Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Device with applicator having specific movement
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-03
2002-09-03
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Device with applicator having specific movement
C601S098000, C601S101000, C601S103000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06443917
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
This invention, as stated in this descriptive report, refers to a massage device for a lounge chair the aim of which is to permit totally independent and combined massages for the left and right areas of the back, both in the kneading and clapping modes and in the moving of the elements that provide the massage; four motors governed by a control unit being included for this instead of the two typical motors in conventional massage chairs, as well as two motors employed for vertical movement also connected to the control unit.
DESCRIPTION OF THE STATUS OF THE TECHNIQUE
These are well-known massage chairs which provide kneading and clapping massages employing two motors which transmit movement to certain dependent shafts and to certain massage elements, all of this in such a way that if the turning of these motors is produced in one direction a kneading massage is established on both sides of the user's back, while if the turning is produced in the opposite direction a clapping massage is produced on both sides of the back.
Thus, the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,052,376, 5,137,016 and 5,460,598 include massage-providing devices for armchairs which have two eccentric and inclined shafts which connect with the massage-providing devices themselves. These shafts are moved by motors in such a way that the turning of the motors in one direction causes one type of massage, while turning in the opposite direction determines the other type of massage.
On the other hand, the publications of applications for patents numbers JP-A-7-323057, WO-A-97/37627, JP-A-02-279157, JP-A-02-172466, JP-A-9-75416, PCT/DE97/00873 and JP-A-9-38167 are well known. All these applications refer to massage devices, but none of these has four independent motors which can make the right and left massage sides independent, as in the case of the invention with which we are concerned. Furthermore, neither do they allow massages to be given to the left and right independently.
Finally, these devices cannot, obviously, graduate the intensity or the speed of the massage to the left side with respect to the right side, or vice versa in order for these massages to be given with different intensities or speeds in terms of the tastes or therapeutic needs of the user.
DESCRIPTION
In order to achieve these objectives and avoid the inconveniences indicated in the sections above, the invention consists of a massage device for a lounge chair which has four shafts, two of these being connected to an element for applying the massage to the left side of the user's back, while the other two are connected to an element for applying the massage to the right side of the user's back.
These shafts are joined by different means to four electric motors, one for governing each shaft, generating kneading massages and clapping massages independently. Two of the four motors are located for the left side of the user's back and another two for the right side, each of these having an independent function, one left motor for kneading, which transmits a rotating movement to the left shaft for kneading, one left motor for clapping which transmits the rotating movement to the shaft for clapping on the left, one right motor for kneading which transmits the rotating movement to the right shaft for kneading and a right motor for clapping which transmits the rotating movement to the shaft for clapping on the left.
The generating of the kneading and clapping massages is performed via the two elements for applying the massage moved by the aforementioned shafts, each element for applying the massage being joined to two shafts, the kneading shaft in the upper part and the clapping shaft in the lower part. These elements for applying the massage have massage wheels at those points intended to perform the massage on the user's back.
The massage device that is the object of this invention, has different massage possibilities such as independent massage means for the left and right sides of the user, both for kneading and for clapping, with the possibility of graduating the intensity or speed on each side in an independent manner; synchronised or de-synchronised massage on both sides of the user's back; variation in the direction of the kneading massage in the left area; variation in the direction of the kneading massage in the right area;, lateral multi-positioning in vertical massaging in an independent manner for the left and right areas of the back; and in-depth multi-positioning in vertical massaging in an independent manner for the left and right areas of the back.
In order to achieve the different types of massage, the four independent motors are connected to a control unit, which will govern the movement of same.
The system for raising the massage elements depends on the location of the four massage motors. These can be grouped two by two, the two motors with the task of the kneading and clapping massages on the left side and the other two kneading and clapping motors on the right side, joined in pairs to two independent structures, one on the left side and the other on the right side, in such a way that the ascent and descent of the motors is performed in an independent manner. By means of this system, massage at different levels on both sides, the left and right, of the back is achieved. The other option is for the four massage motors to be fixed in the same structure in such a way that raising them occurs together, that is to say, in this case there cannot be independent massage at a different level for the left side and the right side of the back.
In the first case, in which the motors are fixed to two independent structures for each side of the back, to determine the vertical location of the four motors, two motors connected to the aforementioned control unit exist, one of these vertically controls the motors with the task of providing the different types of massage on the left side of the user's back and the other motor has the task of controlling the vertical displacement of the motors located on the right side. Displacement is performed not only for the motors but for the entire massage system in general, including the shafts on either side.
The vertical displacement system, with the massage motors grouped two by two, can be of different types, mainly using spindles, one spindle for the vertical displacement of the two motors located on the left side, one for kneading and the another for clapping, and another spindle for controlling the height of the device on the right side. Each spindle will be controlled by one of the two vertical displacement motors.
Another means for vertical displacement in the case of the motors being grouped two by two consists of a rack and pinion wheel, formed by four sides of the rack, one on each side of each structure in which the motors are grouped, their height being controlled by the vertical displacement motors which each have cogwheels at their ends which engage with the sides of the rack-wheel. This mechanism can be substituted by a similar one but instead of using rack sides, chains are used with pulleys at the ends.
In the case of the four massage motors being joined to a single structure, the displacement motors will be substituted by a single one and any of the means described above may be employed but with the corresponding modifications.
In order to control the situation of the four motors referred to previously, positioning sensors are included connected to a microprocessor in the control unit and in this way the position of the rotors is known at all times, thus making for greater and better control, greater synchronisation in the movements of the independent shafts and therefore the type of massage possible. These sensors have the task of controlling the turning angle of the different shafts of which the device is composed and transmitting this to the microprocessor. This same system is employed to control the vertical location of the massage motors.
The rotating movement of the motors can be transmitted to the shafts in which the elements fo
Brown Michael A.
Eurokeyton, S. A.
Koo Benjamin K.
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