US3451391A

US3451391A - Cordless electric vibrator for use on the human body

Info

Publication number: US3451391A
Application number: US715631A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jon H Tavel
Original assignee: JON H TAVEL
Current assignee: JON H TAVEL
Priority date: 1968-03-25
Filing date: 1968-03-25
Publication date: 1969-06-24
Anticipated expiration: 1986-06-24
Also published as: US3549920A

Description

CORDLESS ELECTRIC VIBRATOR FOR USE ON THE HUMAN BODY J. H. TAVEL June 24, 1969 Sheet of2 Filed March 25, 1968 l/formy J. H. TAVEL June 24,1969

CORDLESS ELECTRIC VIBRATOR FOR USE ON THE HUMAN BODY Sheet 2 012 Filed March 25, 1968 m3 mug N: 3 15 vi m\\ Q N\\ r .m w H @A H United States Patent 3,451,391 CORDLESS ELECTRIC VIBRATOR FOR USE ON THE HUMAN BODY Jon H. Tavel, 17643 Belinda St., Encino, Calif. 91316 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 516,867, June 30,1966. This application Mar. 25, 1968, Ser.

Int. Cl. A61h 1/00 US. Cl. 128-36 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 516,867, filed June 30, 1966, and now Patent No. 3,375,381.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates to cordless electric vibrators for use on the human body.

Description of the prior art Prior art vibrating devices are customarily operated from conventional sources of electrical supply through cords or wiring. They are also customarily bulky and awkward in size and shape and relatively expensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention comprises a cordless electric vibrator for use on the human body which is substantially small and compact, so that the vibrator can be held in one hand and applied to any part of the body without being connected to a separate course of electrical supply.

The vibrator is unusually simple and compact in its structure, so that it is economical to manufacture and to maintain. In one embodiment of the invention, the exterior housing may be formed of a single piece of molded plastic (except for the removable cap), the exterior of which is capable of being washed. The vibrator may be used to vibrate other things such as hairbrushes, toothbrushes, polishing devices, etc.

In one embodiment of the invention, the vibrator may be selectively operated at low or high speed, as desired by the user, by simple manual rotation of the end caps.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a vibrator which is even simpler and more economical to manufacture than the vibrator which is shown and described in my copending application referred to above.

The vibrator of the present invention is also much simpler in its structure, easier to handle and use and more economical to manufacture and operate than prior devices.

It is accordingly among the objects of the invention to provide a vibrator having all of the advantages and benefits set forth above and described in greater detail hereinafter in this application.

My invention also comprises such other objects, advantages, capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by the invention.

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While I have shown in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the same are susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of my vibrator;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same fully assembled;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the same taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the battery housing taken from the right hand side of FIG. 2, with the batteries and end cap removed;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the inside of the end cap;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the outside housing except for the end cap comprises a single piece;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the same, taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the end cap portion of the vibrator in which the end cap includes a two-speed control means, the control means being shown in high speed position;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the interior of the end cap shown in FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings, a preferred embodiment which has been selected to illustrate my invention comprises an elongated cylindrical battery housing 10, which may be conveniently formed of molded plastic or other suitable material. The battery housing 10 is adapted to receive and hold a pair of flashlight batteries 11 in the same end to end relationship in which batteries are mounted in a flashlight.

The lower end of the battery housing 10, which is disposed at the right hand side of FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, is open and is adapted to removably receive an end cap 12. The end cap 12 has a base and an adjoining circular side wall. The end cap 12 is removably and rotatably mounted on the lower end of the battery housing 10. The end cap 12 serves two purposes-it holds the batteries 11 within the battery housing 10 and it acts as an on-off switch to control the flow of electrical current to the motor, as described hereafter.

Mounted on the inside of the base of the end cap 12 is a substantially U-shaped contact spring 13, the lower part of which is in physical and electrical contact with the midportion of a pair of contact arms 14, which extend outwardly on opposite sides of the contact spring 13 to adjacent the side Wall of the end cap 12. The contact spring 13 and contact arms 14 are held in place by an eyelet 15, which is secured to the center of the end cap 12.

The inside of the side wall of the end cap 12 is provided with a pair of diametrically spaced bosses 16, which protrude inwardly a short distance. The outside of the lower end of the battery housing 10 is provided with a pair of substantially L-shaped slots 17, which have a short axial leg 18 connecting with a substantially longer transverse leg 19. The bosses 16 are dimensioned and adapted to slidably move into the open lower end of the short axial legs 18 of the slots 17 and then move from the upper end of the axial legs 18 into the transverse legs 19.

The lower edge of each of the transverse legs 19 of the slots 17 is angled slightly downwardly from its closed end toward its junction with the axial leg 18. A short stop is disposed at one end of the lower edge of each of the transverse legs 19, directly adjacent to the intersection of the transverse leg 19 with the axial leg 18. The stop 20 acts to engage the boss 16 in its counterclockwise movement along the axial leg 18. The boss 16 can be moved past the stop 20 only by moving the end cap 12 inwardly against the pressure of the contact spring 13. The stop 20 accordingly prevents accidental removal of the end cap 12 and batteries 11 and permits such removal only when the end cap 12 is moved inwardly and then rotated past the stop 20.

An elongated flat contact strip 21, which may be formed of copper or other suitable electrically conductive material, extends along the inner wall of the battery housing 10 for its entire length. The lower end of the contact strip 21 is bent back on itself to extend into a slot 22 which extends axially into the lower end of the battery housing 10.

The upper end of the contact strip 21 extends through a notch 50 in the periphery of a disc 24 which extends across the upper end of the battery housing 10. The upper end of the contact strip 21 is bent to extend radially inwardly between protuberances 53 and 54 formed on the upper surface of the disc 24.

A second contact strip 25 has one end thereof disposed between protuberances 54 and 55 on the upper surface of the disc 24 radially spaced from the first contact strip 21. The second contact strip 25 is formed integrally with a contact plate 27, which extends along the lower surface of the disc 24. The second contact strip 25 is bent to extend through a notch 51 in the periphery of the disc 24. The contact plate 27 has a downwardly struck contact 28 which resiliently engages the contact of the adjacent battery 11. A short tab 29 at the opposite side of the contact plate 27 extends upwardly through a hole 30 in the disc 24, to help hold the contact plate 27 in position.

The disc 24 is provided with a central opening 31, which is surrounded by a concentric circular ring 32 and seat 33. A resilient O-ring 34 is mounted on the seat 33 surrounding the ring 32. A small direct current electrical motor 35 is mounted on the upper end of the disc 24. While any suitable type of motor may be used, the one illustrated in the drawings is a Mabuchi FM-ZS of the type commonly used in miniature slot racing cars.

The motor 35 has a projecting portion 36 which fits into the opening 31 in the center of the disc 24. The O-ring 34 is disposed between the bottom of the motor 35 and the disc 24 and it acts to provide a resilient cushion-like mounting which reduces noise.

The upper side of the disc 24 is provided with a pair of elongated locator pins 37 which fit loosely in a pair of grooves 38 which are disposed on opposite sides of the motor 35. The locator pins 37 and grooves 38 orient the motor 35 so that its two downwardly directed contact pins 39 engage and make electrical contact with the portions of the contact strips 21 and 25 which extend along the upper side of the disc 24.

A cylindrical motor housing 40 surrounds the motor 35. The lower end of the motor housing 40 is secured to the upper end of the battery housing 10 by electronic fusion, adhesive or other suitable means, preferably waterproof, with the periphery of the disc 24 being held between the battery housing 10 and the motor housing 40.

A conical end member 41 is removably connected to the upper end of the motor housing 40. The inner wall of the motor housing 40 is provided with a pair of diametrically spaced square bosses 42 which extend into L-shaped slots 43 in the end member 41 in substantially the same manner in which the end cap 12 is connected to the battery housing 10. There is no stop 20 or the equivalent thereof. The lower edge of the transverse portion of each of the slots 43 is preferably slightly angled so that the end member 41 fits progressively more tightly as the bosses 42 move toward the ends of the transverse portions of the slots 43. The engagement between the end member 41 and the motor housing 40 should also preferably be waterproof, so that the entire upper end portion of the vibrator can be washed.

The motor 35 in operation rotates a shaft 44 on which a weight 45 is eccentrically mounted. The periphery of the disc 24 has an arcuate groove 46 into which projections 47 and 48 carried by the battery housing 10 and motor housing 40 fit, in order to orient the parts with respect to each other.

The lower end of the battery housing 10 is provided with a square indentation 56 which overlies the slot 22, so that the contact strip 21 overlies the inner half of the base of the indentation 56. A second indentation 57 is radially spaced a short distance from the indentation 56. A matching pair of

indentations

58 and 59 are disposed diametrically from the indentations 56 and 57.

The indentations 56-59 are oriented so that when the bosses 16 are disposed away from the closed end of the transverse legs 19 of the slots 17, the vibrator is in an off position and neither of the contact arms 14 is dis posed in the indentation 56.

When the end cap 12 is rotated in a clockwise direction with respect to the battery housing 10, moving the bosses 16 to the closed ends of the transverse legs 19 of the slots 17, the contact arms 14 are moved into alignment with the indentations 5659. The contact arms are urged into the indentations 56 and 59 by their own resilience, bringing one of the contact arms 14 into engagement with the portion of the contact strip 21 disposed within the indentation 56. When this occurs, an electrical circuit is completed through the batteries 11 and motor 35, to operate the motor. The vibrator is then in an on position.

When the motor 35 is in operation, it rotates the shaft 44 and eccentrically mounted weight 45. The eccentric mounting of the weight 45 imparts rapid vibration to the vibrator, such vibration being strongest around the end member 41 and motor housing 40. The vibrator and particularly these parts thereof may then be applied to any part of the body to convey the vibration to the body.

If the end cap 12 is rotated a short distance counterclockwise, the bosses 16 will move away from the closed ends of the transverse legs 19 and the contact arms 14 will move out of the indentations 56 and 59, thus breaking the electrical contact between the contact arm 14 and the contact strip 21. The motor 35 will then cease to operate. If the end cap 12 is rotated a sufiicient distance to bring the contact arms 14 into orientation with the indentations 57 and 58, the contact arms 14 will move into those indentations.

It may be noted that the duplication of the contact arms 14 and indentations 56-59 makes it possible for the user to insert either of the bosses 16 into either of the slots 17 and the switch will still operate in the same manner.

It will be noted that if the motor 35 should need to be removed for replacement or repair, the user need only unscrew the end member 41 and turn the vibrator upside down. The motor 35 will then drop out and a new motor 35 can be inserted in its place.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, these show an alternative embodiment of the invention in which a single elongated housing holds the batteries 101 and motor 102. The housing is provided adjacent its inner end with an annular inwardly directed shoulder 103. A cylindrical sleeve 104, which is preferably formed of somewhat resilient plastic or natural material is mounted so that its upper end engages the shoulder 103. The motor 102 is mounted within the sleeve 104, which acts to hold the motor 102 in place within the housing 100 and which also provides protective shielding of the motor.

The motor 102 has a right angular resilient contact arm 105 which carries at the end thereof an inverted contact cup 106, which makes electrical contact with the contact of the adjacent battery 101.

The other contact of the motor 102 is connected by a fastening member, soldering or other suitable means to the upper end of an elongated contact strip 107. The lower end of the contact strip 107 extends across an indentation 108 in the end of the housing 100, back into a slot 109 and is then bent laterally outwardly to hold the contact strip against longitudinal movement and to prevent it from pulling away from its connection with the motor 102.

Access to the lower end of the contact strip 107 is provided through a small opening 109a, which extends into the side wall of the housing 100, intersecting the slot 109. The point of a tool can be inserted through the opening 109a to engage and deform the end of the contact strip 107. While this deformation is shown in the drawings as being right angular, any suitable deformation which will serve the purpose may be used.

It will be noted that the device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings is substantially cheaper to manufacture and assemble than the device shown in FIGS. 1-6 because the number of parts and the number and type of assembly operations have been greatly reduced and simplified.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 of the drawings, these illustrate a further alternative embodiment of the invention which incorporates the same contact strip construction described above and in which the motor can be selectively operated at either high or low speed, with the speed selection being accomplished by manual rotation of the end cap 110'.

The inside of the end cap 110 is provided with a contact spring 111, the lower part of which is in physical and electrical contact with the midportion of a pair of contact arms 112, which extend outwardly on opposite sides of the contact spring 111 to adjacent the side wall of the end cap 110'.

A flat sheet of insulation 113 is disposed beneath the contact arms 112 to insulate them electrically from a second pair of similarly formed contact arms 114, which extend at an angle with respect to the contact arms 112.

A resistance element 115, which is shown as an elongated coil of wire, but which may assume any suitable form, is connected between one of the contact arms 112 and one of the contact arms 114. The end cap has bosses 116 corresponding to the bosses 16 described above. The end of the housing with which the end cap 110 is used is preferably the same as that described above with reference to FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings and the same reference numerals will accordingly be used.

The contact arms 112 and 114 are so positioned within the end cap 110 with respect to the bosses 116 that when the end cap 112 is rotated to bring the bosses 116 into engagement with the closed end of the transverse legs 29 of the slots 17, one of the contact arms 112 is brought into engagement with the portion of the contact strip which is disposed within the indentation 56 in the end of the housing. This closes an electrical circuit through the batteries and motor for high speed rotation of the motor.

The end cap 110 may be rotated to move the bosses 116 away from the closed ends of the slots 17 and to move one of the other pair of contact arms 114 to engagement with the portion of the contact strip disposed within the indentation 56. This closes a circuit from the contact strip through the contact arm 114, through the resistance element 115 and through the other contact arm 112 to the contact spring 111 and the adjacent battery.

Since the resistance element 115 is thereby brought into series with the motor, it consumes part of the current supplied by the batteries, so that the motor will be supplied With less current than when the end cap 110 was in the previous position and the vibrator will accordingly operate at a reduced speed.

If the end cap 110 is disposed in any position in which none of the contact arms 112 or 114 is in engagement with the contact strip, there will be no current flow to the motor and the vibrator will be turned oif.

I claim:

1. A cordless electric vibrator for use on the human body, said vibrator comprising an elongated substantially cylindrical housing having a closed end, the outer periphery of said closed end being tapered to a rounded end to provide an outer surface which is adapted to be applied to substantially any part of the human body, said housing having a uniform outer dimension for its entire length except for said rounded end, at least one elongated cylindrical dry cell battery mounted Within said housing and extending longitudinally therein remote from said closed end, a miniature electrically operated motor mounted dimensioned to fit longitudinally within said housing adjacent to and inwardly from the inner end of said battery, a shaft rotatably connected to said motor and disposed adjacent to the inner end thereof, an eccentrically mounted weight carried by said shaft, said weight being adapted to cause vibration of said motor upon the rotation of said shaft and weight, said closed end of said housing having a radially directed portion disposed adjacent to the midportion of said closed end, the inner end of said motor engaging said radially directed portion of said housing, so that the vibration of said motor caused by the rotation of said weight is transmitted directly to said housing and is concentrated longitudinally around the midportion of the said closed end of said housing and distributed evenly around the entire outer periphery of said closed end, from which said vibration is adapted to be transmitted to the human body through engagement with the outer surface of said closed end.

2. The structure described in claim 1, the portion of said closed end of said housing extending between said radially directed portion and said rounded end :being hollow and being free to vibrate without dampening engage ment with any other portion of said vibrator.

3. The structure described in claim 1, in Which said closed end of said housing includes a removably mounted end member, the inner end of which extends radially and which comprises the radially directed portion of said housing which engages the inner end of said motor.

4. The structure described in claim 3, said end member being hollow and being free to vibrate without dampening engagement with any other portion of said vibrator.

5. The structure described in claim 3-, and at least one electrical pressure contact engageable to connect said motor to said battery, the end of said end member also exerting pressure on said motor to make and maintain said electrical contact.

6. The structure described in claim 1, and at least one electrical contact engageable to connect said motor to said battery, said motor having a pair of spaced grooves, and a pair of stationary locator pins engageable with said grooves to orient said motor to make said electrical contact.

7. The structure described in claim 1, the outer periphery of said motor being spaced from engagement with the adjacent portion of the closed end of said housing, so that the transmission of vibration from said motor to said housing is substantially confined to the engagement between the upper end of said motor, and the radially directed portion of the closed end of said housing.

8. The structure disclosed in claim 1, and at least one electrical pressure contact engageable to connect said motor to said battery, the engagement between the inner end of said motor and the radially directed portion of said housing also exerting pressure on said motor t make and maintain said electrical contact.

9. The structure described in claim 1, in which said closed end of said housing includes a removably mounted end member, and engaging means for attaching said end member to the remainder of said housing, said engaging means comprising at least one L-shaped slot formed on one of said members, said slot having an open vertical portion connected to a closed horizontal portion,

and a projection formed on the other of said members, said projection being slidably movable into the open vertical portion of said slot and along the horizontal portion thereof to removably mount said end member on the end of said housing.

10. The structure described in claim 9, in which said horizontal portion of said slot is slanted to progressively tighten the engagement between said end member and the remainder of said housing as said projection is moved toward the closed end of the horizontal portion of said L-shaped slot.

11. The structure described in claim 10, in which said end member and housing have a pair of said L-shaped slots and projections which are diametrically opposed to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS L. W. TRAPP, Primary Examiner.