Rowing exercise machine

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What is claimed is:

1. A rowing exercise machine comprising a track having a user seat movable therealong, a resistance mechanism comprising a first disk rotational about an axis, a second diskaxially aligned with said first disk and resisting rotation about said axis, a first coupling coupled between said first and second disks, said first coupling being resiliently deformable and being tensionable in a spiral about said axis upon rotation ofsaid first disk about said axis such that rotation of said first disk about said axis tensions and stretches said first coupling along said spiral and is resisted by said second disk, a user handle coupled to said first disk by a second coupling toresist movement of said handle and concordant movement of the user on said seat along said track.

2. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 1 wherein the direction of movement of said seat along said track is normal to said axis.

3. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 1 wherein said second coupling is a pull cable, and said handle is moveable by pulling said cable to rotate said first disk through said second coupling.

4. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 3 wherein said resistance mechanism comprises a spool rotational about a second axis and coupled to said first disk in driving relation, such that rotation of said spool about said second axisrotates said first disk about said first mentioned axis, and wherein said pull cable is wound around said spool.

5. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 4 wherein said second axis is parallel to said first axis, and said handle is movable by pulling said cable along a direction normal to said first and second axes.

6. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 4 wherein said spool is coupled to said first disk in geared relation.

7. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 6 wherein said spool is coupled to said first disk in gear reduction relation, said spool having a driving gear thereon, said first disk having a driven gear thereon driven by said driving gear,said driven gear being the larger than said drive gear such that a given angular rotation of said drive gear corresponds to a lesser angular rotation of said driven gear.

8. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 1 comprising an adjustment mechanism adjustably controlling the position of said second disk relative to said spiral to selectively increase or decrease spiral tension along said first couplingto vary resistance to rotation of said first disk and movement of said second coupling and said handle and concordant movement of the user on said seat along said track.

9. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 8 wherein said adjustment mechanism adjustably controls the rotational position of said second disk about said axis.

10. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 9 wherein said adjustment mechanism comprises a toothed gear fixed to said second disk and rotational therewith about said axis, and an adjustment gear rotational about a second axis and havinggear teeth engaging the teeth of said toothed gear to rotate said toothed gear and said second disk about said first mentioned axis to change the rotational position of said second disk about said first axis relative to said first disk.

11. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 10 wherein said adjustment gear is a worm gear rotational about said second axis, wherein said second axis is transverse to said first axis, and said worm gear has spiral gear teeth engagingsaid teeth of said toothed gear to rotate said toothed gear and said second disk about said first axis.

12. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 1 wherein said second disk has a resistive rotational position about said axis relative to said first disk.

13. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 12 wherein said resistive rotational position of said second disk is a fixed rotational position of said second disk about said axis relative to said first disk.

14. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 12 comprising an adjustment mechanism adjustably controlling said resistive rotational position of said second disk about said axis to selectively increase or decrease spiral tension along saidcoupling to vary resistance to rotation of said first disk and movement of said second coupling and said handle and concordant movement of the user on said seat along said track.

15. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 1 wherein said first coupling has a first end coupled to said first disk, and a second end coupled to said second disk.

16. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 15 wherein said first coupling comprises a plurality of stretchable bands.

17. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 16 wherein said bands are wrapped in parallel about said axis.

18. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 17 wherein said bands are functionally in parallel about said axis.

19. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 18 wherein said bands are also geometrically in parallel about said axis.

20. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 16 wherein said bands are wrapped in series about said axis.

21. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 16 wherein said bands comprise a first stretchable band having first and second ends, and a second stretchable band having first and second ends, said first end of said first band beingconnected to said first disk, said second end of said first band being connected to said first end of said second band, said second end of said second band being coupled to said second disk.

22. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 21 wherein said second end of said second band is coupled to said second disk through one or more additional stretchable bands spirally tensionable in series about said axis.

23. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 21 comprising at least one intermediate disk axially aligned with and axially interposed between said first and second disks.

24. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 23 wherein said at least one intermediate disk is a connection disk wherein said second end of said first band and said first end of said second band are each attached to said connection disksuch that said connection disk provides the connection between said second end of said first band and said first end of said second band.

25. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 23 wherein said at least one intermediate disk comprises one or more spacer disks axially spacing said first and second disks.

26. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 21 comprising a plurality of intermediate disks axially aligned with and axially interposed between said first and second disks, said intermediate disks comprising at least one connection diskwherein said second end of said first band and said first end of said second band are each attached to said connection disk such that said connection disk provides the connection between said second end of said first band and said first end of saidsecond band, and wherein said intermediate disks comprise a first set of one or more spacer disks axially spacing said connection disk and said first disk, and a second set of one or more spacer disks axially spacing said connection disk and said seconddisk.

27. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 1 wherein said first coupling is looped around a connection at least one of said first and second disks.

28. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 1 comprising one or more intermediate disks axially aligned with and axially interposed between said first and second disks.

29. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 28 wherein said one or more intermediate disks comprise one or more connection disks to which said first coupling is coupled and tensioned along said spiral.

30. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 29 wherein said first coupling is connected to at least one of said first disk, said second disk, and said connection disk.

31. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 30 wherein said first coupling is connected to each of said first disk, said second disk, and said connection disk.

32. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 29 wherein said first coupling is looped around a connection at least one of said first disk, said second disk, and said connection disk.

33. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 28 wherein said one or more intermediate disks comprise spacer disks axially spacing said first and second disks.

34. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 28 wherein said one or more intermediate disks comprise a set of one or more connection disks to which said first coupling is coupled and tensioned along said spiral, a first set of one or morespacer disks axially spacing a respective said connection disk and said first disk, and a second set of one or more spacer disks axially spacing said respective connection disk and said second disk.

35. The rowing exercise machine according to claim 4 wherein said first and second disks are on a first shaft extending along said first rotational axis, said spool is on a second shaft extending along said second rotational axis, said firstand second shafts being parallel to each other.