Year: 1898

page_text: I, HENRY WILLIAM WIELAND, Theatrical Manager, of 12, Park Crescent,
Stockwell, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:.
66
"
This invention relates to athletic apparatus of the type known as exercisers
and has for its object to construct a handier and more convenient form of such
articles than has been hitherto devised.
According to this invention I arrange vertically upon a wall, door or some
other suitable place, a strip of inelastic material such as webbing.
This strip
is preferable variable in length and can be adjusted so as to remain taut between
its fixed points. Upon this strip is a screw or other form of clamp which can be
fixed at any point in the length of the vertical strip. To the clamp are attached
by hooks, rings or otherwise as desired two elastic cords each provided with a
suitable handle. On grasping the handles and forcibly extending the elastic
cords various exercises can be gone through.
The handles which I prefer to employ are constructed so that the part actually
gripped in the hand can be changed, so as to enable either a light wooden
handle or one of any desired weight to be employed. With this arrangement
dumb bell exercises may be combined with those exercises ordinarily gone
through with apparatus of this description.
A convenient construction is to make a handle of stirrup form, the arched
part being made of wire which can be sprung open to allow of the part gripped
The
by the hand, which is a short cylindrical bar, to be changed or removed.
ends of the wire portion are preferably turned inwards to engage with holes in
the extremities of the bar.
The
In order to enable the apparatus to be fixed to a door without necessitating the
making of holes and fixing of hooks in the door, I employ two screw clamps
which are fixed on the top and bottom of the door. These clamps carry hooks
to which are attached the ends of the inelastic strip described above.
clamps are preferably faced inside with rubber, cloth or other material to prevent
marking or otherwise damaging the door, and the material of which they are
constructed is preferably made thin enough so as not to interfere with the
shutting of the door. It will be understood, however, that if it is desired to
fix the apparatus upon some other place than a door hooks may be fixed in the
wall or otherwise if desired for the purpose of attaching the strip.
For leg exercises, the foot may be placed in the handle as in a stirrup, an
elastic strip being passed round the heel and attached by hooks, clips or the like

page_text: to the sides of the handle.
If desired a flat bar may be provided to take the
place of the grip of the handle, so as to convert the latter into a regular stirrup.
If desired the elastic cords may be arranged so that they may be detached
from the clamp carried upon the inelastic strip.
Dated this 20th day of October 1898.
Improvements in or relating to Athletic Apparatus or Exercisers.
I, HENRY WILLIAM WIELAND, Theatrical Manager, of 12, Park Crescent,
Stockwell, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to athletic apparatus of the type known as "exercisers"
and has for its object to construct a handier and more convenient form of such
articles than has been hitherto devised.
According to this invention I arrange vertically upon a wall, door or some
other suitable place, a strip of inelastic material such as webbing.
This strip
is preferably variable in length and can be adjusted so as to remain taut between
its fixed points. Upon this strip is a screw or other form of clamp which can be
fixed at any point in the length of the vertical strip. To the clamp are attached
by hooks, rings or otherwise as desired two elastic cords each provided with a
suitable handle. On grasping the handles and forcibly extending the elastic
cords various exercises can be gone through.
The handles which I prefer to employ are constructed so that the part actually
gripped in the hand can be changed so as to enable either a light wooden
handle or one of any desired weight to be employed. With this arrangement
dumb bell exercises may be combined with those exercises ordinarily gone
through with apparatus of this description.
A convenient construction is to make a handle of stirrup form, the arched
part being made of wire which can be sprung open to allow of the part gripped
by the hand, which is a short cylindrical bar, to be changed or removed.
The
ends of the wire portion are preferably turned inwards to engage with holes in
the extremities of the bar.
In order to enable the apparatus to be fixed to a door without necessitating the
making of holes and fixing of hooks in the door, I employ two screw clamps
which are fixed on the top and bottom of the door. These clamps carry hooks
to which are attached the ends of the inelastic strip described above. The
clamps are preferably faced inside with rubber, cloth or other material to prevent
marking or otherwise damaging the door, and the material of which they are
constructed is preferably made thin enough so as not to interfere with the
shutting of the door. It will be understood, however, that if it is desired to
fix the apparatus upon some other place than a door hooks may be fixed in the
wall or otherwise if desired for the purpose of attaching the strip.
For leg exercise, the foot may be placed in the handle as in a stirrup, an
elastic strip being passed round the heel and attached by hooks, clips or the like
to the sides of the handle. If desired a flat bar may be provided to take the
place of the grip of the handle, so as to convert the latter into a regular stirrup.
If desired the elastic cords may be arranged so that they may be detached
from the clamp carried upon the inelastic strip.
In the accompanying drawings:-

page_text: Figure 11s a front elevation and
Figure 2 a side elevation of the apparatus.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation showing one of the loops for attaching the
apparatus to a door.
Figure 4 shows the adjustable carrier to which the elastic cords are attached.
Figure 5 is an elevation of one of the handles..
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The strip A of inextensible flexible material such as webbing is provided with
buckles A or similar devices for enabling the length of the strip to be increased
or decreased as desired. The ends of the strip A pass through rings A2 for
enabling it to be attached to hooks B carried by metal pieces B which engage
with the top and bottom of a door C, clamping screws Bª being provided for
fixing them in position.
Upon the strip A is carried a carrier in the form of a flattened ring D which
can be adjusted and fixed at any point in the length of the strip by means of a
clamping screw D¹ and plate D². The ring carries hooks 1³ to which are
detachably connected the ends of two elastic cords E each provided at its free end
with a handle. The latter is composed of a wire portion F and a grip F¹, the
wi part being so arranged that the grip F may be sprung out and changed
for one of a different weight. The weighted grips may be made of wood com-
bined with lead or other metal or may be composed entirely of iron or the like.
The clamps B and the end of the clamping screw B² are preferably faced with
felt, rubber or other similar material B³ to prevent marking the paint of the
door upon which the clamps are fixed.
Though the strip has been described as being constructed preferably of inex-
pansible flexible material, it is to be understood that if desired it may be made of
some rigid material such as wood or hoop-iron or the like or it may consist of a
metal rod made telescopic if desired for the purpose of attaching it between the
fixed points. It is to be understood that if desired a single cord with one handle
at the end of it may be attached to the carrier or a single elastic strip with two
handles connected by elastic or inelastic cords to the end thereof may be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In an athletic exerciser the combination with a strip extended between fixed
points of one or more elastic cords attached to a carrier which can be clamped
at any point in the length of the strip substantially as described.
2. In an athletic exerciser the employment of a handle and interchangeable
grips for the purpose described.
3. In an athletic exerciser the combination with elastic cords connected to an
adjustable carrier upon a strip of handles with interchangeable grips for the
purpose described.
4. In an athletic exerciser the combination with a strip having upon it an
adjustable carrier with one or more elastic cords depending therefrom of
clamps B B having hooks for the attachment of the ends of the strip sub-
stantially as described.
5. The complete athletic exerciser substantially as described or illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.