Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Device with applicator having specific movement
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-27
2003-07-29
Lucchesi, Nicholas D. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Device with applicator having specific movement
C601S108000, C601S110000, C601S111000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06599260
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a chiropractic percussor apparatus for use in a chiropractic treatment to apply percussion-type repetitive force to the human body and, more particularly, is concerned with a chiropractic percussor apparatus having a compact percussion head assembly that is centrally attached to a force-transmitting reciprocatory push rod of the apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Chiropractic adjustments of the spinal vertebrae of a human body involve the application of pressure or force in a known manner directly to the human body by the hands of a chiropractor or by a chiropractic percussor apparatus used by the chiropractor. An example of such chiropractic percussor apparatus found in the prior patent art is the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,733 to Denton et al.
Another example of a prior art chiropractic percussor apparatus is the one illustrated in
FIGS. 1
to
3
. The apparatus of
FIGS. 1
to
3
, generally designated
10
, includes a main housing
12
, an electric motor
14
in the main housing
12
, and a speed adjustment knob
16
and an on/off push button
18
on the main housing
12
. The main housing
12
defines an interior cavity
20
and is adapted to be gripped by a user to hold the apparatus
10
during use. The electric motor
14
is disposed in the cavity
20
of the main housing
12
and has a rotary output shaft
22
extending from front ends
14
A,
12
A of the motor
14
and main housing
12
. The speed adjustment knob
16
and on/off push button
18
are mounted to a rear end
12
B of the main housing
12
and connected to the motor
14
such that by turning the knob
16
and/or depressing the button
18
the rotational speed of the output shaft
22
can be varied and/or the motor
14
can be alternately turned on and off. The electric motor
14
receives electrical power via an electrical cord
24
connected to a separate power conversion module
26
which, in turn, is plugged into a conventional AC outlet.
The apparatus
10
of
FIGS. 1
to
3
further includes an extension housing
28
, a cam
30
eccentrically mounted on an outer end
22
A of the rotary output shaft
22
of the motor
14
, an elongated push rod
32
mounted at an inner end
32
A on the cam
30
, a flexible coupler assembly
33
coupling an outer end
32
B of the push rod
32
to an outer end
28
A of the extension housing
28
, and a percussion head assembly
34
supported on the outer end
32
B of the push rod
32
. The extension housing
28
is attached at an inner end
28
B to the front end
12
A of the main housing
12
and extends in a transverse relationship thereto and outwardly therefrom such that the main and extension housings
12
,
28
together have a L-shaped configuration. The extension housing
28
further defines an interior chamber
36
and its outer end
28
A has an annular shape and forms an opening
38
and is spaced from the front end
12
A of the main housing
12
. The push rod
32
extends through the extension housing
28
from the cam
30
to the opening
38
at the outer end
28
A of the extension housing
28
. The inner end
32
A of the push rod
32
has an opening
40
which receives therein the cam
30
such that the push rod
32
at its inner end
32
A surrounds the cam
30
. The flexible coupler assembly
33
includes an annular clamp
42
and a circular diaphragm
44
provided at the outer end
28
A of the extension housing
28
and coupling the outer end
32
B of the push rod
32
thereto so as to permit the outer end
32
B of the push rod
32
to undergo reciprocal lengthwise movement and wobbling side-to-side movement relative to the outer end
28
A of the extension housing
28
. The diaphragm
44
is formed by a flexible sheet of rubber and is clamped about its peripheral portion
44
A between the annular clamp
42
and an annular flange
46
on the outer end
28
A of the extension housing
28
. The annular clamp
42
is secured to the annular flange
46
by a plurality of screws
48
extending through the peripheral portion
44
A of the diaphragm
44
. The diaphragm
44
also has a main portion
44
B which extends across the opening
38
of the outer end
28
A of the extension housing
28
which is adjacent to an inner surface
44
C of the diaphragm
44
and across a central bore
50
through the annular clamp
42
which is adjacent to an outer surface
44
D of the diaphragm
44
.
The percussion head assembly
34
of the apparatus
10
includes a coupler body
52
and a contact pad
54
. The coupler body
52
extends through the central bore
50
of the annular clamp
42
to the main portion
44
B of the diaphragm
44
and outwardly from the annular clamp
42
. The coupler body
52
has a plurality of passages
56
defined therethrough radially outwardly from and circumferentially spaced about a central threaded hole
58
defined through the coupler body
52
. A plurality of fasteners
60
are inserted through the passages
56
of the coupler body
52
and screwed into holes
62
tapped in the outer end
32
B of the push rod
32
such that the main portion
44
B of the diaphragm
44
is clamped between the coupler body
52
and the outer end
32
B of the push rod
32
with the main portion
44
B of the diaphragm
44
extending radially outwardly beyond holes
44
E in the diaphragm
44
where the fasteners
60
pass through the diaphragm
44
. The contact pad
54
has a stiff circular base plate
64
, a fastener
66
fixedly mounted centrally thereon and extending outwardly from an inner surface
64
A of the base plate
64
, and a disc
68
of resilient compressible foam material attached to an outer surface
64
B of the base plate
64
. The fastener
66
removably screws into the central threaded hole
58
of the coupler body
52
so as to mount the contact pad
54
on the outer side
52
A of the coupler body
52
as the inner side
52
B of the coupler body
52
is held against the main portion
44
B of the diaphragm
44
by the fasteners
60
.
Upon depressing of the button
18
, rotation of the output shaft
22
of the motor
14
occurs and the cam
30
thereon is eccentrically rotated causing the push rod
32
to undergo a reciprocal lengthwise movement and a wobbling side-to-side movement in the extension housing
28
so as to correspondingly impose percussive and massaging actions on a surface, such as a part of the human body, against which the contact pad
54
is applied by the user holding the apparatus
10
.
A problem of this prior art apparatus
10
is the way in which the diaphragm
44
of the percussion head assembly
34
is secured to the outer end
28
A of the extension housing
28
and the outer end
32
B of the push rod
32
. Such securement which does not permit any flexing at the peripheral and main portions
44
A,
44
B of the diaphragm
44
leaves only a narrow annular band-like portion
44
F of the diaphragm
44
extending between and interconnecting the peripheral and main portions
44
A,
44
B where flexing of the diaphragm
44
can occur to accommodate the reciprocatory and side-to-side motions of the push rod
32
. The provision of only the narrow band-like portion
44
F for flexing of the diaphragm
44
overly restricts the size of the path of motion of the outer end
32
B of the push rod
32
and thereby of the contact pad
54
for delivery of the percussive and massaging actions on the human body.
Consequently, a need exists for an innovation that will provide a percussion head assembly that will overcome the aforementioned problem of the prior art chiropractic percussor apparatus without introducing any new problems in place thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an enhanced chiropractic percussor apparatus designed to satisfy the aforementioned need. The apparatus of the present invention has a compact percussion head assembly having a diaphragm which is secured to the extension housing and outer end of the reciprocatory push rod of the enhanced apparatus and a contact pad which is only centrally
Brimhall John W.
Tucek Kevin B.
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
Mathew Fenn C
LandOfFree
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