Hand type electric massage machine

• US 4,846,158 A
• Filed: 08/15/1988
• Issued: 07/11/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Akihiko Teranishi
• Original Assignee: Akihiko Teranishi
• Inventors: Teranishi, Akihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Huong Q.
• Application Number:
  US07/233,937
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 128/34-36, 128/51-55, 128/44-46, 128/60, 128/59, 128/62 R, 128/67
• US Class Current: 601/72
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0263 using rotating unbalanced masses

Abstract

In a hand type electric massage machine, a vibration head is connected through a coupling spring to a top end portion of a hand case, and an unbalance weight is rotatably mounted to a top end portion of a rotary shaft so that the center of gravity of a weight element is positioned on a line extending radially from a bearing of the rotary shaft. The weight element is fixed to a part of the periphery of a lower end portion of a cylinder base having nearly covered cylindrical form including a disc portion and a skirt portion extending downward from the periphery of the disc portion. According to another feature of the present invention, the longitudinal ends of the vibration head are respectively provided with a curved surface extending in a vertical direction and with a curved profection surface having a smaller radius of curvature than that of the above-mentioned curved surface and lateral sides thereof include a spherical surface member having an elastic body and with a spherical surface member having a number of small projections, respectively. The size of the bearing can be varied and lubricating oil is not scattered, and the massage machine is suitable for massage in various modes.

Claims

1. A hand held type electric massage machine comprising:

a hand case;

a vibration head flexibly coupled to the hand case for establishing plural modes of vibration in the machine,

said vibration head having a front end surface, a read end surface and respective lateral side surfaces each of which extends between said front end surface and said rear end surface,

said lateral side surfaces each being curved and projecting laterally outward with respect to the vibration head in opposite directions from one another;

one of said side surfaces defined by an elastic body, and the other of said side surfaces having a plurality of projections extending therefrom,

said front end surface being curved, projecting frontward with respect to the vibration head, and having a radius of curvature smaller than that of either of said curved lateral side surfaces, and

said rear end surface including a projection projecting rearward with respect to the vibration head, said projection being defined by a curved surface having a radius of curvature smaller than that of any of said curved lateral side surfaces and said curved front end surface;

a bearing supporting within said vibration head;

a rotatable shaft extending in a longitudinal direction and rotatably supported in said bearing, the rotatable shaft having an end portion projecting from an end of said bearing,

and drive means operatively connected to said rotatable shaft for rotating said shaft; and

an imbalance weight mounted to the end portion of said shaft for rotating therewith,

said imbalance weight including a disc portion through which the end portion of said shaft extends, a weight element having a center of gravity, and means for locating the center of gravity of said weight element at a position that is both offset from the central axis of said rotatable shaft and disposed along a line extending radially from said bearing and passing through an intermediate portion of said bearing with respect to said longitudinal direction,

said means for locating comprising a skirt extending from the outer periphery of said disc portion to said weight element, and said skirt extending around said end portion of the bearing from which said end portion of the shaft projects.

2. A hand held type electric massage machine as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said disc portion is spaced from said end of said bearing.

3. A hand held type electric massage machine as claimed in claim 2,

and further comprising an elastic washer disposed between said disc portion and said end of said bearing for spacing said disc portion from said bearing.

4. A hand held type electric massage machine as claimed in claim 2,

wherein said skirt portion is cylindrical and extends from said disc portion toward said end of said bearing and over a distance greater than the distance over which said disc portion is spaced from said end of said bearing so as to extend around said end of said bearing for preventing lubricating oil of said bearing from spattering on said vibration head.

5. A hand held type electric massage machine comprising:

a hand case;

a vibration head flexibly coupled to said hand case for establishing plural modes of vibration in the machine;

a bearing supported within said vibration head;

a rotatable shaft extending in a longitudinal direction and rotatably mounted in said bearing, the rotatable shaft having an end portion projecting from an end of said bearing,

and drive means operatively connected to said rotatable shaft for rotating said shaft;

an unbalance weight mounted to the end portion of said shaft for rotating therewith,

said unbalance weight including a weight element having a center of gravity offset from the central axis of said rotatable shaft for causing said vibration head to vibrate when said unbalance weight is rotated with said rotatable shaft by said drive means, and said center of gravity located along a line extending radially from said bearing and passing through an intermediate portion of said bearing with respect to said longitudinal direction; and

said vibration head having a front end surface, a rear end surface and respective lateral side surfaces each of which extends between said front end surface and said rear end surface,

said lateral side surfaces each being curved and projecting laterally outward with respect to the vibration head in opposite directions from one another;

one of said side surfaces defined by an elastic body, and the other of said side surfaces having a plurality of projections extending therefrom,

said front end surface being curved, projecting frontward with respect to the vibration head, and having a radius of curvature smaller than that of either of said curved lateral side surfaces, and

said rear end surface including a projection projecting rearward with respect to the vibration head, said projection being defined by a curved surface having a radius of curvature smaller than that of any of said curved lateral side surfaces and said curved front end surface.