US1091310A - Massage apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

F. G. DUNN. MASSAGE APPARATUS. Anuomxon FILED 11110.5, 1912.

Patented Mar. 24, 191 1 mmvrm 6E ATTORNEY WITNESSES Q COLUMBIA PLANOOIIAPH 60., WAsHlidaroq. n. c.

' down moving presser pad 2.

FREDERICK o. noun, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

MASSAGE APPARATUS.

roereio.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented luar, 24, 1914,

Application filed December 6, 1912. Serial No. 735,277.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK O. DUNN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city and State of New York, (whose post-office ad dress is No. 55 Wall street, New York city,) have invented certain new-and useful Improvements in Massage Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to apparatus for massaging the human body, and more particularly to that form of apparatus which is adapted to be used by the patient himself, whereby the massaging operations may be performed without the assistance of a trained masseur; one of the principal objects of the invent-ion being to produce a simple, cheap and eflicient apparatus for effecting simultaneously a kneading and pressing motion upon the muscles and tissues of the body by the patient himself.

It is well known that the most beneficial results of massage are obtained by such manipulation as will result in subjecting the flesh, muscles and tissues of the body to a pressing and at the same time a kneading movement, and it is also understood that these movements should preferably be uniform and of any predetermined force and magnitude. By the use of my improved massaging apparatus, it is possible for a person unskilled in the art of massaging to produce upon his own person the same resultsas would be obtained by a trained masseur.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of various devices and parts as hereinafter particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same in an expanded or opened up position; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3.

In carrying my invention lnto effect, 1n one of the embodiments thereof which I have selected for illustration and description, and which is more particularly shown in Figs. 1 to 4; of the accompanying drawings, I provide a plurality of laterally moving manipulating pads 1, and an up and It will be understood that by the term pads is meant manipulating members of any suitable form or contour, and made of any material suitable to the conditions under which the apparatus is to be employed, and the term may include withm its scope, rollers mounted on sultable pivots, instead of the particular form of manipulating pads which are shown in the accompanying drawings. The lateral movement of the pads 1 is accomplished by means of devices of the well known lazy-tongs type which comprise essent ally lattice members 6 and 7, pivoted each to each as at 8 at the ends and as at 9 at their middle portions. Connect-ed with'these members are other members 3, having toes turnedatright angles to said members as shown at 4, and being secured to the pads 1 by screws 5 or in any other suitable manner. The pad carrying members 3 are at their upper extremities mounted between two of the lattice members 6 and 7 on one of the pivots 8. In order to secure a perfectly parallel movement of the said member 3, I provide a slot 10 in each of said members to cooperate with the pivotal connect-ions 8. In order to allow the device to be contracted or closed into a simple and compact form, the pad carrying members 3 are notched as at 11 to accommodate the adjacent middle pivots 9.

The presser pad 2 which is the up and down moving pad, is carried on a member 12, constructed similarly to the members 3, the pad itself being secured in a similar manner. As this pad 2 has an up and down movement only and no lateral mot-ion, it is evident that the carrying member 12 should be mounted at the central joints of the lazytongs, and the member 12 is therefore pivotally secured at its end adjacent to the pad, to the lattice members 6 and 7, and is provided at its upper extremity with an elongated notch 13. Notches 14 are provided in the member 12 for engagement with the pivots as already set forth. It will be readily seen that the up and down movement of the presser pad 2 relative to the horizontal plane of the operation of the two gathering or manipulating pads 1 is brought about by the relative positions of the pivots and slots 10 and 13. For the purpose of con venient manipulation, I provide the lazy tongs with handles 14 which are preferably mounted on spindles 15, set at their lower ends in bifurcated nuts16 and at their upper ends in similar bearings 17, one of the bearings 16 being pivoted to the extremity of one of the lattice members 6, while the other bearing 16 is pivoted to the end of one of the lattice members 7 The upper bearings 17 are similarly pivoted to the ends of the lattice members 6 and 7, the said 1nembers being however shortened and intermediate links 18 provided, pivotally connecting the bearings 17 and the shortened ends of the lattice members (3 and 7. This is for the purpose of compensating for the difference in the distance between the upper and lower pivotal points of the ends in the different positions of the lazy-tongs.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4t the operation is as follows: The apparatus is grasped by the handles 14: and extended as shown in Fig. 3. The device is then applied to that part of the body which is to be treated, the pads 1 being firmly held against the body. As the handles are forced closer together and into the position shown in Fig. l, the muscles and tissues are gathered together by the pads 1 and are at the same time subjected to a pressing action as the pad 2 descends relatively to the pads 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is as follows:

A massage apparatus, comprising laterally moving gathering pads, a relatively up and down moving presser pad, and devices comprising a series of levers forming a lazytongs adapted to operate said pads.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this tth day of December 1912, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK C. DUNN.

Witnesses AGNES L. CLUNE, EDMOND L. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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