DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] While the invention can be embodied in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described in detail, a preferred embodiment of the present invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

[0025] Referring now to FIGS. 1 - 4 , various views of a multi-exercise cable gym machine, which is designated general by the reference character 10 , are shown. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the cable gym machine 10 includes a frame, an exercise station which can include a seat, a pulley system incorporating multiple deep groove pulleys, multiple directional pulleys, and a composite pulley, a weight stack, multiple cables engaged with the pulley system and the weight stack, handles attached to the cables, and a leg extension/leg curl pedestal. In place of the multiple deep groove pulleys, shown in more detail in FIG. 5 , the cable gym machine can utilize pulleys incorporating a swivel mechanism, as shown in FIG. 6 . These components will be described in more detail below.

[0026] The frame of the cable gym machine 10 includes an upper frame 12 , side frames 14 and 16 , bottom frame 18 , and exercise station frame 20 . The frame components 12 - 20 are bolted together in a manner known in the art and in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 . The weight stack 22 incorporates multiple weight plates and a bayonet connected to a cable to functionally connect the weight stack to the cable gym system in a manner that is well known in the art. The bayonet extends through the individual plates of the weight stack 22 , and the user can select the number of plates to be lifted by inserting a pin through the weight stack 22 into the bayonet. As a result, the bayonet, along with the selected number of weight plates from the weight stack 22 , will move upward when exercise is performed by a machine user, providing resistance to the exercise motion. The selected number of weight plates will move upward along guide rods 24 and 26 during exercise. Guide rods 24 and 26 are connected between upper frame 12 and lower frame 18 .

[0027] Cable 28 is connected to the weight stack 22 via the bayonet to functionally engage a selected number of weight plates to provide resistance to an exercise motion. Cable 28 extends upward and engages upper directional pulleys 100 and 102 (shown in FIG. 4 ). Cable 28 then extends to composite pulley 104 , directional pulley 106 (shown in FIG. 2 ), and is fixed to equalizer pulley 108 . Composite pulley 104 is simply two pulleys that work in conjunction with one another, as is known in the art. Composite pulley 104 ties each exercise location together, allowing each separate exercise location to receive resistance from the weight stack. This enables the use of a single weight stack having a single cable attached to the weight stack.

[0028] Cable 30 engages the equalizer pulley 108 , lower directional pulleys 110 and 112 , directional pulleys 114 and 116 , and laterally spaced, deep groove mid pulleys 118 and 120 . The ends of cable 30 are connected to mid handles 40 and 42 . Thus, when mid handles 40 and 42 are pushed or pulled away from deep groove pulleys 118 and 120 either together or individually, cable 30 pulls downward on equalizer pulley 108 , which in turn pulls cable 28 , raising the selected number of plates in weight stack 22 to provide resistance to an exercise motion. The equalizer pulley 108 allows the mid handles 40 and 42 to be used either together or individually. Also, the action of equalizer pulley 108 creates a ½ to 1 weight ratio for the resistance of each mid handle 40 and 42 such that the resistance is less than the actual resistance generated by raising the selected number of weight plates in weight stack 22 .

[0029] Cable 32 engages composite pulley 104 , a bottom directional pulley that is not shown, leg extender pulleys 122 and 124 , and one end of cable 32 is fixed to equalizer pulley 126 . The other end of cable 32 terminates at leg extender pulley 124 . When leg extension/leg curl arm 60 is extended, cable 32 pulls downward on composite pulley 104 , which in turn pulls cable 28 , raising the selected number of weight plates in weight stack 22 to provide resistance to an exercise motion. In a further preferred embodiment, the end of cable 32 that terminates at pulley 124 includes a mechanism to attach an additional handle to cable 32 (not shown) to allow for additional exercises performed against the resistance of cable 32 .

[0030] Finally, cable 34 engages equalizer pulley 126 , upper directional pulleys 128 and 130 , and deep grooved, high pulleys 132 and 134 . The ends of cable 34 are connected to high handles 44 and 46 . Thus, when high handles 44 and 46 are pushed or pulled away from deep groove pulleys 132 and 134 either together or individually, cable 34 pulls upward on equalizer pulley 126 , which then pulls downward on composite pulley 104 , which in turn pulls cable 28 , raising the selected number of plates in weight stack 22 to provide resistance to an exercise motion. The equalizer pulley 126 allows the high handles 44 and 46 to be used either together or individually. The action of equalizer pulley 126 creates a ½ to 1 weight ratio for the resistance of each high handle 44 and 46 such that the resistance is less than the actual resistance generated by raising the selected number of weight plates in weight stack 22 .

[0031] In cable gym machine 10 , an exercise station is defined by the location of the handles 40 , 42 , 44 , and 46 . In the preferred embodiment, the exercise station includes an adjustable seat 62 and a fixed seat back pad 64 connected to the exercise station frame 20 . A leg extension/leg curl arm 60 is connected to the exercise station frame 20 forward of the seat 62 . The leg extension/leg curl arm 60 includes ankle pads 62 and 64 and knee pads 66 and 68 . The leg extension/leg curl arm 60 is connected to, and receives resistance from, cable 32 . As the leg extension/leg curl arm 60 is pivoted upward, cable 32 pulls downward on composite pulley 104 which in turn pulls cable 28 , raising the selected number of plates from weight stack 22 to provide resistance to an exercise motion.

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of a deep groove pulley used in the present invention is shown. This is the configuration of deep groove pulleys 118 , 120 , 132 , and 134 discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 - 4 . In a preferred embodiment, the deep groove pulley is made from nylon, and the groove is shaped in approximately a “V” groove. The groove 200 in the deep groove pulley is deeper than conventional pulleys so that the cable engaging the pulley can be moved to a wide range of angles with respect to the pulley without having the cable disengage from the pulley. The preferred angle of the “V” groove 200 is less than 60 degrees, and more preferably is about 52 degrees, as is shown in FIG. 5 . Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, the depth of groove 200 is at least 20 percent of the diameter of the pulley, and more preferably the groove 200 is approximately one inch from the outer edge 210 of the pulley 200 to the base 220 of the groove 200 , while the diameter of the pulley is approximately 4½ inches.

[0033] The configuration of the deep groove pulley disclosed herein allows the cable gym machine 10 to incorporate deep groove pulleys 118 , 120 , 132 and 134 without swiveling or height adjustment mechanisms. However, because cable 30 interacts with mid pulleys 118 and 120 , handles 40 and 42 can be used to exercise at any angle in approximately a 50 degree arc with respect to pulleys 118 and 120 . Likewise because cable 34 interacts with high pulleys 132 and 134 , handles 44 and 46 can be used to exercise at any angle in approximately a 50 degree arc with respect to pulleys 132 and 134 . As such, one of skill in the art will understand that many different exercises can be performed on the cable gym machine 10 .

[0034] Finally, referring to FIG. 6 , one aspect of an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown. More specifically, rather than deep groove pulleys as shown and FIGS. 1 - 5 , pulleys incorporating swivel mechanisms can be used. FIG. 6 shows a representative example of a swivel pulley generally designated 300 . The swivel pulley 300 is attached to the exercise machine via a swivel pulley arm 302 . The swivel pulley 300 incorporates a bracket 304 , a pulley wheel 306 rotatably mounted on the bracket 304 , a swivel attachment 308 rotatably attached to the swivel pulley arm 302 on which the bracket 304 is fixed, a counterweight arm 310 attached to the swivel attachment 308 , and a counterweight 312 attached to the counterweight arm 310 . A cable 314 engages the swivel pulley 300 and an exercise apparatus can be attached to the end of cable 314 at the exercise apparatus attachment 316 . When an exercise apparatus is attached to the end of cable 314 , exercise can be performed in the same manner as described above with respect to the deep groove pulleys. However, rather than the cable 314 achieving a range of motion for exercise at a variety of angles due to the deep groove of the pulley, cable 314 in this embodiment achieves a range of motion for exercise at a variety of angles as a result of the swiveling ability of the swivel pulley 300 .

[0035] To maintain a smooth swivel motion for the swivel pulley 300 , the axis of rotation of the swivel attachment 308 should be the same as the axis of the cable 314 that engages the swivel pulley 300 . Furthermore, by incorporating a sufficiently heavy counterweight 312 at the end of counterweight arm 310 , the swivel motion of the swivel pulley 300 remains smooth. Thus, each deep groove pulley described above with reference to FIGS. 1 - 5 can be replaced by a swivel pulley as shown in FIG. 6 in an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] It is to be understood that a wide range of changes and modifications to the embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and these changes and modifications are contemplated herein. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of the invention.