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Cross trainer exercise apparatus

Cross trainer exercise apparatus description/claims

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC Section 119 to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/534,904 filed Jan. 8, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein. This application is also a continuation in part of and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. Sections 119 and 120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/294,017 filed Nov. 13, 2002 which claims priority to Provisional application No. 60/337,498 filed Nov. 13, 2001. The disclosures of all of the foregoing applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety as if fully set forth herein.

The present invention relates to physical exercise machines and more particularly to an exercise apparatus that enables users to perform a simulated walking, running or other back and forth leg movement exercise.

Exercise machines for simulating walking or running are known and used for directing the movement of a user's legs and feet in a variety of repetitive paths of travel. Machines commonly referred to as elliptical path machines have been designed to pivot the foot pedals on which the user's feet reside causing the pedals and the user's feet to travel in an elliptical or arcuate path. The angular degree of pivoting of the foot pedals in such elliptical or arcuate machines changes as the foot pedal travels from back to front and front to back along the path of travel or translation of the user's foot, by typically more than about 3 degrees and more typically more than 10-30 degrees. The path of travel of the foot pedal in such machines is not adjustable other than to change the shape of the ellipse. The foot travels along a different path from back to front than from front to back in such elliptical machines. There is no provision in such prior apparati for incorporating upper body exercise. There is no provision of a handle or hand grip that is interconnected to a foot pedal which together move/pivot simultaneously in the same back or forth direction.

In accordance with the invention there is provided an apparatus for simulating a back and forth leg movement, the apparatus comprising:

a pair of pivotable support mechanisms supported on a frame,

a pair of foot pedals mounted on the support mechanism for back and forth movement along an arcuate path of translation movement,

wherein the pedals have a generally planar foot sole receiving surface and wherein the foot pedals are pivotably mounted in an arrangement on the support mechanisms such that the sole receiving surfaces of the foot pedals pivot or rotate less than about three degrees during the back and forth movement of the support mechanisms and preferably less than about 2.5 degrees.

The foot pedals are preferably mounted in an arrangement on the support mechanisms such that the sole receiving surfaces remain generally coplanar with a fixed reference plane during the back and forth movement of the support mechanisms.

The support mechanisms preferably comprise a pair of four bar linkage mechanisms that each have opposing back and front link lengths that are substantially equal to each other and opposing upper and lower link widths that are substantially equal to each other. The foot pedals comprise or are otherwise mounted on the lower link of each four bar linkage.

There is also provided an apparatus for simulating a back and forth leg or foot movement, the apparatus comprising:

a pair of pivotable support mechanisms supported on a frame,

a pair of foot pedals mounted on the support mechanisms for back and forth movement along an arcuate path of translation movement,

wherein the pedals have a generally planar foot sole receiving surface and wherein the foot pedals are pivotably mounted in an arrangement on the support mechanisms such that the sole receiving surfaces of the foot pedals pivot or rotate less than about three degrees during the back and forth movement of the support mechanisms. The foot pedals are mounted in an arrangement on the support mechanisms such that the sole receiving surfaces remain generally coplanar with a fixed reference plane during the back and forth movement of the support mechanisms.

Further in accordance with the invention there is provided, an apparatus for simulating a back and forth leg or foot movement comprising:

a pair of foot pedals each having a foot sole receiving surface,

the foot pedals being mounted on a frame for movement in a back and forth direction along an arcuate path between forwardmost and rearwardmost positions; a pair of manually graspable input arms and/or handles each pivotably interconnected to a respective one of the foot pedals for pivoting movement in the same back or forth direction as an interconnected foot pedal moves; wherein pushing or pulling of an arm and/or handle by a user in the back or forth direction inputs force or energy to movement of a pedal interconnected to an arm and/or handle.

There is further provided an apparatus for simulating a back and forth leg or foot movement comprising a pair of left and right foot pedals each having a foot sole receiving surface, the foot pedals being mounted on a frame for movement in a back and forth direction along an arcuate path between forwardmost and rearwardmost positions;

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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