Massaging apparatus having two rollers and a suction chamber

• US 6,017,320 A
• Filed: 07/11/1997
• Issued: 01/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Obermann, Wolfgang, Bleeker, Jean B., Drent, Gert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koo, Benjamin K.
• Application Number:
  US08/891,607
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 601/6, 601/7, 601/8, 601/122, 601/123, 601/125, 601/126, 601/133, 601/134, 601/135, 15/384
• US Class Current: 601/125
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 15/0078 power-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 15/0085 hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2015/0014 cylinder-like, i.e. rollers
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2015/0035 multiple on the same axis
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 7/005 hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 7/008 Suction kneading
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 9/005 Pneumatic massage

Abstract

In a massaging apparatus with two rotatable rollers, which are spaced apart transversely to their roller spindles, and with a suction chamber disposed in the area of the two rollers and having two transverse walls extending transversely to the roller spindles and two longitudinal walls extending parallel to the roller spindles, this suction chamber being connected to a pump via an air-transfer connection for generating a vacuum in the suction chamber so as to form a skin fold which is drawn into the suction chamber, at least one longitudinal wall is disposed between the two rollers and the free end of a longitudinal wall disposed between the two rollers extends up to the circumferential surface of the roller adjacent this free end in that area of its circumferential surface which faces the other roller.

Claims

1. A massaging apparatus comprising:

two rollers each rotatable about one of two mutually parallel spaced-apart roller spindles, said two rollers having circumferential surfaces placeable onto the skin of a person and being rotatable in a given direction of rotation when the massaging apparatus is moved over the skin of a person in a given operating direction which extends transversely to the roller spindles;

a suction chamber in the area of the two rollers, said suction chamber enclosing a suction space and comprising two transverse walls extending substantially perpendicularly to the roller spindles, and two longitudinal walls extending parallel to the roller spindles, said two longitudinal walls being connected to the two transverse walls, each of said two longitudinal walls having a free end adjacent the circumferential surface of a respective one of said two rollers, each of said free ends extending to a position between a plane defined by the roller spindles and a person'"'"'s skin when the two rollers are applied to the skin of the person, said suction chamber being open in an area facing a person'"'"'s skin when the two rollers are applied to the skin of the person; and

a pump for transferring air from the suction chamber via an air-transfer connection in the suction chamber, said pump, when the two rollers are applied to the skin of a person, generating a partial vacuum in the suction chamber in order to form a skin fold which is drawn into the suction chamber, characterized in that at least one of said two longitudinal walls of the suction chamber is disposed substantially between the two rollers, the free end of said at least one longitudinal wall disposed between the two rollers extending to the circumferential surface of the respective roller in that area of the circumferential surface which faces the other roller, said at least one longitudinal wall limiting the suction space of said suction chamber to an area between said at least one longitudinal wall, having said free end lying adjacent the circumferential surface of said one roller and between the two rollers and extending to a position between the plane defined by the roller spindles and a person'"'"'s skin when the two roller are applied to the skin of a person, and at least the other longitudinal wall having the free end lying adjacent the circumferential surface of the other roller and extending to a position between the plane defined by the roller spindles and a person'"'"'s skin when the two roller are applied to the skin of a person.

2. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free end of said at least one longitudinal wall of the suction chamber extends up to the circumferential surface of a rearward one of said two rollers, viewed in the given operating direction, and is disposed substantially between the two rollers.

3. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said massaging apparatus further comprises:

a dirt scraper disposed adjacent the circumferential surface of the rearward one of said two rollers, viewed in the given operating direction, remote from a forward one of said two rollers, viewed in the given operating direction; and

at least one spring for urging said dirt scraper onto the circumferential surface of the rearward roller, viewed in the given operating direction.

4. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein both of the two longitudinal walls of the suction chamber are disposed substantially between the two rollers.

5. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, in addition, the two transverse walls of the suction chamber are also disposed substantially between the two rollers.

6. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the two longitudinal walls and the two transverse walls of the suction chamber form a dome-like suction space of substantially ellipsoidal shape without any corners inside the suction chamber.

7. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said massaging apparatus further comprises bearing walls for rotatably supporting the two rollers, said bearing walls extending transversely to the roller spindles and projecting laterally from the suction chamber, said bearing wall being fixedly connected to the suction chamber disposed between the two rollers.

8. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the suction chamber forms part of a suction chamber support, the bearing walls form parts of a bearing device, and the suction chamber support is fixedly connected to the bearing device.

9. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumferential surface of at least a forward roller of said two rollers, viewed in the given operating direction, has a surface roughness in a range between 0 μ

m and 2 μ

m.

10. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two longitudinal walls and the two transverse walls of the suction chamber have surface roughnesses in a range between 4 μ

m and 8 μ

m where the two longitudinal walls and the two transverse walls are in contact with the skin of a person when the massaging apparatus is in use.

11. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free end of each of the two longitudinal walls recedes towards an interior of the massaging apparatus with respect to a tangential plane common to the circumferential surfaces of the two rollers where the circumferential surfaces contact the skin of a person.

12. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free end of each of the two longitudinal walls extends up to the circumferential surface of a respective one of the two rollers so as to form an air gap having a gap width of at the most 0.2 mm.

13. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the free end of at least one longitudinal wall of the two longitudinal walls of the suction chamber is urged against the circumferential surface of the respective one of the two rollers adjacent this free end under a pre-load.

14. A massaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of said two rollers which, viewed in the given operating direction, is followed by one of the two longitudinal walls of the suction chamber, has circumferential grooves formed in the circumferential surface, and the one longitudinal wall following said one roller has tooth-like wall extensions arranged at the free end thereof for engaging, respectively, with the circumferential grooves formed in the circumferential surface of said one roller.