Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device suitable for reducing the times of muscle recovery from fatigue resulting from physical effort. In particular, the present invention is mainly used in gyms, swimming pools and in general in places where training and physical exercises that require the user to make physical effort are carried out.

Known prior art

It is known that among the events that cause the onset of muscle fatigue, a key role is probably played by the increase in the concentration of serotonin in the central nervous system, which determines the action potential that leads to muscle contraction.

In particular, it would seem that, as a result of physical effort, the muscle cells of the human body spontaneously tend to switch from action potential to resting potential, during this phase called repolarization, the cell recovers its negative polarity by means of a current of K+ (potassium) ions from the extracellular environment. This current of K+ ions carries a certain number of positive charges outside the cell, thus returning the membrane potential back to resting values.

In conditions of excessive polarization of the extracellular environment, for example due to high concentrations of K+ ions, muscle masses have great difficulty in restoring their functional balance except in very long time (three to five days).

Summary of the invention

Object of the present invention is to provide a device that can improve quick muscle recovery after a physical effort.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device that can speed up the repolarization of muscle cells in the human body after a physical effort.

The present invention achieves these and other objects by means of a device for the repolarization of the human body according to claim 1 and the related dependent claims.

In particular, the device for the repolarization of the human body comprises an input probe and an output probe both electrically connected by means of a connecting circuit, said input probe comprises a first conductive plate provided with a plurality of conductive tips arranged so that to jut from a face of said first conductive plate, said output probe comprises a second conductive plate provided with another plurality of conductive tips arranged so that to jut from a face of said second conductive plate.

The device further comprises at least one first casing made of an electrically insulating material designed to cover the conductive tips of the input probe. This casing comprises at least one insulating input tip with the same direction of extension of the conductive tips of the first conductive plate.

The term "tip" means herein a generic body tapered towards a direction of extension. Therefore, the term tip comprises not only a substantially conical or pyramidal body, but also a truncated cone or truncated pyramid or similar geometric shapes, having for example a "rounded" portion at the vertex (i.e. the most tapered part of the tip).

Preferably, the input probe is positioned with the insulating input tips facing the user's skin surface. The Applicant was able to found that, by positioning the input probe at a distance between 10 cm and 30 cm (preferably at a distance of approximately 20 cm) from the soles of the feet of a user who made a physical effort, the muscle recovery from fatigue can be improved in the first fifteen minutes following the effort. It is therefore believed that the device interacts with the human body of the user thus causing the repolarization of muscle cells to be sped up.

It should be noted that no ascertained theory provides an exhaustive explanation of this phenomenon, although experimental evidence carried out by an independent laboratory (Istituto di Bioimmagini e Fisiologia Molecolare (IBFM) of the Italian Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)) seems to confirm that the use of the claimed device involves a tendency to better recover strength levels after fatigue.

According to an aspect of the invention, the device comprises at least one second casing made of electrically insulating material designed to cover the conductive tips of the output probe. Preferably, the second casing comprises at least one insulating output tip having the same direction of extension of the conductive tips of the second conductive plate. More preferably, the number of insulating input tips is larger than, or equal to, the number of insulating output tips.

Preferably the insulating tips have substantially conical shape. The substantially conical shape, for example, allows the insulating tips to be easily made integral with the casing (e.g. by milling). Preferably, the insulating tips are substantially hollow, i.e. inside them there is a cavity defined by the side walls of the tip.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, at least one insulating input tip is coaxial to at least one respective conductive tip of the first conductive plate, and the at least one insulating output tip is coaxial to a respective conductive tip of said second conductive plate.

Preferably, said at least one first casing comprises a first insulating panel arranged parallel to said first conductive plate and said at least one second casing comprises a second insulating panel arranged parallel to said second conductive plate, said at least one insulating input tip being arranged on said first insulating panel and said at least one insulating output tip being arranged on said second insulating panel. This way, the insulating panels can be arranged to uniformly cover all the conductive tips in the respective conductive plates.

Preferably, the insulating input and output panels are arranged at a distance (d) of between 1mm and 15 cm from the conductive tips.

According to a particular aspect of the present invention, the input and output insulating tips are at least partially embedded in the respective insulating panels. Preferably the tips are fully embedded so that they do not protrude from the outer surface of the insulating panel. This solution gives greater safety to the device according to the present invention by protecting the user from possible contact with the tips that could be dangerous in case of accidental impact with a part of the body. According to a further aspect of the present invention, the conductive tips are arranged so that to jut from the respective conductive plates with a surface density between about 50 tips/m ² and about 10000 tips/m ² .

Brief description of the drawings

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be more evident from the following description, made for illustration purposes only and without limitation, referring to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective side view of a particular embodiment of the device according to the present invention; figure 2 is a sectional view of the casing made of electrically insulating material in a particular embodiment according to the present invention.

Embodiments of the invention

Figure 1 shows a particular embodiment of a device 1 for the repolarization of the human body according to the present invention. The device 1 comprises an input probe 2 and an output probe 3 both electrically connected by means of a connecting circuit 4.

No power supply is required by the device 1 according to the present invention. The connecting circuit 4 only includes passive elements such as resistors and capacitors. Preferably, the connecting circuit is provided with a selector 4a by which the input probe 2 can be electrically connected to and/or disconnected from the output probe 3. The connecting circuit 4, for example, can be electrically connected between the input probe 2 and the output probe 3 by means of two electric cables 4b. The electric cables 4b can be equipped with connectors (e.g. of "jack" type) adapted to be inserted in special connecting sockets provided in the input probe 2, in the output probe 3 and in the connecting circuit 4. Additionally, by means of the selector 4a some electrical parameters of the connecting circuit 4 can be modified in order to achieve different impedance levels between the input probe 2 and the output probe 3.

Referring to figure 1, the input probe 2 comprises a first conductive plate 5 provided with a plurality of conductive tips 6. In particular, the conductive tips 6 are arranged so that to jut from a face 5a of the first conductive plate 5. The output probe 3 comprises a second conductive plate 7 provided with an additional plurality of conductive tips 6 arranged so that to jut from a face 7a of the second conductive plate 7.

The faces 5b, 7b, of the conductive plates 5, 7, opposite the respective faces 5a, 7a (i.e. those equipped with the conductive tips 6), are electrically connected to the connecting circuit 4.

The conductive plates 5, 7 are made of metal material, preferably copper. Preferably, the conductive plates 5, 7 have a substantially circular shape or more preferably a quadrangular shape. In a preferred embodiment the conductive plates 5, 7 can have square shape with a side length preferably between 10 cm and 30 cm. In a further embodiment the plates 5, 7 can have circular shape with a diameter length preferably between 10 cm and 30 cm.

The conductive tips 6 can be made of the same material as the conductive plates 5, 7 (e.g. copper) or they can be made of different materials (e.g. brass). The conductive tips 6 can be fixed or constrained to the conductive plates 5, 7 by welding or by mechanical constraints. For example, the conductive tips 6 can be provided with a threaded portion adapted to be screwed into threaded holes made on the face 5a, 7a of the conductive plate 5, 7.

Preferably the number of conductive tips on the first conductive plate 5 (the one of the input probe 2) is greater than the number of conductive tips on the second conductive plate 7 (the one of the output probe 3). In particular, the conductive tips 6 can be arranged with the same surface density (number of tips per area unit) on the surface 5a, 7a of both conductive plates 5, 7. In this case, for example, the conductive plate 7 of the output probe 3 can be made smaller than the conductive plate 5 of the input probe 5, so as to have a surface area smaller than the first conductive plate (as shown in figure 1). As an alternative, the two conductive plates 5, 7 may have the same surface area. In the latter case, the surface density of conductive tips of the first conductive plate 5 (of the input probe 2) is preferably greater than the surface density of conductive tips of the second conductive plate 7.

A further embodiment may provide that the two conductive plates 5, 7 are both provided with a specific number of threaded holes on which a certain number of conductive tips have to be constrained. Preferably the first conductive plate 5 can be provided with a number of tips equal to the number of threaded holes, while the second conductive plate 7 is preferably provided with a number of tips smaller than the number of threaded holes. The conductive tips 6 can be constrained to the second plate according to a substantially uniform distribution on the surface 7a of the plate 7 or, as an alternative, they can be arranged so as to become denser towards the center of the surface 7a of the second conductive plate 7.

In general, the surface density of conductive tips in the conductive plates is preferably between 50 tips/m ² and about 10000 tips/m ² .

The device 1 further comprises at least one first casing 8a made of an electrically insulating material (e.g. plastic) designed to cover the conductive tips 6 of the input probe 2. This first casing 8a comprises at least one insulating input tip 9a with the same direction of extension of the conductive tips 6 of the first conductive plate 5. Direction of extension means the direction of the vector indicating the direction in which the tip tapers off.

When the device 1 is in use, the input probe 2 is positioned with the insulating input tips 9a facing the skin surface of the user 10, as shown in figure 1. Preferably the user 10 is lying down and the input probe 2 is positioned at a distance between 10 cm and 30 cm from the sole of the user's feet (more preferably at a distance of about 20 cm). Preferably, the device 1 comprises a second casing 8b also made of an electrically insulating material (e.g. plastic) designed to cover the conductive tips 6 of the output probe 3. Preferably, the second casing 8a is provided with at least one insulating output tip 9b having the same direction of extension of the conductive tips 6 of the first conductive plate 7.

In the embodiment shown in figure 1, the device 1 comprises a first and a second casings 8a, 8b which are substantially box-shaped and adapted to contain the input probe 2 and the output probe 3, respectively.

However, further embodiments may provide, for example, that the device 1 only includes a first casing 8a adapted to cover the conductive tips 6 of the input probe 2. An alternative embodiment may provide that the first casing 8a is shaped to contain the input probe 2 and the output probe 3 so as to cover the conductive tips 6 of both the conductive plates 5, 7. In general, the device 1 comprises at least one first casing 8a made of an electrically insulating material adapted to cover the conductive tips 6 of the input probe 2.

Referring to figure 1, the first casing 8a is provided with three insulating input tips 9a and the second casing 8b is provided with only one insulating output tip 9b. However, other embodiments may provide a different number of insulating tips 9a, 9b. In general, the first casing 8a comprises at least one insulating input tip 9a, the second casing 8b comprises at least one insulating output tip 9b. Preferably, the number of insulating input tips 9a of the first casing 8a is larger than, or equal to, the number of insulating output tips 9b of the second casing 8b. The first casing 8a preferably comprises a first insulating panel 11a arranged parallel to said first conductive plate 5. The insulating input tips 9a are arranged on the first insulating panel 11a. For example, an embodiment may provide that the first insulating panel 11a has quadrangular shape and is provided with five insulating input tips 9a. Preferably, an insulating input tip 9a is arranged at the center of the insulating panel 11a and the remaining four insulating input tips 9a are arranged at the four comers of the insulating panel 11a.

The second casing 8b comprises a second insulating panel l ib arranged parallel to the second conductive plate 7. At least one insulating output tip 9b is arranged on the second insulating panel 1 lb. For example, the second panel 1 lb can be provided with only one insulating output tip 9b preferably arranged at the center of the panel 1 lb. The insulating tips 9a, 9b can be fixed to the respective casing, e.g. by gluing, or they can be constrained either by means of threaded means (similar to those described for the conductive tips 6) or by other constraining means known per se in the art.

The insulating tips 9a, 9b preferably have a substantially conical shape. This way, the insulating tips 9a, 9b can be made in one piece directly on the respective casing 8a, 8b in a simple way (e.g. by milling).

Figure 2 is a sectional view of an insulating panel 11a, l ib according to a particular embodiment of the device 1 of the present invention. For simplicity, reference will be made to a generic insulating panel 1 1a, l ib without specifying whether the panel belongs to the first casing 8a or the second casing 8b. In particular, referring to figure 2, the insulating panel 11a, 1 lb is detached from the conductive tips 6. In other words, the inner surface of the insulating panel 11a, l ib and the ends of the conductive tips 6 are spaced apart by a distance d. Preferably both the first and the second casings 8a, 8b are provided with a housing to contain the respective conductive plate 5, 7. The housing is preferably shaped so as to keep the conductive plate 5, 7 parallel to the insulation panel 1 la, 1 lb. The conductive tips 6 and the inner surface of the insulating panel 11a, 1 lb are spaced apart by a distance d preferably between 1mm and 15 cm. Referring to figure 2, the insulating tips 9a, 9b of the panel are basically hollow. In other words, the insulating tips have an inner cavity 13 whose shape is similar to that of the respective insulating tip 9a, 9b. This cavity 13 can be made, for example, by removing some insulating material (e.g. by milling) from the inner surface of the insulating panel, i.e. from the surface adapted to face the conductive tips 6.

In general, the distance d between the conductive tips 6 and the electrically insulating material is preferably greater near the vertices of the insulating tips 9a, 9b. In the embodiment shown in figure 2, the minimum distance between the insulating panel 9a, 9b and the ends of the conductive tips 6 is about 5mm.

Preferably the insulating tips 9a, 9b are coaxial to at least one respective conductive tip 6 of the conductive plate. In other words, each insulating tip 9a, 9b is arranged so that its own vertex is aligned with the vertex of a conductive tip 6 along the same axis. Referring to figure 2, the insulating input tips 9a and insulating output tips 9b are at least partially embedded in the respective insulating panels 11a, l ib. This way, each insulating tip 9a, 9b is housed inside a cavity 14 made on the outer surface of the insulating panel 11a, 1 lb. For example, an embodiment may provide that the cavities 14 on the outer surface of the insulating panel are initially made, for example by making cylindrical cavities by milling, and then the insulating tips 9a, 9b are housed and fixed inside the cavities. Preferably, the tips 9a, 9b are fully embedded in the insulating panel 11a, l ib, so that they do not protrude from the outer surface of the insulating panel 11a, 1 lb. More preferably, the insulating tips 9a, 9b are embedded so that the end of the insulating tips are substantially flush with the outer surface of the insulating panel 11a, l ib.

A further embodiment may provide that the insulating tips 9a, 9b are made in one piece with the insulating panel 1 la, 1 lb, to be integral with the cavities 14 in which they are housed, for example by means of one or more milling cuts made on the insulating panel 11a, l ib.

In order to highlight the effects found by using the device object of this Patent, the salient aspects of an experimental study commissioned on 21.11.2018 by the Applicant to the Istituto di Bioimmagini e Fisiologia Molecolare (IBFM) of the Italian Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) are briefly reported herein. This experimental study was carried out by a team of researchers coordinated by Dr. Mauro Marzorati at the IBFM headquarters in Segrate (Milan) with the purpose of verifying the effectiveness of the "Re-polar" polar balancing medical device as regard the improvement of muscle recovery after tiring exercise. In practice, after a standard fatigue test (exercise on the cycle ergometer with incremental load carried on until exhaustion), it was assessed whether the use of Re-Polar would be able to improve the recovery of the muscle's ability to generate strength. For this purpose, a sample of 14 healthy young male individuals between the ages of 19 and 29 who completed the experimental protocol without any problems was used. The results of the study showed that, as a result of the use of the claimed device, there is a trend to better recover the force levels expressed before the fatigue test, as highlighted by the data relating to the so-called low- frequency fatigue (LFF) and as supported by the subjective assessment of a more complete recovery expressed by the sample.