Abstract:
An adjustable personal treatment apparatus that is usable by women of all sizes to enable them to enjoy, without harm, the full healthful benefits of proper and necessary massage and therapy. More particularly, the apparatus permits the proper pressure to be applied to a female patient during massage, or therapeutic treatment, without causing discomfort and possible damage to breast tissue or breast implants.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a Continuation-In-Part of co-pending application U.S. Ser. No. 12/072,039 filed Feb. 21, 2008. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates generally to personal treatment apparatus. More particularly, the invention concerns an apparatus that is specially designed to provide comfort to a patient while lying in a prone position. 
         [0006]    2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
         [0007]    Because the human body has many shapes, contours and protuberances when an individual lies in a prone position, to rest, relax, sleep or receive treatment, localized discomfort, pain and even injury can result. This problem is exasperated for the mature female because, while laying face down the female cannot relax in a natural whole body extending position because the breasts cause a distortion in body position that is both uncomfortable as well as stressful for various muscle groups and tissue. 
         [0008]    The breast tissue is primarily composed of subcutaneous fat and is almost solely supported by suspensory ligaments connecting breast skin to the tissue that rests above the pectoralis major. With traditional prior art flat treatment tables, the female patient, while lying prone will experience uncomfortable and sometimes harmful pressure on all breast tissue including stretching and tearing of the suspensory ligaments and compressing of the fat cells, often causing swelling to occur. Women with breast augmentations are faced with fear of possible ruptures and certainly severe discomfort. 
         [0009]    Whether the individual is seeking a massage for relaxation or for therapeutic treatment, the body needs to be maintained in a relaxed position to achieve the highest degree of success. The thrust of the present invention is to provide a novel support apparatus that will achieve this result. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable personal treatment apparatus that is usable by persons of all sizes to enable them to enjoy, without harm, the full healthful benefits of proper and necessary massage and therapy. 
         [0010]    Part of the reason that this issue has not been solved is that traditionally mattresses or, for instance a massage table, have been flat, ignoring the issues described above. Tables or mattress materials have tried to address the issue of comfort, pain or injury; however, because of the degree of contour of the human body, changing the material in and of itself is not alone enough to provide both the intended purpose of the invention, as well as the intended attributes during use. 
         [0011]    Other similar inventions have attempted to address some of these issues, but in spite of the long history of these inventions, there remains a need for an automated, adjustable body part and contour comfort system. 
         [0012]    A number of attempts at solving these issues have been disclosed in the following U.S. Letters Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,988 issued to Wetzler; U.S. Pat. No. 7,127,764 issued to Harding; U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,170 issued to Spehar; U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,475 issued to Steffensmeier; U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,696 issued to Gillotti; U.S. Pat. No. 7,069,609 issued to Zheng; U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,715 issued to Jackman; U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,338 issued to Arndt; U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,431 issued to Splane, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,213 issued to Chase, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,573 issued to Ramos; U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,979 issued to Grady; U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,638 issued to Gillotii; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,460 issued to Fried. 
         [0013]    The structures disclosed by the forgoing references suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages: no adjustable recessed cup area, requirement that the patient stand during treatment, lack of portability, and limited adjustability. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable personal treatment apparatus for comfortably supporting an individual while lying in a prone position. 
         [0015]    Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable personal treatment apparatus of the aforementioned character that is usable by persons of all sizes to enable them to enjoy, with utmost comfort and without harm, the full healthful benefits of proper and necessary massage and therapy. 
         [0016]    Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable personal treatment apparatus of the type described in the preceding paragraphs that permits the proper pressure to be applied to a patient during massage, or therapeutic treatment, without causing discomfort and possible damage to the patient. 
         [0017]    Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable personal treatment apparatus of the class described that is of a simple construction and one that is easy to operate. 
         [0018]    Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable personal treatment apparatus as described in which the support body is constructed from a material that is durable and easy to clean and maintain. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a generally perspective view of one form of the treatment or support platform of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a generally perspective fragmentary view showing the forward portion of the treatment platform in phantom lines and is showing in solid lines the control subassembly of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 1  for controllably positioning the breast support cushion of the apparatus. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a generally perspective view showing in phantom lines the forward portion of an alternate form of treatment platform of the present invention and showing in solid lines the control subassembly for controllably positioning the breast support cushion of the apparatus. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a generally perspective fragmentary view of the control subassembly of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a generally perspective view of an alternate form of treatment platform of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a generally perspective, fragmentary view of the forward portion of the treatment platform illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a generally perspective fragmentary view similar to  FIG. 6 , but showing the support cushion of the platform in an elevated position. 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  is a generally perspective fragmentary bottom view of the alternate form of treatment platform illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 9  is a rear view of the supporting cushion assembly of the invention illustrating the airbag of the assembly and a partially inflated configuration. 
           [0028]      FIG. 9A  is a view similar to  FIG. 9  but showing the airbag of the supporting cushion assembly in a deflated configuration. 
           [0029]      FIG. 9B  is a view similar to  FIG. 9  but showing the airbag of the supporting cushion assembly in a fully inflated configuration. 
           [0030]      FIG. 10  is a generally perspective, exploded view of the supporting cushion assembly of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0031]    Referring to the drawings and particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , one form of the treatment, or support platform of the present invention for supporting an individual in a prone position is there shown and generally designated by the numeral  22 . Platform  22  here comprises a supporting frame  24  that includes an upper frame  24   a  to which a pair of forward, transversely spaced, downwardly extending legs  24   b  is connected and to which a pair of rearward, transversely-spaced, downwardly extending legs  24   c  is connected. Connected to and supported by supporting frame  24  is an elongated, resilient body cushion  26 , having opposing upper and lower surfaces  26   a  and  26   b . As best seen in  FIG. 1  of the drawings, upper surface  26   a  of the body, or cushion, is provided with a receiving chamber  28  for receiving the breasts of the individual being treated. 
         [0032]    Forming an important aspect of the treatment platform  22  of the present invention is a control assembly  30  for controllably positioning a breast cushion  32  that is disposed within receiving chamber  28 . Control assembly  30  here includes a breast cushion positioning mechanism generally designated by the numeral  34  for moving the breast cushion  32  within receiving chamber  28  from a first elevated position to a second lowered position. As indicated in the drawings, apportion of the breast cushion positioning mechanism  34  is connected to the inner sidewalls  36  and  37  of receiving chamber  28  ( FIG. 2 ) and is disposed below the upper surface  26   a  of the resilient body cushion  26 . 
         [0033]    Breast cushion positioning mechanism  34  here comprises a pair of readily commercially available linear motor assemblies  38  that include elongate tracks or slides  38   a  that, in the manner shown in  FIG. 2 , are interconnected with the side walls  36  and  37 , respectively, of the cushion receiving chamber  28 . Each of the linear motor assemblies also comprises a combination electric motor and moving carriage  38   b  that is connected to a selected one of the tracks. Breast support cushion  32  is carried by a cushion support plate  40  that is positioned between and interconnected with the carriage  38   b . When the linear motors are energized through operation of a switch  44  that is mounted on the side of the cushion  26  and interconnected with the motors by a conduit  46 , the breast support cushion can be controllably moved upwardly and downwardly within the chamber  28  manner to provide optimum support to the breasts of the patient. The linear motor assemblies  38  can be obtained from a number of sources, including the Parker Hannifin Corporation of Rohnert Park, Calif. and the Tecnotion, B.V. Company of the Netherlands. 
         [0034]    In using the apparatus of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawings, the linear motor assemblies  38  are operated in a manner to move the breast support cushion downwardly within chamber  28 . This done, the patient can lay prone on the support cushion  26  with the breasts located within chamber  28 . Through operation of the switch  44 , the breast support cushion  32  can be raised to a position wherein the breasts of the patient are comfortably supported by the cushion  32 . With the patient thusly positioned on the support table, massage or similar therapeutic manipulation of the patient can be accomplished without undue pressure being exerted upon the breasts of the patient. 
         [0035]    Turning next to  FIGS. 5 through 10 , an alternate form of the treatment platform of the present invention for supporting an individual in a prone or supine position is there shown and generally designated by the numeral  52 . Platform  52  here comprises a foldable supporting frame  54  that functions to support an elongated resilient body pad  56  that includes first and second sections  58  and  60 . First section  58  has a forward portion  58   a  having opposing upper and lower surfaces  62  and  64  and a generally oval shaped a guide passageway  66  (see also  FIGS. 5 ,  9 ,  9 A and  9 B). 
         [0036]    As indicated in  FIG. 5  of the drawings, the forward portion of the support frame  54  is provided with downwardly extending adjustable front leg assemblies  70 , while the rearward portion of the support frame is provided with downwardly extending adjustable rear leg assemblies  72 . 
         [0037]    Connected to the forward portion  58   a  of first section  58  of the resilient body pad is the important patient support cushion assembly that is generally designated in  FIGS. 9 ,  9 A and  9 B by the numeral  74 . Patient support cushion assembly  74  here comprises an airbag housing  76  having an internal chamber  76   a  that is in communication with the guide passageway  66  that is formed in the forward portion of the first section  58   a  of the resilient body pad  56 . Also forming a part of the important patient support cushion assembly  74  is an inflatable, deflatable airbag  78  that is disposed within the internal chamber of the airbag housing  76 . Air bag  78  is movable relative to housing  76  between the first partially collapsed configuration shown in  FIG. 9A , to the second fully expanded configuration shown in  FIG. 9B . When the airbag  78  is in its normal at-rest configuration, it is in the position shown in  FIGS. 5 and 9  of the drawings. 
         [0038]    Forming another important aspect of the patient support cushion assembly  74  is a resiliently deformable patient support cushion  80  that is generally oval shaped in cross-section. Cushion  80 , which includes yieldably deformable side and top walls  80   a  and  80   b  ( FIG. 7 ), is operably associated with airbag  78  and is movable from a first lowered position shown in  FIG. 9A  wherein the cushion is disposed within the guide passageway  66  at a location below the upper surface  58   a  of the first section  58 , to a second upraised position shown in  FIG. 9 , and to a third position shown in  FIG. 9B , wherein the cushion is positioned a substantial distance above the upper surface  58   a  of the first section  58 . More particularly, cushion  80  is coupled with the airbag by means of the plurality of generally “S” shaped coupling members  82  that are of the configuration shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  of the drawings. 
         [0039]    Connected to airbag  78  for moving the airbag between the first partially collapsed configuration shown in  FIG. 9A  and the expanded configurations shown in  FIGS. 9 and 9B  is a pump assembly  86  that here comprises a foot operated bellows  88  and an airline  90  that interconnects the foot operated bellows with the inflatable, deflatable airbag  78 . Airline  90  has a first end  90   a  that is connected to the foot operated bellows  88  and a second end that is connected to one leg of a “T” connector  92  ( FIG. 8 ). Another leg of the “T” connector is connected to the inlet  94   a  of an airbag connector  94  that is disposed within an opening  96  formed in the side wall of airbag housing  76 . Airbag connector  94  has an outlet  94   b  that is in communication with the interior of the airbag  78  so that air under pressure generated by the foot pump will travel through the airline  90 , through the airbag connector and into the interior of the airbag in a manner to controllably inflate the airbag. 
         [0040]    Also forming a part of the pump assembly  86  is a vent line assembly  98  that is connected to airline  90  for controllably deflating the airbag. In the present form of the invention, the vent line assembly comprises a vent line  100  having a first end portion  100   a  that is connected to one leg of the “T” connector  92  and a second end portion  100   b  that is affixed to the side of the resilient body pad  56  by means of a conventional line clamp  102  which can be used to control the flow of air through vent line  100  ( FIG. 8 ). 
         [0041]    In the present form of the invention, platform  52  further includes a head support assembly  104  that is connected to the forward portion of the first section  58   a  of the resilient body pad  56  ( FIG. 5 ). When the patient is in a prone position on the resilient body pad, the head support assembly  104  functions to support the face of the patient when the patient is lying face down, or the head of the patient when the patient is lying on his or her back. 
         [0042]    In using the apparatus of the invention, the apparatus is first erected from the collapsed, folded configuration (not shown) into the operable configuration illustrated in  FIG. 5  of the drawings. Hand straps  106  are provided on one side of the pad  56  to assist in transporting the apparatus. 
         [0043]    The height of the platform can be adjusted by appropriately manipulating the downwardly extending adjustable front leg assemblies  70  and the downwardly extending adjustable rear leg assemblies  72 . This is accomplished by moving the second portions  70   b  and  72   b  of the front and rear leg assemblies upwardly or downwardly, relative to the first portions  70   a  and  72  of the leg assemblies ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0044]    As indicated in  FIG. 5  of the drawings, the first and second portions of the front and rear leg assemblies are provided with vertically spaced apart pad receiving apertures  73  that are adapted to receive locking pins  75 . Upon the sequential removal of the locking pins  75 , the second portions of the leg assemblies can be moved from a first position to a second position, to controllably adjust the overall length of each of the leg assemblies and thereby adjust the height of the support platform. When the desired length of the leg assemblies is achieved, the locking pins  75  can be reinserted into the apertures  73  to hold the first and second leg portions securely in position. 
         [0045]    With the apparatus is in the starting configuration shown in  FIG. 5 , the upper surface  80   a  of the resiliently deformable patient support cushion  80  is typically flush with the upper surface of the resilient body pad  56 . Due to the resilient nature of the airbag  78  that supports the patient support cushion  80 , while lying prone, any portion of the patient&#39;s body that protrudes outwardly, as for example the breasts of the patient, that is positioned within the guide passageway  66  will, upon operation of the line clamp  102 , uniquely cause the support cushion  80  move telescopically downwardly within the passageway  66  to a lowered position, such as the position shown in  FIG. 6  of the drawings, so as to avoid any discomfort to the patient. 
         [0046]    Similarly, when the patient is in a supine position and with line clamp  102  closed, operation of the foot pump  88  by the foot of the caregiver will cause the support cushion  80  to move upwardly relative to the surface of the body support pad  56  in the manner illustrated in  FIG. 7  of the drawings. By way of example, when the patient&#39;s upper back is positioned over the pad, this controlled upward movement of the resiliently deformable support cushion raises the patient&#39;s chest and enables the accomplishment of a more effective and highly satisfying massage. Because of the unique positioning of the airbag within the guide passageway  66  and the ability to controllably inflate the airbag, the support cushion  80  can be raised to any degree desired by the caregiver, including into the position shown in  FIG. 7  wherein the upper surface  80   a  of the support cushion resides above the surface of the body support pad by distance approximately one half the thickness “T” of the body support pad  56  (see  FIG. 9B ). 
         [0047]    When the massage is complete, the forward and rearward legs can be pivoted in a direction toward the lower surface of the body support pad and the body support pad can then be folded to form a compact unit that can be easily transported and stored.