Body massager

• US 6,165,145 A
• Filed: 02/04/1999
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wellness Innovations Corp.
• Original Assignee: Wellness Innovations Corp.
• Inventors: Noble, Edward D.
• Primary Examiner(s): YU, JUSTINE ROMANG
• Application Number:
  US09/244,650
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 601/46, 601/67-70, 601/72-74, 601/89, 601/93-95, 601/97, 601/101-103, 601/108, 601/107, 601/110, 601/111, 601/128-130, 601/78-81, 601/141, D24/211, D24/214, D24/215, 606/204
• US Class Current: 601/111
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0153 hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1678 Means for angularly oscillating massage elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1685 interchangeable
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1688 disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0254 with rotary motor

Abstract

A body massager having a casing that is of generally T-shaped configuration overall with a slender elongate handle and an enlarged portion at an inner end of the handle having an overhanging transverse hand grip. A massage head below the grip has a pair of generally dome-shaped massage formations that vibrate towards and away from a surface to be massaged. Each formation has a base element and a replacement cover that is made of a non-foam material such as PVC. The cover has a wall structure that includes a plurality of cavities and intervening wall portions that extend in the direction in which the massage formation moves during massage, so that the wall portions deform and restore for providing resiliency of the massage formation.

Claims

1. A body massager comprising:

a base structure that includes at least one handle for permitting the massager to be held by a user and manipulated in use;

a massage head for providing percussive massage and including at least one massage formation of generally hemispherical form, the massage head being coupled to the base structure for permitting movement of the massage formation in a direction towards and away from a notional plane representing a surface to be massaged, for exerting a percussive massage effect; and

,

drive means acting between said base structure and said massage head and operable to cause said movement of the massage formation;

wherein said massage formation comprises a base element having an outer surface that moves towards and away from said notional plane when the drive means is operated, and a cover which is coupled to the base element so as to extend over said outer surface, said cover being made of a non-foam material forming a generally dome-shaped outer surface and an opposite inner surface, said cover further having a wall structure that includes a plurality of cavities and intervening wall portions located at said inner surface extending in said direction in which the massage formation moves towards and away from said notional plane, whereby said wall portions deform and restore during massage, for providing resiliency of the massage formation.

2. A massager as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cover is coupled to the base element so as to be removable from the base element and replaceable onto the base element.

3. An massager as claimed in claim 2, in combination with at least two sets of said covers having respectively different configurations of said cavities and intervening wall portions providing different resiliency characteristics, the covers being interchangeable on said base elements.

4. A massager as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-foam material from which the cover is made is polyvinyl chloride.

5. A massager as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cover has an external surface provided with a plurality of protrusions, at least some of which are hollow, for providing said plurality of cavities, said cavities extending to the interior of the cover.

6. A massager as claimed in claim 5, wherein said protrusions include four elongate protrusions that extend generally radially of the outer surface of the cover, defining four quadrants of said surface, and groups of secondary protrusions in said quadrants.

7. A massager as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cover has a smooth dome-shaped outer surface.

8. In a body massager having a base structure that includes at least one handle for permitting the massager to be held by a user and manipulated in use, a massage head for providing percussive massage and including at least one massage formation of generally hemispherical form, the massage head being coupled to the base structure for permitting movement of the massage formation in a direction towards and away from a notional plane representing a surface to be massaged, for exerting a percussive effect, and drive means acting between the base structure and the massage head and operable to cause said movement of the massage formation;

the improvement wherein said massage formation comprises a base element having an outer surface that moves towards and away from said notional plane when the drive means is operated, and a cover which is coupled to the base element so as to extend over said outer surface, said cover being made of a non-foam material forming a generally dome-shaped outer surface and an opposite inner surface, said cover further having a wall structure that includes a plurality of cavities and intervening wall portions located at said inner surface extending in said direction in which the massage formation moves towards and away from said notional plane, whereby said wall portions deform and restore during massage, for providing resiliency of the massage formation.

9. A body massager comprising:

a base structure that includes at least one handle for permitting the massager to be held by a user and manipulated in use;

a massage head for providing percussive massage and including at least one massage formation of generally hemispherical form, the massage head being coupled to the base structure for permitting movement of the massage formation in a direction towards and away from a notional plane representing a surface to be massaged, for exerting a percussive massage effect; and

,

drive means acting between said base structure and said massage head and operable to cause said movement of the massage formation;

wherein said massage formation comprises a base element having an outer surface that moves towards and away from said notional plane when the drive means is operated, and a cover which is coupled to the base element so as to extend over said outer surface, said cover having a smooth dome-shaped outer surface and being made of a non-foam material, the cover having a wall structure that includes a plurality of cavities and intervening wall portions at an inner side of the cover, said wall portions being arranged to define a rectangular grid having an egg-crate shaped appearance and extending in said direction in which the massage formation moves towards and away from said notional plane, whereby said wall portions deform and restore during massage, for providing resiliency of the massage formation.