Battery-Powered Percussive Massage Device
Patent No. US10888492 (titled "Battery-Powered Percussive Massage Device") was filed by Acp Post Oak Credit I Llc on Feb 22, 2018.
What is this patent about?
’492 is related to the field of therapeutic devices, specifically electromechanical devices that apply percussive massage to selected portions of a body. Percussive massage, or tapotement, involves rapid tapping or slapping to work deep-tissue muscles, increase local blood circulation, and tone muscle areas. Existing devices are often expensive, large, heavy, tethered to a power source, and noisy.
The underlying idea behind ’492 is to create a more portable, lightweight, quieter, and less expensive percussive massage device. This is achieved by using a flexible linkage between a rotating crank and a reciprocating piston. The crank, driven by a motor, moves a transfer bracket. The flexible linkage, connected to the transfer bracket, then drives the piston, which in turn moves an applicator head to deliver the percussive massage.
The claims of ’492 focus on a percussive massage device with an enclosure containing a motor, a crank mechanism, a transfer bracket, a reciprocation linkage with a flexible portion , a piston, and an applicator head. The flexible portion of the reciprocation linkage has a varying profile with a minimum cross-sectional area in the middle. The claims also cover methods of operating and assembling such a device.
In practice, the motor's rotating shaft turns the crank, causing its pivot to move in a circular path. This motion is transferred to the piston via the transfer bracket and the flexible linkage. The flexible linkage allows the piston to move linearly within the cylinder bore, translating the rotational motion of the crank into a reciprocating motion of the applicator head. The varying profile of the flexible linkage, with its narrower middle section, facilitates bending and reduces stress on the components.
This design differentiates itself from prior approaches by eliminating a bearing at the piston end of the linkage system. The flexible interconnect cushions the abrupt changes in direction at each end of the piston stroke, reducing stress on the crank-end bearing and minimizing noise. The flexible linkage, made of a resilient rubber material, stretches and compresses during operation, further damping vibrations and noise compared to traditional rigid linkages with multiple bearings.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the late 2010s when ’492 was filed, at a time when electromechanical devices commonly relied on microcontrollers for precise control of motor functions, and when battery technology advancements made portable, high-power devices more feasible, the design of compact and efficient percussive massage devices presented challenges related to power management, noise reduction, and ergonomic design. At that time, converting rotational motion to linear reciprocation in a small form factor was typically implemented using mechanical linkages, where hardware constraints made achieving both high frequency and low noise non-trivial.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The claims were amended and claims 13-19 were cancelled. Claims 1-12 were rejected in a non-final office action. The claims were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112 and 35 U.S.C. 103. The prosecution record does not describe the technical reasoning or specific claim changes that led to allowance.
Claims
This patent includes 12 claims, with claims 1, 6, and 10 being independent. The independent claims focus on a percussive massage device, a method of operating the device, and a method of assembling the device, respectively. The dependent claims generally add specific details or limitations to the independent claims.
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Date
Description
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US10888492
- Application Number
- US15902542
- Filing Date
- Feb 22, 2018
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Jul 22, 2038
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents