Elliptical/treadmill exercise apparatus

Abstract

A common frame and display is employed for use as a treadmill and elliptical exercise apparatus. Interlock switches are used to lock out one system electrically while the other is in use. The elliptical system employs folding pedal arms which engage switches in a folded stowed state to disable or enable each system according to the folded state of the pedal arms. When the arms are folded, the treadmill mode is enabled and the elliptical mode is disabled and when unfolded, the elliptical system is enabled and the treadmill system is disabled. The display displays speed, elevation, and distance traveled in each mode and includes a resistance in each mode to vary the work load on the user.

1 . An exercise apparatus comprising: 
 a frame;    an electrically operated motorized treadmill exercise system attached to the frame for use in a treadmill exercise mode; and    an elliptical exercise system attached to the frame for use in an elliptical exercise mode, the treadmill and elliptical exercise systems each being arranged for selective independent exercise use in a corresponding treadmill and elliptical exercise mode.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the treadmill system includes an endless moving belt for treadmill exercising use by a user in the treadmill mode and the elliptical system includes a pair of foot pads for elliptical exercising use by a user in the elliptical mode, the pair of foot pads and belt being arranged in overlying relation in the elliptical mode.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the frame includes a pair of traction strips for stationary support of a user in the treadmill mode, the frame including a pair of guide tracks for use in the elliptical mode by the elliptical system.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the elliptical system includes first and second foot support pedal arms, each arm having first and second ends, the first ends being attached to a corresponding rotatable crank secured to the frame for imparting elliptical motion to the arms, the second end of each arm engaging a corresponding different track during the elliptical motion for imparting reciprocating motion to the second end.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the treadmill and elliptical systems include a corresponding electrical circuit include a control circuit for respectively enabling and disabling the electrical circuit of the corresponding one of said treadmill and elliptical systems.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein each foot pad is supported by a corresponding arm having first and second ends, each of which ends being selectively coupled to the frame in the elliptical mode and in a quiescent mode wherein the elliptical system is disabled.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the elliptical system includes elongated first and second foot support pedal arms each having opposite first and second ends, said arms each having a stowed disabled position.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the arms each including a foldable arrangement for folding at a location intermediate the ends for placement in the stowed position.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the frame includes first and second arm support elements for engaging the first ends in the stowed position and for disabling the elliptical system.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the treadmill and elliptical systems each include a corresponding display, the frame arm support elements each include a switch for electrically enabling and disabling the treadmill system and for electrically enabling and disabling the elliptical and treadmill system displays.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the frame arm support elements comprises a recess in the frame for mating with and receiving the arm first ends, said received arm first ends for engaging and operating the switches.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the treadmill and elliptical systems each have adjacent front and rear ends, said ends being adjacent to each other, further including an elevation device secured to the frame at the front end for elevating the front end in response to enabling the elliptical system.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the treadmill and elliptical systems each have adjacent front ends and adjacent rear ends, further including at least one upright secured to the frame at the front end and a system control and display console secured to the at least one upright for operating the treadmill system and for displaying treadmill and elliptical exercise related data.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein the frame has parallel sides extending to and between frame rear and front ends, and includes a traction and guide strip on each side extending between the rear and front ends.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the frame has parallel sides extending to and between frame rear and front ends, and includes a traction strip on each side extending between the frame rear and front ends, the elliptical system including elongated first and second foot support arms each having opposite first and second ends, the first ends for being rotatably supported relative to the frame at the front end and the second end for reciprocating along the sides on the traction strip.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the elliptical system comprises a crank arrangement including a pulley  124  and first and second cranks secured to the wheel and a pulley  124  support structure for rotatably attaching the pulley  124  to the frame, and first and second elongated foot support arms having first and second ends, wherein the first arm is attached at its first arm end to the first crank and the second arm is attached at its first arm end to the second crank, an arm track supported by the frame between the frame first and second ends, the first and second arms second end being supported by a corresponding track and for reciprocating on the corresponding track in response to rotation of the pulley  124 .  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the tracks comprise a traction strip for the treadmill system.  
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the arms are each foldable about a medial point between the first and second arm ends.  
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the arms are rotatable relative to the pulley  124  and further including at least one upright, the arms being rotatable to an arm disable position folded adjacent to the at least one upright.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein the frame has a front end at the at least one upright and including a treadmill disabling arrangement at the frame front end responsive to the arms being in the disable position.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 1  including an elevation apparatus connected to the frame and a control to operate the elevation apparatus to elevate the frame relative to a support when the treadmill exercise mode is switched to the elliptical exercise mode.  
     
     
         22 . An exercise apparatus comprising: 
 a frame having front and rear ends and opposite sides;    an upright attached to the frame at the front end;    a tread strip attached to the frame extending between the frame front and rear ends on each side of the frame;    a treadmill exercise system attached to the frame for use in a treadmill exercise mode including an endless belt rotatably secured to the frame between the front and rear ends; and    an elliptical exercise system attached to the frame for use in an elliptical exercise mode, the treadmill and elliptical exercise systems each being arranged for selective exercise use in a corresponding treadmill and elliptical exercise mode, the elliptical exercise system including a pair of elongated pedal arms attached to the frame and exhibiting elliptical motion and overlying the endless belt in one position and arranged to be displaced adjacent to the upright in a foldable stored disabled position.    
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  including treadmill disabling device coupled to the frame and responsive to the stored position of the arms for disabling the treadmill system and enabling the elliptical system.  
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 22  including a display for each said treadmill and elliptical systems wherein the disabling device includes at least one electrical switch for engaging an end of at least one of said arms in the stored position for activating a display for the elliptical system and for disabling the treadmill system.  
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 22  including an elevation apparatus for elevating the frame front end.  
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25  including a control responsive to the change of modes for automatically elevating the front end when the treadmill mode is changed to the elliptical mode.  
     
     
         27 . An exercise apparatus comprising: 
 a control and display panel;    a support structure;    an electrically operated motorized treadmill exercise system for use in a treadmill exercise mode; and    an elliptical exercise system for use in an elliptical exercise mode, the treadmill and elliptical exercise systems each being arranged for selective exercise use in a corresponding treadmill and elliptical exercise mode, both systems being coupled to the panel and secured to the support structure.    
     
     
         28 . An elliptical exercise system comprising: 
 apparatus for operating as a combined treadmill system and an elliptical exercise system, each system having a defined exercise path; and    an elevation device for elevating the combined systems to change the path of each system.    
     
     
         29 . A combined treadmill elliptical exercise system comprising: 
 apparatus for operating as a combined treadmill system and an elliptical exercise system; and    a common display and frame for use by both systems.    
     
     
         30 . The combined system of  claim 29  wherein the treadmill system includes an exercising endless belt and a drive motor for driving the treadmill belt, the system further including a coupling structure for permitting the elliptical system to drive the belt and drive motor during elliptical exercise wherein the driven drive motor is arranged to provide a resistance to the elliptical exercise system  
     
     
         31 . The combined system of  claim 30  including providing a user selected variable current to the belt drive motor to vary the resistance to the elliptical system.  
     
     
         32 . The combined system of  claim 29  wherein the treadmill system includes an endless exercise belt and the elliptical system includes a pair of pedal arms each including a foot pad, the arms having a rear end and including a roller at each arm rear end, the roller for rolling on the treadmill belt.  
     
     
         33 . The combined system of  claim 32  wherein at least one of said rollers has an axle and includes a clutch for limiting the free rolling direction of the at least one roller to only one angular direction about the axle and for locking the at least one roller to the axle in fixed relationship in a rolling direction about the axle opposite the one angular direction.  
     
     
         34 . The combined system of  claim 33  wherein the roller has a belt interface element of relatively high coefficient of friction to thereby frictionally engage the belt so as to move the belt in response to rearward movement of the corresponding pedal arm in the elliptical system operating mode in the roller locked state, the locked state occurring in the angular direction corresponding to the arm rearward movement.  
     
     
         35 . The combined system of  claim 33  wherein the at least one roller has a durometer of about Shore A 40-100.  
     
     
         36 . The combined system of  claim 33  wherein the at least one roller comprises the roller at each pedal arm rear end.  
     
     
         37 . The combined system of  claim 33  wherein the at least one roller comprises a pair of rollers, one roller at an end of each pedal arm.