Massager

• US 4,566,442 A
• Filed: 04/18/1983
• Issued: 01/28/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ken-Ichi Mabuchi
• Original Assignee: Bio Mobuchi Company Limited
• Inventors: Yagi, Masao, Mabuchi, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, David J.
• Application Number:
  US06/486,101
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 128/24.1, 128/24.2, 128/51-56, 81/463, 81/464, 273/69, 124/21, 124/22, 124/26, 124/27, 124/37
• US Class Current: 601/101
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0153 hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0165 Damping, vibration related features
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0207 heated
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/025 by direct air flow on the patient's body
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1614 Shoulder, e.g. for neck stretching
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1623 Back
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1669 moving along the body in a reciprocating manner
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/062 Shoulders
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/081 Back
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0254 with rotary motor

Abstract

A massager has a device body, a drive unit housed in the device body, a connecting arm driven by the drive unit, an actuator operating in conjunction with the connecting arm, a space guide, an energy storage part consisting of compression springs for storing energy when compressed by the connecting arm, an energy releasing mechanism for rapidly releasing the stored energy, and an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the energy stored in the compression springs, the actuator being adapted to pat the skin surface plural pieces of the compression springs are connected in series so as to make the patting intensity adjustable discontinuously and to make the overall dimensions smaller. Also, a mechanism for feeding warm air onto the skin surface being patted as necessary in the aforementioned massager is disclosed.

Claims

1. A massager having a device body, a drive unit housed in said device body, a connecting arm driven by said drive unit, energy storage means comprising at least two compression springs connected in series for storing energy when compressed by said connecting arm driven by said drive unit, energy releasing means for rapidly releasing the energy stored in said energy storage means, an actuator driven by said energy storage means and said energy releasing means, a plate member mounted on said actuator, a space guide mounted on said device body for defining an area through which said plate member can travel, and adjusting means for adjusting the amount of energy stored in said energy storage means, characterized in that said adjusting means is constructed so as to adjust the amount of energy stored in said energy storage means and limit the amount of energy stored in at least one of said springs to a predetermined value, said plate member being caused to move to a location apart from a skin surface essentially in contact with said space guide in a state where energy is stored in said energy storage means, and said plate member hits against said skin surface when the energy thus stored is released by said energy releasing means, whereby patting action is repeatedly effected by said plate member onto the skin surface, said actuator being constructed of a retractable rod member, said adjusting means having a spring compression portion, an intermediate spring seat movable in said body and slidably supported by said rod-shaped actuator and connecting said at least two compression springs in series;

one end of said compression springs connected in series being supported by said connecting arm and the other end therof by said spring compressing portion; and

said compression springs being adapted to be compressed between said connecting arm and said spring compressing portion of said adjusting means when said connecting arm is driven.

2. A massager as set forth in claim 1 wherein said adjusting knob has a spring compression adjusting means, a spring compression adjusting screw which is caused to rotate by the operation of said spring compression adjusting knob, and said spring compressing portion screwed to said spring compression adjusting screw, and is constructed so that said spring compression adjusting screw is caused to rotate by the operation of said spring compression adjusting knob to cause said spring compressing portion to move in the direction of travel of said actuator, whereby the amount of energy stored in said energy storage means is adjusted.

3. A massager as set forth in claim 2, wherein said spring compressing portion is constructed of an annular piece formed concentrically with said rod-shaped actuator and has an end facing said intermediate spring seat, and when said spring compressing portion is caused to move beyond said predetermined value by said spring compression adjusting screw, said end of said spring compressing portion contacts and causes said intermediate spring seat to move while keeping in contact therewith.

4. A massager as set forth in claim 3, wherein said spring compressing portion has a support for supporting one of said compression springs;

said support being disposed at a rear of said spring compressing portion away from said end therof.

5. A massager as set forth in claim 1, wherein said spring compression portion has an end facing said intermediate spring seat and also carries a further spring seat, one of said at least two springs being engaged between said intermediate spring seat and said further spring seat, said adjusting means including means for displacing said spring compression portion to a position engaging said end of said spring compression portion with said intermediate spring seat which corresponds to a limitation in the amount of energy stored in said at least one said spring, further movement of said spring compression portion causing simultaneous movement of said spring compression portion and said intermediate spring seat and no further compression of said at least one spring.

6. A massager as set forth in claim 1 wherein said device body incorporates an electric heater, and said drive unit is adapted to drive a fan so that warm air is discharged by said fan from said space guide onto said skin surface while said drive unit at least keeps driving said connecting arm.

7. A massager as set forth in claim 6 wherein said space guide has a cylindrical peripheral wall and a plurality of warm air outlets provided on the cylindrical peripheral wall thereof and a warm air deflector half covering the outer circumference of said warm air outlets for deflecting said warm air toward said skin surface in contact with said space guide.