BACKGROUND ART In one known embodiment, micromassage is performed using the water from the nozzles as a vehicle for the ultrasonic waves.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a localized hydromassage device designed to improve the one described above.

According to the present invention, there is provided a localized hydromassage device as claimed in Claim 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention

will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a section of a localized hydromassage device; Figure 2 shows a larger-scale section of a portion of the Figure 1 device in the operating position.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Number 1 in Figure 1 indicates as a whole a localized hydromassage device for performing two massage actions on the same portion of the human body: a first massage by a stream of water striking said portion of the human body, and a second massage by ultrasonic waves directed onto the same portion of the human body.

Device 1 comprises a substantially cylindrical central body 2, in which a partition wall 3 defines two fluidtight channels 4 and 5-respectively top and bottom with reference to Figure 1. At a first end, central body 2 has a head 6 for performing said massage actions, and which comprises a tubular body 7 having an axial edge bent inwards to define an annular wall 8 lying in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of tubular body 7.

Tubular body 7 is threaded internally and engaged by an externally threaded annular ring nut 10, which presses a disk 11 onto annular wall 8. Disk 11, and more specifically the face of disk 11 facing inwards of head 6, is fitted with a disk-shaped transducer 12 which, as is known, generates ultrasonic waves.

With reference to Figure 1, from the outer face of

tubular body 7, close to its centreline, a second annular wall 13 extends parallel to wall 8, and from which extends an outer second tubular body 14 coaxial with tubular body 7. A cap 15 fits"bayonet-fashion"to the outer face of tubular body 14 closest to annular wall 13.

Tubular bodies 7,14 and walls 8,13 are formed, e. g. molded from plastic material, in one piece with one another and with central body 2. The edge of tubular body 14 has a shoulder 16 which, together with a second shoulder 17 formed on central body 2, defines a top opening 18 of head 6 (Figure 1); and opening 18 is closed by a click-on cover 21 made of plastic material and covered externally with a layer 22 of elastically deformable material.

Inside head 6, a second partition wall 23 is formed in one piece with partition wall 3, extends from the axial edge of wall 3 to annular wall 13, and defines, inside head 6, two spaces 24 and 25. Space 24 is bounded by cover 21, by a large portion of tubular body 14, by partition wall 23, and by disk 11, is fluidtight with respect to space 25, communicates with channel 4, and, as will be seen, houses electrical components of device 1; and space 25 is bounded by partition wall 23, by the remaining portion of tubular body 13, and by central body 2, and communicates hydraulically with channel 5.

With reference to Figure 1, an electric printed circuit is housed inside space 24, and is defined by an electronic board 26 constituting, in known manner, the

control circuit of transducer 12. Board 26 has a switch defined by a pushbutton 27, one end 27a of which projects outwards of space 24, through a hole 28 in cover 21, and is also covered with layer 22. An electric cable CV extends along channel 4 into space 24 to supply board 26, and pressurized water is channelled into space 25 along channel 5.

With reference to Figure 1, cap 15 comprises a tubular portion 31 which fits"bayonet-fashion"onto tubular body 14 and supports a membrane 33 made of elastically deformable material. More specifically, a peripheral annular portion 38 of membrane 33 is fixed to the free edge of tubular portion 31. A chamber 34 is thus formed between membrane 33 and disk 11 supporting transducer 12, and, in use, is filled with water fed along channel 5 and through space 25, and which, as is known, is the means by which the ultrasonic waves are transmitted. An annular chamber 35 is thus formed between annular wall 13 and annular portion 38 of membrane 33, and communicates hydraulically with space 25 through a hole 36 formed through annular wall 13, obviously at space 25.

A number of equally spaced through holes 37 are formed in annular portion 38, and therefore close to the peripheral edge of membrane 33, and define respective nozzles by which pressurized water is directed onto the portion of the human body for treatment.

Annular portion 38 of membrane 33 is thickened and

has an annular appendix 38a. It should be pointed out that, between appendix 38a and tubular body 7, a clearance 41 (Figure 2) is defined to allow water to flow from chamber 35 to chamber 34. The central portion of membrane 33 has a number of through holes 42 where membrane 33 is thickened for the reasons explained later on.

In actual use, central body 2 is gripped to rest head 6 on the portion of the human body for treatment, so that the user is massaged by the water from holes 37 and 42, and by the ultrasonic waves transmitted by the water from holes 42. As shown in Figure, the water fed into chamber 34 expands membrane 33, which thus increases in surface area and acts on a larger area of the human body than that contacting the non-expanded membrane 33.

Moreover, the massage effect is enhanced by chamber 34 adapting to the contour of the portion of the human body on which it is placed.

The result is effective massage action at surface level, and also at a deeper level by the ultrasonic waves penetrating the outer skin tissue. Since the ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the water in and from chamber 34, transmission depends on both the amount of water in chamber 34 and water flow from holes 42 (number and diameter of holes 42). Membrane 33 being made of elastically deformable material, the pressure with which membrane 33 is applied by the user to the portion of the human body determines the amount of water inside chamber

34 and therefore the degree of expansion of membrane 33.

The pressure exerted by the user on the portion of the human body for treatment causes the water to flow back from chamber 34 to chamber 35 through clearance 41 between chambers 34 and 35.

Another important point to note is that, given the increased thickness of membrane 33 at holes 42, expansion of membrane 33 produces no variation in the diameter of holes 42, from which a constant water flow is therefore maintained at all times. Also, the electric parts of device 1 are powered directly on head 6 by means of pushbutton 27, and are housed inside fluidtight space 24.

Since, as is known, the penetration depth of the ultrasonic waves, and therefore the effectiveness of the treatment, depends on the frequency of the ultrasonic waves, and specific power values expressed in W/cm2 are better suited to different portions of the human body, device 1 is provided, in known manner not shown, with frequency and power regulators.

For convenient use, device 1 may be produced in the form of a"hand-held shower"and integrated for use in a shower stall or bathtub.