Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Dual action weightlifting machine

Dual action weightlifting machine description/claims

The present application is a Continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/363,677 filed on Feb. 28, 2006, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to exercise machines, and is particularly concerned with exercise machines of the type which simulate free weight barbell exercise movements.

2. Related Art

Weightlifting machines with weight bars for simulating barbells, also known as Smith machines, have been a fitness club staple for many years. The basic machine has a barbell attached to slide mechanisms which run on vertical guides on opposite sides of a stationary frame. This allows an exerciser to perform exercises with vertical up and down movement, such as squats, bench press exercises, and the like, but does not permit any horizontal movement. The exerciser does not have to worry about balancing the side-to-side or front-to-back movement of an independent, free weight bar. The premise is that this design provides an additional measure of safety and is easy for the neophyte to use.

The first Smith machines had the vertical guides running perpendicular to the floor, which worked well for some exercises such as squats but fought the natural chest-to-chin arcing movement of a bench press. Manufacturers soon started designing Smith machines that placed the vertical guides at a slight (five to seven degrees) angle. These new designs worked better for exercises which involved travel in a slight arc, but not as well for other exercise motions which tended to follow a straight line.

The next evolution came with the advent of composite motion or dual action Smith machines that provided simultaneous horizontal and vertical exercise motion. These designs allowed the exercise bar to follow a natural front-to-back exercise motion but still eliminated the side-to-side balancing worries. They provided a halfway point between the balance and coordination needed to perform free weight exercises and the security of a traditional Smith machine. These designs also provided the ability to perform exercises such as lunges which require greater horizontal movement.

Dual motion weightlifting machines typically have a horizontal exercise bar which is slidably mounted at its opposite ends on two vertical guide bars. Each vertical guide bar in turn is slidably mounted on horizontal guide bars at its upper and lower ends. This allows the exercise bar to move simultaneously in vertical and horizontal directions, so that the exerciser can perform a more natural feeling weightlifting exercise which allows for the natural horizontal movements of the arms while pushing a weight upwards. The weight bearing bar or exercise bar is normally a standard Olympic bar, which may have hooks attached to it on a rotatable sleeve for hooking onto pinning holes on vertical guides so as to hold the bar in a rest position. The usual weight for an Olympic bar is between forty and fifty pounds. By attaching hooks, bearings, and vertical slides, the weight is dramatically increased. In some cases, counterweights are added to help reduce the weight or inertia required to move the bar from a rest position. While this counterbalance offsets the vertical weight, horizontal weight is increased. It also adds to the complexity and expense of the machine.

Embodiments described herein provide for a dual action weightlifting machine which allows simultaneous horizontal and vertical movement of an exercise bar which is connected to slides on vertical guides which in turn are slidably linked with upper and lower horizontal guides.

According to one aspect, an exercise apparatus for performing simultaneous horizontal and vertical exercise movement is provided, which comprises a stationary frame having opposite sides, upper and lower horizontal guides mounted on the stationary frame, first and second spaced vertical guides slidably linked with the horizontal guides, each vertical guide offset out of vertical alignment with at least one of the horizontal guides, two vertical slides each slidably engaged with a respective vertical guide for vertical linear movement, and a weight bearing exercise bar extending horizontally between the vertical slides.

At least one horizontal guide may comprise a single horizontal guide bar and the other horizontal guide may comprise a pair of spaced horizontal guide bars. The single horizontal guide bar may be the upper or the lower horizontal guide. In one embodiment, the pair of horizontal guide bars is offset from the single horizontal guide bar and may be located at the opposite sides of the frame or offset from the frame sides. In an alternative embodiment, each horizontal guide may comprise a pair of spaced horizontal guide bars. In either embodiment, a traveling cross bar extending between the vertical guides may be slidably linked to the upper or lower horizontal guide bars. In some embodiments, upper and lower traveling cross bars extending between the vertical guides are slidably linked to the upper and lower horizontal guide bars, respectively. In another alternative embodiment, each horizontal guide may be a single horizontal guide bar, and traveling cross bars may link the two vertical guides adjacent each of the horizontal guide bars, with a horizontal slide or traveling member associated with each cross member and slidably engaging the respective horizontal guide bar.

In one embodiment, a traveling cross bar may link the upper or lower ends of the vertical guides, or two traveling cross bars may be provided, with an upper traveling cross bar linking the upper ends of the vertical guides and a lower traveling cross bar linking the lower ends of the vertical guides. By linking one or both ends of the vertical guides with a traveling cross bar which is associated with at least one traveling member to slidably engage an offset horizontal guide on the frame, the structure of the machine is simplified and greater stability is provided as compared to prior art arrangements in which both ends of the vertical guides have separate slides or traveling members which are slidably engaged with separate horizontal guide bars. This makes the structure more lightweight and easier to operate, and the offset between the upper and lower horizontal guides also increases stability and reduce free play.

According to another aspect, a dual action weightlifting machine is provided which comprises a vertical frame having upper and lower ends, a front, a rear, and opposite sides, vertically spaced upper and lower horizontal guides on the frame, a pair of spaced vertical guides slidably mounted on the upper and lower horizontal guides for horizontal sliding movement relative to the frame, at least one of the horizontal guides offset from the opposite sides of the frame, both vertical guides being slidably linked to the offset horizontal guide, and an exercise bar extending horizontally between the vertical guides and slidably mounted for vertical movement on the vertical guides, the exercise bar having opposite ends for receiving one or more selected weights.

In one embodiment, the offset horizontal guide comprises at least one first guide member mounted on the frame and a second traveling member which slidably engages the first member. In one embodiment, one or both horizontal guides comprise a single first member or guide member movably engaged by a single traveling member linked with both vertical guides. The use of a single horizontal guide member which is engaged by a single slide or traveling member secured to both vertical guides reduces the number of horizontal guides and slides required and also reduces the amount of traveling framework, and thus the weight of the traveling framework.

In one embodiment, one of the horizontal guides comprises a pair of horizontal guide bars and the other horizontal guide comprises a single horizontal guide bar, with all the horizontal guide bars being offset from one another. The vertical frame may comprise first and second pairs of vertical struts defining a generally rectangular frame, with each lower horizontal guide extending between a respective pair of vertical struts. In one embodiment, a cross bar extending between the vertical guides has a central portion slidably mounted on the single, upper horizontal guide, which may be centrally positioned in the frame. A first upper strut extends between one vertical strut of each pair and a second upper strut extends between the other vertical strut of each pair, and the single upper horizontal guide extends between upper struts at a central location spaced between the vertical guides. A suitable slide such as a sleeve, guide wheels, linear bearings or the like is slidably engaged on the single upper horizontal guide and linked to the cross bar extending between the vertical guides.

A single, centrally located upper horizontal guide bar may be provided in another alternative embodiment. This provides greater stability as the exercise bar is used, due to the offset between the upper and lower horizontal guide bars and the single sliding link which slidably connects both of the vertical guides to a single upper horizontal guide bar. The upper struts between which the upper horizontal guide bar is mounted may be arched upwardly to provide more headroom clearance.

In one embodiment, the frame has first and second pairs of upright struts, each pair having a front strut and a rear strut, and each upright strut having a plurality of spaced hooks or teeth facing the teeth of the other strut of the respective pair of struts and aligned with the teeth of the corresponding strut of the other pair of struts. The hooks are designed to receive and support the exercise bar in a rest position. When the user is in position gripping the exercise bar, they have the option of placing the bar on a pair of aligned hooks or teeth on the two front struts or a pair of aligned hooks or teeth on the two rear struts. Outer ends of the exercise bar outside the vertical guide on each side of the machine are placed directly onto the respective hooks or teeth at the end of an exercise or if a user is unable to finish an exercise. Safety stops are provided on each side of the frame for catching the bar if it is dropped.

In one embodiment, the weight bearing exercise bar comprises two end portions each having a vertical slide for slidably engaging a respective vertical guide, a weight receiving end projecting in one, outward direction from the slide and a shaft projecting in an opposite, inward direction from the slide, and a sleeve rotatably engaged on the shafts at its opposite ends. This makes the exercise bar much lighter, and the sleeve does not have any hooks or other devices for engaging on the stationary frame. Instead, each end portion engages directly on hooks provided on upright struts of the frame. The sleeve may have 360 degrees of unobstructed rotation to allow the user to perform a greater variety of exercises.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws