GB2285927A

GB2285927A - Spherical massage device

Info

Publication number: GB2285927A
Application number: GB9401181A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Otto Wu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-12-30
Filing date: 1994-01-21
Publication date: 1995-08-02
Also published as: GB9401181D0; CA2113333A1; AU652532B3; CZ101394A3

Abstract

A spherical massage device (100) for the hands includes a spherical core on which a plurality of equally-spaced circular slots are formed, each extending along a great circle of the spherical core to join each other at an upper pole and a lower pole of the spherical core and a plurality of massage elements (60) having projections thereon slidably retained within the circular slots. The device may also contain a magnet to provide magnetic therapy. The device may also serve as an intellective toy, especially for the blind. <IMAGE>

Description

MASSAGE DEVICE The invention relates generally to a massage device and in particular to a spherical massage device suitable to be held in hands and having massage elements movably mounted thereon to serve as an intellective toy for the blind.

Massage has been a popular treatment for relaxing strained muscle and restoring vividness of exhausted human body. There are now available in the market a variety of massage devices for use in different parts of human body.

However, there lacks a massage device particularly designed for massaging hands.

Besides, some of the commercially available massage devices have a very complicated structure and thus expensive in cost, easy to damage and hard to repair and maintain.

The present invention aims to provide a massage device which is cheap in cost, simple in structure and particularly suitable to massage hands and which may also serve as an intellective toy.

The principal objective of the present invention is to provide a spherical massage device having a size suitable to be held in hands for massaging hands.

Accordingly the present invention provides a spherical massage device comprising a plurality of massage elements slidably attached to a spherical core and

each of the spherical massage having at least onetround-headed projection of which the number may be different to be moved by a user so as to serve as an intellective toy, especially for the blind because the blind can feel the projections by their fingers that hold the spherical massage device.

In a preferred embodiment, there is provided a spherical massage device comprising a spherical core on which a plurality of substantially angularly equallyspaced circular slots are formed, each extending along a great circle of the spherical core to joint each other at an upper pole and a lower pole of the spherical core and a plurality of plate-like massage elements having a given shape slidably retained within the circular slots. Each of the massage elements has at least a round-headed projection formed on an outer surface thereof facing away from the spherical core and a retaining tab connected to an opposite inner surface thereof, facing the spherical core, by a leg which is slidably received within one of the circular slots to slidably retain the massage element on the spherical core.

Other features of the present invention are given in the appended claims.

Other objectives and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a spherical core structure of a spherical massage device constructed in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, partially exploded, showing the spherical core structure of the spherical massage device of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the spherical massage device of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the spherical massage device of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the spherical massage device serving as an intellective toy played by a user; and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the spherical massage device of the present invention.

With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS.

3 and 4, wherein a spherical massage device constructed in accordance with the present invention, generally designated with reference numeral 100, is shown, the spherical massage device 100 comprises a spherical core 300, particularly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on which a plurality of plate-like massage elements 60, having a polygonal shape, for example hexagonal shape as shown in FIGS.4 and 5, are slidably mounted.

With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the spherical core 300 of the spherical massage device 100 of the present invention is shown, the spherical core 300 comprises a hollow spherical body 320 (FIG. 2) constituted by an upper hemispheric member 10 and a lower hemispheric member 20 which is essentially identical to the upper hemispheric member 10.

The spherical body 320 defines an upper pole 110 and an opposite lower pole 210 (FIG. 3) respectively at the hemispheric members 10 and 20 and an equator circle 330 (FIG.

3), which is a great circle of the spherical body 320 substantially normal to a line extending between the poles 110 and 210 and along which the hemispheric members 10 and 20 are mounted to each other.

Each of the upper and lower hemispheric members 10 and 20 has a plurality of angularly equally-spaced holes 11 or 21 formed thereon. Each of the hemispheric members 10 and 20 also has a tubular post 12 or 22 extending from the pole 110 or 210 thereof toward the equator circle 330 to join each other at a plane coincident with the equator circle 330 for snugly receiving therein a magnet bar 50.

The hollow spherical core 300 further comprises a plurality of upper and lower section members 30 and 40 respectively received and secured within each of the upper and lower holes 11 and 21 to define therebetween on the spherical body 320 a plurality of angularly equally-spaced guide slots 1A and 2A each of which extends along a great circle passing through the poles 110 and 210.

Each of the upper section members 30 comprises an inward projection 31 to be snugly received and thus retained within each of the upper holes 11. Similarly, each of the lower section members 40 comprises an inward projections 41 to be snugly received and retained within each of the lower holes 21. Each of the upper section members 30 is associated with one of the lower section members 40 and jointed together along an arc of the equator circle 330 by having an extension 32 of the upper section member 30 received within a notch 42 of the lower section member 40. With such an arrangement, each of the upper guide slots 1A is jointed by one of the lower guide slots 2A to define a circular guide slot extending along a great circle of the spherical body 320.

Preferably, the section members 30 and 40 are so shaped and mounted to the spherical body 320 that spacing 350 (FIGS.

1 and 2) is formed between each of the section members 30 and 40 and the spherical body 320 along each of the guide slots 1A and 2A, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Preferably, a recessed portion is formed on each side of the section members 30 and 40 and extending along each side of the associated one of the guide slot pairs 1A and 2A to provided a recessed area 340 within which the guide slot pair 1A and 2A is substantially centered.

The plurality of massage elements 60, each having at least a round-headed projection 62 formed on an outer surface thereof, are slidably received within the recessed areas 340 by having a retaining tab 61 which is connected to an inner surface of each of the massage elements 60 by a leg 63 slidably received the spacing 350 and the leg 63 thereof slidably received within the associated guide slot pair 1A and 2A. The retaining tab 61 of each of the massage elements 60 is located within the spacing 350 between the section members 30 or 40 and the spherical body 320 with the leg 63 thereof slidably received within the associated guide slot 1A or 2A so as to retain the massage element 60 within the recessed area 340 in a slidable manner.

Once a user hold the spherical massage device 100 with the hands 90 (FIG. 5) and rolling the spherical massage device 100 with the hands 90, the round-headed projections 63 contact and thus massage the muscles of the hands 90.

Quite obviously, the number of the round-headed projections 62 of each of the massage elements 60 may be different from that of the others of the massage elements 60 such as that shown in the drawings. Preferably, the number of the round-headed projections 62 of the massage elements 60 that are located within a common recessed area 340 is the same.

With particular reference to FIG. 5, wherein the spherical massage device 100 is shown held and played by the hands 90. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the spherical massage device 100 is also provided to serve as an intellective toy, especially for the blind In playing the intellective toy provided by the spherical massage device 100 of the present invention, at least one of the massage elements 60 is removed in advance to leave a space for moving the other massage elements 60 along the guide slots 1A and 2A. The player may try to move the massage elements 60 that have the same number of projections 62 to a common guide slot pair 1A and 2A or play it in other ways.

The magnet bar 50 which has a magnetic field extending therefrom and established around the spherical massage device 100 provides magnetic therapy to the hands 90 that hold it or other portions of human body.

The massage elements 60 may have a polygonal shape with two opposite sides thereof engaging the sides of each of the recessed areas 340, such as hexagonal shape shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. It may also has a circular shape, as that illustrated in the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6. It is apparent to those having ordinary skills to provide massage elements 60 having different shapes to the spherical core 300 of the spherical massage device 100 of the present invention.

It is apparent that although the invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art may make changes to certain features of the preferred embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. For example, the projections need not be round-headed.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A massage device including a plurality of massage elements slidably attached to a spherical core, each of the massage elements having at least one projection thereon.

2. A spherical massage device according to claim 1 wherein on the spherical core a plurality of substantially angularly equally spaced circular slots are formed, each extending along a great circle of the spherical core to joint each other at an upper pole and a lower pole of said spherical core, the plurality of plate-like massage elements having a given shape slidably retained within the circular slots, each of said massage elements having the at least one projection formed on an outer surface thereof facing away from said spherical core and retaining means mounted on an opposite inner surface thereof, facing said spherical core, said retaining means being slidably received within one of said circular slots to slidably hold said massage elements on said spherical core.

3. A spherical massage device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said spherical core comprises a hollow spherical body having a tubular post fixed therein inside which tubular post a magnet bar is disposed.

4. A spherical massage device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said spherical core comprises a hollow spherical body which comprises an upper hemispheric member and a lower hemispheric member mounted to each other to form said hollow spherical body, a plurality of upper section members being secured to said upper hemispheric member in an angular equally-spaced manner to define a plurality of upper grooves, each extending along an arc of a great circle of said spherical core, a plurality of lower section members being secured to said lower hemispheric member in an angular equally-spaced manner to define a plurality of lower grooves, each extending along an arc of a great circle of said spherical core, said upper and lower section members being shaped, formed and located in association with each other so as to have each of said upper grooves associated with and jointed to one of said lower grooves to define each of said circular slots, each of said section members being spaced from said spherical core along sides of each of said circular slots, said retaining means for retaining each of said massage elements on said spherical core comprising a retaining tab connected to the inner surface of the massage element by a leg with said retaining tab located within the spacing between the massage element and said spherical core and the leg slidably received within the guide slot.

5. A spherical massage device as claimed in Claim 2 wherein said spherical core has a recessed area extending along each of two opposite sides of each of said circular slots for slidably receiving therein the plate-like massage elements.

6. A spherical massage device as claimed in Claim 4 wherein said upper hemispheric member has a plurality of upper holes formed thereon to respectively receive and retain therein an inward projection extending from each of said upper section members and said lower hemispheric member has a plurality of lower holes formed thereon to respectively receive and retain therein an inward projection extending from each of said lower section members.

7. A spherical massage device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said massage elements have a polygonal shape.

8. A spherical massage device as claimed in Claim 7 wherein said massage elements have a hexagonal shape.

9. A spherical massage device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said massage elements have a circular shape.

10. A massage device substantially as any one embodiment herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.