Weight Selecting Mechanism for Exercise Equipment

Abstract

An exercise machine including a weight stack composed of a plurality of separate weights; a lifting bar that extrudes through the weight stack of exercise machine disposed for movement within the weight stack where; a plurality of pins extendable from within each separate weight plate of the weight stack for removably securing a portion of the weight stack to the lifting bar and retracting within the weight plate, whereby the total weight carried by the lifting bar is determined by the portion of the weight stack removably secured to the lifting bar by plurality of pins, wherein the extension of the plurality of pins from within each weight plate of the weight stack secures the portion of the weight stack to the lifting bar and the retraction of the plurality of pins within each weight plate of the weight stack removes the portion of the weight stack from the lifting bar; a hand selector (a handle or bar manually controlled by user of exercise machine) for either engaging the selector pin within each weight plate to a specific section of the lifting bar within the weight stack or retracting the selector pin within each weight plate from a specific section of the lifting bar whereby movement of the hand selector in one direction extends a selector pin to add weights to the weight stack and movement in the other direction retracts a selector pin or pins to release weight plate(s) from the weight stack; a locking mechanism that prevents any movement of the weight plates and/or the lifting bar, controlled by the hand selector, when user is in motion to select designated weight increment, and a locking mechanism that prevents the user to select designated weight increment when user is in motion to perform workout (mid-set).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An exercise machine comprising:
 a weight stack composed of a plurality of separate weights;   a lifting bar disposed for movement within said weight stack;   a plurality of pin means extendible and retractable from within said separate weights for removably securing a portion of said weight stack to said lifting bar and retractable within said separate weights, wherein each selector pin means corresponds to one of said openings located on lifting bar whereby the total weight carded by the lifting bar is determined by the portion of said weight stack removably secured to said lifting bar by said selector pin means, wherein the extension of a selector pin means from within said separate weights secures said corresponding separate weight of said weight stack to said lifting bar and the retraction of said selector pin means within said separate weights remove said corresponding separate weight from said lifting bar;   a hand selector means operated by user mechanically, thereby contacting said selector pin means with one or more of said selector pin means to sequentially add or remove said separate weights from said weight stack.   
     
     
         2 . The exercise machine of  claim 1 , wherein said weight stack is vertically disposed. 
     
     
         3 . The exercise machine of  claim 1 , wherein said weight stack is disposed at an angle to the vertical plane. 
     
     
         4 . The exercise machine of  claim 1 , wherein said lifting bar is mechanically secured to a handlebar, whereby movement of said handlebar by a user of said exercise machine moves said lifting bar within said weight stack 
     
     
         5 . The exercise machine of  claim 4 , wherein said lifting bar is mechanically secured to said handlebar by a cable and pulley system 
     
     
         6 . The exercise machine of  claim 1 , wherein said separate weights include a plurality of pin means corresponding to each of said separate weights of said weight stack 
     
     
         7 . The exercise machine of  claim 1 , wherein said means for extending said selector pin means extends a selector pin means securing a corresponding number of said separate weights. 
     
     
         8 . A weight stack composed of a plurality of separate weights, said lifting bar comprising:
 a plurality of openings from within said lifting bar for securing a portion of said weight stack to said lifting bar, wherein each selector pin means provided by separate weight plates corresponds to one of said separate openings of said lifting bar whereby the total weight carded by the lifting bar is determined by the portion of said weight stack removably secured to said lifting bar by said selector pin means, wherein the extension of a selector pin means from within said separate weight plates secures said corresponding separate weight of said weight stack to said lifting bar and the retraction of said selector pin means within said separate weight plates removes said separate weight from said lifting bar;   a hand selector extending and retracting one or more of said selector pin means from within said separate weight plates, so that said separate weights of said weight stack may be changed;   
     
     
         9 . An exercise machine of  claim 1  comprises of:
 a locking mechanism that prevents any movement of the weight plates and/or the lifting bar, controlled by the hand selector, when user is in motion to select designated weight increment; 
 a locking mechanism that prevents the user to select designated weight increment when user is in motion to perform workout (mid-set). 
 
     
     
         10 . An exercise machine of  claim 1  comprises of the locking mechanism which prevents the hand selector from disengaging from its selected weight load while the user is performing the exercise (mid-set); when the user is in motion to select his or her desired weight load by moving hand selector to disengagement mode the weight stack is locked by weight stack locking mechanism; when the user is performing the exercise on the machine by moving handlebar or any other affixed pushing bars to a machine to perform a specific workout for a specific body part, the locking mechanism prevents the user from moving the hand selector and selecting a desired weight load by enabling the hand selector locking mechanism designed to prevent the hand selector from moving; the hand selector locking mechanism is a plate between the hand selector and weight stack which provides space between the hand selector and the weight stack, locking the hand selector so that the hand selector cannot be moved; this plate only comes into contact between the weight plates and the hand selector when the weight plates are in mid-set (user is performing exercise), due to the location of the hand selector locking mechanism. 
     
     
         11 . An exercise machine of  claim 1  comprises of the locking mechanism which locks the weight stack so that the user cannot perform the exercise while the user moves the hand selector to select the desired weight load; when hand selector is in the disengagement mode the hand selector moves weight stack locking mechanism over the weight stack, locking the weight stack and preventing the weight stack from moving; 
     
     
         12 . an exercise machine of  claim 1  comprises of a lifting bar which consists of a lifting bar with a plurality of openings, lifting bar openings, that line up with each individual weight plate; the present invention extends the lifting bar, lifting bar extension, so that it protrudes beyond the bottom of the weight stack to provide a much smoother motion for the user.