The device comprises a tubular housing which is sized so that a user can hold it in his hand, in one end of the housing a contact treating head is placed containing permanent magnet and having a contact surface for making contact to skin surface possible.

Acupuncture is a long-know therapy which makes use of stimulating certain acupoints or combination of certain acupoints on the human body in order to promote patient's recovery or to enhance functioning of certain organs. A well-known method of application of acupuncture is in which a thin needle is pierced into the human body for stimulating the specific acupoint. There also exists a recent method which is known as electropuncture. In this method there is no need for piercing the skin surface since effects similar to traditional acupuncture can be elicited by applying electric tension for stimulation. The advantages of this method are that it is tender, much more hygienic and there is no need for sterilization of needles which is necessary in case of using needles.

Another method is also known in which combination of electric field and needles is used. Patent application US 3908669 describes a method in which pulses of variable frequency, amplitude and current intensity are transmitted to acupuncture needles. In patent application US 5385150 electropuncture electrodes are used.

Patent application US 4508119 describes an advantageous method in which magnetic and electric field is applied simultaneously together with acupuncture needles.

Patent application HU 218645 describes an electric equipment for treatment of various diseases, such as tumorous and liver diseases by stimulating acupuncture points on the skin surface. The equipment comprises a variable frequency pulse generator having electric connecting points which provide for body potential and pulse output. One common or two separate electrodes are connected to these connecting points, advantageously a particular part of one of the electrodes or the common electrode is provided with metal surface while the end part of the other electrode or the common electrode is electrically connected to the electric connecting point provided for pulse output. The end part of the electrode which is connected to the connecting point of the pulse output is formed of a disc-shaped, electrically conductive permanent magnet. In this way the equipment ensures that a user without having medical skill may stimulate the appropriate acupoints and therefore it is adapted even for self-treatment.

Patent application US 6113530 describes a portable magnetic acupuncture equipment having a double treating head or two ends. One of the ends has a shape of a cone having a pointed tip, the surface of the other end is shaped to form a circular concave groove. Inside the equipment two magnets are disposed which are separated by an insulation member made of a magnetic insulation material. The casing of the equipment is suited for directing the magnetic field. In fact, the equipment is made up of two pieces: the aforementioned two-ended piece and a magnetic field enhancing device which comprises an electromagnet and which is fed from an outer source of energy. Without the enhancing device the magnetic force is too low. Therefore this solution is disadvantageous in respect of applicability and portability.

In one aspect the aim of the present invention is to replace the known electric and at the same time magnetic electrodes by more effective ones, and to eliminate the complexity resulting from the necessary use of the electric device, without decreasing the desired efficiency in the slightest degree. In another aspect the aim of the present invention is to implement a device which is comprised of a single piece, and to eliminate the need for the source of electric energy.

It has been realized that efficiency of the treatment is principally provided by the magnetic nature of the electrode which is in contact with the skin surface. The electric effect can be eliminated and can be replaced by mechanical pressure (acupressure) which results in a similar effect. Thereby the device can be rendered independent from any kind of electrical subassembly, source of electric energy. By applying local mechanical pressure on an appropriate surface area of the body and at the same time applying magnetic force on the same surface in an area at least equal to or even larger than the surface, a similar effect can be elicited as with the device described in patent application HU 218645.

Further, it has been realized that formation of the magnetic field at the frontal area of the magnetic contact treating head has a significant influence on the efficiency of the treatment. In case of a disc shaped permanent magnet the magnetic lines of force turn back in the middle of the disc, and a local inhomogenity occurs here. To reduce it, two separate magnetized permanent magnets are used in the improved treating head which are coupled together at their sides having opposite polarity. In this way the magnetic dead-space characterizing the middle part of the magnet's effective frontal area disappears. Experiences show that the type of the resultant polarity at the contact surface of the treating head is essential, and it turned out to be beneficial when it was north pole.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention the portable magnetic device according to the preamble comprises a permanent magnet which is made up of at least a first piece and a second piece, the first piece contains the entire contact surface, the north pole of the first piece is disposed at the contact surface, and the second piece is coupled to a side of the first piece being opposite the contact surface in such a way that the polarity of the second piece is the same as the polarity of the contact surface of the first piece.

Now details of the invention will be described by means of the attached drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a typical embodiment of the device according to the invention, Figure 2 shows the pieces of the magnet of the device according to the invention, and Figure 3 shows the first piece of the magnet of the device according to a specific embodiment of the invention where a protrusion or a blunt peak is formed in the center part of the first piece.

In figure 1 a typical embodiment of the device according to the invention is shown. The device is provided with a contact treating head 2 disposed at an end of a tubular housing 1 sized so that a user can hold it in his hand. Treating head 2 comprising a permanent magnet has a contact surface 3 for making contact with the skin surface possible. In respect of the invention it is essential that the permanent magnet is made up of at least a first piece 5 and a second piece 4, the first piece 5 contains the entire contact surface 3, the north pole of the first piece 5 is disposed at the contact surface 3, and the second piece 4 is coupled to a side of the first piece 5 being opposite the contact surface 3 in such a way that the polarity of the second piece 4 is the same as the polarity of the contact surface 3 of the first piece 5. In fact, the first piece 5 and the second piece 4 are two separate permanent magnets which are assembled in a position shown in figure 1. The clamping flange of treating head 2 terminates in the plane of contact surface 3 of the first piece 5. The right flange of treating head 2 overlaps the contact surface 3 of the first piece 5 marked with dashed lines in figure 1.

Thus, the permanent magnet in treating head 2 is made up of a first piece 5 and a second piece 4. In an advantageous embodiment first piece 5 is disc shaped.

First piece 5 contains the entire contact surface 3 the margin of which is therefore circular, and the north pole of the first piece 5 is disposed at contact surface 3. The second piece 4 is coupled to a side of the first piece 5 being opposite the contact surface 3 in such a way that the polarity of the second piece 4 is the same as the polarity of the contact surface 3 of the first piece 5. Advantageously, the second piece 4 is also disc-shaped, the diameter d1 of the second piece 4 and the diameter d2 of the first piece 5 are of equal length or diameter d1 may be slightly less than diameter d2 as it is shown in figure 2. Preferably, diameter d1 is not less than the half of diameter 2. Then, reduction of local magnetic force occurring on contact surface 3 in the middle part of first piece 5 is satisfactorily compensated by the supplementary force of the second piece 4. Thickness h1 and h2 of the discs may be for example 2- 5 mm. The material of them may be any known permanent magnet material which does not cause contact allergy and has satisfactory coercive force. Advantageously, coercive force measurable on contact surface 3 of permanent magnet containing first piece 5 and second piece 4 must be at least 2500-3000 Gauss. However, by having more pieces even 4000-5000 Gauss may be provided.

Experience shows that treating head 2 which gets into contact with the body- surface proved to be the most effective when having a flat circular contact surface 3 with a diameter between 10-18 mm. In case of using such a disc-like magnet for exerting pressing force necessary for acupressure, pressure is distributed over a relatively large area. When the surface is reduced, higher local pressure may be obtained with the same pressing force. For this purpose, advantageously a protrusion or a blunt peak 6 may be used in contact surface 3, preferably in the center part of it.

Protrusion or blunt peak 6 may be an additional element which is attached to contact surface 3, or is fixed in a bore-hole formed in contact surface 3. It is not necessary to make the additional element from a magnetic material, it may be for example made of plastic. The measurement of the additional element may be 10-20% of the diameter of contact surface 3, and may protrude from contact surface 3 up to 1-4 mm for example.

However, assembling first piece 5 and second piece 4 is facilitated because they have opposite polarity, that is they attract each other, practically they may be fixed together for example by forming a frame around the perimeter of the disc in treating head 2. Also, first piece 5 and second piece 4 may be adhered to each other using a customary adhesive for metals, since layer of adhesive between the pieces substantially does not have an influence on the magnetic field. In a certain case second piece 4 of the magnet may also be a composite piece having several component parts. For simplicity, in this case second piece 4 is considered as a single piece irrespective of whether it is originally made up of one piece or the magnetic field is induced as resultant of several smaller component parts. The only thing taken for granted in case of second piece 4 is that it has two definite poles along an axis.

To this end, several component parts having the same direction of polarization may be used. Advantageously, the number of the component parts is three. Then treating head 2 comprises altogether four magnets, in which case 4600 Gauss can be provided at contact surface 3. The diameters of the component parts are less than or equal to the diameter of the first part 5. When choosing the material of them the largest magnetic field obtainable must be taken into account.

In the foregoing it was stated that in the most typical case first piece 5 and second piece 4 of permanent magnet are both disc-shaped, and the diameter of the second piece equals to that of the first piece or at most less by 50 per cent. In these cases development of the resultant magnetic field in the middle part of the contact surface proved to be advantageous. Here, the contact surface is a circular plate, its boundary is round. Naturally, magnet or first piece having other shapes may also be used, such as square, hexagon, etc. However, in such cases manufacture of the magnet and the device is more complicated.

Preferably, contact treating head 2 can be removed as a whole from tubular housing 1 of the device if the permanent magnet needs to be replaced because of getting contaminated, broken or damaged. With such an exchangeable treating head, when needed, alternate use of magnets of different coercive force becomes possible.

For effective use of the portable magnetic device provided with a contact treating head according to the invention one must know the particular points adapted for stimulating specific acupoints on human body or combination of them. Further, it is important to know how frequently the treatment must be applied, and also the extent of the pressure to be exerted and the length of time of application. However, it is not the subject matter of the present invention, which is merely a device that can be manufactured easily, and can be used in various ways for stimulating specific acupoints on human body.