Claims
- 1. A hand exercise appliance comprising:
- a first grip member;
- a second grip member;
- means for permitting said first and second grip members to be moved toward each other against an adjustable force and apart under a lower force;
- said means for permitting including a ratchet means for permitting free motion of a ratchet member in one direction while preventing motion in the other direction, a friction means connecting one of said first and second grip members to said ratchet means and to the other of said first and second grip members, whereby said ratchet means locks against motion in one direction to require said first and second grip members to be moved together against friction force from said friction means while releasing them to move apart, and biasing means for biasing said first and second grip members apart;
- said ratchet means being rigidly fastenable to one of said first and second grip members and to said friction means and the other of said first and second grip members being fastened to said friction means;
- said friction means including first and second friction disks and adjustable means for controlling the pressure between the two;
- said adjustable means including means for adjusting the friction between said first and second friction disks.
- 2. A hand appliance according to claim 1 which said biasing means includes spring means for biasing said first and second grip members apart; said biasing means having sufficient strength to move said first and second grip members apart.
- 3. A method of exercising comprising the steps of:
- adjusting the frictional force needed to move first and second handle members with respect to each other in a first direction by adjusting the pressure of at least one friction member against another, wherein the one friction member is connected to a ratchet means permitting it to move with respect to one of said first and second handle members only by frictional movement with respect to said other friction member in one direction but to move with respect to said one of said first and second handle means in said second direction without movement of said first and second friction members with respect to each other;
- moving first and second handle members with respect to each other against an adjustable frictional force; and
- permitting the first and second handle members to return under a biasing force.
- 4. A method according to claim 3 in which the step of moving first and second handle members with respect to each other includes the substeps of:
- gripping both first and second handle members in one hand; and
- repeatedly pulling the first and second handle members toward each other with said one hand against constant frictional forces and releasing the first and second handle members to permit them to spread from each other.
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of application Ser. No. 055,631, filed May 29, 1987, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,173.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
55631 |
May 1987 |
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