1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to exercise machines, and in particular to an adjustable weight-loaded dip-chin machine.
2. Background of the Invention
The dip-chin machine is one of the most important exercise machine available. This machine uses the resistance of one's own body to work the biceps, forearms, lateral muscles, triceps, chest, and shoulder muscles. Bars are provided for both dips and chins (also known as “chin-ups”).
Dips are performed by pushing oneself above the level of a pair of parallel dip bars located approximately shoulder-width apart. The exerciser grasps a dip bar with each hand, then lowers his or her body until elbows are bent and shoulders mildly stretched. The arms are used to push the exerciser upwards to the starting position. Leaning the body forward with elbows kept in works the chest muscles more. Keeping the body straight vertically with elbows close to the body works the triceps more. More strenuous dips can be accomplished by not permitting the exerciser's feet to touch the floor at all during the course of the exercise.
Chins are performed by pulling oneself upwards above a pair of roughly co-linear chin bars, grasping one bar with each hand. The chin bars are located above the shoulder height of the exerciser. The exerciser begins by grasping a chin bar with each hand, with palms facing the exerciser. The exerciser then pulls himself or herself upwards until either chin or chest touches the chin bars. The exerciser then slowly lowers himself or herself back to the standing position from which the chin exercise was initiated. Chin exercises strengthen the biceps, forearms, and lateral muscles.
One problem associated with existing dip-chin machines is the lack of adjustability, either vertically or horizontally, of the dip bars and chin bars. This renders exercise difficult for non-standard sized exercisers. In addition, it would be desirable to vary the positions of the dip bars and chin bars in order to adjust the strenuousness of the dips and chins being performed, and to allow the exerciser to use the machine from an initial position standing either on the ground or on foot supports. This flexibility of use is not attainable unless the dip bars and chin bars are rendered adjustable on the dip-chin machine.
Another problem associated with currently available dip-chin machines is the inability to add resistance acting against the exerciser's upward motion during dips and chins, thereby rendering the exercise more strenuous. Currently available dip-chin machines are either not weightable, or provide means to use weights to aid the exerciser during the exercise, thus rendering the exercise less strenuous. Thus, in order to make the dips and chins more strenuous it would be desirable to provide means of adding weight against the exercise being performed, not in aid of the exercise. In addition, it would be desirable to provide means for using elastic to work against the exercise, thus increasing the exercise value.
One currently available option is for the exerciser to wear a weight belt, from which weights dangle. While these weights have the effect of increasing the weight of the exerciser, and hence the strenuousness of the exercise, the procedure can be dangerous if the weights swing into the exerciser's limb(s), or if the exerciser were to slip off of the elevated foot support(s) and the heavy weights land on the exerciser's feet or other body part. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a safe way to add weight against the dip or chin being performed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable weight-loaded dip-chin machine which provides a varying amount of weight which the exerciser can add acting against the dip or chin being performed. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include an arm pivotally attached to a frame, an arm spindle on the arm, and weights sized to fit onto the arm spindle. Advantages associated with the accomplishment of this object include the ability to adjust the intensity of dips and chins being performed, and the consequent enhancement of the exercise experience to the exerciser.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable weight-loaded dip-chin machine which provides a varying amount of resistance which the exerciser can add acting against the dip or chin being performed. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include an arm pivotally attached to a frame, at least one pin attached to the frame, and an elastic band connecting a pin with the arm spindle, and/or an elastic band connecting a pin with a belt worn by the exerciser, and/or weights depending from the belt worn by the exerciser. Advantages associated with the accomplishment of this object include the ability to adjust the intensity of dips and chins being performed, and the consequent enhancement of the exercise experience to the exerciser.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an adjustable weight-loaded dip-chin machine to which weights and force which resist the dips and chins being performed may be added safely. Design features enabling the accomplishment of this object include an arm pivotally attached to a frame, an arm spindle attached to the arm, weights which may be removably installed on the arm spindle, and a belt worn by the exerciser attached to the arm by means of a belt line. Advantages associated with the realization of this object include elimination of the necessity for an exerciser to climb up onto elevated foot supports bearing heavy weights dangling from a weight belt, and elimination of the possibility of injury to the exerciser from these weights.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an adjustable weight-loaded dip-chin machine to which provides varying distances between dip bar and belt attach points. Design features enabling the accomplishment of this object include an arm pivotally attached to a frame, an arm extension rigidly attached to and end of the arm opposite the frame, and dip bars attached to the frame, each having a plurality of legs spaced at differing distances from each other. Advantages associated with the realization of this object include the ability to accommodate varying sizes of exercisers using the machine.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an adjustable weight-loaded dip-chin machine which is inexpensive to manufacture. Design features allowing this object to be achieved include the use of components made of readily available materials, and the use of existing weights which may be removably added to an arm spindle. Benefits associated with reaching this objective include reduced cost, and hence increased availability.
The invention, together with the other objects, features, aspects and advantages thereof will be more clearly understood from the following in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Eight sheets of drawings are provided. Sheet one contains
Referring now to
Frame 1 includes a pair of columns 16. Each column 16 has a dip bar 26 and/or a chin bar 28 adjustably attached to it. Thus, the instant invention teaches that each dip bar 26 and chin bar 28 may be adjusted along the height of a respective column 16, thereby rendering the instant adjustable dip-chin machine 2 the correct size for different exercisers, and also permitting the strenuousness of the exercises being performed to be varied.
Base 3 includes a pair of foot supports 5, which are elevated relative to a surface upon which adjustable dip-chin machine 2 rests. Thus, an exerciser using adjustable dip-chin machine 2 may stand on foot supports 5, or the surface upon which adjustable dip-chin machine 2 rests, while performing dips and/or chins.
In the preferred embodiment frame 1 comprised a pair of substantially parallel vertical columns 16, each supported by a column brace 20 extending from a respective column 16 to a rear portion of base 3. A rear extreme of arm 10 was pivotally attached to column braces 20. A forward portion of arm 10 rested on arm support 8, which extended horizontally between columns 16. Arm 10 comprised a pair of arm braces 12, one end of each arm brace 12 was rotatably attached to a respective column brace 20 at an arm pivot point 9, opposite ends of the arm braces were mutually attached, and arm ring 14 was attached to the end of the arm braces 12 opposite column braces 20. Each column 16 comprised a pair of opposed column faces 66 and column sides 68. A plurality of column apertures 18 were disposed in one column side 68, whereby the height of dip bar 26 and chin bar 28 could be adjusted.
In the preferred embodiment, base 3 included a pair of substantially parallel legs 4 extending from the rear to the front of adjustable dip-chin machine 2. Each leg 4 was supported at each end by a foot 6, and a foot support 5 was disposed atop each leg 4 forward of a column 16. At least one peg 22 was attached to base 3, in the preferred embodiment to leg 4 and/or foot support 5, to which elastic band(s) 24 could be attached to a belt 30 worn by the exerciser, and/or to arm spindle 11. Depending on the number and elasticity of elastic bands 24 connecting belt 30 and/or arm spindle 11 to pegs 22, the strenuousness of the exercise could be varied.
Arm 10 may be weighted down by a variable number of weights 15 on arm spindle 11, as desired by the exerciser or the trainer. In addition, one or more elastic bands 24 may be placed around arm spindle 11 and peg(s) 22 attached to frame 1, and one or more elastic bands 24 can attach belt 30 and peg(s) 22, as depicted in
An important feature of the instant invention is the vertical adjustability of dip bars 26 along columns 16.
Bracket second leg 46 comprises bracket second leg extension 48, to which bracket pin 52 is rigidly attached. Each column 16 comprises a plurality of column apertures 18 sized to slidably admit bracket pin 52.
Bracket 40 is installed on column 16 by first inserting bracket pin 52 into a column aperture 18 at the desired height on column 16, as indicated by arrow 38 in
Bracket 40 may be re-positioned on column 16 by merely reversing the above steps, and then re-installing bracket 40 on column 16 using a different column aperture 18, as desired.
As illustrated in
Another way of describing the dimensional relationship between bracket pin 52 on bracket 40 relative to column apertures 18 on column 16 is depicted in
Bracket 40 may be re-positioned on column 16 by merely reversing the above steps, and then re-installing bracket 40 on column 16 using a different column aperture 18, as desired.
Referring now also to
When an exerciser wearing belt 30 moves upwards while performing a dip or chin, belt 30 pulls cable 90, which in turn raises a number of stack weights 82 determined by the placement of stack pin 86. In this embodiment of adjustable dip-chin machine 2, the exerciser and/or trainer determine an appropriate amount of weight to be added for the exercise, stack pin 86 is set accordingly, and then the exerciser performs the dips and/or chins, these exercises being rendered appropriately more strenuous by the addition of weight from weight stack 80.
In addition, as in the preferred embodiment of adjustable dip-chin machine 2 previously described, one or more elastic bands can attach belt 30 to base 3, and chain 36 or other appropriate weight may be attached to belt 30. Weight stack 80, elastic bands 24, and chain 36 exert force against the exerciser's upward motion while performing dips and chins, thus increasing the strenuousness of these exercises as desired by the exerciser and/or the trainer.
Weight stacks 80 are old and well-known in the industry. Thus, although the particular weight stack 80 depicted in
In this alternate embodiment of adjustable dip-chin machine 2, arm extension 92 incorporates a plurality of arm extension apertures 94 sized to admit belt line hook 96. In use, the user inserts belt link hook 96 into the most comfortable arm extension aperture 94, then proceeds with exercising. As previously mentioned, differently-sized exercisers may be accommodated by varying their distance from the other dip bar 26. In the embodiment depicted in
Thus, the distance of an exerciser from columns 16 may vary; and the exerciser's position along foot supports 5 may vary. Depending on the distance of the exerciser from columns 16, the exerciser may wish to change the attached point of belt line 32 along arm extension 92, after donning belt 30 for exercise using the instant invention as described previously. The exerciser accomplishes this objective by inserting belt line hook 96 into the arm extension aperture 94 which is most comfortable and appropriate in view of the exerciser's distance from columns 16, as indicated by arrows 98.
In the preferred embodiment, frame 1, base 3, arm 10, brackets 40, dip bars 26 and chin bars 28 were made of metal, synthetic, or any other appropriate material. Belt 30 was a conventional exercise weight belt. Belt line 32 and cable 90 were any appropriate elongate member, including cable, rope, synthetic, chain, etc. Chain 36 was conventional metal link chain or other appropriate chain. Weight stack 80 was a commercially available weight stack.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated herein, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the appending claims.
This application based on, and is a continuation-in-part, of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/811,920 file Jun. 11, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,871,360, and claims the benefit of the earlier filing date of that application.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11811920 | Jun 2007 | US |
Child | 12156487 | US |