EP0058858B1

EP0058858B1 - Apparatus for chiropractic therapy and massage

Info

Publication number: EP0058858B1
Application number: EP82100869A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Teruo Masuda; Masayasu Morita; Kazuyuki Yamaguchi; Yoshikazu Harada; Toshio Atsumi; Koichi Oki
Original assignee: France Bed Co Ltd
Current assignee: France Bed Co Ltd
Priority date: 1981-02-17
Filing date: 1982-02-06
Publication date: 1985-05-22
Also published as: EP0058858A1; DE3263589D1

Description

The invention relates to an apparatus for chiropractic therapy and massage comprising a housing which is open at its top, elastic cover means stretched to cover the open side of the housing and constituting a support surface on which a user may lie, pressure means including a plurality of pressure rollers disposed in the housing and adapted to roll to apply pressure through the cover means on the body of the user lying on the housing, a support frame provided in the housing and supporting the pressure means, a pair of pulleys provided in the housing, a wire stretched between the pulleys to reciprocate the support frame and means for driving the wire in order to reciprocate the support frame.
An apparatus of this kind is known from GB-A-2 066 079. The support means of this known embodiment is driven by a driving means such as a reversible motor for reciprocating movement in the housing, whereby a user lying on the cover means is massaged by the pressure rollers of the pressure means. The cover means in the known embodiment consists of one single layer of elastic material. The support surface is only intended to be essentially horizontal.
There are instances, however, in which it is desirable that the patient can assume various postures suitable for receiving a chiropractic therapy and massage in view of his state of health and effect of the treatment.
Strictly speaking, the chiropractic therapy and massage are different in sense. The former refers to pressure treatment on the body by pressure rollers temporarily held in a fixed position, while the latter refers to the operation of massage the body by pressure rollers moved with the movement of the support frame. However, both the chiropractic therapy and massage are usually thought to be the same thing, so their strict distinction is not always made in the following description. The pressure rollers are in contact with the lower sheet of the cover means so as to perform chiropractic therapy and massage on the user lying on the cover means.
Another aspect of the invention is concerned with the durability of the apparatus. Since the cover means supports the weight of the user, a great frictional force acts between the cover means and the pressure rollers due to the weight. The pressure rollers generally comprise elastic members such as rubber and have a number of protuberances. Due to the great frictional force, these protuberances of the pressure rollers may be abraded at an early state and excellent chiropractic therapy effects may not be maintained over a long period of time. The cover means, moreover, may be damaged by the pressure rollers.
The invention as claimed is intended to remedy the mentioned drawbacks of the known embodiment.
The advantage offered by the invention in its one aspect consists in that the position of the support surface may be changed from the horizontal to differently inclined positions which may be desirable depending on a particular treatment effect. In the inclined positions, particularly great frictional force is applied to the cover means making it necessary to consider its and the rollers' durability. Just under this aspect it is important that the cover means consists of two sheets. The effect of this is mainly that the pressure rollers are not so strongly urged by the lower sheet of the cover means, thus preventing generation of a great frictional force therebetween. In addition to the fact that abrasion of the protuberances of the pressure rollers is prevented, damage to the cover means is prevented.
A two-sheet cover means is known per se by US Patent 3 405 709. Nothing is said, however, about different properties of the two sheets, and the apparatus is only to be used in one position. Pivotable legs serving to bring the support surface into differently inclining positions are known per se from US Patent 4 159 714 concerning a foot stool.
One way of carrying out the invention is described in detail below with reference to drawings which illustrate only one specific embodiment, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a first embodiment of the apparatus for chiropractic therapy and massage according to the invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the first embodiment with sheet thereof removed;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view showing wire coupling means in the first embodiment;
Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the manner in which pressure means is moved along rails;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the relation between a support frame and stroke control means;
Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front view showing the pressure means;
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a sleeve;
Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the pressure means;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a radiation plate;
Fig. 10 is a schematic side view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 with legs;
Figs. 11 and 12 are a perspective view and an exploded perspective view of the leg, respectively;
Figs. 13 and 14 are partial side views of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 with the legs in the upright and bent positions, respectively;
Figs. 15 and 16 are side views of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 under different operating conditions;
Fig. 17 is a partial sectional view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 for showing the relationship between the protuberances of the pressure rollers with the cover means; and
Figs. 18 and 19 are views respectively similar to Figs. 1 and 2 but showing a second embodiment of the invention.

The construction of the preferred embodiment will be outlined. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the chiropractic therapy and massage apparatus 10 according to the invention comprises a housing 12, which is adapted to support a user lying on it. A support frame 14 is mounted for reciprocating movement in the housing 12. In the support frame 14, pressure means 16 carrying pressure rollers are mounted. The support frame 14 supporting the pressure means 16 is disposed on rails 17 provided within the housing 12 and is coupled to a wire 18. The wire 18 is driven by a power source 21 having a reversible motor 20. When the wire 18 is driven the support frame 14 is moved along the rails 17, whereby the user on the housing is given chiropractic therapy and massage by the pressure rollers of the pressure means 16. When the support frame 14 is moved to cover a predetermined stroke, it causes sliding action of a control bar 22, which constitutes stroke control means 23 and is provided within the housing, to cause switching of a switch 24. With this switching of the switch 24 the reversible motor 20 is exchanged to reverse the direction movement of the support frame 14. When the support frame 14 has been moved in the opposite direction to cover the predetermined stroke, the motor 20 is reversed again to cause reversal of the direction of movement of the support frame. In this way, the support frame 14 is reciprocated with the switch 24 switched every time the stroke is covered. The stroke of the support frame 14 can be changed when the control bar 22 is elastically deformed by stroke selection means 26.
Now, the component parts of the chiropractic therapy and massage apparatus 10 will be described in detail. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the housing 12 is in the form of a box-like shape and is open at its top, and cover means 27 of cloth or the like capable of expansion and contraction is stretched to cover the open side of the housing. The cover means 27 comprises at least two sheets. In this embodiment, the cover means has an upper sheet 28 and a lower sheet 29, the peripheries of which are stitched together. At least the lower sheet 29 is made of a material which is capable of expansion and contraction such as knitted fabric. A pair of parallel rails 17 extend within the housing 12 in the longitudinal direction thereof. The support frame 14 is constituted by first support 30 and second support 32 spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, the first support 30 being positioned on the side of the head of the user and the second support 32 positioned on the side of the legs of the user. A pair of connection plates 34 connect the opposite ends of these supports 30 and 32. The supports 30 and 32 each have a shaft 36, which carries wheels 38 mounted on it at the opposite ends. These wheels 38 run along the rails 17, whereby the support frame 17 is moved along the rails 17.
As seen from Figs. 1 and 2, the power source 21 is mounted within the housing 12 at the left hand end thereof, and it includes a reversible motor 20 and a speed change gear 40. A shaft 42 horizontally extends from the speed change gear 40 and carries a drive pulley 44 secured to it. A drive pulley 46 is provided within the housing 12 at the right hand end thereof, and its shaft 47 vertically extends. The wire 18 is stretched between these pulleys 44 and 46. An auxiliary pulley 49 is provided in the neighborhood of the drive pulley 44 for ensuring sufficient contact of the wire 18 with the drive pulley 44.
As shown in Fig. 3, the opposite ends of the wire 18 are coupled by wire coupling means 50 to the first support 30 and second support 32 of the support frame 14. The wire coupling means 50 includes a pair of coupling members 52 and 53, such as pins, respectively coupled to the opposite ends of the wire 18 and a pair of support members 54 and 55 depending from the respective supports 30 and 32. It also includes a pair of interlock bars 56 and 57 made from, for instance, a hard steel wire. The interlock bar 56 is slidable with respect to the coupling member 52 and the support member 54, and the interlock bar 57 is slidable with respect to the coupling member 53 and the support member 55. These interlock bars 56 and 57 respectively have loop portions 58 and 59 formed at their one end. The loop portions 58 and 59 are slidable along the respective coupling members 52 and 53. The interlock bars 56 and 57 also have respective stoppers 60 and 61, such as flanges, which restrict the movement of the loop portions 58 and 59 with respect to the coupling members 52 and 53. The other end portion of each of the interlock bars 56 and 57 is slidably supported in a loop portion of each of the support members 54 and 55, and these other end portions include respective bent retainer portions 62 and 63 for preventing detachment of the interlock bars from the support members so as to act as stoppers. Elongation/contraction absorbing means 68 for absorbing the elongation and contraction of the wire 18 is connected between the coupling members 52 and 53. In this embodiment, the elongation/contraction means 68 is in the form of a tension spring, but it is to be understood that any other member having the function of absorbing the elongation and contraction of wire can be used in lieu of the tension spring.
When the reversible motor 20 of the power source 21 is rotated in a direction of moving the support frame 14 to the left in Figs. 1 and 2, the wire 18 is driven in the direction of arrow L shown in Fig. 3. At the time, the wire 18 is momentarily driven until a state, in which the stopper 60 is in contact with the loop portion 58 of the interlock bar 56 and the bent retainer 62 thereof is in contact with support member 54. Then, the wire 18 pulls the support 30 with the interlock bar 56, thus moving the support frame 14 to the left. At this time, the support 32 is moved with the support 30, so that no pulling force is transmitted from the support 32 to the coupling member 52 through the interlock bar 57. When the wire 18 is driven in the direction of arrow R, similar function takes place, and the wire 18 pulls this time the support 32 through the interlock bar 57, thus moving the support frame 14 to the right. At this time, no pulling force is transmitted to the coupling member 52. In the above way, the support frame 14 is reciprocated. The interlock bar 56 or 57 is drivingly coupled to the support 30 or 32 through the coupling member 52 or 53 according to the direction of driving of the wire 18, so that the wire pulls the support 30 or 32. At this time, the other interlock bar is free, i.e., is not drivingly coupled to the other support, so that the tension in the wire 18 is directly transmitted to either support through the associated coupling member and interlock bar and is not transmitted to the tension spring 68. Thus, the support frame 14 can be smoothly moved by the wire 18, and the tension spring 68 will not be damaged by the tension in the wire 18. Further, if the wire 18 undergoes elongation or contraction, this elongation or contraction is absorbed by the urging force of the tension spring 68 connected between the opposite ends of the wire 18. Thus, fluctuation of the wire tension can be prevented and drive pulley 44 is kept constant. In this way, the wire 18 is driven under a constant tension and smooth driving of the support frame 14 can be ensured.
The rails 17 have a plurality of cam portions 70 (see Figs. 1 and 2) to cause vertical displacement of the support frame 14 running therealong and vertical displacement of the pressure means 16 supported on the support frame 14. These cam portions 70 are formed at positions corresponding to the neck and legs of the user, when the user is lying on the cover means 27 provided at the open top of the housing 12 as shown in Fig. 4. In other words, the rails 17 have a profile practically conforming to the profile of the back of the user so that the pressure rollers of the pressure means 16 may apply uniform pressure to the user's back over their entire stroke.
As shown in Fig. 2, a pair of support members 72 are provided on the inner wall of the housing 12, and an elastically deformable control bar 22 for controlling the stroke of the support frame 14 extends in the direction of movement of the support frame 14 and is supported by the support members 72 such that it is slidable relative thereto but is incapable of detachment therefrom. The control bar 22 is made from a hard steel, and it has horizontally projecting bent portions 76 and 77 provided near its opposite ends and also a further horizontally projecting bent portion 78 provided in its intermediate portion. As shown in Fig. 5, an actuating pin 80 downwardly projects form the second support 32 of the support frame 14, and it is capable of engaging the bent portions 76, 77 and 78 of the control bar 22. When the support frame 14 is being moved by the wire 18, the actuating pin 80 comes to engagement with either one of the bent portions 76, 77 and 78, whereby the control bar 22 is moved with the support frame.
The control bar 22 has a hair-pin-like left hand end 81, and a switch 24, for instance a microswitch, is provided within the housing 12 such that it co-operates with the hair-pin-like end 81. When the control bar 22 is moved with the support frame 14, an action of switching of the switch 24 by its hair-pin-like end 81 takes place, and with this action the direction of rotation of the reversible motor of the power source is reversed.
As shown in Fig. 2, a stroke selection means 26 for changing the stroke of the support frame 14 is provided on one side wall of the housing 12. The stroke selection means 26 comprises an operation box 82 provided on the outer wall surface of the housing 12, and a select lever 84 pivotable about a pin 83 is accommodated within the operation box such that its end portion projects therefrom. The stroke selection means 26 further includes a connecting rod 86 penetrating the wall of the housing 12. The connecting rod 86 is coupled at one end by a pin (not shown) to the other end of the select lever 84, and is coupled at the other end to the control bar 22, which extends through a hole (not shown) formed in the other end of the connecting rod. When the select lever 84 is rotated in the clockwise direction about the pin 83, the rod 86 is outwardly displaced, thus causing deformation of the elastically deformable control lever 22 toward the side wall of the housing as shown by broken lines in Fig. 2. At this time, the displacement of the central portion of the control bar 22 is greater than the displacement of the end portions, and thus the central bent portion 78 is displaced sidewise to a greater extent than the other bent portions 76 and 77 in the end portions. In effect, the control bar 22 is deformed by the connecting rod 86 until the actuating pin 80 of the support 32 (Fig. 5) is no longer capable of engaging the central bent portion 78. The operation box 82 is also provided with a timer 88 for setting the operating period of the power source 21.
The rails 71 are provided at their opposite ends with stoppers 90, being four in number, for preventing the detachment of the support frame 14 from them.
On the opposite sides of the wire 18, which is stretched along the bottom of the housing 12, a pair of elastic protective members 92 of a semi- hard foam material are attached to the bottom wall. These protective members have a thickness greater than the height of the wire 18 from the bottom. When the user lies on the cover means 27, great load is applied to the sheet. In such a case and also with the vertical rocking of the user M lying on the sheet caused with the reciprocating movement of the support frame 14, the sheet is greatly deformed so that the user tends to sink into the housing 12. In this case, however, the downward load is received by the elastic protective members 92 through the deformed cover means 27, and the user does not feel any displeasure at all by virtue of the soft touch of the elastic protective members. In addition, since the elastic protective members 92 have a thickness greater than the height of the wire 18 from the housing bottom, there is no possibility for the sagging cover means 27 to be rubbed and damaged by the wire. As an inexpensive and highly elastic material of the elastic protective members 92, polyethylene foam may be used.
A pair of parallel radiation plates 96 (see Fig. 2) of a material which has a relative high thermal conductivity such as aluminum are arranged on the inner bottom surface of the housing 12 so as not to interfere with the movement of the support frame 14. A number of radiation holes 97 are formed on each side of each radiation plate 96 as shown in Fig. 9. A plurality of heat-generating elements 98 comprising positive temperature characteristic thermistors are mounted on the middle portion of the inner surface of each radiation plate 96. Heat generated by these heat-generating elements 98 heats the radiation plates 96. At the same time, the heated air inside the radiation plates 96 flows out through the radiation holes 97 to heat the user lying on the cover means 27. The heat-generating elements 98 are operated by the operation of a switch (not shown) incorporated in the operation box 82.
The shaft 36 mounted in the first support 30 of the support frame 14 carries a pair of first sleeves 102 fitted on its central portion. As shown in Fig. 6, each of these first sleeves 102 has a peripheral annular recess 104, in which a pressure roller of the pressure means 16 is mounted, and also has a plurality of, for instance four, engagement extensions 106 coaxially extending from its one end. As shown in Fig. 7, the engagement extensions 106 of each sleeve are radially uniformly spaced apart such that the gaps between adjacent extensions are enough to receive the engagement extensions of the other sleeve. As shown in Fig. 6, the pair of sleeves 102 are loosely fitted on the central portion of the shaft 36 such that the engagement- extensions 106 of each sleeve lie in the gaps between adjacent engagement extensions of the other sleeve. Thus, the sleeves 102 can be rotated with each other on the shaft 36 due to the engagement of their engagement extensions 106, and also they can be independently moved toward or away from each other in the axial direction of the shaft. The chiropractic roller 108, which is the first pressure roller of the pressure means 16 and is mounted in the peripheral annular recess 104 of each sleeve 102, is made of an elastic material such as hard rubber and has a number of partial spherical protuberances 111 projecting from its outer periphery near its inner end. The shaft 36 also carries a pair of second sleeves 112 loosely fitted on its opposite end portions. Each of these second sleeves 112 has an annular recess (not shown), in which a massage roller as the second pressure roller of the pressure means 16 is mounted. Each second sleeve has a well-known sleeve form without any engagement extension. The massage roller 114 has a greater width dimension than the chiropractic therapy roller 108, and it is also made of an elastic material such as hard rubber and has a number of partial cylindrical axial ridges 116 formed on its outer periphery. A compression spring 118 is interposed between each first sleeve 102 and the corresponding second sleeve 112. The compression spring 118 urges the associated first sleeve 102 and second sleeve 112 away from each other, so that the pair of first sleeves 102 provided on the central portion of the shaft 36 are urged toward each other (see Fig. 8).
The shaft 36 mounted in the second support 32 of the support frame 14, like the shaft 36 mounted in the first support 30, carries first and second pairs of sleeves 102 and 112 rotatably fitted on it. As shown in Fig. 8, second chiropractic rollers 120 which are third pressure rollers of the pressure means 16 are mounted in the respective first sleeves 102, and second massage rollers 122 of the pressure means 16 are mounted in the respective second sleeves 112. The second chiropractic rollers 120 are each made of an elastic material and has a number of partial spherical protuberances 124. In the illustrated embodiment, the first chiropractic rollers 108 and second chiropractic rollers 120 are identical rollers except that they are installed on the respective shafts 36 in opposite orientations. More particularly, the first pair of chiropractic rollers 108 are installed on their shaft 36 such that their ends, adjacent to which the protuberances are provided, face each other, whereas the second pair of chiropractic rollers 120 are installed on their shaft 36 such that their ends remote from the protuberances face each other. The first and second pairs of massage rollers 114 and 122 are identical rollers and installed in the same way on their respective shafts 36.
A control plate 126 in the form of a belt is provided for controlling the operation of the chiropractic rollers of the pressure means 16 within the housing 12 such that extends substantially over the entire length of the housing. As seen from Fig. 1, the control plate 126 is coupled at one end by a hook-like coupling member 128 to the right hand end of the housing 12 and coupled at the other end by a tension spring 130 to the left hand end of the housing. As seen from Fig. 17 the control plate 126 extends between each of the supports 30 and 32 of the support frame 14 and each shaft 36. As shown in Fig. 6, a portion of the control plate 126 extending between the first support 30 and associated shaft 36 is clamped between flanges 132 formed on the respective first pair sleeve 102. As shown in Fig. 17, a leaf spring 134 is provided on the support 30, and it urges the control plate 126 against the sleeves 102 and thus maintains the clamped state of the control plate between the flanges 132. The width of the control plate 126 suitably varies over its length. More particularly, as shown in Fig. 8, the control plate 126 has such a form that its portion corresponding to the neck of the user laying on the cover means 27 with the head directed on the side of the first support 30 is narrowest and that its width is progressively increased from its portion corresponding to the neck of the user to its portion corresponding to the hip of the user. Thus, when the support frame 14 is moved along the housing 12, the first pair of chiropractic rollers 108 carried on the first support 30 are moved in the axial direction of the shaft against the restoring forces of the pair of springs 118 according to the width dimension of the control plate 126. As shown in Fig. 8, the portion of the control plate 126 corresponding to the head of the user becomes progressively wider as it goes from a portion corresponding to the neck toward a portion corresponding to the lower part of the body. This variation of the width of the control plate 126 is provided because of the fact that the thickness of the backbone and hence the distance between the opposite side particular physiological spots vary similarly.
On the longitudinal lower edges of the housing 12 of this construction are mounted legs 136 so that they may be extended or pivoted for compactness, as shown in Fig. 10. As seen from Figs. 11 to 14, a pair of leg members 137 are coupled by upper and lower coupling rods 138 and 139 at a distance substantially corresponding to the width of the housing 12. Support shafts 140 protrude from the upper ends of the opposing surfaces of the leg members 137. A pair of support members 141 are mounted by screws 142 to both sides of the housing 12 at the longitudinal ends thereof. A bearing part 143 is formed at the joint of the support members 141. A pair of protuberances 151 are formed on the opposing surface of one of these support members 141, and recesses 152 to receive these protuberances are formed in the housing surface of the other of the support members 141. By the engagement of these protuberances and recesses, a pair of support members 141 may be joined without misalignment. The support shaft 140 is pivotally supported by the bearing part 143. When the teg 136 is extended upright, the upper coupling rod 138 abuts the lower support member 141 so that the leg 136 may be securely held in the upright condition. An engaging plate 145 with a plurality of grooves 144 formed on the outer periphery thereof is mounted on the end face of the support shaft 140 extending from the bearing part 143. One end of each of a pair of engaging rods 146 obtained by bending an elastic material in a crank form, the other end of which is coupled to the upper support member 141, is in elastic engagement with each of the grooves 144 of the engaging plate 145. Therefore, when the leg 136 is pivoted, the engaging rods elastically engage with the grooves 144. When the leg 136 is pivoted into a second position, the engaging rods 146 support the leg 136 at a predetermined bent angle. At the terminal end of the leg member 137 is formed a standing surface 147 for stably supporting the leg member 137 on the floor or the like when the leg 136 is pivoted into the second position.
In the apparatus for chiropractic therapy and massage of the construction as described above, when both legs 136 are extended upright as shown in Fig. 10, the apparatus may be used with the housing 12 oriented horizontally, as in the case of the conventional apparatuses of this kind. At the same time, the apparatus may be used in different postures as shown in Figs. 15 and 16 depending upon the health conditions of the user. The posture shown in Fig. 15 corresponds to the case wherein the apparatus is used for a normal, healthy user. In this case, one leg 136 below the head of the user lying horizontally on the housing 12 is pivoted into the second position to incline the housing 12 so that the head of the user may be located at a lower level than the other portions of his body. The posture shown in Fig. 16 corresponds to the case wherein the apparatus is used for the user suffering hypertension. In this case, the legs 136 below the feet of the user are pivoted into the second position so that the feet of the user may be located below his head.
In this manner, the housing 12 can be held inclined depending upon the health condition of the user. Therefore, the blood circulation of the user may be facilitated in addition to the chiropractic effects, so that the health of the user may be recovered from the overall point of view. Thus, a normal, healthy user can use the apparatus with his head located below the other portions of his body to facilitate blood circulation throughout the whole body and to thereby recover from the tiredness. A user suffering from hypertension can receive the chiropractic effects with his head resting above the other portions of this body, so that he may receive the treatment without causing a rise in his blood pressure.
Now, the operation of the chiropractic therapy and massage apparatus 10 of the above construction will be described. First, the operation in the case when the control bar 22 is deformed to the form as shown by the broken lines in Fig.2 by turning the select lever 84 in the clockwise direction will be described. By operating the timer 88, the power source 21 is started to drive the support frame 14. It is assumed that with the rotation of the drive pulley 44 of the power source 21 the support frame 14 is moved toward the power source 21, i.e., to the left. When the second support 32 of the support frame 14 is moved to a position corresponding to the bent portion 76 of the control bar 22 on the left side, the actuating pin 80 depending from the second support 32 engages with the bent portion 76 and causes sliding of the control bar 22 in the direction of movement of the support frame 14, i.e., to the left. As a result, the hair-pin-like left end 81 of the control bar 22 changes the switch 24, thus reversing the direction of rotation of the reversible motor 20 of the power source 21 to reverse the direction of movement of the support frame 14, i.e., to the right. When the second support 32 having the actuating pin 80 subsequently comes to a position corresponding to the bent portion 77 of the control bar 22 on the right side, the actuating pin 80 engages with the bent portion 77 and causes sliding of the control bar 22 in the direction of movement of the support frame 14, i.e., to the right. As a result, the left end 81 of the control bar 22 is separated from the switch 24 and thus changes the switch 24 again to reverse the direction of rotation of the motor '20 so as to reverse the direction of movement of the support frame 14, i.e., this time to the left.
In this way, during the preset period of the timer 88 the support frame 14 is reciprocated between a position, at which the actuating pin 80 depending from the second support 32 engages with the left side bent portion 76, and a position, at which the actuating pin 80 engages with the right side bent portion 77, i.e., substantially over the entire length of the housing 12. Thus, the whole body of the user lying on the cover means 27 is given chiropractic therapy by the chiropractic rollers 108 and 120 of the pressure means 16 and also with massage by the massage rollers 114 and 122 of the means 16.
When it is desired to reduce the stroke of the support frame 14, i.e., to obtain concentrated chiropractic therapy and massage on a portion of the body, the connecting rod 86 of the stroke selection means 26 is inwardly displaced by turning the select lever 84 in the counterclockwise direction. As a result, the control bar 22 is restored from its deformed state shown by the broken lines in Fig. 1 to its substantially straight state shown by the solid lines. In this case, the actuating pin 80 depending from the second support 32 of the support frame 14 is able to engage with the central bent portion 78 as well as the other bent portions 76, 77 of the control bar 22. Thus, the support frame 14 is now capable of being reciprocated between a position at which the actuating pin 80 engages with the left side bent portion 76 and a position at which the pin engages with the central bent portion 78 or between a position at which the pin engages with the central bent portion 78 and a position at which the pin engages with the right side bent portion 77, so that the user can obtain chiropractic therapy by the chiropractic rollers 108 and 120 and massage by the massage rollers 114 and 122 on a portion of the body.
When the support frame 14 is reciprocated substantially over the entire length of the housing 12, it is vertically rocked by the cam portions 70 of the rails 17. That is, as seen from Fig. 4, the pressure means 16 supported on the support frame 14 is upwardly displaced to follow the profile of the user's back, so that the chiropractic rollers 108 and 120 and massage rollers 114 and 122 of the pressure means 16 are moved while applying substantially uniform pressure to the back of the user. Thus, the user can receive satisfactory chiropractic therapy and massage over the whole body.
Also, since the stroke of the support frame 14, which supports the pressure means 16 and is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the housing 12, can be readily changed by the stroke selection means 26, the user can obtain chiropractic therapy and massage either over the whole body or a portion of the body in dependence upon the condition of the body, which is very convenient.
Further, with the above construction, as the support frame 14 is moved through the housing 12 the first support 30 is reciprocated over a portion of the user's body from the neck to the hip, so that the first pair of chiropractic rollers 108 provided on the central portion of the shaft 36 apply pressure to the particular physiological spots on the opposite sides of the backbone with their protuberances 111 as they slide in the axial direction of the shaft 36 according to the changing width dimension of the control plate 126, while at the same time the first pair massage rollers 114 provided on the outer side of the respective first chiropractic rollers 108 rub the muscle and ligament in a portion of the body extending from the shoulders to the hip with their ridges 116. Simultaneously, the second support 32 is reciprocated over a portion of the user's body extending from the hip to the end of the legs, so that the second pair of rollers 120 provided on the shaft 36 apply pressure to the particular physiological spots of the legs with their protuberances 124 while at the same time the second pair massage rollers 122 rub the muscle of the whole legs with their ridges 116. In other words, in conformity to the well known fact that the distance between the particular physiological spots of the legs is greater than the distance between the particular physiological spots on the opposite sides of the backbone, the lateral distance between the protuberances 124 of the second pair of chiropractic rollers 120 is made greater than the distance between the protuberances 111 of the first pair of chiropractic rollers 108. Thus, the user can obtain chiropractic therapy on the particular physiological spots on the opposite sides of the backbone and those of the legs by the chiropractic rollers 108 and 120 by merely lying on the cover means 27 in the natural posture.
Still further, the distance between the protuberances 124 of the second chiropractic rollers 120 and the ridges 116 of the second massage roller 122 is made narrower, each leg of the user is sandwiched between the protuberances 124 and ridges 116, so that it is possible to obtain very satisfactory chiropractic effect and massage effect on the muscle of the legs.
Further, the pressure means 16 supported on the support frame 14 includes a pair of first chiropractic roller 108 and second chiropractic roller 120 as the pressure rollers. Since the chiropractic rollers 108 and 120 are provided with the respective protuberances 111 and 124 such that the lateral distance between the opposite protuberances 124 is made greater than that between the opposite protuberances 111, the user lying on the cover means 27 in the natural posture can obtain pressure application to the particular physiological spots on the opposite sides of the backbone and those of the legs in the different space by the protuberances 111 and 124 of the first and second chiropractic rollers 108 and 120, that is, the user can receive satisfactory chiropractic therapy without need of an unnatural posture.
Further, the pressure means 16 has not only the chiropractic rollers 108 and 120 but also the pair of first massage rollers 114 and the pair of second massage rollers 122. Thus, the user on the cover means 27 can receive not only the chiropractic effect by the chiropractic rollers but also the massage effect by the massage rollers.
The cover means 27 covering the upper opening of the housing 12 comprises the upper sheet 28 and the lower sheet 29. Therefore, when the support frame 14 reciprocates in the housing 12, protuberances 111, 116 and 124 of the rollers 108, 114, 120 and 122 of the support frame 14 are brought into contact with the lower sheet 29 of the cover means 27 due to the weight of the user lying on the cover means 27. However, as shown in Fig. 17, the protuberances of each roller, for example, of the chiropractic roller 108 are displaced while dragging the lower sheet 29 alone to the left, by the contact resistance with the lower sheet 29. When the roller 108 rotates counterclockwise in Fig. 17 under this condition, and the protuberances in contact with the lower sheet 29 move from the uppermost position U to the position D, the weight of the user lying on the cover means 27 does not substantially act thereon. Then, the contact condition of the protuberances 111 and the lower sheet 29 is released, and the lower sheet 29 then contracts to the right to return to its original condition. Therefore, since the rollers rotate while not being brought into contact with the lower sheet 29 of the cover means, the abrasion of the protuberances of the respective rollers at an early stage may be prevented. Damage to the cover means is also prevented. Since the lower sheet 29 is particularly made of a sheet material which is capable of expansion and contraction, the lower sheet can expand and contract freely, so that lower sheet may expand and contract smoothly and damage to the rollers and the cover means may be effectively prevented.
In the embodiment described above, the lower sheet 29 alone of the cover means 27 is made of a material which is capable of expansion and contraction. However, the upper sheet 28 may also be made of such a material.
When the user is to receive massage, the power source 21 is activated, and the switch of the heat-generating elements 98 is turned on. Then, heat generated from the heat-generating elements 98 heats the radiation plates 96. The heated air from the radiation plates 96 thus warms the user lying on the cover means 27. Then, the blood circulation of the user is facilitated and the metabolism is activated. The body then receives chiropractic therapy and massage from the rollers 108, 114, 120 and 122 travelling in the housing 12, and the chiropractic therapy and the massage effects are improved. The massage effects are further improved by the warming effects of the heat-generating elements 98. Massage accompanied by such warming is particularly effective for the treatment of rheumatism.
Since the heat-generating elements 98 comprise positive temperature characteristic thermistors, the heating temperature is kept constant by self-control.
Figs. 18 and 19 show a second embodiment of the chiropractic therapy and massage apparatus according to the invention.
This chiropractic therapy and massage apparatus 210 is different from the apparatus 10 of the first embodiment in the pressure means. More particularly, in this chiropractic therapy and massage apparatus 210, the construction of pressure means 216 is simplified compared with the means 16 in the apparatus 10. This pressure means 216 has eight pressure rollers 218 with the respective four rollers as a set. These rollers 218 are only provided with ridges and are rotatably mounted on associated shafts supported in respective supports 30 and 32. In this chiropractic therapy and massage apparatus 210, the control plate 126 in the first embodiment is omitted, and the pressure rollers 218 are not moved in the axial direction of the shafts. The other construction of the apparatus 210 is the same as in the first embodiment and is thus not described in detail. Since this chiropractic therapy and massage apparatus 210 is simplified in construction, it can be manufactured at a reduced cost. As shown by broken lines in Fig. 8, it is also possible to provide a separate shaft carrying first chiropractic rollers and massage rollers in the first support 30 and provide a separate shaft carrying second chiropractic rollers and second massage rollers in the second support 32, these rollers being of the same configurations and arrangements as those in the above embodiment. With such a construction, the chiropractic therapy and massage are continuously performed by the number of chiropractic rollers and. massage rollers, so that the chiropractic and massage effects can be. cumulatively increased.

Claims

An apparatus for chiropractic therapy and massage comprising a housing which is open at its top, elastic cover means stretched to cover the open side of the housing and constituting a support surface on which a user may lie, pressure means including a plurality of pressure rollers disposed in the housing and adapted to roll to apply pressure through the cover means on the body of the user lying on the housing, a support frame provided in the housing and supporting the pressure means, a pair of pulleys provided in the housing, a wire stretched between the pulleys to reciprocate the support frame and means for driving the wire in order to reciprocate the support frame, characterized in that said cover means (27) comprises an upper elastic sheet (28) and a lower elastic sheet (29) which are immediately, but loosely superposed, the lower sheet (29) being in contact with the pressure rollers (108, 120, 218) and at least the lower sheet (29) being capable of expansion and contraction in its surface under the effect of the pressure rollers (108, 120, 218), and further characterized in that legs (136) are mounted on longitudinal ends of said housing (12) capable of extending downwardly in order to support the housing (12) at a given height or being pivoted at one or the other end of the housing (12) into a second position so that the support surface is inclined longitudinally.