Overwater pressure jet massage apparatus

Claim 1

An apparatus for massaging a selected portion of the body of an individual, comprising: an upwardly open water-collection vessel; an openwork support spaced above said water-collection vessel; a water-impermeable flexible layer overlying said openwork support and deformable upwardly therefrom, said flexible layer having an upper surface upon which the body of an individual to be massaged can repose with a selected portion of the body of the individual resting against said surface; at least one nozzle located beneath said layer and training at least one water jet upwardly against an underside of said layer so that the water jet deforms said layer and massages said individual; an indicator operatively coupled with said nozzle and displaying the portion of said body directly overlying the portion of said layer against which said jet is trained; and means for displacing said nozzle below layer in accordance with the display afforded by said indicator so that said jet effects massage of said selected portion of the body through said layer and water used in said massage collects in said vessel, said means for displacing including: a carriage on which said nozzle is mounted, an upright connected to said carriage, a cantilever arm connected to and overhanging said layer and carrying said indicator, said nozzle being displaceable along said carriage and said indicator being displaceable along said arm, a flexible element on said carriage, said upright and said arm for interconnecting said indicator and said nozzle for joint movement, pulleys on said carriage, said upright and said arm for defining two passes of said flexible element respectively connected to said indicator and said nozzle for moving same in the same direction, a motor coupled to said flexible element for displacing same, and another motor operatively connected to said carriage for displacing same transversely to said upright and said arm.

Claim 2

An apparatus for massaging a selected portion of the body of an individual, comprising: an upwardly open water-collection vessel; an openwork support spaced above said water-collection vessel; a water-impermeable flexible layer overlying said openwork support and deformable upwardly therefrom, said flexible layer having an upper surface upon which the body of an individual to be massaged can repose with a selected portion of the body of the individual resting against said surface; at least one nozzle located beneath said layer and training at least one water jet upwardly against an underside of said layer so that the water jet deforms said layer and massages said individual; an indicator operatively coupled with said nozzle and displaying the portion of said body directly overlying the portion of said layer against which said jet is trained; and means for displacing said nozzle below layer in accordance with the display afforded by said indicator so that said jet effects massage of said selected portion of the body through said layer and water used in said massage collects in said vessel, said means for displacing including: a carriage on which said nozzle is mounted, an upright connected to said carriage, a cantilever arm connected to and overhanging said layer and carrying said indicator, said nozzle being displaceable along said carriage and said indicator being displaceable along said arm, a flexible element on said carriage, said upright and said arm for interconnecting said indicator and said nozzle for joint movement, pulleys on said carriage, said upright and said arm for defining two passes of said flexible element respectively connected to said indicator and said nozzle for moving same in the same direction, a motor coupled to said flexible element for displacing same, and another motor operatively connected to said carriage for displacing same transversely to said upright and said arm.