IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN ATHLETIC EXERCISES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Prangley, of Salisbury, in the County of
Wilts, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN
ATHLETIC EXERCISES."
Sealed the 31st January 1868, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Prangley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
August 1867.
I, WILLIAM PRANGLEY, of Salisbury, in the County of Wilts, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN ATHLETIC EXERCISES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus employed in
athletic exercises. In constructing and combining apparatus according to this
Invention two fixed uprights are used, which may be the two side posts of a
door or a gate, or they may be fixed for the special purpose of this Invention.
These uprights are required to be of greater beight than the persons
exercising between them. Across from upright to upright are two horizontal
bars which can readily be placed and retained at any desired height from the

page_text: ground according to the height of the person who for the time is taking
exercise, the ends of such cross bars being received in brackets or sockets
fixed or secured to the two uprights; one of these cross bars is for the hands of
the person exercising. From the other cross bar two stirrups are suspended
by elastic vulcanized springs with handles of a strength of elasticity adapted
in each case to the person who for the time is using the apparatus. By means
of apparatus combined as above described persons using the same may derive
great benefit in various ways as a chest expander, increased freedom in the
action of the lungs being promoted and secured by it; also as an exerciser
of the muscles of the chest, arms, and shoulders. Used as a pedal gymnast,
or substitute for walking, it removes stiffness from the ancle, knee, and hip
joints, imparting flexibility and strength to them as well as to the muscles of
the legs, thighs, back, and loins, whilst more efficient exercise may thus be
taken in a few minutes than can be obtained by a walk during a like time, and
this too in a most agreeable way.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said William Prángley
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PRANGLEY, of Salisbury, in the County of Wilts, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,.by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Prangley, Her special licence that I, the said William Prangley, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said William
Prangley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed,. should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an. Invention 'for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN ATHLETIC EXERCISES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Prangley, my executors' or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed.in

page_text: the Great Seal Patent Office on or before the Thirteenth day of February, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Prangley, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statenient thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvenients in apparatus employed in
athletic exercises.
In constructing and combining apparatus according to this Invention two
fixed uprights are used, which may be the two side posts of a door or a gate,
or they may be fixed for the special purpose of this Invention; these uprights
are required to be of greater height than the persons exercising between them.
Across from upright to upright are two horizontal bars which can readily be
placed and retained at any desired height from the ground according to the
beight of the person who for the time is taking exercise, the ends of such
cross bars being received in brackets or sockets fixed or secured to the two
uprights; one of these cross bars is for the hands of the person exercising.
From the other cross bar two stirrups are suspended by elastic vulcanized
springs (with handles) of a strength of elasticity adapted in each case to the
person who for the time is using the apparatus.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a front view of an apparatus such as is above described:
a, a, are two uprights suitable for being fixed to the two side posts of a door}
these uprights are shown in side view at Figures 2 and 3; in one of these
uprights square holes a! are formed, and along the edge of the other upright
is formed a similar number of notches a. b is a horizontal bar passing across
from upright to upright; one end of the bar is made square to fit into one or
other of the square holes a¹, and the other end is received into one of the
notches as, the bar can thus be supported at any desired height from the
ground; to the bar b are attached two cords c, c, which at their lower ends each
carry a handle c; from each handle two vulcanized india-rubber springs c³
are suspended, and the lower ends of these springs are fixed to a similar
handle, from which is suspended a stirrup of cord c. The height of these
stirrups from the ground can be adjusted by varying the height at which the
bar b is fixed, and may also be still further adjusted by winding more or less
of the cords c, c, around the bar or roller 6, and when more or less of the

page_text: cords has thus been wound around the bar they are prevented unwinding
therefrom by inserting the square end of the bar into the hole a' which is to
receive it. d is another horizontal bar passing across from one of the uprights a
to the other; this bar is for the person using the apparatus to hold by; clutch
hooks to turn down over the ends of the rollers may be applied to prevent the
ends of the rollers rising out of the notches a². By means of apparatus
combined as above described persons using the same may derive great
benefit in various ways; as a chest expander, increased freedom in the action
of the lungs being promoted and secured by it; also as an exerciser of the
muscles of the chest, arms, and shoulders; used as a pedal gymnast, or
substitute for walking, it removes stiffness from the ancle, knee, and hip joints,
imparting flexibility and strength to them as well as to the muscles of the
legs, thighs, back, and loins, whilst more efficient exercise may thus be taken
in a few minntes than can be obtained by a walk during a like time, and this
too in a most agreeable way..
Figure 4 shews another way of mounting the springs, which has the
advantage of preventing them from rubbing against the dress, and is peculiarly
applicable for ladies' use. In this case the stirrups.c' are suspended from bars c³
of greater width than those shown in Figure 1, and these bars are suspended
by cords c³ from a corresponding bar, to which the lower ends of the vulcanized
india-rubber springs are attached; swivel pulleys may-in some cases be
fixed to the floor below each of the cords c so that the cords cor cords passing
from the stirrups and fitted with suitable handles may be led under such
swivel pulleys; the apparatus may then be used by a person seated on a
chair on the ground for strengthening the muscles of the arm, as in, the
case of rowing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Prangley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
W. PRANGLEY. (L.S.)