Emergency shut-off switch and frame assemblies for exercise apparatus

Claim 1

In an exercise machine of the treadmill type having a frame assembly, a housing assembly supported by the frame assembly, a motor positioned within said housing assembly, an endless belt driven by the motor and guided by the frame assembly, and manually operated switch means for controlling starting and stopping of the motor, the improvement comprising an emergency shut-off switch assembly for substantially instantaneously de-energizing the motor to thereby stop belt movement, said emergency shut-off switch assembly comprising: first and second handles having upper and lower ends connectable to said housing assembly in such manner that said handles are positioned to be grasped by a user of the exercise machine; means for pivotally connecting each of the upper ends of said handles to said housing assembly; means for connecting each of the lower ends of said handles to said housing assembly including spring-biasing means for biasing the lower ends of the handles away from the housing assembly and in such manner that each of the lower ends is independently movable towards said housing assembly when a force sufficient to overcome said spring-biasing means is applied thereto; and first independent switch means positioned in said housing assembly a predetermined distance from the lower end of said first handle and second independent switch means positioned in said housing assembly a predetermined distance from the lower end of said second handle, each of said first and second independent switch means being actuatable by the means for connecting the lower ends of said handles to the housing assembly by movement exceeding a predetermined amount of its associated handle lower end toward said housing for substantially instantaneously de-energizing the motor to thereby stop belt movement.