Variable resistance exercising device

Abstract

Disclosed is an exercising device in which stacked weights are manipulated by the user through a lever arm. A selected quantity of weights is raised and lowered on vertical guide rods by a lift rod. The lever arm is pivoted to the frame of the device and passes through a yoke in the upper end of the lift rod. A roller mounted in the yoke is carried on the upper surface of the lever arm. The lever arm is substantially horizontal when the device is at rest and as the lever arm is raised, the roller on the lift rod moves on the lever arm to reduce the user's mechanical advantage and increase his effective load. Also, as the lever arm is raised through its pivotal arc, a vectoring of the lifting force occurs, varying the portion of that force which is devoted to lifting of the weights, and thereby further increasing the effective load on the user. Further variations in resistance are possible by contouring the upper surface of the lever arm or the roller.

I claim: .[.1. An exercise device comprising: 
     
           An exercise device .[.as described in claim 2, in which.]. .Iadd.comprising.Iaddend.: .Iadd.a frame;   a lever arm pivotally mounted in said frame at a lever arm pivot and pivotally movable by a user through an exercise cycle;   user contact means interconnected with said lever arm for applying pivotal movement force thereto;   resistance means interconnected with said frame; and an interconnection mechanism interconnecting said resistance means to said lever arm at a lever arm connecting point disposed in spaced relation with said lever arm pivot, said interconnection mechanism having movement means movable in response to pivotal movement of said lever arm to vary the spaced relationship between said lever arm connecting point and said lever arm pivot;   wherein said interconnection mechanism movement means includes a yoke connected to said resistance means and disposed about a portion of said lever arm, and a yoke roller interconnected with said yoke and disposed to travel longitudinally along said lever arm during pivotal movement thereof;   guide means interconnected with said frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of said movement means; and wherein .Iaddend.   said lever arm has a non-linear contoured surface path; and   said roller of said interconnection mechanism travels along said path on   
     
     
        said lever arm. 4. An exercise device .[.as described in claim 2 in which.]. .Iadd.comprising.Iaddend.: .Iadd.a frame;   a lever arm pivotally mounted in said frame at a lever arm pivot and pivotally movable by a user through an exercise cycle;   user contact means interconnected with said lever arm for applying pivotal movement force thereto;   resistance means interconnected with said frame; and an interconnection mechanism interconnecting said resistance means to said lever arm at a lever arm connecting point disposed in spaced relation with said lever arm pivot, said interconnection mechanism having movement means movable in response to pivotal movement of said lever arm to vary the spaced relationship between said lever arm connecting point and said lever arm pivot;   wherein said interconnection mechanism movement means includes a yoke connected to said resistance means and disposed about a portion of said lever arm, and a yoke roller interconnected with said yoke and disposed to travel longitudinally along said lever arm during pivotal movement thereof;   guide means interconnected with said frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of said movement means; and wherein .Iaddend.   said roller of said interconnection mechanism has a non-circular contoured periphery with gear teeth and said lever arm has a substantially linear   
     
     
        rack gear engageable by said roller teeth. 5. An exercise device .[.as described in claim 1, in which.]..Iadd.comprising .Iaddend.: .Iadd.a frame;   a lever arm pivotally mounted in said frame at a lever arm pivot and pivotally movable by a user through an exercise cycle;   user contact means interconnected with said lever arm at a location remote from and in fixed relationship to the lever arm pivot for applying pivotal movement force thereto;   resistance means interconnected with said frame; and an interconnection mechanism interconnecting said resistance means to said lever arm at a lever arm connecting point disposed in spaced relationship with said lever arm pivot, said interconnection mechanism having movement means movable in response to pivotal movement of said lever arm to vary the spaced relationship between said lever arm connecting point and said lever arm pivot, and guide means interconnected with said frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of said movement means; .Iaddend.   said interconnection mechanism guide means .[.define.]. .Iadd.defining .Iaddend.a substantially linear path disposed in intersecting relationship with the longitudinal axis of said lever arm at all positions of said lever arm during its pivotal movement through said exercise cycle, and engageable by said movement means to guide said lever arm connecting point   
     
     
        along a predetermined path during movement of said lever arm. 6. An exercise device as described in claim 5, in which: said guide means of said interconnection mechanism includes a pair of upstanding rods mounted in said frame, one on each side of said lever arm and a pair of alignment rollers interconnected with said movement means of   
     
     
        said interconnection mechanism and disposed to travel along said rods. 7. An exercise device .[.as described in claim 5, in which.]. .Iadd.comprising.Iaddend.: .Iadd. a frame;   a lever arm pivotally mounted in said frame at a lever arm pivot and pivotally movable by a user through an exercise cycle;   user contact means interconnected with said lever arm for applying pivotal movement force thereto;   resistance means interconnected with said frame; and an interconnection mechanism interconnecting said resistance means to said lever arm at a lever arm connecting point disposed in spaced relationship with said lever arm pivot, said interconnection mechanism having movement means movable in response to pivotal movement of said lever arm to vary the spaced relationship between said lever arm connecting point and said lever arm pivot, and guide means interconnected with said frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of said movement means;   said interconnection mechanism guide means defining a substantially linear path disposed in intersecting relationship with the longitudinal axis of said lever arm at all positions of said lever arm during its pivotal movement through said exercise cycle, and engageable by said movement means to guide said lever arm connecting point along a predetermined path during movement of said lever arm; and wherein .Iaddend.   said guide means of said interconnection mechanism includes a guide arm having a proximal end pivotally mounted to said frame in spaced relationship with said lever arm pivot and a distal end interconnected   
     
     
        with said movement means of said interconnection mechanism. 8. An exercise device .[.as described in claim 1, in which:.]..Iadd.comprising a frame; a lever arm pivotally mounted in said frame at a lever arm pivot and pivotally movable by a user through an exercise cycle;   user contact means interconnected with said lever arm at a location remote from and in fixed relationship relative to the lever arm pivot for applying pivotal movement force thereto;   resistance means interconnected with said frame; and an interconnection mechanism interconnecting said resistance means to said lever arm at a lever arm connecting point disposed in spaced relationship with said lever arm pivot, said interconnection mechanism having movement means movable in response to pivotal movement of said lever arm to vary the spaced relationship between said lever arm connecting point and said lever arm pivot, and guide means interconnected with said frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of said movement means; .Iaddend.   said interconnection mechanism movement means .[.includes.]. .Iadd.including .Iaddend.roller means interconnected with said resistance means and disposed to move longitudinally with respect to said lever arm upon pivotal movement of said lever arm to vary the spaced relationship between said lever arm connecting point and said lever arm pivot; and   said interconnection mechanism guide means .[.includes.]. .Iadd.including .Iaddend.a rigid member interconnected with said frame and said roller means and disposed to guide said roller means along a predetermined path   
     
     
        during movement of said lever arm through said exercise cycle. 9. An exercise device comprising: a frame;   resistance means mounted to said frame;   a lever arm mounted in said frame .Iadd.and movable about a pivot axis fixed relative to the lever arm and the frame.Iaddend.;   user contact means interconnected with said lever arm and disposed to move said lever arm in said frame;   coupling means interconnecting said resistance means and said lever arm, said coupling means includes movement means movable in response to movement of said lever arm to vary the point of interconnection between said resistance means and said lever arm; and   guide means interconnected with said frame and disposed to engage and guide the movement of said coupling means along a path adapted to vary the manner in which said resistance of said resistance means is levered and   
     
     
        vectored to resist movement of said lever arm. 10. An exercise device as described in claim 9 in which: said resistance means includes a stack of weights mounted in said frame and vertically movable with respect thereto; and   said coupling means includes a vertically disposed rod having a lower end interconnected with said weights and having a roller mounted on the upper end thereof, said roller being disposed to travel longitudinally along said lever arm as said lever arm .Iadd.is moved .Iaddend.with respect to   
     
     
        said frame. 11. An exercise device as described in claim 10 in which: said lever arm is pivotally mounted in said frame; and   said user contact means is disposed to permit pivotal movement of said   
     
     
        lever arm. 12. An exercise device as described in claim 11, in which: said guide means includes a rigid member defining a substantially linear path disposed for engagement by said coupling means to vary the distance between said lever arm pivot point and the point of interconnection between said resistance means and said lever arm during movement of said lever arm with respect to said frame. .Iadd. 13. An exercise device comprising:   a frame;   a lever arm pivotally mounted in the frame at a lever arm pivot and pivotally movable by a user through an exercise cycle;   user contact means attached to an end of the lever arm remote from and in fixed relationship relative to the pivot for applying a pivotal movement force to the lever arm during an exercise cycle;   resistance means interconnected with the frame;   and an interconnection mechanism interconnecting the resistance means to the lever arm at a lever arm connecting point located in spaced relationship with the lever arm pivot, the interconnection mechanism having movement means movable in response to pivotal movement of the lever arm to vary the spacing along the lever arm between the lever arm connecting point and the pivot, and guide means interconnected with the frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of the movement means..Iaddend. .Iadd. 14. An exercise device comprising a frame;   a lever arm pivotally mounted in the frame for pivotal motion about a pivot axis on the frame during an exercise cycle, the lever arm including user contact means at a point remote from and in fixed relationship relative to the pivot axis;   resistance means attached to the frame;   and an interconnection mechanism connected with the resistance means and the lever arm for applying a force generated by the resistance means to the lever arm at a lever arm force applying point intermediate the user contact means and the pivot axis;   movement means inducing relative movement between the mechanism and the lever arm over a portion of the length of the latter when the lever arm is pivoted through an exercise cycle to vary the point of interconnection between the resistance means and the lever arm, so that during an exercise cycle the effective moment arms of the resistance means and the user contact means about the pivot axis vary during an exercise cycle;   and guide means interconnected with the frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of the movement means; whereby the force that must be applied by a user to the user contact means to move the lever arm in opposition to the resistance means varies over the course of the exercise cycle. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 15. An exercise device comprising a frame;   a lever arm mounted in the frame for movement about a pivot axis fixed relative to the frame and the lever arm, the lever arm including handle means spaced from the pivot axis for applying a force to the lever arm for pivotally moving the lever arm about the axis through an exercise cycle;   resistance means connected to the frame;   and an interconnection mechanism interconnecting the resistance means with the lever arm at an interconnection point spaced from the pivot axis, the interconnection mechanism including movement means movable in response to a pivotal movement of the lever arm to vary the point of interconnection between the resistance means and the lever arm along the length of the lever arm and guide means interconnected with the frame to define the path of movement of the movement means so that during a portion of the exercise cycle the interconnection point moves closer to the handle means as the lever arm pivots about the axis during a first portion of an exercise cycle and moves farther away from the handle means as the lever arm pivots about the axis during a second portion of the exercise cycle; whereby, during an exercise cycle, the user is subjected to decreasing and incrasing mechanical advantages and a corresponding increase and decrease in the resistance from the resistance means at the handle means during portions of the exercise cycle. .Iaddend..Iadd. 16. A device according to claim 15 wherein the force applying means is disposed intermediate the pivot axis and the handle means so that mechanical advantage decreases and the resistance from the resistance means at the handle means increases during the first portion of the exercise cycle. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 17. An exercise device comprising:   a frame,   means defining a pivot in the frame, upright post means mounted to the frame and horizontally spaced from the pivot;   a lever arm having a first end attached to the pivot for pivotal motion relative to the frame about an axis of the pivot, the pivot axis being fixed relative to the frame and the lever arm, the lever arm further comprising a second end spaced from the pivot and defining handle means, the handle means being disposed on the side of the post means opposite from the pivot axis;   a weight interconnected with the post means for movement therealong;   a mechanism connected with the weight and engaging the lever arm at an interconnecting point located intermediate the handle means and the pivot axis where a load generated by the weight is applied to the lever arm, the mechanism including movement means movable relative to the lever arm along a portion of the length thereof to vary the interconnecting point between the weight and the lever arm and to thereby move the load relative to the lever arm along a portion of the length thereof in response to a pivotal motion of the lever arm;   and means interconnected with the frame for guiding the mechanism along the post means; whereby the application of a force to the handle means to pivot the lever arm about the pivot axis in opposition to the load from a first position to a second position causes a relative movement of the mechanism along the lever arm and moves the load along the lever arm closer to the handle means so that the force that must be applied to the handle means to overcome the load must be correspondingly increased. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 18. A device according to claim 17 wherein the mechanism includes low friction means engaging the post means for movement therealong. .Iaddend..Iadd. 19. A device according to claim 17 wherein the mechanism includes a roller engaging the lever arm at the force applying point and movable along the lever arm when it is pivoted about the pivot axis. .Iaddend..Iadd. 20. A device according to claim 17 including a plurality of independent weights movable along the post means, and including means for varying the number of weights connected to the mechanism. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 21. An exercise device comprising:   a frame defining a base, upright post means and a pivot shaft having a substantially horizontal pivot axis attached to the frame and horizontally spaced from the post means;   a lever arm mounted in the frame and engaging the pivot for pivotal movement about the pivot axis, the lever arm being fixed against longitudinal movement with respect to the pivot axis, the lever arm extending in a direction transverse to the post means from the axis past the post means and terminating in handle means disposed on a side of the post means opposite the pivot axis;   a weight movable along the post means;   a mechanism for connecting the weight to the lever arm and including means movably mounting the mechanism for movement relative to the frame parallel to the post means, the mechanism including movement means engaging the lever arm and applying the weight to the lever arm at a point located intermediate the pivot axis and the handle means, the movement means including means permitting relative motion between the lever arm and the mechanism for shifting the location of the point along the lever arm when the lever arm pivots about the axis;   and guide means interconnected with the frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of the mechanism;   so that a user can pivot the handle means and the lever arm about the pivot axis between a first position and a second position during an exercising cycle by applying a corresponding exercise force to the handle means, the pivotal movement of the lever arm resulting in an increase of the exercise force during one portion of the exercising cycle and a corresponding decrease of the exercise force during a second portion of the exercising cycle to move the weight along the post means. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 22. An exercise device comprising:   a frame;   a lever arm pivotally movably mounted in said frame at a lever arm pivot, which is fixed relative to the frame and lever arm, for movement of the lever arm by a user through an exercise cycle;   user contact means interconnected with said lever arm for applying pivotal movement force thereto;   resistance means interconnected with said frame; and an interconnection mechanism interconnecting said resistance means to said lever arm at a lever arm connecting point disposed in spaced relation with said lever arm pivot, said interconnection mechanism having movement means movable in response to pivotal movement of said lever arm to vary the spaced relationship between said lever arm connecting point and said lever arm pivot;   wherein said interconnection mechanism movement means includes a yoke connected to said resistance means and disposed about a portion of said lever arm, and a yoke roller interconnected with said yoke and disposed to travel longitudinally along said lever arm during pivotal movement thereof;   and guide means interconnected with said frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of said movement means. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 23. An exercise device comprising:   a frame;   a lever arm pivotally mounted in said frame at a lever arm pivot and pivotally movable about the pivot by a user through an exercise cycle, the lever arm being fixed against longitudinal movement with respect to the pivot;   user contact means interconnected with said lever arm for applying pivotal movement force thereto;   resistance means interconnected with said frame, and an interconnection mechanism interconnecting said resistance means to said lever arm at a lever arm connecting point disposed in spaced relationship with said lever arm pivot, said interconnection mechansim having movement means movable in response to pivotal movement of said lever arm to vary the spaced relationship between said lever arm connecting point and said lever arm pivot to correspondingly vary the point of interconnection between said resistance means and said lever arm, and guide means interconnected with said frame and disposed to direct the path of movement of said movement means. .Iaddend.