Patent Application
20190343713
The present invention relates generally to massage rollers and, more particularly, to a compartmentalized, separable massage roller for targeting specific muscle types.
Massage rollers have provided an alternative and convenient means to obtaining a traditional massage wherein a user can instead perform a self-massage at one's leisure. The process of self-massaging with a massage roller, or the technical term “self-myofascial release”, targets a type of therapy for the nerves and connective tissues of an individual. Benefits of self-myofascial release include correcting muscle imbalances, relieves muscles soreness and joint stress, and relaxes the muscles.
Massage rollers are interchangeably referred to as foam rollers which is due to the material such rollers are typically constructed with. Moreover, there are many types of massage roller designs, each providing the user with a specific purpose. Some examples may include a low-density foam roller, which provide a soft texture that is used for those muscles that may be particularly sore or tender. By contrast, a firm, higher-density foam roller can provide a more intense, deeper and concentrated massage, which is more beneficial to those stronger and larger muscles that require more pressure. Other types of massage rollers may include some sort of texture encompassing the surface of the roller, such as ridges and/or bumps, which are designed to provide specific points of pressure that can help release certain muscle knots more effectively.
Although massage rollers offer the flexibility of being used anywhere, they are typically associated with physical activity wherein the self-myofascial process is ideal to help muscles recover and reduce soreness after such physical activity, e.g. a fitness workout. As such, massage rollers are often transported to/from areas of physical activity, such as a gym or studio. Given that massage rollers are typically not large or bulky, transporting would not be considered a difficult task.
However, each massage roller is typically constructed with a uniform design throughout the respective roller, thereby offering a limited variation of the types of massages available to the user, and more specifically, limiting the types of muscles that can receive a targeted massage. As such, if one desires to apply different massaging techniques using a massage roller to specific muscles, an individual would be required to use a plurality of massage roller types. This imposes an inconvenient burden on an individual that would generally be required to transport several massage rollers to a gym or studio in order to achieve such targeted self-massaging.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there exists a need for a compartmentalized massage roller that targets specific muscle types.
Briefly, and in general terms, the invention provides a compartmentalized massage roller with separable components, wherein each component can be used to target a specific group of muscles and body parts. The separable components can include an outer sleeve, and an inner roller, wherein the outer sleeve can contain an inner, hollow opening for receiving the inner roller. As such, the massage roller can be transported as a unitary structure, thereby facilitating ease in transporting a massage roller that can target a plurality of groups of muscles.
More specifically, by example and not limitation, the surface of the outer sleeve consists of a plurality of curvy ridges that can be disposed about the circumference of the outer sleeve, each extending along the length of the massage roller. The outer sleeve surface can be made of any foaming polymer, including Ethyl-Vinyl Acetate (EVA), wherein the material can be specified to contain a hardness resembling that of rubber, but without the weight that accompanies with rubber. The hardness can be specified based on the Shore Hardness level, wherein a typical level for the outer sleeve is 40, but can range between 20-70. The outer sleeve design and hardness is configured to target the massaging of softer muscles, including arms and legs.
In another detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment, the inner roller consists of a plurality of inner ridges disposed along the length of the inner roller, each circumscribing about a longitudinal axis of the inner roller. Moreover, the plurality of inner ridges define a plurality of troughs, wherein each trough is located between two adjacent inner ridges. The inner ridges can contain a shore hardness level higher than the outer sleeve ridges. The inner roller design and hardness level is configured to target massaging larger, stronger muscles, including the back muscles.
In yet another detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment, the inner ridges can be sized with a width mimicking a finger width, so as to simulate myofascial release therapy on the muscles, which is typically conducted using fingers. Moreover, the troughs can be sized with a width roughly double the width of each inner ridge, and can be configured to encapsulate and secure one or more muscles so as to enable separation from binding collagen film that inhibits proper muscle function.
In yet another detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment, the inner ridges are raised sufficiently to contact the surface of the hollow opening when the inner roll is inserted within the outer sleeve. As such, the inner roller provides structural support for the outer sleeve when inserted within. Moreover, the frictional forces exerted between the inner ridges and hollow opening surface, due to the contact, helps prevent the inner roller from readily sliding out of the outer sleeve. The frictional forces are further amplified by pressure exerted on the outer sleeve by a user when the massage roller is being held, such as when being transported, or when the massage roller is being used with the inner roller stored within the outer sleeve, thereby further securing the inner roller within the outer sleeve.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment disclosed.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which:
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly
Referring now to
The outer sleeve 12 exterior surface is typically configured with a shore hardness level of 40, but the shore hardness level can vary for a given embodiment, wherein a lower shore hardness corresponds to a more softer texture, and is easily susceptible to indentation due to applied force. As designed, the curvy ridges 18 with the designated shore hardness levels are configured to target softer muscles, wherein the applied pressure points are distributed across the raised portion of the plurality of curvy ridges in contact with a user. Such muscles that can be targeted include arms and legs.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The inner roller 14 can be constructed of the same material as the outer sleeve 12, which can include using EVA. However, the shore hardness specified for the inner roller 14 can be higher than that of the outer sleeve 12, with 50 being a typical shore hardness level. The circumscribing ridge design, the specified shore hardness level, and disposed ridges across the inner roller 14 length configures the inner roller 14 to target larger, stronger muscles, wherein the applied pressure points are more concentrated than the outer sleeve 12, considering there can be less surface area contact between the inner roller 14 and a given human body part. Larger, stronger muscles targeted by the inner roller 14 include the back muscles.
As such, the graduated hardness of the combination of the outer sleeve 12, the inner roller 14, and the troughs 22 of the inner roller can provide a series of hardness levels ranging from 20 to 70 within the same massage roller 10.
Referring now to
It should be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention provides a compartmentalized massage roller facilitating a unitary structure for separable components and thus capable of providing a plurality of massage techniques. The massage roller can contain an outer sleeve and an inner roller, wherein the outer sleeve defines a hollow opening configured to receive and enclose the inner roller. The inner roller is removably secured to the outer sleeve through frictional forces exerted through contact between the inner roller and hollow opening surface. The outer sleeve can define a plurality of curvy ridges configured to target softer muscles. The inner roller can contain a plurality of inner ridges configured to mimic myofascial release therapy typically conducted by fingers. The inner ridges further define a plurality of troughs, each located between a pair of adjacent inner ridges, wherein the troughs are configured to encapsulate and secure muscles to release binding collagen. The outer sleeve and inner roller can be further constructed with ethyl-vinyl acetate, which can be configured with varying Shore Hardness Levels.
The present invention has been described above in terms of presently preferred embodiments so that an understanding of the present invention can be conveyed. However, there are other embodiments not specifically described herein for which the present invention is applicable. Therefore, the present invention should not to be seen as limited to the forms shown, which is to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
