Adjustable massage bed assembly with handheld control unit having automatic stop safety feature

• US 6,106,576 A
• Filed: 05/17/1996
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Maxwell Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Fromson, Leonard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Masih, Karen
• Application Number:
  US08/649,261
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 318/16, 318/563, 318/560, 5/915, 5/616, 5/618
• US Class Current: 318/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 20/041 by electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/006 Oscillating, balancing or vibrating mechanisms connected to the bedstead for children's beds A47D9/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/00 Apparatus for passive exercising A61H5/00 takes precedence; Vibrating apparatus; Chiropractic devices, e.g. body impacting devices, external devices for briefly extending or aligning unbroken bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0138 incorporated in furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0142 Beds
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0176 By stopping operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/02 with electric or magnetic drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0263 using rotating unbalanced masses

Abstract

An adjustable massage bed assembly including a head motor for controllably raising and lowering a head section of a mattress, a foot motor for controllably raising and lowering a foot section of the mattress, and a vibratory motor for imparting a massaging action to the mattress. A handheld control unit has first and second mechanisms for controlling operations of the head and foot motors, and a third mechanism for controlling an operation of the vibratory motor. The third mechanism when actuated also automatically stops any ongoing operation of the head and foot motors as a safety feature.

Claims

1. An adjustable massage bed assembly, comprising:

a head motor for controllably raising and lowering a head section of a mattress;

a foot motor for controllably raising and lowering a foot section of the mattress;

a vibratory motor for imparting a massaging action to a portion of the mattress;

and

a handheld control unit including first and second mechanisms for controlling operations of said head and foot motors, and a third mechanism for controlling an operation of said vibratory motor;

wherein said third mechanism when actuated also stops any operation of said head and foot motors as a safety feature.

2. The bed assembly of claim 1 wherein said vibratory motor defines a head vibratory motor and said mattress portion defines a mattress head portion, and further comprising a foot vibratory motor for imparting a massaging action to a foot portion of the mattress, and said control unit includes a fourth mechanism for controlling an operation of said foot vibratory motor, wherein said fourth mechanism when actuated also stops any operation of said head and foot motors as a safety feature.

3. The bed assembly of claim 2 wherein said first, second, third and fourth mechanisms comprise respectively first, second, third and fourth depressible buttons.

4. The bed assembly of claim 1 wherein said control unit is a wireless remote handheld control unit.

5. The bed assembly of claim 1 wherein said first mechanism controls operation of said head motor but not said foot motor and said second mechanism controls operation of said foot motor but not said head motor.

6. The bed assembly of claim 1 wherein said first mechanism operates both said head and foot motors to cause the mattress to assume a first predetermined mattress head-foot configuration, and said second mechanism operates both said head and foot motors to cause the mattress to assume a different second predetermined mattress head-foot configuration.

7. The bed assembly of claim 1 wherein said control unit includes first and second groups of control buttons and a slidable cover which slides between an open position operatively exposing both said first and second groups and a cover position operatively covering said second group and operatively exposing said first group.

8. The bed assembly of claim 1 wherein said control unit includes a fourth mechanism which when actuated causes said vibratory motor to sequentially cycle through predetermined low, medium and high motor frequencies.

9. The bed assembly of claim 1 further comprising said vibratory motor defining a first vibratory motor, said mattress portion defining a mattress first portion, a second vibratory motor for imparting a massaging action to a mattress second portion, said control unit including a stored massage mechanism which when actuated causes said first vibratory motor to automatically vibrate at a first predetermined frequency and said second vibratory motor to automatically vibrate at a second predetermined frequency.

10. The bed assembly of claim 8 wherein said fourth mechanism when actuated stops any ongoing operation of said head and foot motors as a safety feature of said bed assembly.

11. The bed assembly of claim 1 wherein said handheld control unit includes a preset position mechanism which when actuated causes at least one of said head and foot motors to operate and move at least one of the head and foot sections to respective predetermined positions, both angled relative to a horizontal.

12. The bed assembly of claim 11 wherein said preset position mechanism when actuated stops any ongoing operation of said head and foot motors as a safety feature of said bed assembly.

13. The bed assembly of claim 1 wherein said first, second and third mechanisms comprise depressible buttons on a face of said handheld control unit.

14. The bed assembly of claim 7 wherein said slidable cover is manually slidable longitudinally relative to said control unit by a user between the open and cover positions.