US4674741A — Rowing machine with video display

Claim 1

Independent Claim 101 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements, each stroke having a power portion and a return portion; converting means for converting energy imparted to the user interface means during the power portion of a stroke into rotational displacement of a mass about its axis; opposition force means for providing a force to oppose the rotational displacement of the mass means for determining the beginning of the power portion of the stroke; and control means coupled to said opposition force means and responsive to the determining means for controlling the magnitude of said opposition force.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 101 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements, each stroke having a power portion and a return portion; converting means for converting energy imparted to the user interface means during the power portion of a stroke into rotational displacement of a mass about its axis; opposition force means for providing a force to oppose the rotational displacement of the mass means for determining the beginning of the power portion of the stroke; and control means coupled to said opposition force means and responsive to the determining means for controlling the magnitude of said opposition force.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 24 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 1 where said opposition force means includes a brake adapted to retard the rotational displacement of the mass.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 21 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 1 wherein said control means controls the opposition force means to apply a constant force.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 25 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 1 wherein said control means controls said opposition force means to apply a force according to a predetermined program.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 29 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 1 further including a user select means coupled to said control means for providing user selectability of the magnitude of said opposition force.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 118 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 1 wherein said user interface means includes: a user-engageable cable means capable of being displaced through the stroke movements by a user; and wherein said converting means includes: a shaft; a cable drum carried on the shaft and adapted to have the cable means wound thereon and unwound therefrom as the user moves the cable through a stroke; a flywheel connected to the shaft for receiving and conserving angular momentum imparted to the shaft by displacement of the cable from the cable drum; and wherein said opposition force means includes constant torque brake means connected to the shaft for resisting the angular rotation of the shaft means with a constant torque resistance.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 35 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 6 further including: cable retraction means connected to said cable drum means for rewinding the cable onto the cable drum after the user has displaced cable from the drum.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 66 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 7 wherein said cable retraction means includes: one-way clutch means interposed between said cable drum and said shaft; and drum rewind means connected to said cable drum for selectively rotating the drum in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the shaft, so as to rewind the cable on the drum independently of the motion of the shaft.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 177 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements having a power portion and a return portion; means for converting the energy imparted to the user interface means during the power portion of the stroke into rotational displacement of a mass about its axis; opposition force means coupled to said converting means for providing a force to oppose the rotational displacement of the mass; stroke detecting means responsive to said user interface means for determining the beginning of the power portion of the stroke to provide a signal representative thereof; velocity sensing means responsive to said converting means for determining the angular velocity of the mass to provide a signal representative thereof; and control means coupled to said opposition force means and responsive to said stroke detecting signal and said velocity signal for controlling said opposition force means to oppose the rotational displacement of the mass with a first force during the power portion of a stroke and a second force during at least part of the return portion of a stroke.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 177 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements having a power portion and a return portion; means for converting the energy imparted to the user interface means during the power portion of the stroke into rotational displacement of a mass about its axis; opposition force means coupled to said converting means for providing a force to oppose the rotational displacement of the mass; stroke detecting means responsive to said user interface means for determining the beginning of the power portion of the stroke to provide a signal representative thereof; velocity sensing means responsive to said converting means for determining the angular velocity of the mass to provide a signal representative thereof; and control means coupled to said opposition force means and responsive to said stroke detecting signal and said velocity signal for controlling said opposition force means to oppose the rotational displacement of the mass with a first force during the power portion of a stroke and a second force during at least part of the return portion of a stroke.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 25 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 9 wherein said opposition force providing means includes a brake adapted to retard the rotational displacement of the mass.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 17 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 9 wherein said second force is greater than said first force.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 16 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 11 wherein said first and second forces are constant forces.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 28 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 9 further including user select means coupled to said control means for providing user selectability of the magnitude of said first force.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 28 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 9 further including user select means coupled to said control means for providing user selectability of the magnitude of said second force.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 110 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 9 wherein said user interface means includes: a user-engageable cable means capable of being displaced through a stroke by a user; and wherein the exercise machine further includes: a shaft; a cable drum carried on the shaft and adapted to have the cable means wound thereon and unwound therefrom as the user moves the cable through a stroke; a flywheel connected to the shaft for receiving and conserving angular momentum imparted to the shaft by displacement of the cable from the cable drum; and brake means connected to the shaft for resisting the angular rotation of the shaft means with a constant torque resistance.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 29 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 15 further including: cable retraction means for rewinding the cable onto the cable drum after the user has displaced cable from the drum.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 66 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 16 wherein said cable retraction means includes: one-way clutch means interposed between said cable drum and said shaft; and drum rewind means connected to said cable drum for selectively rotating the drum in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the shaft, so as to rewind the cable on the drum independently of the motion of the shaft.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 98 words

An improved rowing exercise machine including: a user-engageable means capable of being displaced through stroke movements by a user; a shaft connected to the user-engageable means; a flywheel connected to the shaft for receiving and conserving angular momentum imparted to the shaft by the user engageable means; constant torque brake means connected to the shaft for resisting the angular rotation of the shaft means with a constant torque resistance independent of the speed of the user's stroke movements; and beginning of stroke signalling means driven by said shaft for indicating the beginning of a portion of said stroke.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 98 words

An improved rowing exercise machine including: a user-engageable means capable of being displaced through stroke movements by a user; a shaft connected to the user-engageable means; a flywheel connected to the shaft for receiving and conserving angular momentum imparted to the shaft by the user engageable means; constant torque brake means connected to the shaft for resisting the angular rotation of the shaft means with a constant torque resistance independent of the speed of the user's stroke movements; and beginning of stroke signalling means driven by said shaft for indicating the beginning of a portion of said stroke.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 49 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 18 further including clutch means interposed between the user-engageable means and the flywheel for disengaging the user-engageable means from the flywheel during a return portion of the stroke and for engaging the user-engageable means to the flywheel during power portions of the stroke.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 59 words

A rowing exercise machine of claim 18 wherein said beginning-of-stroke signalling means includes: gear support means; gear means driven by said shaft and adapted to travel over the gear support means along an axial path with helical motion; and signal means for changing a signal when the gear has traveled a predetermined axial distance along its path of motion.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 29 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 18 further including retraction means for resetting the user-engageable means to a beginning-of-stroke position after the machine user has displaced the user-engageable means.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 81 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements; means for converting energy imparted to the user interface means into rotational displacement of a mass about its axis; means for providing a controllable brake force to oppose the rotational displacement of the mass about its axis; and electrical control means for controlling said brake force means to provide a brake force the magnitude of which is independent of the physical characteristics of the brake force means.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 81 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements; means for converting energy imparted to the user interface means into rotational displacement of a mass about its axis; means for providing a controllable brake force to oppose the rotational displacement of the mass about its axis; and electrical control means for controlling said brake force means to provide a brake force the magnitude of which is independent of the physical characteristics of the brake force means.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 120 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 22 wherein each user stroke movement has a power portion and a return portion and further including means for sensing the beginning of a power portion of a stroke and means for sensing the completion of the power portion of the stroke, said control means being responsive to the beginning of power stroke sensing means for controlling the brake force means to provide a first brake force during at least a part of the power portion of the stroke and being responsive to the completion of power stroke sensing means for controlling the brake force means to provide a second brake force during at least a part of the return portion of the stroke.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 30 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 23 wherein said control means controls the brake force means to provide a second brake force which is greater than the first brake force.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 36 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 22 wherein each stroke movement has a power portion and the control means controls the brake force means to provide a constant force during the power portion of the stroke.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 135 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements; means coupled to said user interface means for converting user stroke movements into simulated boat movement; means responsive to said boat simulating means for sensing the speed of simulated boat movement to provide a signal representative thereof; means for displaying a rowing scene with animated characters representing the user and a pace boat being depicted with respect to a background; means responsive to said speed sensing means for controlling the display means to scroll the background with respect to said animated characters at a scroll rate determined in response to the sensed speed and to vary the relative horizontal positions of the user and pace boat characters in accordance with variations of the sensed speed as compared to a reference speed.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 135 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements; means coupled to said user interface means for converting user stroke movements into simulated boat movement; means responsive to said boat simulating means for sensing the speed of simulated boat movement to provide a signal representative thereof; means for displaying a rowing scene with animated characters representing the user and a pace boat being depicted with respect to a background; means responsive to said speed sensing means for controlling the display means to scroll the background with respect to said animated characters at a scroll rate determined in response to the sensed speed and to vary the relative horizontal positions of the user and pace boat characters in accordance with variations of the sensed speed as compared to a reference speed.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 43 words

The rowing exercising machine of claim 26 wherein the distance separating the user and pace boat characters on the display represents the actual distance which would separate the user moving at the sensed speed from a pace boat moving at said reference speed.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 41 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 26 wherein said background includes a near background and a far background and said display control means scrolls the far background at a rate which is less than the scroll rate of the near background.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 48 words

The rowing machine of claim 26 further including means for detecting the beginning of a user's stroke movement, said display control means being responsive to said beginning of stroke detecting means to control the animation of the user character to stroke in synchronism with the user's stroke movements.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 34 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 29 wherein said display control means controls the animation of the pace boat character to stroke at a constant rate independent of the motion of the user character.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 69 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 26 further including input means operable by a user to select one of a plurality of difficulty levels each having an associated reference speed, said control means being responsive to the selected difficulty level to vary the relative horizontal positions of the characters in accordance with the variations of the sensed speed as compared to the reference speed associated with the selected level.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 87 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements; means coupled to said user interface means for converting user stroke movements into simulated boat movement; means responsive to said converting means for detecting the beginning of a stroke; means for displaying a rowing scene with an animated character representing the user; means responsive to said beginning of stroke detecting means for controlling said display means to control the animation of the user character to stroke in synchronism with the user's stroke movements.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 87 words

A rowing exercise machine comprising: user interface means adapted to accept user stroke movements; means coupled to said user interface means for converting user stroke movements into simulated boat movement; means responsive to said converting means for detecting the beginning of a stroke; means for displaying a rowing scene with an animated character representing the user; means responsive to said beginning of stroke detecting means for controlling said display means to control the animation of the user character to stroke in synchronism with the user's stroke movements.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 50 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 32 wherein said display means displays a rowing scene with an animated character representing a pace boat and said display control means controls the animation of the pace boat character to stroke at a constant rate independent of the motion of the user character.

Claim 40

Dependent Claim 66 words

The rowing exercise machine of claim 33 further including input means operable by a user to select one of a plurality of difficulty levels each having an associated constant stroke rate, said display control means being responsive to the difficulty level selected by a user to control the animation of the pace boat character to stroke at the constant stroke rate associated with the selected level.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1990-06-22	1990-12-22	1991-06-23	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1994-06-22	1994-12-22	1995-06-23	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1998-06-22	1998-12-22	1999-06-23	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Rowing machine with video display

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