multi-exercise apparatus which is compact so as to be useful in a home. Most such machines, however, require substantial rearrangement or reconfiguration of the various parts by the user. To applicant&#39;s knowledge, any proposed machine that does not require extensive reconfiguration does not provide the appropriate motion or range of motion for properly performing the desired exercises. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art described above. The exercise apparatus of the invention is compact and allows a user to perform a variety of leg exercises including leg extensions and leg presses. Although the invention could be attached to substantially any piece of exercise apparatus, in its preferred form it includes a frame having an upper frame member and a lower base frame member. A seat is mounted to the upper frame member and is arranged to permit a user to sit thereon while facing forwardly. The lower base frame member extends forwardly of the seat and the lower end of a press arm is pivotally secured to the forward end thereof. The press arm extends upwardly to the area in front of the seat and the upper end thereof is pivotable toward and away from the seat. A first resistance, which may be a part of a conventional weight stack and cable system, biases the press arm toward the seat. A curl bar has an upper end pivotally secured to the upper end of said press arm such that the lower end of the curl bar is pivotable toward and away from the press arm and a curl pad is adjustably mounted adjacent the lower end of the curl bar. The curl pad is arranged so that a user sitting on the seat can position his feet under the curl pad with the curl pad engaging the upper part of the user&#39;s feet and the forward part of the user&#39;s ankles for performing leg extensions. When such leg extension exercises are being performed, a second resistance, which may also be a part of a conventional weight stack and cable system, biases the curl bar toward the press arm. A foot engaging pad or the like is also carried by the curl bar for engagement by the bottom of a user&#39;s feet for performing leg press exercises. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form which is presently preferred; it being understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a leg exerciser constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and incorporated into an exercise machine; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the exercise machine of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 1 showing the leg exerciser being used to perform leg extensions; 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the leg exerciser being used to perform leg curls; 
     FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the leg exerciser being used to perform leg presses, and 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the leg exerciser being used to perform butt toner exercises. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals have been used in both of the figures to designate like elements, there is shown in each of the figures a leg exerciser constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally as  10 . The leg exerciser  10  is shown in combination with a weight machine  12 . This is, however, by way of example only as various other types of weight machines could also be employed with the present invention. Furthermore, the leg exerciser of the present invention could be used with a much simpler exercising apparatus as will be explained more fully hereinafter. 
     In any event, the exercising machine  12  includes a seat including a seat bottom  14  mounted on an upper frame member  16  and a seat back  18  mounted on a frame member  20 . The seat bottom  14  is preferably mounted so as to be slidably moveable forwardly i.e. to the right as shown in FIG. 1, or rearwardly i.e. to the left as shown in FIG. 1, in order to accommodate the user of the apparatus in performing various different exercises. Movement of the seat bottom  14  is accomplished by pulling the spring loaded stop pin  22  out, sliding the seat bottom  14  backwardly or forwardly and reinserting the pin  18  in the known manner. 
     The exercise machine  12  also includes a weight stack  24  which is linked to various parts of the equipment through a plurality of cables and pulley mechanisms such as shown at  26  to enable the user to exercise various different muscle groups. Even further, the exercise machine  12  illustrated in the figures includes a pair of levers  28  and  29  having their lower ends pivoted to a base member and including a pair of arms  30  and  31  that extend forwardly at either side of the apparatus terminating in hand grips  32  and  33 . (See FIG. 2.) 
     The foregoing apparatus thus described is, per se, well known in the art. Similar machines have been known for some time and are shown and described, for example, in prior U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 359,326 and 6,030,322. Since the apparatus is, per se, well known, it is not believed that a detailed description of the operation of the component parts thereof is necessary. 
     The present invention is primarily concerned with the leg exerciser  10  which is mounted to the front end of the exercise apparatus  12  (the right side as viewed in FIG.  1 ). The leg exerciser  10  is comprised essentially of a press arm  34  having its arcuately shaped or bent lower end  36  pivotally secured through pivot  38  to the forwardmost end  40  of the base frame member  42  of the exercise machine  12 . 
     The forward end  40  of the base frame member  42  extends forwardly of the seat bottom  14 . The press arm  34  then extends upwardly so that the top or upper end  34  thereof lies in front of the seat  14 . As shown most clearly in FIGS. 5 and 6, this arrangement allows the upper end  44  of the press arm  34  to be pivotally moveable toward and away from the seat  14  about the pivot point  38 . A first resistance means in the form of cable  47  which passes around pulley  48  biases the top  44  of the press arm  34  toward the seat  14 . The cable  47  forms part of the cable and pulley system  26  discussed above and the amount of force needed to move the press arm  38  outwardly and which biases the same inwardly is determined by the amount of weight selected from the weight stack  24 . 
     A curl bar  46  has its upper end  49  pivotally secured to the upper end  44  of the press arm  34  through the use of a pivot member  50 . As a result, the lower end of the curl bar  46  is pivotally moveable toward and away from the press arm  34 . A second resistance means in the form of a cable  52  biases the curl bar  46  toward the press arm  34 . The free end of the cable  52  is secured to the lower end of the curl bar  46  at point  54 . The cable  52  then passes over the pulley  56  and is connected to the cable  47  forming part of the first resistance means discussed above. 
     Preferably, the free end of the cable  52  is provided with a quick release type of connector so that it can be selectively attached to or removed from the point  54  at the lower end of the curl bar  46  whenever desired. A ball  58  is secured to the cable  52  which, when engaged by the stop member  60  prevents the cable  52  from passing rearwardly around the pulley  56 . Thus, when the free end of the cable  52  is disconnected at point  54  from the curl bar  46 , the end of the cable will simply lie on the ground and will not be drawn backwardly around the pulley  56 . 
     Connected to either side of the centrally located curl bar  46  adjacent the lower end thereof are a pair of substantially cylindrically shaped curl pads  62  and  63 . (See FIG. 2.) As shown best in FIG. 3, the curl pads are arranged so that a user sitting on the seat  14  can position his feet under the curl pads with the curl pad engaged in the upper part of the user&#39;s feet and the forward part of the user&#39;s ankles for performing leg extension exercises in a manner well known in the art. The position of the curl pads  62  and  63  along the length of the curl bar  46  can be adjusted by disengaging the pin  64  which, through an appropriate bracket, secures the curl pads  62  and  63  to the curl bar  46  in a manner well known in the art. 
     A second pair of cylindrically shaped pads  66  and  67  are secured to the upper frame member  16  forward of the seat bottom  14 . They are, however, removable from the frame member  16  and can be secured to the curl bar  46  above the curl pads  62  and  63  as shown in FIG.  5 . When the pads  66  and  67  are mounted on the frame  16 , they are intended to support the lower portion of the user&#39;s thighs just above the knees when performing leg extensions as shown in FIG.  3 . When the user wishes to perform leg press exercises, the pads  66  and  67  are removed from the frame  16  so as not to interfere with the user&#39;s body and are connected to the curl bar  46  so as to engage the bottom of the user&#39;s feet as shown in FIG.  5 . Alternatively, the curl pads  62  and  63  can be used in lieu of the pads  66  and  67  to engage the bottom of the user&#39;s feet when performing various types of leg exercises. 
     The manner in which the leg exerciser  10  of the present invention is utilized to perform various types of leg exercises is clearly shown in FIGS. 3-6. With the cable  52  attached to the lower end of the curl bar  46 , leg extensions can be performed in a conventional manner as can other types of leg exercises such as leg curls as shown in FIG.  4 . The position of the seat  14  and of the curl pads  62  and  63  can, of course, be adjusted to suit the user as will the amount of weight selected from weight stack  24 . When it is desired to perform leg presses and similar exercises as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cable  52  is disconnected from the lower end of the curl bar  46  so that the curl bar  46  pivots freely about pivot point  54 . The proper amount of resistance is then provided by the cable  47  which passes around the pulley  48  which, in turn, is connected to the weight stack  24 . As shown best in FIGS. 4 and 6, when the user is standing and facing rearwardly to perform various types of leg exercises, the seat back  18  can be pivoted forwardly so as to be grasped by the user&#39;s hands for balance or support. 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.