DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The invention will next be illustrated with reference to the figures, wherein the same numbers indicate the same elements in all figures. Such figures are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting and are included herewith to facilitate the explanation of the present invention. The figures are not to scale, and not intended as engineering drawings.

[0025] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown exercise device 10 comprising a mounting element 11, which may comprise a belt (as shown in FIG. 1), a vest, a halter, a jacket (not shown), or a combination thereof, having a pouch 12 with a height of about 4 to about 6 inches. It may be desirable for the belt or other mounting element to comprise a lightweight, comfortable material of construction. The pouch encloses a mounting base 13 upon which are mounted left and right resistance reels 14a and 14b. Although resistance reels are shown, other types of resistance unit may be used. Resistance units may for instance operate through use of friction, dashpot(s), spring(s), elastic material(s), or any other conventional means. Frictional resistance reels of the types disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,249 to Marshall and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/033,108, filed Dec. 28, 2001, and in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/463,534, filed on Apr. 17, 2003, by the common inventor of this invention, all of which incorporated herein by reference, are particularly suitable for use with the present invention. Although mounting in a belt is shown in FIG. 1, the reels may in general be mounted on or in a belt, vest, halter, jacket, or any manner which provides similar functionality. The resistance devices may be mounted permanently or may be removable, such as with a clip-on mounting. Mounting base 13 may be attached to pouch 12, and may be of any convenient size, shape, and material of construction sufficient to firmly anchor the resistance wheels and cord-positioning structure 18. Although shown enclosed in a pouch in FIG. 1, in other embodiments the reels and mounting base may be exposed. The reels are shown in FIG. 1 mounted in the rear of the device, but the positioning is not critical. For example, in another embodiment discussed herein later, the reels may be mounted on the hands or arms of the user.

[0026] Engaging the resistance reels are left and right cords 16a and 16b, which pass through cord-positioning structure 18 and terminate in left and right user engagement interface 28a and 28b. Although the cord may preferably be a plastic-coated, twisted-metal cable as is well known in the art, the term “cord” as used herein is used generically to refer to any type of cable, line, cord, band, strip, rope, chain, string, or other means known in the art suitable for transmitting tensile resistance to the arm movement of the user from resistance reels 14a and 14b. The cord may be non-elastic or may have some elasticity.

[0027] The user engagement interface may be of any conventional shape, for instance flared grips or padded loops. The engagement interface may comprise any of the suitable mechanisms known in the art for enabling engagement by or attachment to a portion of the upper body, however, such as but not limited to handles, grips, bars, wraps, gloves, straps, cuffs, and the like. The user engagement interface may be permanently attached to or detachable from cord 16a or 16b. For an upper body user engagement interface, the interface may be designed to be attached to, engaged by, or held by any portion of the arms, wrists, hands, or fingers of the user. The user engagement interface may be securable to the arm or hands by any mechanism known in the art, such as but not limited to the user grasping or holding the interface, or the interface being secured to the user by any type of fastener such as one or more buckles, Velcro® fasteners, snaps, pressure fittings, hooks, loops, clips, and the like. The user engagement interface can be padded for comfort, and/or lined for sweat absorption. Open-handed grips, such as loops, gloves, straps or cuffs, and loose grips, such as flared grips that transfer force to the top of the user's hand at the user's thumb and forefinger rather than requiring a tight grip, are particularly desirable.

[0028] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a single cord-positioning structure 18 is attached to base 13 at point of attachment 20, which may optionally comprise a hinge, and comprises a shaft 22 having a length L, a crosspiece 24 having a width W, and left and right cord guides 26a and 26b each comprising a pulley attached to an end of crosspiece 24. Although shown in FIG. 1 with each pulley-type guide 26a attached at the end of a chain 25 secured to crosspiece 24, the cord guides may be attached directly to crosspiece 24. Shaft 22 and crosspiece 24 may be solid, but are typically hollow, for purposes of weight reduction. Cords 16a and 16b wrap around the reels, and pass though the pulleys. In the case where shaft 22 and crosspiece 24 are hollow, the cords may pass through them, as shown in FIG. 1. Although pulleys are shown, the cord guides may be simple rings, eyelets, or other guide devices known in the art, or may merely be the open ends of crosspiece 24 in embodiments where 24. is hollow. For non-pulley embodiments, the cord-guides and cords may have a low-friction coating or composition to provide smooth operation. The cords may be about 55 to about 90 inches in length, but any length long enough to properly engage the resistance units and afford a full range of motion is acceptable.

[0029] Crosspiece 24 is shown as a straight piece, but may comprise one or more straight or curved sections. Shaft 22 and crosspiece 24 may each separately comprise a rigid, unbendable material, or may have one or more resilient portions to allow them to bend and then return to their original shape as force is applied and then relieved. Or, the shaft may be rigid over most of its length but comprise a resilient portion at or near point of attachment 20, to allow bending to one side and subsequent recovery.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which two cord-positioning structures 18a and 18b are used to position the cords. The structures comprise pulleys 26a and 26b attached to shafts 22a and 22b, which may or may not be hollow, and which are attached to base 13 at points of attachment 20a and 20b. Cords 16a and 16b wrap around reels 14a and 14b, pass through pulleys 26a and 26b, and attach to user engagement interface 28a and 28b. Dual reel embodiments of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 allow independent motion of the arms, which may in some cases be advantageous, and may more easily afford a means of retracting both left and right cords onto the reels when the exercise device is stored.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention in which a single resistance reel 14′ is mounted on base 13, and in which 14′ engages both cords 16a and 16b, which may optionally comprise a single cord. The advantages of a single reel embodiment include the simplicity of design and the economic benefit of having only a single reel and cable. Although shown with a single cord-positioning structure, a single-reel embodiment may instead employ two cord-positioning structures. Furthermore, single reel embodiments can provide only the same resistance for each arm, and the cable is not fully retractable when in use. The choice of a single vs. dual reel configuration will thus depend upon individual needs.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows the device of FIG. 1 being worn and used by a person 30, with the belt being at approximately waist level. The figure shows a part of the gait cycle in which right arm 32b is pulling cord 16b forward in direction F against a resistance provided by right reel 14b. The resistance may or may not be adjustable, and may be within a range of about 0.5 to about 10 pounds, preferably between about 1 and about 5 pounds. Relatively low range resistance is particularly desirable for high-repetition, aerobic exercise as well as for warm-up/cooldown exercising, stretching, toning, and shaping. Simultaneously, left arm 32a swings in direction R, while cord 16a is retracted onto left reel 14a via a retracting force.

[0033] The retracting force may be provided by any conventional means, for instance a spring or elastic material, which may be incorporated in the reel. Alternatively, a weight or a motor may supply the force. The force may be enough to retract the cord while providing minimal rearward pull to the user's arm, or may be high enough to provide substantial resistance, thereby increasing the effort level of the workout. If a single resistance reel is used, as in FIG. 3, the retracting force may be provided by the arm that is pulling the other cord forward. Cord guides 26a and 26b are located behind the person, below waist level, and sufficiently outward relative to the interline 33 coincident with the spine of the user to allow a natural arm swing by the user.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a top view of the invention and person of FIG. 4, showing the same portion of the gait cycle. Shaft length L and crosspiece width W are such that they allow a natural range of motion for both arms when the arms swing forward in direction F and rearward in direction R during walking. Length L is preferably between about 6 inches and about 12 inches, most preferably about 10 inches, and width W is preferably between about 8 inches and about 12 inches, most preferably about 10 inches.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a right side view of the invention and person of FIG. 3, showing the same portion of the gait cycle. Shaft 22 is tilted downward, allowing left arm 32a to effect a full range of motion downward and rearward at the end of the swing in rearward direction R with substantially full extension, with lift hand 34a ending its swing below waist level.

[0036] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the invention in which reels 14a and 14b are mounted on the users arms 32a and 32b, and cords 16a and 16b are wound around reels 14a and 14b and attached to or guided through cord guides 26a (not in view) and 26b. The reels may be attached in any convenient location on the arms or hands by means known in the art, advantageously on or near the lower part of the arms. The cords may be attached directly to cord guides 26a and 26b, or may travel through the guides to attachment points on mounting element 11 or anywhere on the cord-positioning structure.

[0037] FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the invention in which point of attachment 20 comprises a pivotably adjustable, positionally lockable member connecting shaft 22 to base 13, allowing adjustment of the shaft to a position B that forms an angle α relative to position A (dashed lines) parallel to the ground, allowing the user to suit individual preferences. Point of attachment 20 may comprise a ball-and-socket assembly allowing both up-down and left-right adjustability, which may be particularly suitable for the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, or may allow only up-down adjustment. Angle α may be approximately 45 degrees, but the exact value is not critical. The adjustment across angle α may be continuous or may have a series of discrete intermediate stop points. The shaft 22 may also be adjustable to a vertical position C (dashed lines) for storage. The vertical orientation may be pointing up as shown, or pointing down.

[0038] All of the embodiments shown and described herein have as a common feature, cord-positioning devices that allows the user to engage the resistance mechanism over the user's full natural arm swing. The cord-positioning devices provide the cord guides (or attachment points for the cords in some embodiments where the resistance devices are mounted on the user's arm) at a position located rearward and downward relative to the user's waist, and preferably outward relative to the user's spine. The location outward relative to the user's spine is preferable to prevent rubbing of the cord against the user's waist as the cord is extended forward during the upswing. The outward location also provide a force vector of resistance that is more close to parallel with the arm swing, thereby providing a larger component of resistance to the arm swing as compared to embodiments in which the cord guide is not positioned outward relative to the user's spine. This difference in the component of resistance parallel to the arm swing is particularly significant when the arm is at the beginning of the upswing. Despite the advantages of being able to position the cord guides outwardly relative to the user's spine, embodiments without such a capability are still functional.

[0039] Because of the desirability of maximizing the workout by providing resistance over the full, natural arm swing, the rearward, downward, and/or outward position may be adjustable to fit individual users. In addition to or as an alternative to the pivotable adjustment at the point of attachment as described above, the cord-positioning structures may be adjustable in other ways as well. For example, the length L and width W of cord-positioning structure 22 shown in FIG. 1 may be adjustable, as illustrated in the exploded view shown in FIG. 9.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 9, cord-positioning structure 118 comprises a two-piece shaft 122 having a female component 122a and a male component 122b. Female component 122a has a number of axially spaced holes 121, and male component 122b has at least one radially compressible pin 123 capable of being pushed into a position that does not radially protrude from the circumference of male component 122b for insertion of the male component into female component 122a. When aligned with any one of the axially spaced holes 121, however, pin 123 resiliently returns to a position that protrudes through hole 121 and fixes the male and female components in a coupled position, as such resilient-pin-and-hole devices are commonly employed in the art. In this way, the overall length L may be adjusted by the user by choosing through which hole 121 pin 123 should be allowed to protrude. It should be understood that although shown with a single pin and set of axially aligned holes, for added stability, components 122a and 122b may comprise multiple pins for fitting with multiple sets of axially aligned holes. Also, it should be understood that the component in the position of 122a may be the male component and the component in the position of 122b may be the female component.

[0041] Another adjustment mechanism is shown with respect to crosspiece 124. Crosspiece 124 may comprise two female threaded ends 125a and 125b, designed for coupling with male threaded ends 126a and 126b, respectively. Thus, by choosing how far to screw male threaded ends 126a and 126b into female threaded ends 125a and 125b, the user can adjust the overall width W.

[0042] Although exemplary cord-positioning structure 118 is shown in FIG. 9 with a pin and hole type adjustment mechanism for the shaft and a screw-type adjustment mechanism for the cross-piece as an illustrative example, it should be understood that any type of adjustment mechanism known in the art may be used for any part of the cord-positioning structure. Similarly, any type of adjustment mechanism may be used analogously with respect to dual cord-positioning structures, such as structures 18a and 18b as shown in FIG. 2.

[0043] The subject invention solves a number of the problems associated with existing machines in one simple, compact, economic, easy-to-use mechanism. The placement of the mechanism behind the user allows for a more natural arm motion and promotes a more natural, upright body position, which is more comfortable for the user. As compared to stationary pole-type mechanisms on stationary equipment, the present invention provides a more flexible and versatile range of motion, allowing the user to choose the amount of upswing and back swing distance most comfortable for him or her and to choose the most comfortable plane of motion relative to body. A full range of motion is available, affording more exercise in less time, and more flexibility. Moreover, the invention is not fixed on any particular stationary equipment and thus may be used with or without other exercise equipment, may be used indoors or outdoors, and may be used while either running or walking. Use while walking, in particular, reduces the chances of potentially injurious foot impact, while maintaining a high level of resistance, and hence exercise, as desired.

[0044] The arm exercise mechanisms discussed herein are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and are relatively easy and inexpensive to repair or replace. The mechanisms discussed herein are also lightweight and are compact for storage.

[0045] Although various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications of parts, elements and materials without departing from the invention.