Portable exercise device

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG.
1 illustrates a portable, resistive-type exercise device of the present invention and referred to by the general reference character 10.
The device 10 includes a housing 12, which is rectangular in shape and is approximately six inches long by four inches wide and one inch deep.
The housing 12 may be constructed of any durable rigid material such as metal or high-impact plastic, and in the preferred embodiment 10 is constructed of aluminum.
As illustrated in FIG.
2, within the housing 12 is secured a reel 14.
Reel 14 is mounted on a central axle 15, which is spring-loaded to bias the reel 14 in favor of a counter-clockwise or "take-up" rotational direction.
Isolating reel 14 from the housing 12 are a pair of bearings 16 intermediate the reel and housing.
Wound around reel 14 is a cord 18.
Cord 18 is a braided nylon cord, but could also be a woven cord with a central axial filament, and is about eight feet long.
From the reel 14, cord 18 passes around a guide 19 and between a pair of wedges 22 and 23.
Wedges 22 and 23 each have flat opposing faces 24 containing a central longitudinal groove 25, through which cord 18 passes.
On the opposite face of each of wedges 22 and 23 is a slot 26.
FIG.
2A illustrates an end view of the two wedges 22 and 23.
The wedges 22 and 23 are slidably guided by and rollably engaged with a plurality of rollers 27 about slots 26.
The amount of travel provided by wedges 22 and 23 is slight, on the order of one-half of an inch, but this is sufficient to compress the cord 18 about the central grooves 25 to provide resistance for the exercise device.
To ensure that the wedges 22 and 23 will enter into frictional engagement with the cord 18, a drag spring 28 is provided to urge them into such engagement.
Spring 28 is secured to guidepost 19 and to wedge 23 as shown in FIG.
2, and provides a small amount of tension to urge wedge 23 into a compressional engagement with wedge 22 about the cord 18.
The wedges 22 and 23 are urged to move in unison by means of a pin 29 connecting the two