EP1385463B1 - Apparatus for performing assess-press-pull massaging - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for massaging the human body, for use in particular in performing an assess/press/pull type massage, includes a working head ( 1 ) open in its lower part and containing elements for forming a skin fold. The elements forming a skin fold comprise two pinching skin-pinching jaws ( 11, 12 ) pivoting about an axis ( 13 ) parallel to the plane of the skin and at the ends of which are fixed massaging fingers ( 11 b , 12 b), the apparatus comprising elements for pivoting the two jaws ( 11, 12 ) towards each other and inversely. Additionally, the elements forming a skin fold advantageously comprise a suction cup ( 19 ) mounted mobile between the two jaws ( 11, 12 ), connected to a vacuum source by a flexible conduit ( 27 ) and elements ( 22, 24, 25 ) for moving the suction cup ( 19 ) vertically.

Description

The present invention relates to a massage apparatus of the human body, usable in particular for the execution of a massage of the "evaluated-pressed-pulled" type.

A massage apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1 is disclosed in FR-A-2 797 183.

There are currently on the market various devices allowing the execution of a massage of the type "palpé-rolled". These devices generally comprise, within an open housing at its lower part and which is moved on the skin, a pair of rollers parallel axes mounted free in rotation, in contact with the skin and to "roll" A fold of skin. The formation of the fold is obtained beforehand by creating a depression in the internal space of the housing, above the rollers, in order to suck up the skin. For this purpose, the interior of the housing is connected to a vacuum source.

This is the case, for example, of US Pat. No. 4,729,368 describing a massage apparatus for the human body. This massage apparatus comprises, mounted inside a manually operable housing, two parallel rollers driven in rotation by a motor or mounted free to rotate, said housing being connected to means for creating a vacuum above the rollers which form moving walls of a suction chamber. The rolls are held normally apart from each other by springs when no vacuum is created in the suction chamber. Said depression exerted inside the housing is exerted in the space between the rollers to form a skin fold and the arrangement of the rollers is such that the rollers tend, during suction, to approach automatically the from each other to ensure the pinching action on the formed skin fold.

Known devices of this type have the disadvantage that the intensity of the compression which is subjected to the skin forming the pinched ply between the rollers, depends on the intensity of the depression. Indeed, it is the same driving force that puts the parts into action the two functions of sucking and compressing the skin. The regulation of the depression thus acts simultaneously on the two movements without it being possible to favor one or the other of the actions and to regulate the intensity of the action of the pressure or traction on the skin. Moreover, these known devices can not act directly beyond a depth of 2.5 to 3 cm. This limitation is due to the fact that the compression is exerted parallel to the surface of the treated skin zone, because, during the operation of tightening the skin fold, the two rollers come closer to one another. other by a rectilinear translation parallel to the skin. The limitation is due, on the one hand to the dimensions of the sucking surface and, on the other hand, to the fact that the driving force (depression) can injure the patient beyond a certain value.

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by providing a massaging device of a very convenient use, allowing in particular to easily adjust the intensity and amplitude of each of the functions of suction and compression of the skin, to deeper depths and with finer and more precise intensity levels.

For this purpose, this massage apparatus of the human body, usable in particular for the execution of a massage of the "evaluated-pressed-pulled" type, comprising an open working head at its lower part, which can be moved on the skin containing means for forming a fold of the skin, is remarkable in that the means for forming a fold of the skin comprise two clamping jaws of the skin pivoting about an axis parallel to the plane of the skin and to the ends of which are fixed massage fingers, said apparatus comprising means for pivoting the two jaws towards each other and in opposite directions, to respectively tighten and loosen the skin between them to form a fold of the skin .

It is well understood that, unlike the massage apparatus of the prior art, the formation of the fold of the skin and the pinching of the latter is effected solely by the massage fingers attached to the ends of the jaws so that, the pinching exerted on the fold of the skin is not limited by the depression, a greater pinch force can be applied to the fold of the skin to allow decongestion of the treated tissues. It will be observed that "massage fingers attached to the ends of the jaws" means fingers that are not mounted free to rotate at the ends of the jaws.

According to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the apparatus according to the invention, the means for forming a fold of the skin comprise a suction cup mounted movably between the two jaws, connected to a vacuum source by a flexible hose and means for moving the suction cup to an extreme lower position in which it is located substantially in the plane of the lower opening of the working head and in contact with the skin and an upper extreme position so as to be able to pull up the area of the skin located between the massage fingers of the two jaws to, inter alia, form a fold of this skin.

• la figure 1 est une vue en élévation schématique, partiellement en coupe verticale, d'un appareil de massage suivant l'invention, la tête de travail étant représentée à plus grande échelle,
• la figure 2 est une vue en élévation des éléments constitutifs principaux de la tête de travail de l'appareil, en position de repos ou inactive, l'enveloppe de la tête ayant été omise,
• la figure 3 est une vue de profil de la tête de travail, prise de la droite sur la figure 2,
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe verticale de la partie inférieure d'une mâchoire, illustrant la fixation d'un doigt interchangeable,
• la figure 5 est une vue en élévation des éléments constitutifs principaux de la tête de travail représentés en position active de succion et de compression d'un pli de la peau.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view, partly in vertical section, of a massage apparatus according to the invention, the working head being represented on a larger scale;
• FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the main constituent elements of the working head of the apparatus, in the idle or inactive position, the envelope of the head having been omitted,
• FIG. 3 is a profile view of the working head, taken from the right in FIG. 2,
• FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the lower part of a jaw, illustrating the attachment of an interchangeable finger,
• Figure 5 is an elevational view of the main components of the working head shown in the active position of suction and compression of a fold of the skin.

The massage apparatus shown in FIG. 1 essentially comprises a working head 1 which is intended to be moved manually by a practitioner on a skin surface, to effect a "evaluated-pressed-pulled" type of massage as will be specified. further, and an independent control unit 2, consisting of a frame mounted on wheels and containing various mechanical, electrical and electronic components to perform the various functions to be specified later. The working head 1 and the control unit 2 are connected to each other by a flexible sheath 3 which contains various conduits, electrical conductors, traction cables, etc ... necessary for the operation of the head of the 1. The sheath 3 can be independent and connect directly to the control unit 2. However, in the particularly advantageous embodiment shown in Figure 1, the sheath 3 is connected to the end of a bracket 4 located above the work table on which the patient is. This bracket 4 is constituted by a tube whose lower end is fixed to the frame of the control unit 2. The stem 4 serves to contain the electrical cables, pipes and traction cables from the frame of the control unit 2 until they enter the flexible sheath 3, ensure the fixing of one end of the flexible sheath 3, and support, at its upper end, a pulley or other return system 5 for a hoisting rope 6.

It goes without saying that the bracket 4 can be replaced by any type of lifting system such as a telescopic arm, for example, without departing from the scope of the invention.

This cable 6 extends through the bracket 4 to a winder 7 housed in the control unit 2 and leaves the the stem 4 to extend vertically down to the working head 1 at the top of which it is hooked to a point 8.

The working head 1 comprises an envelope 9 open at the bottom, in the form of a bell, to which is connected the flexible sheath 3 and which contains all the active elements of the head 1 constituting the compression mechanism of the skin and the mechanism sucking that skin. The skin compression mechanism comprises two jaws 11 and 12 hinged about a common intermediate shaft 13, extending horizontally and supported by the casing 9. Each jaw 11,12 comprises a respective lower arm 11, 12a at the lower end of which is fixed a respective massage finger 11b , 12b . Each massage finger 11b , 12b is constituted by an interchangeable assembly fixed on the lower part of its support arm by means of a button 14 and it comprises, at its lower end, a horizontal axis 15 on which is threaded a sleeve 16. The material of the sleeve 16, in contact with the skin, constituting the outer covering of each massage finger is chosen so as to adapt the adhesion and the sliding of each massage finger to the quality of the skin and the treatment to be performed. achieve, in order to obtain an optimization of the comfort and the effectiveness of the massage. Furthermore, the interchangeable massage fingers 11b , 12b have a different diameter, width and shape depending on the area to be treated, the thickness of the fold to be formed, the sensitivity of the patient, etc ...

As seen more particularly in Figure 2, the lower arms 11, 12a of the respective jaws 11,12 are moving away from each other downwards in the rest or inactive position. The lower arms 11 a, 121 a are also attached at their upper ends to respective flanges 11 c, 12 c which rotate about the common horizontal axis 13. The flange 11c of the jaw 11 extends the top, beyond the axis 13 and at its end is hung the end of a clamping cable 17 or another motorization mode housed in a sheath contained in the flexible sheath 3. In the same way the flange 12c of the jaw 12 is hooked, in its part opposite the arm lower 12 a, at the end of a release system, here represented by a release cable 18 housed in a sheath contained in the flexible sheath 3. the arrangement of the jaws 11,12 and wires 17,18 is such that a pull exerted on the cable clamp 17 causes simultaneous pivoting of the two jaws 11,12 towards one another, resulting in an approximation of the lower arms 11, 12a and massage fingers 11b, 12 b , and that traction exerted on the loosening cable 18 causes a reverse pivoting movement causing the jaws 11,12 to move apart.

The working head 1 also comprises a translucent cup 19 located between the upper end portions of the lower arms 11 a, 12 a, in the inactive position, shown in Figure 2. This suction cup 19 open towards the bottom and of variable shape, adapted to the zone to be treated, elongated parallel to the massage fingers 11b , 12b is fixed to a support 21 itself pivotally mounted at one end of a link 22. This rod 22 is pivotally mounted at its other end, on the lower portion of the flange 12c of the jaw 12, about a horizontal axis 23 parallel to the common pivot axis 13 of the two jaws 11,12. The rod 22 is biased downwardly by a return spring 24 attached to the link 22 and at a point of the flange 12c. As a result, the link 22 tends to rotate clockwise about the axis 23, thereby lowering the suction cup 19 towards the surface of the skin. Furthermore, the movable end of the rod 22 where is pivotally mounted the support 21 of the suction pad 19, is connected to the end of a release cable 25 housed in the flexible sheath 3. On a section of the sheath cable 25 is mounted a visual indicator 26 for locating the position of the release cable 25 and therefore that of the suction pad 19. This suction pad 19 is also connected to a suction tube 27 which extends through the flexible sheath 3.

The cables 17, 18, 21, 25 and the suction tube 27 are connected to various elements of the control unit 2. More particularly, the clamping and unscrewing cables 17 are connected in the control unit 2. at respective winders. These reels can be constituted either by two independent cylinders or, preferably, by a single cylinder 28 with two rotary drums on which the cables 17 and 18 are respectively wound in opposite directions. The release cable 25 is connected to a winder preferably constituted by a single-drum rotary jack 29 and the suction pipe 27 is connected thereto to a vacuum pump 31. The control unit 2 also contains a source of energy, such as a spring of compressed air (compressor) 32 for supplying and rotating the cylinders 7,28,29 driving the various cables 6,17,18,21, and a power control unit supplied to the various cylinders.

The working head 1 also carries various adjustment knobs 33 which are connected, by electrical conductors 34, to a control circuit 35 of the control unit 2, which regulates the vacuum produced by the vacuum pump 31 for the suction cup 19 and the tensile forces exerted by the cylinders 7,28,29 on the respective cables 6,17,18,21. The values of the depression and the forces applied or the spacing of the massage fingers 11b , 12b can also be retransmitted from the control unit 2 to displays 36 carried by the working head 1. The working head 1 allows to assume two main functions. One of its functions is the formation of a fold of the skin and the centrifugal mobilization allowing the stretching of the tissues by suction and traction of the translucent suction cup 19, as shown in FIG. 5. The pull on the suction cup 19 is exerted using the cable 25 and the link 22. An adjustable depression is applied in the suction cup 19 through the suction pipe 25. Another function of the head of Work 1 is compression massage of the fold formed by the suction function, as shown in FIG. 5, or else the formation of the fold of the skin and the massage by direct compression using the two massage fingers 11 b , 12 b , then pull on the fold without resorting to the suction function. The tightening of the lower arms 11, 12a and massage fingers 11 b, 12 b is provided by pulling on the cable clamp 17 while their looseness is provided by pulling on the release wire 18.

From the foregoing description, it is seen that one of the advantages provided by the apparatus according to the invention is that the depression created in the suction cup 19 is used to obtain adhesion between the skin and the suction pad 19 and the formation of a fold, the work of the fold being obtained then by pulling upward on the suction pad 19, by means of the release cable 25. The large suction surface avoids having to create in the suction cup strong depressions that may cause hematomas in patients.

Another advantage provided by the apparatus according to the invention is that the compression function provided by the jaws 11, 12 is completely autonomous and the intensity of the compression is adjustable in a manner totally independent of the value of the depression. In addition, the vacuum chamber of the suction cup 19 is used as a means of gripping the skin while the working head 1 makes a fixed point on an area of the body.

Another feature of the apparatus according to the invention is that the working head is suspended from the bracket 4 and the lifting cable 6 exerts on the head 1 an antagonistic force substantially equal to the weight of the head. Therefore, the work of the practitioner, for the displacement of the head 1 is significantly less tiring. In addition, for some treatments, it is necessary to perform a significant traction on the head 1 and again the fact that the head 1 is suspended from the stem 4 significantly relieves the effort of the practitioner. The head 1 can thus completely replace the traction of the practitioner. Although, in the preferred embodiment of the massage apparatus that has been described, the vacuum source 31, the winder 29 of the release cable 21, and the reel 28 of the clamping cables 17, 18 are housed in a control unit 2 remote from the working head 1, they could also, in an alternative embodiment, be housed in the working head 1. The latter could then contain electric or pneumatic motors, controlling the movements of the jaws 11 and 12, the drawing of the suction cup 19 and the creation of the vacuum in it.

The working head 1 can also include force sensors for measuring the force exerted between the jaws 11 and 12. This measurement can be used to determine the limit not to exceed in order to execute the massage of the patient safely .

According to an alternative embodiment, the control unit 2 where the working head 1 comprises an automaton for coordinating the movements of the jaws 11, 12 and the suction pad 19.

Finally, it is obvious that the massage apparatus of the human body according to the invention can be used without the suction pad 19 or even comprise only two clamping jaws of the skin 11, 12 pivoting about the parallel axis 13 at the plane of the skin, carrying, at their ends, the massage fingers 11b , 12b and means for pivoting the jaws 11,12 towards each other and in the opposite direction, in order to tighten and loosen respectively the skin between them to form a fold of this skin.

Claims (14)

1. Apparatus for massaging the human body, comprising a working head (1) open at its lower part, able to be moved over the skin, and containing means forming a skin fold, characterised in that the means forming a skin fold comprise two skin-pinching jaws (11, 12) pivoting about an axis (13) parallel to the plane of the skin and at the ends of which are fixed massage fingers (11b,12b), which are not mounted free in rotation, said apparatus comprising means for pivoting the two jaws (11, 12) towards one another and inversely, so as to respectively grip and release the skin between them, such that the fold formed can be worked by direct and autonomous compression using massage fingers (11b, 12b) then by traction on said fold.
2. The apparatus as claimed in Claim 1,
   characterised in that a suction cup (19) mounted mobile between the two jaws (11, 12), connected to the vacuum source by a flexible tube (27) and means (22, 24, 25) for moving the suction cup (19) in a lower end position in which it is situated substantially in the plane of the lower opening of the working head (1) and in contact with the skin and an upper end position so as to be able to draw upwards the zone of the skin situated between the massage fingers (11b, 12b) of the two jaws (11, 12).
3. The apparatus as claimed in Claim 2,
   characterised in that the suction cup (19) is tensed towards its lower end position by a spring (24) and towards its upper end position by a detachment traction cable (25).
4. The apparatus as claimed in Claim 3,
   characterised in that the suction cup (19) is mounted to pivot on a first end, situated to one side of the pivot axis (13) of the two jaws (11, 12), of a rocker (22) in turn mounted to pivot, on its second end, on a part of one of the jaws (12), about an axis (23) parallel to the pivot axis (13) and situated on the other side of this axis (13).
5. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 3 and 4, characterised in that the detachment traction cable (25) is housed in a sheath on which a visual indicator (26) is interposed, displaying the cable as such to indicate the axial position of the cable in its sheath and consequently the effective position of the suction cup (19).
6. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the two jaws (11, 12) are attached to gripping (17) and releasing (18) traction cables respectively controlling the opening and closing of the jaws (11, 12) and their massage fingers.
7. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that each of the jaws (11, 12) comprises a lower arm (11a, 12a) on which is fixed, by means of a button (14), an interchangeable massage finger, whereof the shape is adapted to the zone to be treated.
8. The apparatus as claimed in Claim 7,
   characterised in that each massage finger (11b, 12b) comprises an external cover material (16) selected so as to adapt adherence and sliding of each massage finger to the quality of the skin and to the treatment to be administered, with the aim of producing comfort optimisation and massage efficacy.
9. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that it comprises an independent control unit (2) comprising winders (7, 28, 29) of mechanical cables (6, 17, 18, 21), a power source (32) for driving the winders (7, 28, 29), a vacuum pump (31) and an electric control circuit (35), a supple sheath (3) connecting the control unit (2) to the working head (1) and containing the mechanical cables (6, 17, 18, 21), the pipe (25) connecting the vacuum pump (31) to the suction cup (19) and electrical conductors, a first cable (21) connected to a first winder (29) being connected to the suction cup (19) to cause upward movement of the suction cup (19), a second mechanical cable (17) and a third mechanical cable (18) being connected to the two jaws (11,12) to control the pivoting movement of these jaws and to a second winder (28).
10. The apparatus as claimed in Claim 9, characterised in that it comprises a bracket (4) connected at its upper end, situated above the work table, to one end of the supple sheath (3), the bracket (4) being made up by a tube through which the pipe (27), the mechanical cables (17, 18, 21) and the electrical conductors extend.
11. The apparatus as claimed in Claim 10,
    characterised in that the control unit (2) contains a third winder (7) for a lifting mechanical cable (6) passing over the bracket (4) and on a return element (5), such as a pulley, situated at the upper end of the bracket (4), the lifting cable (6) being attached to the upper part of the working head (1) at a point (8).
12. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 9 to 11, characterised in that the working head (1) bears control and regulating buttons (33) and control indicators (36) which are connected to components of the control unit (2) by electrical conductors passing through the supple sheath (3).
13. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 12, characterised in that it comprises force sensors serving to measure the force exerted between the jaws (11) and (12).
14. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 9 to 13, characterised in that the control unit (2) or the working head (1) comprises an automaton to coordinate the movements of the jaws (11) and (12) and of the suction cup (19).

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