Claims
- 1. A total body exerciser for providing independently adjustable resistance to both extension and flexion muscle groups comprising:a frame comprising a fixed seat portion and a group of at least two longitudinal members; a footrest carriage slidably mounted to at least one said longitudinal member and having a pair of footrests; a handle carriage slidably mounted to at least one other said longitudinal member; a flexible tensile element constraining sliding motion of said footrest carriage and said handle carriage in response to user applied force so that as said footrest carriage moves closer to said seat portion said handle carriage moves farther from said seat portion and as said footrest carriage moves farther from said seat portion said handle carriage moves closer to said seat portion; and at least one user controllable resisting means opposing sliding motion of footrest carriage and handle carriage.
- 2. An exerciser as defined in claim 1 in which said flexible tensile element is fixed to said handle carriage and bears against and turns approximately one hundred and eighty degrees around a pulley means mounted on said footrest carriage, so the ratio of said handle carriage speed with respect to said seat portion is approximately twice said footrest carriage speed with respect to said seat portion.
- 3. An exerciser as defined in claim 1 in which said user controllable resisting means comprises:a resistance means generating a variable force opposing said sliding motion; a motion sensing device sensing the speed and direction of said sliding motion; a force sensing device sensing the magnitude of said force opposing said sliding motion; a logic controller receiving input data from said motion sensing device and said force sensing device and acting to change said force opposing said sliding motion according a predetermined user objective, thereby providing a closed feedback loop.
- 4. An exerciser as defined in claim 3 in which said motion sensing device is an electrical generator driven by said sliding motion which also provides electrical power.
- 5. An exerciser as defined in claim 3 further containing a heart rate signal receiver linked to said logic controller.
- 6. An exerciser as defined in claim 3 in which said logic controller further contains a means to record and transmit a data set representing aggregations of output from said force sensing device to a remote data processing device.
- 7. An exerciser as defined in claim 6 in which said logic controller further contains a means to receive and record a data set representing said predetermined user objective from said remote data processing device.
- 8. A process employing an exercise device as defined in claim 6 in which said remote data processing device aggregates said data sets, calculates summaries of such data sets, and maintains said summaries in a user accessible medium.
- 9. An exerciser as defined in claim 1 in which said user controllable resisting means contains:a pivot frame containing a first pivot axis and a second pivot axis which are substantially parallel to each other, where said pivot frame is pivotably mounted about said first pivot axis to a first element of the exerciser; a friction inducing member pivotably mounted to said pivot frame about said second pivot axis of said pivot frame so that said friction inducing member bears against a second element of the exerciser which moves relative to said first element of the exerciser in response to a user applied force, causing a friction force resisting a sliding motion between said first and second elements of the exerciser, where said first and second axes of said pivot frame are substantially perpendicular to the direction of said sliding motion at a point, where said first and second axes of said pivot frame are substantially parallel to a plane of contact between said friction inducing member and said second element of the exerciser, and where an angle between a plane substantially containing both said first and second axes of said pivot frame and said plain of contact is an acute angle; and a user controllable device exerting a force on said pivot frame urging a reduction in said acute angle.
- 10. An exerciser as defined in claim 9 in which said acute angle is between 50 and 80 degrees.
- 11. An exerciser as defined in claim 9 in which said user controllable device exerting a force on said pivot frame is a user deflectable spring.
- 12. An exerciser as defined in claim 9, further containing a motion sensing device sensing the speed and direction of said sliding motion and a force sensing device sensing the magnitude of said friction force opposing said sliding motion, in which a logic controller receiving input data from said motion sensing device and said force sensing device changes the magnitude of force exerted by said device exerting a force on said pivot frame according to a predetermined user objective, thereby providing a closed feedback loop.
- 13. An exerciser as defined in claim 12 in which said motion sensing device is an electrical generator driven by said sliding motion which also provides electrical power.
- 14. An exerciser as defined in claim 12 further containing a heart rate signal receiver linked to said logic controller.
- 15. An exerciser as defined in claim 12 in which said logic controller further contains a means to transmit and record a data set representing aggregations of output from said force sensing device to a remote data processing device.
- 16. An exerciser as defined in claim 15 in which said logic controller further contains a means to receive and record a data set representing said predetermined user objective from said remote data processing device.
- 17. A process employing an exercise device as defined in claim 15 in which said remote data processing device aggregates said data sets, calculates summaries of such data sets, and maintains said summaries in a user accessible medium.
Parent Case Info
This application claims the benefit of Provisional application Ser. No. 60/187,914, filed Mar. 8, 2000.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4679786 |
Rodgers |
Jul 1987 |
A |
5611758 |
Rodgers, Jr. |
Mar 1997 |
A |
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Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/187914 |
Mar 2000 |
US |