Massage and skin suction apparatus

• US 6,309,364 B1
• Filed: 10/05/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SEB SA
• Original Assignee: SEB SA
• Inventors: Delay, Jean-Pascal, Cathaud, Muriel
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koo, Benjamin K.
• Application Number:
  US09/367,448
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 601/6, 601/7, 601/8, 601/9, 601/10, 601/121-133
• US Class Current: 601/7
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 15/0085 hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 7/008 Suction kneading
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 9/005 Pneumatic massage

Abstract

The invention concerns a massage and skin suction apparatus comprising a housing whereof part (1a) of the wall is shaped to be used as a prehensile element and whereof the other part comprises at least a pair of parallel massaging rollers (6, 7) spaced from each other, each roller being mounted pivoting about its axis of revolution, said rollers (6, 7) being associated with means for driving them in rotation when they are in contact with the skin tissue, to exert thereon two opposed forces for pulling a portion of said tissue in the space separating them, in order to pinch it and a chamber connected to a suction source and provided with a suction aperture (4a), said suction aperture (4a) and said pair of massaging rollers (6, 7) being arranged on said housing for placing them simultaneously in contact with a portion of the skin tissue. The invention is characterised in that the edge of said suction aperture (4a) extends laterally at the peripheral surface of one (7) of said rollers (6, 7).

Claims

1. A massage and skin suction apparatus comprising:

a housing (1) having a first part (1a) shaped to serve as a grasping element and a second part (1b);

at least one pair of parallel massage rollers (6, 7) spaced from one another, each roller being mounted in said second part for rotation around a respective axis of rotation;

means (9,10) associated with one of said rollers (6, 7) for driving said one of said rollers in rotation when said rollers are in contact with the skin tissue, to exert on said rollers two opposed forces for pulling a portion of the skin into the space separating said rollers, in order to pinch the skin; and

a chamber (4) connected to a suction source (18) and furnished with a suction aperture (4a), said suction aperture (4a) and said pair of massage rollers (6, 7) being disposed on said housing (1) in order to permit said suction aperture and said rollers to be simultaneously brought into contact with a portion of the skin, characterized in that said suction aperture (4a) has an edge that extends laterally to the peripheral surface of one (7) of said rollers (6, 7) and said suction aperture is located outside of the space between said rollers.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said means (9, 10) for driving act to drive said apparatus in a direction transverse to the axes of rotation of said rollers (6, 7).

3. Appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that said means for driving (9, 10) are connected to that one (6) of said massage rollers (6, 7) which is most distant from said suction aperture (4a) and in that the direction of driving of said roller (6) is selected to produce, simultaneously with the massage, a displacement of said housing (1) at the surface of the skin tissue directed in a manner to cause said suction aperture (4a) to be preceded by said massage rollers (6, 7).

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the one of said rollers (7) that is situated adjacent to said suction aperture (4a), is free to rotate around its axis of rotation.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the axis of rotation of the one of said rollers (7) that is adjacent to said suction aperture (4a) is fixed to adjustment means (5, 11 ) capable of displacing that one of said rollers parallel to itself between at least two positions.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 characterized in that the one of said rollers (7) that is adjacent to said suction aperture (4a) is mounted on a support (11) articulated to the housing around an axis parallel to its axis of rotation, this support being connected with an eccentric (5a) capable of causing that one of said rollers to pivot around its articulation axis, elastic means (13) serving to apply this support against said eccentric (5a).

7. Appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that said elastic means (13) apply said support (11), against the pressure exerted thereon during formation of the skin fold, these elastic means (13) being dimensioned in a manner to permit the displacement of said support (11) when the pressure associated with formation of said skin fold exceeds a determined value.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the diameter of the one of said rollers (7) that is adjacent to said suction aperture (4a) is substantially less than that of the other (6) of said rollers.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said apparatus further comprises means (3, 22-32) for adjusting the pressure at the interior of said chamber (4).

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said chamber (4) is mounted in a removable manner on said housing (1).

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that said chamber (4) is fixed by a bayonet assembly (14) on said housing (1).

12. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said apparatus further comprises means (3, 22-32) for adjusting the pressure at the interior of said chamber (4) for control of the suction, and said means for adjusting the pressure and said means for driving said one of said rollers in rotation comprise a sensor of critical situations Lo interrupt said suction and said driving in rotation.

13. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said one of said rollers (6) is arranged in said housing (1) in such a manner as to be movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the skin against an elastic biasing means (48), a displacement of said one of said rollers rocking a switch (33) for control of at least one of said means for driving (9, 10) and said suction source (18).

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the means (9, 10) for driving and said at least one roller (6) are installed within a cradle (40) mounted pivotably about an axis (45) parallel to and spaced from that the axis of said at least one roller such that, viewed in a plane parallel to the surface of the skin, the cradle is capable of coming to bear against the switch (33) in opposition to the biasing means (48).