EP1269963A1

EP1269963A1 - Portable vibrator

Info

Publication number: EP1269963A1
Application number: EP02254414A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Seung-Hun Lee; Kun-Ho Lee; Yong-Seok Choi
Original assignee: Seung-Hun Lee
Current assignee: BR CONSULTING INC.
Priority date: 2001-06-25
Filing date: 2002-06-25
Publication date: 2003-01-02
Also published as: CN1393209A

Abstract

Disclosed is a portable vibrator including a vibration device having a one-touch switch on one side, and an upper cover and a lower cover each having a groove the same as the vibration device's contour to be closely joined with the vibration device, and covering and housing the vibration device. The vibration device is a charging type device and has a charging terminal on one side, and the upper or lower cover further has a charging terminal hole on a point coming in contact with the charging terminal. The inventive portable vibrator includes a vibration device having a one-touch switch on one side and a dry cell lid for entrance of dry cells on the other side, and an outer cover made of a ductile material, having an opening to be coupled with the dry cell lid, and covering and housing the vibration device. This vibrator applies constant vibrations to a human body to rest brain waves, thereby relieving the tension of the human body, stimulating the circulation of the blood, and alleviating pains in a certain part of the body.

Description

The present invention relates to a portable vibrator. More specifically, the present invention relates to a portable vibrator that is designed to be easily carried and handle readily, and produces constant vibrations to relieve a user's tension and stimulate the flow of the blood.
A physical stimulus of constant vibrations can relax the tension of a human body and quicken the circulation of the blood. Especially, for bones, various experiments and researches have testified to the fact that the constant vibrations can accelerate the growth of bones. Accordingly, systems for relieving the tension of a human body and for curing diseases by the use of vibrations have been developed. However, conventional finger pressing devices or massagers that provide massage, pain-killing effect or finger pressing effect to a human body through vibrations are big in size.
A foot board type vibrator generally has a vibration motor and a vibration shaft under the footboard, and a full-length vibrator includes a vibration motor and a vibration shaft in its big chair or something like that. Thus, it is hard to carry them, and they are not an effectual curing system to give necessary vibrations to a part of the human body. Besides, a big prior vibrator produces noises, and it is difficult to muse or meditate during use. Hence, there is a need to develop a vibrator that can limitedly provide constant vibrations to an aching part of a human body to gradually alleviate pain, and particularly, can be used during meditation.
According to the invention, the inventive portable vibrator includes a vibration device having a one-touch switch on one side, and an upper cover and a lower cover each having a groove the same as the vibration device's contour to be closely joined with the vibration device, and covering and housing the vibration device. The vibration device is a charging type device and has a charging terminal on one side, and the upper or lower cover further has a charging terminal hole on a point coming in contact with the charging terminal.
The portable vibrator can apply constant vibrations to a human body, thereby relieving the tension of the human body, stimulating the circulation of the blood, and alleviating pains in a certain part of the body.
The present invention may thus provide a portable vibrator that is designed to be in small size and easily carried, so that a user can easily turn on/off this vibrator, holding it in one hand.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a portable vibrator includes a vibration device having a one-touch switch on one side and a dry cell lid for entrance of dry cells on the other side, and an outer cover made of a ductile material, having an opening to be coupled with the dry cell lid, and covering and housing the vibration device.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable vibrator according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded-perspective view of the portable vibrator according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the portable vibrator's upper cover according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4A is a sectional view as taken along line A-A of FIG. 2, FIG. 4B is a sectional view as taken along line B-B of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4C is a bottom view of the vibration device;
FIG. 5A is a sectional view showing a sliding dry cell lid for a portable vibrator according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a partially exploded perspective view showing the coupling condition of the sliding dry cell lid and a vibration device;
FIGS. 6A and 6B are each sectional views showing an opening/closing dry cell lid for a portable vibrator according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of the portable vibrator according to the present invention.
In the following detailed description, only the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by the inventor(s) of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not restrictive.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable vibrator according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. This inventive vibrator is supplied with power by charging, and is in the shape of a brain to be reminded of the human brain during use. We can use this portable vibrator holding it in one hand or putting it on some part of the body.
FIG. 2 is an exploded-perspective view of the portable vibrator according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The portable vibrator includes a vibration device 1, an upper cover 2, and a lower cover 3. The vibration device 1 is covered with the upper and lower covers 2 and 3, and the upper and lower covers 2 and 3 each have a groove the same as the vibration device 1's contour to be closely joined to the vibration device 1. The vibration device 1 has a one-touch switch 4 on one side. A vibration motor 10 (FIG. 7) held in the vibration device 1 is driven by pressing the switch 4 once, and stops by pressing the switch 4 one more time.
Such a switch can be easily made by those skilled in this art, and the detailed description about the switch is omitted. The upper and lower covers 2 and 3 respectively have switch grooves 5 and 6 in which the one touch switch's button is seated.
The lower cover 3 has a charging terminal hole 7 on a point corresponding to a charging terminal 8 (FIG. 4) of the vibration device 1 to receive an external charging jack.
According to the present invention, the upper and lower covers 2 and 3 are formed of ductile polyurethane to facilitate the switch manipulation and to be waterproof. This material can be replaced with silicon or ductile plastic.
Preferably, a light-emitting diode (not shown) is further made on the upper part of the vibration device. Thus, when the vibrator is working, the light-emitting diode is turned on. The light-emitting diode is covered with transparent/semi-transparent silicon or ductile plastic, so we can see from the outside whether or not the inventive vibrator is operating.
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the portable vibrator's upper cover according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. As depicted in FIG. 2, the upper cover includes the groove receiving the vibration device and the switch groove 5 in which the one-touch switch's button is seated.
FIG. 4A is a sectional view as taken along line A-A of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4B is a sectional view as taken along line B-B of FIG. 2. FIG. 4C is a bottom view of the vibration device, and shows the condition where the vibration device 1 is being closely coupled to the upper and lower covers 2 and 3 and housed therein.
Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, since the vibration device 1 is being closely coupled to the covers 2 and 3, vibrations generated from the device 1 can be transferred to the outside. Besides, since the covers are ductile materials, even if a force is applied to the outside of the covers 2 and 3 with the hand, the force is directly sent to the one-touch switch 4 to control turning the device on/off.
Referring to FIG.4C, the one-touch switch 4 and the charging terminal 8 are provided to the device 1.
FIGS. 5A and 5B each depict a portable vibrator according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a sectional view showing a sliding dry cell lid, and FIG. 5B is a partially exploded perspective view showing the coupling condition of a sliding dry cell lid and a vibration device. An outer cover 13 is made by integrally forming upper and lower covers 2 and 3.
The outer cover 13 is formed between frames corresponding to upper and lower halves. When using silicon for the outer cover 13, an extrusion molding is employed, and when using ductile plastic, an injection molding is employed. After molding the outer cover 13, a vibration device 1 prepared in advance is inserted to an opening corresponding to a sliding dry cell lid 14 of the outer cover 13. Even if the sliding dry cell lid 14's entrance is narrower than the vibration device, the lid 14 can fully receive it by means of the silicon or ductile plastic's elasticity. Preferably, the vibration device is joined with the outer cover 13 by using an adhesive, thereby preventing a gap therebetween.
A hole is formed on the vibration device to receive dry cells, and the sliding dry cell lid 14 covers this hole.
In case of the portable vibrator with the sliding dry cell lid, the sliding lid 14, combined to the outer cover 13, is removed from its coupling means and then moved down along the outer cover's side so that dry cells can be received in the vibration device therethrough.
If inserting a pair of dry cells in the vibration device, a conductor (not shown) for connecting the two dry cells is attached to the sliding dry cell lid, and as the sliding dry cell lid is closed, the conductor of the lid contacts the two dry cells' respective poles, thus driving its vibration motor. A guide rail 15 is provided to both sides of the dry cell hole of the vibration device. A projection 16 is provided to both sides of the sliding lid corresponding to the guide rail 15 so that the sliding dry cell lid can be moved up and down along the guide rails 15. Preferably, a catch is provided to the guide rails' ends to prevent the sliding dry cell lid from being completely removed from the vibrator. A lug 17 is provided to the lid's upper end, and a hook 18 is provided to the vibration device. By mating the lug 17 with the hook 18, the sliding dry cell lid can be coupled with the outer cover.
FIGS. 6A and 6B each depict a portable vibrator according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a sectional view showing an opening/closing dry cell lid, and FIG. 6B is a partially-exploded perspective view showing the coupling condition of FIG. 6A's dry cell lid and the vibration device.
In case of the portable vibrator with the opening/closing dry cell lid, the dry cell lid 14' is removed from the outer cover 13's coupling means, and then opens to the outside of the outer cover so that dry cells can be received in the vibration device therethrough. Preferably, a hinge 19 is provided to the opening/closing dry cell lid's one side and a corresponding point of the outer cover, thereby letting the dry cell lid 14' pivot about the hinge 19 and open.
When inserting a pair of dry cells in the vibration device, a conductor (not shown) for connecting the two dry cells is attached to the opening/closing dry cell lid, and as the opening/closing dry cell lid is closed, the conductor of the lid contacts the two dry cells' respective poles, thus driving its vibration motor.
This opening/closing dry cell lid 14' may be similar to the sliding dry cell lid of the first preferred embodiment, and is opened just by pivoting on the hinge 19 without being completely separated from the vibrator 5's body.
The hinge 19 has one side coupled to the vibration device and the other side coupled to the opening/closing dry cell lid 14' so that the lid pivots on the hinge 19 and opens. Preferably, a lug 17 is provided to the lid 14's end, and a corresponding hook 18 is provided to the vibration device's opening part. By mating the lug 17 with the hook 18, the opening/closing dry cell lid is coupled to the vibration device. Preferably, the lid 14' and the fixed part of the hinge 19 are designed to expand so that the lid 14' is pushed until the lid's lug 17 is slidingly separated from the hook 18, whereby after the lid 14', expanding from the hinge 19, is disjoined from the vibrator's body, it is turned over about the hinge 19.
FIG. 7 is an internal circuit diagram of the inventive portable vibrator. Referring to FIG. 7, a vibration motor 10, a resistor 11, a one-touch switch 4, and a power supply 12 are connected in series, and a charging terminal 8 is coupled to the power supply 12 in parallel. An eccentric motor serves as the vibration motor 10. The rotation number of the eccentric motor 10 can be selected properly, and preferably, the eccentric motor of 6000 to 8000rpm is used.
The eccentric motor of 6000 to 8000rpm can rest brains when a user is meditating using the portable vibrator, which can be confirmed through the following experiment. The brain wave, depending on the condition of the brain, can be calculated as its proper value by measuring brain potential, and the detailed description about this is omitted because such a method is well known to the public.
The brain waves are characterized as delta (0.2-4Hz), theta (4-8Hz), alpha (8-13Hz), beta (13-30Hz), and gamma (30-50Hz). The ratio of alpha wave versus beta wave among them serves as an index indicative of resting the brain, and the bigger this ratio is, the more the brain is settled.
In this experiment, the brain waves of twenty working men and women age 25 to 35 who were selected at random were measured, and their brain waves were then measured again after vibrations of 2000-4000rpm, 4000-6000rpm, 6000-8000rpm, and 8000-10000rpm had been respectively applied to them for five minutes while they were each holding the inventive vibrators in their both hands. The result is shown in Table 1, and is indicative of the ratio of the alpha wave versus the beta wave.

RPM 2000- 4000 4000-6000 6000-8000 8000-10000

Before Experiment 3.79 8.7 8.6 8.57

After Experiment 9.25 11.0 12.5 8.95
As shown in Table 1, the increment is the biggest when the vibration frequency is 6000 to 8000rpm. Therefore, the frequency of 6000 to 8000rpm is the most efficient to relieve stress and rest our brains.
The present invention is not limited to the above, and the most appropriate vibration frequency can be selected in response to a user's condition or environment. In this occasion, the variation in the vibration frequency is available by replacing the resistor 11 with a variable resistor and changing the resistance.
The inventive portable vibrator applies constant vibrations to a human body to rest brain waves, thereby relieving the tension of the human body, stimulating the circulation of the blood, and alleviating a user's fatigue and pains in a certain part of the body. Moreover, this vibrator, designed to be in small size, is easily carried, and a user can easily turn on/off this vibrator, holding it in one hand.
While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A portable vibrator comprising:

a vibration device having a one-touch switch on one side; and

an upper cover and a lower cover each having a groove the same as the vibration device's contour to be closely joined with the vibration device, and covering and housing the vibration device.
A portable vibrator according to claim 1, wherein the vibration device is a charging type device and has a charging terminal on one side, and the upper or lower cover further has a charging terminal hole on a point coming in contact with the charging terminal.
A portable vibrator comprising:

a vibration device having a one-touch switch on one side and a dry cell lid for entrance of dry cells on the other side; and

an outer cover made of a ductile material, having an opening to be coupled with the dry cell lid, and covering and housing the vibration device.