JP2011194176A - Cosmetic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more easily provide a beauty effect in a cosmetic apparatus.SOLUTION: By the repetition of the expansion and contraction of both air bags 14, the massage of pressurizing the skin between both air bags 14 is performed. Further, RF electrodes 21 and 22 are provided on parts where the air bags 14 and the skin are to be in contact accompanying the massage. Thus, a high frequency current is supplied through the RF electrodes 21 and 22 simultaneously with the massage. That is, the massage is automatically received and blood circulation is accelerated further by the synergistic effect of heating the skin by the high frequency current. Thus, the beauty effect is more easily obtained.

Description

  The present invention relates to a beauty device.

  Conventionally, in the field of beauty, it is known that a beauty effect can be obtained by applying a weak current to the skin. As a beauty device using this principle, for example, a configuration shown in Patent Document 1 is adopted. This beauty apparatus is provided with a glove that can be fitted by a practitioner, and a low-frequency current is supplied to the glove from the apparatus main body. In other words, the practitioner massages the practitioner with the hand with the glove fitted. Thereby, a low frequency current is supplied from the glove to the skin. Therefore, blood circulation can be promoted by the synergistic effect of the massage and the low frequency current. Thereby, the skin effect and the beauty effect which tightens skin are improved.

JP 2008-173230 A

  By the way, the beauty apparatus shown by the said patent document 1 is mainly used in an esthetic salon, Comprising: It is assumed that a massage is given to others. Therefore, when this beauty device is used personally, it is necessary to perform massage on its own, which is troublesome.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, The objective is to provide the beauty apparatus which can obtain a cosmetic effect more easily.

Hereinafter, means for achieving the above object will be described.
The gist of the first invention is that a beauty device includes a plurality of electrodes that supply current to the skin through contact with the skin, and includes a massage mechanism.

  In a second aspect of the invention, the massage mechanism includes a pair of airbags that are inflated and deflated simultaneously by driving a pump, and the electrodes are provided at positions facing each other of the airbags, and the airbags are inflated. Further, the gist is that the distance between the surfaces of the electrodes increases and decreases with shrinkage.

  In a third aspect of the invention, the massage mechanism includes a pair of kneading balls that are brought into contact with and separated from each other by driving of an actuator, and the electrodes are provided at positions where the kneading balls are opposed to each other, and the kneading balls are brought into and out of contact with each other. Accordingly, the gist is that the distance between the surfaces of the electrodes increases and decreases.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the massaging mechanism includes a vibrating portion that vibrates based on electric power, and at least one of the electrodes is provided in the vibrating portion.
5th invention is equipped with the control apparatus which controls supply of the electric current to the said electrode, and the said control apparatus carries out an electric current to the said electrode when the inter-surface distance of the said electrode becomes below a fixed distance smaller than the maximum inter-surface distance. The gist is to supply.

  According to the present invention, a beauty effect can be obtained more easily in a beauty apparatus.

The lineblock diagram of the beauty device in a 1st embodiment. Sectional drawing which showed the internal structure of the beauty apparatus in 1st Embodiment. (A) And (b) in 1st Embodiment is an enlarged view of the treatment element of the beauty device which shows the contracted state and expanded state of an airbag. The flowchart which showed the processing procedure of the control program in 1st Embodiment. Sectional drawing which showed the internal structure of the beauty apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. The enlarged view of the treatment element of the beauty apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. Sectional drawing which showed the internal structure of the beauty device in 3rd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment embodying a beauty device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the beauty device in this example, massage can be performed simultaneously with the supply of high-frequency current to the skin.

First, the structure regarding the high frequency current in a beauty device is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 1, the beauty device includes a control device 11, an RF (Radio Frequency) transmitter 15, and a pair of RF electrodes 21 and 22. The control device 11 outputs a control signal to the RF transmitter 15. The RF transmitter 15 includes, for example, an inverter that converts a direct current from a battery (not shown) into a high-frequency current (alternating current). The RF transmitter 15 supplies a high-frequency current converted based on the control signal to the RF electrodes 21 and 22.

  When the RF electrodes 21 and 22 are applied to the skin, the skin becomes an electrical resistance that connects the RF electrodes 21 and 22. As a result, the circuit including the RF transmitter 15 and the RF electrodes 21 and 22 is electrically closed, and a high-frequency current flows through the circuit. Since the skin exists between the path of this circuit, specifically, between the RF electrodes 21 and 22, high-frequency current can be supplied to the skin. Here, the skin acts as an electrical resistance. Therefore, since electric energy is consumed as heat energy in the skin, it is possible to warm the skin and promote blood circulation.

Next, the structure regarding the massage in a beauty device is demonstrated.
The beauty apparatus includes a pump 13 that supplies and exhausts air from the two airbags 14. The control device 11 outputs a control signal for requesting the pump 13 to supply or exhaust air. The pump 13 supplies or exhausts the airbag 14 through the supply / exhaust path 20 based on the control signal. At this time, the pump 13 is driven based on the power from the battery. A massage effect described later can be obtained through supply and exhaust of these airbags 14. The power supply of the beauty device is not limited to a battery, and may be a commercial power supply. In this case, the battery of the beauty device can be omitted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the beauty device includes a power switch 16 that is operated by a user. As shown in FIG. 2, the power switch 16 is attached to a resin housing 30 that forms the outer shape of the apparatus. When the power switch 16 is operated, an operation signal to that effect is output to the control device 11. As shown in FIG. 1, when the control device 11 receives an operation signal from the power switch 16, the RF electrodes 21, 22 and 2 through the RF transmitter 15 and the pump 13 according to the control program stored in its own memory 11 a. One airbag 14 is controlled. This control program will be described in detail later. In addition, the control device 11 includes a timer 11b that measures the supply and exhaust time of the airbag 14, the supply time of the high-frequency current, and the like.

Next, a treatment element including the airbag 14 and the RF electrodes 21 and 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of treatment elements 17 </ b> L and 17 </ b> R are provided so as to protrude from the bottom surface of the housing 30. The therapy elements 17L and 17R are portions that are applied to the user's skin, through which massage and high-frequency current are supplied.

  Here, the left treatment element 17L will be described as a representative. On the bottom surface of the housing 30, a rod-shaped fixing portion 18 is provided so as to protrude. An airbag 14 is provided on the inner surface of the fixed portion 18 (the surface on the right treatment element 17R side). As shown in FIG. 3A, a support plate 19 is provided inside the airbag 14. The support plate 19 is fastened to the fixing portion 18 via the airbag 14, so that the airbag 14 is fixed to the fixing portion 18. A supply / exhaust path 20 that communicates the pump 13 and the airbag 14 is provided in the fixed portion 18 along the extending direction. The air supply / exhaust path 20 passes through the support plate 19 in the thickness direction from the inside of the fixed portion 18 and communicates with the internal space of the airbag 14. As a result, the air pump 14 can be supplied and exhausted through the air supply / exhaust path 20 by driving the pump 13.

  Further, holding plates 27 a and 27 b that sandwich the portion from the inside and the outside are provided at a portion of the airbag 14 that faces the support plate 19. The holding plate 27 b faces the right treatment element 17 </ b> R on the outer side of the airbag 14. Further, the RF electrode 21 is fitted on the outer surface of the holding plate 27b.

  A conducting wire 38 that connects between the RF transmitter 15 and the RF electrode 21 passes through the fixed portion 18 along the extending direction. The conducting wire 38 passes through the support plate 19 in the thickness direction from the inside of the fixed portion 18, and is connected to a spring portion (torsion coil spring) 29 in the internal space of the airbag 14. One end of the spring portion 29 is connected to the support plate 19, and the other end of the spring portion 29 is connected to the RF electrode 21 through the holding plates 27 a and 27 b in the thickness direction. Therefore, the RF electrode 21 is connected to the conducting wire 38 and eventually to the RF transmitter 15 via the spring portion 29.

  The right treatment element 17R is similarly configured in such a manner that the left treatment element 17L is inverted in the left-right direction in FIG. That is, the RF electrodes 21 and 22 of the treatment elements 17L and 17R face each other.

Next, the effect | action at the time of the air supply / exhaust of the airbag 14 is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 3A, when the airbag 14 is in an exhausted state, the support plate 19 and the holding plate 27 a are kept at a relatively close distance by the elastic force of the spring portion 29. In this state, when air is supplied into the airbag 14 via the air supply / exhaust path 20, the airbag 14 is inflated in the left-right direction. Accordingly, the support plate 19 and the holding plate 27a are separated from each other against the elastic force of the spring portion 29. And as shown in FIG.3 (b), the airbag 14 will be in the inflated state. In this expanded state, the distance between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 is the smallest fixed distance D. At this time, a high frequency current is supplied to the RF electrodes 21 and 22.

  When the air in the airbag 14 is exhausted through the air supply / exhaust path 20 in the inflated state, the support plate 19 and the holding plate 27a approach each other due to the elastic force of the spring portion 29. Thereby, as shown to Fig.3 (a), the airbag 14 returns to a contracted state.

  Here, the distance between the holding plates 27b of the two treatment elements 17L and 17R in the inflated state is smaller than the inflated state by the amount of inflation in the left-right direction of the airbag 14. Therefore, when skin exists between the holding plates 27b, the skin can be pressed from both the left and right sides. Therefore, it is possible to perform a massage that presses the skin as the airbag 14 is repeatedly expanded and contracted.

  The airbag 14 is inflatable according to the shape of the skin. Therefore, even when the skin surface is inclined with respect to the surfaces of the RF electrodes 21 and 22, the RF electrodes 21 and 22 form an angle along the skin surface as the airbag 14 is inflated. Thereby, the contact area of RF electrodes 21 and 22 and skin is secured.

  Thus, in the expanded state, the contact area between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 and the skin is the largest. When the contact area is maximum, high-frequency current is supplied from the RF electrodes 21 and 22 to the skin. Thereby, the current concentration caused by the small contact area between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 and the skin can be suppressed. Further, since the high frequency current is supplied in a state where the RF electrodes 21 and 22 are deeply penetrated into the skin, the high frequency current can be supplied to the deep part of the skin. Further, a high-frequency current can be supplied aiming at a local part of the skin, for example, an acupuncture point. Thus, since high-frequency current can be supplied to the skin simultaneously with massage, blood circulation is promoted, and a beauty effect such as skin tightening can be obtained.

  Next, a control program executed by the control device 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart is executed according to a control program stored in the memory 11a.

  The control program is started when an operation signal is received from the power switch 16. First, measurement of the time Ta is started via the timer 11b (S101). And massage operation is performed over one round trip (S102). This massage operation is continuously performed until the time Ta reaches a certain time T0 (NO in S103). When the time Ta reaches the certain time T0 (YES in S103), the measurement of the time Ta is finished ( S104), the control program is terminated. This time T0 is set in consideration of the user's preference and an appropriate time for continuously supplying the high-frequency current together with the massage.

Specifically, the massage operation in step S102 will be described.
First, air supply to the airbag 14 is started through the pump 13 (S111). Simultaneously with the start of air supply, measurement of the time Tb during which air is supplied through the timer 11b is started (S112). Then, it waits for the time Tb to reach a certain time T1 (NO in S113). This fixed time T1 is set based on the time from the start of air supply until the airbag 14 is in an inflated state. When the time Tb reaches a certain time T1 (YES in S113), the supply of air is stopped through the pump 13 (S114). Then, the measurement of the time Tb is ended (S115).

  Next, supply of high-frequency current from the RF electrodes 21 and 22 to the skin is started through the RF transmitter 15 (S116). Simultaneously with the start of the supply of the high-frequency current, the measurement of the time Tc during which the high-frequency current is supplied via the timer 11b is started (S117). Then, it waits for the time Tc to reach a certain time T2 (NO in S118). This fixed time T2 is set on the basis of the time when blood circulation promotion can be expected through the heating of the skin. When the time Tc reaches a certain time T2 (YES in S118), the supply of high-frequency current is stopped (S119). Then, the measurement of the time Tc is ended (S120).

  Next, exhaust of the airbag 14 is started through the pump 13 (S121). Simultaneously with the start of exhaust, measurement of time Td for exhausting through the timer 11b is started (S122). Then, it waits for the time Td to reach a certain time T3 (NO in S123). This fixed time T3 is set based on the time from the start of exhausting until the airbag 14 is in a deflated state. When the time Td reaches a certain time T3 (YES in S123), exhaust is stopped through the pump 13 (S124). Then, the measurement of the time Td is ended (S125).

  According to this control program, the user simply operates the power switch 16 and a high-frequency current is supplied together with massage for an appropriate time (fixed time T0). Therefore, the cosmetic effect of tightening the skin can be obtained more easily by promoting blood circulation.

As described above, according to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The massage which presses the skin between both airbags 14 is performed by the expansion | swelling and shrinkage | contraction of both airbags 14 being repeated. Further, RF electrodes 21 and 22 are provided at portions where the airbag 14 and the skin come into contact with the massage. For this reason, a high frequency current can be supplied through the RF electrodes 21 and 22 simultaneously with the massage. That is, the skin is heated by the high-frequency current and can be automatically massaged. Thereby, the beauty effect which tightens the skin accompanying blood circulation promotion more easily is acquired.

  (2) The electric power supplied to the RF electrodes 21 and 22 is set based on the maximum contact area with the skin. That is, in the state where the RF electrodes 21 and 22 and the skin are in contact with each other at the maximum contact area, power is supplied to the skin, so that a more efficient cosmetic effect can be obtained. For example, when the contact area between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 and the skin is small, current concentration is assumed.

  In this regard, in this example, a high frequency current is supplied to the RF electrodes 21 and 22 in the expanded state. That is, when the contact area between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 and the skin is maximum, a high-frequency current is supplied from the RF electrodes 21 and 22 to the skin, so that a more efficient cosmetic effect can be obtained.

Moreover, since the energization timing to the RF electrodes 21 and 22 is limited to the expanded state, the power consumption can be reduced compared to the case where the energization is always performed.
(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the beauty device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The beauty device of this embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the beauty device of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the massage mechanism is different from that of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a description will be given focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  The beauty device in the present embodiment is configured by omitting the pump 13, the airbag 14, and the air supply / exhaust path 20. Further, as schematically shown in FIG. 5, a motor 41 is provided inside the housing 30. The motor 41 rotates the pinion 42 via the output shaft. A rack portion 43 that is bent on both upper and lower sides of the pinion 42 is formed on both the fixing portions 18 that extend inside the housing 30. The rack part 43 meshes with each other on both the upper and lower sides of the pinion 42, and converts the rotational movement of the pinion 42 into a horizontal movement of the rack part 43 and thus the fixing part 18 in the left-right direction. That is, the two fixing portions 18 simultaneously move in the direction of approaching or separating from each other along the moving hole 45 formed in the bottom portion of the housing 30 as the pinion 42 rotates.

  In the present embodiment, a rectangular parallelepiped kneading ball 46 is provided in place of the airbag 14. The kneading balls 46 are made of, for example, resin. Here, the left treatment element 17L will be described as a representative. As shown in FIG. 6, a support plate 48 is fitted into the kneading balls 46 on the fixed portion 18 side. The kneading balls 46 are fixed to the fixing portion 18 via the support plate 48. A holding plate 49 is fitted on the surface of the kneading ball 46 opposite to the fixed portion 18. The RF electrode 21 is fitted on the outer surface of the holding plate 49. The conducting wire 38 passes through the kneading balls 46 from the inside of the fixed portion 18 and is connected to the RF electrode 21. The right treatment element 17R is similarly configured in such a manner that the treatment element 17L is inverted in the left-right direction in FIG.

  The control device 11 drives the motor 41 (pinion 42) alternately in the forward direction and the reverse direction. Thereby, both the kneading balls 46 repeat approach and separation. When skin is present between both massaging balls 46, massage is performed in which the skin is pressed from both the left and right sides.

  Here, for example, it is assumed that the two massaging balls 46 approach each other when the motor 41 is driven in the forward direction, and the two massaging balls 46 are separated when driven in the reverse direction. In this case, the control processing procedure of the present embodiment is obtained by replacing step S102 (one reciprocating massage operation) in the flowchart of FIG. 4 as follows. That is, in step S111, the motor 41 is driven in the normal rotation direction in a state where the two massaging balls 46 are at the most separated initial positions. In step S114, the motor 41 is stopped at the position where the two massaging balls 46 are closest to each other. At this time, the distance between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 is the smallest fixed distance D. In steps S116 to S120, the high-frequency current is supplied over a predetermined time T2 as in the first embodiment. In step S121, the motor 41 is driven in the reverse direction. In step S124, the motor 41 is stopped when the two massaging balls 46 return to the initial position. Here, the time Tb and the time Td are set on the basis of the time required for the movement of the kneading balls 46 between the maximum movable positions.

As described above, according to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) and (2) of the first embodiment.
(3) Since the kneading balls 46 are solid, they are less likely to deform than the inflated airbag 14. For this reason, the kneading balls 46 and the RF electrodes 21 and 22 can reach a deeper position with respect to the skin. As a result, a high-frequency current is supplied in a state where the RF electrodes 21 and 22 penetrate deeper into the skin. Therefore, the deeper part of the skin can be heated, and the effect of promoting blood circulation can be improved.

In addition, since the energization timing to the RF electrodes 21 and 22 is limited when the distance between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 becomes a certain distance D, power consumption can be reduced.
(Third embodiment)
Hereinafter, a third embodiment in which the beauty device according to the present invention is embodied will be described. The beauty device of this embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the beauty device of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the massage mechanism is different from that of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a description will be given focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  The beauty device in the present embodiment is configured by omitting the pump 13, the airbag 14, and the air supply / exhaust path 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the hollow treatment element 54 is fitted in the lower part of the housing 30. One RF electrode 51 is fixed to the lower surface of the treatment element 54, and the other RF electrode 52 is fixed to the peripheral surface of the housing 30. That is, the RF electrode 52 is provided at a position that contacts when the user holds the housing 30 when using the beauty device. When the user touches the RF electrode 52 and the RF electrode 51 of the treatment element 54 is applied to the skin, a high-frequency current is supplied to the skin between the RF electrodes 51 and 52. Thereby, the beauty effects, such as skin tightening, are obtained as described above. The treatment element 54 corresponds to a vibration part.

  A motor 58 is provided inside the housing 30. The motor 58 rotates the shaft 57 extending inside the treatment element 54 based on a control signal from the control device 11. A weight 55 is eccentrically fixed to the tip of the shaft 57. For this reason, when the shaft 57 rotates, eccentric vibration is generated in the motor 58. This vibration is transmitted to the treatment element 54 through the housing 30. Thereby, the treatment element 54 vibrates with respect to the housing 30. By applying the vibrating treatment element 54 to the skin, massage through vibration can be performed. Blood circulation can also be promoted in this massage.

  In the present embodiment, when the power switch 16 is operated, a high-frequency current is supplied to the RF electrodes 51 and 52 and the treatment element 54 is vibrated. When the power switch 16 is operated again, the high frequency current and vibration are stopped.

As described above, according to the embodiment described above, in addition to the function and effect of (1) of the first embodiment, the following function and effect can be achieved.
(4) By vibrating the treatment element 54, the massage can be performed by applying vibration to the skin. Since the treatment element 54 is simply applied to the skin, for example, even if it is difficult to pick the skin, massage can be performed. In addition, while the treatment element 54 is slid with respect to the skin, massage can be performed simultaneously with the supply of high-frequency current to different positions on the skin. Therefore, a beauty effect can be easily obtained over a wide area of the skin.

In addition, the said embodiment can be implemented with the following forms which changed this suitably.
In the second embodiment, the two massaging balls 46 are brought into contact with and separated from each other by the drive of the motor 41. However, if it is an actuator, not only the motor 41 but a solenoid or the like may be used.

  In the first and second embodiments, when the RF electrodes 21 and 22 are closest to each other, that is, when the distance between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 is a constant distance D, the RF electrodes 21 and 22 are both The high frequency current was supplied to. However, the timing for supplying the high-frequency current to the RF electrodes 21 and 22 is not limited to this. For example, when the distance between both the RF electrodes 21 and 22 becomes equal to or less than a threshold value greater than the certain distance D, a high-frequency current may be supplied. The threshold is set between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 where the skin is pressed from both sides by the airbag 14 or the kneading balls 46 and the skin and the RF electrodes 21 and 22 are assumed to contact each other with a sufficient contact area. Set based on distance. In this case, the fixed time T2 is set so that the time Tb reaches the fixed time T2 when the distance between the RF electrodes 21 and 22 is equal to or less than the threshold value. Further, the high-frequency current may be constantly supplied to the RF electrodes 21 and 22 from when the power switch 16 is operated until the control program ends.

  In the third embodiment, the RF electrode 51 is provided on the treatment element 54, and the RF electrode 52 is provided on the peripheral surface of the housing 30. However, both RF electrodes 51 and 52 may be provided on the same surface of the treatment element 54.

  In the third embodiment, the treatment element 54 is vibrated by rotating the weight 55 through the shaft 57 by the motor 58. However, any actuator that can vibrate the treatment element 54 is not limited to a motor. For example, a vibration transducer that converts electrical energy into vibration energy may be used.

  If this vibration transducer is used, a massage function by vibration can be added to the first and second embodiments. Specifically, vibration transducers are provided on the treatment elements 17L and 17R, and vibration is applied to the skin through the vibration transducers at the timing when the RF electrodes 21 and 22 are in contact with the skin. Thereby, the blood circulation promotion effect by massage is further improved.

In the first to third embodiments, there are two RF electrodes, but the number of RF electrodes is not limited to two as long as there are a plurality of RF electrodes.
In the first and second embodiments, the control program is executed by operating the power switch 16. However, the beauty device may include a switch to which a high-frequency current is supplied by an operation and a switch to start massage by the operation. In this case, the cosmetic effect by the high frequency current mentioned above and massage is acquired by operating both switches. It is also possible to use either high-frequency current or massage.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, RF electrode 21,22,51 was provided in the part which massages the airbag 14, the kneading ball 46, and the treatment element 54. As shown in FIG. However, it may be provided at a position different from the part where the RF electrode and the massage are performed.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, although the high frequency current was supplied to skin, a low frequency current may be sufficient.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Control apparatus, 13 ... Pump, 17L, 17R, 54 ... Treatment element, 14 ... Air bag, 21, 22, 51, 52 ... RF electrode, 46 ... Kneading ball.

Claims (5)

In a beauty device comprising a plurality of electrodes for supplying current to the skin through contact with the skin,
Beauty equipment with massage mechanism. The beauty device according to claim 1,
The massage mechanism includes a pair of airbags that are inflated and contracted simultaneously by driving a pump,
The beauty apparatus in which the electrodes are provided at positions where the two airbags face each other, and the distance between the surfaces of the electrodes increases and decreases as the airbags expand and contract. The beauty device according to claim 1,
The massage mechanism includes a pair of kneading balls that are brought into and out of contact with each other by driving an actuator,
The electrode is provided at a position where the two kneading balls are opposed to each other, and a distance between the surfaces of the two electrodes is increased or decreased as the kneading balls are brought into contact with or separated from each other. The beauty device according to claim 1,
The massage mechanism includes a vibrating portion that vibrates based on electric power,
A cosmetic device in which at least one of the electrodes is provided in the vibrating part. In the beauty apparatus of Claim 2 or 3,
A control device for controlling the supply of current to the electrodes;
The control device is a cosmetic device that supplies current to the electrodes when the inter-surface distance of the electrodes becomes equal to or less than a certain distance smaller than the maximum inter-surface distance.

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