Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Device with applicator having specific movement
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-20
2001-03-20
DeMille, Danton D. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Device with applicator having specific movement
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203510
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a compressing device for a pneumatic massager, which is provided with a plurality of airtight cells adapted to be inflated and contracted by the supply and discharge of compressed air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional compressing device for a pneumatic massager generally has a plurality of airtight cells arranged parallel so as to form a compressing bag with a sheetlike wall and permits the massager to be used by having the compressing bag wrapped fast around an arm or a leg.
In this case, the compressing bag, to which compressed air inlets and outlets and compressed air sources disposed in the airtight cells are connected via air hoses, produces a massaging action by inflating and contracting the airtight cells sequentially in the direction from the peripheral to the central side by effecting the supply and discharge of compressed air in the relevant airtight cells.
The massager of this construction, therefore, requires as many air hoses as airtight cells and, at the same time, requires distributors for supplying compressed air from a compressed air supply source such as a compressor to the plurality of airtight cells and discharging compressed air from the interior of the airtight cells. Particularly, the distributors tend to boost the cost of the massager because of their complicated structure.
Further, the conventional compressing bag, when attached to a leg or an arm, inevitably covers the joints of the leg or arm and compels the user to incur difficulty in bending the joints. As a measure to abate this difficulty, it has been proposed to form separate bags and attach the bags separately to the thigh and the lower leg. In this case, the number of sites of attachment are increased, the time spent for attachment is longer, and the number of component parts is increased, possibly causing additions to the cost of the massager itself.
A distributing valve intended to handle compressed air is expensive as mentioned above, because of its complicated structure, and poses the problem of inevitably boosting the cost of the pneumatic massager. Under the circumstances, the desirability of developing a compressing device for a pneumatic massager using inexpensive distributing valves simple in structure, or requiring no distributing valve, that produces the same effect as the conventional compressing device, has been finding recognition.
This invention has been perfected in consequence of a diligent study conducted with a view to solving the problems encountered by the conventional compressing device for the pneumatic massager as described above. It has for an object thereof the provision of a compressing device for a pneumatic massager which is capable of sequentially inflating airtight cells in a direction from a peripheral to a central portion of the body along a venous stream without using a distributing valve and, even when the user wearing this compressing device operates the massager while keeping the joints in a bent state, ensuring a satisfactory flow of compressed air in spite of the presence of bends in the communicating paths, and enabling the compressed air to be supplied sequentially from the airtight cells on the peripheral side onward and consequently causing the airtight cells to be inflated sequentially in the direction from the peripheral end of an appendage (peripheral part of the body); to the central end of the appendage at the central portion (central part of body).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To accomplish the object mentioned above, this invention provides a compressing device for a pneumatic massager, comprising a bag body formed of a plurality of airtight cells with sealed portions for separating the airtight cells and adapted to inflate and contract the airtight cells by supplying and discharging compressed air to and from the bag body, at least one of the airtight cells is provided with a port for supplying and discharging compressed air, and the bag body is provided with a communicating path allowing communication between the at least one airtight cell and the airtight cells lacking the port. In this construction, when an air hose communicating with a compressed air supply source is connected to the port provided in the airtight cell and compressed air is supplied to the airtight cell, the compressed air is subsequently supplied from the airtight cell via the communicating path to the airtight cells not having a port until all the airtight cells are inflated.
The communicating path may be provided with a flow course retaining member. The flow course retaining member comprises a copiously porous retaining piece or a meshed retaining piece inserted in the communicating path so as to ensure constant flow of air through the communicating path.
The flow course retaining member is produced by forming a plurality of punching holes in a thin sheet, which may be formed of soft urethane resin. This thin sheet may be inserted in the communicating path.
The communicating path is formed by imparting a state devoid of airtightness to part of the sealed portion of a relevant airtight cell. The communicating path is adapted to permit the supply of compressed air sequentially through the airtight cells from the airtight cell on the peripheral side onward and enable the airtight cells to be inflated sequentially in the direction from the peripheral to the central side.
Further, the communicating path has its width and length properly set so as to confer necessary deviation upon the times to start inflating the airtight cells, with the result that the circulation of blood is promoted and the effect of massaging is further exalted.
This invention is also directed to a compressing device for a pneumatic massager comprising a bag body formed of a plurality of airtight cells and adapted to inflate and contract the airtight cells by supplying and discharging compressed air to and from the bag body and characterized by forming a notch at a suitable position of the bag body such that when the bag body is attached to a leg or an arm, the knee portion or the elbow portion will be exposed to sight. Even after the user has set this bag body on his person, he can easily bend or stretch the knee or the elbow.
Further this invention is directed to a compressing device for a pneumatic massager, comprising a bag body formed of a plurality of airtight cells and provided with communicating paths differing in cross-sectional area, length and shape, and allowing communication between the adjacent airtight cells and characterized by sequentially inflating and contracting the airtight cells by supplying compressed air through an airtight cell on the peripheral side and discharging the compressed air through an airtight cell on the central side. When a compressed air supply source is made to communicate with the airtight cell on the peripheral side, and operated to supply compressed air to the particular airtight cell, the compressed air is dispensed and supplied first to the particular airtight cell and sequentially through the rest of airtight cells in the direction toward the central portion of the body through the communicating paths and the airtight cells are sequentially inflated in the direction from the peripheral to the central portion of the body. When the compressed air is discharged from the airtight cell on the central side, the airtight cells are sequentially contracted in the direction to the peripheral side from this particular airtight cell onward. The massage aimed at is effected by inflating and contracting the airtight cells in the manner described above. The massaging effect can be improved by adjusting the lag between the time to start inflating and contracting the airtight cells on the upstream side and the time to start inflating and contracting the airtight cells on the downstream side through the cross-sectional areas, lengths and shapes of the communicating paths.
Then, by causing the cross-sectional areas of the communicating paths on the peripheral side to be larger than those o
Matsumura Mitsuma
Takeuchi Hirosato
DeMille Danton D.
Nitto Kohki Co. Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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