Patent Application
20230132840
The present invention is directed generally to the field of therapeutic magnets, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for a magnetic therapeutic bracelet used to work with the body's nervous system.
It is well known that magnets placed on particular parts of the body can reduce pain sensation from that part of the body as well as treating “referred pain” from another part of the body. There are studies showing that Static Magnetic Fields, (SMF), can reduce pain from the part of the body that they are placed on especially when using Concentric Alternating Pole Magnet, (CAPM), assemblies. However, it is not always practical to place CAPM assemblies onto the part of the body that is producing a pain sensation and some pain/discomfort does not have a singular origin.
Two examples of this are Dysmenorrhea and Menopause. Dysmenorrhea can express itself in cramping of the abdomen, strain in the lower back, migraines, etc., as well as combinations of any of those. Menopause can express itself in hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, etc., and it also can be combinations of any of those. Both Dysmenorrhea and Menopause are complicated as they play out differently from women to women as do the potential remedies for relieving the discomfort associated with each.
The present invention has been shown to relieve the discomfort associated with both Dysmenorrhea and Menopause. Studies have been conducted that show that the current invention can relieve the discomfort associated with Dysmenorrhea and Menopause and it is believed that it is the interaction of CAPM magnetic fields and the Median nerve, particularly inside the left wrist. A Dysmenorrhea study done with CAPM assemblies place on the lower abdomen found that almost 75% of the women had a meaningful pain reduction. Current testing is showing a greater therapeutic effect by increasing the CAPM's magnetic field strength, increasing the alternating field gradient, and placing the CAPM assembly on the inside of the wrist just below the base of the palm.
The apparatus and method employed by the present invention to reduce the discomfort associated with Dysmenorrhea and Menopause without the use of pain reducing drugs, hormone therapy, or other invasive treatments are truly new, useful, novel, and non-obvious.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an apparatus comprised of high power permanent magnetic elements arranged to form a CAPM assembly with penetrating magnetic fields whose close proximity to each other results in high magnetic field gradients.
More specifically, the invention relates to the use of concentric alternating pole magnets to help alleviate the discomfort associated with Dysmenorrhea and Menopause. The discomfort from either Dysmenorrhea or Menopause is very difficult to treat without the use of hormone therapy, prescription medication, or OTC medication and because of this difficulty women suffer. The present invention solves this difficult problem by reducing or eliminating the discomfort that women experience without the use of hormone therapy or medications. The present invention uses a magnet or a set of, 2 or more, concentric magnets. The concentric magnets are arranged with alternating poles and are then placed on the inside of the wrist just below the palm and over the median nerve, much like wearing a watch on the inside of the wrist as opposed to the outside of the wrist.
In one embodiment the magnets are permanently mounted in a housing that provides an attachment location for bands that wrap around the wrist and hold the magnets in place. In another embodiment the magnets are attached directly to the wrist bands.
In further embodiments the magnets are held in a housing that allows for the user to use different bands and/or remove the magnets from the housing and attach the magnets directly to a band.
In an embodiment of the present invention the magnetic fields can be reoriented by the user to alter the North and South magnetic fields penetrating the body.
In an embodiment the CAPM magnetic fields are fixed so that the user cannot change the North and South orientation.
In an embodiment the penetrating depth of the magnetic fields can be altered by the user.
In an embodiment of the present invention the CAPM assembly can be held against the user's body with or without the use of an additional housing.
In an embodiment of the present invention the user can change the apparatus used to hold the CAPM magnetic assembly against the body. The CAPM assembly could be replaced by a Liner Alternating Pole Magnet, (LAPM), assembly.
The present invention, including its features and advantages, will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
It is expected that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. A description of embodiments of the present invention will now be given with reference to the Figures.
Referring now to
It can be seen in
Case 6 is usually held against the user's wrist by either a one or two-part band similar to how a watch is worn on the inside of the wrist instead of the outside. The band has a portion that is fixed to case 6 and uses a fixture method, similar to existing watch bands, and the free ends attach to each other using such things as a pin and holes, a buckle and holes, a clasp, Velcro, or by the use of magnets in the band. These and other methods are clearly known to a person skilled in the art.
In
CAPM housing 2 is made up of case 6 and cover 7. Cover 7 has an exterior portion 28 with multiple features and an interior portion 29 with multiple features as illustrated in
When CAPM assembly 11 is placed into CAPM assembly pocket 12, retaining plate 8 is put into case 6 from the top with retaining plate tab 37 fitting into retaining plate notch 24 as illustrated in
To access retaining plate 8 or to remove either one-piece band 18 or band assembly 13 cover 7 must first be removed. To do this the user pushes laterally on cover push bumps 34 so that cover 7 slides laterally until cover rails 31 have slid past cover slots 27 as illustrated in
When the user wants to reassemble MTB 1, the user first places CAPM assembly 11 back into case 6 and places retaining plate 8 back into case 6 which keeps them both in place. Then band 9 is dropped into case 6 from the top until band lug 17 comes in contact with case band plane 22 at which time band 9 is slid away from the center of case 6 until band lugs 17 come into contact with band lug stops 25 and are then kept in place by band lug locks 39 as illustrated in
In another embodiment of the present invention, MTB 1 has case 6 which is designed to have cover 7 lock into place with a rotating motion instead of a sliding motion as illustrated in
In the rotating cover embodiment cover 7 has locking tabs 43 that are designed to engage with case locking grooves 46. To assemble cover 7 to case 6 cover 7 is rotated approximately 90 degrees from its normal position and then lowered onto case 6 until cover bottom surface 30 comes into contact with case top 21. Then when cover 7 is rotated cover locking chamfers 45 slide into case locking grooves 46 until cover locking tabs 43 come into contact with cover locking tab stops 47. While cover 7 is being rotated into the locked position cover locking tab detent 49 is pushing down on dover locking tab 43 causing it to flex slightly. This happens until cover locking tab 43 comes into contact with cover locking tab stop 47 at which time cover locking tab detent 49 is now lined up with cover locking tab indent 44 which then holds cover 7 in place.
To remove cover 7 from case 6 the user simply rotates cover 7 back approximately 90 degrees until cover locking tabs 43 clear case locking grooves 46 and cover 7 can now be lifted off of case 6. The process for inserting band 9 and band 10 are similar to what has already been discussed except in this embodiment band lugs 17 are held in place by band lug retainer 42. When using one-piece band 18 with this embodiment one-piece band 18 is held in place within case 6 by one-piece band anchors 48.
In another embodiment of the present invention, MTB 1 has case 6 but does not have cover 7 as illustrated in
In another embodiment illustrated in
In another embodiment illustrated in
It is important to note that if CAPM assembly 11 is removably housed in an embodiment that employs a CAPM housing 2, CAPM assembly 11 may be removed from CAPM housing 2 and then with the use of backer plate 50 affixed to one-piece band 51. It is also important to note that if CAPM assembly 11 is affixed to one-piece band 51, CAPM assembly 11 may be removed from one-piece band 51 and inserted back into CAPM housing 2.
In another embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
In another embodiment of the present invention, MTB 1 has case 6 but does not have cover 7 as illustrated in
The foregoing description comprises illustrative embodiments of the present invention. Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted by those skilled in the art that the within disclosures are exemplary only, and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. Merely listing or numbering the steps of a method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order of the steps of that method. Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions. Although specific terms may be employed herein, they are used only in generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments illustrated herein.
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/360,639 filed on Oct. 16, 2021. The above provisional application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63360639 | Oct 2021 | US |
