US1240410A - Electrical massage apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

T. 30mm. ELECTRICAL MASSAGE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FTLED APR. 25, 1916.

Patented sfpn 18,1917.

l ,BUZZ

T. BOLLIN.

ELECTRICAL MASSAGE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25| 1915.

Patented Sept. 18,4191?.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T. BOLLIN.

ELECTRICAL MASSAGE APPARATUS.-4 APPLICATloN man APL-25.1916.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- TNN QVC E om T. BOLLIN.

ELECTRICAL MASSAGE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25| I9|6.

Patented sept. 18,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 LQGAL@ I Y h NV Q W iinrrnn s'rnfrns refinar ernten.

rnnononn BOLLIN, or oKMULGr-nn, OKLAHOMA.

7 ELECTRCAL MASSGE `APPARATUS.

To all whom t may concern." l

Be it knownthat l, Trrnononn BOLLIN, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Gkmulgee, in the county of Okmulgee and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Massage Apparatus, oi' which thev following is a specilication.

My invention Vrelatesto new and useful iinprovementsin medical appliances the primary object of my invention being the provision oi an electrical massage device which is intended particularly for the treatment and curing of cases of chronic constipation and chronic diarrhea, the same apparatus being'eniployed'for either purpose but in a different manner.

More specifically, rmy invention consists in thoprovision of a device having a suitable abdominal supporting` portion and. a plurality of massage vrollers capable of being driven in a circular path, in either direction, one of the massage rollers being pro- .vidcd witha current conducting surface.

My apparatus further includes a rectal electrode which, with the conductorv covered roller, form the electrodes of a faradic circuit, suitable means being provided for supplying proper current to the rectal electrode and tor conducting current, Apassing from this electrode through the body of the patient. Jfrom the conductive covering of the roller electrode the former electrode con stituting the positive electrode and the lattor the negative electrode of the circuit.

One of the primary objects or" my invention consists in the provision of a suitable body to which the abdominal supporting device' is connected and which carries certain ci' the massage rollers, including that having the conductive coating, this body being so formed and arranged that it may be interchangeably employed either with a cabig net form of apparatus or with a portable hand apparatus as preferred.

ln this connection, ka further object of my invention consists in the provision of a novel and eliicient form oi" cabinet apparatus including a revolubly supported disk which may be drivenby ahand crank or other suitable means and to which the body carrying the abdominal support and massage rollers may be connected, the cabinet also providing additional support for the patients abdomen when the device is in use. Another object along Athis line consists in Specification of Letters Patent.

:massage roller Fatented Sept. 18, i917.

Application filed April 25, 1.916. Serial No. 93,424.

providing a stand or bracket upon which the cabinet may be supported at variable heights in order that a patient may perform self treatment if desired while standing lin an erect position, the cabinety device ordinarily being employed byv doctors or nurses with the patient -in areclining position.

In this connection also, another object of my. invention consists in the provision of a portable device or structure upon which the carrying body may be mounted and which provides means for rotating such body to drive its rollers when in vspecifically,pointed out in the claims, which are attached to and form a part of this application. Y e y Figure lis a top plan view of the cabinet form of my improved medical appliance, the cover being removed to show the device itself,

Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view taken through the device, a portion of the front wall however, being shown in elevation,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view atright angles to that shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4c is a sectional view of themassage roller having the conductive covering or sleeve,

Fig. 4a is a perspective view of a modiiied form of electrode forming massage roller.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bracket for supporting the electrode forming roller,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rectal electrode,

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rectal electrode,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of my improved cabinet form of appliance mounted upon its stand,

Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the portable form of apparatus,

Fig. 10 is a central longitudinal sectional view ot the form shown in Fig. 9, parts being broken away to permit its showing upon an enlarged scale.

As lpreviously mentioned, my apparatus comprises an electrode and ing body which may be interchangeably connected either to a cabinet form of driving mechanism or to a portable driving mechanismV but for the sake of convenience, l.

massage carrywith the cabinet form of structure. Y Y ring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, 10

indicates a cabinet which is substantially,

square in shape being formed of wood or .other suitable material and including a bottom 11, side and end walls 12 anda cover 13 having a peripheral. flange 14'enc1rcling the l cabinet when thecover is in place and adaptedfto receive the loc-king studs 15 of hinged latches 16 carried by the walls 12. The

, v'front wall'of this cabinet is formed with shown at 26.

openings to receive drawers 17 which are 'separated by lafpa'rtitioii 18, oneof these drawers generally containing the electric y apparatus of the device such as oneor more `dry vcells and a generator and the other any cloths, bandages or other articles which may be employed in the treatment. The cabinet immediately above'the drawers is .provided with horizontal partition furnishing ak false bottom 19 which supports the mechanism proper of the appliance. Brackets 2O of any suitable type are secured at intervals to lthe inner faces of the walls ofthe cabinet and support an inwardly directed vperipheral ledge 21 'which carries a top 22 Preferably vformed lof vulcanite or other suitable non-current conducting material of such a nature that it will not warp or change its shape `or proportion due to changes in temperature or moisture.l The upper face of this top or in effect table 22 lies flush with the upper edge of the cabinet and is formed witha central opening 23, preferably circular in shape and slightly less in diameter than the transverse dimension of the cabinet.

The partition 18 is formed centrally with an opening to receive the enlarged head 24 of the supporting shaft 25 which extends through the false bottom 19 and which, at its upper end, is reduced and screw threaded, as

shaft 25 resting at its uppereiid in the plane of the shoulder formed by reducing the shaft. A beveled gear 28 is formed centrally with an annular groove to form a ball race for bearings 29 which engage the upper end of the sleeve 27 and with an opening to receive the threaded sleeve'of a cap screw30 which is lixedupon thethreaded end of the shaft 25. This ca o screw has a flanged headshaft is journaled inthe upstaiid'ingarnis 36 and the upstanding arm 37 'of a bracket 38 secured to the false bottom 19 and between one of the arms 36 and the arm 37 carries a f kbeveled pinion 40 which meshes with the A sleeve 27 surrounds this beveled gear 28. The bracket may be fastenedto-the false-bottom by bolts 41 or other suitable means Vand thearms 36 project above the bracket and receive the trunnions 42 of a spherical roller bearing 43 which'supports the-disk 32. At spaced intervals about the gear 28, I provide additional brackets identical in construction with the bracket 38 and each having ya shaft 44 carrying'a beveled pinion 45 meshing with the gear'and each receiving'the trunnions of a bearing 46 supporting vthe disk 32. By this means, the disk is firmly supported for rotation about the 'shaft 25 and yet held against disengagem'ent therefrom, the crank 35 serving as a means for imparting movement to the disk in either direction.

ySecured to the upper face of the disk 32 Y and at diametrically opposite sides thereof,

are segmental body members 47 having their -chordal edges extending in parallel spaced relation. These body members may be secured to the disk by bolts 48 or in any other suitable manner and interposed between them and resting upon the intermediate portion of the disk 32 is the maiiiy body member 49 which is detachable from the disk and which with the segmentalbody members 47 makes up a complete rotating disk which as will be later explained, carries the massage elementsA or rollers of the apparatus. This intermediate body member 49 is formedrin its lowerface with threaded sockets to 'receivethe threaded ends of dowel pins 50, the projecting ends of which pass through openings formed in 'the disk 32 vand into sockets formed in the upper face of the gear 28 to lock the intermediate body member Vagainst sliding movement between the segmental body members and vto lock the disk`32 to the gear 28 so that rotation of the gear will cause rotation of the disk and consequently, the rotation of the massage carrying support 51 made up of the various body members 47 and 49.

rlhese body members 47 and 49 are formed of vulcanite or other equivalent material and the lower face of the intermediate body member 49 is provided with a radially eX- tending 'channel to seat a conductor strip 52 of copper which is secured in its lseat by any suitablel means and which when the vintermediate body meniber is in place engages the copper disk 32 iny order that current l to the sleeve 18 may pass to the strip 52. v

The end portions'of the intermediatefbody member 49 are provided with alined radially extending slots 53 one of which communicates with a lcorresponding slot 54 formed in the strip 52. In like manner, the segmental shaped body members 47 'are provided at diametrically opposite points with -alined radially extending slots 55 extending at rightjangles to the slots 53, these vario-us slots being each spaced at a distance of substantially .908 from adjacentv slots.

U-shaped brackets 56 engage by their intermediate portions upon the upper face of the massage element carrying member 51,.

such portions extending radially of the member and over the slots therein, and clamping bolts 57 are passed through the intermediate portions of the brackets and `through'the slots and provided with thumb vnuts 58.by means of which the brackets which is clamped through the slot communithe conductor strip horizontally alined 59 of cating with the slot of 52 are provided with Y openings to y]ournal the trunnions spherical massage elements 60 which yare4 thus rotatably mounted in the brackets and which, as shown projectsomewhat above f the substantially annular tabler 22, the cover being internally recessed as shown at 61 to fit over them. The remaining* brackety 56 i is identical in construction with those previously described except that while one upstanding arm is formed with an opening 62, its other arm is formed with a. vertical slot 63 opening through its free end. Because of this, the trunnions 64 of a combined massage roller and electrode 65 may be removably supported `by the bracket. A leaf spring 66 is fixed at one end to the slotted arm of the bracket and formed at its opposite end with an opening 67 to receive the adjacent trunnion of the roller 65 and lock it against outward movement from. the slot 63, the intermediate portion of this spring being outwardly bowed to facilitate its application or removal from such trunnion.

This combined massage roller and electrode 65, as best shown 'in Fig. 4 of the drawings, has its body constructed .of vulcanite, vulcanized rubber or other suitable ynon-con ducting material. This body is in the form of a sphere and is mounted upon a diametrically extending shaft 68 upon the ends of which are formed the trunnions 64 and the face of the body member 65 in a diametric plane at right angles to the shaft 68 is grooved or channeled as shown at 69 to seat a sleeve or ring 70 of copper or other suitable electrical conductor which is secured in place in the channel and in electrical connection with the shaft 68 by means of one or more locking screws 71. It should benoted that the outer face of this conduc tor ring is `flush with Vand `forms a continuation. of the face of the rmassage roller 65. 4The other rollers are all formed of nonconducting material and are none of them provided with any conductor ring. 0b-

.viously, current may pass from thev positive electrode, to be later explained, through the body of a patient to the conductor ring 7 0, from this ring to the bracket 56, strip 52 and through the disk 32 to the sleeve 18 and so back to the battery or other source of energ f. Preferably, a combined cut-out switch and rheostat 72 is interposed in the circuit in order that the current may be shut off or turned on as desired and its strength properly regulated.

The intermediate body member 49 is formed centrally with an opening toy receive the cap nut 31 by means of which the disk 32 and gear 28 are held against displacement from the shaft 25 and surrounding this opening, the upper face of the body member 49 is formed with concentrically disposed annular' seats 7 8 'and7 4 and with a ball race 75 in these seats. The shank portion 76 of an abdominal support 77 engages against the inner seat 7 3 and is formed with a peripheral flange 78 resting upon' the ball bearings v port 77 is therefore mounted in such a manner that it may be held against turning while the massage element supporting member 51 is rotated by the crank 55. The body proper of the abdominal support 77 is cup-shaped as shown at 84 with its free edge disposed at a level slightly below the upper peripheries of the massage elements 60 and this cupshaped body is formed interiorly with la protuberance which forms an abdominal engaging portion of the support.

Coperating with the above described portion of my medical appliance, is a positive rectal electrode best shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and indicated as a whole by the numeral 86. This electrode is made up of two substantially lcylindrical body members 87 and 88 formed of vulcanized rubber or other suitable non-conducting material, the body members being so shaped and proportioned that when the electrode is assembled, it tapers somewhat from end to end. A contact disk 89 of copper or other suitable current conducting material is provided centrally with a threaded stud 90 which engages in a threaded socket formed in the larger end of ,the body member 88 Vand the members 87 and 88 are connected by means of a rod` 91 of any suitable current conducting metal the conductor disk 89 .and Which is extended to engage about the peripheral edge of suchk disk. The 'bodyportion 88rof'the rectal electrode 87 is so shaped and proportioned that it may be inserted inthe rectum of the patient and for this reason is provided with "any annular enlargementV or' bulge 911 intermediate its length in order: that it may be readily held inv place Within the rectum With the contacty platei89 insnug engage- Y the position assumed v.by the patient Willv be Anient -With the sphincter muscle of the rectum.

With the cabinet form ofelectrical massage instrument above described, the treatment Aof the patient is as folloyvs:-The patients colon may be -iirst emptied by any suitable enema'and ivith the cabinet positioned upon a bed or operating-table, the patient is placed with the abdomen resting upon the fabdomin'al support 77 and table 22. in the patients'rectum and tliemassage element supportingmember or disk 51 is con- `tinuouslyand steadily revolved byv meansof the crank `35, current being turned o-n to the pioperstrength by means of the combined switch and rheostat 72. Preferably, the conductor ring 7 0 of the negative electrode and the exposed surface of the disk 89 of the positive electrode are covered With cloths inoistened in a salt solution morder to insure-good contact andat the same time not a patient for constipation,v care. should be taken lthat the massage elements are turned fromright to left in order that the negative electrode or roller may pass in a circular path over the patients abdomenv along the normal course of peri staltic motion ofthe-intestines, creating such a motion of the intestines or intensifying this motion'toaccomplish the desiredresult. 1t will therefore be seen that the massaging accomplished by my yappliance tends tov intensifyprop er muscular movement of theintestines or to cause such movement in case it is lacking and therefore operates to produce the. desired result in the natural lmanner bviously, the same apparatus may bev employed for treatment of chronicA cases of diarrhea by reversing the direction ofrotation ofthe massage element carrying body in order that the massage elements may be rotated in a contra-peristaltic direction. i v y 1f desired,v thiscabinet form iof appliance may be mounted upon a suitable stand to permit self treatment by av patient' in upright or standing' position. For this purpose7 1 have provided a stand ofl the type 4shovvn in Fig. 8 including a base or lped'estal The positive electrode is then inserted- 'Y mounted upon the shaft. 119 engages against the idly mounted beveled pinion 116 and is held against it by the Cap nut 120' threadedl upon one end of the having'a verticalstandardi96 .from which extend opposite 2lateral branches 97 terminating inl guide arms 98 projecting in parallel spaced relation tothestandard' 96. V The .bottomfll'of'the cabinet is formed with a plurality of vguide-loops 99 which receive -itsfree end to the'cabinet., Clearly, 'the' method of treatment With the exception of the same With the cabinetv supported as shown in Fig. 8. n

At times,l however, patients are so illor feeble that they cannot be turned upon theirv abdomens orl cannot standin :an upright pof sition andI for this reason I have provided a portable Aform of. apparatus `which may be lemployed .as va substitute for the cabinet form `above described` Such aV form of apparatus is clearly illustrated Iin `Figs. 9 and 'l0-of J(he drawings andas therein shown, is adapted to interchangeably` -receive the intermediate body porti-on 49 carrying. one. of

-the massage rollers0iand the electric mas-` vsageroller 65-and abdominal supports 77,

all of which have been describedin connection with the cabinetform ofthe invention.

This portable device includesabeveled -gear l115 having threadedv sockets to receive screivs 106 ivhichare passed through open- Q vings'107 formed inthe intermediate body have the current too sharp. 1N hen treating portion ormember 19 and' through spacer blocks 109 interposed betWeenwthe-member 49 and the gear 1057 the pins 50 seating in ysockets formed inthe spacer blocks.. A shaft 108 is formed at one end with a. concavity 109 to receivethe ball bearing 83 and at its opposite end with a split clamping sleeveA become disengaged fromv the shaftabouty Which it is free to rotate.. kBeveled. pinions 115 and 116 are mounted upon a shaft 117 extending through the sleeve 112 in` which f it is journaled, one of these pinions being fixed tothe shaft by a'set screw 118 or other suitable means and the otherbeing yidly A spacer sleeve shaft 117, the-shafttherefore being held against longitudinal movement through the sleeve' 112 by the lixed'pinio'n 11`5'and cap nut 120. A second spacer sleeve 121 engages againstfthe-ixed pinion and is in turn engaged by a handle forming sleeve 122 of insulating material such as vulcanized rubber or fiber. An additional spacer sleeve 123 engages against the other end of the handle forming sleeve 22 and engaging against this latter spacing sleeve is a beveled pinion 124 which is fixed to the shaft 117 by a set screw 125. A bracket 126 is provided at its ends with split clamping rings 127 which may be engaged about a bearing forming sleeve 128 by clamping screws 129. This sleeve 128 engages against the pinion 124 and is formed with a socket to receive one end of a shaft 130 which is rotatably journaled in the bracket 126 and held against longitudinal movement by a collar 131. This shaft 130 carries a beveled gear 132 which meshes with the disk 124 and at its free end carries a hand crank 133 by means of which it may be rotated to transmit power from the gear 132 to the pinion 124 and shaft 117 and so through the pinion 115 to the gear 105 and consequently to the massage roller and abdominal support carrying member 49.

rlhe free end of the shaft 117 is provided with a peripheral groove or ball race 134 and a collar 135 surrounds such end of the shaft and with the groove receives ball bearings 135 which are locked in place by a cap nut 137 threaded into the end of the collar and which in turn lock the collar against disengagement from the shaft. Thiscollar is provided with a threaded extension 138 about which is threaded one end of a handle 139 of any suitable non-conducting 'material such as vulcanized rubber. This handle is provided axially with a passage to receive a covered conducting wire 140 which, at its inner end, is connected by a binding post 142 to the collar 135. It will therefore be clear that current passing from the body of the patient'to the conductor ring of the electrode forming roller 65 mav passto the copper strip 32, through one of the screws 106 to the beveled gear 105 and so to the beveled pinions 115 and 116 and along the shaft to the collar and wire 140.

It will of course be understood that the rectal electrode is employed in connection with the above described portable apparatus, the two electrodes being connected in circuit with a suitable source of faradic energy and that the portable device will be employed in the same manner as the cabinet form of the appliance with the exception that being portable, it may be readily applied to a patient in a normal reclining position. Either form of appliance may be employed for general massage purposes either with or without the discharge of current as. preferred and the cabinet form of massage appliance may be employed for massage purposes with all four massage rollers or with only two, the intermediate body portion with its abdominal support and massage rollers being removed from the remainder of the appliance in the latter case. Except in very severe cases of constipation, no enema should be employed and in any event, its use should be discontinued as soon as possible generally after the first or second treatments. Fui thermore, in severe cases a combined galvanic and faradic current may be employed. In any event, it should be borne in mind that for treatment of constipation, the massage rollers must move in a circular path from the right to the left in order that the current supplied to the body may follow this path to escape.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A massage instrument including a massage element adapted to conduct electricity from the body of the patient being massaged, means for driving the element in a circular path upon the patient, and an electrode adapted to be inserted in the rectum of the patient to form a supply conductor.

2. An electrical massage instrument including a rotatably mounted member, means for rotating the member, a support carried by the member and free to remain stationary during rotation of the member, massage elements carried by the member, meanswhereby one element may conduct current from a patient" being treated when the patient is resting against the support, and means for supplying current to the patient.

3. An electrical massage instrument including a rotatably mounted member, means for rotating the member, a support carried by the member and free to remain stationary during rotation of the member, massage elements carried by the member, means c whereby one massage clement may conduct current from a patient being treated when the patient is resting against the support, and means for conducting current to the patient, said means including an electrode adapted to be inserted in the rectum of a patient and connected in circuit with the current conducting massage element.

4. An electrical massage apparatus including a shaft, a gear rotatable on the shaft, means for rotating the gear, a body member detachably connected to the gear to be driven thereby, a supporting memberhaving swiveled connection with the body member and projecting therefrom, a plurality of massage elements peripherally spaced about the supporting member and carried by the body member, each massage element being in the form of a roller of non-conducting material and one of such rollers being provided with a partial covering of conductive material in electrical circuit with the shaft, a cabinet structure surrounding and inclosing the above mechanism, a table forming a portion of the cabinet structure and parkrality of massage elements peripherally mounted member, means for rotating the',

tially Closing the topV thereof, said table being formed with an opening` through which the massage elements and supporting member project, and means connected Vin circuit with the shaft for conducting away current conducted to the body of a patient being op-y erated upon by that massage element in elec.

trical connection with the shaft.` j Y j v5. An electrical massage apparatus in-: cluding a shaft, a gear rotatable on the shaft, means for rotating the gear, a body member detachably connected to the gear to be driven thereby, a supporting member having swiveled connection with the body memberl and projecting therefrom, a plu-.

member project, and means connectedin cir-' cuit with the shaft for conducting .current supplied by that massage element 1n electrical connection with the shaft., from thev body of a patient being operated upon, said means including an electrode adapted to` be insertedA in the rectum of the patient.

6.y An electrical massage instrument including a positive electrode applicable to the body of a. patient being treated, a rotatably Copies of this patent may be obtained for five eeiits each, ,by addressing the Cmmssicnei of ziatents.

Washington, D. C.

cabinet for rotating the member, means forV conducting current from one of the massage elements, and a rectal electrode for supply` ing current to a patient being massaged.

8. An electrical massage instrument including a rectal electrode of non-conducting material provided in'its length with an angular l abutment, a current conducting plate sectired to the forward face ofthe abutment, means for supplying current to the plate, a massage'element capable of conducting current from the body of a patient. and means for driving the massage element in a vcircular.

path. v

-9.'An electrical massage instrument in-vl cluding a rectal electrode for supplying current to the body of a patient being treated, a massage roller adapted to conduct current fromv the body of thepatient being treated,

means for ysupporting the massage 'n roller in engagement with the vbody ofthe patient to permit its rotation, and means for driving thev massage roller in a circular path.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.v

THODORE Bonnin. [1.5.]

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