MASSAGER

• US 3,710,785 A
• Filed: 11/27/1970
• Issued: 01/16/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ronald O. Hilger
• Original Assignee: Ronald O. Hilger
• Inventors: Hilger, Ronald O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trapp, Lawrence W.
• Application Number:
  US05/093,370
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 128/24.1,24.2,32,34-36
• US Class Current: 601/73
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0207 heated
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0228 heated by an electric resistance element
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/10 with further special therapeutic means, e.g. electrotherapy, magneto therapy or radiation therapy, chromo therapy, infrared or ultraviolet therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0263 using rotating unbalanced masses
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0659 infrared

Abstract

An improved massager providing a vibratory muscular and skin massage for easing strain, tension, pain and the like. The massager includes a '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'floating'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' head which is connected to the main housing of the massager by a coil compression spring and which is arranged so that the head may follow the body contours. The head is vibrated and is caused to be moved in an orbital path, with respect to the main housing, as a result of the rotation of a motor driven, eccentrically mounted weight positioned in the head. The head also includes a heating element which may selectively be actuated to permit infrared heat to be applied to the portion of the body being massaged.

Claims

1. An improved massager for providing a comforting muscular and skin massage to the body comprising:

head means including a generally conical member having a surface which is adapted to contact the portion of the body to be massaged and which defines the base of the member;

housing means including an opening having a size greater than the size of the apex of the conical member;

means for imparting vibratory motion to the head means during operation of the massager for causing said surface to provide a vibratory, muscular and skin massage to the portion of the body against which it is held; and

connection means for flexibly connecting the head means to the housing means so that the head means may move with respect to the housing means during operation of the massager so as to permit said surface to follow the contours of the body as it is moved over the body, with the connection means being connected to the conical member adjacent to the apex of the coniCal member so that the apex of the conical member is positioned adjacent to said opening.

2. The improved massager described in claim 1 wherein infrared heating means are positioned adjacent to said surface so as to selectively permit infrared heat to be applied to the portion of the body being massaged.

3. The improved massager described in claim 1 wherein the connection means permits limited relative movement of the conical member with respect to the housing means in both a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the conical member and at an angle with respect to the axis of the conical member.

4. The improved massager described in claim 3 wherein the connection means includes a coil compression spring which is connected at one end to the housing means and which is connected at its other end to the conical member adjacent to its apex.

5. An improved massager for providing a comforting muscular and skin massage to the body comprising:

head means having a member which has a first end including a surface adapted to contact the portion of the body to be massaged and which has a second end spaced from the first end;

housing means including an opening having a size larger than the size, of the second end of the body of the head means;

connection means for flexibly connecting the member of the head means to the housing means so that the head means may move with respect to the housing means during operation of the massager so as to permit said surface to follow the contours of the body as it is moved over the body, the connection means being connected to the member of the head means adjacent to the second end of the member so that the second end of the member is positioned adjacent to said opening of the housing means; and

means for imparting vibratory motion to the head means during operation of the massager for causing said surface to provide a vibratory, muscular and skin massage to the portion of the body against which it is held, the vibratory means including a weight which is eccentrically mounted on a first shaft positioned in the head means, and motor means positioned in and carried by the housing means, the motor means including a rotatable drive shaft which is operatively connected with the first shaft.

6. The improved massager described in claim 5 wherein a first coil compression spring is connected at one end with the drive shaft of the motor means and is connected at its other end with the first shaft.

7. The improved massager described in claim 6 wherein the connection means includes a second coil compression spring which is connected at one end to the housing means and at its other end to the head means so as to permit limited relative movement of the head means with respect to the housing means in both a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the second spring and at an angle with respect to the axis of the second spring and so that the head means may move orbitally with respect to the axis of the second coil compression spring.

8. The improved massager described in claim 5 wherein the connection means includes a second coil compression spring which is connected at one end to the housing means and at its other end to the head means so as to permit limited relative movement of the head means with respect to the housing means in both a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the second spring and at an angle with respect to the axis of the second spring and so that the head means may move orbitally with respect to the axis of the second coil compression spring.

9. The improved massager described in claim 8 wherein the head means is a generally conical member with said surface defining the base thereof;

wherein the other end of the second coil compression spring being connected adjacent to the apex of the conical member;

wherein the housing means includes an opening having a size larger than the size of the conical member, adjacent to its apex; and

wherein the conical member is positioned so tHat the apex thereof is adjacent to said opening.

10. The improved massager described in claim 9 wherein the first coil compression spring is disposed within the second coil compression spring so that the axes of the first coil compression spring and the second coil compression spring are coaxial.

11. The improved massager described in claim 10 wherein the axis of the conical member is coaxial with the axes of the first and second coil compression springs;

and wherein the plane in which the eccentric weight moves is substantially parallel to said surface.

12. The improved massager described in claim 11 wherein the axes of the first shaft and drive shaft are coaxial;

wherein the axis of the conical member is coaxial with the axes of the first shaft and the drive shaft and is substantially perpendicular to the plane of said surface.

13. The improved massager described in claim 12 wherein infrared heating means are positioned adjacent to said surface so as to selectively permit infrared heat to be applied to the portion of the body to be massaged;

and wherein the housing means includes a handle so as to enable user of the massager to hold the massager during use.