Bed exercise machine
OwnerStephen Slenkerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An exercise machine mounted above one end of a bed, occupied by a bedridden patient or other supine user, has one or more double-ended ropes, each rope having a handle or a stirrup on each of its ends and a central loop tractively encircling a torque drum. Each torque drum is mounted for rotation against adjustably variable braking torque, which may be canceled in one direction of angular rotation by a one-way clutch. The handles and stirrups have adjustable rope engaging features, achieving infinitely variable rope lengths. Pulleys guide the ropes for substantially horizontal pulling reciprocation by the supine user, whose position may be braced or stabilized by torso-positioning rigid arms, such as adjustable telescoping spacer tubes, extending from the exercise machine to the user.
Claims9
An exercise device having a mounting board anchored above one end of a user's bed, providing exercise for a bedridden user's limbs, incorporating:
- at least one torque drum rotatably mounted on said exercise device mounting board,
- a length of rope having both ends extending substantially horizontal and presented near the user's legs, each rope end being provided with a limb-extremity engaging unit,
- said rope length having between said ends a central loop tractively encircling one said torque drum by at least one complete turn, for rotating said drum in response to tension force applied to each said rope end alternatively,
- and torso-positioning rigid arm means releasably connected between said mounting board and the user's torso, positioning the user longitudinally on the user's bed and counteracting user-displacing reaction force caused by exercising use imposing tension force on one said rope end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.