# US 12,409,098 B2 · Nutating massage device

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- Number: US 12,409,098 B2
- Document ID: US12409098B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/443,569
- Filed: 2024-02-16
- Published: 2025-08-21
- Granted: 2025-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2024-02-16
- Applicants: Charles Curley
- Inventors: Charles Curley
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12409098B2

## CPC

- A61H 15/0085: {hand-held}
- A61H 1/00: Apparatus for passive exercising (A61H5/00 takes precedence); Vibrating apparatus; Chiropractic devices, e.g. body impacting devices, external devices for briefly extending or aligning unbroken bones
- A61H 2201/0153: hand-held
- A61H 2201/1207: with electric or magnetic drive
- A61H 2201/14: Special force transmission means, i.e. between the driving means and the interface with the user
- A61H 2201/1661: Wobbling interface, e.g. Stewart platform or Hexapod
- A61H 2201/1669: moving along the body in a reciprocating manner
- A61H 2201/1673: Multidimensional rotation
- A61H 2201/1695: Enhanced pressure effect, e.g. substantially sharp projections, needles or pyramids
- A61H 2201/5035: Several programs selectable
- A61H: PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY (electrotherapy, magnetotherapy, radiation therapy or ultrasound therapy A61N)

## Abstract

A handheld, motorized massage device includes four rollers having stimulating projections which each rotate upon motor-driven nutating axles to produce massage contact forces that pulsate bidirectionally along three orthogonal axes. Simultaneously, opposing pairs of nutating rollers counter rotate to produce alternating stretching and compression forces along the massage-receiving fascia surface. The nutating device combines the deep fascia benefits of percussive massage devices with the superficial fascia stretching benefits of rolling massage devices.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A handheld, self-powered freely traversable massage device having a first non-traversing mode and a second traversing mode, the device comprising:
a casing including a handle portion;
a rechargeable battery pack;
one motor located within the casing;
an operator-adjustable motor speed control mechanism;
an operator controlled activation switch;
four rollers, each roller comprising an axle and each roller configured to rotate freely upon its own axle, the four rollers defining a front roller pair and a rear roller pair;
the front roller pair is comprised of a first roller and a second roller, the rear roller pair is comprised of a third roller and a fourth roller;
the first roller and the third roller are oriented external to the casing on a right peripheral side of the casing, the first and third rollers defining a right roller pair;
the second roller and the fourth roller are oriented external to the casing on a left peripheral side of the casing, the second and fourth rollers defining a left roller pair;
the axle of the first roller and the axle of the second roller rigidly adjoined at opposing ends of a first motor-driven axle and extending angularly therefrom, causing the axles of the first and second rollers to be configured to orbit conically about the first motor-driven axle;
the axle of the third roller and the axle of the fourth roller rigidly adjoined at the opposing ends of a second motor-driven axle and extending angularly therefrom, causing the axles of the third and fourth rollers to be configured to orbit conically about the second motor-driven axle;
the conical orbits of the front roller axles and the conical orbits of the rear roller axles configured to cause the front roller pair and the rear roller pair each to synchronously nutate about their respective motor-driven axle as the motor continuously rotates;
each roller axle orbit comprising a 360 degree excursion along a nutation circle formed by loci of a distal end of each roller axle, an axis of each nutation circle being coincident with a rotation axis of its corresponding motor-driven axle;
each roller having an outer surface configured to be in continuous rolling contact with an independent area of the fascia during each roller axle orbit while the device is positioned stationary in the first non-traversing mode;
the right roller pair configured to bear upon a first fascia region comprising a region of the fascia between the right roller pair;
the left roller pair configured to bear upon a second fascia region comprising a region of the fascia between the left roller pair;
the motor-driven axles being angularly phased such that a center distance between the right roller pair and a center distance between the left roller pair each expand and contract cyclically as the motor continuously rotates;
the expanding and contracting center distance between each roller pair producing continuously reciprocating roller oscillation configured to bear upon the first and the second fascia regions;
each roller producing one reciprocation cycle in each of three directions axes during each nutation orbit, including:
1) a first reciprocation axis upon a first plane being parallel to a fascia surface and directed along the first plane perpendicular to its motor-driven axle axis, and
2) a second reciprocation axis upon a second plane being parallel to a fascia surface and directed along the second plane parallel to its motor-driven axle axis;
3) a third reciprocating axis upon a third plane being perpendicular to a fascia surface and directed along the third plane perpendicular to the fascia surface, and
the motor configured to continuously produce reciprocating contact upon each of the first fascia region and the second fascia region including percussive forces along the third axis and stretching forces along the first and second axes simultaneously while the device is positioned stationary in the first non-traversing mode;
wherein the continuously reciprocating roller motion upon the first fascia region is synchronized with the oppositely directed reciprocating roller motion upon the second fascia region while the device is positioned stationary in the first non-traversing mode, and at a rate proportional to an operator-controlled motor speed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The massage device of claim 1, whereupon the axle of the first roller and the axle of the second roller rotate synchronously in phase through identical nutating circles.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The massage device of claim 1 whereupon the axle of the third roller and the axle of the fourth roller rotate synchronously in phase through identical nutating circles.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The massage device of claim 1 wherein a rotational velocity of the first motor-driven axle is the same as a rotational velocity of the second motor-driven axle.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The massage device of claim 1 whereupon the first motor-driven axle and the second motor-driven axle are driven by the same motor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The massage device of claim 1 whereupon synchronizing gears are used to synchronize a rotation of the second motor-driven axle in respect to a rotation of the first motor-driven axle.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The message device of claim 1 whereupon the second motor-driven axle synchronously counter-rotates relative to the first motor-driven axle.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The massage device of claim 1 whereupon a 3 o'clock position of the first roller is configured to be synchronized to a 9 o'clock position of the fourth roller.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The massage device of claim 8 whereupon the expanding center distance between the right roller pair and the expanding center distance between the left roller pair act are configured to induce a stretching force upon the surfaces of the first fascia region and the second fascia region.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The massage device of claim 1 whereupon a rotational velocity of the first motor-driven axle is different than a rotational velocity of the second motor-driven axle.

### Claim 11

A handheld, self-powered freely traversable massage device having a first non-traversing mode and a second traversing mode, the device comprising:
a casing including a handle portion;
a rechargeable battery pack;
one motor located within the casing;
an operator-adjustable motor speed control mechanism;
an operator controlled activation switch;
four rollers, each roller comprising an axle and each roller configured to rotate freely upon its own axle, the four rollers defining a front roller pair and a rear roller pair;
the front roller pair is comprised of a first roller and a second roller, the rear roller pair is comprised of a third roller and a fourth roller;
the first roller and a third roller are oriented external to the casing on a right peripheral side of the casing, the first and third rollers defining a right roller pair;
the second roller and a fourth roller are oriented external to the casing on a left peripheral side of the casing, the second and fourth rollers defining a left roller pair;
the third roller and the fourth roller sharing a non-nutating axle that is fixed non-rotatably to the casing at a section between the third and fourth rollers;
the axle of the third roller and the axle of the fourth roller are rigidly adjoined at opposing ends of a motor-driven axle and extending angularly therefrom, causing the axles of the third and fourth rollers to be configured to orbit conically about the motor-driven axle;
the conical orbits of the rear roller axles configured to cause the rear roller pair to synchronously nutate about their respective motor-driven axle as the motor continuously rotates;
each roller axle orbit comprising a 360 degree excursion along a nutation circle formed by loci of a distal end of each roller axle, an axis of each nutation circle being coincident with a rotation axis of its corresponding motor-driven axle;
each roller of the rear roller pair having an outer surface configured to be in continuous rolling contact upon the fascia during each roller axle orbit while the device is positioned stationary in the first non-traversing mode;
the right roller pair configured to bear upon a first fascia region comprising a region of the fascia between the right roller pair;
the left roller pair configured to bear upon a second fascia region comprising a region of the fascia between the left roller pair;
the orbiting third and fourth rollers of the motor-driven axle configured to alternately expand and contract a center distance between the right roller pair and a center distance between the left roller pair;
the orbiting rear roller pair configured to produce continuous reciprocating roller motion perpendicular to a fascia surface resulting in percussive massage forces in each of the first fascia region and the second fascia region which are oppositely directed along an X-axis while the device is positioned stationary in the first non-traversing mode.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The massage device of claim 1 wherein the massage device is configured to induce continuous reciprocating massage forces upon two adjacent fascia regions when operating in either the first stationary mode or the second freely traversable mode.