Massaging apparatus having pivotally supported supporting arm with therapeutic member
Patent No. US6832991 (titled "Massaging apparatus having pivotally supported supporting arm with therapeutic member") on May 7, 2001. The application was issued on Dec 21, 2004.
What is this patent about?
’991 is related to the field of automated massaging apparatuses, specifically chair-type devices featuring a motorized massaging unit that travels vertically along a user’s body. Traditional systems often struggle to accurately locate specific anatomical landmarks like the shoulders or pressure points, frequently requiring the user to manually adjust their position or the device settings to ensure the therapeutic members align correctly with their physique.
The underlying idea behind ’991 is to determine the precise location of a user’s shoulder by monitoring the mechanical interaction between the massaging assembly and the body during vertical travel. By analyzing the pivotal displacement of a supporting arm relative to its driving arm, the system can identify the exact moment the therapeutic rollers crest the shoulder line, utilizing this geometric shift as a reliable trigger for anatomical mapping.
The claims of ’991 focus on a massaging apparatus comprising a supporting arm equipped with therapeutic members that is pivotally connected to a driving arm. The system incorporates a pivotal-position-detecting sensor—such as an optical, magnetic, or limit switch—designed to detect when the supporting arm reaches a prescribed range of movement, thereby correlating the vertical position of the assembly with the user's shoulder height.
In practice, the invention functions by moving the massaging unit upward from the lower back toward the head. As the rollers encounter the slope of the shoulder, the supporting arm pivots significantly; the sensor captures this change, and the control element records the vertical coordinate. This rubbing motion from bottom to top naturally corrects the user's posture against the seatback, ensuring the detected value is far more accurate than measurements taken during a downward pass.
This approach differs from prior solutions that relied on complex pressure sensors or spring-displacement scales, which are often prone to mechanical noise and lack the sensitivity to detect subtle anatomical transitions. By utilizing the angular orientation of the arm itself as the primary detection mechanism, the invention achieves a simpler, more durable construction that can pinpoint pressure points within a centimeter, enabling highly personalized and effective therapy.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the late 1990s when ’991 was filed, chair-type massaging apparatuses were typically implemented using mechanical units that moved along a fixed vertical track within a seatback. At a time when these systems commonly relied on basic pressure sensors or mechanical springs to detect a user's physique, the hardware constraints of the era made the precise identification of anatomical landmarks, such as acupressure points or the exact curvature of the shoulder, non-trivial. Most systems relied on the user manually adjusting their seating position or using a handheld controller for fine-tuning, as automated detection was often hindered by mechanical play in the linkages and the inability of sensors to distinguish between different body parts based solely on vertical resistance.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention represents a technical advancement through an architectural shift in how a user’s anatomical position is determined, moving away from indirect mechanical displacement toward a more integrated sensing approach. By utilizing the relationship between the vertical position of a driving arm and the specific pivotal angle of a supporting arm, the system enables the precise, automated detection of the shoulder position and other specific body portions. This integration of pivotal-position-detecting sensors—such as optical, magnetic, or variable resistor elements—overcomes the technical constraints of mechanical 'rattle' and deformation that previously impaired detection accuracy. The resulting capability allows the apparatus to pinpoint pressure points with high precision and automatically adapt massaging routines to the user's specific physique, even when the user's initial seating posture is unstable.
Claims
The patent contains a total of 0 claims, with no independent claims identified to establish the scope of the invention. Consequently, there are no independent claims to define a specific technological focus, and no dependent claims exist to provide additional limitations or specific embodiments of the underlying disclosure.
Key Claim Terms New
Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.
Litigation Cases New
US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.
Patent Family
File Wrapper
The dossier documents provide a comprehensive record of the patent's prosecution history - including filings, correspondence, and decisions made by patent offices - and are crucial for understanding the patent's legal journey and any challenges it may have faced during examination.
Get instant alerts for new documents
US6832991
- Application Number
- US09830560A
- Filing Date
- May 7, 2001
- Publication Date
- Dec 21, 2004
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents