GB2441120A

GB2441120A - Swinging device

Info

Publication number: GB2441120A
Application number: GB0616659A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wilson Christian Pierre
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-22
Filing date: 2006-08-22
Publication date: 2008-02-27
Also published as: ATE444789T1; DE602007002673D1; EP1892024B1; GB0616659D0; EP1892024A1

Abstract

A swinging device comprises a horizontal support 15 supported above the ground by a vertical support 16. Torso supports are mounted for angular rotation about the horizontal support and are provided with a seat 60. Leg supports 33 are also provided and fitted with foot retainers 52, 55, 57, 58. Pressure of the feet against the foot retainers causes the swing to move forwards, a backwards movement being prevented by pressure on the hand bar 47, which engages the arresting means 31, 31a to engage.

Description

SWINGING DEVICE

The present invention relates to swings (e.g. a seat suspended by rope/chains). And in particular, to swings adapted to enhance a seated user's to and fro motions.

Though enjoyable, swings have their limitations. Generally, the unaided user has to struggle against the forces gf gravity to maintain the swinging motions. And the attainable height, while swinging, is usually confined to below the horizontal support, which can be unsatisfactory. The present invention proposes a swinging device which is provided with reciprocal power means adapted to enhance the user's enjoyment by assisting her or him to extend the ac of the swing further and further.

The present invention provides a swinging device comprising: substantially horizontal support means, raised from the ground by generally vertical support means; lengthwise torso support means being mounted at, or near, one end of the lengthwise torso support means peendiciiarty to the honzontai Support means in a manner allowing angular rotation about the horizontal support means, the said lengthwise torso support means being provided at, or near, the other end witha buttocks support means; lengthwise leg support means being mounted at, or near, one end of the lengthwise leg support means perpendicularly to the horizontal support means in a manner allowing angular rotation about the horizontal support means, the said lengthwise leg support means being provided at, or near, the other end with foot retention means; addthonal support means, the said additional support means being rotatably mounted to the horizontal support means and being provided with arresting means, the said arresting means being adapted to engage the horizontal support means and thus immobilising the additional support means at any location about the horizontal support means when user operates the arresting means; reciprocal power means, the said reciprocal power means being mounted and arranged between the lengthwise leg support means and the additional SUppOrt means in a manner such that when the additional support means is immobilised whenever user operates the arresting means, the swinging movement of the user's body mass against the reciprocal power means via the lengthwise leg support means thereby producing reciprocal swinging motions of the user.

In operation, the user sits on the buttocks support means, with his or her feet engaged and retained by the foot retention means, and operates the arresting means to immobilise the additional support means. The user then starts a pushing action against the reciprocal power means, via the leg support means, so that she or he is reciprocally propelled backward Initially, the user repeats the process of pushing against the leg support means more than once, for example, in order to extend the arc of the swing further and further. While in extended backward swing, the user can optionally release the arresting means, then re-operates the arresting means again at the greater height attained, and resume the process of pushing against the leg support means in order to ascend to a greater height for an extended forward swing. Or, the user releases the arresting means allowing himself or herself to swing freely forward, towards the end of which swing, the user operates the arresting means and uses the resulting reciprocal push to swing further backward. And by repeating the process the user aims to maintain the swinging motions for as long as desired.

In preferred embodiments, the lengthwise torso support means may consist of a pair of support bars for example, mounted preferably one on each of the users sides for strong support. The support bars being mounted perpendicularly at, or near, one end to the horizontal support means for angular rotation. And towards their opposite ends, the torso support bars may be provided with a supporting bar, mounted perpendicularly to the torso support bars in order to provide a supporting means for the buttocks support means, or seat for example. And for the user's comfort, the seat may be provided with a back support and soft padding if preferred.

Similarly, the lengthwise leg support means may consist of a pair of support bars mounted perpendicularly at, or near, one end to the hosizontal support means for angular rotation. And towards their opposite ends, the support bars may be provided with a supporting bar, mounted perpendicularly to the support bars to provide a supporting means for the foot retention means.

The foot retention means may consist of a foot plate with releasable ankle retention bars to engage and retain the user's feet to the foot plate while swinging. Preferably, the user may be provided with one foot retention means for each foot. The foot plate may also include a toe retention bar if preferred, as this would provide hrm retention of the user's feet to the foot plates.

Also in preferred embodiments, the additional support means may comprise a pair of support bars for example, mounted perpendicularly at, or near, one end to the horizontal support means for angular rotation. And the additional support bars being mobeJ next to the leg support bars.

Although the reciprocal power means can be mounted to the leg support bars, for convenience of conliguration only, it is preferred that further support bars are provided and attached to the leg support bars in order to provide supporting means for the reciprocal power means. The further support bars can be attached to the mountings of the leg support bars in a manner allowing angular rotation of the further support bars about the horizontal support means. The further support bars are preferably disposed on opposite side of the horizontal support means to the leg support bars (and the torso support bars).

The purpose of this is, as the reciprocal power means are mounted and arranged between the additional support bars and the further support bars, attached to the leg support bars, towards their ends opposite the horizontal support means, their combined weight conveniently act as a counterbalance to the user's body mass on the other side of the horizontal support. Thus promoting better swinging motions for her or him.

The arresting means may consist of bars for example. The bars being slidingly mounted to the additional support means (or bars) in a manner allowing the sliding movement of the arresting bars towards the horizontal support means. And to operate the arresting bars, a system of wires running through flexible hollow cables are provided.

For the user's convenience, a hand-bar (for example a spindle) may be provided to operate the arresting bars, via the wires running through flexible hollow cables. The wires are attached at one end to the hand-bar. And at their other end, the wires are attached to the arresting bars. So that the user rotates the hand-bar forward for example, to operate the arresting bars.

The hand-bar is preferably mounted to a pair of supporting bars for example. The hand-bar being rotatably mounted perperdcula,ly to the supporting bars towards their ends for example.

And towards their other ends, the supporting bars can be mounted to the leg support bars, for example towards their ends near the horizontal support means in a manner allowing angular rotation of he supporting bars towards the user. As this would allow the user to adjust the relative position of the hand-bar towards him or her if desired.

The reciprocal power means may consist of hydraulic/pneumatic resistors and/or springs for example, or a combination of these if preferred. The hydraulic/pneumatic resistors (and/or springs) are mounted and arranged between the additional support bars and the further support bars, attached the leg support bars, towards their ends opposite the horizontal support means.

In much preferred embodiments, the horizontal support means may be provided with circular toothed components, for example toothed wheels having their teeth on their circumference. The toothed wheels being attached to the horizontal support means to its parts where the arresting bars engage the horizontal support means. As this would provide more reliable engagement between the arresting bars and the horizontal support means.

And it is particulasiy preferred that each toothed wheel is formed with each tooth being generally triangular in cross section for example, and with each tooth being formed having the plane of onefaceinastraightlinewiththeradiusofthetoothedwheel,i.e.withonefacebeing perpendicular to the tangent of the toothed wheel, and with the other face being formed sloping or curving towards the base of the toothed wheel, i.e. towards the horizontal support means.

The purpose of this is to allow the arresting bars to engage, or interlock with, the toothed wheels only when the user is swinging in one direction, for example forward. And to allow the arresting bars to disengage, i.e. slide off towards the apices of the teeth when the user is swinging in the opposite direction. The benefit for the user is that she or he does not require quick reflexes to operate the hand-bar to disengage the arresting bars to a neutral (or free) position, for example while being reciprocally pushed backward by the reciprocal power means In some embodiments of the invention, the users swinging motions can be enhanced by adding a reciprocal forward push to the users swinging motions (altematingly to the reciprocal backward push for example). The parts provided to achieve this are identical to those provided for the reciprocal backward push, and are mounted in a manner similar to the attachments for the leg support bars. Though in such embodiments, in a modilication, some parts are mounted in reverse.

For example, the toothed wheels are attached to the horizontal support means in a manner allowing the arresting bars to engage when the user is swinging backward only, and to disengage when the user is swinging forward. The wires provided to operate the arresting bars are attached to the hand-bar opposite their counterparts, so that the user rotates the hand-bar backward to engage the arresting bars.

In operation, to enhance the swinging motions when desired, the user rotates the hand-bar backward while swinging in a backward direction in order to be provided with a reciprocal push forward.

To avoid the risk of injury to the user while swinging, releasable securing means may be provided to secure him or her to the device. For example, these may comprise safety straps and a body harness to releasably secure the user to the buttocks support and torso support bars respectively.

A further benefit for the user of being provided with (releasable) securing means is that they allow her or his movement about the horizontal support means, i.e. to complete a full circle, while swinging, if desired.

The present invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a partial view, right hand side from user's view point, showing detail from the figure 1 illustration, in perspective; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the hand-bar from figure 1 with its mountings and attachments; Figure4 disengaged position, with cutaway section and some parts not drawn for clarity of illustration; Figure 5 is a side view showing the arresting means of figure 4 in the engaged position; Figure 6 is a side view showing the arresting means relating to the torso support means in the engaged position, with cutaway section and some parts not drawn for clarity of illustration; Figure 7 is a side view of an embodiment of foot support means for the invention; and Figure 8 is a plan view of figure 7.

The device illustrated in figure 1 comprises a horizontal support 15, tubular and round in cross section and supported above ground by vertical supports 16. Two vertical support 16 can be provided at (or near) each end of the horizontal support 15 forming an A' frame for example.

If preferred, the horizontal support 15 can be formed like an H' for example, in cross section.

The lengthwise leg support means consists of a pair of support bars 33 attached at one end to the mounting rings 27. The mounting rings 27 are mounted within the cicumferencial grooves of the wheels 30. Each wheel 30 is formed with two flanges, with one flange towards each edge of the wheel 30, so as to form a cicumferencial groove (e.g.like a bobbin or reel type wheel).

The -6-mounting rings 27 are mounted on the circumferences and between the flanges of wheels 30.

The wheels 30 are rotatably mounted to the spindles 22 (preferably on ball beatings) thereby allowing angular rotation of the support bars 33 about horizontal support 15. The spindles 22 are disposed with their axes parallel to horizontal support 15 and are mounted through the mounting rings 26. The wheels 20 are rotatabty mounted to the spindles 22 (preferably on ball beatings) with one at (or towards) each end of the spindles 22.

Each wheel 20 is formed with a flange (i.e. raised edge) on its rim towards one edge (e.g. like a locomove wheels) and run on circular guide rails 21. The guide rails 21 are attached to the horizontal support 15 on its circumference providing support and a direction of travel for the wheels 20, i.e. allowing the mounting rings 26 and 27 to rotate about horizontal support 15 and with each ring being able to rotate independently from each other (via wheels 30).

Four spindles 22 are provided, each with two wheels 20 and a wheel 30. The wheels 30 being disposed between a mounting ring 26 and a wheel 20. The spindles are mounted equidistant to each other. If preferred, any number of spindles above three, with appropriate number of wheels can be provided.

Towards their ends opposite mounting rings 27, the support bars 33 are provided with a support bar 61 which serves as a supporting means for the foot retention means, to be described later.

The lengthwise torso support means comprises a pair of support bars 17 attached at one end to mounting rings 27 in a manner similar to the attachment of the leg support bars 33 and using the same reference numbers for identical parts.

Towards their ends opposite the mounting rings 27, the support bars 17 are provided with a supporting bar 66. The supporting bar 66 is mounted perperdcularty to the support bars 17 and servesasasupportingmeansforthebuttockssupportorseat60. Theseat60ismountedto the support 66 at about its midpoint and may include a back support and soft padding (not illustrated) for the user's comfort.

The additional support means consists of the support bars 29 attached at one end to mounting rings 26 for angular rotation about the horizontal support 15. The additional support bars 29 are disposed at the opposite side of horizontal support 15 to the leg support bars 33 and towards the user's back.

The arresting means, consisting of the arresting bars 31, are slidingty mounted to the additional support bars 29 via two support arms 35 through the slots 68 formed in the arresting bars 31.

Each arresting bar 31 is formed with a slot 68 along its length, and in parallel with the support bars 29, thus allowing the arresting bars to slide towards the horizontal support 15. And each arrestingbarisformedwtthftsendtowardshonzontalsupportl5atanangletoftslengt hsoas to provide efficient interlocking with the toothed components 42, which will be described later.

The wires 45 are provided to operate the arresting bars 31. The wires 45 are attached at one end to the arresting bars 31 via arms 39 attached endicularty to the arresting bars, for example towards their ends opposite horizontal support 15. The wires 45 run through a hole in arms 34, attached perpendicularly to supports 29 to their side for example, and through flexible hollow cables 46.

At their other ends, the wires 45 axe attached to arms 51 at (or towards) their ends (figure 3).

The arms 51 are attached perpendicularly to spindle or hand-bar 47, with one arm 51 at (or towards) each end of hand-bar 47. The hand - bar 47 is rotatably mounted perpendicularly through supporting bars 49 towards their ends opposite horizontal support 15 for example.

Towards their opposite ends, the supporting bars 49 are attached perpendicuarly to spindle 48.

The spindle 48 is rotatably mounted perpendicularly to leg support bars 33, for example towards their ends near horizontal support 15, thus allowing angular rotation of the supporting bars 49 towards the user for example. The purpose of this is to allow adjustments of the relative position of the hand-bar 47 towards her or him if desired.

If preferred, means may be provided to releasabty secure the hand-bar after adjustments of position. For example, the spindle 48 may be formed with threads towards both ends and wing nuts (not illustrated) provided to releasably secure the spindle 48 to the leg support bars 33.

The flexible hollow cables 46 are disposed contiguously between the support arms 34 and the support arms 50, with one end towards support arms 34 and the other end towards support arms 50. The support arms 50 are attached perpendicularly to the sides of supporting bars 49, for example towards their ends near hand-bar 47. Each supporting arm 50 is formed with a hole towards both ends to allow the wires 45 to pass through. So that when the user rotates the hand-bar 47 forward for example, the wires 45 pull the arresting bars 31 towards the circular toothed components 42.

The circular toothed components or toothed wheels 42 are attached to the horizontal support 15 to its pans where the arresting bars 31 engage And though for the purpose of illustration the toothed wheels are drawn as having ten teeth each, they can be formed with any convenient number of teeth if preferred.

The toothed wheels 42 are formed with each tooth being formed generally triangular in cross secthn and having one face with its plane in a straight line with the radius of the toothed wheel, i.e. with one face p pendicular to the tangent of the toothed wheel, and with one face sloping or curving towards its base, i.e. towards horizontal support 15 (e.g.as in figures 4,5 and 6) so that in operation the arresting bars 31 only engage or interlock with the toothed wheels when the user is swinging forward and allowed to disengage by sliding off towards the apex of the teeth when the user is swinging in a backward direction, for example when the user is being reciprocally projected backward by the reciprocal power means.

The reciprocal power means consists of the hydraulic resistors 41 mounted between the additional supportbars29andthe surtbars23viathesp,ndles40.Thespindles4Oare rotatabty mounted perpendicularty to the support bars 29 and 23, for example towards their ends opposite their mounting rings. In some embodiments, instead of hydraulic resistors, compressible springs for example may be provided if preferred.

The support bars 23 are attached at one end to the mounting rings 27 for angular rotation about horizontal support 15. For convenience of configuration only, the support bars 23 are disposed towards opposite side of horizontal support 15 to the leg support bars 33. And furthermore, the support bars 23 are disposed towards the front of the user and are set at an angle of about 135 degrees to the leg support bars 33. If preferred, other angles can be chosen, according to size of hydraulic resistors or springs for example.

The present configuration is preferred as the weight of the hydraulic resistors (or springs) and their supporting means can act as counterweight to the user's body mass thus promoting better swinging motions for him or her. In other embodiments, more than one hydraulic resistors (or springs) can be provided on each side and preferably with means (not illustrated) to allow the user to adjust the level of resistance if desired.

To operate the device, the user sits on the seat 60, with her or his feet engaged in the foot retention means, the user then rotates the hand-bar 47 forward causing the arresting bars 31 to engage the toothed wheels 42 thus immobilising the support bars 29. And pushing against the leg support bars 33, via the foot retention means, causing the movement of the support bars 23 towards the support bars 29 thus compressing the hydraulic resistors 41 (figure 5) so that the resistive power causes the user to swing reciprocally backward.

Initially, the user repeats the process of pushing against the leg support bars more than once to extend the arc of the swing further and further back. And as the user swings further back the arresting bars 31 disengage then reengage with the next teeth further up the toothed wheels.

Whereupon, the user can optionally repeat the process of pushing against the leg support bars 33 in order to climb towards a greater height, or she or he can disengage the arresting bars 31 by rotating the hand-bar 47 backward to allow an extended forward swing pass the initial starting point The springs 37 are provided to return and hold the arresting bars 31 (and 31a) in the disengage position.

The springs 37 are attached at one end to the arresting bars 31 for example towards their ends opposite the toothed wheels via arms 38. At their other ends, the springs 37 are attached to the support bars 29 for example towards their ends near the mounting rings via arms 34.

Towards the end of the extended forward swing, the user engages the arresting bars again and uses the resulting reciprocal force to push himself or herself backward. Thus by repeating the process the user maintains the swinging motions and aims to swing further forward/backward each time. The user repeats the process for as long as she or he desires.

To provide the user with an enhancing alternating reciprocal forward swing, the parts provided are identical and are mounted in a manner similar to those provided for the reciprocal backward swing, and the same reference numbers are used. Though, as these parts operate altematingly and are mounted in reverse direction to their counterparts, the suffix a' is added to their reference numbers.

For example: the support bars 23a and 29a (attached to mounting rings 27 and 26) are disposed towards the back and towards the front of the user respectively; the toothed wheels 42a are attached to horizontal support 15 with their teeth providing engagement with arresting bars 31a when the user is swinging in a backward direction, and allowing disengagement when the user is swinging in a forward direction; the arresting bars 31a are mounted in reverse direction to their counterparts; and the wires 45a are attached to arm 51 towards opposite ends to the wires 45 (figure 3), so that in operation, the user rotates the hand-bar 47 backward to engage the arresting bars 31a. -lo-

in operation, the user rotates the hand-bar 47 backward to engage the arresting bars 31a to the toothed wheels 42a while swinging backward. So that the support bars 29a are immobilised allowing the support bars 23a to continue rotating towards support bars 29a and compressing the hydraulic resistors 41 (figure 6). The user is thus provided with a reciprocal forward push to enhance his or her swinging motions.

To avoid the risk of injury to the user while swinging, releasable securing means are provided.

For example, safety straps (not illustrated) are provided to releasaly secure the user to the seat 60. And a body harness (not illustrated) may be provided to releasabty secure the user's torso to the support bars 17 via supporting means attached to support bars 17, for example towards their ends near the mounting rings 27.

Figure 7 and figure 8 illustrate a preferred embodiment of toot retention means in side view and plan view respectively. Two foot retention means are provided, one for each of the user's feet and consists of a foot plate 58. The ankle retention bars 54, with one disposed at the back and one at the front of the user's ankle, are rotatabty mounted perpendicularly through support arms 56 towards one end of the support arms 56. Towards their other ends, the support arms 56 are mounted to the side of the foot plate via spindles 74 to rotate towards the user's ankle, thus allowing adjustments according to user's ankle size for example.

Both retention bars 54 are releasably secured towards each other by the spindle 67 mounted perpendicularly through the retention bars 54 towards one end. The bars 54 being formed with internal threads to accommodate the spindle 67. Each spindle 67 is formed with threads towards both ends and with the threads, at each end, having their spirals oppositely orientated to each other (as illustrated) so that when the user rotates the spindle 67 clockwise for example, the ankle retention bars 54 move towards the user's ankle and releasabty secures the user's ankle to the foot plate. To release each foot, the user rotates the spindle 67 anticlockwise, via collar 69.

The collar 69 is attached to the Spindle 67 at about its midpoint for example, and is disposed between a pair of support bars ia The support bars 73 are attached to the side of the toot plate and are disposed perpendicularly to the foot plate and provide anchorage, via collar 69, to prevent the user's foot slipping forward/backward while swinging.

Each toot plate also includes a toe retention bar 68 rotatably mounted perpendicularly through support arm 55 and connecting arm 57 towards one end of the support arms 55 and 57. -Il -

Towards its other end, the support arm 55 is mounted to the side of the foot plate via spindle 65 to rotate towards the user's toes. Towards its other end, the connecting arm 57 is rotatably mounted to the side of support arm 56 towards its end near spindle 54 via spindle 70. So that both support arms 55 and 56 rotate simultaneously via connecting arm 57 when the user rotates collar 69.

The support arms 55 and 56 are disposed inclined towards the foot plate in order to provide firm engagement and retention of her or his foot towards each foot plate.

The soft outer covenngs 52 and 53, mounted to ankle retention bars 54 and and toe retention bar 68 respectively, are provided for the user's comfort. The bars 54 and 68 are formed with threads towards their ends so as to accommodate the wingnuts 59 and 59a respectively. The wingnuts releasably secure the outer covenngs in place. If required, the user can remove the outer coverings by undoing the wingnuts so that the outer coverings can be substituted, for example to accommodate user with Larger/smaller feet and/or user weaiirig thick footwear.

Each foot pLate 58 is mounted to the spirde 61 as shown in figure 1 via its spindle 63. The spindle 63 is attached perpendicularly underneath the foot plate at about its centre for example.

and is mounted perpendiculartythroughthe holes 6laof spindle 61 (figure 3). A colIar64 supports the foot plate above spindle 61 and thus allow lateral rotation of the user's feet if desired. The support spindle 61 is mounted perpendicularly to the leg support bars 33 towards their ends opposite their mounting rings. The spindle 61 is mounted able to rotate so as to allow the user to rotate his or her ankle about a horizontal axis if desired.

The preferred material of construction is metal (e.g. steel), or any material having sufficient mechanical strength. Though for the user's comfort, the outer coverings 52 and 53 and the padding for the seat 60 can be foam plastics material for example, or any material with suitable softness.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A swinging device comprising: substantially horizontal support means, raised from the ground by generally vertical support means; lengthwise torso support means being mounted at, or near, one end of the lengthwise torso support means perpendicularly to the honzontal support means in a manner allowrn9 angular rotation about the horizontal support means, the said lengthwise torso support means being provided at or near, the other end with a buttocks support means; lengthwise leg support means being mounted at, or near, one end of the lengthwise leg support means perpendicularly to the honzontal support means in a manner allowing angular rotation about the horizontal support means, the said lengthwise leg support means being provided at, or near, the other end with foot retention means; add itional support means, the said additional support means being rotatably mounted to the horizontal support means and being provided with arresting means, the said arresting means being adapted to engage the horizontal support means and thus immobilising the additional support means at any location about the horizontal support means when user operates the arresting means; reciprocal power means, the said reciprocal power means being mounted and arranged between the lengthwise leg support means and the additional support means in a manner such that when the additional support means is immobilised whenever user operates the arresting means, the swinging motion of the user's body mass against the reciprocal power means via the lengthwise leg support means thereby producing reciprocal swinging motions of the user.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follow'

CLAIMS

1. A swinging device comprising: substantially horizontal support means, raised from the ground by generally vertical support means; lengthwise torso support means being mounted at, or near, one end of the lengthwise torso support means perperdcularty to the horizontal support means in a manner allowing angular rotation about the horizontal support means, the said lengthwise torso support means being provided at, or near, the other end with a buttocks support means; lengthwise leg support means being mounted at, or near, one end of the lengthwise leg support means perpendiculaily to the horizontal support means in a manner allowing angular rotation about the horizontal support means, the said lengthwise leg support means being provided at, or near, the other end with foot retention means; additional support means, the said additional support means being rotatably mounted to the horizontal support means and being provided with arresting means, the said arresting means being adapted to engage the horizontal support means and thus immobilising the additional support means at any location about the horizontal support means when user operates the arresting means; reciprocal power means, the said reciprocal power means being mounted and arranged between the lengthwise leg support means and the additional support means in a manner such that when the additional support means is immobilised whenever user operates the arresting means, the swinging motion of the user's body mass against the reciprocal power means via the lengthwise leg support means thereby producing reciprocal swinging motions of the user.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows

CLAIMS

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the lengthwise torso support means and the lengthwise leg support means consists of support bars mounted perpendicuf arty to the horizontal support means for angular rotation.

3. A device according to claim I or 2, wherein the additional support means consists of support bars mounted perpendicularly to the horizontal support means for angular rotation.

4. A device according to claim 3 or any preceding claim, wherein the support bars of claim 3 are mounted for angular rotation by means of mounting rings, the said mounting rings being rotatably mounted to the horizontal support means by means of flanged wheels having their supporting spindles disposed parallel to the horizontal support means.

5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the wheels of claim 4 nn on circular supporting guide rails, the guide rails being attached to the horizontal support means on its * ** circumference. *.*

* : ::: 6. A device according to claim 1 to claim 5, wherein the torso support bars and the leg support ** bars are mounted for angular rotation about the horizontal support means by means of : mounting rings, the mounting rings being supported between the circumferential grooves of :m: wheels rotatably mounted tothe spindles of claim 4.

:.. Adeviceaccordingtoanyprecedingclaim, whereinthetorsosupportbars andleg support *,.. bars are provided with further supporting bars, attached to their mounting rings for angular rotation about the horizontal support means, to provide support for the reciprocal power means.

8. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the reciprocal power means consists of hydraulic/pneumatic resistors and/or springs mounted between the additional support bars and the supporting bars of claim 7 towards their ends opposite the horizontal support means.

9. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the hydraulic/pneumatic resistors, and/or springs, and their supporting bars are disposed on opposite side of the horizontal support means to the user to provide counterbalancing weight for the user's body mass.

10. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the arresting means consists of bars, the bars beng mounted to the additional support bars, of claim 3, to slide towards the horizontal Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows (5

CLAIMS

support means.

11. Adevioeaccordingtoclaim lOorany preceding claim, whereinthearrestingbars are operated by wires running through fiwable hollow cables, the wares being attached at one end to the arresting bars, and at their other end to a spndle, or handbar, rotatable by the user to operate the arresting bars.

12. A device according to claim 11 or any preceding claim, wherein the handbar is rotatably mounted perpendicularly towards one end of supporting bars, the supporting bars being mounted towards their other ends, for angular rotation, to the lengthwise leg support bars towards their ends near the horizontal support means.

13. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein toothed wheels are provided for the arresting bars to engage/disengage, the toothed wheels being attached to the horizontal * support means on its circumference. * S * *5**

*:::* 14. Adeviceaccordlngtodam 13 or any preceding claim, wherein the toothed wheels are formed with each tooth having one face with its plane in a straight line with the radius of the slopingorcurvingtowarditsbase, thusprovidinglocking :1 whiletheuseris swinnginonedirecbonandaJlowingthearrestingbarstoslideofftowajds the apex of the tooth wtle the user is swing, reciprocally, in the opposite direction.

15. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein each foot retention means consists of a footplate and ankle retention bars, the retention bars being rotatably mounted perpendicularly to supporting arms mounted to the side of the tootplate, the supporting arms being rotatable towards the users ankle to allow adjustments, by the user, according to foot sizes.

16. A device according to claim 15 or any preceding claim, wherein the footplate is further provided with a toe retention bar mounted perpendicularly to a supporting arm, the supporting arm being mounted to the side of the foolpiate and being rotatable towards the users toes.

17. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the supporting arm of claim 16 rotates simuftaneousty with the front supporting arm of claim 15 via a connecting arm.

18. A device according to claim l5to 17 or any preceding claim, wherein the snide retention Amendments to the claims have been filed as'fo'llows i6'

CLAIMS

bars are releasably secured by means of a threaded spindle mounted perpendicularty through both ankle retention bars towards one end, the threaded spindle having its spirais oppositely onentated towards its ends such that when the user rotates the threaded spindle, both ankle retention bars moves towards his or her ankle simultaneously.

19. A device according to claim 15 to 18 or any preceding claim, wherein each footplate is mounted to a supporting bar via a spindle in a manner allowing lateral rotation of the footplate, the spindle being attached perpendicularly underneath the footplate at about its middle, and the supporting bar being rotatably mounted perpendicularly to the leg support bars towards their ends opposite the honzontal support means.

20. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the user is provided with alternating reciprocal backwardforward swinging motion as desired, about a horizontal support means.

*.:.. 21. Adevicesubstantiallyashereinbeforedescribed, withreferencetoandasillustratedinthe * * accompanying drawings. S... * S

S..... * S * S S. S S... * .