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US 6,042,523 AGranted
Therapeutic exercise apparatus and method
OwnerGary A. Grahaminventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A therapeutic exercise machine particularly adapted for restoring and/or maintaining the range of motion for post operative patients and for general therapeutic use. There is a carriage assembly mounted for back and forth longitudinal motion along a support frame. A plurality of tensioning cords urge the carriage frame to a forward location, and there is a contact plate mounted to the carriage frame. The person using the machine presses his or her feet or hands against the contact plate and moves it back and forth against the force of the tensioning cords. The tensioning cords are arranged so that there is an operating end that can be selectively attached to the front of the frame or to the carriage frame to vary the magnitude of the tensioning force.
Claims23
An exercise apparatus comprising:
- a) a support frame having a front end, a rear end, and a longitudinal axis, said support frame comprising a longitudinally extending rail means;
- b) a carriage assembly comprising:
- i. a carriage unit mounted to the support frame and engaging the rail means for back and forth travel along the longitudinal axis;
- ii. a contact member mounted to the carriage unit and adapted to be engaged by a person to exert a rearwardly directed force on the contact member;
- c) said carriage unit having a front end and a rear end and comprising:
- i.) a carriage housing;
- ii.) rail engaging support means to engage the rail means for said back and forth travel;
- iii.) a tensioning system arranged for operative engagement between the carriage assembly and the support frame to exert a forward force on the carriage assembly to urge the carriage assembly in a forward direction;
- d) said tensioning system comprising:
- i.) a plurality of selectively operable elastic tension cords, each having an anchor end which is connected at a forward location on the carriage assembly to a first anchoring attaching portion of the carriage assembly and an operating attachment end by which said operating attachment end can be selectively attached;
- ii.) a second cord attaching portion of the carriage assembly located at the forward end of the carriage assembly and comprising a a second stowing attaching portion to engage selectively the operating attachment ends of the cords at selectively engaged stowing locations at the forward end of the carriage;
- iii.) a pulley section located at the rear end of the carriage assembly and comprising a plurality of pulleys, engaging related cords, with the cords extending from the forward anchoring location rearwardly to extend around related pulleys, and then forwardly from the pulleys to a forward location of the carriage assembly;
- iv.) a third selectively engaged attaching portion mounted at a front end location of the support frame to connect selectively to the operating attachment ends of the cords,
- whereby the operating attachment ends of the cords can be attached to the second attaching portion of the carriage assembly so that the cords are in a stowed position in the carriage assembly, and one or more of the operating attachment ends of the cords can be detached from the second attaching portion and engaged with the third selectively engaged attaching portion, so that when a person is utilizing the apparatus by pushing against the contact member to move the carriage assembly rearwardly, one or more tension cords attached to the third attaching portion exert a tension force on the carriage assembly to return the carriage assembly to a more forward location.
11 more elements
An exercise apparatus comprising:
- a) a support structure having a front end, a rear end, and a longitudinal axis;
- b) a carriage assembly comprising mounted to the support structure for back and forth travel along the longitudinal axis and having a contact portion adapted to be engaged by a person to exert a rearwardly directed force on the contact member, said carriage unit having a front end and a rear end;
- c) a tensioning system arranged for operative engagement between the carriage assembly and the support structure to exert a forward force on the carriage assembly to urge the carriage assembly in a forward direction, said tensioning system comprising:
- i.) a plurality of selectively operable elastic tension cords, each having a first anchor end attached to a forward portion of the carriage assembly, and a second end;
- ii.) a carriage cord attaching portion which is located at the forward portion of the carriage assembly and to which each of the second ends of the cords can be selectively attached;
- iii.) a support structure cord attaching portion which is located at a forward part of the support structure and to which each of the second ends of the cords can be selectively attached;
- iv.) a pulley section which is located at a rear portion of the carriage assembly;
- v.) the cords being positioned to extend from a forward anchoring location at the forward portion of the carriage rearwardly to extend around the pulley section, and then forwardly from the pulley section to be selectively attached to the carriage cord attaching portion or to the support structured attaching portion;
- whereby the second ends of the cords can be attached to the carriage cord attaching portion so that the cords are in a stowed position and on or more of the second ends of the cords can be detached from the carriage cord attaching portion and attached to the support structure cord attaching portion so that when a person is utilizing the apparatus by pushing against the contact portion to move the carriage assembly rearwardly, the one or more tension cords attached to the support structure cord attaching portion exert a tension force on the carriage assembly to return the carriage assembly to a more forward location.
6 more elements
The apparatus as recited in 21, wherein said support structure attaching portion has a plurality of laterally spaced support structure connecting locations which are aligned with the connecting locations of the carriage cord attaching locations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.