Abstract:
A multiple mode massage chair is provided for being interchangeably used as a seating support and a massaging platform. Above the conventional components of an advanced chair construction such as a horizontal base with a number of casters for slidably supporting the base over the floor, an upholstered seat bottom and seatback assembled to the base through a telescopic upright stand for a height adjustment from the base, the invention provides pairs of elongated cushion flaps pivotally attached to the seat bottom and seatback for selectively providing an extra cushion to the seated user on the respective seating surfaces. Each flap is shaped to flap on a bi-level pivot action to cover or expose an underlying massage surface of the chair with the assistance of a toggle action in order to facilitate the change of the mode of operation of the chair.

Description:
This application is a continuation in part of and claims priority from inventor Samuel Chen&#39;s U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/651,860 Multiple Mode Massage Chair filed Jan. 10, 2007,now U.S. Pat. No. 7,713,220 the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to massage furniture. More particularly, the present invention relates to a chair with two interchangeable modes of operation between an ergonomic seat and a massaging platform. 
     B. Discussion of Related Art 
     Chairs are structured to support human body in motion or at rest comfortably and their detailed designs are classified to fit various seating environments like an office for work, an automobile for travel or a lounge. On top of the ordinary seating functions, chairs began to employ electric massaging devices in and around the seat backs and/or bottoms of the chairs to revitalize men and women from long hours of hard work. Such devices may be installed inside the chair structure or separately retrofitted thereto. Internal massage units may have a frame for movably supporting massage rollers or nodes powered by motors through a transmission mechanism under a programmed control to perform a kneading massage, acupressure or rolling massage on the posterior side of the occupant. One of the practical massage chair structures is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,939 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. An exemplary portable body massager is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,721 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     To deliver the effective massage pressures, the massaging interface of the massage unit is normally lightly padded or simply visually blocked. Normally the massaging interface presses against the occupant&#39;s body areas of spine, lumbar, buttocks and pelvic bones by his or her weight. Before and after the relatively short massaging sessions the chair also needs to provide a good cushioning function via a certain amount of upholstery. A user may solve the problem by adding a small pillow or by draping a towel over the massaging interface of the chair massager or portable massager so that the user may change the surface of the seating area every time the chair switches between the massaging mode and the supporting mode. This is awkward though. 
     Finally, users have a need for a chair that can look like an ordinary office chair when not being used for massage. If user uses a massage chair such as those seen in the prior art as an everyday office chair, it may be inappropriate in certain social situations such as conferences or meetings. 
     It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a set of integrated cushion members to convert the massage unit interface of the massage chair from a massager mode to a seating mode and vice versa without using unsightly or unbalancing accessories to the chair. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide two distinctive chair modes of bodily support and therapeutic massager based on a single compact chair. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a simple chair conversion means for reconditioning the chair cushion between its seating mode and massager mode whether the massager is an onboard type or portable device mounted on the chair. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To provide the dual mode of operation in a single seat, the present invention has a user-configurable cushion preferably fabric joined for flip open mechanical connection to chair upholstery. 
     A two-mode massage chair of the present invention generally comprises a horizontal base supporting the entire chair on a number of casters, a seat bottom attached to the base through an upright stand, a couple of arm rests and a contoured seatback both supported by the stand. On top of the chair is a headrest, which may be a separate member mounted to the chair or an extension of a top central portion of the seatback to support the occupant&#39;s head. 
     The chair also has at its side edges a front surface with two opposing protrusions or bolsters provided for cradling the sides of the occupant&#39;s back torso. The bolsters may be separately covered by the fabric, leather or similar material as used for the front seating surface and may be stitched to the same surface along contoured indentations. 
     Over the bolsters there are provided pea pod shaped flaps each being held along a section of the indentation between the seatback portions in a toggle-action mechanism. Either flap is shaped in the mirror image of the other and upholstered using the same material so that the opposite faces of a single flap may be consistent and a single design commonly makes up either side flap to keep the manufacturing of the chair economical. In this embodiment, the flap is filled with a padding to provide a cushion to compensate the lack of softness of the front seating surface, which should permit thrusts of the massaging head of the unit delivered to the occupant with less dampening. 
     In addition, the flap has a proximal side generally divided into a first lump spanning about top one third of the length of the flap, a second lump at a bottom one third of the length of the flap and a middle recess that connect the two lumps. The flap has a slightly arched distal side so that when both side flaps are flipped open the distal sides approximately coincide with the corresponding side edges of the seatback while the distal sides faces each other in a close proximity or meet together along a longitudinal centerline of the seatback. 
     The main area of the flap is generally shaped like an oversized pea pod to support approximately a half side area of the occupant&#39;s posterior including the torso and lower back. Depending on the specific chair design, the top protrusion is optional and the flap may be shaped to have a plain top in case the headrest of the chair is omitted or free of a massaging source. 
     In operation of the flap on the chair surface, the lumps become pushed aside whenever the occupant moves the flap to either side for a change of the chair mode providing a toggle-flip action. Because either side pivot is virtually positioned at a location beyond the anchor pivot into a depth of the seatback the flap is forced to lie flat on the seatback whenever the user pulls the flap and deflect it the opposite side overcoming the resistance of the lumps against the front seating surface. 
     The bottom flaps for the seat bottom may be made and installed in the method described above for the flap to provide the similar functions to the lower seating areas of the occupant. 
     In a second embodiment of the invention the chair has three sets of flap pairs for independent manipulations by hands to toggle between the respective inside and outside of the massaging regions of the chair. 
     Flip down shoulder massage elements can have roller elements that move on a slot toward and away from the shoulder while providing a massage. The roller elements optionally include vibration elements to provide alternate vibration and rolling massage. The roller elements can be replaced by airbags to provide an airbag massaging embodiment. Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a two-mode massage chair in a massager mode according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the two-mode massage chair of  FIG. 1  in a seating mode. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the massage chair of  FIG.1  showing the primary subassemblies with the supporting base omitted. 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed perspective view of the auxiliary toggle bolsters of  FIG. 3  with a partial cut away view of the interior of the bolster. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of one of the toggle bolsters taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a two-mode massage chair in a massager mode according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the two-mode massage chair of  FIG. 6  in a seating mode. Similar reference numbers denote corresponding features throughout the attached drawings. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a multiple mode massage chair with shoulder massage elements in a chair mode. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a multiple mode massage chair with shoulder massage elements in a massaging mode. 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram of a shoulder massage element. 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram of a shoulder massage element. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram of a shoulder massage element. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a two-mode massage chair of the present invention is generally designated by  10  and comprises a horizontal base  12  supporting the entire chair  10  on a number of casters  14 , a seat bottom  16  attached to the base  12  through a telescopic upright stand  18  for a height adjustment from the base  12 , the seat bottom a couple of arm rests  20  and a contoured seatback  22  both supported by the stand  18 . On top of the chair  10  is a headrest  24 , which may be a separate member mounted to the chair  10  or an extension of a top central portion of the seatback  22  to support the occupant&#39;s head. 
     The overall seating surfaces of the chair  10  may be conventionally upholstered. Specifically, the seatback  22  has a front seating surface  26  of a fabric, leather or similar material that thinly covers an electrical massaging unit  28  installed in the cavity of the seatback  22  as shown schematically in  FIG. 3 . At side edges of the front surface  24  two opposing protrusions or bolsters  30  are provided for cradling the sides of the occupant&#39;s back torso. The bolsters  30  may be separately covered by the fabric, leather or similar material as used for the front seating surface  26  and may be stitched to the same surface  26  along contoured indentations  32 . 
     Over the bolsters  30  there are provided pea pod shaped flaps  34  each being held along a section of the indentation  32  between the seatback portions  26  and  30  in a toggle-action mechanism as will be further detailed below. Either flap  34  is shaped in the mirror image of the other and upholstered using the same material so that the opposite faces of a single flap  34  may be consistent and a single design commonly makes up either side flap  34  to keep the manufacturing of the chair  10  economical. In this embodiment, the flap  34  is filled with a padding to provide a cushion to compensate for the lack of softness of the front seating surface  26 . The flap covers the massaging head of the unit  28 . The exact mechanical configuration for the massaging units is well known in the art and has been discussed in a wide variety of patents. The preferred massaging unit is the standard rotating roller head that is commonly and commercially available in many units currently on the market. Any number of roller head units can be used. The mechanical configuration can be configured according to customers needs. 
     In addition, the flap  34  has a proximal side generally divided into a first lump  36  spanning about top one third of the length of the flap  34 , a second lump  38  at a bottom one third of the length of the flap  34  and a middle recess  40  that connect the two lumps  36 ,  38 . The flap  34  has a slightly arched distal side  42  so that when both side flaps  34  are flipped open the distal sides  42  approximately coincide with the corresponding side edges of the seatback  22  as shown in  FIG. 1  while the distal sides  42  faces each other in a close proximity or meet together along a longitudinal center line of the seatback  22  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Note that  FIG. 2  depicts the same chair  10  as in  FIG. 1  with its configuration changed into the seating mode of operation. 
     In case the headrest  24  also provides massaging extended to the user&#39;s head, the flap  34  may also have a top protrusion  39  that is shaped to conform to the lateral contour of the headrest  24  when the flap  34  is positioned at rest as in  FIG. 1  illustrating the massaging mode of operation. To the contrary, when the chair  10  returns to the seating mode where the additional cushion is created by the two flaps  34  flip closed, the top protrusions  39  of the flaps  34  follow suit to cushion an effective head support area of the headrest  24  as in  FIG. 2 . 
     Similarly, the seat bottom  16  may have two independent bottom seat flaps  42 , which are pivotally attached to indentations  44  between a bottom seating surface  46  in the center of the seat bottom  16  and two lateral bottom bolsters  48  formed integral to the seat bottom  16 . Bottom seat flaps  42  also flip open and closed. 
       FIG. 3  is a partial exploded view of the main components of the bimodal massage chair  10  comprising at its seat base the seat bottom  16  caging a framed massage unit  50  having vibrating pressure rollers  51  traveling along a track  52  in a frame  53  by a motor and transmission mechanism not shown and two padded bottom bolsters  48 , the bottom seating surface  46  which may be cushioned by an internal foam block  54 , the two padded bottom flaps  42  each having a flexible hinge  56  with a reinforcement for pivotally attaching the flap  42  to the junction between the seating surface  46  and two bolsters  48 , and a pair of armrests  20  attached to both sides of the seat bottom  16 . 
     The chair  10  comprises at its backrest area the seatback  22  enclosing a back massage unit  58  with vibrating rollers  60  raised or descended along a track  62  in a fame  63  by a motor and transmission device not shown and two side bolsters  30  padded with foam blocks shaped to fit the covering at  30  of leather, fabric or vinyl, the front seating surface  26  to cover the cavity of the seatback  22  between the bolsters  30 , the two padded side flaps  34  each having a flexible hinge  64  with a reinforcement for pivotally attaching the flap  34  to the junction at mid-level between the seating surface  26  and two bolsters  30 , and a top headrest  24  that may be movably attached for a height adjustment to the individual occupant&#39;s head. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a possible construction and function of the cushion flaps  34  will be described. The main area of the flap  34  is generally shaped like an oversized pea pod to support approximately a half side area of the occupant&#39;s posterior including the torso and lower back. Depending on the specific chair design, the top protrusion  39  is optional and the flap  34  may be shaped to have a plain top in case the headrest of the chair is omitted or free of a massaging source. 
     Between the first and second lumps  36 ,  38  there is positioned a deep recess  68  of the flap  34  from which the integral hinge  64  extends with a neck portion  72  defined by a clearance  74  between the hinge  64  and the main flap area. The hinge  64  provides an anchor pivot  76  once the hinge  64  is fastened with the neck portion  72  tied down under the front seating surface  26  in the assembly of the chair  10  shown in  FIG. 3 . Similarly, the peak of the lumps  36 ,  38  provide side pivots  77  and  77   a  about which the flap  34  swivels in two opposite directions. 
     For each flap  34 , two identical sheet sections in a symmetrical shape may provide its exterior surfaces  78 . The flap sheet may be folded along its center at a flat elongated area  80  over a foam core  82 , which is generally shaped into the main body of the flap  34  providing the desired cushion effect. The sheet sections may be glued and sewn together along a stitch line  83 . 
     In operation of the flap  34  on the chair surface  26 , the lumps  36 ,  38  are pushed aside whenever the flap  34  changes side and mode thereby providing a toggle-flip action. Because either side pivot  77  or  77   a  is virtually positioned at a location beyond the anchor pivot  76  into a depth of the seatback  22  the flap  34  is forced to lie flat on the seatback  22  whenever the user pulls the flap  34  and deflects it to the opposite side overcoming the resistance of the lumps  36 ,  38  against the front seating surface  26 . This built-in toggle action through the bi-level pivot saves an extra fastening means to hold the flap  34  in a stable posture in either mode of the chair operation. Alternatively, a fastening means such as opposing hook and loop tape can hold the flap  34  open and closed. 
     Further referring to  FIG. 5 , the foam core  82  and thus the surface of the flap  34  may have any desired topography to comfortably cushion the posterior of the occupant. In the simplified embodiment as illustrated, middle of the flap  34  near the distal edge at the area  80  has a predetermined thickness as it becomes gradually thinner toward the remaining edges including the opposite proximal edge at the hinge  64  as well as the top protrusion  39 . The foam core  82  may be terminated short of the neck portion  72  of the hinge  64  and cut out to have a large slot or bay  84  for receiving a reinforcement member  86 . The member  86  may be an elastic plate in the shape of H with a leg  88  held in the bay  84  of the foam core  82  while the other leg  89  extends into the cavity of the sheet area at the hinge  64  thereby making the hinge  64  flexible but durable over the expected life of the chair  10 . Alternatively, the foam core  82  may extend into the hinge area to replace the extra reinforcement member  86 . 
     The bottom flaps  42  for the seat bottom  16  may be made and installed in the method described above for the back flap  34  to provide similar functions to the lower seating areas of the occupant. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7  of a second embodiment where a chair  100  has three independent parts with massaging as well as seating functions, the operation of the invention will be described. The corresponding portions of the chair  100  to the chair  10  are designated with the same reference numbers. The chair  100  is provided with a massaging headrest  124  exclusively having two side flaps  125 , the detailed structure of which is principally same as the flap  34  in  FIG. 4  in the first embodiment except the outer profile that conforms to approximately half the front area of the headrest  124 . A seatback  122  has two side flaps  134  shaped correspondingly within the periphery of the seatback  122 . 
     In operation, three sets of flap pairs  125 ,  134 ,  42  may be independently manipulated by hands to toggle between the respective inside and outside of the massaging regions. 
     The dynamically cushioned chair of the present invention is also adaptable to work with a portable massage pad that extends at least part of the seating surface of the chair. As with the on-board type of massage unit, the flap pairs may be toggled onto and away from the stimulating surfaces of the massager to provide a swift change between the massage mode and the comfortable support mode over the single chair. 
     The shoulder massage mechanism is shown in  FIGS. 8 ,  9 . A headrest  24  has a pair of shoulder massage elements  25  that fold down onto the shoulders of a user so that they come in contact with and massage the shoulders of a user. The shoulder massage elements  25  are preferably a pair and located on the left and right sides of the head of the user. The shoulder massage elements  25  preferably rotate on a pivot  27  from an upward stowed position to a downward engaged position. A user rotates the shoulder massage elements  25  into engaged position after a hard days work, or during an office break for a shoulder massage. The user can then stow the shoulder massage elements in stowed position after the shoulder massage. 
     The shoulder massage elements  25  have massaging mechanisms that are electrically powered. The electrical power on the shoulder massaging elements  25  receives power from the rest of the chair, which is typically plugged into household electric current. The electrical power for the massaging mechanisms drives one or more motors for the massaging mechanisms. 
     The shoulder massage mechanism shown in  FIG. 9  depicts flip open pad configuration for back massaging which can be implemented a user at the same time the user flips down the shoulder massage elements  25 . The arm rests are positioned so that the back pads can flip open for simultaneous use with shoulder massage elements  25 . The arm rests can also flip out of the way to give the user more room to get a massage. The armrests, the flip pad, and shoulder massage elements  25  can optionally lock in open and closed position. In any case, after a user is done with the massage, the user can transform the chair back into an ordinary office chair that feels like an ordinary office chair and looks like an ordinary office chair. 
       FIGS. 10 ,  11  show the preferred embodiment of the shoulder massage elements  25  with a roller  200  in retracted position that is away from the shoulder. The operation of the shoulder massage elements  25  may include first flipping down the shoulder massage elements  25 , then moving the rollers  200  along the slot  210  toward each other from the retracted position to the engaged position so that the rollers  200  contact against a shoulder. Alternatively, the rollers  200  along the slot  210  can be preset or have a predefined positioned on the slot according to a user preference, presumably dictated by shoulder size. 
     As seen in  FIG. 10 , the preferred embodiment of the shoulder massage elements  25  includes a rolling roller  200  having a plurality of protrusions  111  shaped as knobs or bumps on a cylindrical surface which is mounted in an adjustable slot  210 . Although shown as a cylindrical element, the roller can be shaped with a wider middle portion which would more ergonomically conform to a user&#39;s shoulder. The drawing has been simplified for purposes of simplicity and ease of understanding. The shoulder cavity  188  fits over a shoulder snugly and allows massage of a user shoulder. Preferably, both rollers  200  can be initially adjusted forward and backward on the slot  210  and rolling in unison so that the front roller rolls counterclockwise and the back roller rolls clockwise give a rubbing up massage on the shoulder. The motion can also be reversed to provide a rubbing down massage on the shoulder. The knobs  111  can be increased in height and increased or decreased in stiffness to allow for different types of motions. Preferably, but knobs  111  have some deflection to mimic the feel of a hand massage. 
       FIG. 11  shows a side view of the massaging knobs  111  having a low profile. High-profile knobs can replace the low-profile knobs if necessary for more finger sensation on the shoulder. The roller should be sufficiently wide to match a typical user shoulder muscle dimension. The side view shown in  FIG. 11  provides a view of the pivoting axis  27  which is preferably at a right angle to the shoulder massaging element  25 . The shoulder massaging element  25  is generally formed as an armature with shoulder massaging cavity  188 .  FIG. 10 ,  11  show the rollers  200  in retracted position away from the shoulder, but during operation the rollers  200  may be biased against the shoulder along slot  210  to provide a harder massage. For a softer massage, the rollers  200  can be softly biased against the shoulder. The strength of the bias against the shoulder can be adjusted by a wide variety of mechanical means commonly known in the art such as by a spring or such as by locking the axles of the rollers  200  in position somewhere along the slot  210  with a wider distance providing a softer massage and a smaller distance providing a harder massage. 
     The speed of the rollers  200  can be electronically controlled or otherwise user selected using a user control which is also commonly known in the art. The rollers  200  can reciprocate in motion and direction. The rollers  200  can also include vibration elements within the rollers  200  that activate when the rolling motion is paused. The rollers can also be adjusted on the slot by a user electronic controller of the type that is commonly known in the art. Therefore, by including vibration elements within the rollers  200 , the user can have the alternating experience of vibration of the shoulder and rolling of the shoulder. 
     In an alternate embodiment of the shoulder massaging element  25 ,  FIG. 12  shows airbags  310 . A pair of airbags can replace the rolling massage knobs  111  providing front and rear compression against the front and rear of the shoulder when inflated. Inflation tube  312  connects to an air compressor. The inflation tube  312  can pass through the pivot  27  if the pivot  27  is formed as a hollow member. The inflation tube  312  can thus be inflated by an air compressor which is located either within the shoulder massaging element  25  or outside of the shoulder massaging element  25  such as within the base of the chair or within the seat back of the chair. 
       FIG. 12  shows airbags  310  in inflated configuration. Typically, a shoulder would be placed within the shoulder massaging cavity  188 . The airbags would then inflate against the shoulder. The airbags would then deflate after inflating so that the airbags  310  have an inflated state as shown and a deflated state. The massaging cavity  188  would contract upon inflation of the airbags  310  and press against a shoulder that is placed within a cavity  188 . The shape of the cavity  188  can be shallow as shown in  FIG. 12 , or deeper so that the airbags press against the front and back portion of a shoulder in diametric opposition. In shallow configuration, the airbags press partially against the front and back of a shoulder, but also the top of a shoulder. Alternatively, more than two airbags can be used in a deeper shoulder massaging cavity, like four or five airbags so that the front and back of the shoulder is pressed on all sides. Also, a single airbag having multiple sections can replace the multiple airbag embodiment. Airbags need not be independently inflated, and can be in fluid connection with each other. The airbags could also be filled or partially filled with a liquid to provide superior ergonomic contour and generally allow for a different range of shape and shoulder pressing. 
     The shoulder massage elements  25  may include a wide variety of massaging mechanisms disposed on the shoulder facing portion of the shoulder massage elements  25 . For example, the shoulder massage elements  25  can have vibrating motors that impart a vibration massage to the shoulders. Also, the shoulder massage elements  25  can further include traditional roller massage type structures such as those structures is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,939 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, or in portable body massagers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,721 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The shoulder massage elements  25  may include roller heads that are similar to the back massager roller heads  60 . A pair of roller heads can massage alternatively the user shoulder. Roller heads can be reciprocating, which is well known in the art and described in various patents, such as in for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,063 issued to Elenar, patented May 14, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The roller heads in the Elenar reference can massage the front and rear portion of the shoulder muscles in synchronized or alternating rolling movement. 
     Other massaging mechanisms that can be used with the shoulder massage elements  25  also include percussive massagers commonly known in the art, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,500,135 issued to Huang, patented Dec. 31, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The dual head percussive massager such as that shown in the Huang reference can have alternating head movement to alternatively hit the front and rear portion of the shoulder muscles. 
     Other massaging mechanisms that can be used with the shoulder massage elements  25  also include airbag massagers commonly known in the art. Airbag massagers are driven by an electric air pump typically located in the base of the chair  18  with an airline from the electric air pump to the airbag. The user shoulder typically fits within a cavity formed by the airbag so that inflation of the airbag and deflation of the airbag gives cyclical massage to a user shoulder. The use of an airbag as a massaging mechanism is well known in the art, and typically described in patents such as Hara in U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,355, issued on Nov. 4, 1980, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The Hara reference has an airbag that inflates gently against a user body which is more of a passive airbag configuration. An active airbag configuration is also known in the art and has a pair of opposing airbags, in this case a forward air bag pressing against a rearward airbag in typical diametric opposition. An example of the active airbag configuration is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,744 to Inaba, issued on Nov. 13, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The Inaba reference discusses opposing airbags that press on the right and left side of a user leg. Another example of an active airbag configuration is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,618 to Yamanaka patented on Jun. 9, 1998. 
     The foregoing describes the preferred embodiments of the invention. Modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. For example, the flap of the present invention may be integrated into the upholstery of a vehicle chair with a massaging option. Therefore, while the presently preferred form of the massaging chair has been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.