US2203976A - Massaging device - Google Patents

Description

Patented June 11, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

massaging elements adapted to be oscillated at,

various speeds and to be applied to the surface under treatment, at various manually imposed pressures to obtain maximum massaging efii- 15 ciency by the combined mechanical motion and manually controlled pressure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a massaging device wherein the massaging elements are of a novel construction greatly facili- 20 tating the massaging operation by enabling manual massaging to be simulated in a dependable and untiring machine operation which can be carried on by unskilled persons.

With these and other objects in view, the in- 25 vention resides in the combinations and arrangements of elements, as set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, 1

, 30 Figure 1 is a longitudinal central sectional view of. a massaging device embodying this invention; Figure 2 is a top plan view of the massaging device with the top section of the case removed;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the massag- 35 ing device with the major portion of the bottom section of the case removed;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view of one of a plurality of massaging elements embodied in the invention.

40 Referring specifically to the drawing, the invention comprises a casing C of elongated and rounded form capable of being readily held in the hand to manipulate the device, and composed of top and bottom sections ID and ll detachably 45 secured together by screws I2, one of which is shown in Figure 1.

A universal type electric motor M is suitably supported in the bottom section II, and isconventional in construction so that a detailed description thereof is unnecessary for those skilled in the art.

However, for the purpose of this invention, the U-shaped core I 3 of the motor magnet II has rigidly secured thereto by screws l5 one end of a bracket IS, the other end of which is supported rl d by one of the screws l2 as clearly shown in Figure 1. l The bracket 16 provides a mounting for a massaging unit U composed of race members I! and 18 for the balls l9 of an anti-friction bearing. 5 The race member I7 is secured to the bracket l6, and the race member i8 is rotatably mounted from the bracket by a headed pin 20 having a threaded shank 20a of reduced diameter passing through openings in the race member I! and in the bracket, and provided with a nut 2|.

The race member l8 which is constructed of fibre or similar material carries a plurality of massaging elements, each in the form of an applicator 22 having a flexible arm projecting through a slot 23 in the bottom section II and composed of a tightly wound coil spring 24 enclosed by a snugly fitting tube 25 of elastic rubher, the spring having threaded pins 26 and 21 permanently fitted in its ends and projecting g therefrom.

The pins 26 arescrewed into sockets 28 in the race member 18, and the pins 21 are threaded into bushings 29 in the applicators 22, which latter can be of various forms and constructed 35 of different materials, such as hard rubber, soft rubber or sponge rubber. The threaded connection between the pins 2"! and the bushings 29 permit the applicators 22 to be readily removed for sterilizing and/or substitution of other applica- 30 tors. I

The applicators are equally spaced circumferentially in a relatively close group and are adapted to be oscillated as a unit by the motor M through the medium of a mechanical operative connection in the form of a rocker arm 30 constituting the armature of the motor and pivotally mounted on a pin 3| sup-ported in the core IS, a portion of which is removed to provide an opening 32 (Figure 2) in which the arm 30 can freely rock. One end of the arm 30 is provided with a rounded head 33 projecting into a recess 34 in the race member I8, and the other end of the arm is provided with a yoke 35 receiving the crank pin 36 of a crankshaft 31 journaled in bearings 38. Fixed to the shaft 31 is a flywheel 39 and a cam 40, the latter operating a mechanical interrupter 4! in circuit with the windings 42 of the magnet M to eftectoperation of the motor M in a man- 5 ner well understood by those familiar with the art.

Assuming that current is being supplied to the motor M and that the latter is in operation, the

rocking motion of the arm 30 will impart a similar motion to the applicators 22 as a unit about the fixed axis of the pin 20.

Thus, with the applicators applied to the skin, massaging of the latter will be efiected in accordance with the pressure imposed on the applicators and the speed at which the applicators are being driven. The flexibility of the applicator arms enables the applicators to simulate the massaging action of the fingers, except that the applicators function with much greater efficiency in aiding circulation of the blood and in the treatment of wrinkles and other defects and blemishes which respond to massaging treatment.

It will be noted that the end'of the arm 30 having the head 33 is split longitudinally and that a screw 43 is threaded into one portion of the arm to bear against the other, as. shown in Figure 3, so as to enable such portions to be spread to compensate for Wear on the head 30 and/or on the. walls of the recess 34 engaged by the head.

What is claimed is:

1. A massaging device comprising: a handle; a plurality of applicators; means mounting said applicators in a group to project from the handle for oscillatory motion as a unit about a fixed axis on the handle; means in the handle co-acting with the mounting means to oscillate the applicators; resilient arms connecting the applicators to the mounting means; each of said arms being composed of threaded pins projecting from the mounting means and from an applicator; a coil spring threaded at its: ends onto said pins; and an elastic tube snugly fitting the spring and spanning the space between the mounting means and applicator. I

2. A massaging device comprising: a casing adapted to be held in the handle and having openings; a frame supported in the casing; a

bearing composed of race members and antifriction elements therebetween; one of said members being secured to the frame; a pin rotatably mounting the other of the race members on the frame; applicators having arms extending through said openings and secured to said other of the race members; a rocker arm pivotally mounted on the frame; said other race member having a recess in which one end of the rocker arm works to effect oscillation of the said other race member in response to rocking of the rocker arm; and means co-acting with the rocker arm to actuate the latter.

3. A massaging device as embodied in claim 2 wherein said one end of the rocker arm is split and means is provided to spread the split portion of the arm to compensate for wear on the arm or on the walls of said recess engaged thereby.

SUESABURO AOYAGI.

Images