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US 11,963,920 B2Granted
Massage appliance having floating motor and vibration plate for vibration isolation
AssigneePado, Inc.
InventorsSteven Lee, Alejandro Garfio, Travis Frye
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vibration appliance includes a vibration-isolation structure which substantially reduces vibration felt by the user at the handle. The vibration motor is mounted to a vibration plate which carries the massage node. The vibration plate floats within the vibration appliance housing, being suspended by a flexible, elastomer membrane having contours such as curves or folds in it that provide freedom of movement of the vibration plate relative to the housing to which the flexible membrane is mounted. This arrangement can be thought of as the motor and vibration node being mounted on a flexible diaphragm that can move freely as if mounted to the housing by a bellows-like arrangement.
Claims20
A massage appliance comprising:
- a handle for a user to hold;
- a distal portion, the distal portion being distal of the handle and coupled thereto, the distal portion having therein an aperture elongated in a direction that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle, and an edge surrounding the aperture defining a lip;
- a diaphragm having:
- a central portion having a first and outward face and an opposite second and inward face;
- a flexible portion around the central portion and supporting said central portion;
- and
- a mounting portion surrounding the flexible portion, the mounting portion being mounted to the lip;
- a massage node mounted to the outward face of the diaphragm central portion, the massage node being adapted for application to a subject to be massaged;
- and
- a motor mounted to the inward face of the central portion of the diaphragm, the motor operatively coupled to rotate an eccentric weight thereby causing said central portion of the diaphragm and said massage node to vibrate;
- wherein the flexible portion of the diaphragm is flexible such that the vibrational movement of the central portion of the diaphragm and the massage node mounted thereto is uncoupled from the handle;
- and
- wherein the flexible portion of the diaphragm is nested within the aperture concentrically between the mounting portion and the inward face without contacting the motor.
10 more elements
The massage appliance of 9 wherein:
- the central portion of the diaphragm has a curved top surface, an outer perimeter thereof defining a first boundary edge;
- the flexible portion of the diaphragm has a curved top surface, an inner perimeter thereof defining a second boundary edge;
- the first and second boundary edge abut together, with the second boundary edge surrounding the first boundary edge;
- and
- the curved top surface of flexible portion of the diaphragm transitions smoothly to the curved top surface of the central portion of the diaphragm.
2 more elements
A massage appliance comprising:
- a handle portion and a distal portion, the distal portion being located distal of the handle portion;
- a flexible diaphragm having a moving part and peripheral edge, the peripheral edge being mounted to the distal portion of the massage appliance such that the moving part is free to move in at least two dimensions while the peripheral edge remains stationary;
- a vibration generator mounted to the moving part of the flexible diaphragm;
- a massage node mounted to the moving part of the flexible diaphragm, the massage node being vibrated when power is applied to the vibration generator;
- wherein a perimeter of the peripheral edge surrounds a perimeter of the moving part, with the movable part being nested concentrically within the peripheral edge;
- and
- wherein the flexible diaphragm provides vibration isolation between the moving part thereof and the peripheral edge thereof that when power is applied to the vibration generator and the massage node is vibrated, vibration at the massage node is decoupled from the handle portion.
4 more elements
A massage appliance comprising:
- a body including a handle;
- a floating portion comprising a massage node and a vibration motor affixed thereto;
- a vibration isolator for allowing the floating portion to float relative to the body, the body vibration isolator comprising:
- an edge affixed to the body;
- a flexible portion disposed inwardly of the edge, the flexible portion having at least one contour;
- and
- a floating portion mounting section, the floating portion being affixed thereto;
- wherein the at least one contour of the flexible portion provides increased flexibility and freedom of movement for the floating portion relative to the body;
- wherein the flexible portion of the vibration isolator has a curved inner perimeter;
- wherein the floating portion has a curved outer perimeter;
- and
- wherein the flexible portion extends around the curved outer perimeter of the floating portion, with the floating portion being nested within the curved inner perimeter of the flexible portion.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.