US1170467A - Exercising apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

L. B. TAYLOR.

EXERCISING APPARATUS.

APPLlCATlON FILED APR. 17, 1912.

1,170,467. Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

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l 222 azwojlzyzar THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

LYMAN B. TAYLOR, or LYNNFIELD,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HEALTH GAMES COMPANY.

EXERCISING- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. i, rare.

Application filed A ril 17. 1912; Serial No. 691,317.

To all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMA v B. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lynnfield, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Exercising Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide an exercising apparatus whereby the force of a blow may be indicated in some attractive manner so as to render the apparatus suitable for amusement purposes.

The invention as embodied in the form illustrated utilizes the principal features of the game of baseball, although obviously it maybe embodied in such form as to utilize the principles of other games.

Of the accompanying drawings which illustrate one form in which the invention may be embodied: Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partly in section, of the apparatus complete. Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of a board on which is represented the playing field and players of the game of baseball. Fig. 3 represents on a larger scale a vertical section indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and including a diagram of electric wiring. Fig. i represents a vertical section, on the same scale as Fig. 3, of a portion of thestructure included in Fig. 1.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever they occur.

The exercising apparatus is adapted to be operated by a bat such as that used in the game of baseball, the bat being used to strike ball indicated at 10. The force of the blow on the ball compresses a charge of air which is utilized as a transmitting medium for operating an electric switch whereby one of several electric indicating devices is influenced to indicate the force or value of the blow which is struck. The ball is carried by a horizontally movable plunger 11 on which is mounted a piston 12. The piston is arranged in a cylinder 13 inwhich a charge of air is compressed by the piston.

The compressed air passes into a cylinder.

14 of relatively small bore and there acts electrical circuit is closed. The several stationary contacts with which the movable switch member coacts are arranged in two parallel series and for this reason the movable switch member is provided with two fingers 17 and 17 each of which is sufliciently flexible to engage the stationary contacts with the desired pressure. The stationary contacts of one series are indicated at 18, and those of the other series are indicated at 18. These contacts are mounted in a block or base 19 of insulating material. It will be observed that the contacts of one series are staggered with relation to those of the other series in such manner that the movable switch member when moved will engage first a contact of one series and then a contact of the other series, and so on, the several contacts being so arranged that no two will be engaged at the same time by the movable switch member.

The apparatus is provided with a pluralityof indicating devices each of which is connected electrically with one of the stationary contacts. These indicating devices are mounted upon a board 20 on which is displayed, as shown by Fig. 2, the playing field and players of the game of baseball. Any form of indicating device which will give a visual indication is suitable for the purpose of the present invention; but the most suitable device is an incandescent light, and the invention is so illustrated. The incandescent lamps are mounted upon the rear side of the board 20 and the board is provided with a small hole in front of each lamp, through which the light may be seen. The several holes are shown by Fig. 2, and they are located with reference to the representation of the playing field in such manner as to carry out as well as possible the principles of the game depicted. For example, the hole indicated at 1 is located where first base would be located, and, when illuminated, may represent a hit good for one base. The hole indicated at 2* represents used to indicate cuts. The holesindicated' at 0, being located near the three outfielders, may be used to indicate fly balls which are caught by the outfielders and which result in the batter being declared out. The hole indicated at H, being beyond the outfielders, may be used to indicate a home run, or a hit of any other desired value. The fnumber of indicating devices may, of course, be varied as desired; butthe number shown and their arrangement are sufiicient to illustrate the possibilities whereby the principles of baseball may be used to add interest to the exercising apparatus.

Fig. 3 includes a diagram of wiring and a plurality of incandescent lamps L all of which are mounted on the back of the board 20 so that each lamp will be directly in line with one of the holes in the board. The reference characters used to indicate the holes in the board might well be applied to the board in practice so that whenever a light appears at one of the holes the value of the light will be readily apparent. A source of current is indicated at B. This may consist of a battery of cells C. As shown by the diagram, one side of the battery is connected by a conductor 21 to the movable switch member comprising the flexible fingers 17 and 17. For the purpose 'of forming this connection the conductor 21 may be grounded on any convenient part of the metal structure connected with the movable switch member. The other side of the battery is connected by a conductor 22 and suitable branches thereof to the several lamps L. The conductors for connecting the lamps with the stationary contacts are indicated at 23.

The mechanical construction of the ap paratus comprises a base 25 which supports the cylinder 13 and all the other structure which is necessarily located in fixed relation to the cylinder. The board 20, however, is preferably supported by other means in order to avoid transmitting the shock of a blow to the electrical indicating devices, because such shock might be detrimental to them. For this reason the board is supported by legs 26 which are adapted to rest upon a floor independently of the base 25. The only other physical connection between the board and the apparatus which is mounted upon the base 25 is that of the electric conductors. The charge of air which is the pawl 29.

, ter striking the blow, before the value of the blow is indicated. It is desirable to prolong the indication for a short period of time, and for this reason the piston rod 16 is provided with a series of teeth 28 which are adapted to be engaged by a retaining pawl 29,so that when the movable switch member has been raised as far as it can be raised by the compressed air, the tooth 28 neXt above the pawl 29 will eventually settle down uponthepawl. The teeth and pawl are so related with relation to the switch elements that one of the fingers 17, 17 will lie upon one of the stationary contacts when any one of the teeth 28 is resting against the pawl 29. This insures a closed circuit through one of the indicating devices when the operative movement of the switch ceases' When the indication is no longer desired, the ap paratus may be restored to its-initial condition ready for further use by retracting the pawl 29 to release the rod 16. A releasing rodfor this purpose is indicated at 3.0. The

forwardend of thisrod is in a position where it is convenient for the user to move the same while standing at the front of the.

apparatus. The rear end of the rod 30 is connected to one arm of a bell-crank31. The bell-crank is pivoted at 32, and its other arm is connected by a rod 33 to an arm of The pivot upon which the pawl is mounted is indicated at 3:1. A spring 35 acting upon the bell-crank 31 normally holds the pawl against the rod 16.

The plunger 11 whichjcarries the cornpressing piston is returned to its initial positron by a spring 36'. Th s spring 1s CQllGCl about the plunger, one end bearing against the piston12 and the other end bearing against an abutment 37 in the cylinder. 5

The abutment affords .a bearing for the plunger. The spring 36 is preferably llght, its only function being to return theplungera Although it is adapted to act as cushioning means for resisting the operative movement of the plunger, this is merely incidental and its degree of resistance is so slight as to be negligible in comparison to the force of a blow, which may easily be m struck with a bat. v for reslsting the operative movement of the The principal element piston is the air which becomes compressed y when the piston is moved.

It is evident that if the plunger and pisston are free to: return to their initial position as soon as the forward movement of V the plunger ceases, the energy stored in the chargeof compressed air will be lost with the return of the piston. I providea clevice which is adapted to prevent return movement of the plunger so as to utilize the full amount of energy stored in the compressed air and to permit the compressed air to work eXpansively upon the piston 15 and prolong the upward movement of the movable switch member, to the endthat the force of the blow rather than the suddenness of the blow will be indicated upon the board. The device for thispurpose is shown best by Fig. 4.. It comprises a lever 38 pivotally mounted in the cylinder upon a stationary pivot pin 39 and having an eccentric surface 40 adapted to engage the plunger. The lever is connected by a rod 41 with the bell-crank 31 in such manner that the tension of the spring will nor- .mally hold the eccentric surface against the plunger. The surface a0 is so arranged as to offer no appreciable resistance to the inward movement of the plunger, but to bind tightly upon the plunger if the latter has any reverse movement. By thus look- .ing the plunger so that it cannot return, the batter is atfordedsufiicient time. after striking the blow to recover himself before the value of the blow is indicated. The

speed with which the piston 15 travels de pends upon the capacity of the port 2'? to conduct the compressed charge from the compressing cylinder to the smaller cylinder. The connection between the retaining member 38 and the bell-crank 31 is such that the member 38 is actuated to release the plunger when the releasing rod 30 is operated to retract the pawl 29. In this way both pistons are released by a sing-1e move ment ofthe releasing rod 30. The return movement of the piston 12, due to the force of the spring 36, causes a slight suction in the cylinder whichdraws down the piston 15 and quickens the return movement of the movable part of the switch. It is obvious that the retaining member 38 may be detached or held in inoperative position, in which case the piston 12 would be returned immediately after the blow is struck, so that the charge of compressed air would not be used expansively. For some purposes it may be desirable to use the apparatusin this way to render the operation of the indicating mechanism approximately instantaneous.

The ball 10 is preferably made of some resilient material, such for example as rubher, or it may be a regulation baseball made of woolen yarn with a rubber or rubber and cork center and leather cover. The plunger is provided with a detachable holder for holding the ball. This holder is split longitudinally and comprises two sections 42 which when placed together as shown form a cup for the reception of the ball. The two sections 42 have half portions of a shank 43 which is screw-threaded in a socket it atIiXed tothe plunger. When the ball is worn at one spot it may be turned to present a new surface to receive the blows, by unscrewing the holder from the socket to first release the ball and by again screwing the shank into the socket after the ball has been turned to the desired position. The thread ed portions of the shank 48 and socket H are tapered to cause the cup-shaped members to grip the ball.

In order to prevent the bat from striking the metal of the framework in case the bat passes beyond the ball, a soft pad 45 is provided. This pad is attached to a holder 46 by means of straps or bands 47. The holder 41-6 is secured to the forward end of the cylinder 13. The center of the pad is open, as indicated at 48, to enable the socket 44 and holder 42 to approach closely to the cylinder 13.

It will be noted that the shape of the holes which represent the bases is similar to the shape of bases which are used in the real game of baseball, thus dispensing with the necessity of any other representation of the bases. It is obvious that the stationary contacts 1S and 18 may be connected in any desired order with the several lamps, and that the conductors may be shifted about from time to time to vary the represented value of the blows. In this way the circuit which would be closed by a blow of maximum force could be used to render an indication of a value less than maximum. By connecting the lamps so that the hardest blow will not have the greatest value, persons who are physically able to strike the hardest blow would not have an advantage over persons of less strength. It is also obvious that two or more stationary contacts may be connected to one lamp, so that blows of different force would have equal value. F or example, the first stationary contact might be connected to illuminate the lamp at 1 so that the apparatus could be made to indicate a blow of the value of a one-base hit as the result of a light tap similar to a bunt. Another stationary contact, if connected to illuminate the same lamp at 1,

would require a harder blow, such as one which would be the result of swinging the bat with considerable force as is more common in the game of baseball. These examples are only a few of the many possible combinations of connecting the lamps of which the apparatus is capable; and by rearranging the wiring from time to time a frequent user of the apparatus would be kept in doubt as to how hard the ball should be struck in order to obtain the indication of maximum value, and all users would have substantially equal advantage, notwithstanding the inequalities of physical ability.

1 In the use of the apparatus the user stands at either side of the ball and strikes the ball with a suitable hat. The force of the blow against the ball moves the plunger 11 longitudinally, and when the inward movement of the plunger ceases, the retaining device 38 holds the plunger against return movement. The piston 12 in moving with the plunger compresses air in the cylinder 13, and the compressed charge flows through the port 27 into the cylinder 14, raising the piston 15 and the controller carried thereby until the force of the compressed air is expended. The height to which the controller is moved depends upon the distance to which I the plunger 11 is driven by the bat. Al-

though the inward movement of the plunger is rapid, the movement of the controller is slow. As the controller rises the pawl 29 clicks over the teeth 28, and when the force of the compressed air is expended, the controller settles until the tooth next above the pawl 29 rests upon the pawl. The two-fingered contact 17, 17 then stands in engagement with the corresponding stationary contact 18 and closes a circuit through the cor responding indicator on the board 20. The circuit thus formed remains closed so long as the controller is supported in an elevated position by the pawl 29. The indication may continue for an indefinite time, and if desired may be recorded with pencil and paper. lVhen it is no longer needed, the apparatus may be restored to initial condition by pulling the rod 30 to retract the pawl 29 and release the plunger 11. Movements of the plunger and controller to initial position are independent of each other, the plunger being returned by the force of spring 36, and the controller according to the arrangement shown being returned by gravity. The impact of the bat against the ball 10 or against the cushion is sustained by the frame 25 but is not transmitted to the frame 26 which supports the indicating means, these two frames being free from physical connection excepting through the electric Wires and through the floor. or other surface upon which the apparatus is installed.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention and described a way of con structing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim is:

1. An exercising apparatus comprising a plurality of indicating devices, controlling means for causing an indication by any one of said devices, pneumatic means for operating said controlling means, air compressing means adapted to be operated by a blow for compressing a charge to operate said pneumatic means, and means for preventing retrograde movement of said compressing means when a charge is compressed. 2. An exercising apparatus comprising a plurality of indicating devices, controlling means for causing an indication by any one of said devices, pneumatic. means for operating said controlling means, air compressing means adapted to be operated by a blow for compressing a charge to operate said pneumatic means, and means for preventing retrograde movement of said pneumatic means, whereby said controlling means is held in position to keep a circuit-closed through the determined indicating device,

3. An exercisingapparatus comprising a plurality of indicating devices, controlling means for causing an indication by any one of said devices, pneumatic means for operating said controllingmeans, said pneumatic means being adapted to return automatically to initial position when unrestrained, retaining meansfor preventing return movement of said pneumatic means,

'air compressing means adapted to be operated by a blow for compressing a charge to operate said pneumatic means, retaining means for preventing return movement of said compressing means, a manually operative releasing member, and connections between said releasing member and both of said retaining means whereby the latter may be operated by one movement of said releasing member.

4:. An exercising apparatus comprising a plurality of electrically operating indicating devices, a support therefor,'air compressing means adapted to be operated by a blow, an independent support for said means, pneumatic means operative by the compressed air from said compressing means, electric switch mechanism operative by said pneumatic means, said switch mechanism including a plurality of terminals connected with the several'indicating deviceswhereby any one of said devices may be included in an operating circuit, and a source of current connected with the switch terminals and indicating devices for operating the latter.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a plunger, indicating means, means adapted to be operated when said plunger is moved, for causing an operation by saidv indicating means, a ball, and means mounted on one end of said plunger for holding said ball so as to present a portion of the ball surface to a plunger operating element, said holding means being adapted to grip the ball and release the same whereby the ball may be turned to various positions.

6. In an exercising apparatus of the character described, an indicator, a source of arranged to retain said piston against reenergy for operating the same, controfling turn movement. 1e means arranged to apply energy from said In testimony whereof I have aflixed my source to operate said indicator, a bloW-resignature, in presence of two Witnesses.

ceiving element, a piston operable by said LYMAN B. TAYLOR. element, means arranged to coact with said Witnesses:

piston to compress air and apply such air WALTER P. ABELL,

to adjust said controlling means, and means P. W. PEZZETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. G.

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