EP2459144B1

EP2459144B1 - Vibratory carriage massager

Info

Publication number: EP2459144B1
Application number: EP10805030.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roman S. Ferber; Mordechai Lev; Sara Robertson; Lilian Tao
Original assignee: Homedics Inc
Current assignee: Homedics Inc
Priority date: 2009-07-31
Filing date: 2010-07-29
Publication date: 2016-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 2030-07-29
Also published as: EP2459144A1; WO2011014621A1; EP2459144A4

Description

The invention relates to a body massager.
The document US5020518 discloses a body massager comprising: a housing; a carriage oriented in the housing and cooperating with the housing for longitudinal translation in the housing; at least one massage member provided on the carriage; a kneading massage assembly for providing a kneading massage effect from the at least one massage member; a motor in operable connection with the housing and the carriage for driving the carriage along the housing; and a vibratory massage assembly, wherein the body massager additionally provides a vibratory massage effect by the vibratory massage assembly which is mounted to the carriage for imparting said vibratory massage effect to the at least one massage member; the body massager further comprising a suspension connecting the vibratory massage assembly to the carriage.
describes a massage apparatus that includes a travelling carriage having a housing enclosing a drive motor and a kneading motor. A pair of guide bars extend through the housing providing stability as the carriage is traversed along an intermediate drive bar which also extends through the housing. The drive motor is coupled to the drive bar through a pinion gear. Massaging elements are mounted on a crank arm which is rocked back and forth by the kneading motor. An eccentric arm couples the kneading motor to the crank arm and provides the kneading action. A massage motor is attached to the carriage housing to apply a multidirectional vibration waves to a user through the massage elements. In embodiments, a kneading motor as well as a drive motor can be stopped and then a vibrating motor can be energized to provide a vibrating massage at a localized portion of a user's back. The vibrating motor can be used in combination with the drive motor, the kneading motor or both.
The document US5462516 describes a massaging chair having a back for supporting the back of a user. This back includes a flexible front surface which is adapted to directly contact the back of the user. From embodiments, four rollers are in abutting contact with a flexible surface of the back of the chair. Rollers provide smooth guiding movement for the carriage as it travels up and down, as well as a back-pressure massage.
The document US5807288 describes a pad type roller massager comprising a driving mechanism, a pair of guiding columns, a sliding block with an eccentric motor and rollers assemblies. The eccentric motor provides vibration to the sliding block. This massager is featured with a three dimensional massaging movement.
The document US3736920 describes a travelling massager assembly adapted for the backrest of a reclining chair with a cushioning hammock forming sheet of strong and flexible material secured at its perimeter. The cushioning hammock has a relatively thick slab of highly resilient padding having efficient vibration transmitting capabilities without attached springs.
According to the invention, a body massager as defined in claim 1 is provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a body massager according to an embodiment, illustrated partially disassembled;
FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the massager of Figure 1; and
FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of a massage assembly of the massager of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Referring to Figure 1, a body massager is illustrated according to an embodiment and is referenced generally by numeral 10. The body massager 10 includes a backrest 12, and may also include a seat support. The internal assemblies of the backrest 12 are collectively retained within a flexible cover (not shown).
Massage effects provided by the body massager 10 include a kneading massage effect provided in the backrest 12, which is operable to provide the kneading massage effect longitudinally along the length of the backrest 12. Additionally, a vibratory massage effect is provided from the backrest 12.
The backrest 12 is sized to be received upon a backrest of a conventional chair. The body massager 10 is portable due to its compact size and light weight so that the user may place the body massager 10 upon a conventional chair for receiving a massage when seated upon the chair.
The backrest 12 includes a height and width corresponding to the conventional chair and has a thickness that is adequate for housing a massage assembly 14 within the backrest 12 while avoiding disruption of comfort and support provided by the underlying chair.
The backrest 12 includes a backrest contact surface 16 for receiving and supporting the back of a user thereupon. The massage assemblies of the backrest 12 impart the respective massage effects through the backrest contact surface 16 through a cover (not shown) of the massager 10. The body massager 10 further includes a remote controller 18 connected to the massager 10 for controlling the operations of the massager 10.
The backrest 12 includes a housing 20 for retaining the massage assembly 14. The massage assembly 14 includes a carriage 22 which cooperates with the housing 20 for limited longitudinal translation within the backrest 12. Accordingly, the housing 20 includes a longitudinal guide 24 mounted therein for cooperating with the carriage 22. The guide 24 includes a series of gibs 26 that cooperate with and retain a longitudinal key (not shown) formed laterally along the carriage 22. Various features of the massage assembly 14 are illustrated and described in greater detail in Ferber et al. U.S. Patent No. 7,128,721 B2, which issued on October 31, 2006 . The carriage 22 includes a second longitudinal key (not shown) formed laterally thereupon in transversely spaced opposition to that of the first key. The second key is retained relative to the housing 20 by an elongate retainer gib 28 which is secured to the housing 20. The Ferber et al. '721 patent discloses the longitudinal keys.
The guide 24 of the housing 20 includes a pair of longitudinal rails 30, 32, which extend from the housing 20. A pair of keyways (not shown) are formed longitudinally through the carriage 22. The keyways are sized to receive the rails 30, 32. The cooperation of the rails 30, 32 and the keyways provides transverse guidance and support to the carriage 22 as it translates along the guide 24. The keyways, and roller bearings are illustrated and described in the Ferber et al. '721 patent.
The housing 20 includes a substrate 34 with a plurality of sidewalls 36 extending forward of the substrate 34. The sidewalls 36 and substrate 34 collectively provide a cavity 38 within which the massage assembly 14 is housed. Foam or cushioning (not shown) may be provided about an exterior perimeter of the sidewalls 36 in order to provide cushioning outside of a massage region.
Referring now to Figure 2, the massage assembly 14 includes a motor 40, which is mounted to the carriage 22 and retained by a cover plate 42. The cover plate 42 and the carriage 22 collectively provide a motor mount for the motor 40 and are fastened together. The motor 40 is operable to impart a massage effect from the massage assembly 14 and translate the carriage 22 along the guide 24 of the housing 20. The motor 40 includes a pair of output shafts 44, 46 extending from the motor 40 and driven thereby. A pair of worms 48, 50 are each provided on one of the motor output shafts 44, 46 to be driven by the respective shaft 44, 46. The first worm 48 drives a pair of worm gears 52, 54 in opposed rotational directions. Each worm gear 52, 54 is engaged with a reduction gear 56, 58 for driving the respective reduction gear 56, 58. Each reduction gear 56, 58 is mounted on a gear shaft 60, 62, which are rotatably connected to the carriage 22 and extend through the cover plate 42.
A pair of massage brackets 64, 66 are each fastened to one of the gear shafts 60, 62. The massage brackets 64, 66 are transversely spaced. Each massage bracket 64, 66 includes a first hemispherical massage node 68 and a second hemispherical massage node 70 mounted to the respective bracket 64, 66.
The gear shafts 60, 62 are oriented perpendicular to the guide 24 and extend in the direction toward the backrest contact surface 16. The massage nodes 68, 70 each rotate relative to the massage bracket 64, 66 about an axis that is offset from the respective gear shaft 60, 62. The massage nodes 68, 70 extend from the cavity 38 for imparting the massage effect to the user. As the massage nodes 68, 70 revolve around the corresponding gear shaft 60, 62 a rotary kneading massage effect is imparted upon the user, which is commonly referred to as a shiatsu massage.
Each massage node 68, 70 is rotatably connected to the corresponding massage bracket 64, 66 to reduce friction generated in a rotary kneading massage effect. Further, each massage node 68, 70 may be axially translatable relative to the corresponding massage bracket 64, 66 and urged to an extended position by a spring retained between the corresponding massage nodes 68, 70 and the respective massage bracket 64, 66.
Additionally, the first massage nodes 68 have an overall height greater than that of the second massage nodes 70 to extend further from the corresponding massage brackets 64, 66. The first massage nodes 68 also have a diameter greater than that of the second massage nodes 70. These variations are utilized for varying the engagement of the rotary kneading massage effect with the user, resulting in a kneading effect that is non symmetrical and similar to a massage provided by the hands of a skilled massage therapist.
The second worm 50 drives a worm gear 72 on the carriage 22. The worm gear 72 is connected to a first pinion gear 74 that is driven with the worm gear 72. The first pinion gear 74 is engaged with a first reduction gear 76 which is rotatably mounted to the carriage 22. A second pinion gear 78 is provided beneath the first reduction gear 76 and driven thereby. The second pinion gear 78 is engaged with a second reduction gear 80 which is supported for rotation upon the carriage 22. A third pinion gear 82 is provided beneath the second reduction gear 80 and is driven thereby. The third pinion gear 82 is in geared engagement with a rack 84 provided along the retainer gib 28. Thus, operation of the motor 40 creates the massage effect and drives the carriage 22 along the guide 24 through reduced rotation through the transmission. Of course, the invention contemplates various transmissions, such as the transmission disclosed in the document US7128721 . The invention also contemplates utilization of two motors on the carriage 22 for independently controlling the massage in translation as disclosed in document US 7470242 .
The carriage 22 also carries a vibratory massage assembly 86 for imparting a vibratory massage effect to the massage nodes 68, 70 for imparting a rotary kneading and vibrating massage effect concurrently to the user. As illustrated in Figure 2, the cover plate 42 includes a pair of brackets extending from the cover plate 42. The vibratory massage assembly 86 is mounted to the pair of brackets 88 and oriented therebetween.
Referring now to Figure 3, the vibratory massage assembly includes a motor 90 with an eccentric weight 92. Power to the motor 90 rotates the eccentric weight 92 thereby imparting a vibratory massage effect. The motor 90 and weight 92 are disposed within a cushioned sleeve 94 for damping the massage effect. The cushioned sleeve 94 is disposed within a fabric sleeve 96, which is then consequently fastened to the brackets 88 by a series of mechanical fasteners 98 as in Figure 1. Thus, the vibratory massage assembly 86 is retained within the sleeves 94, 96 suspended between the brackets 88 of the cover plate 42 of the carriage 22 for imparting a vibratory massage effect to the carriage 22 and consequently the massage nodes 68, 70 as controlled by power to the motor 90.
Unlike prior art massagers, the massager 10 does not include a forward housing portion with apertures for permitting the nodes 68, 70 to pass therethrough. Instead, the forward region of the housing 20 is left open, with a lengthwise central fabric ribbon 100 extending across the cavity 38 and mounted to opposed ends of the housing 20. The fabric ribbon 100 is maintained in tension for supporting an overlying cover of the massager 10 thereby supporting the cover in locations wherein the carriage 22 is not present and consequently supporting the back of the user. Additionally, a strap 102 is provided on the cover plate 42 for retaining the ribbon 100 centrally relative to the carriage 22.
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

Body massager (10) comprising: a housing (20); a carriage (22) oriented in the housing (20) and cooperating with the housing (20) for longitudinal translation in the housing (20); at least one massage member provided on the carriage (22); a kneading massage assembly for providing a kneading massage effect from the at least one massage member; a motor (40) in operable connection with the housing (20) and the carriage (22) for driving the carriage (22) along the housing (20); and a vibratory massage assembly (86), wherein the body massager (10) additionally provides a vibratory massage effect by the vibratory massage assembly (86) which is mounted to the carriage (22) for imparting said vibratory massage effect to the at least one massage member; the body massager (10) further comprising a suspension connecting the vibratory massage assembly (86) to the carriage (22), so that the mounting of the vibratory massage assembly (86) to the carriage (22) is damped; the vibratory massage assembly (86) including a second motor (90) with an eccentric weight (92); power to the second motor (90) rotating the eccentric weight (92) thereby imparting the vibratory massage effect; the second motor (90) and weight (92) being disposed within a cushioned sleeve (94) for damping the vibratory massage effect; the cushioned sleeve (94) being disposed within an other sleeve (96), wherein the vibratory massage assembly (86) is retained within the sleeves (94, 96), the other sleeve being mounted to the carriage (22) for imparting the vibratory massage effect to the at least one massage member.
Body massager (10) of claim 1 wherein the other sleeve (96) comprises a fabric material.
Body massager (10) of claim 2 wherein the cushion sleeve (94) is provided in the other sleeve (96) that is a fabric sleeve between the fabric sleeve (96) and the second motor (90).
Body massager (10) of claim 3 further comprising a pair of spaced apart brackets (88); wherein a pair of terminal ends of the other sleeve (96), are each connected to one of the pair of spaced apart brackets (88).
Body massager (10) according to claim 1, wherein said housing (20) has an opening to a cavity (38) formed therein; the at least one massage member being provided on the carriage proximate to the housing opening ;
said carriage (22) oriented in the housing cavity and cooperating with the housing for longitudinal translation in the housing;
and a flexible support member (100) is mounted to the housing (20) and extending across the carriage (22) for supporting a body part of the user in regions of the housing (20) cavity when the carriage (22) is not present.
Body massager (10) of claim 5, wherein the flexible support member (100) is formed from a fabric material.
Body massager (10) of claim 5, wherein the flexible support member (100) extends along a length of the housing (20).
Body massager (10) of claim 5, wherein the flexible support member (100) extends centrally along the housing (20).
Body massager (10) of claim 5, wherein the at least one massage member comprises a pair of spaced apart massage members each comprising two massage nodes (68, 70); and wherein the flexible support member (100) extends between the pair of massage members.
Body massager (10) of claim 5, wherein the flexible support member (100) is maintained in tension.
Body massager (10) of claim 5, wherein the carriage (22) comprises a cover plate (42), a strap (102) being provided on the cover plate (42) for retaining the flexible support member (100) centrally relative to the carriage (22).