Patent Abstract:
Pairs of magnetic disks and reciprocation piston-cylinders filled with viscous fluid are used to provide friction for a portable exercise harness. The viscous fluid in cylinder-piston push-pull configuration provide resistance to a extension cable for the physical exercise. The exercise apparatus fits in a harness for travel and easy attachment to ordinary household furniture and fixtures.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to portable exercise equipment and specifically to exercise equipment whose physical weight is much less than the exercise forces that free weights can afford. 
         [0002]    The area of physical exercise contains a large diversity of products. In addition, some systems provide feedback to a user of a weight stack machine having a stack of weight plates for lifting one or more of plates from a stack during lifts. Some of these systems use load cells for determining the weight of the weight plates prior to lift and for determining the weight of weight plates remaining on the stack after the user has lifted the plates. These systems may also provide means for evaluating the height of lifted weight plates or the distance that the weight stack is pulled. 
         [0003]    One problem which arises from use of weight of a weight stack and the work done on the weight stack. The work done by the user in exerting a force on that weight provides only part of the resistance through which a user applies force and work. The work can also be done without a mass moving, strain work. Work can be done by accelerating the mass, not taken account by a straight weight-height calculation. The work done on a weight machine is not the desired quantity. What is needed is the force and work done by the muscle and on the muscle, which is not the same as the work done on an exercise object or weight stack. In addition, the weight stack machine variety is very heavy and not portable. What is needed are portable light-weight exercise apparatus for the traveler or just the weight lifter that wishes to store the equipment in a small closet. 
         [0004]    There exists many body-part centric resistance training equipment such as Arm Curl Machine, Leg Curl Machine, Shoulder Press, Pull down Machine, Leg Extension Machine, Back Extension, Triceps Pushdown, and more. Some can accommodate more than one set of body muscles. But these are all relatively heavy and difficult to port. In addition to the portability is the physical weight cost. An exercise regime using weights for resistance machines are costly and stationary once assembled. Travel, storage space and quick assemble are barriers to regular exercise. What is needed is light, inexpensive and easily portable exercise equipment. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    The present invention discloses a portable tension-resistance exercise equipment with harness to replace much heavier physical weight load equipment. The harness couples an anchor component for wedging in an anchor apparatus conveniently in typical living environments using household furniture or dwelling door jams and alternate static household structures, flexibly attached to a harness having a housing assembly with a freely rotatable gear. An exercise harness with an anchor component for wedging between household furniture and dwelling household structures is flexibly attached to the exercise harness with attached main housing assembly having at least two subassembly friction resistance generation units. The first subassembly contains a magnetic friction unit housed in a cartridge and the second subassembly contains a viscous fluidic cylinder-piston friction unit housed in a separate cartridge with both subassembly units slidably mounted in the main housing assembly and gear mesh coupled to the main gear in the main housing assembly. Each subassembly unit gear is power engaged with the main housing main gear for transmitting resisting tension to power transmitting cable wrapping about the main gear center via a sprocket gear. The wrapping cable attached to the main gear shaft centered rewinding spring and sprocket coupled to the main gear center with both cable ends, entering the main housing structure and wrapping around the main gear center for transmitting power to and from the cable ends. The sprocket free wheel coupled concentrically with the main gear for unidirectional tension transmission and rewinding to its original position after each extension or traction of the power cable about the main gear center. The magnetic subassembly have a rotatable gear affixed to the magnetic subassembly housing, the gear having embedded magnets concentric with an equal number of fixed assembly embedded magnets having magnetic attraction to the concentric fixed non-rotating subassembly magnets in resistance to gear rotation in the magnetic subassembly housing. The magnetic subassembly unit gear with magnetic resistance is meshed with a main gear for power transmission from the cable. The main gear is rigidly affixed to a harness attached shaft common to a rewinding spring with one end affixed to the shaft storing tension with shaft winding. The main gear also has a flexible cable or rope with one end affixed to main gear for turning the gear with load. The cylinder-piston subassembly has a pair of tandem opposing cylinders-piston units alternately pressuring viscous fluid through a channel between the distal ends of the opposing cylinders-piston units. The complementing reciprocating cylinders each have racks coupled to each piston each with a pinion meshed with a half circle toothed pinion, each pinion half gear teeth complementary to the other to coincide with the push-pull piston-cylinder mechanism such that the unit gear upon which the two half gears are rigidly attached to a common shaft whose half gear teeth are 180 degrees out of phase to synchronize with the reciprocating cylinder-piston mechanisms. The cable are rotably attached to the main gear and upon user applied tension provides resistance to exerciser extension, whereby the harness provides resistance force to the turning of the main gear power rope or cable. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Specific embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates the exercise harness anchor components and placement in an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates the exercise exemplars in application of embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates a 5 magnet pair embedded in a gear and assembly according to an aspect of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates a 5 magnet pair gear meshed with a main gear showing an aspect of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates complementary half-toothed gears rigidly connected with power transfer gear according to aspects of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  illustrates complementary pair of rack-in-piston cylinder friction mechanisms according to embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  shows an integration of the complementing 180 degree teeth shifted half-gear components coupled to the synchronizing rack-in-piston-pinion components in an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  shows power transmission from the main gear meshed with the unit gear rigidly coupled to complementing opposite half-gears in an aspect of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  shows a power transmission gear meshed with a complementary half-teeth gear component meshed with the magnetic friction assembly in an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  shows front and isometric views of a main housing base assembly with open slots for mechanism subassemblies in an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  shows front view of a main housing base assembly with slots occupied with friction mechanism subassemblies in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    In the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description. 
       OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
       [0019]    The present invention discloses a portable exercise apparatus. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to use light-weight components to create the load resistance equivalent to much heavier and more expensive weight load portable exercise equipment. 
         [0020]    Embodiments of the invention are based on two separate types of force resistance integrated into a flexible harness which can be used inside a dwelling taking advantage of a dwelling structure door ways, furniture or exerciser feet as anchor component fix positions, to exercise the different muscle systems in various convenient living locations. The harness is to anchor exercise apparatus conveniently in typical living environments and light weight for portability, yet sturdy and strong enough to handle the typical tension load requirements for indoor and comparable exercise. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  illustrates the exercise harness, anchor components and placement in an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0022]    In this embodiment of the invention as Super Portable Weigh, SPW, an apparatus whose harness  112 ,  113 ,  101  is anchored to structures  109 ,  115  at indoor convenient locations  107 ,  110 ,  117  for purposes of resistance type exercise indoor exercise. Locations on a door  109  frame or bed frame  115  are used to place anchors  101 ,  107 ,  110 ,  117 . The anchor consists of lite-weight rigid  101  material blocks coupled by flexible fiber  103 , rope, ribbon, wire ribbon, plastic or composite tape or cable; a wire ribbon is shown. The flat fiber connection can be of any material that is flexible yet able to support a tension of at least 200 lbs. The anchor blocks  101 ,  107   110   119   117  are positioned relative to the door frame  108  or a bed frame as  115  respectively as shown in  FIG. 1  and have a coupling attachment  105  to the harness. The motion resistance device portion  112   113   121  is attached to the typical anchor  101   110   117   119  via the SPW harness with the anchor attaching coupler  105 . The harness anchor-wedge component  101   103   105  is designed to be wedged primarily in furniture or household structures for exercising trapazoids, perctoralis, supraspinatus, supraclavicular, deltoid, and other muscle groups. 
         [0023]    The portable tension-resistance exercise apparatus, SPW, harness with an anchor component  101   110   117   119  for wedging between household furniture and alternate dwelling household structures to the anchor component is flexibly  105  attached via the exercise harness coupler  105  to a main housing assembly buckle  FIG. 11   1101  with at least 2 subassembly friction resistance generation units. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates the exercise exemplars in application of embodiments of the present invention. The pulling or pushing motions  210   213  depicted by the thick arrows exercise the various muscle groups including the Trapezoids  207 , Supraspinatus/Supraclavicular/Pectoralis  209 , Deltoid  201 , Pectoralis  205 , and the Scapula  203 . The person figures illustrate some of the modes of exercise which can be done for the benefit of the above muscle groups. 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  illustrates a 5 magnet pair embedded in a gear and assembly according to an aspect of the present invention. A magnetic resistance gear  301  is a component in the magnet pair embedded assembly view A-A. The A-A view of the holding plate and gear assembly shows a rigid stationary magnet holder plate  303  with concentric embedded magnets  307  each paired with a concentrically aligned rotating gear  307  rigidly coupled magnets  313 . Five such magnet pair placements are depicted  301 . The assembly housing is comprised of a flat lite weight but rigid plate casing  311  concentric to and coupled at the gear  307  center. The plate casing is coupled to the holder plate  305  with fasteners  309  on the periphery of the housing  311 . When the gear is rotated through the concentric magnet pair field lines are broken and opened causing the initiation and collapse of the coupling magnetic pair field lines producing a resisting mechanical force. The mechanical resistance force is proportional to the magnetic pairs, size, residual magnetism of the materials and components. Many materials and magnetic types can be used. The magnetic force of attraction increases the static and kinetic friction on the gear  313  plate surfaces causing opposing resistance to rotational motion. The magnet pairs are each split, with the gear  301  having one member of each pair  313  and the static plate or holder  303  housing having the other pair member  305   307  on the holder plate  303 . The embedded magnet pairs can be of variable size, thickness and shape, but are shown here as flat round and thin in one embodiment. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  illustrates a 5 magnet pair gear meshed with a main gear showing an aspect of the present invention. 
         [0027]    The assembly of gear  403 , magnets  401  and back housing plate  405  are packaged with a thin flat rigid casing anchored to the plate  405  via fasteners  407 , allowing the magnet holding gear  403  to be rotated through magnetic friction about an axis meshed with another gear  409 , the main gear  409 , through a port cut on one side of this casing  403 . The rotational transmission of applied force received through wrapped cable coupled free wheel  411  and is transmitted from the main gear  409  to the meshed magnetic resistant gear  403 . The transmission cable and free wheel  411  are coupled to accommodate sudden repeated brief accelerations and intermittent surface seizing from dust. The intermittent friction bursts are smoothed out through alternative friction means. the magnetic subassembly having a rotatable gear  403  rotatably anchored to the magnetic subassembly housing  405 , the magnet embedded gear  403  having embedded magnet concentric with an equal number of fixed assembly embedded magnet  401  opposite partners having magnetic attraction to the concentric fixed subassembly magnets in resistance to gear  403  rotation in the magnetic subassembly housing  405 . The magnetic subassembly unit gear with magnetic resistance is meshed with a main gear for power transmission from an exerciser pulling cord, rope or cable. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  illustrates complementary half-toothed gears  503   505  rigidly connected by shaft with power transfer gear  501  according to aspects of the present invention. The half gears  503   505  are concentrically rigidly mounted to the power transfer gear  501  on a rigid coupling shaft, such that power is transmitted from the gear teeth engaging half gears  503   505  in complementary fashion, each half gear  503   505  with gear teeth on half the revolution and mounted 180 degrees opposite the other. This so that only one of the half gears is engaged for transmission for only half the revolution. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  illustrates complementary pair of rack-in-piston cylinder friction mechanisms according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0030]    The reciprocating pair of rack-in-piston cylinder  611   603  provide a second type of force resistance to the a meshed gear force transmission. The cylinders  611  contain a viscous fluid that is pushed from one cylinder  611  to the reciprocating cylinder through a conduit  609  with a throttling section  607  for adjusting the viscous fluid resistance through a channel  609  cross section manipulation  607  via a valve or other flow control component. The piston  605  drives the rack-and-pinion  601  gear through the cylinder  603 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 7  shows an integration of the complementing 180 degree teeth shifted half-gear  703   719  components coupled to the synchronizing rack-in-piston-pinion  705   721  components in an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0032]    The unit gear  701  is rigidly coupled to a shaft  701 , between two pinion half gears  703   719  concentrically mounted on a transmission shaft  701 . The two pinion half gears  703   719  are positioned with gear teeth covering only half of each gear and with the gear teeth on opposite gears having the gear teeth configured 180 degrees offset from each other, in such a way that when one half gear engages with its rack  705   721 , the other disengages with its own rack  705   721 . The resulting power transmission alternates from piston A  708  at top of stroke pushing the viscous substance into cylinder B  713  to out stroking the piston B  717  which is not gear teeth engaged to half gear  719 , and freely filling the cylinder  713  with viscous fluid without engaging power transmission to the unit gear  701 . As the unit gear  701  rotates the half gear  719  engages at the in stroke of the piston  717  driving the piston  717  into the cylinder  713  and pushing the viscous fluid through the connecting channel  711  to the reciprocating cylinder  709 . On this cylinder  709  piston  708  outstroke, the opposite half gear  701  drives the half gear on the opposite side. The cylinder-piston subassembly contains a pair of tandem opposing cylinders-piston  713 ,  717 ,  709 ,  709  units alternately pressuring viscous fluid through a channel  711  between the distal ends  709 ,  713  of the opposing cylinders-piston units; the complementing cylinders  709   713  each with racks  705   721  affixed to each piston  708   717  respectively each meshed with a half circle toothed pinion  703   719 , each pinion half gear teeth complementary to the other synchronous with the push-pull piston-cylinder mechanism such that the unit gear  701  upon which the two half gears  701   719  are rigidly attached to a common shaft whose half gear teeth are 180 degrees out of phase. 
         [0033]      FIG. 8  shows power transmission from the main gear  807  meshed with the unit gear  801  rigidly coupled on a shaft  805  to complementing opposite half-gears  803  in an aspect of the present invention. 
         [0034]    The main gear  807  in the assembly transmits power to the unit gear  801  which then transfers the power to its rigidly coupled concentric mounted half-gears  803 . The main gear  807  is concentrically coupled to a free wheel  817  coupled to one end of a cable or rope  811  from which the other end is used for human exercise extension and tension. A sprocket free wheel  817  is also coupled to an rewind spring cable  815  which serves to rewind the free wheel  817  and reposition the pulling cable  811  extension end after each extension. 
         [0035]      FIG. 9  shows a power transmission main gear  907  meshed with a unit gear center shaft coupled to complementary half-teeth gear  905  component meshed with the magnetic friction assembly  911  in an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0036]    The main gear  907  engages the unit gear  903  coupled to the friction enhancing viscous piston-cylinder  901  rack-and-pinion  902  subassembly. The rack-and-pinion  902  assembly is coupled to the complementing half gears  905  such that the engaging half gear teeth are synchronized with the two opposite stroke reciprocating cylinder  901  pistons. The transmitted force originating in the power cable or exerciser pull cord  915  via the sprocket free wheel  909  and into the main gear  907  is attached to the free wheel  909  which is rotated by traction through a wrap around cord  915 . A rewinding spring and cord  913  is coupled to the free wheel  909  and functions to rewind the free wheel to its original position after each extension or traction were the rewind spring catch or stick. The sprocket free wheel  909  is coupled concentrically with the main gear  907 , for unidirectional tension transmission and to rewind the free wheel  909  to its original position after each extension or traction of the power cable  915  about the main gear center  907 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 10  shows front  1001  and isometric view  1017  of a main housing base assembly with open slots for mechanism subassemblies in an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0038]    The Main housing base assembly  1001  is comprised of rigid materials such as metal, hard plastic or composites. A center hole  1007  for coupling the main gear anchors the main gear to the main housing base  1001 . Slots for the magnetic  1003   1011  and Cylinder-Piston subassembly cartridges are radial situated with respect to the main gear axial  1007  center. Fasteners  1009  secure the slot walls to the base  1001  which provide for slide placement of the magnetic and Cylinder-Piston half gear subassemblies. A suspension buckle  1015  is rigidly attached to the base to support the tensions and forces for the manual exercises to a ready indoor anchor point. 
         [0039]      FIG. 11  shows front view of a main housing base assembly with slots occupied with friction mechanism subassemblies in an embodiment of the present invention 
         [0040]    A port  1121  for a magnetic gear cartridge subassembly containing a magnetic friction unit housed in a cartridge and a port for a second subassembly containing the viscous fluidic cylinder-piston friction unit  1103  housed in a separate cartridge, both subassembly units slidably fixed to the main housing assembly  1102  and gear meshed to the main gear  1116  in the main housing assembly  1102 . Each subassembly unit gears  1121   1103  are power meshed with the main housing gear  1116  for transmitting resisting tension force to power transmitting cable  1113  wrapping about the main gear center  1115 . 
         [0041]    The second assembly containing the viscous fluidic friction unit  1103  provides a smoothing function on the main housing unit and specifically on the first subassembly magnetic friction unit. Magnetic unit design can vary and some designs for the first assembly can produce intermittent surface seizing or friction bursts between the magnetic pair surface contact. The viscous fluid subassembly adds a dampening effect to the mechanism to smooth out any jerking motion from the magnetic subassembly. 
         [0042]    A suspension buckle  1101  is hinge coupled to the main assembly housing base  1102 . The base slots are shown occupied with cylinder-piston  1103  cartridge and two magnetic cartridges  1107   1121 . These have locking mechanisms  1105   1109   1119   1123  to for slidably installing and removing the cartridges  1103   1107   1121  into their base slots. A slot opposite the suspension buckle  1101  is maintained for the extensor cord  1113  and sprocket rewind spring  1117  on the main gear. The main gear is coupled to the base through the base center hole  1115 . 
         [0043]    The wrapping cable or exerciser pulling rope  1113  is power coupled to the main gear shaft  1115  centered free wheel rewinding spring  1117  and coupled to a main gear center  1115  shaft with both cable ends  1117   1113  entering the main housing structure  1102  and wrapping around the main gear center  1115  for transmitting power to and from using the cable  1117 . The main gear  1116  is coupled to the main housing  1102  shaft  1115  and user exercise tension is harnessed by coupling the tension to a free wheel sprocket rewinding spring with one end coupled to the shaft for transmitting tension to shaft winding. The main gear  1116  is coupled to the free wheel via a common shaft center, and the flexible puller component, cable or rope having one end coupled to main gear  1116  for turning the gear with load for transmission of load to the subassemblies  1121   1103   1107 . The rope or cable  1113  sprocket winding rotably coupled to the main gear  1116  upon which exerciser pulling will engage with the resistance gear subassemblies  1121   1103   1107  to provide resistance to puller tension. The exercise harness is coupled to the suspension buckle  1101  to anchor the exercise harness to provide resistance force to the turning of the main gear power rope or cable. 
         [0044]    An embodiment of the invention is to provide a modularity to the SPW component of the exercise harness. The main housing provides slots for magnetic friction cartridges or viscous fluid cylinder-rack cartridges. These are all packed and packaged in strong durable rigid material with a small opening in the housing for the extension cable. The packaging can be of such materials as plastic, metal, composite, wood and combinations. A prototype composed of: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 1 magnetic resistor cartridge 
                 8 OZ 
                 provides 128 OZ resistance force 
               
               
                 weighs 
               
               
                 1 magnetic resistor cartridge 
                 8 OZ 
                 provides 128 OZ resistance force 
               
               
                 weighs 
               
               
                 1 magnetic resistor cartridge 
                 8 OZ 
                 provides 128 OZ resistance force 
               
               
                 weighs 
               
               
                 1 viscosity resistor cartridge 
                 9 OZ 
                 provides 114 OZ resistance force 
               
               
                 weighs 
               
               
                 The free wheel, the main gear, 
                 16 OZ  
               
               
                 the box weigh 
                   
               
               
                 The total weight 
                 49 OZ  
                 provides 488 OZ resistance force 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0045]    This proves out an object of the invention to provide exerciser extension resistance force that is roughly 10 times the weight of the device. 
         [0046]    Therefore, while the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this invention, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein. Other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0