CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH or DEVELOPMENT
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REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC
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BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
People are becoming more responsible and aware of their health through maintaining a good exercise program. It is not convenience for everybody to go for a run or do laps in the local pool at their leisure. People are turning to other efficient exercise programs like home gyms and full body exercise machines in their homes to achieve and maintain good health.
The focus here is on the type of machine that allows an individual to exercise the hole body using a swimming technique applied and executed through the operation of the machine. The general consciences of these machines are a resistance mechanism with a support frame built around it. These machines will have a cable running through the resistance mechanism and attached to the hands in the front. It may have sliding resistance hand pads on a rail for catch and release simulating a swim motion. In some cases the cable will be attached to an intermittent pulley, a flywheel for the feet or an independent resistance mechanism for the feet. And attached to the top of frame is the resting pad for the upper torso. Examples of these machines are disclosed in Kennedy U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,363, Rodgers, Jr. U.S. Pat No. 4,844,450, Robertson, Jr. U.S. Pat No. 4,948,119 and Van De Laarschot et al. U.S. Pat No. 6,790,163 B1.
All of the previous back ground inventions core technique, have been driven by one thing, the “resistance mechanism,” and its delivery function of intensity to create the core of the work-out. This point is reiterated in, Van De Laarschot et al. U.S. Pat No. 6,790,163 B1.; para. (3)(4)(5) and (6) which gives an excellent example and explanation of the type and scope of previous swim machines that have been patented. The core element of these swim machines/devices have been intensity, amount of resistance, increased amount of time and continuous level of resistance in relation to the swim stroke. According to Van De Laarschot et al. U.S. Pat No. 6,790,163 B1, serious injury can occur from their use. Notwithstanding, his machine falls in the same category as the others, because it has a resistance mechanism also.
There is a need for a paradigm shift in the development of the modem day swim exercise machine. I have thrown away the heavy resistance mechanism and replaced it with competition body strength resistance. In this model the body works against itself to achieve the desired heart rate needed to develop stamina and endurance equal to actual swimming. The swim exercise machine should not have any more resistance than what an individual would encounter in the water as a swimmer. Therefore, the need for a sophisticated resistance mechanism in combination with a swim machine will not be used here. A Swimmers' body is propelled through water with the combination of kicking the legs while pulling the body through the water with the hands and arms. Swimmers also press their upper torso against the water to cause the legs to rise up. The upper torso is then canted to the side thus creating less drag during the swim stroke. It is this natural concept of rhythmic swimming that has been achieved with this new and revolutionary swim exercise machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a Y-shaped front base support with a pair of spring pulley assembly post attachments with a cable and wrist harness, a middle support frame with adjustable double horizontal stem rods, a rear cross section support roller system with a T-bar and kicker system with foot harnesses. A single vertical column support is erected in the center of the Y intersection of the base with a central pulley system attachment. The column serves as the base for a hinge that is attached to a glide bar. The hinged glide bar serves as a base for the torso support which is padded to receive the exerciser's torso. The hinge itself enabled the torso support and glide bar to tilt forward and backward. This feature of the current invention can be achieved by disengaging the hinge pin located on the left side of the hinge. The spring pulley assembly is treaded with a cable that is attached to the wrist harness and is then treaded through the central pulley system and attached to the kicker system for use with a commercial or residential foot harness. It is an object of the present invention to allow the user's cable connected hands and feet in conjunction with the glide bar torso support, central pulley system and hinge tilt to interact in the creation, distribution and control of resistance, naturally by executing a controlled swim stroke and observing an established swim time table of measurement; i.e. 8.3 min.=approximate 1 mile swimming. It is a further object of the invention to have a machine with folding parts for storage in homes, and contracting parts to allow for users of different lengths to adjust the machine for use, and to aid the user when getting on and off the machine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows an overall view of the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a general illustration of embodiment of the invention with arrows showing the directions of the hands and feet as they are attached to one another, the motion of the tilting torso support and the side-to-side motion of the torso support during the glide bar function.
FIG. 3 shows the invention in its collapsed and retracted position for storage.
FIG. 4 shows the torso support padding, padding support plate with bracketing area, torso support ventilation slots and torso support-to-glide bar attachment bracket with four mounting screws.
FIG. 5 shows the glide bar and hinge assembly with the hinge pin present and the stop tilt nipple adjacent the hinge pin hole on left.
FIG. 6 shows the top of the support column with the platform stopping mechanism positioned on the left, with the slotted area illustrating the hinge position.
FIG. 7 shows the under view of the pelvic fin cross section rear support rollers.
FIG. 8 shows the top side of the pelvic fin cross section rear support rollers
FIG. 9 shows the t-bar, plastic bushing, washer and attachment bolt.
FIG. 10 shows the caudal fin kicker system components and excess cable storage.
FIG. 11 shows the caudal fin kicker system with the commercial foot harness, (to be used with shoes on feet).
FIG. 12 shows the route of the cable at the kicker system and method of attachment.
FIG. 13 shows the residential foot harness, (to be used with out shoes on feet).
FIG. 14 shows the palm side of the hand harness with D shaped hook attached to a metal plate inside the harness material illustrated by slotted lines.
FIG. 15 shows the back side of the hand harness.
FIG. 16 shows the middle base support frame with the double horizontal stem rod locking device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the base of the invention is referenced by the number 10 and is comprised by three sections, a: front base support 10a, middle base support 10b, and a rear base support 10c. The Front base 10a which can be made of a hard plastic or alloy steel includes the pectoral fin arms 12 with steel locking pins 13 and rubber shoes 14; the dorsal column base 15 and rubber shoe 15a.
The Middle base 10b can be made of a hard plastic or alloy steel, it includes middle support frame 16, double horizontal stem rods 18 (made of steel only); locking stem rod device handle 20 which can be made of alloy steel, and the stem rod locking device 22 made of alloy steel (see FIG. 16) and rubber support shoe 24.
The Rear base 10c shows the pelvic fin cross section roller system 26. This section can be made of a hard plastic or alloy steel, using rubber for the rollers' surface. FIG. 7 shows the under side of the rear base pelvic fin cross section roller system 26, the roller housing 26a with roller placement in housing 26a and the stem rod 18 connector ports 26b. FIG. 8 shows the upright side of rear base pelvic fin cross section roller system with T-bar stem 28c and connector port 28. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 shows the inserted T-bar stem 28c into the T-bar hole 28 secured with bolt 30a. In FIG. 9 the T-bar portion 28a and 28b are wielded to the stem portion 28c and all three are made of alloy steel.
FIG. 1, and 3 further shows the rear base 10c with the caudal kicker system fins 32 attached to the T-bar 30 and secured with bolts 34a and 34b, also shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 shows the caudal kicker mechanism 36 attached to the kicker fins with bolts 36a also shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12. The caudal kicker mechanism can be made of hard plastic for light-weight and reduced noise during the kicking motion. FIG. 11 shows the commercial foot harness 38 attached to caudal kicker mechanism 36. FIG. 10 shows the inside view of the caudal kicker mechanism 36 exposing the free siding block 40 illustrated using slotted lines. FIG. 10 further exposes the securing nut 42 for the foot harness attachment arm 44 which is shown in FIG. 11 also.
FIG. 11 further shows the inline cable adjustor hook port 46. FIG. 12 shows the inline cable adjustor 48 connected to the inline cable adjustor hook port 46 with bolt 50. FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 further shows the routing of the excess cable 52. FIG. 10 further shows the rubber cushion 54 and 54a which is placed on top and at the bottom of the caudal kicker mechanism as a cover and noise reducer for the free siding block 40. FIG. 10 is completed with cover plate 56 which secures cushion 54 in place with screws (not illustrated). FIG. 13 shows the residential foot harness 38a which can be made of soft rubber, soft plastic or leather. FIG. 14 shows the hand harness 60 with the steel pulley D-ring hook 58 attached to the inserted alloy steel anchor plate 58a, illustrated by slotted lines; of the palm side of the hand harness 60. FIG. 15 shows the back side of the hand harness 60, with Velcro wrist band 60a. The hand harness 60 can be made of leather or nylon.
FIG. 3 shows the invention in its' collapsed position, with the double horizontal stem rods 18 inserted into the middle support base frame, the pectoral support base arms 12 folded in the upright position. (Not illustrated) is the caudal kicker fin system 32 folded up towards the glide bar 62. These three features make the invention considerably smaller and therefore ready for storage in many homes. FIG. 3 also shows the best position for the invention to be in while the user is getting on and off the machine. When getting on the machine 10 from the extended position the user will disengage the horizontal stem rod locking device 22 shown in FIG. 16 and bring the rear base support 10c forward and lock it in the forward position using the locking handle 20. The user will then place his/her torso on the torso support pad 64. The user will then insert his/her feet into the caudal kicker mechanism 36 foot harness 38 or 38a, and disengage the locking handle 20 and then push the entire rear section 10c away to the desired length and lock it in place again with locking handle 20.
With the torso, being the horizontal plane of the shoulders and the vertical spine. The two play a major role in a swimmers' ability to stay afloat. Because of its' greater surface area in the water, the torso must be kept under constant control. A swimmer has two major duties to carry out with the torso in the water. First, the swimmer has to control the legs to keep them high in the water. To establish this buoyant affect, swimmers press the upper body against the water to make the legs raise to eliminate drag, thus given the swimmer greater propulsion in the water. Second, the swimmer has to turn the torso to the side to minimize the contact surface area of the torso in the water during the swim stroke to achieve the maximum speed. All the above mentioned criteria will enable a human body, when executed properly to glide through water and stay afloat can be achieved with this current invention.
FIG. 2 shows the user in the horizontal position with torso pressed against the torso support pad 64. FIG. 2 best illustrates using arrows to indicate the motion of the torso support pad 64, as the user will press the chest downward during the simulated swim stroke. In FIG. 2 the torso arrows also shows the inventions' ability to cause the users' torso to slightly turn on its side during the simulated swim stroke, thus simulating minimizing the contact surface area in the water. This affect is caused through the mechanics of tension physics or tension force displacement. Recalling Newton's 2nd law, which simply states, “The alteration of motion is ever proportional to the motive force impressed, and is made in the direction of the right line in which the force is impressed.”
To further understand the mechanics of the invention; in FIG. 2 observe the long indicator arrows above and below the users' torso, as the user bends the elbow during the simulated swim stroke with the hands in the hand harness 60 and the cable 66 passing through the tension string pulley of the outer spring pulley assembly 68, and then passes through the tandem pulley of the central pulley system 70 before going on to connect to the inline cable adjustor 48 of the opposite foot. (These connections will be talked about more in detail later). The torso will be moved along the glide bar 62 in the direction of the tension. In essence the body becomes the cable, and the displacement force asserted on the body causes the movement and the exercise. Because the glide bar 62 is slightly curbed, the body becomes tilted to the side in the movement. This affect causes a pendulum motion that the user will have to control as well, thus causing the user to assert energy.
The completion of the elements list starts with FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 showing the dorsal column support 72; inserted into the dorsal column base 15 and secured with fasteners around its circumference (not illustrated). Further up the dorsal column support 72, the torso support pad hinge 74 with rotation arrows is attached to the top. The top of the dorsal column support 72 will be cut out to receive the hinge 74. FIG. 6 shows how the column top 70a will be a square, cut out of the trapezium shape of the dorsal column 72. FIG. 6; further shows the stop tilt mechanism 76 and the hinge 74 illustrated using slotted lines. FIG. 4 shows the torso pad 64 assembly with padding support plate 64a; the torso pad-to-glide bar mounting bracket 64b, bracket anchoring area Mc, screws 64d safety belt slots 64e. FIG. 5 shows the hinge 74 assembly with the stop tilt nipple 74a on left side with hinge release pin 74b, and anchor nut and washers 74c. FIG. 5 further shows the glide bar 62 assembly with bar-to hinge spacers 62a and anchoring bolts 62b, nuts and washers 74c.
Patent Application
20150328520
