HK1161829B - Interactive massaging device - Google Patents

Description

Interactive massage device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a massaging device, and more particularly, to a sexual stimulation device.

Background

The prior art sexual stimulation apparatus includes a dildo having a vibrating element, such as disclosed in U.S. application No.2002/1013415 and international application No. wo 2007/041853. It is also known to provide control for multiple modes of operation. However, it is believed that none of these prior art devices are entirely satisfactory for a variety of reasons. For example, a user performs a control operation to produce an operation change that is liable to deviate from the effect intended from the device.

Thus, there is a need for a massage device that provides improved stimulation without requiring a user to perform control operations to produce operational changes.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention meets this need by providing a vibratory massage device that automatically changes operation in response to proximity and/or contact between a body part to be massaged and a specific location on the device. In one aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises: a housing; a vibrator supported in the housing; a plurality of spaced apart proximity sensors supported in the housing; and a control circuit connected between the proximity sensors and the vibrators for driving the vibrators at a plurality of predetermined levels in response to the proximity of a particular one of the proximity sensors to a body part of a user being massaged by the device. The apparatus may further comprise: means for housing within the device a battery element for powering the vibrator and the control circuit; and a removable cover for enclosing the battery element within the device. The device may also include a battery element that may itself comprise a battery pack. The device may also include a control button supported by the cover for activating the control circuit.

The massage device may be formed to have a major outer surface defining a generally cylindrical shape, the major outer surface being rounded at one end thereof, the proximity sensor being disposed proximate the outer surface and longitudinally disposed. The device may also include a sleeve covering the housing and defining the major outer surface. The means for housing the battery element may comprise a removable cover forming a rounded end of the device opposite said one end, and said control button is arranged coaxially with said cover.

The control circuit is preferably operable to power the vibrator at a first low intensity when a first of said proximity sensors is active and at a second medium intensity when a second of said proximity sensors is active to enhance the massage effect in response to user manipulation. More preferably, the control circuit is further operative to power the vibrator at a third, higher intensity when a third one of the proximity sensors is activated.

Preferably, the main outer surface has an erect penis shape to form a vibrating dildo. Preferably, the vibrator is a primary vibrator, the elastic sleeve further comprises a laterally projecting arm portion, the dildo further has an auxiliary vibrator enclosed within the arm portion, and the control circuit is further operative to power the auxiliary vibrator. Preferably, the dildo includes mode control means for a user to control a plurality of operating modes of the control circuit. The mode control means can include a mode actuator, the control circuit being responsive to successive operation of the mode actuator for activation in each respective mode. The modes may include: a first mode of operation in which neither vibrator is activated unless at least one proximity sensor is activated, and a second mode in which at least one of the vibrators is activated; and a second mode in which at least one vibrator is activated at a higher intensity than the intensity at which the vibrator is activated in the first mode. There may be first and second proximity sensors, the first proximity sensor being disposed between the second proximity sensor and the head tip of the sleeve, the second mode being activated in response to the second sensor. Preferably, there can be a third proximity sensor disposed further from the head tip of the sleeve than the second proximity sensor, the third mode being activated in response to the third sensor being activated at a higher intensity than the intensity of the second mode.

Drawings

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a massage device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the dildo of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the control circuit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing an alternative configuration of the device of FIG. 1 in the form of a dildo;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the dildo of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the dildo of FIG. 4;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the control circuit of fig. 6.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to a massage device which is particularly effective in stimulating a body part, such as the female genitalia. Referring to fig. 1-3, a massage device 10 includes an electric vibrator 12 mounted in an elongated housing 13, a screw cap 14 removably attached to the housing and having a control button 15 projecting therefrom, a battery pack 16 inserted in the housing, a control module 18, and a sensor module 20, the sensor module 20 being mounted in the housing and including a sensor circuit board 21 supporting a plurality of longitudinally distributed sensor elements 22 according to the present invention, indicated at 22A, 22B, and 22C, respectively, with element 22C being closest to the control circuit 15 and element 22A being closest to the opposite end of the device 10. The housing 13 is also covered by a sleeve 24 and the assembly is sealed by an elastomeric O-ring seal sandwiched between the sleeve and the cap 14. In the exemplary configuration shown in the figures, the device 10 has a cylindrical shape with a spherical rounded end, from one end of which a control button 15 protrudes.

The control button 15 operates a "switch mode" power switch 26 mounted on a switch structure 19 within the cover 14. Suitable wiring or other leads (not shown) are also included between vibrator 12, battery pack 16, control module 18, sensor module 20, and control switch 26. When the device is activated, the device is in a standby state unless or until a body part of the user is close to one of the sensors 22. As shown in greater detail in fig. 2 and 3 below, proximity sensor element 22A only causes vibrator 12 to activate at a first or low level; proximity sensor element 22B (but not 22C) has it activated at a second or middle level; proximity sensor element 22C causes vibrator 12 to activate at a third or high level.

With further reference to fig. 4 and 5, an alternative configuration of the massage device, designated as dildo 30, includes a counterpart of the electric vibrator 12, a housing, designated 13 ', a control button, designated as power button 15 ', a battery pack, designated 16 ', a control module, designated 18 ', and a control circuit board, designated 19 ', a sensor module, designated 20 ', and a sensor circuit board, designated 21 ', having a counterpart of a sensor element, designated 22 ' (22 ' a, 22 ' B, and 22 ' C, respectively), designated 22 ', and a momentary counterpart of a power switch, designated 26 '. The battery pack 16' is supported within the handle 32 and is held in place by the screw cap 34. The power button 15 'protrudes through a handle 32 in which the control module 18' is disposed.

The elastic counterpart of the sleeve, indicated 36, has a main part 37 and an arm part 39, the main part 37 covering the housing 13' and having the form of a penis erect with a head 38, the arm part 39 projecting towards one side in a shape and size preferably facilitating contact with the clitoris of a user of the dildo, the arm part being provided with an electrically powered auxiliary vibrator 40 positionally supported in an arm chamber 42 of the arm part 39. Each sensor element 22 ' is biased against the sleeve by a sensor spring 42, element 22 ' a being closest to the head 38 of the sleeve 36, and element 22 ' C being furthest therefrom. As discussed above in relation to the massage device 10, suitable wiring or other leads (not shown) connect the battery pack 16 ', the control module 18', the sensor module 20, and the vibrators 12 and 40.

The exemplary construction of the dildo 30 of figures 2 and 3 further includes a mode switch actuator 44, the mode switch actuator 44 projecting from the handle 32 for operation by a user and having a mode switch 46 mounted directly on the control circuit board 19'. A plurality of intensity indicators 48 also project through the handle and are supported by the control circuit board. Mode switch 46 sequentially selects a plurality of vibration modes, as described above for massage apparatus 10, selectively adjusts the operation of vibrators 12 and 40 in response to sensor 22'.

Suitable materials for the housings 13 and 13' and the handle 32 include ABS. Suitable materials for the batteries 16 and 16' include polypropylene; suitable materials for sleeve 36 (and control button 15 of fig. 1) include resilient plastics, such as TPE. Suitable battery components are four AAA alkaline batteries.

With particular reference to figures 6 and 7, the control circuit 50 of the dildo 30 is formed by the combination of the control module 18 'and the sensor module 20'. As shown in fig. 6, the control circuit 50 includes a body contact detector 52, the body contact detector 52 operating in conjunction with a signal detector 54, the signal detector 54 sending a signal to a microprocessor 56, which controls a primary driver 58 for powering the primary vibrator 12 and a secondary driver 59 for powering the secondary vibrator 40.

The touch detector 52 includes sensor elements 22 ' a, 22 ' B and 22 ' C, each element 22 ' having a coupling capacitance 60 and a ground bypass diode 63, the coupling capacitance 60 being connected to the common pulse output of the signal detector 54, the ground bypass diode 63 being connected to maintain the positive potential of the sensor element 22 '. This potential is supplied through a signal filter comprising a charging resistor 64, a filter capacitor 65 and a discharging resistor 66, so that the resulting filtered contact signal 67 is supplied to a corresponding input of the detector 54. The touch signals are indicated in fig. 7 as 67A, 67B and 67C, respectively, corresponding to sensor elements 22 ' a, 22 ' B and 22 ' C, respectively. The signal detector 54 monitors each contact signal 67 and periodically sends a status signal to the microprocessor 56. When any one of the sensor elements is brought into close proximity to a user's body part, the capacitive coupling changes (increases) the load of the associated coupling capacitance, so that the resulting touch signal changes (decreases) accordingly enough to change the associated status signal.

In addition to the above-described communication with the signal detector 54, the microprocessor is also responsive to the power switch 26' and the mode switch 46 for signaling to the main driver 58 and the auxiliary driver 59 as described below, the microprocessor having a separate output to drive each indicator 48.

In the exemplary configuration of the dildo 30, upon actuation of the power switch 26 ', the control circuit 50 is responsive to the mode switch 46 to control the auxiliary vibrator as described herein, with the primary vibrator 12 being responsive to the proximity of the sensor element 22' as described above with respect to the sensor element 22 of the massage device 10. In this configuration, continuous actuation of the mode switch 46 produces eight intensity modes of operation of the auxiliary vibrator 40 as described in table 1 below. It should be understood that other modes of operation of the auxiliary vibrator 40 are within the scope of the present invention. Corresponding variations in the level of operational intensity of main vibrator 12 are also possible, with an exemplary list represented below by table 2, "sensor a" not including actuation of sensor elements 22 'B and 22' C; "sensor B" does not include actuation of sensor element 22' C. In both tables, the level of actuation is relative and arbitrary, consistent with an effective level well known to those skilled in the art.

TABLE 1 auxiliary vibrator mode

TABLE 2 Main shaker modes

The indicator 48 is driven by the control circuit 50 at low intensity in modes 1 and 2, at medium intensity in mode 3, at high intensity in mode three, at varying intensity in mode 4, and blinks in synchronization with the actuation of the auxiliary vibrator 40 in modes 5-8. It should be understood that other and various indications of different modes are possible.

Suitable means for signal detector 54 may be used with ACM3890 from Shizhenshi ACME microelectronics, Shenzhen, China. The device operates with a crystal input of 16MHz, producing a pulse output 62 of 500 Hz. Suitable devices for the microprocessor 56 are available from ACM3831-3, also available from ACME corporation. A suitable 3.3V voltage regulator 68 for providing VCC to the detector 54 may be used from HT7133 from lotita (Holtek) semiconductor limited, new bamboo, taiwan. The voltage regulator 68 is supplied by a power supply driver 69 in response to the microprocessor 56 being actuated by the power switch 26' as described above. The control circuit 50 includes other conventional circuitry for powering the signal detector 54 and the microprocessor 56 in a suitable manner as is well known to those skilled in the art.

Further, with respect to the massage device 10 of fig. 1, and with particular reference to fig. 2 and 3, a simplified counterpart of the control circuit, designated 50', is formed by the combination of the control module 18 and the sensor module 20. As shown in FIG. 2, control circuit 50 'includes a counterpart of body contact sensor 52 and signal detector 54 for sending signals to a counterpart of the sensor, indicated at 56', and a microprocessor controls a counterpart of main driver 58 for powering vibrator 12. Suitable devices for the microprocessor 56' may be available from ACM3831-2, also available from ACME corporation. The power switch 26 directly supplies power to the control circuit 50'; thus, when the power switch 26 is actuated, the power driver 69 is implemented as a constant conduit to the voltage regulator 68.

The touch detector 52 includes sensor elements 22A, 22B and 22C each having a coupling capacitor 60 connected to a common pulse output 62 of the signal detector 54, a counterpart with a bypass diode 63, and a signal filter including a charging resistor 64, a filtering capacitor 65 and a discharging resistor 66 to generate a touch signal 67 for supply to the detector 54, as described above with reference to fig. 7. The signal detector 54 monitors each of the contact signals 67A, 67B, and 67C, periodically sending status signals to the microprocessor 56', as also described above. The control circuit 50 'also includes conventional circuitry for powering the signal detector 54 and the microprocessor 56' in a suitable manner as is well known to those skilled in the art.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. For example, a power switch and a mode switch can be combined, the control circuit cycles through a substantially unpowered state, and each mode is responsive to continuous operation of the mode switch. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.

Claims (18)

1. A vibratory massage apparatus, the massage apparatus comprising:

(a) a housing;

(b) a vibrator supported in the housing;

(c) a plurality of spaced apart proximity sensors supported in the insertable portion of the device; and

(d) a control circuit connected between the proximity sensors and the vibrator for driving the vibrator at a plurality of predetermined levels in response to the proximity of a particular one of the proximity sensors to a body part of a user being massaged by the device,

wherein the vibrator is activated with increasing intensity as the number of proximity sensors approaching the user's body part increases.

2. The vibratory massage apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a housing portion for housing a battery element for supplying power to the vibrator and the control circuit within the apparatus; and a removable cover for enclosing the battery element within the device.

3. The vibratory massage device of claim 2, further comprising the battery element, the battery element comprising a battery pack.

4. The vibratory massage device of claim 2, further comprising a control button supported by the cover for activating the control circuit.

5. The vibratory massage device of claim 1, said massage device having a major outer surface defining a generally cylindrical shape, said major outer surface being rounded at one end, said proximity sensor being positioned proximate said outer surface and disposed longitudinally.

6. The vibratory massage device of claim 5 further comprising a sleeve covering the housing and defining the major outer surface.

7. The vibratory massage device of claim 5, further comprising means for receiving a battery element within the device, the means comprising a removable cover forming a rounded end of the device opposite the one end and a control button positioned coaxially with the cover for activating the control circuit.

8. The vibratory massage device of claim 5 wherein the control circuit is operable to: the vibrator is powered at a first low intensity when a first one of the proximity sensors is active and at a second medium intensity when a second one of the proximity sensors is active.

9. The vibratory massage device of claim 8 wherein the control circuit is further operable to: powering the vibrator at a third, higher intensity when a third one of the proximity sensors is activated.

10. A vibrating dildo comprising the vibrating massage device as recited in claim 5, wherein said main outer surface has the shape of an erect penis.

11. The vibrating dildo of claim 10, wherein said vibrator is a primary vibrator, said flexible sleeve further includes a laterally projecting arm portion, said dildo further includes an auxiliary vibrator enclosed within said arm portion, said control circuit further operable to power said auxiliary vibrator.

12. The vibrating dildo of claim 11, further comprising a controller for operator control of a plurality of operating modes of said control circuit.

13. The vibrating dildo of claim 12, wherein said mode control component includes a mode actuator, said control circuit being responsive to successive operation of said mode actuator for activation in each respective mode.

14. The vibrating dildo of claim 12, said vibrating dildo having:

(a) a first mode of operation in which neither vibrator is active unless at least one proximity sensor is active; and

(b) a second mode of operation in which at least one vibrator is activated at a higher intensity than the intensity at which the vibrator is activated in the first mode of operation.

15. The vibrating dildo of claim 14, said vibrating dildo including a first proximity sensor and a second proximity sensor, said first proximity sensor disposed between said second proximity sensor and a head tip of said sleeve, said second mode of operation being activated in response to said second sensor.

16. The vibrating dildo of claim 15, further comprising a third proximity sensor positioned further from the head tip of the sleeve than the second proximity sensor, a third mode being activated in response to the third sensor being activated at a higher intensity than the intensity of the second mode of operation.

17. An oscillating dildo, comprising:

(a) a housing;

(b) an elastic sleeve having a main body portion covering the housing and shaped in an erect penis shape, arm portions of the sleeve extending in a lateral direction from the main body portion;

(c) a primary vibrator supported in the housing;

(d) at least three spaced apart proximity sensors supported in the insertable portion of the housing and positioned in longitudinally spaced apart relation proximate the body portion of the sleeve;

(e) an auxiliary vibrator enclosed in an arm portion of the sleeve;

(f) a handle connected to the housing;

(g) a battery pack receivable within the handle;

(h) a mode switch having a mode actuator supported by the handle;

(i) a control circuit connected between the vibrator, the proximity sensors, the mode switch, and the battery pack when received in the handle for driving the vibrator at a plurality of predetermined levels in response to the proximity of a particular one of the mode switch and the proximity sensors to a body part of a user being massaged by the device, wherein the primary vibrator is activated at an increasing intensity as the number of proximity sensors approaching the body part of the user increases.

18. The vibrating dildo of claim 17, wherein at least one vibrator is activated at an increased intensity as successive ones of the proximity sensors are activated.