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US4167182A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Massage apparatus

Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1978-02-22
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Granted: 1979-09-11
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Expires: 1998-02-22
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Abstract

Abstract A massage apparatus performable massaging actions substantially in the same mode as of manual actions by massagers is provided. In driving mechanism for massaging attachments with which massaging force is applied to user's suffering body part, driving and driven side gears are arranged to provide an unequal velocity ratio so that rotating velocity of the driven side gear will be varied as rotated by the driving side gear, whereby the massaging attachments are pushed toward the suffering body part when the velocity of the driven side gear is low and thus with a slowly gradually increased force whereas the pushed attachments are released from the body part when the velocity is high and thus with a quickly decreased force.

Inventors

  • 👤 Yukio Yamamura
  • 👤 Takafumi Hamabe
  • 👤 Haruo Sugai

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-28 16:27
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61H; A61H15/00; A61H15/0078; A61H2015/0007; A61H2015/0028; A61H2201/00; A61H2201/01; A61H2201/0119; A61H2201/0138; A61H2201/0142; A61H2201/0149; A61H2201/16; A61H2201/1657; A61H2201/1664; A61H2201/1669

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim 138 words
A massage apparatus comprising a rotary driving source, a driving shaft rotated by said driving source, a driving side gear fixed to said driving shaft, an operating shaft having a driven side gear fixed to said operating shaft and being in mesh with said driving side gear to operatively associate therewith, and massaging attachments driven in response to rotations of the operating shaft, said driving side and driven side gears being arranged to provide an unequal velocity ratio with which rotating velocity of the driven side gear is varied by rotations of the driving side gear, and said massaging attachments being operatively associated with the operating shaft so as to perform a pushing action when said rotating velocity of the driven side gear thus varied is small and to perform a releasing action when the velocity is large.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 138 words
A massage apparatus comprising a rotary driving source, a driving shaft rotated by said driving source, a driving side gear fixed to said driving shaft, an operating shaft having a driven side gear fixed to said operating shaft and being in mesh with said driving side gear to operatively associate therewith, and massaging attachments driven in response to rotations of the operating shaft, said driving side and driven side gears being arranged to provide an unequal velocity ratio with which rotating velocity of the driven side gear is varied by rotations of the driving side gear, and said massaging attachments being operatively associated with the operating shaft so as to perform a pushing action when said rotating velocity of the driven side gear thus varied is small and to perform a releasing action when the velocity is large.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 20 words
A massage apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said driving side and driven side gears are of an elliptic shape.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 31 words
A massage apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said driving side and driven side gears are of truly circle shape and eccentric with respect to said driving and operating shafts, respectively.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 23 words
A massage apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said massage attachments are respectively of a disk member eccentrically mounted to said operating shaft.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 50 words
A massage apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said pushing action of the massaging attachments is performed at an outer peripheral part of said disk member deviated by a phase angle α in nofmrl direction of rotations of the attachments from the farthest outer peripheral part of the disk member.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 36 words
A massage apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said massaging attachments comprise a pair of disk members which are inclined with respect to the axis of the operating shaft respectively in opposite directions to one another.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 38 words
A massage apparatus according to claim 6 which further comprises a chair for supporting said apparatus and the apparatus is installed to a back rest of said chair so as to be vertically movable along said back rest.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 22 words
A massage apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said back rest is of a configuration fitting the back part of human body.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US2633571A Cited
US2840072A Cited
US2874689A Cited
US4016872A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1982-09-10 1983-03-12 1983-09-11 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1986-09-10 1987-03-12 1987-09-11 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1990-09-10 1991-03-12 1991-09-11 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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