Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Vacuum
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-14
2001-11-20
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Vacuum
C601S006000, C601S122000, C601S126000, C601S125000, C601S133000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06319212
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a vacuum massaging apparatus as defined in the opening part of Claim
1
.
Such a massaging apparatus is known from the patent document WO 98/02123 A1. In the know massaging apparatus the pump is formed by a diaphragm pump whose inlet is connected directly to a coupling portion of the suction chamber of the known massaging apparatus by a connecting tube and whose outlet opens directly into the air volume inside the housing of the massaging apparatus. It has appeared that some of the users of the known massaging apparatus consider the noise generated by such a massaging apparatus to be too loud and, consequently, annoying. Tests of the known massaging apparatus have revealed that this undesired noise generation mainly originates from the pump area and from the intake area and delivery area of the pump.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to improve a massaging apparatus of the type defined in the opening paragraph by simple means and to provide an improved massaging apparatus in which the noise generation has been reduced significantly in comparison with the known massaging apparatus.
According to the invention, in order to achieve this object, a massaging apparatus of the type defined in the opening paragraph has the characteristic features defined in the characterizing part of Claim
1
.
The characteristic features provided in accordance with the invention result in a significant noise reduction for the massaging apparatus in accordance with the invention in comparison with the known massaging apparatus. This noise reduction is of the order of approximately 10 dB. In tests that were carried out this noise reduction was judged to be a significant improvement.
In a massaging apparatus in accordance with the invention the first noise reduction means may be formed by a vessel included in the air transfer duct between the suction chamber and the inlet of the pump, which vessel contains a sound-absorbing material, for example a foam plastic, felt, or similar materials. However, it has proved to be particularly advantageous to provide the characteristic features defined in Claim
2
because this results in a particularly simple and low-cost construction.
In a massaging apparatus in accordance with the invention it has further proved to be advantageous to provide the characteristic features defined in Claim
3
because this results in a very good trade-off between a compensation vessel of minimal size and an optimum noise reduction. In this respect it has proved to be particularly advantageous to provide the characteristic features defined in Claim
4
.
It has further proved to be very advantageous to provide the characteristic features defined in Claim
5
in a massaging apparatus in accordance with the invention because this results in a particularly simple and compact but also cheap and reliable construction. It has further proved to be very advantageous to provide the characteristic features defined in Claim
6
,
7
,
8
or
9
in such a massaging apparatus in accordance with the invention because this enables a particularly good noise reduction in the area of the pump outlet to be achieved.
It has proved to be very advantageous to provide the characteristic features defined in Claim
10
in a massaging apparatus in accordance with the invention having a cover in the area of the pump outlet because it is thus possible to obtain a distinct reduction of the noise caused by the oscillatory diaphragm of the pump in the form of a diaphragm pump.
The afore-mentioned as well as further aspects of the invention will be apparent from the embodiment described hereinafter by way of example and will be elucidated with reference to this example.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4970753 (1990-11-01), Herron, Jr.
patent: 6017320 (2000-01-01), Bleeker et al.
patent: 98/02123 (1998-01-01), None
Muller Ingo
Putzer Arthur
Van Der Vinne Frans
Bartlett Ernestine C.
Brown Michael A.
Koo Benjamin K.
U.S. Philips Corporation
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