Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Device with applicator having specific movement
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-28
2001-04-03
Apley, Richard J. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Device with applicator having specific movement
C601S126000, C601S122000, C601S028000, C601S032000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210349
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a roller massaging apparatus and more particularly, to a roller massaging apparatus for massaging a human body by rotating a massaging portion having a plurality of rollers.
2. Description of the Related Arts
A conventional roller massaging apparatus includes a massaging portion having a plurality of bar-shaped rotatable rollers disposed at certain intervals in a circumferential direction, a driving mechanism for rotating the massaging portion about the axis thereof, and a fabric disposed on a massaging surface side of the massaging portion. In the conventional roller massaging apparatus, the massaging portion having rollers rotates to stimulate the body of the user of the massaging apparatus via the fabric, which improves the circulation of the blood of the user of the roller massaging apparatus.
In the conventional roller massaging apparatus as mentioned above, there is the drawback that stimuli obtained by the rotational movement of the rollers via the fabric are monotonous and therefore, the conventional roller massaging apparatus cannot give very effective massaging effects.
The massaging portion rotates at a constant rotational speed in the same direction, which also causes the stimuli to be monotonous.
The rollers can not be detached from the massaging portion. Each roller has the same shape. Furthermore, a plurality of rollers are circumferentially disposed. Thus, stimuli obtained by the rotational movement of the massaging portion having rollers are monotonous and therefore, different stimuli can not obtained.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in the conventional roller massaging apparatus, and therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a roller massaging apparatus which can easily give different stimuli.
According to the present invention, a roller massaging apparatus
4
includes a massaging portion
2
having a plurality of bar-shaped rotatable rollers
1
. The rollers
1
are circumferentially mounted on the massaging portion
2
at certain intervals. The roller massaging apparatus
4
also includes a driving mechanism
3
for rotating the massaging portion
2
around an axis thereof, and a stimulating member
5
disposed at an upper side of the massaging portion
2
. The stimulating member
5
is pushed up by the rollers
1
. A mutual positional relationship between the massaging portion
2
and the stimulating member
5
is changed by moving at least one of the massaging portion
2
and the stimulating member
5
. Therefore, a body of the user of the roller massaging apparatus
4
which is placed on the stimulating member
5
is strongly stimulated by the stimulating member
5
which is pushed up by a plurality of rollers
1
when the massaging portion
2
is rotated. Massaging effects by the stimulating member
5
can be changed by changing the mutual positional relationship between the massaging portion
2
and the stimulating member
5
by moving at least one of the massaging portion
2
and the stimulating member
5
.
The mutual positional relationship between the massaging portion
2
and the stimulating member
5
may preferably be changed by moving the stimulating member
5
. This allows for changing the massaging effects obtained by the stimulating member
5
by means of moving the stimulating member
5
.
The stimulating member may be detachably attached to the roller massaging apparatus
4
. This allows for cleaning of the stimulating member
5
by means of detaching the stimulating member
5
, exchanging the stimulating member
5
when the stimulating member
5
is worn down, exchanging the stimulating member
5
for a different one to obtain different stimuli, detaching the stimulating member
5
to obtain less stimulating massaging effects.
The stimulating member
5
may be movable and the roller massaging apparatus
4
may further include a stopping means
6
for stopping and holding the stimulating member
5
at a certain position. This enables the stimulating member
5
to stop at a desired position to massage at a predetermined stimulus level.
The stimulating member
5
may preferably be provided with protrusions
7
which are different in shape. By moving the stimulating member
5
, different massaging effects can be obtained by different stimulating protrusions
7
.
The stimulating member
5
may preferably be provided at either a region with stimulating protrusions
7
and a region with no stimulating protrusions
7
so as to obtain strong stimuli from the region with stimulating protrusions
7
and soft stimuli from the region with no stimulating protrusions
7
.
The stimulating member
5
may be provided with a foot-shaped region having stimulating protrusions
7
to effectively massage the sole of the foot of a user of the roller massaging apparatus
4
.
The foot-shaped region may be provided with stimulating protrusions
7
at points corresponding to the portion of the sole of the foot of the user of the roller massaging apparatus
4
so as to effectively massage the sole of the user's foot.
The stimulating member
5
may be provided with right and left foot-shaped regions having stimulating protrusions
7
, wherein the stimulating protrusions
7
of the right and left foot-shaped regions are different in position so as to correspond to right and left foot points to be massaged. This enables effective massage of the sole of the foot of the user of the roller massaging apparatus
4
on both the user's right and left foot.
The stimulating member
5
may be provided with a positioning means
10
for correctly positioning the sole of the foot of the user of the roller massaging apparatus
4
with respect to the stimulating protrusions
7
.
The stimulating member
5
may be formed of elastic materials to enable easier response of the stimulating member
5
corresponding to the stimuli from the rotation of the roller
1
, which in turn more easily transmits the rotational stimuli to the body of the user of the massaging apparatus
4
via the stimulating member
5
.
The stimulating member
5
may be attached on a movable sheet
8
. When the stimulating member
5
is made of elastic materials, the stimulating member
5
creates much friction and therefor, is hard to move. However, the sheet
8
with the attached stimulating member
5
can easily be moved due to the fact that there is a lesser amount of friction created.
Furthermore, the sheet
8
can have a region with no stimulating members
5
and still obtain the same massaging effects as the massaging effects of a sheet with entirely no stimulating member
5
. Thus, not all of the stimulating member
5
need to be removed from the sheet
8
, if the region with no stimulating members
5
is positioned on the roller
1
.
The stimulating member
5
may be detachably attached on the sheet
8
. This enables the user to easily use the roller massaging apparatus
4
without the stimulating member
5
by detaching the stimulating member
5
.
The sheet
8
with the attached stimulating member
5
may be detachably mounted to the roller massaging apparatus
4
. This allows the user to easily clean the dirty stimulating member
5
, to exchange a worn out stimulating member
5
for new one, or to exchange the stimulating member
5
for any one of stimulating members
5
selected from different kinds of stimulating members used for stimulating in conventional massaging apparatus without using the stimulating member
5
of the present invention.
The sheet
8
with the attached stimulating member
5
may be put around sheet rotating rollers
9
so as to smoothly move the sheet
8
with stimulating member
5
.
The roller massaging apparatus
4
may be provided with a stopping means
6
for stopping and holding the sheet
8
with the attached stimulating member
5
at a certain position to have a desired massaging stimulus.
The roller massaging apparatus
4
may be provided with a driving means for driving the stimulating mem
Hasegawa Toyohito
Hata Keiji
Ito Mikio
Miyake Yoshiyuki
Naruse Haruhiko
Apley Richard J.
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Koo Benjamin K.
Matsushita Electric & Works Ltd.
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