GB2284548A

GB2284548A - Massage device

Info

Publication number: GB2284548A
Application number: GB9325038A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Otto Wu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-11-24
Filing date: 1993-12-07
Publication date: 1995-06-14
Also published as: NL9400629A; FR2713480A3; CA2109878A1; GB9325038D0; AU646382B3; FR2713480B3

Abstract

A massage device (900) includes first and second, pivotally connected, flat, rectangular frame member (1, 2) with a spring (3) mounted therebetween to bias the device towards an open condition for allowing a hand or a foot to be positioned between the first and second frame members. A pair of support arms (13, 23) are formed on the front side of each of the frame members to releasably support thereon a massage member. Three different massage members can be interchangeably and releasably mounted between the support arms (13, 23) so that by manually moving the massage device relative to a hand or foot, the hand or foot is massaged. The massage members may be in the form of rollers or plates carrying protuberences. <IMAGE>

Description

MASSAGE DEVICE The invention relates generally to a massage device and in particular to a miniature massage device particularly suitable for massaging hand and foot.

Relaxing strained muscle and improving blood circulation by massage is known. However, massage devices that currently available in the market are usually electrically driven and thus have a bulky size. Due to the use of electrical drive in the conventional massage devices, these massage devices are complicated in structure and thus difficult to maintain and repair. This also increases the manufacturing and maintenance cost. Further, these conventional massage devices are generally fixed type, namely not easy to carry by an individual.

The principal objective of the present invention is to provide a massage device which is miniature in size and thus more portable and easy to carry.

Preferably, the present invention provides a miniature massage device which is operated manually and thus no electrical parts are required so as to simplify the structure and the maintenance thereof.

Preferably, the present invention provides a simple structure miniature massage device of which the cost for manufacturing and maintenance is low.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a massage device including first and second frames pivotally mounted relative to each other, biasing means disposed between said first and second frames to bias the frames away from each other to form a front opening for entry of a portion of a human body in between said first and second frames, the first frame having a pair of spaced first arms extending from a side thereof, the second frame having a pair of spaced second arms extending from a side thereof, respective first and second massage means mounted between each of the pairs of first and second arms and usable to massage said portion of a human body disposed between the frames.

Preferably, the massage device comprises a first flat rectangular frame member rotatably jointed to a second flat rectangular frame member at a rear side thereof so as to allow a front side thereof movable relative to the second frame member. A biasing spring may be mounted between the first and second frame members to biasingly open the front sides thereof for allowing a hand or foot to be put therein through the front opening and disposed between the first and second frame members. A pair of support arms are formed on e.g.

the front side of each of the first and second frame members to releasably support thereon a massage member which may have round-headed projections formed thereon for massaging the hand or foot placing therein by forcing the frame members to approach each other and thus having the round-headed projections of the massage members contact and massage the hand or foot disposed therebetween. The massage device may canprise three different massage members which are interchangeably and releasably mounted between the support arms of each of the first and second frame members so that by manually moving the massage device relative to the hand or foot placing therein, the hand or foot is massaged by the round-headed projections of the massage members mounted on the frame members of the massage device.

Other features of the present invention are outlined in the appended claims.

Other objectives and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially exploded, showing a massage device constructed in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 2 is a top plan view showing the massage device of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2; FIGS. 4-7 are cross-sectional views taken along line B B of FIG. 2 showing the use of different massage members incorporated in the massage device of the present invention to massage a hand or foot in different ways; and FIG. 8 is a top plan view showing the operation of the massage device of the present invention for the massage of a hand.

With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, wherein a massage device constructed in accordance with the present invention, generally designated with the reference numeral 900, is shown, the massage device 900 comprises a first frame 1 and a second frame 2 both of which are preferably a rectangular, substantially flat member having a front side, an opposite rear side and two lateral sides, rotatably mounted together at the rear sides thereof to allow the front sides thereof to be rotatable relative to each other, with biasing means, such as one or more springs 3, disposed therebetween to biasingly open the front sides thereof. The spring 3 is mounted to the first frame 1 at 14 and the second frame 2 at 24 to be securely held therebetween.

The mounting of the first frame 1 to the second frame 2 with the front sides thereof biasingly opened by the spring 3 form a V-shaped cross section, as shown in FIG. 3 which is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2 which itself is a top plan view of the massage device 900.

The vertex of the V shape, generally designated by the reference numeral 910 in FIG. 3, is the rotatable connection between the first and the second frames 1 and 2. By this construction, it is understood that by forcing the frames 1 and 2 to rotate relative to each other, acting against the spring 3, the front side of one of the frames, for example frame 1, is moved toward the front side of the other frame, such as frame 2.

One of the frames 1 and 2, for example the first frame 1, has a rotation base 11, which may constitute a housing member, formed at the rear side thereof. The rotation base 11 comprises two opposite end walls each having a hole 111 formed thereon. These holes 111 are exactly opposite to each other.

Correspondingly, the other one of the frames 1 and 2, for example the second frame 2 in this case, has also a rotation base 21 formed at the rear side thereof to be rotatably received within the housing member constituted by the rotation base 11 of the first frame 1. The second rotation base 21 has two opposite ends each having an axle 211 mounted thereon to be respectively rotatably received within the holes 111 of the first rotation base 11 so as to allow the first and second frames 1 and 2 to be rotatable relative to each other about the axles 211.

Preferably, stop means is provided to define a rotation limit of the relative rotation between the frames 1 and 2.

The stop means may comprise a raised portion 112 provided on one of the frames 1 and 2, for example inside the first frame 1, so that the open angle X (FIG. 3) of the first and second frames 1 and 2, namely the included angle therebetween when they are widely opened by the spring 3, is limited by the abutment of an edge of the second rotation base 21 against the stop 112 (the rotation limit).

Alternatively, although not shown in the drawings, the stop may be formed on the second rotation base 21 to be abutted by an edge of the first rotation base 11 to limit the relative rotation between the first and second frames 1 and 2.

Preferably, a round-headed projection 82 or 84 is formed on each of the end walls of the first rotation base 11 and forming an extension thereof. These round-headed projections 82 and 84 can be used to contact and thus massage a portion of the body of a user (not shown). The round projections 82 and 84 may have different size as illustrated in the drawings.

Each of the first and second frames 1 and 2, being a flat member, has an outer surface 15 or 25 facing away from each other. A resilient pad 12 or 22 is mounted on the outer surface 15 or 25. Each of the resilient pads 12 and 22 has a plurality of raised bosses 121 or 221, having round top end, uniformly distributed thereon to allow a user to massage a portion of the user's body (not shown) by using the resilient bosses 121 or 221 to contact that portion of the body.

Each of the first and second frames 1 and 2 has a pair of opposite and spaced arms 13 or 23 extending from the front side thereof, defining a space 16 or 26 therebetween to releasably hold therein massage means 7 to be described hereinafter.

Each pair of arms 13 or 23 has two opposite slots 131 or 231 respectively formed on each arm thereof. Also, a hole 132 or 232 is provided on each arm of the first arm pair 13 or second arm pair 23. The function of these slots 131 and 231 and the holes 132 and 232 will be described hereinafter.

The massage means 7 may comprise at least three massage members 4, 5 and 6 which are alternately and interchangeably mounted between each of the first and second pairs of arms 13 and 23.

The first massage member 4 comprises a cylindrical roller 41 having two ends each of which has a shaft 411 extending therefrom to be rotatably received within the hole 132 or 232 of the first frame 1 or the second frame 2. A hollow cylindrical jacket 42, preferably made of a resilient material, with a plurality of raised bosses 421, having round top end, uniformly distributed thereon, is tightly fit over the roller 41.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, with the first massage members 4 mounted between the first and second pairs of arms 13 and 23, by inserting a hand 82 into the front opening 80 between the first and second frames 1 and 2 and rotating the frames 1 and 2 against the spring 3 to have the first massage members 4 contact the hand 82, the hand 82 can be massaged by the raised bosses 421 of the first massage members 4 if the massage device 900 of the present invention is manually moved relative to the hand 82 to allow the first massage member 4 to roll on the hand 82.

Quite apparently, such massage operation can be performed in any desired direction, such as the two doubleheaded arrows 84 and 86 illustrated in FIG. 8. In FIG. 8, the massage device 900 of the present invention is shown twice, one in solid line and the other in phantom line, respectively corresponding to the arrows 84 and 86, to indicate the operation of the massage device 900 in different direction.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 2 showing the condition when the hand 82 is placed between the first and second frames 1 and 2 and the first massage members 4 contact the hand 82 to allow the raised bosses 421 thereof to massage the hand 82.

The second massage member 5 comprises a pair of plates 51 and 52, each having a hole 510 or 520 formed thereon and exactly facing each other, mounted together to define a flat body 50. The holes 510 and 520 are formed in such a way that when the plates 51 and 52 are secured together, a spherical member 53 is rotatably retained in the holes 510 and 520 and partially projecting out of the plates 51 and 52 so that the spherical member 53 is rotatable relative to the flat body 50 of the second massage member 5 if contacted and rotated. The flat body 50 has two lateral ends each having an elongated strip member 511 formed thereon which strip member 511 is slidably receivable within one of the slots 131 or 231 to have the second massage member 5 to secure on the first or second frame 1 or 2.

As shown in FIG. 5 which is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 2 when the massage device 900 is equipped with the second massage members 5, instead of the first massage members 4, the rotatability of the spherical member 53 allows the spherical member 53 to roll on and thus massage the hand 82 placed in the massage device 900 of the present invention when the first and second frames 1 and 2 are rotated toward each other to have the spherical members 53 of the second massage members 5 mounted on the frames 1 and 2 contact the hand 82.

The third massage member 6 comprises a flat body 60 on which at least an inner-threaded hole 61 is formed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. I, there are three such innerthreaded holes 61, however, it is understood that any number of the inner-threaded holes 61 may be formed on the flat body 60. Corresponding to each of the inner-threaded holes 61, a round-headed member 62 is provided, having a threaded portion 621 to engage the inner-threaded hole 61. The flat body 60 has two lateral ends each having an elongated strip member 63 formed thereon which strip member 63 is slidably receivable within one of the slots 131 or 231 to have the third massage member 6 to secure on the first or second frame 1 or 2.

As shown in FIG. 6, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 2 when the massage device 900 is equipped with the third massage members 6 with only one round-headed member 62 mounted thereon, instead of the first and second massage members 5 and 6, a single point contact of the massage device 900 with the hand 82 placed inside the massage device 900 is formed to massage the hand 82.

It may also be possible to use all the three roundheaded members 62 to provide a multiple point contact between the massage device 900 of the present invention and the hand 82 placed therein, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

It is apparent that although the invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art may make changes to certain features of the preferred embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A massage device including: first and second frames pivotally mounted relative to each other; biasing means disposed between said first and second frames to bias the frames away from each other to form a front opening for entry of a portion of a human body in between said first and second frames; the first frame having a pair of spaced first arms extending from a side thereof; the second frame having a pair of spaced second arms extending from a side thereof; and respective first and second massage means mounted between each of the pairs of first and second arms and usable to massage said portion of a human body disposed between the frames.

2. A massage device according to claim 1 in which each pair of arms extends from a side of its respective frame distant from the pivotal axis between the frames.

3. A massage device according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which at least one of the massage means is rotatably mounted between its respective pair of arms.

4. A massage device according to any of the above claims in which at least one of the massage means is removably mounted between its respective pair of arms.

5. A massage device according to any of the above claims in which: the first frame comprises a flat body having a rear side and an opposite front side, a first rotation base formed on the rear side thereof, said first rotation base defining a housing having two opposite end wall portions, each having a hole formed thereon facing each other, the pair of opposite and spaced first arms extending from the front side of said first frame;; the second frame comprises a flat body having a rear side and an opposite front side, a second rotation base formed on the rear side thereof to be rotatably received within the housing defined by the first rotation base, said rotation base having two axles extending therefrom to be rotatably received within the holes formed on the end wall portions of the first rotation base so as to allow said first and second frames to be rotatable relative to each other about the axles, the pair of opposite and spaced second arms extending from the front side of said second frame;; said massage means including at least a massage member releasably mounted between each of the first and second pairs of arms by means of securing means, said massage member having at least a round-headed projection formed thereon so that when said first and second frames are forced to move against said biasing means to approach each other, the at least one round-headed projection contacts the portion of the human body disposed between said first and second frames and by manually moving said massage device relative to the portion of the human body, the at least one round-headed projection massages the portion of the human body.

6. A massage device as claimed in Claim 5 further comprising stop means to define a rotation limit of said first frame relative to said second frame, said stop means comprising a raised portion formed inside the housing defined by the first rotation base, said raised portion being so located that when said first frame is rotated relative to said second frame by said biasing means to reach the rotation limit, said raised portion is abutted by an edge of the second rotation base so as to stop the rotation of said first frame relative to said second frame.

7. A massage device as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6 further comprising a round-headed projection formed on and extending outward from each of the end wall portions of the housing defined by the first rotation base.

8. A massage device as claimed in any of the above claims wherein each of the flat bodies of said first and second frames comprises an outer surface facing away from each other, a pad member having a number of bosses uniformly distributed thereon being secured on the outer surface of each of said flat bodies.

9 A massage device as claimed in any of the above claims wherein said biasing means comprises at least a spring disposed between said first and second frames with two ends thereof respectively secured to said first and second frames.

10. A massage device as claimed in any of claims 5 to 9 wherein said massage member comprises a cylindrical roller having two ends, a hollow cylindrical jacket being tightly fit over said roller, a plurality of round-headed projections being uniformly distributed on said cylindrical jacket and wherein said securing means for mounting said massage member between each of the first and second pairs of arms comprises a shaft extending from each of the two ends of said roller and rotatably received within a hole formed on each arm of each of the first and second pairs of arms so as to allow said massage member to roll on the portion of the human body inserted into said massage device to conduct massage thereof.

11. A massage device as claimed in Claim 5 wherein said massage member comprises a flat member having two opposite surfaces with a retaining hole formed thereon to rotatably receive and retain a spherical member therein with said spherical member partially projecting out of both of the two surfaces thereof and wherein said securing means for mounting said massage member between each of the first and second pairs of arms comprises a strip member mounted on each of two lateral ends of said flat member to be slidably received within a slot formed on each arm of each of the first and second pairs of arms so as to secure said massage member between the arms and allow said spherical member to roll on the portion of the human body inserted into said massage device to conduct massage thereof.

12. A massage device as claimed in Claim 5 wherein said massage member comprises a flat member having an upper surface on which at least a hole is formed to releasably hold therein at least a round-headed member so as to allow the round-headed member projecting out of the upper surface thereof and wherein said securing means for mounting said massage member between each of the first and second pairs of arms comprises a strip member mounted on each of two lateral ends of said flat member to be slidably received within a slot formed on each arm of each of the first and second pairs of arms so as to secure said massage member between the arms and allow said at least one round-headed member to contact and massage the portion of the human body inserted into said massage device.

13. A massage device as claimed in Claim 12 wherein the hole formed the upper surface of the flat member of said massage member is inner-threaded and wherein the at least one round-headed member comprises a threaded portion to be threadingly engaged by the inner-threaded hole.

14. A massage device as claimed in Claim 12 or Claim 13 wherein the flat member of said massage member comprises three holes formed thereon and having three corresponding round headed members releasably secured within said three holes.

15. A massage device according to claim 1 in which: the first frame comprises a flat body having a rear side and an opposite front side, a first rotation base formed on the rear side thereof, said first rotation base defining a housing having two opposite end wall portions, each having a hole formed thereon facing each other, the pair of opposite and spaced first arms extending from the front side of said first frame, each of the first arms comprising a slot formed thereon and opposite each other and a hole formed thereon and opposite each other;; the second frame compriseS a flat body having a rear side and an opposite front side, a second rotation base formed on the rear side thereof to be rotatably received within the housing defined by the first rotation base, said second rotation base having two axles extending therefrom to be rotatably received within the holes formed on the end wall portions of the first rotation base so as to allow said first and second frames to be rotatable relative to each other about the axles,the pair of opposite and spaced second arms extending from the front side of said second frame, each of the second arms comprising a slot formed thereon and opposite each other and a hole formed thereon and opposite each other;; said massage means are releasably mounted between each of the first and second pairs of arms to contact and massage the portion of the human body disposed between said first and second frames by manually moving said massage device relative to the portion of the human said body, said massage means comprising a first, a second and a third massage members which are interchangeably and releasably mounted between each of the first and second pairs of arms, wherein:: said first massage member comprises a cylindrical roller over which a hollow cylindrical jacket is tightly fit, a plurality of round-headed projections being uniformly distributed on said cylindrical jacket, said roller having two ends each having a shaft extending therefrom to be rotatably received within the hole formed on each arm of each of the first and second pairs of arms so as to allow said massage member to roll on the portion of the human body inserted into said massage device to conduct massage thereof;; said second massage member comprises a flat member having two opposite surfaces with a retaining hole formed thereon to rotatably receive and retain a spherical member therein with said spherical member partially projecting out of both of the two surfaces thereof, said flat member of said second massage member comprising a strip member mounted on each of two lateral ends thereof to be slidably received within the slot formed on each arm of each of the -first and second pairs of arms so as to releasably secure said second massage member between the arms and allow said spherical member to roll on the portion of the human body inserted into said massage device to conduct massage thereof; and said third massage member comprises a flat member having an upper surface on which at least an inner-threaded hole is formed to threadingly engage a threaded portion of at least a round headed member so as to allow the round-headed member projecting out of the upper surface, the flat member of said third massage member comprising a strip member mounted on each of two lateral ends thereof to be slidably received within the slot formed on each arm of each of the first and second pairs of arms so as to releasably secure said third massage member between the arms and allow said at least one round-headed member to contact and massage the portion of the human body inserted into said massage device.

16. A massage device as claimed in Claim 35 wherein the flat member of said third massage member comprises three holes formed on the upper surface thereof and having three corresponding round-headed members releasably secured within said three holes.

17. A massage device as claimed in Claim 15 wherein the at least one hole formed on the flat member of said third massage member comprises three inner-threaded holes and having three corresponding round-headed members each having a threaded portion threadingly engaged by said inner-threaded holes.

18. A massage device as claimed. in any one of Claims 15 to 17 further comprising stop means to define a rotation limit of said first frame relative to said second frame, said stop means comprising a raised portion formed inside the housing-defined by the first rotation base, said raised portion being so located that when said first frame is rotated relative to said second frame by said biasing means to reach the rotation limit, said raised portion is abutted by an edge of the second rotation base so as to stop the rotation of said first frame relative to said second frame.

19. A massage device as claimed in any one of Claims 15 to 18 further comprising a round-headed projection formed on and extending outward from each of the end wall portions of the housing defined by the first rotation base.

20. A massage device as claimed in any one of Claims 15 to 19 wherein each of the flat bodies of said first and second frames comprises an outer surface facing away from each other, a pad member having a number of bosses uniformly distributed thereon being secured on the outer surface of each of said flat bodies.

21. A massage device as claimed in any one of Claims 15 to 20 wherein said biasing means comprises at least a spring disposed between said first and second frames with two ends thereof respectively secured to said first and second frames.

22. A massage device substantially as any embodiment herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.