Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Hiroshi Moriwaki

Yukio Yamamura

Takafumi Hamabe

Haruo Sugai

Shinpei Otuka

Kazuhiko Fujikawa

A vibratory massage device with a heating element is disclosed. The device includes a housing with an upwardly extending shaft means, an applicator head connected by the shaft means to the housing so as to be supported thereby, and a heating element arranged within the applicator head. The applicator head has a top face generally perpendicular to the axis of the shaft means and a side face generally parallel to that axis, and is driven to effect vibrations transverse to that axis with respect to the housing. The top face of the applicator head, when placed against the area of a human body, will move substantially in the plane of that portion during the above vibratory motion so as to apply a rubbing massage action thereto, while the side face, when placed against the body, will vibrate in the direction generally perpendicular to the area of the body so as to apply a tapping massage action thereto. Said top face and one part of said side face are defined respectively by a rigid top face and rigid side face to both of which the heat from the heating element is applicable, whereby the operator can enjoy a combined heat-massage treatment in each of the rubbing and tapping massages. In addition to the above, the other part of said side face is defined by a resilient side face capable of being compressibly deformed when placed against the body such that a relatively gentle tapping massage can be obtained by utilizing the resilient side face as a body-contacting surface, in contrast to that a relatively strong tapping massage can be obtained by utilizing the second rigid member to be engaged with the area of the body.

Vibratory massage device

A massaging apparatus comprises a pair of massaging wheels obliquely and eccentrically attached to a main shaft, a shifting mechanism for shifting the massaging wheels and main shaft in the direction of the length of a chair back rest or a bed, and a spacing changing mechanism for changing the spacing between the massaging wheels. The apparatus is designed to detect the position of the pair of massaging wheels and the spacing therebetween. It further comprises position selecting switches associated with the neck, shoulders, back and waist of the human body. When any one of these position selecting switches is operated, the shifting mechanism and the spacing changing mechanism as well as the rotative direction of the main shaft are automatically controlled in accordance with the detected shifted position and spacing of the massaging wheels.

Massaging apparatus

A massaging apparatus comprises a series of massaging wheels mounted on a rotary shaft. A shifting shaft is arranged coaxially within the rotary shaft for shifting the latter in directions perpendicular to the rotary axis. A motor is coupled to both the rotary shaft and shifting shaft by means of a compact planetary type gearing which enables power to be split between the two shafts in an efficient manner so as to eliminate the need for the usual clutching mechanisms and their accompanying size and weight.

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Hikone, Japan

Hiroshi Moriwaki