US732414A

US732414A - Massage-machine.

Info

Publication number: US732414A
Application number: US13836103A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas D Ingram
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1903-01-09
Filing date: 1903-01-09
Publication date: 1903-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 1920-06-30

Description

No. 732,414. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

T. D. INGRAM MASSAGE MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 9, 190s.

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No. 732,414. PATENTED JUNE 30,1903.

T. D. INGRAM.

MASSAGE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1903.

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No. 732,414 I PATBNTED JUNE 30.1903. T. D. INGRAM.

MASSAGE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1903.

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No. 732,414. PATENTBD JUNE 30, 1903.

T. 1). INGRAM.

MASSAGE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1903.

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No. 732,414. PATBNTED JUNE 30, 1903.

7 T. D. INGRAM. MASSAGE MACHINE.

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PATENT OFFICE.

MASSAGE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patento. 732,414, dated June 30, 1903. Application filed January 9, 1903. Serial Nb. 138,361. (No model.)

lb aZZ whom it may concern: Be it known that I, THOMAS D. INGRAM, citizen of the United States, residing at WVashington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mas sage-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. My invention relates, primarily, to a general machine to be used for giving mechanical massage to various parts of the human body, the machine being designed to act in imita tion of the most vigorous and effective meth-' ods made use of in giving massage by thehu man hands. The various massaging devices employed in the machine correspond in 0011- struction and operation to theseveral ma-' nipulations appropriate to the different parts of the body, my purpose being to produce in a unitary structure a machine adapted to awide range of uses. This general machine is intended to rest firmly upon a platform, to which all its parts are securely attached.

The whole construction is to be placed in the center of a room, and in its preferred form it is so arranged that six persons may be placed around or about the machine and be mas saged by it at one and the same time. The motive power for the machine is preferably obtained from an electric motor, which may rest upon the" same platform and within the space included by the cast-iron frame of the machine. Thus placed it adds'weight and firmness. to the machine, economizes space, avoids having shafting or belting about the room, and

makes it possible to inclose the main "or central part of the machine in a casing out of view and protected from the dust. dent, however, that in some instances, if dedesired, the necessary power may be brought from a shaft near the ceiling or may be brought from beneath the floor. coming from an electric motor or other source of power is first imparted to a main countershaft, and from this by means of belts and pulleys it is distributed to the various parts of the machine. Each pair of pulleys upon the main shaft being arranged as a fast and loose combination provided with a belt-shiftthe'skin and subcutaneous tissues. 'these instrumentalities are constructed sublmachine embodying my improvements. 2 represents a side elevation of the machine.

It is evi-' The motion ing attachment, any part of the machine may be used separately or all may be used'at the same time.

,Of the massaging devices employed in this machine one is adapted for giving massage to the back or to the breast and sides of the chest and abdomen and to the thicker muscles of the hips, thighs, and shoulders, an- .other' is adapted'to operate upon the legs, an other upon the arms and also upon thelegs,

and still another is adapted for massaging All of stantially with a single characteristic purpose in view-to wit, that they shall so act through padded surfaces upon the various soft tissues of the body by compressing and kneading, jolting, rolling, or shaking the tissues or by striking soft blows as to most effectively press or force onward the flow of blood through the veins and capillaries and the flow of lymph through the lymphatic vessels toward the heart, and thus allow new arterial blood to reach the tissues and continually renew and repair them.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of aconiplete Fig.

Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of the machine. Fig. 4 represents a perspective View, partly broken away, of the devices intended especially for massaging the arms. Fig. 5 represents in perspective a slotted rock-bar or lever-arm forming one element of the massaging device at the outer end of the head of the machine. Fig. 6 represents in perspective a slotted spring designed for attaching the steel plate bearing the massaging-pad to the lever-arm shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 represents in perspective a cork-lined trough and auxiliary parts, constituting another of the massaging devices of the machine. Fig. 8 represents an end view thereof. Fig. 9 represents a top plan View, partly in section, of the outer portion of one of the brackets of the machine, together with one of the removable massaging devices appropriate thereto. Figs. 10 and 11 represent modifications of the said removable device. Fig. 12 represents one of the massage-straps.

Similar letters and numbers of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

In all the embodiments of my invention the purpose has been to provide in one machine a series of mechanisms adapted to give massage ormanipulations to the various parts of the body and also adapted to accommodate the 'arying positions which these several parts may occupy during the massaging operation. These mechanisms throughout,however, consist, essentially, of pads (preferably of cork) so adjusted that they may be made to compress, or compress and jolt or shake, or compress and roll or knead the soft tissues of the body in such a manner as will force the capillary and venous blood and the lymphatic fluids to .fiow onward toward the heart. In that part of the machine adapted for massag ing the skin and its underlying tissues the mechanism is varied by using the centrifugal impact of the ends of short straps or short straps with cork balls attached, which straps are fixed upon a rapidly-revolving spindle, or by using rapidly-revolvin g brushes of varying stiffness, while each device is intended to give the skin a multitude of rapidly-succeeding short soft blows or brushings, always in the direction of the onward venous flow.

111 the drawings, 1 represents a platform of wood upon which the cast-iron frame 2 is firmly attached. Prolongations 1 and 1 of this platform extend from two of its sides to support the framework or standards of specifie parts of the mechanism. The platform is intended to rest upon the floor in the center of room, and may be placed upon rubber or other elastic cushions in order to avoid noise or prevent any jarring due to the motion of the machine.

The principal massaging devices employed in the machine are mounted in brackets extending outwardly from the main frame or stand 2 in opposite directions, thereby in great measure counterbalancing each other in so far as their tendency to overturn the stand is concerned and especially exerting a steadying eifeet upon the structure as a whole when the massaging devices of two opposite brackets are in operation and exerting more or less of a back stress upon the stand. Upon one side of the stand the bracket consists of arms 4, braced by cross-pieces 9, and arms 3, similarly braced. The arms l are mounted to rock upon the fixed shaft 8, which is located directly above the shaft 7 and in line with it, and the arms 3 are similarly mounted upon the boxes in which shaft 7 is adapted to revolve. Attheir outer ends the arms 3 l are loosely jointed to projections made upon the cast-iron head 5 at such points on either side as will cause the arms on each side of the head to remain at all times parallel with each other, so that when the head 5 is moved upwardly or downwardly it will always be held in a horizontal position. To support the weight of the swinging bracket and the head with all the mechanisms which are borne by the head, a double standard 10 is placed upon the edge of the platform and supports a large pulley 11, over which a stout rope 12 is placed. One end of this rope is attached to the bracket near the head, while the other end supports aweight13. By making this counterpoise sufiiciently heavy to somewhat overbalance the head and its massaging apparatus the massaging devices may be forced downward Without great effort by the person being massaged and may be held in the desired position or may be permitted to rise during the massaging operation, so as to act successively over different portions of the body. The bracket on the opposite side of the cast-iron frame 2 consists of a single pair of bracket-arms 1.4. These arms are also mounted to move upward and downward upon the inwardlyprojecting boxes (3, surrounding the main shaft. This pair of bracket-arms is braced at 15, so as to make them act together and prevent twisting. The arms and the massaging mechanism they are intended to bear are supported by the standard 16 through a rope 17, passing over a pulley 1S, and are overbalaneed by the e0unterpoise-weight 1!).

From the electric motor 22 and through its pulley 23 motion is conveyed by the belt 2t to the pulley 25, fixed; upon the shaft 7. From the pulley 26 011 the shaft 7 the motion may be transmitted by the belt 27 t0 the pulley 28, fixed upon the shaft 2.), which is placed in the lower part of the head 5 and in direct line with the lower pair of extended arms The shaft 2.) is provided with a crank, actuating the reciprocating pitmen 30 31. The piston 30 is adapted to act directly forward and is connected by the removable pin 32 to the slotted lever-arm or rock-bar 33, which is fixed upon and has its fulcrum at the middle of the rock-shaft 34. The rock-bar 33 is provided with a series of holes to receive the removable pin 32, the holes being arranged. in the arc of a circle, each hole being equidistant from the center of the shaft 2.). By means of the rock bar 33 a forward and upward. motion is given to the device, intended for compressing and jolting or kneading the deep muscles of the back, the breast and sides of the chest, the m useles and contents of the abdomen, and the deeper muscles of the hips, thighs, and shoulders. This device consists in its preferred form of a leather-covered cork pad A, secured to a steel plate a. The pad may conveniently be from eight to twelve inches in width, four to six inches in height, and an, inch in thickness. It may be curved from side to side to fit somewhat the contour of the back or sides of the body. The steel plate bearing the cork pad is attached at its back to one arm of the slotted bent spring I), (see Fig. 6,) the other arm of the spring resting upon and being at; tached to the slotted rock-bar The spring is of considerable stiifness, but is yet sufficiently yielding, and is intended to avoid any tendency to bruise the tissues from any excessive jolt or kneading pressure. More or less stifiness may be given to the spring by adj usting it so as to use its slotted leaves at points nearer or farther from its bend. From this construction it will be seen that the massaging-pad A will be given a series of forward and upward movements repeated in quick succession and that each of the various parts of the pad passes through an are described by a radius whose center is the center of the rockshaft 34. The extent and the degree of each of these movements are also evidently under the control of the operator by shifting the pin 32, connecting the pitman 30 with the slotted lever-arm 33, or, again, by shifting the bent spring I) up or down upon the rock-bar 33, or else shifting the plate a and the pad up or down with relation to the spring, the slots in the spring-leaves permitting these adjustments The forward and upward movements given this cork pad and most effectively to its lower margin I consider most desirable as a means for pressing or forcing onward the venouscurrent and for emptying the capillaries and lymphatic vessels of the part applied to it.

The whole massaging device here shown may be carried upward or downward, as may be desired, by the operator or by the person being massaged by raising or lowering the handle and extending arm 0, attached to the head of the m achine. The position of the body being upright in posture, (whether standing or sitting,) with the part to be massaged pressed against the massaging-pad, the person using it may himself graduate the degree of the compressing, kneading, or jolting action received.

The pitman 31, hereinbefore referred to, is adapted to act obliquely upward and backward and is attached to the slotted rock-bar or lever-arm 35, which is fixed upon and is made to rock the shaft 36. This slotted 1ever-arm is also supplied with a series of holes, arranged in the arc of a circle, each equidistant from the center of the shaft 29 and adapted to receive a removable pin, which is used to adjustably connect the pitman 31 with this lever-arm. By means of aseries of yokes 37, fixed upon theshaft 36, a padded trough B, forming one of the massaging devices, is placed directly above this shaft and being held by the yokes is made to shake from side to side by the rocking motion given the shaft through the mechanism described. This trough is intended for shaking the legs. Massaging-pads constitute the lining of the trough, into which the leg may be placed, either in part, as far up as the knee, or the whole leg may be placed therein, while the person receiving thetreatment sits in a semireclining position at one end of the trough,

the leg to be massaged being placed on a level.

somewhat higher than the body. This trough B is preferably made ofsheet-steel and is inclined longitudinally from its middle portion toward the ends. In cross-section, Fig. 8, it is made somewhat V-shaped and is made smaller or narrower at its middle part and slightly trumpet-shaped at its ends. The taper given its sides is made greater than the .usual taper of a leg between its upper and .struction it will be seen that from the reciprocatingpitman 31 a rocking-movement will be given the shaft 36 and a rapidly-shaking movement from side to side will be given to the trough. From the slightly more elevated position of the middle portion of the trough in which the foot of the person being massaged is intended to rest it is evident that a greater swaying or shaking motion will be given this part, while the slight incline toward each end is intended to accommodate the-position of an elevated leg and also to favor by the force of gravity the return of venous blood. From the padded or cork lining of this trough it is evident that a leg when placed in it and rotated somewhat will receive a succession of compressions or blows upon its sides, and because of the tapering sides of the trough it is evident that the blows will be more effective, as they act from the lower part of the leg upward, thus greatly favoring the onward flow of the venous blood, While the flow in the capillaries and lymphatic vessels will'also be pressed onward. It is also evident that the degree of shaking movements given the trough may be regulated by simply changing theposition of the pin connecting the pitman 31 with the slotted lever-arm '35. When but one person is using this trough, the leg may be thrust forward until the knee is made to occupy the highest and greater moving part of the trough, and thus the whole limb will be more thoroughly massaged. From the fact that the swaying of a leg must be much less as we approach nearer the hip as its pivot-point the ends of the trough are made to lie close to the shaft, so that their swaying movements shall be much less at these ends, where the thighs are adapted to rest.

Another and important employment of the trough B for massaging purposes consists in utilizing the padded end edges thereof for massaging the deep muscles on either side of the spinal column. For this purpose the motion of these padded end edges is peculiarly adapted, inasmuch as the muscles referred to may be effectively massaged thereby, while the spinal column would be exempt from injury, because it would lie along the center of motion of the movingparts.

The devices intended for massaging the skin and underlying tissues are shown separately in Figs. 9, 10, and 11 and are adapted to be driven by the grooved pulley 40, actuated by the rope belting 39 from the pulley 38 on the shaft 7. (See Fig. 9.) The pulley 40 is placed atthe end of one of the bracketarms 14, in a space formed by forging or bending back the end 11 of the arm and fastening it to the main part of the arm farther back. The axis 42 is made to revolve in a hole bored through both sides of this arm, bent upon itself, and is also provided withalarger turned head 43 upon its inner end, which affords a thrust or step bearing 44: against the inner side of the returned portion of the arm. The inner end or head of the axis is recessed, forming a square-shaped tapering socket 4:5 for the insertion of the end of a tapering square-shaped spindle. The end of the opposite arm is quite plain and has but a small tapering hole 46 bored but part Way through its thickness to afford a step-bearing for the cone-shaped end of the spindle, which these two arms are adapted to support. A small groove -t7 is carried from the cone-shaped hole or bearing of the spindle to the outer end of this arm for the guidance of the conical end when inserting or removing the spindle. A spindle is inserted in its place between these two extended arms by placing the square-shaped tapering end in its socket and springing the ends of the arms slightly apart and then forcing the conical end of the spindle down the groove and into the coneshaped depression adapted for its bearing. A spindle is removed by simply reversing this method of procedure. By this expedient the series of short straps, (shown in Fig. 9,) the straps having the cork massaging-balls, (shown in Fig. 10,) orthe brush (shown in Fig. 11) may be readily inserted or any one of them may be removed for substitution by one of the others. It is evident that when one of these devices is in place and is given the rapid rotary motion intended a very decided shower of soft blows maybe given any part of the body brought within reach thereof. Furthermore, by depressing the bracket to its lowermost extent and then permitting it to rise under the influence of the overweighted counterpoise these blows maybe received successively from the lower part of the legs upward to the extent desired. The mode of attaching the straps (shown separately in Fig. 12) to the square rod or spindle is by stitching two short straps together by first overlapping their ends and allowing a space between the two rows of stitching just sufficient to inclose the spindle and then forcing the spindle through the space thus provided. By placing these straps upon the spindle alternately at right angles to each other four rows of strap ends are secured. It is evident that the centrifugal force and hence the degree of the blow given by these strap ends or by the strap ends with cork balls attached will greatly depend upon the length and also upon the weight of the straps or upon the length of the straps and weight of the cork balls attached. Thus to provide for different degrees of blows, such as may be desired by diiferent persons to be massaged, a series of spindles with different lengths and weights of straps and also of straps with cork balls must be at hand. It is also evident that in order to use the cylindrical brush the person or partto be massaged must be stripped, and here again a variety of brushes of different degrees of stiffness would be needed. The motion to be given to these rapidly-revolving spindles and the showers of soft blows they are intended to give to the skin must plainly be in an upward direction. So also must the brushings be always given so as to force the.

blood and lymphatic fluids upward or toward the heart. Short bars with handles 11 attached extend from the projecting arms 14 on either side as a convenience for carrying the massaging device in use upward or downward to accommodate different parts of the body, and an adjustable bar supporting a light roller 6 is placed across these handlebars to act as a rest or guide to maintain the body at a proper distance from the revolving spindles and the massaging devices they bear.

For general massage of the arms and legs I employ devices carried by

extensions

1 and 1 of the main platform. On the side intended for massaging the arms the frame should stand about forty inches in height, twenty inches in length, and eight inches in width, and its top 21 should be well padded, so as to afiord a place for the arm to rest upon while it is being massaged. On the opposite extension of the platform, on the side intended for massaging the legs, where an exactly similar device is designed to act, the frame is made lower and longer and somewhat wider. Here the dimensions may be from twentyfour to twenty-six inches in height, thirty inches in length, and ten inches in width. The top of the frame is also padded in a similar manner to accommodate a leg while it is being massaged. Inasmuch as this mechanism is the same as that for massaging the arm I have. illustrated it merely in the plan view, Fig. 3. To actuate this particular mechanism, motion is derived from the main shaft 7 by means of the pulley 4:8, belt 49, and pulley 50-, and is thus transmitted to the shaft 51. The shaft 51 is placed low down upon the inclined sides of the frame 2 in bearings 52 and extends through the inner uprights of the frames or standards 20. Upon either end of this extended shaft a crank 53 is placed. To this crank a pitman 54 gives rock-bar 57, adapted to receive the lower ends of the two uprights 58, which carry on their upper ends the massaging-pads shown. Each of the slotted lever-arms is provided with a series of holes and a removable pin 59 for changing the width of space to accommodate 1 rger or smaller arms and also the degree of upward and downward movement to be given to the uprights bearing the massaging-pads, as may be desired. Between the uprights 58 is placed a bent spring of wire 60, the ends of which are adapted to rest in a series of notches made in the inner margins of these levers, so as to distend or press them apart and to hold the massaging-pads away from each other, so as to allow an arm to be placed between these pads. The series of notches provided is intended to give the spring more or less effective force, as may be desired.

The massaging device D, operated by the uprights 58, is shown in greater detail in Fig. 4. The massaging parts proper are of troughlike structure, made in two independent sections, which resemble two large open hands padded thick with cork, standing open and upright and between'which the arm or leg to be massaged may be placed. These open and upright extended hands may be from siX to eight inches in height and from three to four inches in breadth and may be faced throughout with an inch thickness of soft cork and this in turn covered with soft leather. These cork pads each rest upon a molded form of sheet-steel of equal area and by means of which they are attached to the upper ends g of the uprights 58. An important feature of this massaging device is that these upright open padded hands are placed closer together at their inner or more distant margins 77. than they are at their outer margins t' and also that they are given prominent heels or closelyapproaching lower margins. Beneath the padded top of the frame 21, through which the upright levers pass, a stout cord or rope is is attached to each lever, and each rope is made to pass to the opposite side and over a pulley attached to the under side of the top of the frame and thence back to a lever-arm Z, to which each rope is then made fast. This lever-arm is made fast to the axis or shaft m, which bears upon either end a lever and handle n, which extends forward on either side. The purpose of these levers with handles at tached is to draw the upright bars or levers bearing the massaging-pads closer together and in opposition to the action of the distending-spring 60, so as to correspondingly vary the massaging effect according to the desire of the person undergoing the treatment. Sitting upright and in front of the frame 20 he may place one arm between the two upright massaging pads D and with his free hand upon one of the levers a may cause these pads to close upon his arm with any degree of pressure he may desire. It is also plain that when an arm is placed between these two massaging-pads and they are made to grasp it the alternating up-and-down movement given to the pads will cause the soft tissues to be pressed and rolled or kneaded to any degree desired. Furthermore, from the position given the massaging-pads, placing their inner margins closer together than the outer margins, the tissues will be so rolled or kneaded as will most effectively press forward the capillary and venous blood and also press onward the lymphatic flow. It is also evident that the strongly-projecting heels given to these massaging-hands will prevent even the smallest arm or part from getting below their lower margins, although the upwardly-projecting padded top of the frame upon which the arm may rest will also contribute to prevent this accident. Inasmuch as the upright levers 58 may be placed nearer or farther from the rocking shaft 55 by slightly changing the po- 1 smaller arms may be accommodated to the action of the pads by means of the adjustability of the uprights.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A massage-machine, comprising a centrally-disposed stand and motor, said stand carrying a main counter-shaft and pulleys, thereby establishing stable equilibrium for the machine as awhole, and outlying massaging devices, driven from the counter-shaft and mounted in brackets oppositely disposed with respect to the counter-shaft; substantially as described.

2. A massagemachine, comprising a centrally-disposed stand and motor, said stand carrying a main counter-shaft and pulleys, thereby establishing stable equilibrium for the machine as a whole, outlying massaging devices driven from said counter-shaft and mounted in brackets oppositely disposed with respect to thecounter-shaft, a second countershaft driven from the first, and laterally-disposed massaging devices driven from the second counter-shaft substantially as described.

3. A massage-machine, provided with massaging devices, a swinging bracket in which the massaging devices are mounted, and an overbalancing-counterweight for said bracket; substantially as described.

4:, A massage-machine, provided with masupon a spring-backing; substantially as described.

6. A massage-machine having a bracket provided with a crank-shaft, a pitman on the crank-shaft and a swinging massage-pad operated by the pitman, said pad being mounted upon a spring-backing and adjustable up and down upon said spring; substantially as described.

7. A massage-machine, having a bracket provided with a crank-shaft, a pitman on the crank-shaft, a swinging massage-pad operated by the pitman, and means for regulating the effective throw of the pitman; substantially as described.

8. A massage -machine, having a bracket provided with a crank-shaft, a pitman on the crank-shaft, a swinging massage-pad oper; atcd by the pitman, and means for regulating the effective throw of the pitinan, said means consisting of an adjustable pin-and-link eonneetion; substantially as described.

9. A massage-machine, having a bracket provided with a crank-shaft, a pitman on the crank-shaft, a massage-pad, a spring upon which the pad is mounted, and a link to which the crank-shaft is secured and upon which the spring is adjustable substantially as described.

10. A massage-machine, having a troughlike rest and means for oscillating the same upon a longitudinal axis; substantially as described.

11. A massage-machine, having a trough like rest whose opposite sides are inclined with respect to each other in the direction of their length, and means for oscillating the same upon a longitudinal axis; substantially as described.

12. A massage-machine, having a troughlike rest, with padded massaging ends, and means for oscillating the same upon a longitudinal axis; substantially as described.

13. A massage-machine, having a troughlike rest, internally padded, and inclined in the direction of its length, and means for oscillating the same upon a longitudinal axis; substantially as described.

11L A massage-machine, having a troughlike rest internally padded and inclined in the direction of its length from a point midway thereof, and means for oscillating the same upon a longitudinal axis; substantially as described.

15. A massage-machine, having a troughlike rest internally padded and inclined in the direction of its length from a point midway thereof, saddles upon which the trough is mounted, and a rock-shaft to which said saddles are secured; substantially as described.

16. A massage-machine having a troughlike rest with outwardly-flarin g edges and internally padded, said rest being inclined in the direction of its length, and means for oscillating the trough upon a longitudinal axis; substantially as described.

17. A massage machine, having flexible 19. A massage-machine having flexible beater-arms mounted upon a rotatory axis, and disposed in rows about said axis; substantially as described.

20. A massage machine having flexible beater-arms mounted upon a rotatory axis,

and disposed in rows about said axis, said arms being provided at their endswith massagingballs; substantially as described.

21. "A massage-machine provided with a bracket, a rotatory massaging device, and step-bearings in the bracket to permit the ready insertion and removal of the rotatory massaging device or its substitution by another; substantially as described.

22. A m assaging-machine having a troughlike rest or support made up of individual sections, and means for reciprocating said sections relatively to each other; substantially as described.

23. A massage-machine having a troughlike rest or support made up of individual sections, and means for reciprocating said sections relatively to each other, the inner edges or margins of said sections being closer together than their outer edges; substantially as described.

24. A massage-machine having a troughlike rest or support made up of individual sections, and means for reciprocating said sections relatively to each other, said means consisting of an oscillating shaft, a rock-bar, and uprights actuated by the rock-bar; substantially as described.

25. A massage-machine having a troughlike rest or support made up of individual sections, uprights carrying said sections, a rockbar to which the uprights are pivotally secured, an oscillating shaft for the rock-bar, and means for swinging the uprights toward and from each other during their reciprocations; substantially as described.

26. A massage-machine having a troughlike rest or support made up of individual sections, uprights carrying said sections, a rockbar to which the uprights are pivotally secured, an oscillating shaft for the rock-bar, and means for swinging the uprights toward and from each other during their reciprocation, said means consisting of swinging handles, cord connections from handles to the uprights, and a distending-spring for the uprights; substantially as described.

27. A massage-machine having a troughlike rest or support made up of individual sections, uprights carrying said sections, arockbar to which the uprights are pivotally se cured, an oscillating shaft for the rock-bar,

and means for swinging the uprights toward and from each other during their reciprocation, said nieans consisting of swinging handles, cord connections from the handles to the uprights, and a distending-spring for the uprights, said spring being adjustable with respect to the pivoted connections of the uprights to the rock-bar; substantially as described.

28. A massage-machine having a troughlike rest or support made up of individual sections, uprights carrying said sections, arockbar to which the uprights are pivotally secured, an oscillating shaft for the rock-bar, and means for swinging the uprights toward and from each other during their reciprocation, said means consisting of swinging handles, cord connections from the handles to the uprights, and a distending-spring for the uprights, said spring being adjustable with respect to the pivoted connections of the uprights to the rock-bar; and said uprights being adjustable with respect to their distance from each other at theirpivotal connections with said rock-bar; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS D. INGRAM.

Witnesses:

JOHN C. PENNIE, EDWIN S. CLARKSON.