AU651912B2 - Massage apparatus using rollers - Google Patents

Description

P/00/01Il Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA 19152F PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFI1CATION FOR, A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

a a. a a TO BE COW~L=T BY AIPPLICANT Name of Applicant SEB S.A.

Actual Inventors: Daniel BONTOUX; jean BERTHIER Address for Service: CALLINAN LAWRIE, 278 High Street, Kew, 3101, Victoria, Australia Invention Title: "MASSAGE -AT

T

'ARATUS USING ROLLERS" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- 1.)IJ- 10) m o I W j ti, 404 W 4'.JL I la- "Massage apparatus using rollers" The present invention relates to an apparatus for massaging the skin of the type using mechanical action comprising in combination means for pulling away the subcutaneous connective tissue, acting simultaneously with means for kneading the internal walls of the said connective tissue.

It has previously beer known to pull away the connective tissue either by suckers or by a pulsed air jet or alternatively by vibrating means or by squashing between two rollers, this operation of pulling away the tissue preceding that of manual massage which provides the kneading of the internal walls of the tissue.

French Patent No. 1,590,131 proposes the replacement o: the. pulling away operation and the manual kneading operation by combined mechanical means, and describes a massage apparatus which comprises in comnbination suction means causing the pulling away of the connective tissue and pressure means which allow the internal walls of the said connective tissue to be brought into contact., the latter means being dynamic in order to provide internal kneading in this position.

Such means, although they have contributed to technical progress in this field of application, never- *:25 theless have a certain number of drawbacks.

The suction causing the drawing up of the skin is actually generated by a vacuum pump connected by a flexible tabe to a pipe which opens out in a cell of the apparatus, in which the skin is housed by being drawn up and which is disposed between two drive rollers capable of kneading the fold of skin thus formed.

This drawing up actually occurs against the action of the rollers and causes reciprocal sliding of the connective walls of the subcutaneous tissues.

in such a system the action of the rollers on thie skin only occurs against the drawing up force whi.ch is necessarily li-mited and which causes a massage which is too soft in certain cases.

-2- It is furthermore obvious that such a device employing a vacuum pump is necessarily costly and bulky.

It also requires the addition of a flexible tube for the drawing up, which, added to the electric supply wire for the drive motor of the roller leads to an apparatus being obtained which is difficult to handle.

The present invention aims to overcome these various drawbacks and for this purpose relates to an apparatus for massaging the skin, said apparatus a including u casing capable of being held by hand in order to move the apparatus on the skin, said casing carrying on its face adjacent to the skin a roller and a rear i* roller, means being provided in order to make between the roller and the rear roller when the apparatus is moved, a skin fold projecting towards the inside of the apparatus, the roller situated at the front following the direction of movement of the apparatus being driven in rotation by an electric motor housed inside the casing, said rear roller is situated at the rear of the apparatus is, in use, adapted to bear on the skin and means are provided in order to brake said rear roller sufficiently to form said skin fold, said braking means are constituted by friction means acting on said rear roller with a predetermined coefficient of friction.

The skin fold thus formed between the two rollers moves over the skin at the same time as the apparatus and in the same direction as the latter, which produces a particularly effective massage effect. This massage effect is obtained with the help of very simple means, without drawing up and is very convenient to use for the user.

.s-I 'v- -3- The description which is to follow in comparison with the attached drcawings, given by way of non limiting example, wil~l make~it better understood how the invention is produced; Li Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a massage apparatus according to the invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view along the broken line 11/11 in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 111/111 in Figure 11; Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line IV/IV in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line v/v in Figure 3; Figures 6 to 8 are simplified croas-sectional views showing the kinematics of operation of the apparatus for pulling away and kneading the tissue.

According to a preferential embodiment, the massage apparatus 1, designated in its entirety, is constituted. by a casing 2 which is ergonomically designed for good hand gripping by the user and containing towards the front FR a f irst driving roller 3 and towards the back RE a second driven roller 4.

~.:The front and rear rollers 3 and 4 are disposed substantially parallel between two respective bearings 3A, 3B and 4A? 4B solidly attached to a casing element 2.

According to th( invention, the apparatus cownprises pulling away and kneading means constituted precisely by the front 3 and rear 4 rollers. The roller 3 constitutes a driving roller by virtue of an electric drive motor 5 acting on it via a train of reducing gears 6, designated in their entirety.

Tt7-*% train is schematically constituted in the f ollowing P-inner: a. drive pinion A drives a pinion B the pinion B drives the pinion C the pinion C drives the pinion D which is freely disposed on the samne axis X-X' as the pinion S =the pinion D drives the pinion E which is freely disposed on th16 same axis Y-Y' as the pinion C -the Pinion E drives the pinion F the pinion F drives the pinion G the pinion G driv7es the pinion H which is in connection with the roller 3 via the means 7 on the same axis Z-Z' of the said roller 3.

The diameters and teeth of the pinions A to G are determined as a function of the reduction gearing ratio which is sought.

in any event this ratio will be such ac, to obtain a speed of rotation of the roller 3 which is greater than that of the roller 4.

The roller 3 is consequently driving with a direction of rotation F 1 which is identical to the direction of rotation F 2 of the roller 4 when it is driven, at the time of a movement F of the apparatus, via a sliding skin fold 8, which is formed between the said rollers 3 and 4 and is housed in an appropriate cup 9 made under the apparatus 1, as soon as the latter is started.

this case, the difference in speed of rotation between the front 3 and rear 4 rollers is obtained by continuous braking of the driven roller 4 via friction *.:means 10 acting on the latter 4 with a determined coef fi- :25 cient of friction* These friction means 10 are constituted by a disc 11 linked in rotation with the said roller 4 via a pinion 12 connected to the roller 4 via means 13 disposed on -its axis W-W'.

The disc 11 is capable of moving in translation with a determined play on an axis 14, in order to bear freely on a stationary lining 15 formainq a brake pad, using an elastic thrust member 16, such as an elastic washer or spring, which is calibrated as a function of the coefficient of friction to be obtainred and being used for automatic compensation for wearing of the lining The rear drciven roller 4 and the front driving roller 3 are disposed with an inter-axis distance which is variable between a distance L corresponding to a first pinching position of the fold 8 and distance L' corresponding to a second, less strong, pinching position of the said f old 8. This is obtained by virtue of adjustment means 17 (Figure 4) disposed, at least partially, on the rear roller- 4 and which are constituted by slots 18 made facing each other on two opposite end walls 19 articulated on the cagqe 2 via the cap 23. The slots 18 comprise, iii the present case, two adjustment notches 20 and .21 which are angularly offset with each other and capable of constituting in turns a bearing 4A for a rotation shaft 22 of the rear roller 4.

Other means are of, course possible for adjusting the inter-axis distance between the two rollers.

As may be noted by comparing Figures 2 and 3, the length of the' front roller 3 gives a larger tread than that of the rear roller 4.

front 3 and rear 4 rollers are constituted by a succession of toothed drive elements 3C, 4C of .:20 curved longitudinal profile, whose cross section is inscribed in a circle and comprising an axial housing 23, 24, of a shape corresponding to a drive square 23A, 24A formed by the shaft itself of the corresponding roller 3, 4, on which the said toothed elements 3C, 4C are set.

The toothed drive elements 3C forming the front driving roller 3 are offset with each other so that each ok the teeth 3D of one is disposed between two consecutive teeth 3D of the other.

The toothed drive elements 4C forming the rear roller 4 may also be offset with each other.

The operation ot' the apparatus -is based on the following principle: since the front roller 3 is rotating faster than the rear wheel 4, for an imposed. direction of movement F, there is simultaneously obtained by friction, on the one hand, a pulling away of the tissue in order to form. a skin fold 8 between the said rollers 3, 4, and, on the other hand the kneading of the f old 8 thus formed during a translational movement of the arpparatus 1 along I j Wo L 4 '4 1 W 6- F, which has the effect of causing continuous sliding of the said fold 8 between the rollers 3, 4 for the massage of a corresponding area of skin.

The implementation of such a massage apparatus is performed in the following manner: the motor 59 is switched on, which has the effect of making the front roller 3 rotate in the dlirection F~, the rear roller 4, which is braked and for the time being unmoving, is positioned along the direction F.

on the skin 8A (Figure 6), the. apparatus I is tilted in rotation along the direction F 4 bringing the front roller 3 into contact with the skin in order to start the formation of the fold 8, driving it along F, (Figure 7) complete formation of the fold 8 will constitute the instrument for driving by friction the braked roller 4 along the direction P 2 which is identical to F, for a direction of movement F of the apparatus (Figure 20 8).

**in a simplif ied version. of the invention, the roller situated at the rear of the apparatus is replaced by a member having a stationary surface intended to bear :on the skin and which is adaptable in order to produce a frictional effect with the skin.

In another version, the rear wheel is driven in rotation at a speed which is less than that of the motor which drives the roller 3 situated at the front. There also results from this a braking effect forming the skin 30 fold between the two rollers.

In another variant, the rear roller is replaced with two rollers which are drivsA. in rotation by contact with the skin, the axes of. these two rollers f orming between them an obtuse angle. This arrangement generates, when the apparatus is moved, friction with the skin which forms the sough t-after skin fold.

Claims (12)

1. Apparatus for massaging the skin, said apparatus including a casing capable of being held by hand in order to move the apparatus on the skin, said casing carrying on its face adjacent to the skin a roller and a rear roller, means being provided in order to make between the roller and the rear roller when the apparatus is moved, a skin fold projecting towards the inside of the apparatus, the roller situated at the front following the direction of movement of the apparatus being driven in rotation by an electric motor housed inside the casing, said rear eo.. roller is situated at the rear of the apparatus is, in use, adapted to bear on the skin and means are provided in order to brake said rear roller sufficiently to form said skin fold, said braking means are constituted by friction means acting on said rear roller with a predetermined coefficient of friction.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the friction means, for braking the rear roller, is constituted by a disc linked in rotation with the said rear *0**SS roller, but capable of moving in translation in order to bear on a stationary lining forming a brake pad, using an elastic thrust member, which is calibrated as a function of the coefficient of friction to be obtained and being used for automatic compensation for wearing of the lining.

3. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 2, wherein the rear roller and front driving roller are disposed with a variable inter-axis distance as a function of the pinching to be obtained by adjustment means.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, wherein said adjustment means are disposed on the rear roller and are constituted by slots made facing each other i t I I -8- on two opposite end walls of the protective casing of the apparatus and comprising at least two adjustment notches angularly offset with each other and capable of constituting in turns a bearing for a rotation shaft of the rear roller.

Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the length of the front roller presents a larger tread than that of the rear roller.

6. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the front and rear rollers are constituted by a succession of toothed drive elements curved longitudinal profile, whose cross section is inscribed in a circle and comprising an axial housing, of a shape corresponding to a drive square formed by the shaft itself of the correspondinig r~oller, on which the said toothed elements are set.

7. Apparatus according to Claim. 6, wherein the toothed drive elements forming the front driving roller 'are offset wrltb each other so that each of the teeth of one i's disposed between two consecutive teeth of the other.

Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the front driving roller is driven in rotation by an electric motor and via a -train of reducing gears.

9. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein said rear roller has a stationary surface intended to bear on the skin and which is adaptable in order, to produce a frictional effect with the skin.

Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein said rear roller is a roller driven in rotation at a speed less than. that of the motor which A k -9- drives the roller situated at the front.

11. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein said rear roller is constituted by two rollers driven in rotation by contact with the skin, the axes of these two rollers forming an obtuse angle with each other.

12. Apparatus for massaging the skin substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. so. *0 sees 0060 0 000 50 S S 0 0055 *0 0 DATED this 7th day of January 1994. SEB S.A. By their Patent Attorneys: CALLINAN LAWRIE &y&4 S4 5 1 0) 0 4 ,a ABSTRACT "Massaging apparatus using rollers" The apparatus for massaging the skin comprises a casing capable of being held by hand in order to move the apparatus on the skin, this casing (2) carrying on its face adjacent to the skin two parallel spaced rollers 4). The roller situated at the front following the direction of movement of the apparatus is driven in rotation by an electric motor housed inside the casing while the roller situated at the rear is driven in rotation only by contact with the skir, means being provided to brake the said roller sufficiently to form a skin fold between the two rollers 4). Use for improving the effectiveness of the skin massage. (see Fig. 1). .oeg. a smo *0900 *t600 of a S S S as... S...o