The present invention relates to a powered massage head and, more particularly, to a powered massage head having a contained power source.
The following art defines the present state of this field:
Mollohan, U.S. Pat. No. D823,479, is the design for the PSO-RITE® massage tool. The massage tool is formed of one piece, having two vertical heads, and is not adjustable to allow for different body sizes.
PSO-SPINE™ is a product similar to the PSO-RITE® massage tool, which is intended to relieve tight muscles adjacent to the spine. The PSO-SPINE™ tool is formed of one piece, having a series of vertical-only heads that are not adjustable or interchangeable.
The PSOAS Release Tool is a massage tool designed with wheels to allow adjustment of body positioning during use. The PSOAS Release Tool is sold by a company by the same name located at 1605 W 2100 S. Salt Lake City, Utah 84119. While the PSOAS Release Tool allows adjusting of the user's body while using the tool, it is not adjustable in length to allow for different body sizes and does not include interchangeable massage heads for different types of massage.
Karvandi, U.S. Pat. No. D905,180 is the design for the HIP HERO Psoas Massager. The HIP HERO heads are adjustable via a very limited sliding mechanism; however, the heads are not removable or interchangeable for different types of massage.
Howard, U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,742 describes a massaging device for massage along the spine comprising a hand-held frame with rollers.
Vitko, U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,997 describes a back stimulation device comprising a frame with a headrest, axles, and roller balls.
Emmel, U.S. Publication No. 2006/0247562 describes a manipulation device having a pair of protrusions directed upward and spaced to allow room for a person's spinal column or large muscle groups or joints to be suspended between said protrusions.
Masek, U.S. Publication No. 2009/0012435 describes an adjustable massage tool comprising a base, a first threaded shank engaged with a first threaded fastener, a second threaded shank engaged with a second threaded fastener, a first pressure ball attached to the first threaded shank, and a second pressure ball attached to the second threaded shank, wherein the pressure balls are configured to extend upwards from the base when the base is placed on the ground.
Chongsu LEE, U.S. Publication No. 2020/0297570 describes a back therapy apparatus comprising manipulating elements movably mounted to a frame and controlled by a controller coupled to the manipulating elements.
Burns, et al., U.S. Publication No. 2020/0323733 describes a portable therapeutic device comprising a body with a recessed region and massage balls within the recessed region, and a power source coupled to the massage balls.
The following references are also relevant to the field of invention: U.S. D615,662, U.S. D698,035, U.S. D697,630 U.S. D687,958, and U.S. Pat. No. 9,687,416.
The prior art teach massage devices with rollers, balls, and massage heads in various arrangements. However, the prior art does not teach a single powered massage head that for targeting different body parts and different body sizes.
The present invention relates to a powered massage head and, more particularly, to a powered massage head having a contained power source. The powered massage head comprises an exterior portion, an interior portion, a top portion, and a bottom portion. The top portion is formed to contact a portion of a user's body. The powered massage head further comprises a motor within the interior portion, a power source within the interior portion and configured for providing power to the motor, a control mechanism for controlling the motor, and a printed circuit board housed within the interior portion and connected with the control mechanism.
In another aspect, a protrusion extends from the bottom portion, and the protrusion is formed to be removably inserted into a massage board.
In another aspect, the exterior portion extending from the bottom portion to the top portion is substantially curved.
In another aspect, the exterior portion extending from the bottom portion to the top portion is substantially straight.
In another aspect, the top portion forms an arch having a first end and a second end.
In another aspect, the powered massage head further comprises a printed circuit board housed within the interior portion.
In another aspect, the motor is configured to cause a vibratory action of the exterior portion.
In another aspect, the powered massage head further comprises an outer covering having an aperture therein, wherein the outer covering fits over at least a portion of the top portion.
In another aspect, the invention comprises a control element configured to send signals to the printed circuit board.
In another aspect, the control element is a wireless remote.
In another aspect, the control element is a mobile application on a mobile device.
The present invention also relates to a method of forming a powered massage head. The method comprises acts of forming an exterior portion, an interior portion, a top portion, and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion is formed to contact a portion of a user's body. The method further comprises acts of positioning a motor within the interior portion; positioning a power source within the interior portion and connecting the power source with the motor; configuring the power source to provide power to the motor; and positioning a printed circuit board configured to control the motor within the interior portion.
In another aspect, a protrusion extending from the bottom portion is formed, wherein the protrusion is formed to be removably inserted into a massage board.
In another aspect, the exterior portion extending from the bottom portion to the top portion is formed to be substantially curved.
In another aspect, the exterior portion extending from the bottom portion to the top portion is formed to be substantially straight.
In another aspect, the top portion is formed as an arch having a first end and a second end.
In another aspect, a printed circuit board is positioned within the interior portion.
In another aspect, an outer covering having an aperture therein is formed, and the outer covering is positioned over at least a portion of the top portion of the massage head.
The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, where:
The present invention relates to a powered massage head and, more particularly, to a powered massage head having a contained power source. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of aspects. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the aspects presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.
Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter-clockwise have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions between various portions of an object. As such, as the present invention is changed, the above labels may change their orientation.
(1.1) Powered Self-Massage Head
Described herein is a therapeutic, powered self-massage head intended to release muscle tension for various abdomen, leg, back and neck muscle groups, including the iliopsoas, gluteus maximus, quadratus lumborum, and piriformis. In the embodiment shown in
A user positions the massage head 100 within the desired slot 202 and then presses down on the powered massage head 100 to lock the massage head 100 into place on the massage board 200. In order to release/remove a massage head 100, the user then pulls the massage head 100 up and out of the slot 202 with a small amount of force. One or more massage heads 100 can be positioned into the massage board 200 and independently turned on, independently or simultaneously, to elicit a functional response, such as vibration and/or heat, as described below.
The massage head 100 described herein is formed such that it contains its own power source.
Additionally, a rechargeable battery 306 is housed within the massage head 100 and connected with the PCB 300 to provide power to the PCB 300. In one or more embodiments, the motor 304 vibrates or delivers percussion therapy via a button/switch 308 on the powered self-massage head 100. One or more massage heads 100 (typically two) are activated by the button/switch 308 on the massage head 100 that, when placed in the “on” position, provides battery power to the motor 304 inside the massage head 100. Two massage heads 100 may be paired with one another via Bluetooth® technology, such that any action applied to control one of the massage heads 100 will have the same effect on the other paired massage head 100. In the embodiment shown in
The wired or wireless remote 302 may also change the vibration volume setting to apply less or more vibration to the tip/edge of the curved massage head 100. The top portion 310 of the massage head 100 can be one piece of injection molded plastic or, in an alternate embodiment, two pieces of injection molded plastic such that the tip (upper portion) of the massage head 100 (which can be made out of a different material than the rest of the head, such as an elastomeric material) can flex and move somewhat independently from the larger base lower portion) of the massage head 100.
In addition to controlling a vibratory mechanism of each massage head 100, the PCB 300 may also be configured to be able to control heating elements 312 within the massage head 100. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the heating elements 312 may be wire wound, etched foil, or any suitable mechanism for implementing heat in the massage head 100.
The exterior of the powered massage head 400 may be substantially curved extending from the bottom portion 301 to the top portion 310, as shown in
(1.2) Outer Covering for Powered Massage Head
Another embodiment of the powered massage head includes an outer covering that fits over the powered massage head and covers at least portion of the top portion of the powered massage head. The outer covering may be removable or permanently attached with the powered massage head through any suitable mechanism, such as adhesive. The purpose of the outer covering is to sustain the weight of the portion of the user's body that is positioned on the massage head. In the embodiment shown in
Finally, while this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the invention may have other applications in other environments. It should be noted that many embodiments and implementations are possible. Further, the following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the specific embodiments described above. In addition, any recitation of “means for” is intended to evoke a means-plus-function reading of an element and a claim, whereas, any elements that do not specifically use the recitation “means for”, are not intended to be read as means-plus-function elements, even if the claim otherwise includes the word “means”.
This is a Continuation-in-Part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/180,654, filed in the United States on Feb. 19, 2021, entitled, “Self-Massage Device Having Interchangeable Massage Heads and Board”, which is a Non-Provisional application of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/051,164, filed in the United States on Jul. 13, 2020, entitled, “Pso Much Better,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. application Ser. No. 17/180,654 is also a Non-Provisional application of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/116,655, filed in the United States on Nov. 20, 2020, entitled, “Roman Arch Therapeutic Device,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/128,636, filed in the United States on Dec. 21, 2020, entitled, “Electrical Platform for Receiving Removable Therapeutic Heads,” the entirety of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63051164 | Jul 2020 | US | |
63116655 | Nov 2020 | US | |
63128636 | Dec 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 17180654 | Feb 2021 | US |
Child | 17827450 | US |