Chiropractic adjustor apparatus with rotation hub
Patent No. US7169169 (titled "Chiropractic adjustor apparatus with rotation hub") on Dec 12, 2003. The application was issued on Jan 30, 2007.
What is this patent about?
’169 is related to the field of chiropractic adjustor apparatuses used to apply vibratory energy or force to a patient's body. Specifically, it addresses the mechanical interface between the reciprocating drive shaft of the adjustor and the force-transmitting head that contacts the patient, focusing on the control of rotational movement during the application of high-frequency impacts.
The underlying idea behind ’169 is to convert a portion of the linear reciprocating motion of the adjustor's shaft into a controlled rotational movement of the treatment head. By utilizing a mechanical cam-like interaction between the head and an internal hub, the invention allows the head to twist dynamically as it vibrates, providing a more complex and effective therapeutic force than simple linear percussion.
The claims of ’169 focus on a force-transmitting head assembly comprising a body with an internal cavity and a hub that is keyed to the reciprocating shaft. The core of the claim is the interaction between a track formed in the hub and a rotation pin extending from the body, which ensures that longitudinal displacement of the hub relative to the body automatically dictates a corresponding angular rotation of the head.
In practice, the hub is non-rotatably fixed to the adjustor's shaft, while the outer body of the head is allowed to move relative to it. A biasing spring typically holds the head in a neutral position; however, when the device is pressed against a patient or fired, the pin travels along the profiled track. This mechanism allows the head to rotate to the left or right during the stroke, depending on the specific geometry of the track provided on the hub.
This approach differs from prior solutions that either locked the head in a fixed orientation to prevent unwanted twisting or allowed completely free, uncontrolled rotation. By using an L-shaped track, the invention even allows the operator to manually lock the head into a non-rotating state by compressing the spring and twisting the pin into a perpendicular segment of the track, providing versatility for different chiropractic techniques.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the early 2000s when ’169 was filed, chiropractic adjustment devices were typically implemented using mechanical or electromagnetic drive systems designed to deliver linear percussive force through a rigid shaft. At a time when these systems commonly relied on fixed internal guides or pin-and-slot assemblies to prevent the shaft from twisting during operation, the engineering focus was primarily on maintaining a strictly longitudinal stroke to ensure predictable force delivery. Hardware constraints in these handheld tools made the management of rotational torque non-trivial, as the internal drive mechanisms often generated unwanted angular momentum that required the operator to exert significant manual counter-force to keep the applicator head aligned with the patient's anatomy.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention achieves a technical advancement by transitioning from a rigid, rotation-resistant architecture to a controlled rotational hub assembly that converts a portion of the longitudinal stroke into angular movement. This is accomplished through a structural integration of a hub containing a profiled track and a corresponding rotation pin, which together form a mechanical linkage between the reciprocating shaft and the applicator body. This architectural shift enables the device to provide simultaneous vibratory energy and controlled axial rotation, overcoming the constraint of static head positioning. The technical effect is a specialized movement pattern where the force-transmitting head can depress and rotate a predetermined distance, allowing the apparatus to better conform to the physiological requirements of spinal manipulation while reducing the manual torque compensation required from the operator.
Claims
This patent contains a total of 13 claims, with claims 1 and 8 serving as the independent claims. The independent claims focus on the mechanical structure of a force-transmitting head and a complete chiropractic adjustor apparatus, specifically detailing a hub and pin mechanism that converts longitudinal movement into rotational movement. The dependent claims serve to further define the physical components and configurations of the device, such as the inclusion of biasing springs, specific track shapes for controlling rotation, and various methods for securing the hub to the drive shaft.
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US7169169
- Application Number
- US10735033A
- Filing Date
- Dec 12, 2003
- Publication Date
- Jan 30, 2007
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents