Patent ID: 7862484

Claim:
A fold-down exercise rowing machine comprising: an elongated frame having a proximal end and a distal end, and left and right sides, with a pair of seat rail members extending at least a portion of the distance between the proximal and distal ends; a foot plate mounted on the frame at the distal end thereof; a rotary flywheel mounted at the proximal end of the frame below the seat rail members to rotate on a vertical axis, with a vertical spacing defined between the flywheel and the seat rail members, and including a drive sprocket; a seat movably supported on the seat rail members and adapted to glide along said seat rail members; a pair of arms that are pivotally connected onto the left and right sides of the frame, respectively, and are adapted to pivot between an extended position in which the arms protrude horizontally out from the frame and a withdrawn position in which the arms lie parallel to and alongside the frame; fixed pivot members positioned at outer ends of said arms, respectively, to define vertical pivot axes; left and right oar pivot members rotatably supported in said fixed pivot members; left and right rower oar handle shafts affixed onto upper ends of said oar pivot members; left and right cable pulling members mounted onto lower ends of said oar pivot members; a power cable arrangement having ends anchored to said cable pulling members, respectively, and having a portion thereof winding around the drive sprocket of said flywheel for rotating said flywheel when a user is seated on said seat and strokes at least one of said oar handle shafts; resilient return means for applying a tension onto said power cable arrangement against the stroke action of said at least one oar handle shaft; releasable latch means for holding said arms in said extended position during exercise use of the machine, and adapted to release for permitting the arms to swing to their withdrawn position; and wherein said cable pulling members each have a thickness less than said vertical spacing, to permit said cable pulling members to fit between said flywheel and said seat rail members when the arms are in their withdrawn position.