Patent ID: 8597161

Claim:
An exercise device comprising: a frame; first and second treadle assemblies, each treadle assembly including a deck, an endless tread belt rotatably mounted to pass over the deck, each treadle assembly being pivotably mounted to the frame to pivot between upward and downward positions; a drive shaft operably coupled to the first and second treadle assemblies by a one-way drive system through which pivotal motion of the first and second treadle assemblies provides rotational motion to the drive shaft; and a rotational coupling between the drive shaft and the tread belts so that the rotational motion of the drive shaft provides rotational motion of the tread belts, wherein the one-way drive system comprises a first downwardly-extending drive member coupled to the first treadle assembly and positioned beneath the first treadle assembly to engage with a first one-way engagement member to rotate the drive shaft in a first direction when the first treadle assembly moves between the upward and downward positions, and a second downwardly-extending drive member coupled to the second treadle assembly and positioned beneath the second treadle assembly to engage a second one-way engagement member to rotate the drive shaft in the first direction when the second treadle assembly moves between the upward and downward positions.