US2468949A - Massage vibrator - Google Patents

Description

May 3, 1949. H SNYDER 2,468,949

` MASSAGE VIBRATOR l I Filed Sept.' 22, '1945 Zig- 4i I l J2EE/1220.7: ZE/HZZLZH 512 7a/Ez" Patented May 3, 1949 UNITED PATENT FICE MASSAGE visitaron.

Leland' H. Snyder, Chicago,v Ill.,v assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Knapp-Monarch Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Application September 22,l 1945, SerialNo.. 618,026.

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in electrio massage vibrators of the type that are intended to bel positioned on the back of an oper;- ators hand and in which a solenoid imparts vibration to the operators fingers througll a pad,

usually a rubber pad.l

The gener-alf object of the, invention is to; provide a device of the character described designed.

to impart vigorous vibration from a solenoid to a resilient pad supported on the back of the operators fingers.,

Another object oi the invention isv to provide. a massage vibratorhaving a solenoid housed` Within a casing, but wholly supported upon a spring Whose vibrations are-'imparted to a resilient pad.

Another object ofthe invention is to. provide an electric massage device wherein the solenoid the solenoid with both itsv coil. and plunger free to vibrate andl located nearV that end of the vibrator which is nearestV the finger tips of the operator4 during use. v I

Other objects andv advantages of the invention Willbeapparent from the; followingy specification, taken in connection with the accompanying draw-ings in-V which Figure 1 is 'a top` plan vlew/ of a devicemade in accordance with this' invention;

Figure 2f is a multieplanesectional view taken along the line II`II of Figure- 3- at the under side of the base above the rubber pad;

Figure 3 is; a sectional Viewv taken at the position of the line II'I--III of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on the line IV--IV' oi Figure 3.

As shown. in the drawings the device comprises a base l having dependingl side walls Zand 3 anddepending-end Walls# and- 5, together-form?. L l a shelf with a-downwardiv facingopening: i the-imergns-cf-zthe.aperture inthehase.- l through..

which is positioned a resilient pad 6' which preferably will be made of sponge rubber or some other equally soft and' resilient material" suitable: to rest upon thev back oi the hand of. thefoperator during the use, of the. device.

Secured to the underside the, base l' is a spring, having a tongue 'l' by means of which. it. is attached to the base. by rivets or the like and having three independently flexible extensions; as shown. in Figure 2", indicated as 8, 9 andllt.

The extensions 8 and' I 0 rest flatly upon tl'ieupper surface of the, pad 6j whereas the extension 9 is curved and depressed somewhat` below the general'. level oi the. lateral. extensions 8 and |Ujhavf ing a. portion contacting the pad and serving as a platform on which the solenoid is supported.

The solenoid consists' of' a coil H positioned in a yoke lf2", whileareciprocable plunger i3I extends downwardly from within the solenoid and is secured by av pair of. nuts h3. and P tothe extenr sion 9.

A spring I6 surrounding the lower end of the plunger opposes the action of the solenoid on4 the plunger. Where the plunger passes.. through a cross member l?, connected to the open end of the yoke l2, there is provided aj brass bushing, le forguiding the plunger.

At the top of the yoke and threaded therethrough isl a plug I9 serving as the core of' the solenoid. APreferably this core plug will have a Keri (not shown)I i-n its upper end by means of which the core may be rotated to be raised or lowered inv the yoke and` thereafter locked by means of the nut 2li to therebyvv adiustthe air gap between the core and plunger.

A brass guide pin 2| Wil-I be` ixed in: the. upper end of the plunger and allowed: to reciprocate in a suitable aperture in the core to1 furnish. an additional guide for the. plunger.

It. will new beevident that the solenoid iswholly supported on the center portion 9 of the spring; by means oi the attachment of thel plungertherez-- to. As' e.; vertical guida. and to prevent: any rota.- tiorn .oi the: solenoid, there preferably will be. struck up from the bodyv of the. base a pair of ears. 22` andi 23 which will' bear .against the crosspiece H, having. a sliding contact; therewith. At 1 3 which the plunger extends, flanges 24 and 25 are bent downwardly as indicated at Figure 4.

A casing or housing 26 is provided and is secured to the base in any suitable manner, for example by screws 21 and 28, being shaped to entirely enclose the solenoid and to serve as a convenient hand grip for carrying the device.

Electrical wires 29 -connect the solenoid to a source of alternating current to cause it to vibrate in accordance with frequency of that current.

While springs or cords or other devices for securing the pad to the hand of the operator do not form a part of this invention I have indicated in the drawing that a spring such as 30 may be connected as shown while a heavy cord preferably of a flexible nature such as 3| may also be provided.

For convenience a switch 32 may be interposed in the electrical circuit as indicated and the plug 33 may be used to connect the device to the source of power.

In the operation of the revice the solenoid will be energized and de-energized in accordance with the frequency of the alternating current and the plunger will thereby be caused to vibrate rapidly relatively to the core. As the coil is not anchored directly to the casing, vibration of the coil itself will occur, thus yielding a compound vibration which is imparted to the spring member, primarily tothe extension 9, and through it to the independently exible extensions 8 and I0. As all three extensions are in contact with the rubberv pad, these vibrations will -be imparted withvarying force to the rubber pad.

While the pad may have various shapes I find the shape indicated to be efficient and I prefer to provide in its upper surface a channel indicated at 34 extending centrally and longitudinally of the pad, leaving the adjoining portions of the pad out of contact with the spring. Consequently, the greatest portion of the vibratory thrust exerted upon the pad that will be felt occurs in that area adjoining the solenoid, and nearest to the iinger tips of the operator. Y

While various means for securing the pad, preferably a sponge rubber pad, to the base may be employed, a snug lit therein coupled with the use of adhesive between the contiguous surfaces oi the pad and base is satisfactory.

Some variation in vibration may be obtained by yvarying the air gap, as explained above, but otherwise the device is generally free from adjustment and is intended therefore to be a durable massage device suited for vigorous and long commercial use.

Although I have shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described. It should be understood that the invention comprehends all variations and modifications within the Scope-of the appended claims. v

I claim as my invention;

l. A massage vibrator comprising a base having downwardly extending side and end Walls forming a downwardly opening shell, a soft resilient pad supported within said shell and protruding below said opening thereof, a casing mounted upon the upper side of said base, a spring member secured to said base and extending therebelow and positioned 'for iiexing in response to vibrations imparted thereto and arranged in contact with said pad to vibrate the latter, and a solenoid having a coil positioned within said casing above said base and having a plunger extending through spring member for supporting the entire solenoid thereby, the whole being arranged whereby vibrations of the plunger are imparted to said spring member and thence to said pad.

2. A massage vibrator comprising a base provided with side and end walls extending downwardly from the base to provide a downwardly opening shell, a soft resilient pad supported Within said shell and protruding below the margins of said opening, a casing mounted on the upper side of said base, a spring member secured to said base and extending therebelow and having a plurality of spaced apart flexible extensions several of which are arranged to contact said pad to vibrate the latter, and a solenoid having a coil positioned within said casing above said base and having a plunnger extending through said base secured to one flexible extension of said spring for supporting the entire solenoid thereby, the Whole being arranged whereby vibrations generated by said solenoid are imparted to said spring member extensions and thence to said pad.

3. A massage vibrator comprising a base, a resilient pad positioned on the under side of said base, a spring member having one end anchored to said base and having two spaced apart iiexible extensions contacting said pad, a solenoid having a coil positioned above said base, and a plunger operable by the solenoid coil secured to said spring member apart from said extensions supporting the coil and arranged to vibrate the pad through said extensions.

4. A massage vibrator comprising a base, a resilient pad positioned on the under side of said base, a spring member having one end anchored to said base and having two spaced apart flexible extensions contacting said pad, a third extension on said member contacting the pad and located between the rst two extensions, a solenoid having a coil positioned above said base, and a plunger operable by said coil secured to said third extension supporting the' coil and arranged to vibrate the pad through all three extensions.

5. A massage vibrator comprising 'a base, a resilient pad positioned on the underside of said base, the central portion of said pad being free of said base and thereby capable of vibratory movements independent of said base, a leaf spring member having a vibratile portion secured to said central portion of the pad, a casing secured above said base, and a solenoid housed within said casing having a plunger secured to said vibratile portion of the spring thereby supporting the solenoid and vibrating the spring and pad upon energization of the solenoid by periodic currents.

6. A massage vibrator comprising a base, a resilient pad positioned on the underside of said base, said pad having a recessed central portion free of said base and thereby capable of vibratory movements independent of said base, a spring member extending below said base for contact with said central portion of the pad, a casing secured above said base, a solenoid housed within said casing, and a plunger axially vibratable by said solenoid and having one end thereof secured to said spring, thereby providing the sole support for the solenoid and vibrating said spring and pad.

'l. A massage vibrator comprising a base, a resilient pad supported by said base and having a recessed central portion :free of said base and thereby capable of vibratory movements independent of said base, a leaf spring member havlng one end portion anchored to the underside of 5 6 saidbase and having a vibratile portion lying REFERENCES CITED Withm said recessed central portlon of said pad, and secured to said central portion of the pad, The foliowmg references are 0f record in the a casing secured upon said base, and a solenoid fue 0f thls Patent? positioneg within sailcasingt having a plunger 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS secured o said vibra ie por ion of said spring member for vibrating the spring member and Nlulljr Gollme Malatelgls npgrffgzamon of the Solenoid by alter' 896,351 Doran Feb. 7, 1933 10 1,918,458 Dremel July 18, 1933 LELAND H- SNYDER- 2,128,555 Benway Aug. 3o, 193s 2,378,335 Snyder June 12, 1945

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