Abstract:
A portable back scrubbing and massaging device is provided that can be used in and out of the shower for effectively cleaning and massaging a back of an individual. The portable device has brushes that can be removed and replaced with other brushes or massage accessories. This permits an individual to select from a wide variety of brushes and massage accessories that have varying amounts of thickness, softness, firmness and/or length. The brushes can also be reconfigured into different arrangements or patterns that allows a person to get a cleaning or massage that matches the contours of that person&#39;s back.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/961,913, filed on Jul. 25, 2007, entitled “The Universal Back Washing-Massaging Unit”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to body cleaning and massaging devices, and more particularly, to a portable device for scrubbing and massaging the back. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Using brushes to clean a person&#39;s back is well known in the prior art. There are multiple prior art designs and brush configurations to accomplish cleaning a back in a shower. For example, a motorized back scrubber is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,640 which includes a number of rotating brushes powered by an electric motor to clean the back of an individual. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,996,861, another shower back cleansing and massaging device is disclosed. It hangs from the shower head and is adjustable to match the height of the individual taking a shower. The device has three separate sections of rotating brushes that cleans different areas of the back. Another back massaging and cleaning device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,120,947 where the brushes are affixed to the device and do not move. Liquid soap and water is dispensed between the brushes to clean a person&#39;s back. 
     Previous back scrubbing devices were specifically designed to work solely in the shower. They lacked the ability to be used outside the shower as a massager or a cleaner. There is a need for a portable back scrubbing and massaging device that can be used safely in the shower and outside the shower, on a person&#39;s bed for example. 
     Previous brush configurations were unchangeable, meaning that the brushes could not be repositioned to suit the personal preferences of an individual. Predetermined brush configurations may not be suitable for all individuals, since each person may have a personal preference about what area or section of the back they want to clean. Thus, there is a need to have the brushes be configurable and removable, so that a person can rearrange the brushes into a configuration that suits their personal preference. 
     In previous back scrubbing devices, the brush heads were permanent and unalterable. This meant that an individual was unable to select a different brush other than those brushes provided. Also if the brush wore out, the complete back scrubbing device would have to be replaced. Since each person has varying sensitivities to different types of brushes, there then is a need for a back scrubbing and massaging device that lets a person choose from a variety of brushes and massage accessories with varying amounts of thickness, softness, or length to suit the person&#39;s personal preference. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, the present invention provides a new portable back scrubbing and massaging device that can be used in and out of the shower for effectively cleaning and massaging a back of an individual. It has the advantage of having configurable brushes to provide a more personalized scrubbing or massaging experience than previously available. The brushes can be removed and replaced with other brushes or massage accessories. This permits an individual to select from a wide variety of brushes and massage accessories that have varying amounts of thickness, softness, firmness and/or length. The brushes can also be reconfigured into an array of different arrangements or patterns that allows a person to get an personalized cleaning or massaging that matches the contours of their back. 
     Other and further aspects and features of the invention will be evident from reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which are intended to illustrate and, not limit the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the portable back scrubbing and massaging device according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 1A  shows a rear perspective view of the components of portable back scrubbing and massaging device according to the present invention 
       Paragraph  FIG. 2  shows a view of digital control unit according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2A  shows a side view of the portable back scrubbing and massaging device according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2B  shows a side view of the portable back scrubbing and massaging device according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a representational view of the components of portable back scrubbing and massaging device according to the present invention 
         FIG. 3A  shows a representational view of the components of portable back scrubbing and massaging device according to the present invention 
         FIG. 4  shows a rear view of the components of portable back scrubbing and massaging device according to the present invention 
         FIG. 5  shows an illustration of a generic remote digital control device. 
         FIG. 6  shows a side view and partial front view of the handle of the portable back scrubbing and massaging device according to the present invention 
         FIG. 7  shows an illustration of a generic version of brushes 
         FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of the portable back scrubbing and massaging device being located on a generic chair. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a front perspective view of the portable back scrubbing and massaging device  10  according to the present invention. The improved portable back scrubbing and massaging device  10  comprises a case  12 , circular brushes  14 , two handles  16 , a strap slot  17 , an on/off/speed dial  18 , height adjustment knob  20 , and refill cap  22 . Although the case  12  is shown in  FIG. 1  to be rectangular in shape, those skilled in the art can recognize that the case  12  can be one of any variety of shapes, including but not limited to square or circular, for example. The case  12  can be a green manufactured product from plastic, metal, or any other suitable materials for use in and out of the shower. 
     The portable back scrubbing and massaging device  10  is attached to the wall of a shower by using two brackets  11  and an interlocking mechanism (not shown in  FIG. 1 ). The back of device  10  has a bracket interlocking mechanism that locks device  10  onto the brackets. Such bracket interlocking mechanism is commercially available. By turning the height adjustment knob  20  either clockwise or counter-clockwise, case  12  can be lowered or raised on the brackets. This permits a person to adjust the height of the device  10  to their particular height or preference. Pulling on the height adjustment knob  20  releases or unlocks the portable device  10  from the brackets. Device  10  can then be easily removed from the shower area by gripping the handles  16 . Pushing on the knob  20  will lock the interlocking mechanism of device  10  onto the brackets. 
     In an alternative embodiment, device  10  can be attached to the wall of shower using suction cups  25 , or any other attachment or connection technology known to those skilled in the art. When using suction cups  25 , to adjust the height of the device  10 , a person first would have to physically remove the case  12  from the wall by pulling on the handles  16  of case  12  to release the suctions cup  25 . Then a person places the case  12  at the preferred height, and pushes on the handles  16  of case  12  so the suction cups  25  stick to the walls of the shower. 
     Each of the circular brushes or accessories  14  shown in  FIG. 1  &amp;  FIG. 7  attached to the device  10  via the snap lock which is attached to a shaft or post which extends from outside the case  12  through an opening in the case  12  where they engage, connect and/or mesh with the gears  32  ( FIG. 3 ). The circular brushes  14  and the center of the brushes  15  rotate around an axis that extends along the protruding shaft. 
     Each of the snap locks, lock on to a brush  14  by any of the ways that are commercially available and known to those skilled in the art. For example, a brush  14  could be screwed onto the case  12 . Alternatively, a brush  14  could be snap locked onto the case  12  by pushing the brush  14  on the case  12  until the snap lock is engaged. The brush  14  is released or unlocked where upon the brush  14  could be detached from the case  12 . 
     Brushes  14  are removable and replaceable. Brushes  14  may be interchanged with other brushes having one of many different varieties of thickness, softness, firmness and/or length, for example, or interchanged with pads which are used for applying lotions and oils. Brushes  14  may additionally be interchanged with other massage accessories, such as hard plastic or rubber knobs  51 , spheres, or pads  52  that would attach onto the case  12  Since device  10  is portable and can be used outside the shower, a person could use device  10  as a massaging device with rotating massage accessories, for example. Each of the brushes  14  having a substantially circular shape and that supports a number of brush fibers on an outward surface thereof. The brush fibers are each comprised of a substantially flexible material which is operable to comfortably and advantageously clean the back of a person&#39;s body. 
     Brushes  14  rotate either in the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction along the axis of the protruding shaft. In the preferred embodiment, brushes  14  rotate only in one direction The speed of the rotation of the brushes  14  is controlled by the speed dial  18  which in turns controls the speed of the motor  30  ( FIG. 3 ). Speed dial  18  is also an on/off switch for turning motor  30  and thus device  10  on and off. Speed dial  18  also controls the pump  34  ( FIG. 3 ) which regulates the amount of liquid that is dispensed from the center  15  of each of the brushes  14 . Regardless of the speed of the rotation of the brushes  14 , liquid soap, lotion or other liquid is evenly and proportionately dispensed by the pump. 
     In an alternative embodiment, device  10  may include another switch or dial that works in conjunction with speed dial  18  which permits the brushes  14  to rotate in either direction. In a further embodiment, device  10  could also have another switch or dial that would control the amount of liquid that is dispensed when the brushes are rotating. For example, more liquid could be dispensed by rotating the dial. In another alternative embodiment, dial  18  may be a remote control receptor unit, whereby a person could control the device  10  and the speed of the brushes  14  via remote control unit  39 . In yet another alternative embodiment, some brushes  14  may rotate in one direction, while other brushes  14  rotate in the opposite direction. For example, the brushes  14  on the left side of the device  10  would rotate in the clockwise direction, while brushes  14  on the right side would rotate in the counter-clockwise direction. 
     Dial  18  is essentially a control unit for controlling the speed of the brushes and turning the device  10  on or off. As shown in  FIG. 2A , dial  18  and dial  20  may be replaced with the digital control unit  60  shown in  FIG. 2A . In this alternative embodiment, digital control unit  60  comprises a digital display  61 , a function button  62 , an up arrow button  63  and a down arrow button  64 . The digital control unit  60  and buttons  62 ,  63 ,  64  would be water-proof. The digital display  61  may be any type of digital display that is commercially available, where it could show the different functions individually or in a list. A user could select the appropriate functions by pressing on the function button  62  in conjunction with the up arrow button  63  and down arrow button  64 . For example, to turn the device  10  on, a user would select the on/off function by pressing on the function button  62 , selecting the on/off function, and then selecting the up arrow button  63  or down arrow button  64  to turn the device  10  either on or off. Digital control unit  60  is able to control one or more functions of the device  10 , for example: turning the device  10  on or off, adjusting the speed of rotation of the brushes, adjusting the rotation direction of the brushes (either as a single group or individually), moving the device  10  up or down along the brackets  11 , and adjusting the flow rate of the soap from the device  10 . 
     In another alternative embodiment, dials  18  and  20  could be replaced by at least one touch screen  70 , as shown in  FIG. 2B , that would have the capabilities of being touched by a user to control the various functions of device  10 . This touch screen digital unit would be water-proof. Instead of using the function button  62  and the up and down arrows  63 ,  64 , the touch screen  70  would permit a user to select a particular function. The different choices of a particular function would be shown on the screen and the user would touch their selection to change the operation of device  10 . 
     In yet another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2B , dials  18  and  20  could be replaced by a wired or wireless remote control system, or the remote control system may be used in conjunction with the dials  18  and  20 , the digital control unit  60 , or a touch screen  70 . The remote control system would operate as known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The remote control system would comprise a remote control unit  39 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , a remote control sensor  37 , as shown in  FIG. 3A  (for wireless configurations) and a control unit. The remote control unit would have a variety of buttons or a touch screen for selecting one of the many functions of the device  10 . The sensor would be able to send/receive the wireless signals to/from the remote control unit and relay the signals to the control unit. The control unit would control or distribute the appropriate signals to the different components of device  10  to control the various functions. 
     Since all of the brushes  14  are removable and replaceable, the brushes  14  can be reconfigured into a variety of different arrangements or patterns by excluding or including some of the brushes  14  or by having brushes with different sizes. For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , there is one brush  14 . This brush  14  can be removed so the portable scrubbing and massaging device  10  uses only six rotating brushes  14 . Alternatively, the raised brush  14  could be replaced with a much larger brush, and the four brushes in the vicinity of the raised brush could be removed, resulting in device  10  having three brushes  14  (two above, and one large brush below). In another embodiment, all of the brushes except the lower, middle brush could be removed, resulting in the device  10  having only one rotating brush  14 . for the alternative embodiments, a cap may be used to cap the center  15  where there is no brush  14  present. This prevents liquid from being dispensed when there is no brush or massage accessory present. 
     When the portable back scrubbing and massaging device  10  is used outside the shower, a strap can be attached to the strap slots  17  that are located on both sides of the device  10 . The strap slots  17  are capable of holding a strap having a standard width of two inches. The strap would then be able to fasten or hold the device  10  onto the back of a chair, for example. In alternative embodiments, the strap slot  17  may be a hook, a ring, a D-clip or any of the other well known ways for attaching a strap onto the device  10 . For example, the strap slot  17  may be replaced with a ring, while the strap would have a clip that would attach or clip onto the ring. Further the strap slots  17  may be any size or width to complement the size of the width of the strap being used. 
       FIG. 3  shows a representational view of the components of the portable back scrubbing and massaging device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , device  10  comprises brushes  14 , the case  12 , a dial  18 , a refill cap  22 , a draining cap  23 , a refill tube  24 , a draining tube  26 , a motor  30 , gears  32 , a pump  34 , a supply tube  35 , a tank  36 , a rechargeable battery  38 , an alternating current (AC) electrical receptor  40 , shafts  42 , and connectors  44 . 
     Each of the shafts  42  is mechanically coupled to a motorized gear  32  which is powered by an electric motor  30 . The electric motor  30  also controls the speed or movement of the gears  32 , and thus the speed of the rotation of the shafts  42  and the brushes  14 . The motor  30  is coupled or connected to a rechargeable battery  38  to provide an energy source for powering the motor  30 . The battery  38  is recharged via a AC adaptor  41 , shown in  FIG. 3  that plugs into an electrical socket in the wall and into an AC receptor  40  which is connected to the battery  38 . 
     The device  10  is portable, and can be safely removed from the shower before recharging the battery  38 . In an alternative embodiment, device  10  may include an AC power override switch that prohibits the motor  30  from operating when the battery  38  is being recharged and plugged into an AC outlet, or that prohibits the battery  38  from providing energy to the motor  30 . This would provide an important safety feature to safeguard against accidental electrocution if a person tries to use the device  10  in the shower while it is being recharged. 
     A tank  36  is connected to a pump  34 . The pump  34  is connected by a tube  35  to each of the ends of the hollow shafts  42  via a connector  44 . The connector  44  permits a shaft  42  to rotate around an axis, but also keeps the tube  35  stationary. The shafts  42  will dispense the liquid from the tank  36  through the hollow shaft  42  to the center area  15  of each of the brushes  14 . 
     The tank  36  can hold soap, oil, lotion or any other type of liquid. Tank  36  is filled with liquid through a tube  24  the extends from the opening covered by refill cap  22  located at the top of case  12  to the tank  36 . The liquid in tank  36  can be drained by opening the cap  23  located at the bottom of case  12 . A tube  26  extends from the tank  36  to the opening that is covered by the drain cap  23 . 
     Once device  10  is operating and the motor  30  is running, the pump  34  takes the liquid stored in the tank  36  and provides a constant flow of liquid through the tube  35 . The liquid then travels through the shafts  42 , and then into an area of the center  15  of each of the brushes  14 . The liquid then is ejected from center  15  on to the brushes  14 . This provides liquid soap in combination with the brushes to scrub a person&#39;s back when the back engages the brushes  14 . 
     As mentioned previously in an alternative embodiment, the pump  34  may be selectively operated by another dial which would allow the liquid soap to flow at an adjustable rate to each of the brushes  14 . In this embodiment, a person would be able to select the amount of soap that is dispensed by the pump  34 , rather than using the predetermined amount of soap that device  10  dispenses. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Although particular embodiments of the present inventions have been shown and described, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the present inventions to the preferred embodiments. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present inventions. Thus, the present inventions are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present inventions as defined herein.