US795212A - Massage apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JULY 18, 1905.

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UNITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905.r

PATENT EEicE.

MASSAGE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,212, dated July 18, 1905. Application filed February 20, 1905. Serial No. 246,378.

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Be it known that' I, GEORGE XV. FITZ, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Massage Apparatus, of which the following' is a speciiication.

This invention has for its object to provide a mechanical massage apparatus the acting tool of which shall have agyratory or orbital motion and be adapted to either rub the body without percussion or to act percussively and shall also be adapted to be easily and conveniently guided and directed against any desired part of the body under treatment, the operation of the tool being practically noiseless and unattended b v unreasonable wear of contacting parts.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

0f the accompanying' drawings, forming a part of this specification', Figure l represents a side elevation, partly in section, of a massage apparatus embodying' my invention. Fig'. 2 represen ts a sectional View, on a larger scale, of a portion of the apparatus. Fig'. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig'. 2. Fig. t represents a side elevation showing' the preferred means for flexibly supporting the apparatus.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents a casing in which is `iournaled a shaft b, which may be rotated by any suitable means, such as an electric motor, located in the casing.

c represents a fulcrum-ring' supported by an arm or extension nf, forming a part of the casing', said ring being' adjacent to one end of the shaft and preferably mounted adjustably on the arm a. in such manner that it may be moved toward and from said end of the shaft, means being provided, such as a screw-stem d, aftixedto an annular ring-holder c", and a clamping-nut c, engaged with the stem, for securing the ring-holder and ring to the arm in any position to which the ring may be adjusted. The arm zo is preferably tubular and is provided with a slot 1,1/2, in which the stem c is movable. The ring c preferably has a relatively thin inner edge bearing on the shank ofthe operating-tool. Beside the ring and in contact therewith is a collar c3, of felt or other absorbent material, which is saturated with oil and lubricates the contacting surfaces of the ring and shank. The collar c3 is held in the annular holder c".

Z represents the head or acting' portion, and d represents the shank of the operating-tool. One end of the shank is engaged eccentrically by the antifrictional means hereinafter described with the shaft 74, and its opposite end carries the head (l. The shank passes through the fulcrum-ring c, as shown in Fig. 2. The rotation of the shaft causes the shank Z to oscillate on its fulcrum, the end portions of the shank and the head d being revolved or gyrated in an orbit the diameter of which is determined by the adjustment of the fulcrum-ring. The head (Z therefore has an orbital rubbing' motion when the plane of its orbit is approximately parallel with the surface under treatment. This rubbing action is similarA to the action of the hand of a masseur and has a more desirable eiiect in some respects than a percussive action. Them however, the plane of the orbit is substantially or approximately at a right ang'le with the surface Linder treatment, the action of the tool will be to a certain extent percussive, although the jar and vibration of the machine are less than would be the case if the tool were reciprocated. Hence the use of the apparatus is less fatig'uing to the operator. The shaft L is provided with an eccentric antifriction-socket which includes an inner annular ball-race and an outer annular ballrace b2, opposed to the inner race, said races being' inserted in an enlargement b3, affixed to the shaft L. The inner end of the shank IZ has a substantially spherical enlargement (Z2, which is interposed between the ball-races L2. Between the said races and the adjacent portions of the enlargement Z2 are interposed balls 5 5, which confine the enlargement against displacement in any direction and at the same time permit it to turn freely about its own center in any direction without noise or rattle, the wear of the fixed and moving' contacting parts being reduced to the minimum.

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