WO2023235987A1

WO2023235987A1 - Percussive massaging device

Info

Publication number: WO2023235987A1
Application number: PCT/CA2023/050798
Authority: WO
Inventors: Curtis Kennedy
Original assignee: Symbodi Labs Ltd.
Priority date: 2022-06-09
Filing date: 2023-06-09
Publication date: 2023-12-14

Abstract

The present disclosure provides for a massaging device comprised of a handle, a motor housing for a motor, a sliding chamber operatively secured to the motor housing, the sliding chamber actuatable by the motor to pulsate in two opposed directions, and a massage head removably secured to the sliding chamber to massage an operator. The present disclosure also provides for a wall-mounted massaging system comprising that includes a massaging device to massage an operator, an adapter and a wall mount.

Description

PERCUSSIVE MASSAGING DEVICE

FIELD

The disclosure relates to the field of mechanical massagers, and more specifically to a percussive massaging device that can be wall mounted or handheld.

BACKGROUND

Percussive massaging devices have grown in popularity recently, especially with the miniaturization of long-lasting batteries, which can deliver a high powered and sustained massaging motion.

Devices such as US Patent Publication Nos. 2020/0390644 (Yang) , 2021/0000683 (Cheng) and 2022/0160578 (Curley) have contributed to the growth of the market. However, problems persist in the prior art.

In particular, the devices of Cheng, Curley and Yang and prone to breaking due to the repetitious in-out motion of the massage gun. If the devices are dropped, they are also prone to breaks in the housing as they are fragile devices. Finally, these devices have attachments for improved handling; however, due to the flimsy connection system without any dampening means, the attachments can also break.

As such, there is a need to overcome the deficiencies noted in the prior art. SUMMARY

In an aspect , the present disclosure provides a massaging device comprising : a handle ; a motor housing attached to the handle , the motor housing further comprised of a motor ; a sliding chamber operatively secured to the motor housing, the sliding chamber actuatable by the motor to pulsate in two opposed directions ; and, a massage head removably secured to the sliding chamber to massage an operator .

In another aspect , the present disclosure provides a wall- mounted massaging system compris ing : a massaging device to massage an operator ; an adapter releasably secured to the massaging device to mount to a peripheral device ; and, a wall mount releasably secured to the adapter to mount the massaging device to a wall .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures serve to illustrate various embodiments of features of the disclosure . These figures are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting .

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a massaging device connected to an adapter and a wall mount , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the massaging device of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the massaging device releasably secured to the adapter of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the adapter of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an arm of the adapter of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a motor housing of the massaging device of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 7 is an underside perspective view of the massaging device of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ; Figure 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of the massaging device of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 9 is an enlarged side view of the massaging device of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 10A is a perspective view of a massage head for a massaging device , according to another embodiment of the present disclosure ; and,

Figure 10B is a perspective view of a massage head for a massaging device , according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to be limiting . It will be appreciated that various modi fications and/or alterations to the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the disclosure and any modi fications and/or alterations are within the scope of the contemplated disclosure .

With reference to Figures 1 and 2 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , a percussive massaging device 10 is shown, the massaging device 10 releasably secured to an adapter 15 , which is in turn releasably secured to a wall mount 20 . The massaging device 10 is preferably comprised of a handle 25 attached to motor housing 30 , which is in turn operatively secured to a massage head 35 by means of a slider chamber 40 . During operation of the massaging device 10 , a motor (not shown) positioned within the motor housing 30 is actuated by means of a power button 45 and set to the desired power setting, as exempli fied by the power level indicators 50 . The motor (not shown) actuates the slider chamber 40 , which acts as a piston and moves outwardly away from the massaging device 10 , then back inwardly towards the massaging device 10 . This in and out movement is repeatedly caused by the motor (not shown) , and in turn the slider chamber 40 pushes the massage head 35 in and out to make contact with a surface ( e . g. a limb, back, neck, etc ) to massage an operator of the massaging device 10 . A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that it is an obj ect of the present invention to minimi ze the vibrations and noise between mechanically mating parts . Indeed, percussive therapy devices are valued by how quiet they are . With reference to Figures 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , the massaging device 10 is shown both connected and disconnected to an adapter 15 . The motor housing 30 of the massaging device 10 is further comprised a guiding channel 60 extending longitudinally along the motor housing 30 . Adj acent an end of the guiding channel 60 is a cavity (not shown) comprised of a lock nut 65 . A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that an identical second guiding channel (not shown) and second lock nut (not shown) are positioned on the opposite side of the motor housing 30 . For the purposes of this disclosure , only one side of the motor housing 30 is described . The adapter 15 is further comprised of a claw portion 70 connected to a mount attachment 75 . The mount attachment 75 is configured to clip into the wall mount 20 . In an alternate embodiment , the mount attachment 75 may be a singular piece with the wall mount 20 , or may connect to the wall mount 20 by another means , such as fastener, screw, dowel , etc . The claw portion 70 is in turn comprised of two opposed arms 80 , 82 , extending away from a base portion 85 . Each one of the arms 80 , 82 terminate in twist locks 90 , 92 attached to a guiding screw 95 . An inside surface of each one of the arms 80 , 82 is also comprised of a longitudinal guiding rail 100 extending along the length of the arms 80 , 82 . An inside surface of the base portion 85 is comprised of a dampener 105 . To connect the adapter 15 to the massaging device 10 , the arms 80 , 82 of the adapter 15 are aligned with the lock nuts 65 . The guiding rails 100 are then aligned and slid into the corresponding guiding channels 60 . As shown, the guiding channels 60 are comprised of a wideangled edge 102 to facilitate entry and alignment of the guiding rails 100 . The guiding rails 100 are slid along the guiding channels 60 until the guiding screws 95 are aligned and positioned over the lock nuts 65 of the massaging device 10 . As best shown in Figure 5 , springs 103 are positioned within each one of the arms 80 , 82 and around the guiding screws 95 to bias the twist locks 90 , 92 outwardly . The springs 103 also serve to ensure the tips of the screws 95 do not protrude past the inside surface of the arms 80 , 82 , which would otherwise impede or obstruct the smooth passage of the arms 80 , 82 within the guiding channels 60 , 62 . In a preferred embodiment , the arms 80 , 82 are comprised of inner tubular members 104 . The inner tubular members 104 engage the twist locks 90 , 92 to ensure that the screws 95 remain properly aligned with their respective lock nuts 65 . Once aligned, the twist locks 90 , 92 can be pushed and rotated, which fastens the guiding screws 95 into the lock nuts 65 . Once the massaging device 10 is secured to the adapter 15 , a rear surface 110 of the motor housing 30 is flushly against the dampener 105 of the adapter 15 . Similarly, the guiding rails 100 mate flushly within the guiding channels 60 . A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that the dampener 105 is preferably constructed of a thermoplastic elastomer or thermoplastic polyurethane , which serves to dampen vibrations from the motor housing 30 . Further , the guiding rails 105 may be comprised of a similar material , although this is not required . Indeed, it has been shown that having two arms 80 , 82 , providing two separate securing means to optimally secure the adapter 15 to the massaging device 10 helps to minimi ze vibrations of the massaging device 10 during operation . In an optional embodiment , instead of the adapter 15 comprised of a claw portion 70 connecting to the lock nuts 65 , a circular twist lock could be positioned on the rear surface 110 of the massaging device 10 to connect to an adapter or a mount . However, such a twist lock may still require a PTE or PTU material between surfaces , which would compress during the twisting process and reduce vibrations .

With reference to Figure 6 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , an enlarged cross-sectional view of the motor housing 30 and lock nut 65 is shown . In a preferred embodiment , the lock nut 65 is comprised of a threaded body 115 terminating in a rim 120 . This optimal lock nut 65 has been shown to be preferable in the massaging device (not shown) , as it prevents unwanted removal of the lock nut 65 from the motor housing 15 . Indeed, it is a problem in the art that a normal nut and washer would come loose from the repeated locking and unlocking of the adapter (not shown) to the massaging device (not shown) .

With reference to Figure 7 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , an underside 125 of the handle 25 is shown . In a preferred embodiment , the handle 25 is comprised of an overmoulded thermoplastic grip that converges at the underside 125 into a web and rib pattern 127 . The web and rib pattern 127 is designed to cushion and absorb impact force i f the massaging device 10 is unintentionally detached from the wall mount (not shown) and falls of f the wall . The web and rib pattern 127 extends above the charging inlet (not shown) positioned at the bottom of the handle 25 . This is so that the material is able to compress when the device 10 is dropped, while preventing the charging inlet (not shown) from ever impacting the ground . The underside 125 of the handle 25 was designed in a way such that the forces at impact would be isolated to the outside edge of the handle 25 allowing for compression of the overmoulded elastomer at impact to minimi ze energy trans ferred into the more brittle plastic it encompasses .

With reference to Figures 8 and 9 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , the massaging device 10 is shown in greater detail . A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that to minimi ze vibrations in the massaging device 10 , the massage head 35 is preferably centered along a longitudinal axis F-F, which is parallel with a center connecting point 130 between the adapter 15 and massaging device 10 . Indeed, i f the massage head 35 and the center connecting point 130 are not centered along the same axis F- F, it will result in unwanted oscillations from unbalanced forces trans ferred throughout the massaging device 10 . As such, the twist lock 92 of arm 82 ( as well as twist lock 90 of arm 80 , shown in Figures 3 and 4 ) is positioned along the axis F-F to connect into the lock nut (not shown) of the motor housing 30 . Additionally, the dampener 105 is shown, positioned in between the massaging device 10 and the adapter 15 to further reduce and dampen any resulting noise from unbalanced forces and therefore reduce the vibrations of the massaging apparatus 10 .

With continued reference to Figure 8 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , a motor 135 is shown positioned within the motor hous ing 30 . The motor 135 has been designed to fit lower into the motor housing 30 to reduce the si ze of the massaging device 10 . Moving the motor 135 lower into the motor housing 30 also allows the printed circuit board 140 to be positioned above the motor 135 and make way for the power button 45 and power level indicators 50 to be positioned at the top of the massaging device 10 . By moving the motor 135 lower, a curved crank shaft 145 is also utili zed to transfer the rotational movement of the motor 135 to linear movement of the massage head 35 .

With reference to Figures 10A and 10B and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , a variety of massage heads are shown . A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that the massage heads were designed and shaped in ways that would result in di f ferent pressure points for the user . With speci fic reference to Figure 10A, the wedge head 150 is for precision pressure distributed linearly along long rectangular contact point . With speci fic reference to Figure 10B, the cone head 160 is for precise , focused pressure to get deep into muscle tissue . The standard head ( 35 shown in Figure 1 ) is for wide pressure distribution for general use cases .

Many modi fications of the embodiments described herein as well as other embodiments may be evident to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings . It is understood that these modi fications and additional embodiments are captured within the scope of the contemplated disclosure which is not to be limited to the speci fic embodiment disclosed .

Claims

1 . A massaging device comprising : a handle ; a motor housing attached to the handle , the motor housing further comprised of a motor ; a slider chamber operatively secured to the motor housing, the slider chamber actuatable by the motor to pulsate in two opposed directions ; and, a massage head removably secured to the slider chamber to massage an operator .

2 . The massaging device of Claim 1 further comprised of an adapter releasably secured to the massaging device , the adapter configured to be connected to a mount .

3 . The massaging device of Claim 2 wherein the adapter is further comprised of a claw portion to releasably secure to the massaging device , and a mount attachment to connect to the mount .

4 . The massaging device of Claim 2 wherein the adapter is further comprised of two opposed arms extending away from a base portion of the adapter, each one of the two opposed arms terminating in a lock, the locks to releasably secure to each side of the motor housing .

5 . The massaging device of Claim 4 wherein an inside surface of each one of the two opposed arms is comprised of a guiding rail extending along the length of the two opposed arms , the guiding rails to engage with guiding channels of the massaging device to align the adapter to the massaging device . The massaging device of Claim 2 wherein the adapter is further comprised of an inside surface , the inside surface having a dampener, the dampener to mate flushly with the motor housing and dampen vibrations from the motor housing during operation of the massaging device . The massaging device of Claim 4 wherein each one of the locks are spring-loaded twist locks comprised of a guiding screw . The massaging device of Claim 7 wherein each one of the twist locks have an inner tubular member surrounding the guiding screw to keep the twist locks properly aligned with corresponding lock nuts once the adapter is positioned on the massaging device . The massaging device of Claim 1 further comprised of two guiding channels to receive and guide the adapter onto the massaging device . . The massaging device of Claim 2 wherein the adapter contacts the mas saging device at a connecting point , the connecting point aligned along a longitudinal axis with a center of the slider chamber and the massage head to minimi ze vibrations in the massaging device . . The massaging device of Claim 2 wherein the adapter is releasably secured to the massaging device at at least one connecting point , the at least one connecting point aligned along a longitudinal axis with a center of the slider chamber and the massage head to minimi ze vibrations in the massaging device .

12 . The massaging device of Claim 1 wherein an underside of the handle is further comprised of a web and rib pattern to cushion and absorb impact force and reduce breaking of the massaging device .

13 . A surface-mounted massaging system comprising : a massaging device to massage an operator ; an adapter releasably secured to the massaging device ; and, a mount releasably secured to the adapter to mount the massaging device to the surface .

14 . The massaging system of Claim 13 wherein the adapter is further comprised of two opposed arms extending away from a base portion of the adapter, each one of the two opposed arms terminating in a lock, the locks to releasably secure to each side of the massaging device .

15 . The massaging system of Claim 14 wherein an inside surface of each one of the two opposed arms is comprised of a guiding rail extending along the length of the two opposed arms , the guiding rails to engage with guiding channels of the massaging device to align the adapter to the massaging device .

16 . The massaging system of Claim 13 wherein the adapter is further comprised of an inside surface , the inside surface having a dampener, the dampener to mate flushly with the massaging device and dampen vibrations during operation of the massaging device .

17 . The massaging system of Claim 14 wherein each one o f the locks are spring-loaded twist locks comprised of a guiding screw, and wherein each one of the twist locks have an inner tubular member surrounding the guiding screw to keep the twist locks properly aligned with corresponding lock nuts once the adapter is positioned on the massaging device .

18 . The massaging system of Claim 13 further comprised of two guiding channels to receive and guide the adapter onto the massaging device .

19 . The massaging system of Claim 13 further comprising : a slider chamber to pulsate in two opposed directions ; and, a massage head removably secured to the slider chamber to massage an operator, wherein the adapter contacts the massaging device at a connecting point , the connecting point aligned along a longitudinal axis with a center of the slider chamber and the massage head to minimi ze vibrations in the massaging device .

20 . The massaging system of Claim 13 further comprising : a slider chamber to pulsate in two opposed directions ; and, a massage head removably secured to the slider chamber to massage an operator, wherein the adapter is releasably secured to the massaging device at at least one connecting point , the at least one connecting point aligned along a longitudinal axis with a center of the slider chamber and the massage head to minimi ze vibrations in the massaging device .