US3261606A - Rowing-type exercising equipment - Google Patents

Description

July 19, 1966 P. ELIA ETAL 3,261,606

ROWING-TYPE EXERCISING EQUIPMENT Filed July 31, 1964 Inventors Pe'rpos iL/A k/z/ L/A Attorney United States Patent 3,261,606 RQWING-TYPE EXERCISING EQUIPMENT Petr-0s Elia and Kiki Elia, both of 7 Lowther Hill, London SE. 23, England Filed July 31, 1964, Ser. No. 386,706 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Aug. 14, 1963, 32,169/ 63 Claims. (Cl. 272-72) This invention relates to equipment for physical training, and aims at the provision of simple and effective means for rowing exercises.

The invention consists in rowing-type exercising equipment comprising a frame incorporating parallel side limbs, a seat, two supports beneath the seat, one adjacent to each side thereof, each support being formed of a pair of levers pivoted together scissors-fashion at an intermediate point of their length, the said seat being carried by the upper ends of said pairs of levers, and the upper end of at least one lever of each pair being movable in relation to the seat, roller means mounted on the lower ends of said levers, running on the parallel side-limbs of said frame serving as rails, pulleys mounted in said frame, a flexible cable running round said pulleys and looped round the said rollers mounted at the lower ends of said seat supports, one end of said cable being secured to a fixed point of said frame, and the other end of the cable being provided with gripping means to facilitate hauling on the cable by an operator sitting on said seat, in order to cause a scissors movement of said pairs of levers, and thereby lift said seat upwards from the said side-limbs of the frame.

The invention will he clearly understood from the following description of one form (given, however, merely by way of example, which it may assume, and this decription will be more readily followed by reference to the accompanying drawing representing in side elevation one form of rowing machine in accordance with the invention.

In one form of rowing machine in accordance with the invention as shown in the aforesaid drawing a tubular base frame comprises two comparatively closely spaced parallel sides 57 with an upturned widened rectangular loop- 59 at the forward end, the frame being supported on splayed legs 58 at the front and rear ends respectively.

The side limbs 57 serve as rails for wheels 61 at the lower ends of two pairs of scissors-lever supports 62 carrying a padded framed seat 60. The upper ends of the supports 62 are movably connected to the sides of the frame by pinend-slot connections, as illustrated. A cable 32, with handlebar 33, runs over pulleys 63, 64- on shafts mounted in the loop 59, and encircles, at 66, pulleys on the shafts of the two pairs of wheels 61 beneath the seat '60. The rear end of the cable 32 is looped as at 65 over a cross-bar of the rear legs 58.

When an operator seats himself on the seat 60, and pulls on the bar 33 and cable 32, in the manner of rowing practice, the cable 32 will first draw together the pairs of wheels 61 to rock the pairs of scissors levers 62 and thus lift the seat 60 with the operator thereon.

The operator having thus raised the seat by the handlebar 33, may place his feet against the side limbs of the loop 59, or against footrests (not shown) secured thereto, and is then in a position to perform the conventional rowing operation by pulling on the handlebar 33 while sliding the seat 60 on the rails 57 in the usual manner.

From the above description it will be seen that the invention provides a simple and effective rowing machine for physical training, but it should be understood that the invention is not limited solely to the details of the forms described above, which may be modified, in order to meet various conditions and requirements encountered, Without departing from the scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. Rowing-type exercising equipment comprising a frame incorporating parallel side limits, a seat, two supports beneath the seat, one adjacent to each side thereof, each support being formed of a pair of levers pivoted together scissors-fashion at an intermediate point of their length, the said seat being carried by the upper ends of said pairs of levers, and the upper end of at least one lever of each pair being movable in relation to the seat, means connecting the lower ends of the two forward levers, further means connecting the lower ends of the two rearward levers, said means and said further means each having portions to run on said parallel side limbs, said means and said further means each having intermediate portions for receiving a cable thereover, pulleys mounted in said frame, a flexible cable running around said pulleys and looped around said intermediate portions of said means and of said further means, one end of said cable being secured to a fixed point of said frame, and the other end of the cable being provided with gripping means to facilitate hauling on the cable by an operator sitting on said seat, in order to cause a scissors movement of said pairs of levers, and thereby lift said seat upwards from the said side-limbs of the frame.

2. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein said frame is formed at its forward end with an upstanding p, and a cable pulley is mounted in said loop.

3. Equipment according to claim '1 wherein said frame is supported above the ground by splayed feet at its ends.

4. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein the fixed point of the frame to which one end of said cable is secured is formed by a crossbar at the rear end of the frame.

5. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein the frame is formed of metal tube.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 209,377 10/ 1878 Britt 272-72 1,905,092 4/ 1933 Hardy 272-72 1,982,872 12/1934 Husted 272-72 2,145,940 2/1939 Marlowe 272-72 2,183,345 12/1939 Brandon 272-72 2,714,507 8/1955 Goodrich 272-72 FOREIGN PATENTS 772,794 8/ 1934 France.

161,441 9/ 1904 Germany.

224,839 11/ 1924 Great Britain.

464,884 7/ 1951 Italy.

99,125 5/ 1953 Switzerland.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. ROWING-TYPE EXERCISING EQUIPMENT COMPRISING A FRAME INCORPORATING PARALLEL SIDE LIMITS, A SEAT, TWO SUPPORTS BENEATH THE SEAT, ONE ADJACENT TO EACH SIDE THEREOF, EACH SUPPORT BEING FORMED OF A PAIR OF LEVERS PIVOTED TOGETHER SCISSORS-FASHION AT AN INTERMEDIATE POINT OF THEIR LENGTH, THE SAID SEAT BEING CARRIED BY THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID PAIRS OF LEVERS, AND THE UPPER END OF AT LEAST ONE LEVER OF EACH PAIR BEING MOVABLE IN RELATION TO THE SEAT, MEANS CONNECTING THE LOWER ENDS OF THE TWO FORWARD LEVERS, FURTHER MEANS CONNECTING THE LOWER ENDS OF THE TWO REARWARD LEVERS, SAID MEANS AND SAID FURTHER MEANS EACH HAVING PORTIONS TO RUN ON SAID PARALLEL SIDE LIMBS, SAID MEANS AND SAID FURTHER MEANS EACH HAVING INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS FOR RECEIVING A CABLE THEREOVER, PULLEYS MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME, A FLEXIBLE CABLE RUNNING AROUND SAID PULLEYS AND LOOPED AROUND SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS OF SAID MEANS AND OF SAID FURTHER MEANS, ONE END OF SAID CABLE BEING SECURED TO A FIXED POINT OF SAID FRAME, AND THE OTHER END OF THE CABLE BEING PROVIDED WITH GRIPPING MEANS TO FACILITATE HAULING ON THE CABLE BY AN OPERATOR SITTING ON SAID SEAT, IN ORDER TO CAUSE A SCISSORS MOVEMENT OF SAID PAIRS OF LEVERS, AND THEREBY LIFT SAID SEAT UPWARDS FROM THE SAID SIDE-LIMBS OF THE FRAME.

Images