An Improved Exercising or Strength-restoring Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1891
COMPLETE STEALIGATION.
An Improved Exercising or Strength-restoring Apparatus.
A communication by DAVID HÖNIG, of 43B, Wilhelmstrasse, Berlin, in the Empire
of Germany, Doctor of Medicine.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.S.C., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 has for its object an improved apparatus, by means of which
persons employed in manual labour, and who owing to illness or accident have
temporarily become incapable of work, may obtain in the muscles, joints and
sinews which are mainly called in question, a gradual increase of the strength
necessary for performning their manual tasks, so that the persons in question after a
longer or shorter period of exercise with this apparatus may again return to their
callings in the usual manner. The so called medico-mechanical apparatuses
hitherto employed do not treat this point, whilst it is evident that it is of the
greatest industrial importance that such persons, if at all possible, should be again
made capable of suitably following their callings. This object is attained,
according this invention, by means of an apparatus which is formed to imitate the
corresponding industrial appliances, tools or machine movements in so far that the
person working with such tools or machines must make the same movements as are
required for the actual industrial employment of such tools or machines only with
the following differences, namely, that
Firstly. No useful work is made with the imitation industrial tools or machines,
and
Secondly. The tools or machines, formed to imitate real ones, are so modified a's
compared with the latter, that the resistance to be overcome may be gradually
increased, in order thereby to raise gradually to the normal point the strength of
the muscles, joints and sinews.
In order to allow of the resistance being varied, adjustable tightening or braking
devices are employed. In some cases, it is sufficient to have a greater or lesser
loading by means of weights.
It is of course self-evident that it is not possible to here explain all the various
imitations of tools and machines in their forms of construction. The specimens
given herein must, however, suffice to show that there is no tool or machine
common to practical workmen in industrial life of which there cannot also be
produced a working imitation in the sense of this invention.
The accompanying drawing shows four examples:
1. A plane, Figures 1 to 4:
2. A saw, Figures 5 and 6:
3. A lathe, Figures 7. to 9:
4. A spade, Figures 10 to 15.
In Figures 1 to 4, the plane bis arranged in a frame a by means of two
manand in the frame on springs d. in such
:

page_text: A band is attached to the rear end of the plane, which band first runs over
a roller 9 arranged at the end of the frame, and is then coiled to a suitable length
round a drum i loosely revolving on an axle h and attached to this drum by its
other end. One end of a spiral spring k is fastened to the axle and the other end
is firmly connected with the drum i. By means of the crank handle 1, the spring k
may be more or less stretched, and thus the imitation tool may be adjusted to the
degree of strength of the patient. A ratchet wheel m and pawl n, shown in
Figure 1A, secure the spring k at the desired tension. A counting wheel o, moved
forward one tooth by means of a pin at each revolution of the ratchet wheel m,
renders it possible to exactly estimate and indicate the tension of the spring.
At each pushing forward of the plane, the drum i is set in rotation by means of
the band, and thereby the force which is necessary for coiling the spring k must
be overcome. The return of the plane takes place almost entirely by the strength
of the spring k assisted slightly by the person using it.
In the saw shown on Figures 5 and 6, a curved piece p, which may be adjusted
to a higher or lower level, carries a horizontal shaft y on which the holder 1 m²,
shown more in detail in Figure 54, and which serves to guide the saw blade, is
fastened. The guide plates is yieldingly secured to the centre guide r¹ of this
holder, and is pressed against the saw blade by a spring t, which may be more or
less stretched, so that the resistance which the saw offers to the person using it may
be regulated according to requirements. An indicating mechanism may also be
employed here, which allows at any time the person superintending the exercise to
exactly read off the tension of the spring.
In order to allow of the saw being adjusted to various angles, a regulator (or
setting rack) u is attached to the shaft q... As soon ag the shaft with the
holder, and the saw, is adjusted to the desired position, a spring pin v,
attached to the frame p, is caused to engage in a suitable hole in the
regulator u.
In the lathe shown in Figures 7 to 9, a brake wheel .c, with a brake band ', is
seated on the spindle w, which brake band may be drawn tighter by means of the
screw y, as may be required.
The further modification consists in the crank being provided with several
teeth or indentations z z¹ and for connecting it with the pedal plate, so that the
effective length of the treadle crank, as well as the angular position of the pedal
plate itself, may be varied.
In the spade shown in Figures 10 to 15, a spring is arranged in a slotted
holder on the rear side of the spade a'. The spade is inserted in a guide-
piece corresponding to its form, and is moved downwards in the ordinary manner
त
by means of the foot. Exactly in accordance with what takes place in actual
digging, by compressing the spring 2 by means of a fixed pin e* projecting into the
holder, the resistance becomes an always increasing one, and this may be
regulated according to requirements by fixing the bar f, which carries the pin e²,
higher or lower, or by choosing a stronger or weaker spring c.
On the front side of the spade, a spindle g is placed with two pawl-like hooks /*
and A', which, shortly before the end of the descent of the spade, slip over bars.
of a receptacle containing weights, lying in front of the spade on an inclined
plane, and, finally, fall behind these bars or strips, and thus connect the
receptacle with the spade, in which receptacle, according to requirements, a larger
or smaller number of weighting plates may be placed.
The guide piece d revolves on an axis m', so that, on lifting the loaded spade,
this corresponding to real digging-may be simultaneously tilted a little. The
spring n' then produces a resistance arranged to accord with the actual resistance
in digging, and this same spring, when the spade has been. completely lifted out,
returns the guide piece back to its original position.
In order to remove the loading of the spade, the latter is inserted in a second
guide-piece d' lying further to the front. A contact piece o', attached to the same,
causes the lever p', movably attached to the spade, to move outwards. This latter

page_text: lever then causes a rotation of the axis g' by means of a pin s' attached to the same,
which rotation suffices to lift the hooks h' and ', attached to this axis, off the
bars, so that the vessel, holding the weights, is released, and slides down-
wards. It comes on to the inclined plane k', and slides on this latter immediately
to the lower guide-piece d', so that the exercise can be immediately repeated.
In accordance with the above examples, a number of imitations of tools, such as
borers, pincers, callipers, anvil and hammer, raminers and various machine arrange-
ments, tool-making machines, sawing machines, building machines, agricultural and
other industrial implements, such, for instance, as hayforks, scythes, carts or
barrows, cask-rolling devices and the like, have already been produced
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
An improved exercising or strength-restoring apparatus for increasing the
working capabilities of the muscles, joints and sinews from the point of view of
manual effectiveness, consisting of imitation tools, appliances and working
implements (machines), which are formed to imitate in such a way the tools,
appliances and machines most generally employed in industrial life that exactly the
same movements may be carried out with these imitation tools, appliances and
machines as were done with the actual tools, appliances and machines, these
imitation tools, appliances and machines being further characterised by no pro-
ductive work being produced by their use, and by their being fitted with appliances
or devices which allow the resistance, to be overcome when using these tools,
appliances or machines, to be regulated as may be desired.
Dated this 16th day of March 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.