Patent Application
20220313536
The present invention relates generally to the field of personal comfort accessories. More specifically, the present invention relates to a back-massaging device. The device is comprised of a generally u-shaped housing that contains an internal motor and a hinge-attached frame arms which connect to first and second hinge-attached handles. The rear surface of the device has a massage head that can be activated via a plurality of buttons located on the top surface of the housing or the handles. Further, the device can easily fold for storage or transport purposes. During use, the device can be placed around the back of an individual user in an unfolded and locked state such that individuals can massage otherwise hard-to-reach areas of their back in a manner that requires little flexibility or dexterity. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices and methods of manufacture.
Massage and other personal comfort devices such as massage wands or guns are known in the art and are used by many individuals to massage various body parts after physical activity such as exercising, playing sports, lifting weights, etc. Further, existing massage guns or wands known in the art typically have a stem or handle that can be gripped or held by a user in order to position the massage head of the device on the desired body part to be massaged or treated. However, the stem or handle of existing massage devices are normally short in length and require some stretching in order to reach all areas of the back portion of an individual, such that a user cannot physically reach certain areas of his or her back while holding the handle. Further, even if the handle of existing massage devices were longer, a user would still require extreme shoulder and arm flexibility to massage specific hard-to-reach areas of the back. Understandably, this level of flexibility or dexterity is not possessed by most individuals, if any individuals due to the anatomy of the human body or due to other situations such as age or physical condition.
Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved massaging or physical therapy treatment device. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a massaging or physical therapy treatment device that allows a user to massage or otherwise treat hard-to-reach areas of the back, torso or other areas. Finally, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a back massaging or treatment device that any user can use to massage or treat the back, torso or other difficult to reach areas, without requiring any significant level of flexibility or dexterity in order to reach and massage the desired back or difficult to reach area.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a back, torso or other difficult to reach area massaging device. The device body has a generally U-shaped housing or frame which receives two hinge-attached frame arms. Each frame arm has a foldable handle that can be stored or concealed within each arm when not in use. Further, both frame arms can also be concealed or folded when not in use, to allow the device to be easily transported and stored. In addition, the rear surface of the device includes a massage head that is powered by a motor contained within the housing. Accordingly, a user can unfold the device, place the device around the back or other area of the body, and massage areas of the back or body easily and without any significant level of flexibility or dexterity due to the shape and configuration of the device.
In this manner, the back massaging or physical therapy treatment device of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and provides a massaging device that can comfortably be used to massage the back or other area of a user. Further, the back massaging or physical therapy treatment device does not require any significant level of flexibility or dexterity to allow a user to massage hard-to-reach areas of the body. As a result, the device overcomes the deficiencies of other known massage devices in the art that otherwise do not allow a user to massage hard-to-reach areas due to a lack of flexibility or dexterity and/or handle length.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key or critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a massaging or physical therapy device. The device has a generally U-shaped housing or frame that includes a pair of hinge-attached foldable frame arms or extensions, a pair of foldable handles attached to each of the arms or extensions, a motor and a massage or treatment head. The motor of the device is stored within the housing or frame and can be powered via a disposable or rechargeable battery. The motor further attaches to a shaft that receives a fixedly attached or removable massage or treatment head. In differing embodiments of the device, the massage head may have any firm or semi-firm material and may be shaped in a plurality of massage or treatment specific shapes.
The housing or frame may also have a pair of hingedly-attached, foldable frame arms which extend upwardly from the frame so as to be easily grasped by the hands. Each frame or support arm also has a hinge-attached handle. Accordingly, both the frame or support arms and handles can be folded for transport or storage purposes. Further, the handle (or top surface of the housing or frame) may have a power button and intensity button that allows a user to control the power of the motor and intensity of the massage or treatment head. Accordingly, to use the device an individual first unfolds the frame arms and handles and locks the hinges of each into place. Then, the motor and massage head can be activated via the on/off, power and intensity level buttons. Next, the unfolded device can be flipped one-hundred and eighty degrees around the back of the user or positioned to massage or treat the desired part of the body. As such, a user can then move his or her arms or shoulders to allow the massage or treatment device to reach and massage differing areas of the back or other portions of the body.
Accordingly, the back massaging device of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it allows a user to massage hard-to-reach areas such as their back in an easier manner than existing massage guns, wands or other devices. Further, use of this invention requires little flexibility or dexterity, which would otherwise be required to attempt to massage the same hard-to-reach areas of the body with any existing massage device known in the art. Further, unlike existing massage devices, the back or body massaging device can be folded into a much smaller compact shape for storage, ease of handling and transport purposes.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved massaging or therapy providing device. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a massaging or therapy providing device that allows a user to reach and massage otherwise hard-to-reach areas of the body such as the back. Finally, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a back massaging or therapy providing device that can be used to massage hard-to-reach areas of a user's body without requiring any significant level of flexibility or dexterity in order to position or reach the desired body area, that would otherwise be required when using existing massage devices known in the art.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is comprised of a back massaging or therapy providing device. The device includes a plurality of components, and in one example the preferred components of the device include: a generally U-shaped housing that has a pair of hinge-attached foldable frame arms, a pair of foldable handles attached to said frame arms, a motor and an interchangeable massage head. The motor of the device is located within the housing and can be powered by a disposable or rechargeable battery. Further, the motor attaches to a shaft that receives a massage head. The massage head may be fixedly-attached or removably-attached to the shaft in differing embodiments. In addition, the massage head may have any firm or semi-firm material and may be shaped in a plurality of massage or therapy aiding specific shapes. The heads may also have a fabric or other coverings, which may be removed for washing, as well as projections provided on the head in a number of different configurations.
The housing may include a pair of hinged-attached, foldable frame arms. Each frame arm has a hinge-attached handle which may be angled forward or backward to easily accommodate the hand of the user. Accordingly, both the frame arms and handles can both be folded for storage, handling or transport purposes. In differing embodiments, the handle or top surface of the housing may have a power button and intensity button that allows a user to control the power of the motor and intensity of the massage or therapy head. To begin using the device, an individual first unfolds the frame arms and handles and locks the hinges of the arms and handles into place. Then, the motor and massage head can be activated via the power and intensity level buttons via the buttons located on the top surface of the handle. Next, the unfolded device can be flipped one-hundred and eighty degrees or to any position so as to reach around the back or other body area of the user. As such, a user can then move his or her arms or shoulders to allow the massage or therapy device to reach and massage or treat differing areas of the back or body area.
As a result, the massaging or therapy providing device of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it allows a user to massage the back or other body part in an easier manner than while using existing massage devices. Further, the manner in which the device can be operated requires little flexibility or dexterity. In contrast, the same may not be true if a user attempted to massage the same back areas with existing massage device. Further, unlike existing massage devices, the back massaging device of the present invention can be folded into a much smaller compact shape for storage, handling and transport purposes.
Referring initially to the drawings,
The body 110 of the device 100 is generally U-shaped housing 120 that has a top surface 124, a bottom surface 126, a front surface 127 and a rear surface 128. It is contemplated that the dimensions of the housing 120 are such that the body 110 can easily fit around the shoulders, upper body and/or back 10 of an individual during use. Within the housing 120, the device 100 has a small electric motor 122 that can be accessed via a removable access plate 129 within the rear surface 128 of the frame or housing. The motor 122 may be powered via a battery such as a disposable battery or a rechargeable battery in the form of an alkaline, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride battery, etc. such as any 3V-12 volts DC battery or other conventional battery such as A, AA, AAA, etc. may supply power to the motor 122. The term “battery” or “batteries” may be used to refer to one or more wet or dry cells or batteries of cells in which chemical energy is converted into electricity and used as a source of DC power. References to recharging or replacing batteries may refer to recharging or replacing individual cells, individual batteries of cells, or a package of multiple battery cells as is appropriate for any given battery technology that may be used. Further, in an embodiment of the device 100 where the motor 122 contains a rechargeable battery, the battery may be recharged via a USB charging port 1241 on the top surface 125 of the housing 120, wherein the charging port 1241 may be comprised of a USB-A, USB-B, Micro-B, Micro-USB, Mini-USB, or USB-C port. The frame may also have a timer 152 to show the duration of the massage or treatment and the timer may include an alarm to notify the individual that sufficient time has elapsed and the treatment or massage should end or that the battery life is low.
As best seen in
Accordingly, the powering of the motor 122 may be controlled via a power button 1240. Further, the intensity of the pulsation of the massage head 1280 can be controlled via an intensity level button 1242 that raises or lowers the intensity of the pulsating, depending on the direction the button 1242 is pressed. Both buttons 1240, 1242 may be located on various surfaces throughout the body 110, including (but not limited to) the top surface 124 of the housing 120 or the front surface 1440 of the handles 144 (as will be explained more fully below).
As also seen in
Each arm 134 includes a foldable handle 144. Each handle 144 is preferably rectangular or cylindrical in shape with rounded edges 1443 such that the junction between the front surface 1440, side surfaces 1441, and bottom surface 1442 of the handle 144 does not uncomfortably dig into the hand 12 of an individual during use. As also noted above, the front surface 1440 of each handle 144 may have the power button 1240 or intensity level button 1242 that allows a user to control the motor 122 and massage head 1280. Alternatively, the side surfaces 1441 or bottom surface 1442 may have the power button 1240 or intensity level button 1242 that allow a user to control the motor 122 and massage head 1280. Further, each handle 144 is preferably attached to each frame arm 134 via at least one hinge 146. The handles 144 and 1440 are movable as shown by 155 and can be adjusted by the individual to have a more comfortable fit. In differing embodiments, the at least one hinge 146 may be a plurality of hinge types such but not limited to: an offset blind hinge, a knuckle hinge, a butt hinge, a rising butt hinge, a gravity pivot hinge, a ball bearing hinge, a barrel hinge, a concealed hinge, a knife hinge, a piano hinge, a strap hinge, a pivot hinge, a gas-piston hinge, an injection molded hinge, a locking hinge, etc.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “back massaging device” and “device” are interchangeable and refer to the back massaging device 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the back massaging device 100 of the present invention and its various components can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that they accomplish the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration and material of the back massaging device 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the back massaging device 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the back massaging device 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the back massaging device 100 may be of any size, shape and/or configuration that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/169,483, which was filed on Apr. 1, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63169483 | Apr 2021 | US |
