Patent Application
20230172357
Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.
The present disclosure relates to a use state-switchable massage device. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a use state-switchable massage device, in which the use state can be switched so that a user may perform a massage while sitting (sitting-mode) or lying down (lying-mode), wherein when the use state is switched from the sitting state to the lying state, the massage may be performed in a state in which the user's waist is fully stretched (a state in which the spine is straightened while being curved upward).
In order to ease acute or chronic pain occurring in muscles and nervous tissues of a spine region due to continuous work in an improper posture for a long time or habituation of such a posture for a long time, to improve blood circulation in the body, or to relieve momentary muscle stiffness, a massage device which moves along body parts and improves blood circulation by stimulating a pain-producing part with heat has been widely used.
Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-0118398 and Korean Registered Utility Model Publication No. 0477442 disclose the related technology. The disclosure of this section is to provide background information relating to the present disclosure. Applicant does not admit that any information contained in this section constitutes prior art.
Aspects of the present disclosure provide a use state-switchable massage device, in which the use state can be switched so that a user may perform a massage while sitting (sitting-mode) or lying down (lying-mode), wherein when the use state is switched from the sitting state to the lying state, the massage may be performed in a state in which the user's waist is fully stretched (a state in which the spine is straightened while being curved upward).
The technical tasks provided in the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and other technical tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.
Aspects of the present disclosure provide a use state-switchable massage device comprising: a backrest part having a first support surface for supporting a user's upper body, and a massage module for massaging the user's upper body while moving along the first support surface, wherein the backrest part is rotatable so as to be switched between a first state in which the user is sitting and a second state in which the user is lying down; and a seat part having a second support surface for supporting the user's lower body; wherein the massage module is configured to massage the user's upper body in the case of the first state and to massage the user's upper and lower body in the case of the second state; wherein the backrest part includes an extension member formed to extend along the first support surface so that the massage module moves to the user's lower body in the case of the second state; and wherein the seat part includes an insertion groove into which the extension member is inserted in the case of the second state.
Here, in the case of the first state, the first support surface and the second support surface may be arranged to be inclined so as to form a first slope with each other, and in the case of the second state, the first support surface and the second support surface may be arranged on the same line.
Each of the backrest part and the extension member may be provided with a rail member extending along a moving direction of the massage module.
The massage device may further include a hinge part for hingedly fixing the backrest part so that the backrest part can rotate about a hinge point spaced upward from the second support surface.
The hinge part may include: a first support bar extending upward from the second support surface so that the hinge point is disposed at a position spaced upward therefrom; and a second support bar connecting the hinge point and the backrest part so that the backrest part can rotate about the hinge point.
The hinge part may include a first guide bar provided in the backrest part and a first guide plate provided in the seat part and having a first guide hole providing a movement path of the first guide bar, wherein the first guide hole may be configured to have the same curvature as a concentric circle centered on the hinge point.
The massage device may further include a tilting part for rotating the seat part so that a second slope is formed on the seat part.
In the case of the first state, the tilting part may rotate the seat part so that the rear of the seat part is positioned at a lower position than the front of the seat part and thus the seat part is inclined upward; and in the case of the second state, the tilting part may rotate the seat part so that the front and rear portions of the seat part are positioned at the same height, and thus the seat part is horizontally arranged.
The tilting part may include a second guide bar provided at the rear of the seat part and a second guide plate provided with a second guide hole providing a movement path of the second guide bar, wherein the second guide hole may be formed along a height direction so that the rear of the seat part moves in the height direction.
The tilting part may include a third guide bar provided at the front of the seat part and a third guide plate provided with a third guide hole providing a movement path for the third guide bar; a fourth guide bar provided at the rear of the seat part; and a fourth guide plate provided with a fourth guide hole providing a movement path for the fourth guide bar; wherein the third guide hole may be formed along an front-rear direction so that the front of the seat part moves in the front-rear direction; and wherein the fourth guide hole may be formed along the height and front-rear directions so that the rear of the seat part moves in the height and front-rear directions.
In the process of rotating the backrest part to switch from the first state to the second state, the lower end of the backrest part may move upward while lifting the rear end of the seat part so that the seat part is arranged horizontally.
The lower end of the backrest part may be provided with a locking member supporting the rear end of the seat part in the second state.
The seat part may include a cover member supporting the user's lower body to prevent it from falling into the insertion groove in the first state.
According to the use state-switchable massage device according to the present disclosure having the configuration as described above, in the process of rotating the backrest part to switch the use state from the first state to the second state, the extension member formed to extend from the backrest part is inserted into the insertion groove of the seat part, and thus interference between the backrest part and the seat part does not occur. Therefore, since the backrest part and the seat part can be completely unfolded so that the user's waist is fully stretched, chiropractic and a traction operation to lift the user's spine are performed by the massage module, thereby maximizing a massage effect. Further, in the first state, since the extension member formed to extend from the backrest part is positioned below the seat part in the height direction, the position of the center of gravity of the massage device is lowered in the first state, and thus structural stability can be secured. In addition, since the rest of the backrest part excluding the extension member only needs to support the user's upper body (cervical spine, thoracic spine, and lumbar spine), the length of the backrest part is shortened, and thus the rotation radius of the upper end of the backrest part is reduced, whereby movement of the center of gravity of the massage device is minimized in the process of switching from the first state to the second state, so that structural stability can be secured.
Further, in the first state, the first support surface provided on the backrest part and the second support surface provided on the seat part are arranged to form a first slope so that the user can sit in a comfortable posture and receive a massage; and in the second state, the first support surface and the second support surface are arranged on the same line so that the user's waist is fully stretched, whereby chiropractic and a traction operation to lift the user's spine are performed by the massage module, thereby maximizing a massage effect.
In addition, the backrest part and the extension member are arranged to be connected to each other in a state where the rail members are respectively provided therein, or an integral rail member is disposed on the backrest part and the extension member, whereby the massage module can perform continuous massage from the cervical spine to the sacral vertebrae in the second state; and the user's satisfaction is improved by removing a sense of heterogeneity which may be felt in the process of moving the massage module to the extension member. Further, in the second state, since the rail member provided in the extension member is inserted into the insertion groove and thus, a reference position, which is a position in the height direction of the massage module, becomes constant, it is easy to control the position in the height direction of thermal ceramics provided in the massage module even when said position of the thermal ceramics needs to be adjusted for customized massage according to the user's body shape; and it is easy to design a mechanism such as a guide rail for raising the thermal ceramics.
In addition, by providing the hinge part so that the hinge point serving as the central axis of rotation of the backrest part is formed at a position spaced upward from the second support surface of the seat part, the state in which the first support surface supports the user's upper body is maintained constant even when the backrest part is rotated in the process of switching the use state from the first state to the second state, and therefore, the user's satisfaction is improved by eliminating the inconvenience that may be felt when the use state is switched.
In addition, the backrest part can be stably rotated in a state where the hinge point is disposed at a position spaced upward from the second support surface by the first support bar and the second support bar.
In addition, the first guide hole provided in the first guide plate so that the backrest part rotates around a virtual hinge point is formed to have the same curvature as a concentric circle centered on the virtual hinge point; and the backrest part rotates while the first guide bar provided in the backrest part moves along the first guide hole, whereby the user does not feel uncomfortable when the backrest part is rotated to change the use state.
In addition, the seat part is configured to be rotatable by the tilting part, so that the user can receive a massage in a comfortable posture suitable for a sitting state or a lying state in which the user uses.
In addition, since the seat part is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction, even if the user's lower body is moved forward and backward by the backrest part in the process of switching the use state, the user's lower body can be stably supported by the seat part.
It should be understood that the effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above effects, and include all effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the disclosure described in the detailed description or claims of the present disclosure.
Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail so as to be easily implemented by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. The present invention may be embodied in a variety of forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly describe the present disclosure in the drawing, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted from the drawings; and throughout the specification, same or similar components are referred to as like reference numerals.
In the specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification is present, but should not be construed to preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof. In addition, when a part such as a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is said to be “on” another part, this includes not only the case where the part is “directly on” the another part, but also the case where there is still another part between them. Conversely, when a part such as a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is said to be “under” another part, this includes not only the case where the part is “directly under” the another part, but also the case where there is still another part between them.
In a first example, a massage device includes a body equipped with a thermal treatment unit, and a lower bed member that changes the length of the entire device while being deployed or overlapped in a sliding manner from the body. That is, the device is used in such a way that the user lies on the body (supporting human upper body) and the lower bed member (supporting human lower body) after the lower bed member is deployed(sitting-mode), or the user sits on the lower bed member when the lower bed member is overlapped with the upper part of the body(lying-mode). When the massage device is used in the lying-mode as described above, the body and the lower bed member are arranged side by side with the angle between them forming 180°. Therefore, since the user can lie down in a state in which the waist is fully stretched (a state in which the spine is straightened while being curved upward), chiropractic and a traction operation to lift the user's spine can be performed by the thermal treatment device during the massage process. However, when used in the sitting-mode, the lower bed member is disposed on the upper part of the body. Therefore, there is a limitation in that only stimulation by heat through the heating device provided in the lower bed member can be provided without using the thermal treatment device provided in the body.
In a second example, a massage chair includes a back part supporting the user's upper body and a chair part supporting the lower body, wherein the back part has an extension portion extending to the lower portion of the chair part. The back part is provided with an inner rail along which the massage unit moves, so that the user's upper body is massaged in a sitting state in which the user is sitting on the chair part, and the user's upper body and lower body are massaged in a lying state where the user is lying obliquely. To this end, the flat plate provided in the chair part is formed to have a groove through which the massage unit passes. In this case, in order to maximize the massage effect in the lying state, the user's spine should be pulled while lifting the waist in a state in which it is fully stretched (a state in which the spine is straightened while being curved upward). However, as described above, the groove formed in the flat plate is configured so that only the massage unit can pass therethrough, whereby when the back part is rotated and converted to the lying state, the back part can be rotated only to the extent that interference does not occur between the extension portion provided in the back part and the chair part. Therefore, the angle formed between the back part and the chair part is inevitably smaller than 180°, and in this state, the user's waist is not completely straightened, resulting in a reduced massage effect.
As shown in
The massage module 10 may perform a thermal massage on the user's body (particularly, the spine region). A hollow may be formed at the center of the backrest part 100 in the width direction Y so that the massage module 10 moves along the longitudinal direction X. The massage module 10 may have a separate moving means to perform massage while moving along the longitudinal direction X, and may have a rail member 120 as described later to provide a path for the massage module 10. The massage device may include a separate frame part 20 having leg members so that the backrest part 100 and the seat part 200 are spaced apart from the ground. In addition, the massage device may include a separate control part for controlling the rotation of the backrest part 100 and the operation of the massage module 10, wherein the control part controls the massage module 10 to massage the user's upper body in the first state (A), and controls the massage module 10 to massage the user's upper and lower body in the second state (B).
The backrest part 100 includes an extension member 110 formed to extend along the first support surface 101 so that the massage module 10 moves to the user's lower body in the second state (B). That is, in the first state (A) in which the user is sitting, the user's upper body (cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine) is massaged, whereas in the second state (B) in which the user is lying down, the massage module 10 massages the user's upper body (cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine) to lower body (coccyx spine, sacral spine) by the extension member 110.
In this case, in order to maximize the massage effect in the second state (B), the user may need to be able to lie down in a state in which the user's waist is fully stretched (a state in which the spine is straightened while being curved upward). To this end, the seat part 200 includes an insertion groove 210 into which the aforementioned extension member 110 is inserted in the second state (B). That is, in the process of rotating the backrest part 100 to switch the use state from the first state (A) to the second state (B), the extension member 110 formed to extend from the backrest part 100 is inserted into the insertion groove 210 of the seat part 200, whereby interference between the backrest part 100 and the seat part 200 does not occur, so that the backrest part 100 and the seat part 200 can be fully unfolded. As an example, when the backrest part 100 and the seat part 200 are completely unfolded, the angle formed between the backrest part 100 and the seat part 200 may be 180°. In the second state (B), when the backrest part 100 and the seat part 200 are arranged as described above, the user's waist is fully stretched, and thus, chiropractic and a traction operation to lift the user's spine are performed by the massage module 10, thereby maximizing a massage effect.
Meanwhile, in the first state (A), the extension member 110 formed to extend from the backrest part 100 may be configured to be positioned below the seat part 200 in the height direction Z. In this configuration, structural stability can be secured as the position of the center of gravity of the massage device is lowered in the first state (A). Further, since the rest of the backrest part 100 excluding the extension member 110 only needs to support the user's upper body (cervical spine, thoracic spine, and lumbar spine), the length of the backrest part 100 is shortened, and thus the rotation radius of the upper end of the backrest part 100 is reduced, whereby movement of the center of gravity of the massage device is minimized in the process of switching from the first state (A) to the second state (B), so that structural stability can be secured.
As shown in
In addition, in the second state (B), the backrest part 100 rotates so that the user can lie down and receive a massage, wherein in the process of rotating the backrest part 100, the extension member 110 moves upward and is inserted into the insertion groove 210 of the seat part 200 to support the user's lower body (coccyx spine, sacral spine). In this case, the backrest part 100 and the seat part 200 may be arranged so that the user's waist can be fully stretched (the spine can be straightened while being curved upward), and to this end, the first support surface 101 and the second support surface 201 may be disposed on the same line. That is, the first support surface 101 and the second support surface 201 are arranged such that an angle of 180° is formed therebetween. When the first support surface 101 and the second support surface 201 are arranged as described above, the user's waist is fully stretched, and thus, chiropractic and a traction operation to lift the user's spine are performed by the massage module 10, thereby maximizing a massage effect. Meanwhile, in the second state (B), the first support surface 101 and the second support surface 201 may be disposed parallel to the ground, but are not necessarily limited thereto, and may also be disposed at an angle to the ground as long as the first support surface 101 and the second support surface 201 can be disposed on the same line.
As shown in
In addition, as described above, in the process of switching the use state from the first state (A) to the second state (B), the extension member 110 of the backrest part 100 is inserted into the insertion groove 210 of the seat part 200, and thus, the rail member 120 provided in the extension member 110 is also inserted into the insertion groove 210. When configured in this way, the position in the height direction Z at which the massage module 10 moves in the second state (B) becomes constant. That is, since a reference position, which is a position in the height direction Z of the massage module 10, becomes constant, it is easy to control the position in the height direction Z of thermal ceramics provided in the massage module even when said position of the thermal ceramics needs to be adjusted for customized massage according to the user's body shape. Further, even in the case of designing a mechanism a mechanism such as a guide rail for raising the thermal ceramics, since the reference position is constant, the mechanism can be designed based on the same height direction Z position in all sections formed along the longitudinal direction X of the backrest part 100.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In the case of the first state (A), the tilting part 400 may rotate the seat part 200 so that the rear of the seat part 200 is positioned at a lower position than the front of the seat part 200 and thus the seat part 200 is inclined upward; and in the case of the second state (B), the tilting part 400 may rotate the seat part 200 so that the front and rear portions of the seat part 200 are positioned at the same height, and thus the seat part 200 is horizontally arranged. For example, the position of the seat part 200 in the height direction Z may be a position spaced apart from the ground. That is, in the case of the first state (A) in which the user sits and uses, the front of the seat part 200 is disposed at a relatively higher position than the rear thereof, thereby giving the user a sense of stability; and in the case of the second state (B) in which the user lies down and uses, the seat part 200 is positioned horizontally so that the user can receive a massage in a comfortable state.
To this end, the tilting part 400 may include a second guide bar 410 provided at the rear of the seat part 200 and a second guide plate 420 provided with a second guide hole 421 providing a movement path for the second guide bar 410, wherein the second guide hole 421 may be formed along the height direction Z so that the rear of the seat part 200 moves in the height direction Z. In this case, the front of the seat part 200 may be provided with a reference point at which the seat part 200 rotates, and the rear of the seat part 200 moves along the height direction Z around this reference point. The second guide plate 420 having the second guide hole 421 may be provided in the frame part 20, wherein the second guide bar 410 provided at the rear of the seat part 200 is rotated while being inserted into the second guide hole 421, thereby improving structural stability.
As shown in
Here, the fourth guide plate 460 provided at the rear of the seat part 200 may need to stably support the user while the rear of the seat part 200 moves in the height direction Z and the front-rear direction D. To this end, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As described above, in the process of rotating the backrest part 100 to switch the use state from the first state (A) to the second state (B), the extension member 110 formed to extend from the backrest part 100 is inserted into the insertion groove 210 of the seat part 200, whereby interference between the backrest part 100 and the seat part 200 does not occur, so that the backrest part 100 and the seat part 200 can be fully unfolded. Therefore, the user's waist is fully stretched, and thus, chiropractic and a traction operation to lift the user's spine are performed by the massage module 10, thereby maximizing a massage effect. In addition, in the first state (A), the extension member 110 extending from the backrest part 100 is located below the seat part 200 in the height direction Z, whereby structural stability can be secured as the position of the center of gravity of the massage device is lowered in the first state (A). Further, since the rest of the backrest part 100 excluding the extension member 110 only needs to support the user's upper body (cervical spine, thoracic spine, and lumbar spine), the length of the backrest part 100 is shortened, and thus the rotation radius of the upper end of the backrest part 100 is reduced, whereby movement of the center of gravity of the massage device is minimized in the process of switching from the first state (A) to the second state (B), so that structural stability can be secured.
Although an embodiment of the present disclosure have been described above, the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment presented in the subject specification; and those skilled in the art who understands the spirit of the present disclosure will be able to easily suggest other embodiments through addition, changes, elimination, and the like of elements without departing from the scope of the same spirit, and such other embodiments will also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2021-0171053 | Dec 2021 | KR | national |
