Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Vacuum
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-05
2001-10-30
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Vacuum
C601S122000, C601S125000, C601S126000, C601S133000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309364
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a massage and skin suction apparatus comprising, a housing of which one part of the wall is shaped to serve as a grasping element and of which another part comprises at least one pail of parallel massage rollers spaced from one another, each roller being mounted for pivoting around its axis of rotation, these rollers being associated with means for driving one or both of them in rotation when they are in contact with skin tissue to exert thereon two opposed forces that pull one portion of this tissue into the space separating them, in order to pinch it and a chamber connected to a suction source and furnished with a suction aperture, said suction aperture of said pair of massage rollers being disposed on said housing to permit them to be simultaneously placed in contact with a portion of the skin tissue.
Successful use has been made of two physical treatments to reduce, or even erase, the unsightly and uncomfortable effects of cellulite, as a question of massage of the type called “palpate-roll”, which consists in forming a skin fold by compressive pinching and in displacing it by causing this fold to “roll” in proportion with the displacement. The other treatment is hypervascularization associated with tissue and lymphatic suction drainage using local suction techniques effectuated on the parts to be treated.
Cellulite is manifested by a hypertrophy of the fatty lobes of the hypodermas leading to a retraction of the vertical walls of the connecting tissue, which pulls the dermis and the epidermis on the hypertrophied fatty lobes. It is this which gives the skin affected with cellulite this aspect resembling all orange peel. The “palpate-roll” type of massage has a defibrating effect: the pressure followed by the pulling applied to the skin tissue has as its effect to stimulate the elastin fibers. Stimulation of the fibers, associated with decongestion of the tissues, has for its effect to return to the so skin its good tone. The defibrating improves the trophicity of the tissues and acts on their restructuring. Progressive placing under tension of the tissues at the level of the rolled skin fold accelerates the phenomenon of tissue softening. The releasing of the fibers of the vertical walls limits the stresses responsible for “orange peel”.
Hypervascularization provokes a blood mobilization in the capillaries improving the trophicity and the cellular nutrition in depth and at a distance. The suction drainage improves the trophicity and simultaneously softens the tissues leading to a better sliding of the skin tissue layers. It permits liquids (interstitial liquids, water, blood, lymph) to better transport the nutrient supply and to better evacuate toxins. The tissue spaces are better drained. Finally, the light traction exerted on the tissues permits the opening of the lymphatic walls and facilitates the mobilization of the lymph.
PRIOR ART
There has already been proposed massage apparatus with rollers, notably in FR-934 070, FR-727 291, as well as in EP-0 538 142. These appliances have two rollers or more, driven in rotation in the same direction or in opposite directions. One of these rollers can also be fixed and adjustment of the distance between the rollers is envisioned in certain cases.
There are equally known from DE-34 01 522, CH-286 671, CH-168 279 and FR-854 937 apparatus for skin massage by suction, comprising a chamber furnished with a suction aperture, connected to a suction source intended to create a low pressure in this chamber when the edge of the suction aperture is applied against the skin surface to be treated. Certain of these apparatus permit adjustment of the value of low pressure at the interior of the chamber.
It has already been proposed to combine these two types of massage by associating on the same apparatus massage rollers of the type mentioned above disposed at the interior of a chamber connected a suction source. Such appliances are described particularly in the following documents: CH-206 851, U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,601, U.S. Pat. No. 397 024, FR-1 590 131, EP-O 284 527, FR-2 057 514, FR-2 579 100, FR-2 589 726 et FR-2 723 310. The shortcoming of these solutions resides in the fact that the pinching of the skin tissue resulting from the “palpate-roll” action of the rollers situated in the suction chamber provokes a folding of the skin tissue which is capable of having an influence on the seal between the chamber aperture and the skin and thus on the low pressure applied on the surface to be treated. Moreover, the low pressure existing in the chamber has an influence on the action of the rollers, so that it is not possible to independently regulate the action of these two massage devices since these latters have influences which are not controllable, to the extent where the nature of the skin to be treated intervenes as a parameter. Consequently, it is not easy to regulate the parameters related to these two massage means since these latters influence one another, but in a different manner according to the texture of the skin on which the apparatus is utilized.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to overcome, at least in part, the above-mentioned shortcomings, in a manner to permit the two above-mentioned massage means to be united in the same apparatus, not only in order that these not have a harmful influence on one another, but to the contrary in an unexpected manner, permitting production of a certain synergistic effect between these massage means of the apparatus according to the invention.
For this purpose, the present invention has for its object an apparatus for massage and skin suction of the type mentioned above, characterized in that the edge of said suction aperture extends laterally to the peripheral surface of one of said rollers.
Advantageously, the edge of said suction aperture extends laterally to the surface of the space separating said rollers.
This arrangement permits elimination of the undesirable interferences of the two massage means disposed on the same apparatus. By this fact, it is possible to regulate their respective actions in a totally independent manner, uniquely as a function of the texture of the skin.
Preferably, this apparatus comprises means for driving at the surface of the skin tissue in a direction transverse to the axes of rotation of the rollers.
Advantageously, said means for driving are connected to that one of said massage rollers which is more remote from said suction aperture and the driving direction of this roller is selected to produce, simultaneously with the massage, a displacement of said housing at the surface of the skin tissue directed in a manner to cause said suction aperture to be preceded by said massage rollers.
For example, these means for driving can be constituted by an electric motor connected by a speed reducing gear train to that one of said massage rollers which is the most remote from said suction aperture.
Due to this arrangement, the driving roller exerts on the skin a force directed toward the suction aperture, which, by the low pressure which it applies with the force against the skin opposes the advance of the appliance. It results from these two competing actions that the surface of the skin situated between the driving roller and the suction aperture tends to crease, aiding the “palpate-roll” action. Contrary to that which occurs in the case of appliances of the prior art combining the two massage means, this synergy is a constant which varies only as a function of the texture of the skin and of the braking force developed by the low pressure existing in the suction chamber. In contrast, this low pressure is not random as in the case of prior art apparatus, because of the harmful influence which the fold formed at the surface of the skin had on the seal between the suction aperture and the skin. This low pressure, perfectly controllable, thus permits setting of the braking force opposed to the advance of the appliance and, consequently, formation of the skin fold.
Preferably, the massage roller,
Cathaud Muriel
Delay Jean-Pascal
Browdy and Neimark
Brown Michael A.
Koo Benjamin K.
SEB
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