Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – With light – thermal – magnetic – or electrical application
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-19
2001-07-10
DeMille, Danton D. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
With light, thermal, magnetic, or electrical application
C601S022000, C601S028000, C601S070000, C601S115000, C601S118000, C601S122000, C601S126000, C601S128000, C601S131000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06258048
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to foot massagers and more particularly pertains to a new electro/mechanical foot massager for massaging a foot while maintaining the same at a pre-selected angle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of foot massagers is known in the prior art. More specifically, foot massagers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art foot massagers include U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,753; U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,962; U.S. Pat. Des. 351,659; U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,602; U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,838; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,620.
In these respects, the electro/mechanical foot massager according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of massaging a foot while maintaining the same at a pre-selected angle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of foot massagers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new electro/mechanical foot massager construction wherein the same can be utilized for massaging a foot while maintaining the same at a pre-selected angle.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new electro/mechanical foot massager apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the foot massagers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new electro/mechanical foot massager which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art foot massagers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a weighted base having a rectangular configuration. A post is coupled to a central extent of the base and extends upwardly therefrom to terminate at a top end. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the top end of the post is equipped with a square cross-section having a horizontally oriented smooth aperture formed therein. The base further includes a pivot member having a bottom portion with a square slot formed therein. As such, a fork is defined with a first leg having a smooth aperture formed therein and a second leg having a threaded aperture formed therein. In use, a threaded fastener is rotatably situated within the smooth apertures of the post and fork. The threaded fastener is further engaged with the threaded aperture of the fork for clamping the same about the post. By this structure, an angle of the pivot member may be selectively adjusted and fixed. Next provided is a rigid slipper mount having an oval bottom face, an oval top face, and a side wall mounted between peripheries of the top face and the bottom face for defining an interior space. The top face of the slipper mount has a peripheral slot formed therein adjacent to and spaced from the periphery of the top face. To maintain a central extent of the top face in place, a plurality of stanchions are preferably mounted between the top and bottom faces of the slipper mount. It should be noted that the bottom face of the slipper mount has the pivot member mounted along a central extent thereof. As such, the slipper mount may be pivoted with respect to the base about a horizontal axis. Also included is a flexible insulated slipper having a lower peripheral edge coupled to the periphery of the top face of the slipper mount. An opening is formed in an upper rear extent of the slipper for receiving a foot therein. As shown in
FIG. 6
, the slipper has a plurality of heating elements lining an interior surface thereof for generating heat upon the receipt of power.
FIGS. 2 & 4
best shows a roller assembly including a plurality of vertically oriented peripheral rollers. Each of such peripheral rollers include an interconnect member coupled to a bottom end thereof and extending therefrom through the peripheral slot. The interconnect members of each of the peripheral rollers are connected via a cable. The peripheral rollers are coupled to the cable such that they are grouped into multiple spaced groups of adjacent rollers. These groups are adapted to be slidable along the peripheral slot coincidentally. The roller assembly further includes at least a pair of bottom rollers. Such bottom rollers are each rotatably coupled within laterally oriented slots formed in the top face of the slipper mount adjacent to a toe portion and a heel portion thereof. For effecting the rotation of the rollers, a motor assembly is provided including a pair of bottom roller motors each mounted to an underside of the top face of the slipper mount. A disk is mounted to a rotor of the bottom motors which remains in abutment with one of the bottom rollers to rotate the same upon the receipt of power. The motor assembly further includes at least one motor with a pulley in communication with the cable for moving the peripheral rollers along the peripheral slot.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new electro/mechanical foot massager apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the foot massagers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new electro/mechanical foot massager which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art foot massagers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new electro/mechanical foot massager which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new electro/mechanical foot massager which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new electro/mechanical foot massager which is susceptible of a low cost
LandOfFree
Electro/mechanical foot massager does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Electro/mechanical foot massager, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electro/mechanical foot massager will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2438152