US2223263A - Massaging device - Google Patents

Description

erly fit the feet, whereby the feet may be subother balls being arranged adjacent to said first 10 jected to undue muscular tension and pressure, mentioned balls and coopera therewith to with the result thatthe nervous and circulatory provide a passage adapted to receive a foot or systems of the feet may become affected. It is other member to be treated, and certainof said well known, that modern footwear, as commonballs being mounted for movement in a direction ,25 circulation throughout the entire foot. To thus sy of t O PaenedNov- 26, 40 2,223,263

UNITED STATES TE T OFFICE MASSAGING DEVICE- John W. Michaelson, Nisswa, Minng assig'nor to Miracle Massage Appliances, Inc.,Minneapolis, lvlinn.,acorporation of j 1 Application November 17, 1939, Serial N0. 305,017

5 Claims. ((1128-57) This invention relates to new and useful ima floor, in readiness fbr immediate use by an in= provements in massaging devices, and more pardividual, any time such individual may desire ticularly to such a device adapted for use to mastreatment. sage the feet. A further object isto provide an apparatus of Attempts have heretofore been made to detheclass described, comprising a suitable sup- 5 velop apparatus for massaging and treating the 'porting frame having a plurality of resilient balls feet to relieve them of burning and aching sensamounted thereon in juxtaposed relation, and tions, which may result from various causes as, adapted for rotation on axes which are inclined 'forexample, wearing shoeswhich do not propwith respect to one another, and a plurality of 1y worn, does not always allow ample freedom to permit enlargement of said passage against 15 for the feet, whereby the toes may be continually the action of suitable tension means, when a foot fconfined in a more or less cramped condition, is inserted into said passage, whereby all of said while the shoes are worn. balls may cooperate to exert a comfortable mas- I have found that the feet may be maintained s e ng p ssu against t t, th u que 20 in a comfortably healthy condition, and the rangement of certain of said balls being such that 20 metatarsal arch greatly strengthened, if the feet when the foot is moved back and forth in said are periodically subjected to a massaging action p S d bells W l e e t a te ate lateral whereby the bones of the'metatarsus and the p n a drawing actions 011 the flesh, Which phalanges are so exercised as to stimulate blood e y Stimulates the nervells. and Circulatory massage and exercise the feet, it ishighly desir- A further object is to provide a messaging able that Sllficient pressure be exerted against v e c mprisin a ui le frame h v a p the ball of the foot, during each" massaging op.. rality of resilient balls mounted thereon in suberation, to cause the phalanges at the center of stantially a given plane, andall of said balls being the foot to be pressed upwardly'or out of their rotatably supp d on a plurality of ed 30 normal positions, in order to exercise the tissues axes'which are so arran s to Cause the balls and ligaments disposed therebetween. Such intobe disposed in a more or less circular formatermittent treatment of the phalanges results tion, with the peripheri f Contiguous ba s in increased blood circular and strengthening of contacting each other, and whereby an opening the tissues and ligaments between the bones, as or passage is provided between Said balls adapted 35 well as the muscles of the foot, To accomplish to receive, a foot 01 other member to be'treated, the above results, it is therefore highly essential eerteinof Said bells being yieldebly ta ned in that the massaging device to be used is so conposition under tension, eby Wh n a foot is structed that sufficient pressure may be exerted inserted into Said Passage, d y d b y S pagainst the bottom of the foot to adequately exp rted balls may yield o the pressure of the foot 40 ercise the bones of the metatarsus and the phale g i thereby to permit m nt of anges, and wherebysubstantially the entire foot the passage to accommodate t feet, and Wheremay be subjected to a more or less vigorous, yet by all of the balls will cooperate to exert pressure comf rtabl massagingaction, against the foot from substantially all sides, in

' One of the irnpprtant objects of the present, a manner to impart a comfortable, soothing, mas- 45 invention, therefore,is to provide a massaging seein action t ereon. device which is capable of treating the feet as A further j t s t provide p e e us of above stated, with very little effort on therpart the @1355 described, including a group ofresilient of the patient or person using it, and which, if balls, comprising a central ball mounted for rotaperiodically used tomassage or treat the feet, tion 011 horizontal axis, and a p of balls 50 will cause the feet to attain and maintain a mounted on inclined axes at the sides of said healthy, comfortable condition. central ball with their peripheries contacting the A further object of the invention is to provide periphery of the central ball, anda second group a massaging device of extremely simple and inexof resilient balls being mounted over said first 555 pensive construction, which may be supported on group of balls with their peripheries normally 5;

A further object is to provide a massaging de'-' vice comprising a frame having a plurality of re silient balls mounted thereon and arranged in substantially circular formation with the peripheries of contiguous balls contacting one another,

and whereby a passage is provided between said balls adapted to receive afoot, and an' auxiliary ball being rotatably supported in spaced relation to said first mentioned balls adapted to engage the bottom of the foot and impart a massaging actionthereto, when the foot is moved back and forth in said passage.

A'further object is to provide a massaging device which is an improvement over the form disclosed in Patent-No. 2,168,842, granted to Charles E. Kestevan and John W. Michaelson, August 8,

.Other objects of the invention reside in the simple and inexpensive construction of the apparatus, whereby it may be manufactured at small cost; in the novel arrangement of the resiliently mounted upper balls, whereby when a foot is inserted in the passage provided between the groups of balls, all of said balls will exerta massaging pressure against the foot from substantially all sides. thereof; in the provision of the auxiliary ball which engages the bottom of the foot, which is so arranged that the pressure exerted against the bottom of the foot by said ball, may readily be controlled by the individual using the device, by simply varying the downward pressure of the foot thereon; and, in the provision of such a device which is so constructed that when placed upon a floor, a person may readily and conveniently move the foot back and forth inthe opening defined by said resilient balls, with the bottom of the foot engaging said auxiliary ball, thereby massaging and manipulating the entire foot in such a manner that the metatarsus and phalanges are so exercised as to strengthen the tissues and ligaments therebetween, and whereby the nervous and circulatory systems of the foot are also greatly stimulated.

Other objects of the invention will appear from th following description and accompanying drawing and will be pointed .out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawing there has been disclosed a. structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a plan View of a massaging device embodying my invention; I

FigureZ is a side elevation of Figure 1, partially broken away, and showing th balls in their normal positions; v

Figure 3' is" a rear view of the device showing the circular arrangement of the resilient balls, when in-normal-posi-tion; a

Figure 4- is a sectional elevation on the line numeral 2.

4-4 of Figure 1, showing a foot positioned. between the balls; and.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view showing the action of the auxiliary ball on the bottom of the foot, during the massaging operation.

In the selected embodiment of the invention here shown, there is illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, a massaging device comprising a main supporting frame, generally indicated by the This frame, as here shown, is constructed of a metal rod bent upon itself to provide diverging arms or side members 3-3, having cushion elements or feet 4 secured to the rear ends thereof. portions of the arms or side members 33,,in spaced relation.

The means for engaging and massaging the foot is shown comprising a plurality of resilient balls which are rotatably supported in the frame 2; In the present instance, six balls are utilized,

,fi ve of which are arranged in circular formation .with the peripheries of contiguous balls in direct contact with one another.

The circularly arranged group of balls, as shown in Figure 3, consistsof a center or bottom ball 6, side balls 7-! and upper balls 8--8. The lower ball 6 is rotatably supported on a horizontally disposed axis 9, and the side balls I are similarly supported upon inclined axes ll-Il, secured to spaced arms l2, shown formed from a single piece of suitable wire or red, bent upon itself to form a loop l3, which may be secured to the looped end M of the main supporting frame 2' by a suitable bolt or screw l5, best shown in Figure 4., Suitable clamping plates I6 and I! are provided above andbelow the looped ends l3 and M of the arms 12 and the main frame 2, which cooperate with the bolt i 5 to secure the parts together. In the structure; as above described, the side balls l! are so arranged with respect to the rear center or bottom ball 6, that when the foot is moved inone direction in said opening, the balls 6' and 1 impart alateral pulling action on the A cross member 5 retains the rear end flesh, and when moved in the opposite direction in said opening, a compression action is imparted T .to the flesh. This particular construction is clearly shown and described in the hereinbefore mentioned patent.

A feature of thepresent invention resides the novel arrangement of the upper bal1s.8' 8. These balls, as clearly illustrated in Figures 2,. 3,

and l, aresupported upon axes l8 'which are inclined with respectto'each other, as clearly illustrated in Figure 3, the angular relationshipbetween said axes being such that the peripheries of the upper balls substantially contact each other. The axes l8 may be formed bya suitable rod or bolt 19-, bent at its intermediate portion and having itsterminals secured to'the ends. of a pair of resilient arms2l preferably formed of a piece of spring wire; bent upon itself to provide a central loop'22 whichis traversed by the bolt. Hi to secure the arms 2 I to the main frame,- as .clearly shown in Figures 2 and 4. The resilient arms 24; are preferably provided with suitable coils or loops 23 which serve, in eifect, as'coil springs, to constantly exert a downward force;,on the upper balls-:B -B to normally hold them in contact with the peripheries of the side balls 1-1, as best shown in Figure 3. The balls 6, 1', and 3, when in normal positions, as shown in'Figures 2 and: 3,

are disposed in substantially circular formation,

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of an auxiliary ball 25 which is mounted forwardly of the balls 6, 1, and 8, upon a cross shaft or rod 25, the terminals of which are shown supported in suitable loops 2! provided in the side members 3 of the main frame 2. The ball 25 is relatively harder or less resilient than the balls 6, I, and 8, and is adapted to contact the bottom of the foot, as clearly illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. The ball 25 is rotatably supported on the shaft 26 and is disposed forwardly of the rear center ball 6 in such a manner that when the foot is inserted in the passage 24 and moved forwards and backwards therein, the bottom of the foot may engage the auxiliary ball 25 with suflicient pressure to upwardly press the bottom of the foot, as shown in Figure 5, and thereby displace the metatarsal bones and phalanges from their normal positions, as clearly illustrated in Figure 5. The balls 6, 1, and. 8 are preferably constructed of a soft, resilient material, such as sponge rubber, whereas the auxiliary ball 25 is of a relatively harder material or rubber;

When the device is to be used, it is preferably placed upon the floor, and the individual then inserts a foot into the passage 24 defined by the balls 6, I; and 3. As the foot is thrust forwardly in the opening 24, the upper balls 8 will yield to the pressure of the foot, as shown in Figure 4', thereby permitting the bottom of the foot to en gage the auxiliary ball 25. The foot is moved back and forth between the balls, as shown in the full and dotted lines in Figure 4, whereby the balls 6, I, and. 8 will impart a massaging action to the top, bottom, and sides of the foot, while, at the same time, the auxiliary ball 25 will exert a very definite upward pressure against the bottom of the foot, as shown in Figure 5, whereby the bones of the foot are exercised and a massag between the balls thereof, with utmost ease and comfort, whether disposed in a sitting or stand ing position. I

As shown in Figure 4, a suitable rubber element or foot 28 may be engaged with the lower end of the bolt l5, and a secondary bolt 29 may also be interposed between the forward endsof the arms 2| and the lower clamping plate l1. Adjustment of the bolt 2 9 may vary the tension in the arms 2|.

In the'structure as herein shown and described, but one ball, such as 25, is utilized, It is to be understood, however, that in some cases, it may be deemed advisable to place another ball (not shown) forwardly of the auxiliary ball 25, adapted to cooperate with the latter to further massage and exercise the bottom of the foot. It is also to be understood that the balls 6, I, 8 and 25, need not necessarily be spherical in shape, as obviously their shapes may be somewhat varied without affecting the efliciency of the apparatus. The main supporting frame 2 may also be otherwise constructed without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A foot massaging device comprising a supporting structure having a plurality of feet, a main supporting frame on said feet, and a cross shaft mounted insaid supporting frame and approximately mid-way between the feet; a pair of arms supported by said frame and the cross shaft; a plurality of resilient balls mounted for rotation on said arms; an auxiliary ball mounted on said cross shaft; resilient arms mounted from one of said feet and extending under the cross shaft and upwardly above said shaft; and a plurality of resilient balls mounted on said resilient arms, said first mentioned balls and the auxiliary ball engaging the bottom of the foot to be massaged and the last mentioned balls on the resilient arms contacting the upper portion of the foot to be massaged to facilitate and force engagement of the foot with the first mentioned and auxiliary balls.

2. A foot massaging device according to claim 1, in which the auxiliary ball is relatively harder than the other balls. v

3. A foot massaging device according to claim 1, in which means are provided for supporting the resilient arms with spring tension from said foot on which the resilient arms are mounted.

4. A foot massaging device according to claim 1, in which means are provided for the resilient arms secured to said foot on which the resilient arms are mounted to support said resilient arms with spring tension, said means including a pair of clamping plates and a pair of bolts to vary the tension in the resilient arms by adjustment of one of the bolts.

5. A foot massaging device comprising a supporting structure having a plurality of feet, a main supporting frame on said feet, and a cross shaft mounted in said supporting frame and approximately mid-way between the feet; a pair of arms supported by said frame and the cross shaft; a plurality of resilient balls mounted for rotation on said arms; an auxiliary ball mounted onsaid cross shaft; resilient arms mounted on said frame at one end and extending above said shaft at the other end; and a plurality of resilient balls mountedon said resilient arms, said firstmentioned balls and the auxiliary ball engaging the bottom of the foot to be massaged and the last mentioned balls on the resilient arms contacting the upper portion of the foot to be massaged to facilitate and force engagement of the foot with the first mentioned and auxiliary balls.

JOHN W. MICHAELSON.

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