Combined elliptical cycling and stepping exerciser

Abstract

A combined cycling and stepping exerciser includes a base frame with an upright post, a drive wheel mounted on the base frame, a pair of elongated lever arms with front end portions pivoted to the upright post, a pair of slide seats, and pair of pedal arms disposed on the lever arms. Each of the lever arms has a longitudinal slide groove. Each of the slide seats is coupled to a respective crank arm of the drive wheel, and engages slidably the slide groove in a respective lever arm so as to be slidable along the slide groove. Each of the pedal members has a front end engaging slidably the slide groove in a respective lever arm. A pair of fasteners are operable for fastening rear ends of the pedal members selectively and respectively to the slide seats and to rear end portions of the lever arms.

1. A combined cycling and stepping exerciser comprising:
 a base frame having a front end portion with an upright post, and a rear end portion opposite to said front end portion in a longitudinal direction, said upright post being formed with a pair of horizontal pivot shafts that project in opposite lateral direction transverse to the longitudinal direction;  
 a drive wheel mounted rotatably on said rear end portion of said base frame, said drive wheel having a horizontal wheel axle transverse to said longitudinal direction, and a pair of crank arms coupled to said wheel axle and disposed on opposite lateral sides of said drive wheel;  
 a pair of elongated lever arms disposed on opposite lateral sides of said base frame, each of said lever arms having a front end portion pivoted to a respective one of said pivot shafts on said upright post, a rear end portion, and a longitudinally extending slide groove extending between said front and rear end portions;  
 a pair of slide seats, each of which is coupled to a respective one of said crank arms and engages slidably said slide groove in a respective one of said lever arms so as to be slidable along said slide groove when said drive wheel rotates;  
 a pair of pedal members disposed respectively on said lever arms, each of said pedal members having a front end engaging slidably said slide groove in the respective one of said lever arms, and a rear end; and  
 fasteners which are operable for fastening said rear ends of said pedal members selectively and respectively to said slide seats and to said rear end portions of said lever arms.  
 
     
     
       2. The combined cycling and stepping exerciser as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a resistance wheel mounted rotatably on said base frame and coupled to said drive wheel for providing resistance to rotation of said drive wheel. 
     
     
       3. The combined cycling and stepping exerciser as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said lever arms is formed with two of said slide grooves in opposite lateral sides thereof. 
     
     
       4. The combined cycling and stepping exerciser as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said front end of each of said pedal members has a pair of mounting lobes which extend downwardly to said lateral sides of the respective one of said lever arms, each of said mounting lobes being provided with a roller which extends into a respective one of said slide grooves in the respective one of said lever arms. 
     
     
       5. The combined cycling and stepping exerciser as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein each of said slide seats is sleeved on the respective one of said lever arms and has a pair of side walls disposed respectively on the opposite lateral sides of the respective one of said lever arms, said side walls having confronting inner side surfaces, each of which is provided with at least one roller that extends into a respective one of said slide grooves in the respective one of said lever arms. 
     
     
       6. The combining cycling and stepping exerciser as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said rear end of each of said pedal members has a horizontal mounting plate which is formed with a mounting hole for mounting a respective one of said fasteners therein, each of said fasteners having an operating knob disposed over said mounting plate of a respective one of said pedal members, and a threaded shank extending through said mounting hole in said mounting plate, each of said slide seats further having a top wall interconnecting said side walls and disposed over the respective one of said lever arms, said top wall being formed with an internally threaded fastener hole for engaging threadedly said threaded shank of a respective one of said fasteners when said rear ends of said pedal members are fastened to said slide seat, said rear end portion of each of said lever arms being formed with an internally threaded fastener hole on a top side of said lever arm for engaging threadedly said threaded shank of a respective one of said fasteners when said rear ends of said pedal members are fastened to said rear end portions of said lever arms. 
     
     
       7. The combined cycling and stepping exerciser as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said top wall of each of said slide seats has a rear edge, said rear end portion of each of said lever arms having a rear edge, said mounting plate of each of said pedal members being formed with a downward flange for engaging said rear edge of said top wall of the respective one of said slide seats when said mounting plate is fastened to the respective one of said slide seats, and for engaging said rear edge of said rear end portion of the respective one of said lever arms when said mounting plate is fastened to said rear end portion of the respective one of said lever arms. 
     
     
       8. The combined cycling and stepping exerciser as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein each of said slide seats further has a bottom wall disposed below the respective one of said lever arms and interconnecting said side walls, said bottom wall having a bottom side provided with a coupling sleeve that extends in a horizontal direction transverse to said longitudinal direction and that is coupled to a distal end of a respective one of said crank arms. 
     
     
       9. A combined elliptical cycling and stepping exerciser, comprising:
 a frame configured to be supported on a horizontal surface; and    a dual crank arm mechanism including left and right pedal members,    each of said left and right pedal members having a foot engaging portion configured to support a foot of a user and opposite end portions,    said dual crank arm mechanism being constructed and arranged with respect to the pedal members so that the pedal members can be selectively moved in either an elliptical cycling mode or a stepping mode,    each of said pedal members, when in the elliptical cycling mode, being operatively associated with said dual crank arm mechanism so that one end portion thereof moves along a preselected path while the opposite end portion thereof moves in a circular orbital path about a fixed transverse rotational axis provided on said frame, so that when the exerciser is in use in said elliptical cycling mode, and when a foot of the user which is disposed upon the foot engaging portion thereof travels forwardly from a rearwardmost position, the heel portion of the user's foot associated therewith initially rises at a faster rate than the toe portion, and when the foot travels rearwardly from a forwardmost position, the heel portion of the user's foot initially lowers at a faster rate than the toe portion,      each of said pedal members, when in the stepping mode, being operatively associated with said dual crank arm mechanism so that the foot engaging portions thereof move in arcuate paths between uppermost and lowermost arcuate positions, which arcuate paths are equidistant from a fixed pivotal axis provided on said frame, so that when the exerciser is in use in said stepping mode, one foot of the user will move upwardly between said arcuate positions while the other foot moves downwardly between said arcuate positions.     
     
     
       10. The exerciser of  claim 9 , wherein said dual crank arm mechanism includes a horizontal axle rotatably mounted on the frame for rotation about the rotational axis provided thereon, and left and right crank arms fixed on opposite lateral sides of said horizontal axle. 
     
     
       11. The exerciser of  claim 10 , wherein a drive wheel is fixed with respect to said horizontal axle between said left and right crank arms and a resistance wheel is mounted rotatably on a second rotational axis parallel to said first mentioned rotational axis provided on said frame, said resistance wheel being coupled to said drive wheel for providing resistance to the rotation of said drive wheel. 
     
     
       12. The exerciser of  claim 10 , wherein said dual crank arm mechanism includes left and right motion transmitting members rotationally connected to free ends of the left and right crank arms respectively, said left and right motion transmitting members being selectively connected with respect to said left and right pedal members respectively so that in the elliptical mode thereof, the left and right motion transmitting members move with the left and right pedal members respectively, and in the stepping mode thereof, the left and right motion transmitting members slide with respect to the left and right pedal members respectively. 
     
     
       13. The exerciser of  claim 12 , wherein said dual crank arm mechanism includes left and right horizontally extending pivot members on said frame that provide the pivotal axis for the movement of said left and right pedal members when said pedal members are in said stepping mode. 
     
     
       14. The exerciser of  claim 13 , wherein said pivot members constitute pivot shafts fixed to and extending from a vertically extending post of said frame. 
     
     
       15. The exerciser of  claim 13 , wherein said dual crank arm mechanism includes left and right elongated lever arms each having a front end portion pivoted to said left and right pivot members respectively, a rear end portion, and a longitudinally extending slide groove extending between said front and rear end portions, said left and right pedal members being disposed on said left and right lever arms respectively, each of said pedal members having a front end portion engaging slidably said slide groove in the respective one of said lever arms, and a rear end, said dual crank arm mechanism further including left and right fasteners which are operable for fastening said rear ends of said left and right pedal members selectively to said left and right motion transmitting members respectively when said left and right pedal members are in said elliptical cycling mode or selectively to said rear end portions of said left and right lever arms when said left and right pedal members are in said stepping mode. 
     
     
       16. The exerciser of  claim 15 , wherein each said front end portion of each of said pedal members engages slidably said slide groove by rolling on a surface defining the groove. 
     
     
       17. The exerciser of  claim 13 , wherein said pre-selected path comprises a closed curved shaped path so that the rearward movement of the one end portion of each pedal member is along one curved path sector and the forward movement is along a different curved path sector. 
     
     
       18. The exerciser of  claim 9 , wherein said pre-selected path comprises a closed curved shaped path so that the rearward movement of the one end portion of each pedal member is along one curved path sector and the forward movement is along a different curved path sector. 
     
     
       19. A dual mode exerciser, comprising:
 a frame configured to be supported on a horizontal surface; and    a dual crank arm mechanism including left and right pedal members,    each of said left and right pedal members having a foot engaging portion configured to support a foot of a user,    said dual crank arm mechanism being selectively operable in a first mode or a second mode, wherein    when said dual crank arm mechanism is operating in said first mode, the foot engaging portion of each of said pedal members moves in a generally elliptical closed loop path, and    when said dual crank arm mechanism is operating in said second mode, the foot engaging portion of each of said pedal members moves in a generally up-and-down reciprocal arcuate path.   
     
     
       20. The exerciser of  claim 19 , wherein when said dual crank arm mechanism is operating in said first mode, one end portion of each pedal member moves along a preselected path while the opposite end portion thereof moves in a circular orbital path about a fixed transverse rotational axis provided on said frame. 
     
     
       21. The exerciser of  claim 19 , wherein when said dual crank arm mechanism is operating in said second mode, the foot engaging portions of each of said pedal members move in arcuate paths between uppermost and lowermost arcuate positions, which arcuate paths are equidistant from a fixed pivotal axis provided on said frame.