Exercising device

Oct 15, 1935.

2,017,128

F. O’NEILL, JR

EXERCISING DEVICE

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Oct 15, 1935.

2,017,128

F. O’NEILL, JR

EXERCISING DEVICE

Filed Sept. 12, 1934 ₂ Sheets-Sheet 2

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Patented Oct. 15, 1935

2,017,128

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,017,128 EXERCISING DEVICE Frank O’Neill, Jr., New York, N. Y.

Application September 12, 1934, Serial No. 743,691 (Cl. 272—69)

Structurally the hinged supports may be sheet metal pieces flanged at the edges as at 19, in box form, to stiffen them and to provide the end and side bearing surfaces 28, 21. These bottom and side bearing surfaces may be faced with rubber 5 or other suitable cushioning material such as shown at 22, and which may be in the form of continuous strips of facing material. The other side flanges 23 of the legs provide bearing faces to which the hinge leaves may be spot welded or 10 otherwise suitably secured as indicated at 24. The companion leaves of these leg hinges may be spot welded or otherwise secured to the top plate as indicated at 25. The top flanges 26 of the legs also serve a special purpose, in that in the up- 15 right position they abut the underside of the top to solidly support the latter and to take part of the load off the hinges.

The opposite, and what may ordinarily be the lower .end of the platform is supported in the 20 illustration by somewhat similar hinged feet 27, having flanges 28, faced with strips 30 of rubber or other suitable cushioning friction material.

Uprights 31 are provided for supporting a handle, hand grips, a belt, or the like, and these are 25 combined in the present disclosure with the feet 27, the latter being shown as lower extensions of these uprights. The stay-rods 12, provide the pivotal mountings for these combined legs and uprights. A preferred arrangement of these parts ³⁰is indicated in Fig. 4, where the stay-rod is shown as extending through bushings 33, secured in the side flanges 11, these bushings having washers 34 at the outside providing thrust bearings for the legs, which latter are held in position by cap ³⁵nuts 35, screwed on the ends of the rod against washers 36.

To securely hold the uprights in the position of use, hinge braces 37 are provided pivotally connected at 38 and 39, with the uprights and ^4Uwith the side flanges of the base. For holding these hinged braces in their extended supporting relation; slide rings 40 are shown, which as will be clear in Fig. 1, may be slid backwardly or up- ₄₅wardly to release the extensions 4 i of the lower brace arms and permit these braces to break at the center pivots 42.

The upper ends of the upright members are shown connected together in spaced relation by 50 a rod 43, secured thereto by the cap nuts 44.

The apparatus may be used by simply grasping the cross rod 43 as a handle and walking the belt as a treadmill. More interest and exercise are attained however by the use of spring ten- 55

Claims.

This invention relates to exercising devices of the treadmill type.

Special objects of the invention are to provide an exerciser of the type mentioned, which will be 5 relatively simple and of light, compact design, foldable to occupy small space, adjustable to suit different individuals, quiet in use, thoroughly practical and inexpensive as to cost.

These and other desirable objects are attained 10 by the novel features of construction, combinations and relations of parts hereinafter described, broadly claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The drawings referred to show by way of exam15 pie one of the practical embodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood that the structure may be modified and changed in various ways all within the intent and broad scope of the claims.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the invention as in use. ..

Fig. 2 is a broken plan view illustrating the apparatus in its folded form.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the device.

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged broken sectional details as on lines 4—4 and 5—5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a broken sectional view showing the supports folded under to lower the platform to horizontal position.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional detail as on line 7—7 of Fig. 1. . ,,

The base of the apparatus consists m the present disclosure of a single plate of sheet metal 10, reinforced and stiffened by the turned down edge 35 flanges I f, braced together at the end and intermediate portions by the cross rods 12, 13; 14.

At the ends, between the down turned edge flanges, the top portion of the base is rolled downwardly and inwardly at 15, to form curved 40 guides for the track surface, which is shown as an endless belt 16, travelling over the top and around these curved guides. This belt may be any suitable flexible fabric.

A special feature of the present invention is 45 that the platform may be supported either in inclined or horizontal relation to suit different methods of exercise.

In Fig. 1, the base or platform is shown supported in the inclined position suitable for walk50 ing or running exercises, sustained so by the legs or supports 17. The latter are indicated as hingedly connected with the top at ί 8, so that they can be folded under as at Fig. 6 to then maintain the base in a substantially horizontal 55 position.

2,017,128 sioned pull cords carrying hand grips or a body encircling belt.

In Figs. 1 and 3, such pull cords are shown at 45, passing over pulleys 46, journalled on end 5 portions of the handle bar 43, and extending downwardly and thence upwardly about pulleys 47, journalled on end portions of the lower stay rod 12 and attached to springs 48, having hooks 49, which may be caught in different openings 10 50, in the uprights..

An abdominal belt 51, may- he hooked; or otherwise detachably secured to the ends of the spring tensioned pull cords, or individual hand; grips such as shown at 52, may be caught in 15 rings 53, on the cords, or other body engaging or handle members may be connected'with such cords.

In the use of the abdominal belt, it is particularly desirable that the pull against the abdo20 men be in an upward direction. Accordingly, the uprights should be high enough to give this upward lift to the abdominal organs. For this purpose, the uprights may be made- vertically adjustable as by having the slidable sections 25 54, at the upper ends of the same, which can be secured at the proper height to give this desired effect as by the thumb nuts 55, on bolts 56, which extend through the slots: 5T, in the adjustable end sections.

To prevent cramping of the pulleys 46 and 47 at the upper and lower ends of the uprights, the latter are shown as formed with the doubled back or return bent portions 58, 59, forming pulley receiving yokes, which are prevented from 35 collapse by the angularly bent ends 60’, 51, in abutment with the sides of the uprights.

Constructed as described, the apparatus while relatively light, is rugged and strong, and can be produced and sold at relatively lbw cost.. 40 When the slide rings 40; are slipped back, the uprights can be folded down over the base, as indicated in Fig. 2, so as: to occupy but small space, in which condition· it may be stored in a closet or the like. The apparatus may be as 45 easily unfolded and set up for use. In the inclined relation Fig. 1, agreeable and helpful exercise may be had by an easy walking motion and this may be made as strenuous or as mild as the individual desires. The uplifting effect on 50 the abdomen may be varied by changing the connections of the springs with the uprights and by raising or lowering the upper pulley supporting sections of the uprights. By folding under the supporting legs 17, the platform may be 55 brought down to the substantially horizontal position. In this relation it serves as a standing platform for an operator using the pull cords in the familiar weight lifting exercises. The sub. stantially flat supporting plate with its down60 wardly curved ends provides the necessary friction as well as the entire support for the endless tread band, eliminating the need; for any' rollers, slats or the like, such as heretofore considered necessary in apparatus of this character. The 65 elimination of rollers for the· belt also makes the device entirely safe for either very young or very old or feeble persons? to use. The belt is guided in. its travel between the smooth inner faces of the legs, i 7 and these-as. indicated in 70 Fig. 7, are rigidly braced, and coupled together by a tie rod. indicated at 62. The end portions of. the downwardly bent edge flanges of the. base plate cover the downwardly curved end parts of ^said base plate and the end stays 12 and 14 ex75 tend within the curled under portions as shown in Fig. 1, so that the parts are well secured together and the nuts may be set up as tightly as desired without collapsing the edge flanges.

The tie rod 62, connecting the legs 23 confines and supports the lower run of the belt in the 5 folded condition indicated in Fig. 6. In either the inclined or the horizontal positions, the apparatus may be used by lying on the back and grasping the spring tensioned handles 52, and working the legs, using, the upper cross bar 43, 10 if desired, as a foot rest, or pressure bar. The springs 48 may be interposed in the inside runs of the cords 45, that is, in the lengths extending between the upper pulleys 46 .and the lower pulleys 47. The term “Hiker” has been applied 15 to the- machine as a trade-mark. The inwardly bent yokes at the upper and lower ends of the uprights serve as housings and guides for the pulleys and also as guides for the cords running over the pulleys. These yokes also act as guards 20 for protecting the hands from the- pulleys. The spaced legs for the upper end of the platform may act as guides for the lower run of the belt in the folded as well as in the supporting position· as will be clear from Figs. 6 and 7. 25