US3081768A

US3081768A - Massaging device

Info

Publication number: US3081768A
Application number: US214258A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rosenberg Simon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-08-02
Filing date: 1962-08-02
Publication date: 1963-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 1980-03-19

Description

rates This invention relates generally to massaging devices.

Massaging devices of the character to which this invention relates have heretofore been of complicated construction, consisting of a relatively large number of parts, secured together by fastening means, so that the sale of such devices at reasonable cost is inhibited by the relatively high cost of manufacturing and assembling the parts.

Another disadvantage of such prior devices is that they are diflicult to clean and maintain in a sanitary condition.

The present invention has as its primary object the provision of a massaging device of the character described, which consists of a minimum number of parts, which can be quickly and easily assembled, and sold in commercially large quantities at a relatively low price.

Another object of the invention is to provide a massaging device of the character described, in which ball-shaped members are incorporated, which can be quickly and easily assembled with the body of the device or holder without the use of extraneous fastening devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide a massaging device of the character described, in which the ballshaped members can be quickly and easily removed for the purpose of cleaning such members as well as other parts of the device, for the purpose of maintaining the device in a sanitary condition at all times.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a massaging device of the character described, embodying novel means for ejecting the ball-shaped members.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of the massaging device;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device, taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the device will be seen to comprise a holder or support consisting of a circular or disc-shaped body 1 of substantial thickness, and a handle or manipulating member 2 formed integrally with the body 1 and depending from the central portion of said body.

The body 1 is provided in its upper portion with a series of circunrferentiallyspaced sockets 3, shown here as five in number, the Walls of these sockets being of substantially hemispherical shape. The entrance to each of these sockets is surrounded by an upstanding ball-retaining flange 4, which is formed integrally with the body 1 and which tapers slightly in thickness from the bottom of the flange to the top thereof. The inner surface 5 of each flange is of annular shape, being, in effect, a continuation of the walls of the sockets 3.

For a purpose to be presently described, the body 1 of the device is also provided with a small protuberance or support 6 of hemispherical cross-section, which extends upwardly into the center of each of the sockets 3.

The body, handle and ball-retaining flanges are thus made in one piece, so that the use of extraneous fastening devices for securing these parts together is avoided, and these par-ts can be quickly and easily cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition.

By molding these parts, in one piece, from a plastic material, such, for example, as polypropylene, the upper 3,081,768 Patented Mar. 19, 1963 portion of each of the flanges 4 has a slight degree of flexibility or resiliency, which is efiective to enable the ball-shaped members to be presently described to be quickly and easily slipped or snapped into the sockets 3.

The device further consists of a series of ball-shaped members 7 one for each of the sockets 3, and each preferably molded from the same plastic material of which the body, handle and flanges are made.

In assembling the ba'll shaped members 7 with the body of the device, they may be quickly and easily pushed into the sockets 3 in the manner shown in FIG. 2. The ballshaped members 7 are of a diameter slightly more than the inner diameter of the top of the flange 4, but due to the flexibility or resiliency of the upper portion of each flange, such upper portion yields sufficiently to permit the ball-shaped members to be pushed completely into the sockets, as shown in FIG. 2. However, as soon as the diametral or equatorial portion of the ball-shaped member has passed the top of the flange i, the flange resumes its normal shape, and securely holds the member 7 in the socket 3.

The balls or ball-shaped members 7 are freely revoluble in any direction in the sockets 3 and flanges 4, but in order to minimize the friction of the ball-shaped member against the walls of the sockets 3 and flanges 4, the balls, which are normally of substantially the same diameter as the walls of the sockets 3 and inner walls of the flanges 4, are supported by the protuberances 6, so that the surfaces of the balls are spaced slightly, as at 3, from such walls and out of contact with such walls.

A massaging device, as thus constructed, consists of a minimum number of parts, which can be quickly and easily assembled and sold in commercially large quantities at a relatively low price. The ball-shaped members are quickly and easily assembled with the body of the device or holder, without the use of extraneous fastening devices.

The ball-shaped members can be quickly and easily removed, for the purpose of cleaning such members as well as other parts of the device, to maintain the device in a clean, sanitary condition at all times. In order to facilitate such removal, the body 1 of the device is provided with passageways 9, which extend vertically from the lower face of the body 1 and through the centers of theprotuberances 6, so that a pin or rod (not shown) of small diameter can be passed through these passageways in a downward direction to thereby eject the balls 7 from their sockets.

The massaging device, as described, i effective to pr0- duce a vigorous massaging action on the human body. In this connection, it may be noted that the use of five balls, arranged in closely-spaced circumferential relation ship, so that the vertical axes of the balls are disposed at the five corners of a pentagon, is preferable to a smaller or larger number of balls. This may be illustrated by the fact that such a number and arrangement enables the device to be used on portions of the body which are difl'icult of access, such, for example, as on the lip directly under the nose.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of parts thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my inventon, I claim:

1. A massaging device comprising a handle, a body supported thereon, said body having circumferentiallyspaced sockets adapted to receive ball-shaped members, said body having upstanding annular flanges extending from said body and formed integrally with said body, and ball-shaped members disposed in said sockets and retained in said sockets by said flanges, said flanges being sufficiently flexible and resilient to yield to permit the ballshaped members to be pushed into the sockets through the flanges, and to hold the ball-shaped members in the sockets after being pushed thereinto, while permitting rotation of said members in said sockets.

2. A massaging device, as defined in claim I, in which said flanges have a minimum internal diameter at their upper end which is less than the diameter of said ballshaped members.

-3. A massaging device, as defined in claim 2, including means formed integrally with said body for supporting said ball-shaped members out of contact with the bottoms of said sockets.

4. A massaging device, as defined in claim 3, including passageways extending through said body and through said first-named means adapted to permit insertion therethrough of means for ejecting said ball-shaped members from said sockets.

5. A massaging device comprising a. body having circumferentially-spaced sockets adapted to receive ballshaped members, said body having upstanding annular flanges forming portions of the body and formed integrally therewith and providing enclosures for said sockets, and ball-shaped members disposed in said sockets and retained in said sockets by the terminal portions of said flanges, said terminal portions of said flanges being sufficiently flexible and resilient to permit the ball-shaped members to be pushed into the sockets through said terminal portions of said flanges, and to hold the ball-shaped members in the sockets after being pushed thereinto, while permitting rotation of said members in said sockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 340,583 Switzerland Oct. 15, 1959

Claims

5. A MASSAGING DEVICE COMPRISING A BODY HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED SOCKETS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE BALLSHAPED MEMBERS, SAID BODY HAVING UPSTANDING ANNULAR FLANGES FORMING PORTIONS OF THE BODY AND FORMED INTEGRALLY THEREWITH AND PROVIDING ENCLOSURES FOR SAID SOCKETS, AND BALL-SHAPED MEMBERS DISPOSED IN SAID SOCKETS AND RETAINED IN SAID SOCKETS BY THE TERMINAL PORTIONS OF SAID FLANGES, SAID TERMINAL PORTIONS OF SAID FLANGES BEING SUFFICIENTLY FLEXIBLE AND RESILIENT TO PERMIT THE BALL-SHAPED MEMBERS TO BE PUSHED INTO THE SOCKETS THROUGH SAID TERMINAL PORTIONS OF SAID FLANGES, AND TO HOLD THE BALL-SHAPED MEMBERS IN THE SOCKETS AFTER BEING PUSHED THEREINTO, WHILE PERMITTING ROTATION OF SAID MEMBERS IN SAID SOCKETS.