JP7372646B2 - toe massage device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a toe massage device.

Patent Document 1 below proposes a toe massage device that can massage toes. The toe massage device fixes the user's toes on the rotating body using a presser member and a push bolt, and rotates the rotating body alternately in forward and reverse directions using a rotation drive device. Thereby, the toe massage device alternately bends the toes toward the back of the foot and bends the toes toward the back of the foot.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-158562

Since the toe massage device fixes the user's toes with hard members such as the presser member and the push bolt, the user may feel uncomfortable and the massage effect may be impaired. Ta.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its main purpose is to provide a toe massage device that can exhibit excellent massage effects.

The present invention is a toe massage device that stimulates a user's toes, and includes toe bending means for bending the toes toward the instep and back side of the foot using an air bag.

In the toe massage device of the present invention, it is preferable that the toe bending means includes a first airbag that bends the toe toward the back of the foot, and a second airbag that bends the toe toward the instep of the foot. .

In the toe massage device of the present invention, it is preferable that the first airbag and the second airbag each include a plurality of pouch bodies that are inflated by being supplied with pressurized air.

The toe massage device of the present invention preferably includes toe stimulation means that surrounds the toe and applies pressure to the toe.

In the toe massage device of the present invention, the toe stimulation means includes a big toe airbag that applies pressure to the big toe, and a four toe airbag that applies pressure to the toes other than the big toe. It is desirable to include.

In the toe massage device of the present invention, it is preferable that the big toe airbag is an annular body that surrounds the big toe.

In the toe massage device of the present invention, it is preferable that the big toe airbag surrounds the big toe with the tip of the big toe exposed.

In the toe massage device of the present invention, it is preferable that the four-toe airbag includes two airbags that vertically sandwich and apply pressure to the toes other than the big toe.

The toe massage device of the present invention preferably includes foot body pressing means for pressing the foot body between the toe and the ankle.

In the toe massage device of the present invention, it is preferable that the foot body pressing means includes an instep side airbag that presses the top of the foot downward, and a sole side airbag that presses the sole upward.

In the toe massage device of the present invention, it is preferable that the foot body pressing means include a side air bag that presses a side surface of the foot body.

The toe massage device of the present invention includes a bottom surface and a footrest surface on which the sole of the user's foot is placed, and the footrest surface is inclined with respect to the bottom surface in a direction such that the user's toes face upward. It is desirable that you do so.

In the toe massage device of the present invention, a protrusion on which the joint of the toe is placed is provided at an end of the footrest surface, and the toe bending means rotates the toe using the protrusion as a fulcrum. Preferably bent.

The toe massage device of the present invention includes toe bending means for bending the toes toward the instep and back side of the foot using an air bag. Since such a toe massage device does not fix the toes with a hard member, the toes can be bent without causing discomfort to the toes, and an excellent massage effect can be expected.

It is a side view of the toe massage device of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the toe massage device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a front view of the toe massage device of FIG. 1; 2 is a sectional view of the toe massage device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first airbag. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the toe stimulation means of FIG. 4; FIG. 7 is a front view of the toe stimulation means of FIG. 6; It is a sectional view of the 1st side airbag of other embodiments.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a side view of a toe massage device 1 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "device") of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a side view of the device 1 when a foot F is inserted into the device 1 placed on a floor surface G. FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the device 1 of FIG. 1 as viewed from direction a with the legs removed. FIG. 3 shows a front view of the device 1 of FIG. 1 as viewed from direction b with the legs removed. In this specification, the a direction and the b direction are referred to as the front-rear direction, the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction in a top view is referred to as the lateral direction (left-right direction), and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the lateral direction is referred to as the up-down direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the device 1 of this embodiment includes a main body portion 2 including a bottom surface 2d along the floor surface G, for example. The device 1 includes both leg insertion holes 3 that pass through the main body 2 in the front-back direction. The device 1 of this embodiment massages the inserted foot F using the inner surface 3i of the both foot insertion hole 3. In addition, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inner surface 3i of the both foot insertion holes 3 is colored for easy understanding. In addition, in FIGS. 2 and 3, each airbag described later is indicated by a broken line.

For example, both feet of the user can be inserted into the both foot insertion holes 3 up to the vicinity of the ankles. However, the device 1 of the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and may be, for example, one that can be inserted only on one foot, one that can be inserted only on the toe side of the foot, or one that can be inserted up to the ankle or calf. .

As shown in FIG. 2, the main body portion 2 includes outer wall portions 8 on both sides in the lateral direction, and a partition wall 4 between these outer wall portions. The partition wall 4 is disposed at the center of the leg insertion hole 3 in the lateral direction. The double-leg insertion hole 3 is configured by two single-leg insertion holes 5 arranged laterally between the outer wall 8 of the device 1 and the partition wall 4. Note that the outer wall portion 8 and the partition wall 4 include internal members for fixing the airbag (not shown). Each single foot insertion hole 5 includes a big toe hole 5a into which the big toe is inserted, and a fourth toe hole 5b into which toes other than the big toe (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "other toes") are inserted. Contains. For example, the four finger holes 5b are laterally larger than the big toe holes 5a.

The device 1 of this embodiment is used when both feet of the user are inserted into the both foot insertion holes 3, and the big toes and other toes of both feet are inserted into the big toe holes 5a and the four toe holes 5b. be done. The inner surface 3i of the both foot insertion holes 3 is made of, for example, a flexible cloth material, and the toes of the user can be massaged by a massage mechanism described later.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing the massage mechanism of the device 1, and is a sectional view of the device 1 along the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 2 of the device 1 includes a lower base 6 including a footrest surface 6a on which the user's sole is placed, and an upper base 7 disposed above the lower base 6. There is. Thereby, both foot insertion holes 3 include a narrow part 9 between the lower base part 6 and the upper base part 7. In the narrow portion 9, the above-mentioned big toe hole 5a and four finger hole 5b are arranged laterally.

The device 1 of this embodiment includes a toe bending means 10 that bends the user's toes toward the instep and the back of the foot using an airbag. Since such a toe massage device does not fix the toes with a hard member, the toes can be bent without causing discomfort to the toes, and an excellent massage effect can be expected.

As used herein, the term "airbag" refers to a bag that can be freely inflated or deflated by supplying and discharging air inside the bag. The device 1 also includes an air supply/discharge means for supplying or discharging air to or from the air bag by a pump, and a control means for electrically controlling the air supply/discharge means (not shown). Known configurations are applied to the airbag, air supply/exhaust means, and control means unless otherwise specified.

The toe bending means 10 includes, for example, a first airbag 11 that bends the toes toward the back of the foot, and a second airbag 12 that bends the toes toward the instep of the foot. The first airbag 11 has, for example, one end portion 11a fixed to the upper base portion 7. By supplying air to the first airbag 11, the other end 11b of the first airbag 11 moves and pushes the toe, allowing the toe to bend toward the sole of the foot. Further, the second airbag 12 has one end 12a fixed to the lower base portion 6, for example. By supplying air to the second airbag 12, the other end 12b of the second airbag 12 moves and presses the toe, making it possible to bend the toe toward the top of the foot.

Such toe bending means 10 can smoothly bend the toes toward the sole side of the foot and toward the instep side of the foot, and can exhibit an excellent massage effect. In this embodiment, an air bag of a toe stimulation means 17, which will be described later, is arranged between the air bag of the toe bending means 10 and the toe.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the first airbag 11 in operation, as a diagram for explaining the first airbag 11 and the second airbag 12. Note that the second airbag 12 has substantially the same configuration as the first airbag 11, and the configuration of the first airbag 11 described below can be applied to the second airbag 12 as well. . As shown in FIG. 5, the first airbag 11 includes, for example, a plurality of pouch bodies 15 that are inflated by being supplied with pressurized air. A plurality of pouches 15 are stacked between the one end 11a and the other end 11b.

The first airbag 11 includes a connecting portion 16 to which the end of each small bag body 15 on the narrow portion 9 (shown in FIG. 4) side is connected. Furthermore, on the opposite side of the connecting portion 16, the ends of each pouch body 15 are not connected. By supplying air, the first airbag 11 can be expanded into a fan shape with the connecting portion 16 as a fulcrum when viewed from the side. Therefore, the first airbag 11 can naturally apply force to the toe in the direction of movement of the joint, and can fully stretch the joint of the toe.

The first airbag 11 is composed of, for example, three to seven small bags 15. This ensures a sufficient movable range of the first airbag 11. Furthermore, by controlling the air supplied to each pouch body 15, the amount of movement of the first airbag 11 can be finely controlled.

As shown in FIG. 4, the device 1 of this embodiment includes, for example, a toe stimulation means 17 that surrounds the toe and applies pressure to the toe. In addition, in this specification, "applying pressure to a toe" means applying stress by pinching a toe.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the toe stimulation means 17. FIG. 7 shows a front view of the toe stimulation means 17 viewed from the tip side of the toe. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 7, the toe stimulation means 17 includes, for example, a big toe airbag 18 that applies pressure to the big toe, and a big toe airbag 18 that applies pressure to the big toe, and and a four-finger airbag 19 that applies pressure to the finger. The big toe airbag 18 is arranged, for example, around the big toe hole 5a. The four-finger airbag 19 is arranged, for example, around the four-finger hole 5b. The inflation of these airbags applies pressure to the big toe and other toes.

The big toe airbag 18 and the four finger airbag 19 operate simultaneously by, for example, a common air supply/exhaust means. Thereby, the air supply/discharge means can be simplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the big toe airbag 18 and the four-finger airbag 19 may be able to inflate and deflate independently of each other, for example. Such an embodiment allows the big toe and other toes to be massaged individually, and exhibits a high massage effect.

The big toe airbag 18 is preferably an annular body that surrounds the user's big toe. This allows you to massage the entire big toe by applying pressure evenly.

It is desirable that the big toe airbag 18 surrounds the big toe with the tip of the big toe exposed. Thereby, when the big toe airbag 18 is inflated, pressure tends to be concentrated on the big toe, and a higher massage effect can be exerted. Therefore, the length of the big toe airbag 18 in the front-rear direction is, for example, 15 to 60 mm.

It is desirable that the four-toe airbag 19 includes two airbags 19a and 19b that apply pressure by vertically sandwiching toes other than the big toe. Thereby, the configuration of the toe stimulation means 17 can be simplified. However, the four-finger airbag 19 is not limited to this embodiment, and may apply pressure to each finger individually, for example. As another aspect, the four-finger airbag 19 may have a ring shape that surrounds all four fingers together, or a ring shape that surrounds each of the four fingers (four ring shapes).

As shown in FIG. 4, the device 1 of this embodiment includes, for example, foot body pressing means 20. The foot body pressing means 20 is composed of a plurality of airbags. Each airbag can push the body of the foot between the toes and the ankle by being supplied with air. The foot body pressing means 20 of this embodiment includes, for example, an instep side airbag 21 that presses the top of the foot downward, and a sole side airbag 22 that presses the sole upward. For example, one end 21a of the instep side airbag 21 is fixed to the upper base 7. By supplying air to the instep side airbag 21, the other end 21b of the instep side airbag 21 moves and pushes the foot body. Further, the back side airbag 22 has one end 22a fixed to the lower base 6, for example. By supplying air to the sole airbag 22, the other end 22b of the sole airbag 22 moves and pushes the foot body. The configuration of the first airbag 11 described above can be applied to the instep side airbag 21 and the sole side airbag 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the foot body pressing means 20 preferably includes a side air bag 23 that presses the side surface of the foot body. The side airbag 23 includes, for example, a first side airbag 24 disposed on the partition wall 4 of the device 1 and a second side airbag 25 disposed on the outer wall 8 of the device 1. The first side airbag 24 can press the inner side surface (the side surface on the big toe side) of the foot body. The second side airbag 25 can press the outer surface (the side surface on the little finger side) of the foot body.

The first side airbag 24 and the second side airbag 25 are, for example, in the shape of a single bag, and can be inflated and pushed against the foot body by being supplied with air. However, the first side airbag 24 and the second side airbag 25 are not limited to such a configuration.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the first side airbag 24 of another embodiment. Note that the configuration of the first side airbag 24 described below can also be applied to the second side airbag 25. As shown in FIG. 8, the first side airbag 24 may be configured to include a plurality of pouch bodies 26 that are inflated by being supplied with pressurized air, for example. A plurality of pouch bodies 26 are stacked between one end 24a and the other end 24b of the first side airbag 24. Further, the one end 24a is fixed to the internal member 4a of the partition wall 4. Each of the pouch bodies 26 is connected to each other at the center, and not connected at the ends in the vertical direction and the front-back direction. When air is supplied to each pouch body 26, the center portion expands, and the other end portion 24b moves laterally to push the foot body. The amount of movement of the first side airbag 24 including such a pouch body 26 can be precisely controlled.

As described above, the foot body pressing means 20 of the present embodiment includes an air bag that can individually press the instep and sole of the foot, as well as the side surfaces of the foot body, but is not limited to such an embodiment. The foot body pressing means 20 may be constituted by, for example, a ring-shaped airbag surrounding the foot body.

As shown in FIG. 4, the footrest surface 6a is inclined with respect to the bottom surface 2d of the main body portion 2, for example. More specifically, the footrest surface 6a is inclined in such a direction that the user's toes face upward. Such a footrest surface 6a is useful for enhancing the massage effect when the toes are bent toward the sole of the foot.

It is desirable that a protrusion 27 for resting the joint of the base of the toe is provided at the end (front end) of the footrest surface 6a. The protrusion 27 has, for example, a semicircular cross section that is convexly curved upward, and extends in the lateral direction of the device 1 . Further, the protrusion 27 is made of, for example, a rubber material or urethane resin. Further, it is desirable that the toe bending means 10 bends the toes using the protrusion 27 as a fulcrum. As a result, even better massage effects can be expected.

It is desirable that a sole stimulation protrusion 28 is provided on the outer surface of the sole airbag 22. The sole stimulation protrusion 28 has a semicircular cross section that is convexly curved upward, and extends in the lateral direction of the device 1 . The sole stimulation protrusion 28 is made of, for example, urethane resin, rubber, or resin. Such a sole stimulation protrusion 28 can stimulate the sole when the sole airbag 22 is activated, thereby further enhancing the massage effect.

The device 1 of this embodiment can massage toes and feet in various ways by including each of the above-mentioned airbags. The control means for controlling each airbag of the device 1 of this embodiment includes, for example, first to third modes described below as typical control modes.

In the first (up and down toe) mode, first, the instep side airbag 21 and the back side airbag 22, as well as the first side airbag 24 and the second side airbag 25 (shown in FIG. 2) are operated. As a result, the foot body is fixed (hereinafter, this state may be referred to as the foot fixed state). In this state where the foot is fixed, the first airbag 11 and the second airbag 12 operate alternately, thereby bending the toe toward the instep side or the back side of the foot. This allows the toes to be reliably bent while the foot body is sufficiently fixed, resulting in a high massage effect.

In the second (toe tension) mode, the big toe airbag 18 and the fourth toe airbag 19 repeatedly inflate and deflate from the foot fixed state, stimulating the toes. When pressure is applied to the toes while the foot body is fixed, a stimulation that pulls the joints of the toes is applied, and a massage effect that cannot be obtained with conventional toe massage devices can be expected.

In the third (toe bend holding) mode, the first airbag 11 operates from the foot fixed state, and after the toe is maintained in a bent state for a certain period of time, the toe is released from the bent state. be done. The bent toes are maintained for, for example, 8 to 15 seconds. In the third mode, the bent state of the toes is maintained for a certain period of time, so that a more excellent massage effect is exerted on the joints of the toes.

Note that the control means of the device 1 is not limited to the first to third modes described above, and can operate each airbag in various ways. For example, in other modes, the big toe airbag 18 and the four toe airbag 19 inflate simultaneously to fix the toe side, and the instep side airbag 21 and the back side airbag 22 operate alternately. You can also massage the tops of your feet and the soles of your feet. In still another mode, the first airbag 11 and the second airbag 12, as well as the instep side airbag 21 and the sole side airbag 22 are operated simultaneously to apply pressure to the entire foot and massage it. You can also do it.

Although one embodiment of the toe massage device of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific embodiment, and can be implemented by changing into various aspects.

1 Toe massage device 10 Toe bending means

Claims (5)

A toe massage device that stimulates a user's toes,
toe bending means for bending the toe toward the instep side and the back side of the foot using an air bag;
foot body pressing means for pressing the foot body between the toe and the ankle;
The foot body pressing means includes an instep airbag that presses the instep of the foot downward, a sole airbag that presses the sole upward, and a side airbag that presses the side surface of the foot body,
The toe bending means is constituted by an airbag independent of the instep side airbag, and includes a first airbag that bends the toe toward the sole of the foot by pressing the toe from the upper surface,
The first airbag has one end that is fixed, the other end that presses the toe on the opposite side, and a plurality of airbags that are overlapped between the one end and the other end. including a pouch body and a connecting portion where the ends of the plurality of pouch bodies are connected to each other,
Furthermore, the first airbag includes a portion that expands in a fan shape with the connecting portion as a fulcrum when air is supplied to the plurality of small bag bodies,
The connecting portion of the first airbag is disposed closer to the base of the toe than the fan-shaped expanding portion;
Toe massage device. toe stimulation means surrounding the toe and applying pressure to the toe;
The toe stimulation means includes a big toe airbag that applies pressure to the big toe, and a four toe airbag that applies pressure to the toes other than the big toe,
The big toe airbag is an annular body surrounding the big toe,
The toe massage device according to claim 1, wherein the four-toe airbag includes two airbags that vertically sandwich and apply pressure to the toes other than the big toe. The toe bending means includes a second airbag that bends the toe toward the instep of the foot,
The side airbag includes a first side airbag capable of pressing an inner side surface of the foot body and a second side airbag capable of pressing an outer side surface of the foot body. Item 1. The toe massage device according to item 1. including control means for controlling each airbag;
The control means includes a toe bending holding mode as a control mode,
The toe bending holding mode is
By operating the instep side airbag and the back side airbag, and the first side airbag and second side airbag, the foot body is brought into a fixed state where the foot body is fixed, and
From the foot fixed state, the first airbag is operated to bend the toe toward the back of the foot, and after maintaining the toe in the bent state for a certain period of time, the toe is released from the bent state. Item 3. The toe massage device according to item 3. toe stimulation means surrounding the toe and applying pressure to the toe;
The toe stimulation means includes a big toe airbag that applies pressure to the big toe, and a four toe airbag that applies pressure to the toes other than the big toe,
The control means includes a toe tension mode as a control mode,
The toe pulling mode is
The toe massage device according to claim 4, wherein the big toe airbag and the four toe airbag repeatedly inflate and deflate from the foot fixed state to provide stimulation to the toe.

Images