US3342485A - Exercising bench comprising hinged and adjustable seating portions - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 19, 1967 M. GAUL EXERCISING BENCH COMPRISING HINGED AND ADJUSTABLE SEATING PORTIONS Filed March 18, 1965 FIG./

' INVENTOR. MA RTIN 6A UL Cal/anal 8 Worman United States Patent 3,342,485 EXERCISING BENCH COMPRISING HINGED AND ADJUSTABLE SEATING PORTIONS Martin Gaul, 1524 Bathurst St., Apt. 403, Toronto 10, Ontario, Canada Filed Mar. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 440,775 4 Claims. (Cl. 272-58) This invention relates to an exercising bench designed to permit the exercising of various specific parts of the body at will.

There are available various kinds of exercising benches which are limited in scope owing to the fact that they are usually manufactured in ready fixed positions and are not easily adjustable. Also, these types of benches are not adequate to perform most of the exercises normally performed by athletes, bodybuilders, weight lifters or any person using weight training methods and therefore necessitates the use of several of these fixed type benches in the course of a training schedule thus requiring a large area of space for equipment to perform these exercises. This requirement for large areas of space for equipment would create a great disadvantage to the home user of weight-training apparatus and also increase the purchase price of complete equipment.

It is the general object of this invention to provide an exercising bench which is readily and quickly adaptable for its use with all such exercises performed in the inclined, horizontal or sitting positions specifically designed to permit such interchangeability in a simple and speedy manner which is both cheap to make and reliable in use.

This invention also incorporates a barbell rest which may be quickly and readily attached into position at the headof the exercising bench being greatly advantageous to persons performing exercises with heavy barbell weights in the horizontal position.

This invention is manufactured in such a manner that it is light in structure and may be easily manoeuvred or fixed into any required position by man or woman using this exercising bench at home.

This invention is designed so that when in use in any desired position all parts are securely locked into place with no fear of collapsing whilst performing exercises.

A further embodiment of this invention is that it has a foot securing strap and foot rest which, utilized with the various positions of the seating portions, the bench may be used for callisthenic exercises apart from exercises which necessitate the use of weights.

A further object of this invention is that the bench may be combined readily and easily with the exercising apparatus described in my co-pending United States patent application Ser. No. 362,767 filed April 27, 1964 for Exercising Machine.

An added advantage is that as one pair of legs are hinged onto the support frame and are fully retractable and the remaining 'pair of legs are bolted to the support frame and may be removed, the whole bench may be packed flat for easy transportation.

Other and more particular advantages will become apparent from the following drawings in which like references refer to like parts thereof throughout the various views and diagrams, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective illustration of the exercising bench arranged in an inclined position with the barbell rest attached and showing the various fittings and attachments necessary to lock it securely into position;

3,342,485 Patented Sept. 19, 1967 FIGURE 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the pinlocking device used to lock the barbell rest into position;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the underside attachments necessary to hinge the adjusting rods to the underside of the seating and the bolts which enable the seating to be bolted flat to the support frame; and

FIGURES 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d illustrate various side elevations showing the positions in which the exercising bench may be used.

From the drawings it will be seen that the exercising bench according to the invention comprises essentially two seating portions 10 and 11, hinged together at point 16. It may be seen in FIGURE 1 that at one end of the seating portion 11, there are retractable tubular foot rests and 56, held in position to the underside of the seating by a bracket 57, and each secured by locking pins 58 and 59. The seating portions 10 and 11 are supported by four adjusting rods 12, 13, 14 and 15 onto a framework base of welded angle iron 17. This framework base itself can be adjusted into an inclined position by retracting the two legs 18 and 19 on their appropriate hinges 20 and 21. When the base is used in a horizontal position the legs 18 and 19 are held securely into position by locking pins 22 and 23.

The remaining two legs 24 and 25 at the head of the framework base 17 are bolted into position and rigidity is maintained by bolted cross-members 26 and 27 and further rigidity for the upper longitudinal members 28 and 29 is maintained by central cross-bar 50.

Bracing tube members 30 and 32 located at points 31 and 33 are utilized for the purpose of receiving the adjusting rods 12 and 13 which are hinged to the seating portions 10 and 11 by the method as shown in FIGURE 5. The adjusting rods 12 and 13 pass through holes in the bracing tubes 30 and 32 and are fully adjustable up or down by means of holes bored at regular intervals along the adjusting rods 12 and 13 as shown in FIGURE 3. When the adjusting rods 12 and 13 are: brought into their required position they are securely locked into position by means of a locking pin 34, which passes through the bracing tube and the required hole in the adjusting rod.

It may be seen therefore that by manipulating the two pairs of adjusting rods 12, 13 and 14, 15 and locking them into any desired position the exercising bench may be used in many various positions, some of which are illustrated in FIGURES 6a, 6b, 6c and 6a.

A further embodiment of this invention is a foot securing strap 35 which when not in use may be secured out of the way by a retaining clip 36 as shown in FIG- URE 5. Also may be seen two sets of bolts 51 and 52 which enable the seating portions 10 and 11 to be bolted FIGURE 2 is an end elevation of the exercising bench showing the use of the barbell rest;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the pinlocking device used in conjunction with the adjusting rods to lock the seating into a raised or lowered position;

flat to the support frame, the bolts fitting into appropriate holes in the frame, one 53, at the head. of the frame and one 54, formed into the cross-bar 50.

A barbell rest 43 may be incorporated with the exercising bench and located into position by locating pins 37 and 38 and secured by locking pins 39 and 40 as shown in FIGURE 2. This barbell rest consists of a base strip 44 to which is welded two uprights 4 1 and 42, one at each end. On this base are also welded two lugs 45 and 46 into which the locking pins are located. The two uprights are held rigid by a cross-member 47 in which is bored two holes to receive the two locating pins 37 and 38, and at their tops are welded two cradle- shaped strips 48 and 49 into which the barbell rests.

From the above description it may be seen that the invention may be utilized in various positions to suit various exercises, each position beingof special importance in exercising specific sets of muscles. FIGURES 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d illustrate various positions of the exercising bench.

The seating portions and 11 may be bolted firmly flat to the support frame by pushing the bolts on the underside 51 and 52 into their appropriate holes 53 and 54, thus giving the seating a fully horizontal position.

Similarly, when the seating portions are in the lower position using the adjusting rods on the support frame with legs 18 and 19 as shown in FIGURE 6a, the exercising bench becomes practically horizontal and is suitably arranged for such exercises incorporating the use of weights as the seated dumbbell press, bench press and tricep extension essentially for developing the deltoid and tricep muscles in the shoulder area, the thigh curling exercise essentially for developing the thigh bicep muscles, or such calisthenic exercises as leg raises which develop the mid-abdominal section of muscles.

When the seating portions 10 and 11 are raised into an inclined position on the support frame with legs 18 and 19 lowered as shown in FIGURES 6b and 6c, the exercising bench becomes suitable for such exercises as dumbbell or barbell pullovers and dumbbell arm exercles, or such callisthenic exercises as leg raises which deserratus magnus muscles in the upper chest region, or any seated, incline, dumbbell or bar-bell curls or presses essentially for developing muscles in the shoulder and upper arm regions.

When the seating portions 10 and 11 are raised into an inclined position on the support frame with legs 18 and 19 retracted such as shown in FIGURE 6d, the exercising bench becomes ideally suitable for such exercises as sit-ups or inclined leg raises essentially for developing the upper and lower abdominal muscles.

Thus, it may be seen that the function of the exercise bench is to provide as many various positions as possible for the application of numerous types of exercises whereby each exercise in conjunction with the position of the exercising bench exercises specific sets of muscles in the body.

It may also be seen that by raising or lowering the adjusting rods the angle of inclination of the seating portions may be enlarged or decreased at will to suit individual requirements.

The foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is here made by way of ex ample only. The invention is not to be taken as limited to the specific steps described but comprehends all such variations that come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An exercising bench apparatus comprising:

two seating portions hinged together and adjustably mounted on a fabricated support frame;

adjusting rods hinged to the underside of said seating portions;

bracing means fastened laterally to said support frame and having holes formed therein to receive said adjusting rods;

fastening means associated with said bracing means for releasably locking said adjusting rods;

a plurality of holes formed in said adjusting rods for alignment with holes formed in said bracing rods at an angle to said holes for said adjusting rods;

locking pins for securing said adjusting rods with said bracing rods;

legs at one end of said support frame retractably hingedly mounted thereon and securely lockable in their extended position;

legs at the other end of said support frame being bolted into position to allow for disassembly; and,

:a barbell rest attachment releasably engageable with said exercising bench.

2. An exercising bench apparatus comprising:

two seating portions hinged together and adjustably l d n f b cated support frame;

a barbell rest attachment releasably engageable with said exercising bench comprising;

two uprights attached, one at each end, to a base strip;

cradle-shaped supports fitted to the top of each said upright;

a cross-bar attached at each end to said uprights oriented for attachment at one end of said support frame;

lugs attached to said base strip for attachment at the base of said one end of said support frame;

lock-ing pins to engage into said holes formed in said lugs and said holes at base of said legs at one end of said support frame;

and locating means on the upper part of said one end of said support frame to receive said cross-bar.

3. An exercising bench apparatus comprising:

two seating portions hinged together and adjustably mounted on a fabricated support frame;

adjusting rods hinged to the underside of said seating portions;

bracing means fastened laterally to said support frame and having holes formed therein to receive said adjusting rods;

fastening means associated with said bracing means for releasably locking said adjusting rods;

legs at :one end of said support frame retractably hingedly mounted thereon and securely lockable in their extended position;

legs at the other end of said support frame being bolted into position to allow for disassembly;

a foot retaining strap secured to one end of one said seating portion;

and foot rests releasably secured to the underside of a said seating portion and being retractable thereunder.

4. An exercising bench apparatus comprising:

two seating portions hinged together and adjustably mounted on a fabricated support frame;

adjusting rods hinged to the underside of said seating portions;

bracing means fastened laterally to said support frame and having holes formed therein to receive said adjusting rods;

fastening means associated with said bracing means for releasably locking said adjusting rods;

legs at one end of said support frame retractably hingedly mounted thereon and securely lockable in their extended position;

legs at the other end of said support frame being bolted into position to allow for disassembly;

a foo-t retaining strap secured to one end ing portion;

foot rests releasably secured to the underside of a said seating portion and being retractable thereunder;

locking bolts secured to the underside of said seating portions for locking said seating portions fiat on said support frame;

and holes in said support frame to receive said lockof said seating bolts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,733,922 2/1956 Diego 27258 2,817,522 12/1957 Margulies 272-58 3,000,632 9/1961 Fuchs 27258 3,075,518 1/1963 Sellner 272--58 3,112,108 11/1963 Hanke 272-58 3,286,708 11/1966 Gartner 272-58 X RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

L. J. BOVASSO, R. J, APLEY, Assistant Examiners,

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