Nissen Corporation

Gary Otte

A safety switch for use with a personal exercise machine, of the type having a driven endless belt, permits the drive motor to be shut off immediately by a quick downward thrust by the user of two prominent handles. The extent of travel of the linkage in the switch system is extremely short and the pressure necessary to actuate the safety switch is adjustable. Downward thrust of the handles, by overcoming an adjustable tension spring, frees the switch actuating lever so that the switch is biased to an open position thereby breaking the circuit to the drive motor.

Emergency shut-off switch for exercise apparatus

An emergency shut-off switch assembly and a frame assembly for use with a treadmill-type exercise apparatus. The switch assembly includes handles connected to an upper portion of a housing assembly of the exercise apparatus. Independent shut-off switches for substantially instantaneously de-energizing a motor of the apparatus are closely spaced from lower ends of each of the handles in such manner that a downward force greater than a predetermined amount on either of the handles actuates its associated switch. Actuation of the switch results in substantially instantaneous stopping of the belt of the apparatus. The frame assembly includes supports for adjustably connecting ends of an axle of an idler pulley to the frame assembly so that the angular orientation of the axle with respect to the frame assembly is adjustable and pulleys are easily removed or replaced. Also, one end of a driven pulley of the apparatus is adjustably connected to the frame assembly. Further, a motor used to drive the driven pulley is mounted to the frame assembly in such manner that the motor is translatable with respect to the frame assembly to rapidly and precisely adjust tension in a belt interconnecting the motor with the driven pulley.

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Brazil, IN, United States of America

Gary Otte