Touchscreen-based control system for massage chairs

A touchscreen-based control system for a massage chair, said system comprising:

• a touchscreen device in operative communication with a massage chair that provides massage effects to at least one body area of a back body area, a bottom body area, a thigh body area, and a feet and legs area of a user,
• wherein said touchscreen device comprises a housing comprising a top portion and a bottom portion, a transparent, touch-sensitive layer, a touch controller, a processor, a display controller, a display layer, a printed circuit board (PCB), a software program comprising predetermined, user-selectable selections of information that may be provided to the user in response to touch inputs from the user, and a software program in operative communication with the massage chair,
• wherein said housing houses or provides mechanical support to at least said transparent, touch-sensitive layer, said display layer, and said PCB,
• wherein said transparent, touch-sensitive layer is positioned above said display layer,
• wherein said display layer is positioned above said PCB,
• wherein said PCB is positioned about said bottom portion of said housing,
• wherein said transparent, touch-sensitive layer has sufficient sensitivity to receive touch inputs from the user to communicate with the massage chair whereby the massage chair communicates with a massage device of the massage chair to provide massage effects to the user,
• wherein said touch controller identifies touch inputs from the user,
• wherein said processor processes the touch inputs and operatively communicates with the massage chair by sending digital information to a chair motherboard,
• wherein said display controller generates display signals for display on said display layer, of selected information of said predetermined, user-selectable selections of information in response to the touch inputs from the user,
• wherein said software program in operative communication with the massage chair effectuates the massage chair to communicate with the massage device to provide massage effects to the user in response to the touch inputs, and
• wherein, when the user selects a selection on a said display layer, a control signal is sent to the chair motherboard whereby the massage chair turns on or off a massage feature to provide massage effects to a specific body area of the user at a particular moment or time.

A massage chair controlled by a touchscreen-based control system, said massage chair comprising:

• a chair comprising a massage apparatus that comprises a frame and a massage device,
• wherein said frame comprises at least one guide rail,
• wherein each of said at least one guide rail comprises a first end, a second end, a bottom body area portion located rearward of said first end, and a back body area portion extending upward from said bottom body area portion toward said second end,
• wherein said massage device comprises a power source and at least one massage element,
• wherein said massage device is secured to said at least one guide rail, and
• wherein said power source provides power to said massage device wherein said at least one massage element is moved with respect to said at least one guide rail whereby said at least one massage element is able to provide massage effects to at least one of a bottom body area and a back body area of a user;
• and
• a touchscreen-based control system comprising a touchscreen device in operative communication with said chair,
• wherein said touchscreen device comprises a housing, a transparent, touch-sensitive layer, a touch controller, a processor, a display controller, a display layer, a printed circuit board (PCB), a software program comprising information that may be provided to a user in response to touch inputs from the user, and a software program in operative communication with said chair,
• wherein said housing houses or provides mechanical support to at least said transparent, touch-sensitive layer, said display layer, and said PCB,
• wherein said transparent, touch-sensitive layer has sufficient sensitivity to receive touch inputs from the user to communicate with said chair whereby said chair communicates with said massage device to provide massage effects to the user,
• wherein said touch controller identifies touch inputs from the user,
• wherein said processor processes the touch inputs and operatively communicates with said chair by sending digital information to a chair motherboard,
• wherein said display controller generates display signals for display on said display layer in response to the touch inputs from the user,
• wherein said software program in operative communication with said chair effectuates said chair to communicate with said massage device to provide massage effects to the user in response to the touch inputs, and
• wherein, when the user selects a selection on said display layer, a control signal is sent to said chair motherboard whereby said chair turns on or off a massage feature to provide massage effects to a specific body area of the user at a particular moment or time.