CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is based on and claims priority benefits from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/241 ,687 filed on September 8, 2021 , the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

[0002] The embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to the field of massage therapy. In preferred forms, embodiments are disclosed whereby a person may provide self-directed back massage when in a prone position.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

[0003] Massage therapy is highly recognized physical treatment to relieve and/or prevent pain and stress by the application of pressure, tension, motion or vibration either manually or with mechanical aides to soft tissues of the body. While professional massage therapists specifically trained in the art and science of body massage techniques, there is a growing desire to self-administer massage as evidenced by the popularity of hand-held massage units.

[0004] One significant problem associated with self-administered massage is that one cannot readily or effectively self-massage the soft tissues of one’s own back. It would therefore be highly desirable if apparatus were provided that would allow back self-massage. It is towards fulfilling such a need that the embodiments disclosed herein are directed. [0005] In general, the embodiments disclosed herein relate to apparatus that allow for self-directed back massage of an individual when in a prone position. The apparatus preferably includes a base assembly, a support post extending upwardly from the base assembly and a linearly adjustable arm assembly positioned at an upper end of the support post.

[0006] The arm assembly preferably includes an elongate proximal arm section which is pivotally mounted to allow for pivotal upward and downward movements of the arm assembly about a substantially horizontal axis, and an elongate distal arm section telescopically assembled with the proximal arm section so as to be reciprocally rectilinearly moveable between extended and retracted positions, the distal arm section including a terminal end adapted to carrying a handheld massage unit.

[0007] An arm rotation drive assembly is provided which includes a turntable drive motor operable to cause the arm assembly to reciprocally rotate relative to a substantially vertical axis (e.g., via operable interconnection between a fixed-position support post and a rotatable arm assembly or operable connection to a rotatable support post which is pivotally connected at an upper end thereof to the proximal arm section). A linear actuator motor is operatively interconnected to the distal arm section of the arm assembly to cause the distal arm section to be telescopically advanced or retracted relative to the proximal arm section.

[0008] In use, a hand-held controller (e.g., a dedicated wired controller or app-based smart phone) operatively interconnected with the turntable drive motor and the linear actuator motor will allow the individual when in the prone position to pivotally swing and/or linearly move the distal arm section relative to the individual’s back to thereby cause the hand-held massage unit carried at the terminal end of the distal arm section to trace a desired massage path over the back of the individual. [0009] These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more clear after careful consideration is given to the following detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

[0010] The disclosed embodiments of the present invention will be better and more completely understood by referring to the following detailed description of exemplary non-limiting illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the drawings of which:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention in use by a prone positioned person providing self-directed back massage;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus depicted in FIG. 1 ;

[0013] FIGS. 3 and 4 are side elevational and top plan views of the apparatus showing degrees of movement for various components thereof;

[0014] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the support platform and associated drive unit forming a part of the apparatus;

[0015] FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the apparatus showing the hand-held massage unit disconnected therefrom;

[0016] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus;

[0017] FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the support platform showing an alternative drive unit that may be employed; [0018] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of an apparatus to allow self-directed massage in accordance with the invention;

[0019] FIGS. 10-12 are perspective views of the apparatus depicted in FIG. 9 showing one possible technique to allow disassembly of the apparatus for storage purposes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Accompanying FIG. 1 depicts an apparatus 10 in accordance with an embodiment of this invention positioned adjacent to an individual P lying in a prone position on an elevated massage table T. As can be seen, the individual P while in the prone position is capable of handling/manipulating a controller 12 which in the embodiment depicted is operatively interconnected (e.g., wirelessly or via hard-wiring) to a motor control center 14. The controller 12 may be a dedicated hand-held control module having specific keys and/or joystick inputs to allow the individual P while in the prone position to control movements of the apparatus 10 in a manner to be described in greater detail below. The controller 12 may also be a smart phone which uses an application (app) based interface to control the movements of the apparatus. Suffice it to say that those in this art can envision many user interface devices that will allow the individual P to self-administer a back massage while in a prone position using the apparatus 10.

[0021] The specific structural features of the apparatus 10 are perhaps more clearly depicted in FIGS. 2-7. As can be seen, the apparatus 10 includes a wheeled base assembly 20 having an upright support post 22 comprised of telescopically sleeved upper and lower posts 22a, 22b, respectively. An arm rotation drive assembly 30 is operatively attached to the upper end of the upper post 22a. Each of the posts includes a series of apertures which when aligned are capable of receiving a positioning pin 22c. In such a manner, therefore, the upper post 22a may be slideably adjusted relative to the lower post so as to allow the individual to preselect a desired height of the apparatus 10, e.g., so as to accommodate the height adjustment (see arrow Ai in FIG. 3) of the apparatus 10 relative to the height of the table T or any other suitable location, e.g., a bed, on which the individual P may lie in a prone position.

[0022] The arm rotation drive assembly 30 includes a fixed-position base plate 32 positionally fixed to the upper end of the upper post 22a and a turntable plate 34 spaced above and operatively coupled to the base plate 32 so as to be rotatable about a substantially vertical axis (see arrow A2 in FIG. 3). A drive motor 36 is operatively interconnected to the turntable plate 34 via a suitable gearing system 38. The drive motor 36 is operatively interconnected (e.g., wirelessly or via wiring (not shown)) to the motor controller center 14. As is shown in FIG. 5, the gearing system may, for example, be comprised of a beveled drive gear 38a which is fixed to the drive shaft 36a of the drive motor 36 and intermeshed with a beveled receiving gear 38b which in turn serves to turn a worm gear 38c. The worm gear 38c is in turn meshed with the plate gear 38d. Thus, operation of the motor 36 will responsively cause the beveled drive gear 38a to turn in a clockwise/counterclockwise direction and thereby will in turn allow the turntable plate 34 to be rotated in a respective clockwise/counterclockwise direction (arrow A2).

[0023] An alternative arrangement of the gearing system is shown in FIG. 8 whereby the drive shaft 36a of the drive motor 36 carries a pinion gear 38a’ directly intermeshed with the plate gear 38d. Although not shown in the accompanying drawing Figures, it can also be envisioned that the drive shaft 36a of the drive motor 36 can be connected directly to the turntable plate 34 thereby avoiding use of the gearing system 38. [0024] The turntable plate 34 carries an adjustable arm assembly 40 comprised of distal and proximal arm sections 40a, 40b telescopically assembled with one another so that the distal arm section 40a may be reciprocally rectilinearly moved relative to the proximal arm section 40b (see arrow A3 in FIG. 3). The proximal arm section 40b is pivotally attached to an upright mounting yoke 42 located at a rear portion of the turntable plate 34 so as to be capable of being freely pivoted about a substantially horizontal axis (see arrow A4 in FIG. 3). Such free pivotal movement of the adjustable arm assembly 40 allows the massage unit MU to exert a randomly non-constant pressure on the tissue site of the massage so as to achieve a vibration massage (i.e., rapid vibratory pressure and release on the tissue site). In this regard, the arm assembly 40 may also be freely pivoted so as to assume a generally upright (vertical) position so as to allow the apparatus 10 to be easily stored within a closet or the like.

[0025] The distal arm section 40a includes clamps 44a, 44b at the terminal end thereof so as to secure a conventional hand-held massage unit MU (see FIG. 1 ) in a position for contact with the back of the individual P in a prone position. The massage unit MU is preferably a self- contained (preferably rechargeable) battery operated unit. However, the massage unit MU may be a corded type for plug-in use to an electrical outlet. The terminal end of the distal arm section 40a may optionally be provided with a force adjustment system 48 to allow the force exerted by the massage unit to be preselected manually by the individual P. The force adjustment system may for example include an upright post 48a carried by the terminal end of the distal arm section 40a that provides for one or more weights 48b to be positioned thereon so as to allow the individual P to manually adjust the downward massage pressure force of the massage unit MU against the individual’s back in use. A guide yoke 46 may be provided at a forward portion of the turntable plate 34 in which the proximal arm section 40b may be guided during its upward and downward movements.

[0026] The rear end of the proximal arm section 40b includes a coaxially mounted linear actuator motor 52 which is operatively interconnected (e.g., wirelessly or via wiring (not shown)) to the motor controller center 14. As is perhaps more clearly depicted in FIG. 7, the actuator motor 52 drives a threaded actuator shaft 52a that is threadable and coaxially coupled to the distal arm section 40a. Operation of the actuator motor 52 will thereby responsively drive the actuator shaft 52a in clockwise/counterclockwise directions (arrow A4 in FIG. 7) which in turn will allow the distal arm section 40a to be telescopically advanced/retracted (arrow As in FIG. 7) relative to the proximal arm section 40b.

[0027] It will therefore be appreciated that in use the individual P in the prone position may input desired control commands via the hand-held controller 12 to cause the motors 36 and/or 52 to operate individually or simultaneously in such a manner as to pivot the turntable plate in a desired pivotal direction and/or extend/retract the distal arm section 40a of the arm assembly 40 so as to achieve desired movements of the massage unit MU across the individual’s back. In such a manner, therefore, the individual P when in the prone position may selectively selfadminister a soothing back massage.

[0028] A further embodiment of an apparatus 110 in accordance with the invention is shown in accompanying FIGS. 9-12. As shown, the apparatus 110 is similar to the embodiment of the apparatus 10 previously described in that a hand-held controller 112 is provided which is operatively connected via wiring 112a to the motor control center 113 which is housed within the equipment pod 115 under the wheeled base assembly 120. The wheeled base assembly 120 may include a number of indicator lights 121 visible on its upper surface which allow a visual indication when the apparatus 110 is supplied with operational power (which may be via a conventional plug-in power cord (not shown) connectable to an electrical power supply outlet or via one or more onboard (preferably rechargeable) batteries (not shown) housed within the equipment pod 115).

[0029] An upright support post 122 extends upwardly from the wheeled base assembly 120 and is comprised of telescopically sleeved upper and lower posts 122a, 122b, respectively. An arm rotation drive assembly 123 housed within the equipment pod 115 is operatively attached to the lower support post 122b so that when operated the support post 122 comprised of the interconnected upper and lower posts 122a, 122b will rotate about a substantially horizontal axis (arrow As).

[0030] The upper post 122a will preferably include a series of apertures 122c each of which is capable of receiving a spring-biased detent 122d (see FIGS. 10-12) associated with the lower post 122b when aligned therewith. In such a manner, therefore, the upper post 122a may be slideably adjusted relative to the lower post 122b so as to allow the individual to preselect a desired height of the apparatus 110, e.g., so as to accommodate the height adjustment (arrow A?) of the apparatus 110 relative to a user’s back.

[0031] A linearly adjustable arm assembly 140 is provided comprised of distal and proximal arm sections 140a, 140b telescopically assembled with one another so that the distal arm section 140a may be reciprocally rectilinearly moved relative to the proximal arm section 140b (arrow As). The proximal arm section 140b is pivotally attached to an upper end of the upper post 122a by a suitable pivot member 141 so that the arm assembly 140 is capable of being pivoted about a substantially horizontal axis (arrow Ag). The hand-held massage unit MU held by means of jaw clamps 143 at the terminal end of the distal arm section 140a may therefore be positioned over the back of a user when in a prone position.

[0032] A force-adjustment actuator 150 having an actuator cylinder 150a attached to the upper post 122a and an actuator arm 150b attached to a proximal terminal end of the proximal arm section 140b is provided and is interconnected operatively to the hand-held controller 112. Operating the actuator 150 so as to cause extension/retraction of the actuator arm 150b will in turn responsively cause the proximal arm section 140b arm assembly 140 to pivot about the pivot about the substantially horizontal axis (arrow Ag) which will in turn raise/lower the terminal end of the distal arm section 140a, and hence the massage unit MU positionally clamped at the terminal end thereof, so as to cause the massage unit MU to exert lesser/greater massage force onto the tissue site of the massage as the user may desire. Thus, controlled movements of the distal arm section 140b by the user operating the hand-held controller 112 will thereby allow the user to self-direct the massage unit MU over the tissue site of the massage. The apparatus 110 may also be programmed in advance to cause movement of the MU in such a manner to allow the massage unit MU to exert a randomly non-constant pressure on the tissue site of the massage so as to achieve a vibration massage (i.e., rapid vibratory pressure and release on the tissue site).

[0033] The apparatus 110 may be easily disassembled for, e.g., under-bed storage. Such disassembly is shown initially in FIG. 10 by removal of the hand-held controller 112 by disconnection of the cord 112a from the plug-in connector 112c provided on the upper surface of the base assembly 120. The hand-held controller 112 may then be placed on the top surface of the base assembly 120 along with the massage unit MU when removed from the clamps 143 at the distal arm section 140a (see FIG. 11 ). Also as shown in FIG. 10, the arm assembly 140 may be pivotally collapsed (arrow A10) by disconnecting the terminal end of the actuator arm 150b from the proximal end of the proximal arm section 140b (e.g., by removal of a quick-disconnect pin or the like (not shown)). The connection between the detent 122d and one of the apertures 122c may also be released so as to allow the support post 122 to be separated from the base assembly 120 (arrow An). The collapsed arm assembly 140 may thus be placed on its side on the upper surface of the wheeled base assembly so as to achieve a low profile (see FIG. 12). Following such disassembly, the disassembled apparatus 110 may be rolled conveniently under a bed or into a closet for storage until further use.

[0034] It will be appreciated that the disassembly steps outlined above are not required to be accomplished in sequence and thus the user may disassemble the apparatus 110 in any sequence that may be convenient. Further, it will be appreciated that the re-assembly of the apparatus 110 can be accomplished by reversing the disassembly steps as described.

[0035] While reference is made to particular embodiments of the invention, various modifications within the skill of those in the art may be envisioned. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope thereof.