ES2324120T3 - DRY HYDRAULIC THERMAL MASSAGE APPARATUS, COMBINED WITH A VIBRATORY MASSAGE. - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus by which localised massages are carried out for aesthetic use and for the health of the person undergoing the treatment. The apparatus comprises a mobile container (1) with means (11,14) for producing hot and cold water and with controlled circulation means (16,17,18) for conveying said liquids to a portable massaging head (3). The massaging head comprises a plurality of button elements (31) moved rhythmically inside a chamber, alternately pulsating on the bottom thereof, consisting of an elastic membrane (34) placed in contact with the patient's skin during the treatment.

Description

Dry hydraulic thermal massage device, combined with a vibrating massage.

The present invention relates to an apparatus to perform localized massages for aesthetic and health use of a person, as defined in the preamble of the claim 1.

An apparatus of this type is known by the US-B1-6 258 049.

Since ancient times the effects of the hydrotherapy on the human body.

Water in a liquid, solid, or vapor state, It can be used to help in relaxation, stimulate circulation, eliminate impurities, relieve pain and reduce effects of aging

In naturopathy, hydrotherapy is used for the treatment of numerous diseases and ailments: from joint pains to skin diseases.

The first capable European hydrotherapy center of offering a whole series of treatments was founded by Sebastian Kneipp, whose name derives a method of hydrotherapy very used even today.

Such method substantially provides for the use of bathrooms hot and cold, steam baths, hot packs and cold, showers and footbaths, associated with a strict diet and with regular physical exercises, in order to get a beneficial detoxifying effect on the body as well as appreciable results in the appearance of the person.

Initial treatments of the Kneipp method have been followed by others, such as the whirlpool. Further, It is a common practice to combine essential oils, mud, seaweed, medicinal herbs and their extracts, salts, etc., with water hot and cold

It is also known that vasomotor reactions (vascular contraction or dilation) are not limited only to vessels located in the area where the stimuli are applied hydrotherapeutic but also extend its effect on others distant areas of the body, according to the so-called reaction reflects.

There are several types of units and devices in well-equipped treatment and health centers, which allow apply the teachings of hydrotherapy and hydromassage with therapeutic purposes

In these centers, there are swimming pools, showers, rooms steam, machines to perform different types of massages or to make wraps, bandages and other things.

The main objective of the present invention is to take hydrotherapy to health and beauty centers, even to small centers, getting the many advantages that offer the largest therapeutic centers, but using a very simple device and easy to apply on the different parts of the human body.

Another objective of the same device is to allow alternation, even electronically programmed, of application of hot water or cold water.

Another objective of the device is to allow combining also the hydrotermotherapeutic treatment with a massage located in areas of the human body.

The aforementioned objectives are achieved with an apparatus for massage located for aesthetic use and health as defined in claim 1. The apparatus comprises a mobile container with means to produce water hot and cold and with controlled circulation means, suitable for conduct said liquids to a portable massage head, which apparatus, according to the content of the first claim, It is characterized by the fact that said mobile container comprises a device to quickly alternate water circulation hot and cold water, controlled by an electronic device programmable. Said apparatus is also characterized by the fact that said portable massage head comprises a plurality of button elements displaced by an actuator element in the inside a chamber to circulate the conducted fluids inside the same chamber by said means of circulation controlled, which chamber has a lower surface constituted by an elastic membrane, suitable to be deformed from the internal rhythmically by said button elements, and suitable for be covered by an interchangeable coating arranged with its outer surface in contact with the patient's skin.

The aforementioned objectives will be made more evident during the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, given only as a non-limiting example, represented on the attached drawing sheets, in which:

- Figure 1 shows the device in schematic conceived during use;

- Figure 2 shows the indicative scheme of the main components of the conceived apparatus;

- Figure 3 shows indicatively a possible realization of the portable massage head belonging to the same device;

- Figure 4 shows the same massage head in section.

The device conceived is shown indicatively in figure 1, in position to be used by a user for the aesthetic treatment of a person.

It substantially comprises the mobile container 1 of means for producing hot water and cold water, and of means of controlled circulation, suitable for carrying liquids before mentioned in a closed circuit, leading them through tubes 2 to the portable massage head 3.

Advantageously, the water circuit is of type closed and water is periodically regenerated with substances antifungicides and antimicrobials. This allows substantial savings of the water used. In any case, a purge valve is planned to make the complete change of the water contained in the hydraulic circuit at regular intervals, even if they are not frequent.

Inside the mobile container 1, they are arranged the components represented indicatively in the Figure 2, that is: the boiler 11 with a heat resistance 12 and with a thermostat 13 to control the temperature of hot water; the refrigeration apparatus 14 with a thermostat 15 to control the cold water temperature; the device for changing fast alternating circulation of hot water and cold water (described  in greater detail below), controlled by an apparatus Programmable electronics contained in the control and control panel 10 of figure 1.

The device mentioned above to change the alternating circulation of hot water and cold water can comprise an electric pump 16 of low flow and high pressure, 17 solenoid valves controlled by timers and provided with microswitches to control the operation of said electric pump, non-return valves 18.

The mobile container 1 can easily be displaced and connected, through the mentioned tubes 2, to supply the fluids to the portable massage head 3.

Such head can be interchangeable, being able to adopt different shapes and sizes, in relation to the area of body to be treated

The same portable massage head 3 shown as an example in figures 3 and 4 comprises a plurality of button elements 31 displaced by an actuator element 32 in the inside of a fluid circulation chamber 33 conducted into said chamber by the means of Controlled circulation mentioned above.

The same chamber 33 has a lower surface constituted by an elastic membrane 34, apt to be deformed from the inside rhythmically by the button elements 31 and also suitable to be covered by a coating interchangeable 35 arranged with its outer surface in contact With the patient's skin.

The elastic membrane 34 may be made of rubber, elastic plastic, but also metal, for example, of steel.

The plurality of button elements before mentioned consists of a variable number of small pistons (also indicated with the number 31) associated with springs of return and timely distributed inside the chamber 33 of fluid circulation, as shown for example in the figures 3 and 4.

The actuator element 32 displaces the disk rotary 36 having its lower surface in contact with the heads of the small pistons 31 mentioned above and formed according to a wavy profile suitable for shifting alternately said small pistons 31 axially.

The wavy profile of the rotating disk 36 determines the type of massage that can be obtained, which can be more or less soft, more or less vibrant, and also more or less "energetic". Advantageously, disk 36 may be Interchangeable depending on the type of massage you want to get. He actuator element 32 mentioned above may be a motor fed with compressed air through a suitable tube 37, such as indicated in figure 4, or also a powered electric motor With a low voltage current.

With alternative methods, the movement of pistons 31 will be determined by pulses of pressurized air, which derives from a pneumatic circuit, properly planned, equipped with solenoid valves, said circuit being able to move alternatively the pistons 31.

The programmable electronic device must allow the selection of hot and cold water temperatures, the time of application of one or the other, and the frequency of alternation of the hydrotermotherapeutic application.

The device control panel must also allow to combine or not the massage action with the application of hydrothermotherapy mentioned above, so that they are also stimulated mechanically treated body areas.

In conclusion, the conceived device could be define as a "hydrotermo-stimulator" with a head of portable massage that can be applied by contact with areas predetermined of the human body in order to stimulate the body to a beneficial reaction

The alternation of the application, even fast, of a hot body and a cold body in some areas well defined of the human body is, in fact, the basis of reflexology provided by the Kneipp method, method to obtain effects beneficial in other parts of the body and a feeling of well-being general.

In addition, the eventual addition of the action portable head massager improves the phenomenon before mentioned.

Moreover, the presence of the coating interchangeable 35, suitable to be applied in the same head of massage after being impregnated with specific products for the health and aesthetic treatment, allows the person tried to get the best effects, in relation to your needs specific.

Claims (11)

1. Device for localized massages of aesthetic and health use, comprising a mobile container (1) and a portable massage head (3), including the mobile container means for producing hot water (11) and cold water (14), as well as means (16; 17; 18) for controlled circulation, suitable for carrying said liquids to the portable massage head (3), said portable massage head (3) comprising a chamber (33) for the circulation of the conducted fluids to the same chamber that has a lower surface constituted by an elastic membrane (34), suitable to be covered by an interchangeable coating (35), arranged with its outer surface in contact with the patient's skin, characterized in that said mobile container (1 ) comprises a device controlled by a programmable electronic device for rapidly alternating the circulation of hot and cold water, and because said portable massage head (3) comprises a plur The number of button elements (31) displaced by an actuator element (32) inside the chamber (33), the elastic membrane (34) being able to be rhythmically deformed from the inside by said button elements (31). 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for producing hot water consist of a boiler (11) with a heat resistance (12) and a thermostat (13) for controlling the temperature. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for producing hot water consist of a cooling apparatus (14) with a thermostat (15) for controlling the temperature. 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said device for rapidly alternating the circulation of hot and cold water comprises an electric pump (16), solenoid valves (17) controlled by timers and provided with microswitches to control the operation of said electric pump , non-return valves, as well as tubes (2) to drive said fluids to said massage head (3) and feed said actuator element (32). 5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said actuator element is a motor (32) supplied with compressed air. 6. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said actuator element is an electric motor powered by a low voltage current. 7. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the hydraulic circuit for circulating the water is of the closed type, a purge valve being provided to allow the water contained in the circuit to be completely discharged and replaced by fresh water. Apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said plurality of button elements consists of small pistons associated with return springs, distributed inside said fluid circulation chamber (33). An apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said actuator element (32) displaces a rotating disk (36) having its lower surface in contact with the heads of said button elements consisting of small pistons (31) and which is formed according to a corrugated profile suitable for reciprocating said small pistons axially. An apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the rotating disk (36) is interchangeable, in order to allow the user to have a plurality of rotating discs with different undulating profiles suitable for moving the pistons (31) in different ways. 11. Apparatus according to claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the alternating movement of the small pistons (31) is determined by pulses of pressurized air derived from a pneumatic circuit, equipped with solenoid valves.