Abstract:
The arm and leg-exercising machine is an apparatus that targets both the upper body and lower body to provide a full body workout. The upper and lower body workouts can be performed separately or simultaneously. The machine includes a generally U-shaped frame fixed to a base. Pedals and lateral handlebars are provided on the frame for respective leg (lower body) and arm (upper body) exercises. A three-drive mechanism including a plurality of pulleys or sprockets is coupled to the pedals and lateral handlebars and joined by bevel gears. A seat is mounted on the frame for strategically positioning an operator to employ the pedals and lateral handlebars.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation of my prior application Ser. No. 13/372,337, filed Feb. 13, 2012 now pending. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to exercise apparatus, and particularly to an arm and leg exercising machine for providing a cardiovascular workout regimen for upper and lower body extremities. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Medical and physiological professionals are essentially in complete agreement that many of the health problems prevalent in the modern world are related to lack of exercise. Hypertension, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, etc. are conditions that could be minimized or eliminated by following regular cardiovascular and muscle toning exercise regimens. Some of the benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise are that it allows the body to efficiently oxidize fats and carbohydrates, increases the ability to utilize glucose, lowers blood pressure and increases lung capacity. Among the benefits of muscle toning exercises are agility maintenance for the aging body, weight maintenance or loss, and the reduction of the incidence of the ubiquitous lower back pain. It is obvious that there are many other benefits that arise from regular exercise. 
     There are generally four types of combination cardiovascular and muscle toning exercise machines in the market place today, namely, the treadmill, the stationary bike, the rowing machine, and the elliptical machine. While all of the above-named machines generally function to offer cardiovascular exercise that targets specific muscle groups, none is seen to offer a regimen that provides options of a full body workout, a lower body workout, or an upper body workout. Thus, an arm and leg-exercising machine solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The arm and leg-exercising machine is an apparatus that targets both the upper body and lower body to provide a full body workout. The upper and lower body workouts can be performed separately or simultaneously. The machine includes a generally U-shaped frame fixed to a base. Pedals and lateral handlebars are provided on the frame for respective leg (lower body) and arm (upper body) exercises. A three-drive mechanism including an array of pulleys is coupled to the pedals and lateral handlebars. A seat is mounted on the frame for strategically positioning an operator to employ the pedals and lateral handlebars. 
     Accordingly, the invention presents a single exercise machine that provides a full body workout. Optionally, the machine can be utilized to separately provide either an upper body workout or a lower body workout. The machine has a space-efficient design that allows for home use, but is rugged enough to be used in a gym. Besides cardiovascular benefits, the machine provides upper and lower muscle groups with weight-bearing exercises without attendant harmful loads to the joints. The invention provides for improved elements thereof in an arrangement for the purposes described that are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes. 
     These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of an arm and leg exercising machine according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the arm and leg exercising machine of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded, perspective view of the arm and leg exercising machine of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a partial view showing details of the gear mechanism of the arm and leg exercising machine of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an arm and leg exercising machine according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of an arm and leg exercising machine according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of an arm and leg exercising machine according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a front view showing an alternative embodiment of a forward drive mechanism of an arm and leg exercising machine according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a front view showing an arm swinging synchronizer mechanism of an arm and leg exercising machine according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , a first embodiment of the arm and leg exercising machine  10  comprises a generally U-shaped frame mounted on identically configured, spaced-apart base members  12 ,  12   a . The frame includes front vertical upright member  14  mounted on base member  12  and rear vertical upright member  16  mounted on base member  12   a . Horizontally oriented member  18  spans the distance between upright members  14  and  16  and is attached thereto. A split drive shaft  18   a  (or front and rear drive shafts  18   a ) extends through horizontal member  18 . A seat support  19  is mounted on the surface of horizontal member  18  and extends upward therefrom. A seat  20  is attached to the upper end of the seat support  19 . The seat support  19  is positioned approximately half the distance between vertical members  14  and  16 . A front drive mechanism comprises upper and lower pulleys  14   a ,  14   b  mounted adjacent the outer face of front vertical member  14 . The front lower pulley  14   b  is mounted on the front end of the drive shaft  18   a , which is journaled through the front upright member  14  and rotates therein. The front upper pulley  14   b  is mounted on a front upper shaft  22 , which is rotationally mounted on the front upright member  14 . A clutch  22   a  is mounted on the front upper shaft  22  adjacent the inner face of the upper pulley  14   a . The clutch  22   a  is fixed to the shaft  22 , either by a setscrew or by pressure fit. The clutch  22   a  is a freewheeling clutch so that front upper shaft  22  only rotates in one direction. A front drive belt  24  extends between the upper pulley  14   a  and the lower pulley  14   b.    
     A rear drive mechanism comprises upper and lower pulleys  16   a ,  16   b  mounted adjacent the outer face of the rear vertical member  16 . The rear lower pulley  16   b  is mounted on the rear end of the drive shaft  18   a , which is journaled through the rear upright member  16  and rotates therein. The rear upper pulley  16   a  is mounted for rotational movement on a rear upper shaft  26 , which is rotationally mounted on the rear upright member  16 . A clutch  26   a  is positioned on the rear upper shaft  26  adjacent the inner surface of the pulley  16   a . The clutch  26   a  is fixed to the shaft  26 , either by a setscrew or by pressure fit. The clutch  26   a  is a freewheeling clutch so that rear upper shaft  26  only rotates in one direction. A rear drive belt  28  extends between the rear upper pulley  16   a  and the rear lower pulley  16   b.    
     Bilateral front and rear lever arms  30 ,  32  are mounted on the front upper shaft  22  and the rear upper shaft  26 , respectively, for arcuate movement thereon. Handlebars  34 ,  36 , span the distance between the forward and rear lever arms  30 ,  32  and are attached thereto. The handlebars  34 ,  36  are laterally arranged on opposite sides of the frame and are positioned for grasping by the operator U. One of the front lever arms  30 , e.g., the arm  30  attached to handlebar  34 , may be rigidly attached to the front upper shaft  22   a , or preferably is rigidly attached to the outer housing or outer race of the clutch  22   a , so that the clutch  22   a  engages in order to rotate the front upper pulley  14   a  when the handlebar  34  is rotated in one direction, but the clutch  22   a  disengages so that the handlebar  34  rotates freely without rotating the front upper pulley  14   a  when the handlebar  34  is rotated in the opposite direction. The rear lever arm  32  attached to handlebar  34  is rotatably attached to the rear upper shaft  26 . Thus, rotation of handlebar  34  causes the front pulley system and the front portion of drive shaft  18   a  to rotate. The front lever arm  30  attached to the opposite handlebar  36  may be rotatably attached to the front upper shaft  22   a , while the rear lever arm  32  extending from handlebar  36  is rigidly attached to the rear upper shaft  26 , or preferably is rigidly attached to the outer housing or outer race of the clutch  26   a , so that the clutch  26   a  engages in order to rotate the rear upper pulley  16   a  and the rear portion of drive shaft  18   a  when the handlebar  36  is rotated in one direction, but the clutch  26   a  disengages so that the handlebar  36  rotates freely without rotating the rear upper pulley  16   a  when the handlebar  36  is rotated in the opposite direction. Thus, the device provides for a forward drive mechanism and a rearward drive mechanism, depending upon which handlebar is depressed. 
     A middle drive mechanism comprises a bevel gear arrangement  40 , a flywheel  42 , double pulleys  44 ,  46 , a pedal-pulley arrangement  48  and a middle drive belt  50 . As best seen in  FIG. 4 , the bevel gear arrangement  40  includes three meshed, identically configured bevel gears  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c . The gears  40   a  and  40   b  are mounted on front and rear portions of the drive shaft  18   a , respectively. The third gear  40   c  is mounted to one end of a shaft  41  that extends perpendicular to the drive shaft  18   a  and extends horizontally therefrom. The other end of the shaft  41  is attached to pulley  46 . The flywheel  42  is mounted on one end of a flywheel shaft  42   a . The other end of the flywheel shaft  42   a  is attached to pulley  44 . Pedal-pulley arrangement  48  is positioned forward of the double pulleys  44 ,  46  and is connected thereto by the middle drive belt  50 . 
     In use, the operator has three options. The operator may use swinging arm movements on the handlebars  34 ,  36  for an upper body workout, the pedal-pulley arrangement being passively driven by the bevel gears  40 . Alternatively, the operator may operate the machine  10  using the pedal-pulley arrangement  48  for a lower body workout, the handlebars  34 ,  36  being passively driven by the bevel gears. Third, the operator may operate the machine  10  both by swinging arm movements on the handlebars  34 ,  36  and by using the pedal-pulley arrangement  48 , thereby providing a full body workout. 
       FIG. 5  shows a second embodiment of the invention wherein only a single pulley  52  is employed in the middle drive mechanism. The advantage of this modification is simplicity of design and lower costs because of the reduction in the number of parts. 
     The embodiments of  FIGS. 6 and 7  employ an additional belt  54  for pulleys  44 ,  46 . In  FIG. 6 , the pulley  46  is a double sheave pulley, while in  FIG. 7 , the pulley  44  is a double sheave pulley. The use of a two-belt system allows for more flexibility with respect to optimizing flywheel speed and enhances traction between the belts and pulleys. Note that the drive belt  50  is equally effective when coupled to either pulley  46  ( FIG. 6 ) or  44  ( FIG. 7 ). 
     The embodiment of  FIG. 8  shows an alternative drive mechanism. A chain  56  and sprocket  58   a ,  58   b  mechanism replaces the pulley/belt mechanism of the prior embodiments. The chain/sprocket arrangement can be employed when it is necessary to transmit higher load and power, for example, when professional athletes use the machine. The mechanism can be utilized for both front and rear drives. 
     During the upper body exercise regimen, the operator uses alternative downward and upward swinging motion of the arms to provide power input to propel the device (upper and lower pulleys, flywheel, etc.). During continuous exercise, the upward swinging motion can cause unnecessary strain on the arms of the operant. To overcome this problem the device may be provided with a synchronizing swing mechanism, as best seen in  FIG. 9 . The synchronizing swing mechanism comprises a freely rotating idler pulley  60  that is attached to the upper end of the front vertical member  14 . An elastic cable  62  engages the idler pulley. The ends of the elastic cable  62  are removably attached to fasteners  64  mounted on opposite lever arms  30 . This arrangement allows the use of the input power supplied by the operator during the downward swing motion in one arm to raise the opposed handlebar, and vice versa. Although indicated as elastic, the cable  62  may alternatively be provided with two end springs (not shown), if desired. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.