Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Vacuum
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-26
2004-03-09
DeMille, Danton D. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Vacuum
C601S126000, C601S133000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06702766
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a new type of massage apparatus that can be used with equal ease on human beings and on animals (horses, cattle, etc.), and more particularly to massage apparatus in which an action of sucking and mobilizing the skin tissue is performed on the subject.
Prior Art
Various massage techniques have been used to date, depending on the treatment to be performed, but it can be said that they all involve exerting on the subject stresses which involve phenomena of pressing and/or displacing and/or pinching the skin tissue.
To date, a huge amount of apparatus has been proposed for making the masseur's work easier.
Among the various solutions proposed, the very first idea was to use gadgets involving a simple mechanical action, for example using assemblies comprising various types of ball mounted on a support housing, possibly allowing a treatment product (cream, liquid) to be dispensed, as is apparent from FR-A-1 225 094.
Elsewhere it was proposed, as is apparent from FR-A-901 787, to produce massage apparatus consisting of a treatment head connected to a suction circuit, the said treatment head consisting of a box which comprises an internal chamber into which the said suction circuit opens. This box is in the form of a bell housing open at its base, the lower edge of which is generally of a rounded shape. When the gadget is applied to the body of the patient, a fold of skin is formed inside the bell housing, which fold of skin presses directly against the peripheral edge of this housing.
A gadget such as this, of simple design, is relatively tricky to use, is difficult to displace over the body of the patient and simply exerts a “suction cup” action.
Numerous other solutions, as is apparent from CH-A-168 279, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,574,601, 3,297,024, FR-A-409 202, FR-A-1 590 131, have proposed combining with a suction phenomenon a mechanical action exerted by rollers, balls, etc., which give rise to an action of pressing and/or displacing and/or friction vibration.
The solutions proposed in those documents lead to assemblies which are complicated, tricky to operate and not entirely satisfactory.
More recently, various types of massage apparatus have been proposed which make it possible, in a simple and effective way, to perform massages of the “squeezing and rolling” type, making it possible to exert a continuous action on the patient, giving rise not only to localized pinching but also to a gradual displacement of the pinched area, so as to give rise to “rolling”, and for all this to be done while at the same time exerting pressure.
Such apparatus is, in particular, the subject matter in particular of FR-A-2 579 100 and patents EP-A-0 224 422, EP-A-0 284 527 and EP-A-0 774 947 (these patents corresponding respectively to patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,729,368, 4,883,047 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,232).
In general, the apparatus described in the aforementioned documents comprises, mounted inside a box that can be operated manually, two parallel rollers, preferably with a smooth surface, mounted so that they are free or driven positively in rotation inside the box.
These rollers may be mounted on the box either with a fixed distance between centres or so that they can move apart and move closer together automatically during the massage operation.
The box is connected to suction means via a pipe, the end of which opens into the space between the rollers, this then making it possible to create suction between these rollers when they are applied to the body of the patient, so as to form a fold of skin pressing against the surfaces of the rollers.
When one or all the roller(s) are driven in rotation (cf. FR 2 579 100 or EP 0 224 422), such drive is obtained by means of a geared motor unit, supplied with low voltage DC current with or without a variation in speed. The movement imparted by the motor is transmitted to one or both rollers via a toothed belt, chain or other conventional transmission means.
In document EP-A-0 224 422, when the two rollers are driven positively in rotation, such drive is obtained by a belt or chain which connects the output shaft of the motor to sprockets provided at the end of each of the axles of the rollers, the said belt or chain also passing around an intermediate deflection roller so that both rollers rotate in the same direction and are always correctly driven irrespective of their position, the movement of the said rollers therefore being in a curve centred on the geometric axis of rotation of the output shaft of the motor.
In such an embodiment, the two rollers always rotate in the same direction and at the same speed, which means that it is not possible to imagine adapting their action according to the treatments which may sometimes demand different operating conditions.
This type of gadget, whether it has rollers which are motorized or ones which are mounted so that they can rotate freely, therefore makes it possible to perform massages of the “squeezing and rolling” type and its field of application has not stopped expanding ever since it appeared. Specifically, at the present time, it is used not only for performing conventional massage treatments such as simple wellbeing massages, restorative massages, for example for athletes, and rehabilitation massages, but also for treating cellulite, to promote better scarring in burns patients and for reducing the scarring resulting from operations, accidents, etc.
Now, it has become increasingly apparent that the dimensions of the apparatus and their operating conditions need to be tailored to suit the treatment to be carried out. Hence, it is obvious that the strength of the suction action has to differ according to the application, while at the same time taking hold of the same fold of skin.
In consequence, there is now the problem of having multifunction apparatus in which it is possible to be able to adjust and possibly vary the speed of the rollers one with respect to the other and/or their direction of rotation, so as to obtain top quality treatment even with less suction.
There is also the problem of being able periodically to reverse the direction of rotation of one of the rollers with respect to the other during treatment.
In certain cases, it is necessary to be able to produce phenomena of vibration, alternating pinching, and to form the fold of skin with a minimum amount of suction.
This is because it has become apparent that, in certain cases, particularly when treating burns patients, the forming of the fold which, in earlier apparatus resulted essentially from the suction, is sometimes prejudicial.
In consequence, there is therefore the problem of producing apparatus which makes it possible to monitor the pressure exerted by the rollers on the fold of skin, the amount of suction exerted in the chamber and the speed of rotation of one or both rollers, these rollers rotating either at the same speed or at different speeds, and possibly having a direction of rotation that is periodically reversed.
Likewise, there is also the problem of being able to incorporate into the said apparatus means that will allow the effect of the treatment to be viewed.
Finally, there is the problem of being able to produce motorized apparatus which is as compact as possible and easy to handle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Now, there has been found, and this is what forms the subject of the present invention, a novel type of massage apparatus involving an action of sucking and mobilizing skin tissue, which makes it possible to solve all of the aforementioned problems.
In general, the massage apparatus according to the invention consists of a treatment head proper connected to a suction circuit. This treatment head comprises a box that can be operated manually, and comprises an internal chamber open at its base, which chamber is defined by two fixed side walls and two transverse surfaces arranged facing one another between the aforementioned side walls.
In apparatus such as this, at least one of the transverse surfaces consists of the periphery of a roller driven positively in rotation.
Cardona Victor A.
DeMille Danton D.
Heslin Rothenberg Farley & & Mesiti P.C.
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