Patent Publication Number: US-2005137502-A1

Title: Massage apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a massage apparatus for pressing and thereby massaging a user&#39;s massage parts with pressing parts which are rotated by means of a drive unit.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      In a conventional massage apparatus, as shown in  FIG. 25 , a drum d provided with a plurality of massage projections c in a peripheral part thereof is mounted on a rotation shaft b, which is driven by a motor a, in a relatively non-rotatable manner, in order to press the user&#39;s massage parts such as sole, calf, thigh, arm, lower back, or neck. In the massage apparatus, the massage projections c stimulate the massage parts in conjunction with the rotation of the drum d (as an example of which, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H11-239596).  
      As another example, there is a massage apparatus, wherein a pair of right and left massaging members combined with a rotation shaft so as to tilt in reverse directions with respect to a central axis of the rotation shaft are provided, and massage parts sandwiched by the massaging members increasing and decreasing an interval therebetween in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation shaft is stimulated by pressure applied from the right and left directions (as an example of which, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-19174).  
      A problem included in such massage apparatuses which are designed to continuously stimulate the same massage part is that the user becomes unresponsive to the stimulation sooner or later. Therefore, the massage apparatuses could not obtain an effective massage effect. As an option to prevent such an inconvenience from happening, the user may change his/her posture to obtain the stimulation on a part he/she wishes to be massaged, which is, however, rather awkward in practical use.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A main object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a massage apparatus capable of solving the foregoing problems caused by the conventional massage apparatuses and improving the massage effect based on comprising moving means for reciprocating a massage means which presses the user&#39;s massage parts.  
      In order to achieve the foregoing object, an invention recited in claim  1  is characterized in comprising a massage means provided with massage bodies having pressing parts provided in a rotation shaft rotated by means of a drive unit, the pressing parts pressing user&#39;s massage parts via sheet bodies in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation shaft; and moving means housed in a box body for reciprocating the massage means in a moving direction orthogonal to a rotational central line of the rotation shaft.  
      An invention recited in claim  2  is characterized in that the massage bodies each comprise a cylindrical body provided in the rotation shaft to be thereby rotated, the cylindrical bodies pressing the massage parts by means of the pressing parts having a protruding shape and formed in outer peripheral surfaces thereof, or pressing boards disposed with intervals therebetween and having the pressing parts in surfaces thereof facing each other, and tiling means for periodically changing distances between the facing pressing parts by repeatedly tilting the pressing boards in reverse directions in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation shaft and thereby sandwiching and massaging the massage parts.  
      An invention recited in claim  3  is characterized in that the pressing parts of the pressing boards have a protruding shape expanded in a direction where the pressing parts face each other. An invention recited in claim  4  is characterized in that the pressing parts of the pressing boards have a smooth and annular surface.  
      An invention recited in claim  5  is characterized in that the tilting means are tilting receiving pieces supported in a non-rotatable manner relative to the rotation shaft and having tilting bearings tilted to thereby rotatably support the pressing boards. An invention recited in claim  6  is characterized in that a stroke of the reciprocation is 80 to 180 mm, and the number of reciprocations is 20 to 90 times/min.  
      An invention recited in claim  7  is characterized in that the massage means comprises the drive unit, the rotation shaft, the massage bodies, and support frames composed of bearing tools disposed on both sides of the rotation shaft, the bearing tools oscillatably supporting the rotation shaft on both ends of the rotation shaft, and a joint member for combining the both-side bearing tools in a non-rotatable manner relative to each other, and the moving means include guiding tools for supporting the bearing tools and slidably guiding the bearing tools in the moving direction.  
      An invention recited in claim  8  is characterized in that the moving means each comprise the guiding tool, a crank arm whose one end is fixed to the rotation shaft, and a vertical guide fitting having a vertical guiding part where a guiding body provided on another end of the crank arm can move and fixed to the box body. An invention recited in claim  9  is characterized in that the moving means each includes the guiding tool, the crank arm whose one end is fixed to the rotation shaft, and a lever whose one end is oscillatably supported by the box body, and another end of the crank arm and another end of the lever are rotatably engaged with each other. An invention recited in claim  10  is characterized in that the box body includes a pedestal and a leg part provided in a standing manner in the pedestal, the leg part fixing the vertical guide fitting.  
      An invention recited in claim  11  is characterized in that the drive unit is fixed to the joint member. An invention recited in claim  12  is characterized in that the drive unit is movably guided in the moving direction by a retaining body provided in the standing manner in the box body, and the moving means are reciprocating means for reciprocating the bearing tools in the moving direction.  
      The massage apparatus according to the present invention comprises the moving means for reciprocating the massage means for pressing the massage parts, therefore, the different massage parts can be stimulated in rotation by the pressing parts of the massage bodies. As a result, a remarkable massage effect can be continuously obtained in the extended massage parts.  
      When the massage bodies are constituted as in the invention according to claim  2 , the massage parts can be effectively pressed and stimulated. When the pressing parts of the pressing boards are projected as in the invention according to claim  3 , the massage parts can be more effectively stimulated. When the pressing parts of the pressing boards have the smooth and annular surface as in the invention according to claim  4 , a smooth operation can be achieved preventing the pressing parts from being hooked.  
      When the pressing boards are rotatably supported by the tilting bearings as in the invention according to claim  5 , a structure can be simplified while achieving the smooth tilting operation of the pressing boards. When the massage means is reciprocated in accordance with the stroke as in the invention according to claim  6 , an outstanding massage effect can be obtained preventing the user from becoming insensitive to the pressing and stimulation.  
      When the guiding tools of the moving means slidably support and guide the bearing tools as in the invention according to claim  7 , the massage means can be smoothly reciprocated. When the moving means is each composed of the guiding tool, crank arm, vertical guide fitting as in the invention according to claim  8 , the massage means can be reciprocated by means of a rotational force of the rotation shaft. Further, when the moving means is each composed of the guiding tool, crank arm, lever as in the invention according to claim  9 , the reciprocation of the massage means can exert a smooth and noiseless movement, and the stroke of the reciprocation can be set to a larger value.  
      In the invention according to claim  10 , the vertical guide fittings can be stably supported and the box body can be formed in a compact size. When the drive unit is fixed to the joint member as in the, invention according to claim  11 , the drive unit can be stably supported. When the drive unit is movably guided by the retaining body provided in the standing manner in the box body as in the invention according to claim  12 , the massage means can be smoothly reciprocated. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a frontal view of an internal structure according to the embodiment;  
       FIG. 3  is a plane view of the internal structure;  
       FIG. 4  is a A-A cross sectional view of  FIG. 2 ;  
      FIGS.  5 (A) to (C) are enlarged views of a main part for describing an operation of a massage means;  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a main part for describing the massage means and a moving means;  
      FIGS.  7 (A) to (C) are schematic views of a main part for describing an operation of the moving means;  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a vertical guide fitting;  
       FIG. 9  is a front view of an internal structure according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 10  is a plane view of the internal structure;  
      FIGS.  11 (A)-(C) are schematic views for describing an operation of a drive unit;  
       FIG. 12  is a front view of an internal structure according to still another embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 13  is a side view of the internal structure;  
       FIG. 14  is an enlarged view of a main part of the internal structure;  
       FIG. 15  is a cross sectional view of the main part;  
       FIG. 16  is, a perspective view according to still another embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 17  is a front view of an internal structure according to the embodiment;  
       FIG. 18  is a perspective view of an enlarged main part of the internal structure;  
       FIG. 19  is a perspective view of pressing boards according to still another embodiment;  
       FIG. 20  is a perspective view of a main part according to still another embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 21  is a perspective view of a moving means of the main part;  
      FIGS.  22 (A) to (D) are schematic views for describing an operation of the moving means;  
       FIG. 23  is a perspective view of a main part according to still another embodiment of the present invention;  
      FIGS.  24 (A)-(D) are schematic views for describing an operation of a moving means; and  
       FIG. 25  is a schematic view according to a conventional technology.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention is described referring to the drawings.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a state where a massage apparatus  1  is being used.  FIG. 2  is a longitudinal sectional view of the massage apparatus  1 .  FIG. 3  is a plane view illustrating an internal structure of the massage apparatus  1 . The massage apparatus  1  according to the present invention comprises a massage means  8  for pressing the user&#39;s massage parts and moving means  9  for reciprocating the massage means  8 .  
      The present embodiment shows an example of the massage means  8 , which comprises massage bodies  7 , a rotation shaft  3  for supporting the massage bodies  7 , a drive unit  2 , and support frames  18 . Further, the support frame  18  according to the present embodiment comprises bearing tools  16  and a joint member  17 .  
      As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 , the bearing tools  16  according to the present embodiment have a shape of an upright rectangular thick plate and are provided with a support hole  32  comprising a bearing  31  in an approximate center thereof. A pair of the bearing tools  16  is disposed facing each other. The bearing tool  16  according to the present embodiment is formed from a steel stock having a horizontal width of, for example, approximately 60 to 90 mm, a vertical length of, for example, approximately 90 to 130 mm, and a thickness of, for example, approximately 15 to 22 mm.  
      The joint member  17  is provided so as to bridge the bearing tools  16  and has an indented part  33  protruded downward in a center thereof. The joint member  17  has a mounting piece  34  rising at both ends thereof and fixedly fitting the bearing tools  16  in surfaces thereof facing each other. The joint member  17  according to the present embodiment is formed from, for example, a bent steel stock of approximately 1.2 to 2.3 mm.  
      The rotation shaft  3  has a bar shape which horizontally extends and further has a circular shape in cross section. Both ends of the rotation shaft  3  are rotatably supported by the bearings  31  provided in the support holes  32  of the bearing tools  16 . The rotation shaft  3  according to the present embodiment is formed from a round bar steel having a diameter of approximately 18 to 26 mm in the center thereof and a diameter of approximately 10 to 15 mm at both ends thereof. A length of the rotation shaft  3  in the present embodiment is, for example, approximately 460 mm.  
      In the present embodiment, the drive unit  2  is disposed in the indented part  33  of the joint member  17  and further fixedly fitted to the joint member  17  by means of fitting tools  36 . As described, the drive unit  2  according to the present embodiment is preferable in that it is directly fixedly fitted to the joint member  17  to be stably supported. Further, the drive unit  2  applies a rotational force to the rotation shaft  3  by having a drive axis  2 A thereof combined with an approximate center of the rotation shaft  3  via a deceleration unit  35 . Thus, the drive unit  2  according to the present embodiment is constituted in such manner as movable in synchronization with the rotation shaft  3  via the bearing tools  16  and the joint member  17  while applying the rotational force to the rotation shaft  3 .  
      The drive unit  2  according to the present embodiment is composed of an AC motor. Further, the drive unit  2  is connected to a 100V power supply for household use via an on/off switch S and a controller C including a motor rotation control circuit shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein a rotation of the motor is thereby controlled. The motor rotation control circuit controls the number of rotations of the motor and normal/reverse rotations of the motor, and is further capable of gradually increasing/decreasing the number of rotations by means of a microcomputer in accordance with waveforms programmed therein.  
      The deceleration unit  35  in the present embodiment is composed of a deceleration gear mechanism  35 A having a worm gear whose deceleration ratio is, for example, approximately {fraction (1/20)}-100.  
      In the present embodiment, the massage bodies  7 , which are mounted on the rotation shaft  3 , each comprise a cylindrical body  11 , pressing boards  12 , and tilting means  13 .  
      The cylindrical body  11  is composed of a pair of support boards  37  and a pressing rod  38  bridged over the support boards  37 . The support boards  37  have a disk shape whose diameter is, for example, approximately 70 to 110 mm. The rotation shaft  3  is inserted into boss parts  37 A provided in the center of the support boards  37 . The support boards  37  are non-rotatably mounted on the rotation shaft  3  by means of a key, which is not shown, provided in a key groove  39  of the rotation shaft  3 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 4 , the pressing rod  38  has a plurality of projected pressing parts  6  in an outer periphery thereof. The plurality of pressing parts  6  (six in the present embodiment) are equally spaced in an identical peripheral surface centered around the rotation shaft  3 . Both ends of the pressing rod  38  are fixedly fitted to the support boards  37  by means of small screws. The pressing rod  38  according to the present embodiment is composed of a combined plurality of small cylinders  38 A having projected pressing parts  6 . The projected pressing parts  6  of the pressing rod  38  adjacent to one another are disposed in a houndstooth manner in order to disperse pressure applied to a massage part  4 .  
      In the present embodiment, a pair of the cylindrical bodies  11  are disposed in the rotation shaft  3  with an interval of, for example, approximately 160 to 230 mm provided therebetween, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The projected pressing parts  6  of the cylindrical body  11 , which rotates in conjunction with the rotation shaft  3 , press and stimulate the user&#39;s massage part  4  such as sole, thigh, or arm, as shown in  FIG. 5 , thereby exerting a massage effect. Further, the rotational direction of the cylindrical bodies  11  may be changed in response to the control of the normal/reverse rotations of the drive unit  2  to thereby further enhance the massage effect. Sheet bodies  5  formed from felt, leather, or the like, are provided between the massage parts  4  and the cylindrical bodies  11  in order to ease the stimulation with respect to the massage parts  4 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 2 , the pressing boards  12  in the present embodiment each have an approximate donut shape comprising an external board  12 A, an internal board  12 B, and a cover  12 C, and are provided on both sides of the cylindrical body  11  so as to face each other. The external board  12 A has an approximate ring shape and is fitted to an outer side of the internal board  12 B. A flange  42  extending from an inner peripheral part toward an inner side of the external board  12 A is fixedly fitted to the internal board  12 B by means of a fitting tool  43 , and the external board  12 A and the internal board  12 B are thereby formed as a unit. The cover  12 C covers the surfaces of the external board  12 A facing each other, and an inner peripheral part of the cover  12 C is sandwiched by the external board  12 A and the internal board  12 B. Further, a plurality of projected pressing parts  6  expanded in a direction where they face each other is circumferentially spaced at intervals in a surface of the cover  12 C. The present embodiment is thus preferable in that the pressing parts  6  of the pressing board  12  have a projection shape and can thereby apply a strong stimulation to the massage part. The cover  12 C is formed from an elastic material such as styrene-butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, or other synthetic rubber, or olefin-based/styrene-based/urethane-based thermoplastic elastomer.  
      The pressing boards  12  according to the present embodiment are mounted on the rotation shaft  3  by means of tiling receiving pieces  15 . The tiling receiving pieces  15  are composed of tiling hubs  41  mounted on the rotation shaft  3  on the both sides of the cylindrical body  11  and tilting bearings  14  provided in outer peripheral surfaces  41 A of the tiling hubs  41 .  
      The tiling hub  41  is formed in the manner that the outer peripheral surface  41 A thereof is tilted at α degrees (for example, approximately 6 to 10 degrees) with respect to a central line X of the rotation shaft  3 . A pair of the tilting hubs  41  sandwich the cylindrical body  11  and is non-rotatably mounted on the rotation shaft  3  by means of the key, which is not shown, provided in the key groove  39  in the state where the outer peripheral surfaces  41 A thereof are tilted in reverse directions relative to each other.  
      The tiling bearings  14  of the present embodiment are formed from bearings  14 A and mounted on the outer peripheral surfaces  41 A of the tilting hubs  41 . The internal boards  12 B of the pressing boards  12  are rotatably supported by the bearings  14 A. Therefore, a pair of the bearings  14 A disposed so as to sandwich the cylindrical body  11  are tilted at α degrees in the reverse directions relative to each other with respect to the central line X of the rotation shaft  3 . A pair of the pressing boards  12  mounted on the bearings  14 A are tilted through α degrees in the reverse directions relative to each other with respect to the central line X of the rotation shaft  3  and rotatably supported. As a result, when the rotation shaft  3  is rotated, the facing pressing boards  12  are allowed to rotate relative to each other with respect to the rotation shaft  3  and are repeatedly tilted reverse to each other. A distance between the pressing parts  6  facing each other is thereby periodically increased and decreased. The pressing boards  12  constituted in the foregoing manner are preferable in that the smooth tiling can be achieved and the structure required for the tilting can be simplified.  
      Thus, as shown in  FIG. 5 (A), when the distance between the pressing parts  6  of the pressing boards  12  is decreased, the pressing parts  6  sandwich the massage part  4  therebetween via the sheet body  5  to thereby apply stimulate the massage part  4  by applying the pressure thereto. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 90 degrees, as shown in  FIG. 5 (B), the pressing boards  12  are shifted to an upright position. Therefore, the distance between the pressing parts  6  is enlarged, thereby decreasing the pressure applied to the massage part  4 . When the rotation shaft  3  is further rotated through 90 degrees, as shown in  FIG. 5 (C), the pressing boards  12  are tilted in the state where they open upward, thereby eliminating the pressure applied to the massage part  4 . The foregoing operation is thereafter circulated, wherein, in addition to the massage effect obtained by the cylindrical body  11 , the massage part  4  is sandwiched to be repeatedly subjected to the pressure and stimulation as a result of the periodical increase/decrease of the distance between the pressing parts  6  of the pressing boards  12  in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation shaft  3  so that the effective massage can be performed. Further, the massage effect can be further improved because the rotational direction of the drive unit  2  can be reversed to thereby invert the direction of the tilting operation.  
      The tilting receiving piece  15  according to the present embodiment constitutes the tilting means  13  for repeatedly tiling the pressing boards  12  in the reverse directions to thereby perform the massage. The cylindrical body  11  and the tilting means  13  supported by the rotation shaft  3  are sandwiched by a pair of fixing boards  45  fixedly fitted to the rotation shaft  3  by means of fitting tools  44  and thereby non-movably fixed in an axial direction of the rotation shaft  3 . The massage body  7  may be formed from only the cylindrical body  11 , or only the pressing boards  12  and the tilting means  13  without the cylindrical body  11 .  
      The moving means  9  for reciprocating the massage means  8  comprises a guiding tool  19 , a crank arm  20 , and a vertical guide fitting  23 , and is provided in a box body  10  in the present embodiment. The moving means  9  constitutes a reciprocating means  27  for reciprocating the bearing tools  16  in the moving direction.  
      The box body  10  of the present embodiment comprises side parts  10 A disposed in the neighborhood of the both ends of the rotation shaft  3  and a combining part  10 B for combining the side parts  10 A. The side part  10 A of the present embodiment comprises, as shown in  FIG. 6 , a pedestal  24 , a leg part  25  provided to the pedestal  24  in the standing manner, and sleeve parts  46  formed from both sides of the leg part  25  bent inward by 90 degrees.  
      As shown in  FIG. 6 , the guiding tool  19  of the present embodiment is composed of a pair of slide shafts  19 A having a shape of a horizontal round bar vertically bridged over the sleeve parts  46  of the box body  10 . An end of the slide shaft  19 A is fixedly fitted by means of a fitting tool  48  penetrated through the sleeve part  46 . Further, the slide shafts  19 A are respectively penetrated through slide holes  16 A provided in the bearing tools  16  to thereby slidably support the bearing tools  16 . The massage means  8  can be thereby smoothly reciprocated. The slide hole  16 A has a bush  47  fitted thereto in order to increase the slidability with respect to the slide shaft  19 A.  
      The both ends of the rotation shaft  3  supported by the support holes  32  of the bearing tools  16  are protruded from the support holes  32 , and end parts of the crank arms  20  vertically extending with respect to the rotation shaft  3  are fixed to the protruding ends of the rotation shaft  3 . The crank arm  20  is non-rotatably fixed to the rotation shaft  3  by fitting a mounting hole  49  formed in one end of the crank arm  20  to the end part of the rotation shaft  3 , and further engaging a fitting tool  50  screwed into the one end of the crank arm  20  with a key groove  51  in the end part of the rotation shaft  3 .  
      Further, the crank arm  20  has a guiding body  21  in another end of thereof. The guiding body  21  of the present embodiment comprises a support shaft  52  extending in parallel with the rotation shaft  3  and a roll  53  rotatably supported by the support shaft  52 . The crank arm  20  is formed so that a length thereof extending from a pivoting point with respect to the rotation shaft  3  to the guiding body  21  is, for example, 40 to 90 mm, and 65 mm in the present embodiment.  
      As shown in  FIG. 8 , the vertical guide fitting  23  according to the present embodiment comprises a substrate  23 A having a shape of an upright rectangular plate, side pieces  23 B formed from both ends of the substrate  23 A bent by 90 degrees in the same direction, an upper piece  23 C and a lower piece  23 D formed from upper and lower ends of the substrate  23 A bent by 90 degrees and serving to connect upper and lower ends of the side pieces  23 B, and a pair of guide pieces  23 E vertically extending between the upper piece  23 C and the lower piece  23 D inward of the side pieces  23 B. The vertical guide fitting  23  is fixedly fitted to the leg part  25  of the box body  10  by means of a fitting tool  54  screwed into the substrate  23 A between the side piece  23 B and the guide piece  23 E. The vertical guide fitting  23  according to the present embodiment is preferable in that it is directly stably fitted to the box body  10  and does not require any additional fitting tool to be interposed because of the direct fitting to the box body  10 , thereby being reduced in size. The pair of guide pieces  23 E movably guides the roll  53  fitted with a play therebetween in the vertical direction to thereby constitute the guiding part  22 .  
      The vertical guide fittings  23  are respectively mounted on the both side parts  10 A of the box body  10  and engaged with the crank arms  20  pivoted on the both ends of the rotation shaft  3 . The crank arms  20  on the both sides are fixed to the rotation shaft  3  so that they are tilted at the same degrees in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation shaft  3 .  
      Thus, the crank arm  20  is rotated by the rotation of the rotation shaft  3  around the rotation shaft  3 . At that time, the roll  53  at an edge of the crank arm  20  is guided by the guiding part  22  of the vertical guide fitting  23  to thereby vertically slide between the guide pieces  23 E. The roll  53 , however, two-dimensionally (horizontally) maintains an identical position because the vertical guide fitting  23  is fixed to the leg part  25  of the box body  10 . As a result, the rotation shaft  3  movably supported by the slide shaft  19 A relatively moves in the horizontal direction and in the direction orthogonal to the rotational central line.  
      More specifically, as shown  FIG. 7 (A), when the crank arm  20  is in an upright position upward from the rotation shaft  3 , the rotation shaft  3  is in a center position because the rotation shaft and the roll  53  are vertically lined up. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated in a right direction on the drawing, the crank arm  20  is gradually tilted to the right, and the roll  53  slides downward in the guiding part  22 . Therefore, the rotation shaft  3  relatively supported by the slide shaft  19 A moves in a left direction on the drawing. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 90 degrees, as shown in  FIG. 7 (B), the crank arm  20  is rotated to the right until it is disposed in the horizontal direction. The rotation shaft  3 , therefore, relatively moves by d 1  to the left from the center position. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 180 degrees, as shown in  FIG. 7 (C), the crank arm  20  moves to a position downward from the rotation shaft  3 . At that time, the rotation shaft  3  returns to the center position since the rotation shaft  3  and the roll  53  are vertically lined up. Further, when the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 270 degrees, as shown in  FIG. 7 (D), the crank arm  20  is rotated to the left until it is in disposed in the horizontal position on the drawing. The rotation shaft  3 , therefore, relatively moves by d 2  to the right from the center position. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 360 degrees, the rotation shaft  3  returns to the initial position shown in FIG. (A).  
      Thus, the rotation shaft  3  supported by the moving means  9  including the guiding tools  19 , crank arms  20 , vertical guide fittings  23  repeatedly reciprocates in the direction orthogonal to the rotational central line by means of its own rotational force applied by the drive unit  2 . Therefore, the massage body  7  provided in the rotation shaft  3  repeatedly reciprocates in the direction orthogonal to the rotational central line while massaging the user&#39;s massage part  4  using the pressing parts  6  to thereby press and stimulate the massage part  4  at different positions in turn. As a result, the user can enjoy the effective massage result obtained in a plurality of massage parts without changing his/her posture.  
      The crank arm  20  is formed so that the length thereof extending from the pivoting point with respect to the rotation shaft  3  to the guiding body  21  is, as described, 40 to 90 mm (65 mm in the present embodiment), the stroke of the reciprocation is arranged to be 80 to 180 mm, preferably 100 to 160 mm, and 130 mm in the present embodiment. When the stroke is less than 80 mm, the massage is given in too a small range. Therefore, the massage effect is reduced because the user feels unsatisfied getting used to the pressing and stimulation too soon. When the stroke exceeds 180 mm, it is rather awkward to use the massage apparatus because the massage is given beyond a range to be massaged in sole, thigh, arm, or the like.  
      The number of reciprocations of the massage body  7 , which is controlled by the rotation number control implemented by the drive unit  2  and the deceleration ratio of the deceleration unit  35 , is desirably set to 20 to 90 times/min, and more desirably to 30 to 65 time/min. In the present embodiment, the number of reciprocations is set to three stages of 30, 45, and 60 times/min. When the number of reciprocations of the massage body  7  is less than 20 times/min, the moving speed of the massage body  7  is too slow, which results in a lowered massage effect because of the user&#39;s dissatisfaction for the pressing and stimulation. When the number of reciprocations of the massage body  7  exceeds 90 time/min, the massage body  7  moves too fast, which reduces the massage effect obtained from the pressing and stimulation applied by the pressing parts  6 .  
      The box body  10  is supported by a stand  55 . The stand  55  comprises a substrate  55 A, and support walls  55 B provided distant from the substrate  55 A. The support walls  55 B are disposed so as to face the side parts  10 A of the box body  10  and oscillatably supports the side parts  10 A by means of a pivoting means  55 C. Further, the side walls  55 B are covered with a dressing cap  55 D, and the box body  10  is housed in a dressing case  56 .  
       FIGS. 9 and 10  show another embodiment of the present embodiment. Any component, which is identical to those recited in the previous embodiment, is not described in the present embodiment and simply provided with the same reference symbols. A drive unit  2  according to the present embodiment is combined with the rotation shaft  3  via the deceleration unit  35  and thereby moves in conjunction with the movement in the moving direction orthogonal to the rotational central line of the rotation shaft  3 . The drive unit  2  is slidably supported in the moving direction by a retaining body  26  having a short cylindrical shape and provided in the standing manner in the substrate  55 A of the box body  10 . The retaining body  26  comprises a bush (not shown) in an inner peripheral surface thereof and fixed to the substrate  55 A by means of a fixing tool  57 . The fixing tool  57  has an angle shape comprising a substrate  57 A and a rising plate  57 B bent upward from an end portion of the substrate  57 A. The substrate  57 A is fixedly fitted to the substrate  55 A by means of a fitting tool  58 , and fits the retaining body  26  to a mounting hole of the rising plate  57 B. Thus, the drive unit  2  according to the present embodiment is preferable in that the massage means  8  is smoothly reciprocated because the drive unit  2  is supported so as to move in the moving direction by the retaining body  26  provided in the standing manner in the box body  10 .  
      Thus, when the rotation shaft  3  is reciprocated in the moving direction together with the massage means  8  by means of the moving means  9 , the drive unit  2  guided by the retaining body  26  moves in response to the movement of the rotation shaft  3 . More specifically, when the rotation shaft  3  is in the center position as shown in  FIG. 7 (A), the drive unit  2  is likewise in the center position as shown in  FIG. 11 (A). When the crank arm  20  is rotated through 90 degrees to the right until it is disposed in the horizontal position and the rotation shaft  3  thereby moves by d 1  to the left from the center position as shown in  FIG. 7 (B), the drive unit  2 , in conjunction with the movement, is guided by the retaining body  26  to thereby move by d 1  to the left, as shown in  FIG. 11 (B). Next, when the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 180 degrees and the rotation shaft  3  thereby returns to the center position as shown in  FIG. 7 (C), the drive unit  2  returns to the center position as shown in  FIG. 11 (A). When the crank arm  20  is rotated to the left until it is disposed in the horizontal position and the rotation shaft  3  thereby moves by d 2  from the center position to the right as shown in  FIG. 7 (D), the drive unit  2  is guided by the retaining body  26  to thereby move by d 2  to the right on the drawing, as shown in  FIG. 11 (C). When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 360 degrees, the drive unit  2  returns to the initial position shown in  FIG. 11 (A). The moving means  9  according to the present embodiment is identical to that of the previous embodiment, and therefore described referring to FIGS.  7 (A) to (D).  
       FIGS. 12 and 13  show still another embodiment of the present embodiment. A frame  59  having a reverse U-letter shape for covering the drive unit  2  is mounted on the box body  10  in a center thereof. An outer peripheral part of the frame  59  is coated with a cushion layer  60  in order to protect the user&#39;s massage part  4 . The cushion layer  60  is formed from sponge such as urethane form or polyethylene form, olefin-based or styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, synthetic rubber such as styrene butadiene rubber or chloroprene rubber, or other material.  
      Resin caps  61  having a curved shape are mounted on the side parts  10 A of the box body  10  in order to prevent edge parts of the side parts  10 A from damaging the user&#39;s massage part  4 . The resin cap  61  is formed from a plastic material such as polyethylene, polypropylen, or polystylene. The massage body  7  and the cushion layer  60  are covered with the sheet body  5  formed from felt, leather, or the like.  
      The stand  55  supporting the box body  10  according to the present embodiment comprises a bent leg  62  and a combining rod  63  as shown in  FIG. 13 . The bent leg  62  comprises a horizontal support rod  62 A, a tilting rod  62 B bent and tilted downward from one end of the support rod  62 A, and a disposing rod  62 C further bent in the same direction below the tilting rod  62 B and extending in parallel with the support rod  62 A, and has an approximate U-letter shape. The combining rod  63  connects end portions of the disposing rods  62 C of the bent legs  62  disposed with an interval therebetween. Further, a support part  64  is formed in the support rods  62 A of the stand  55 . The support part  64  supports the side parts  10 A of the box body  10 . The stand  55  according to the present embodiment is preferable in that a pair of the bent legs  62  and the combining rod  63  are continuous to thereby form a frame shape, thereby achieving a reduced weight and stable support.  
      The present embodiment shows as an example of the support part  64 , which comprises a pivoting means for oscillatably supporting the side part  10 A and a fixing means  66  for fixing an angle of the pivoting. The pivoting means  65  comprises a support substrate  65 A fixedly fitted to the support rod  62 A and a pivoting shaft  65 B formed in a protruding manner in the leg part  25  of the side part  10 A.  
      The support substrate  65 A comprises a substrate main body  65 A 1  having an upright rectangular shape, and flanges  65 A 2  formed from upper and lower ends of the substrate main body  65 A 1  bent by 90 degrees. The lower flange  65 A 2  is welded on the support rod  62 A, and the support substrate  65 A is thereby fixedly fitted to the support rod  62 A. Further, a bush  67  capable of supporting the rotation shaft in a surface contact is fitted and fixed to the center of the support substrate  65 A.  
      The pivoting shaft  65 B has a guiding shaft part  65 B 1  formed so as to have a larger diameter in an edge thereof, and the guiding shaft part  65 B 1  is rotatably inserted into the bush  67 . As a result, the box body  10  is supported so as to rotate around the pivoting shaft  65 B.  
      The fixing means  66  comprises a to-be-engaged part  66 A provided in the pivoting shaft  65 B and an engaging means  66 B engaged with the to-be-engaged part  66 A and disabling the rotation of the pivoting shaft  65 B. The to-be-engaged part  66 A according to the present embodiment is formed from a plurality of indented parts  74  circumferentially provided with intervals therebetween in a peripheral surface of the guiding shaft part  65 B 1 . The indented parts  74  are spaced at a pitch of approximately 15 to 30 degrees with respect to a central line of the pivoting shaft  65 B, and at the pitch of 22.5 degrees in the present embodiment.  
      The engaging means  66 B according to the embodiment comprises an operation lever  68 , a through hole  69  formed in a lower part of the bush  67 , and an engaging ball  70  movable in the through hole  69 .  
      The operation lever  68  comprises a curved part  68 A whose one end is oscillatably fitted to a lower part of the support substrate  65 A by means of a pin  71  and formed along an outer periphery of the bush  67  and a grip part  68 B bent outward from another end of the curved part  68 A. A pull spring  72  for energizing the curved part  68 A toward the bush  67  is mounted on the another end of the curved part  68 A. An inner surface of the curved part  68 A is provided with a protruding piece  73 , whose edge is inserted into the through hole  69  to thereby press the engaging ball  70 .  
      The indented parts  74  are formed in a size capable of fitting an approximate half of the engaging ball  70 . Therefore, the engaging ball  70  pressed by the protruding piece  73  energized by the pull spring  72  is retained in a position between the through hole  69  of the bush  67  and the indented parts  74  of the pivoting shaft  65 B. As a result, the engaging ball  70  prevents the rotation of the pivoting shaft  65 B.  
      When the operation lever  68  is tilted against a spring force by the operation of the grip part  68 B, the protruding piece  73  is, in conjunction with the tilting, retreats in the through hole  69 . Therefore, the engaging ball  70  escapes from the indented parts  74  by its own weight, thereby releasing the engagement between the pivoting shaft  65 B and the bush  67 . In the foregoing state, the user can adjust and select the tilt of the massage means  8  provided in the box body  10 . When the grip part  68 B is returned to the original position in compliance with the spring force after the adjustment, the engaging ball  70  is caught again in the indented parts  74 . As a result, a most suitable tilting subjected to the adjustment and selection can be maintained, which improves the massage effect.  
       FIGS. 16 and 17  show still another embodiment of the present invention. A box body according to the present embodiment is entirely covered with a dressing cover  75 . The dressing cover  75  comprises a cover base part  75 A covering a lower part of the box body  10  and an upper cover  75 B covering an upper part of the massage body  7 . The upper cover  75 B is mounted on the cover base part  75 A by means of a fastener  76  so as to open and close. Further, the upper cover  75 B is made from a thin and flexible fabric, a resin sheet, or the like so that the movement and pressure of the massage body  7  can be directly conveyed to the massage part. In the present embodiment, the box body  10  is used being directly disposed on a floor surface instead of being supported by the stand, as shown in  FIG. 16 . In the foregoing manner, the massage can be given in a stable state, and an entire body of the apparatus can be constituted in a compact size.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , in the present embodiment, a pair of pressing boards  12  supported as tilted in the reverse directions relative to each other with respect to the rotation shaft  3  by means of the tiling bearings  14  each comprise an internal board  12 B rotatably fitted to the tiling bearing  14  and an external board  12 A having a ring shape and fitted to an outer side of the internal board  12 B. On surfaces of the external boards  12 A facing each other are formed pressing parts  6  having a smooth and annular surface. The pressing parts  6  according to the present embodiment are smooth having no uneven part. Therefore, when the pressing parts  6  are rotated, a friction generated with respect to the dressing cover  75  can be reduced, and the pressing parts  6  can be prevented from being hooked on the massage part, thus achieving a smooth operation. The external board  12 A is formed from an elastic material exemplified by styrene-butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, other synthetic rubber olefin-based/styrene-based/urethane-based thermoplastic elastomer, or the like. Further, as shown in  FIG. 19 , indentations  77  can be circumferentially formed with intervals therebetween in the pressing parts  6  of the pressing boards  12 , which is preferable in that the massage effect can be enhanced because the indentations  77  generate a variation in pressing the massage part.  
       FIG. 20  shows still another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 21 , moving means  9  according to the present embodiment each comprise a vertical guide fitting  23  and a circular eccentric cam  78 . A guiding part  22  having a shape of a vertically longer indentation whose vertical central line is tilted with respect to perpendicularity in the vertical guide fitting  23 . The circular eccentric cam  78  is fixedly fitted to the end part of the rotation shaft  3  and inserted into the guiding part  22 . The circular eccentric cam  78  rotating integrally with the rotation shaft  3  slides in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the tilted guiding part  22  to be thereby guided. As a result, the rotation shaft  3  supported by the bearing tools  16  is reciprocated in the direction orthogonal to the central line thereof.  
      More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 22 (A), when the circular eccentric cam  78  is in an upper position of the rotation shaft  3 , the rotation shaft  3  is disposed in a center position. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated in the right direction on the drawing, the circular eccentric cam  78  is gradually tilted to the right. At that time, because a right-side surface of the circular eccentric cam  78  slides downward in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the guiding part  22 , the rotation shaft  3  relatively moves in the left direction on the drawing. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 90 degrees, as shown in  FIG. 22 (B), the circular eccentric cam  78  is rotated to the horizontal position on the right-hand side of the rotation shaft  3 . As a result, the rotation shaft  3  relatively moves by d 1  from the central position to the left. Next, when the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 180 degrees, as shown in  FIG. 22 (C), the circular eccentric cam  78  moves to a lower position of the rotation shaft  3 . At that time, the rotation shaft  3  returns to the central position. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 270 degrees, as shown  FIG. 22 (D), the circular eccentric cam  78  is rotated to the horizontal position on the left-hand side of the rotation shaft  3 . As a result, the rotation shaft  3  relatively moves by d 2  from the central position to the right. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 360 degrees, the circular eccentric cam  78  returns to its original state. As described, it is preferable to use the moving means comprising the tilted guiding part  22  and the circular eccentric cam  78  in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the guiding part because the rotation shaft  3  can be thereby smoothly reciprocated.  
       FIG. 23  shows still another embodiment of the present invention. A moving means  9  according to the present embodiment comprises a guiding tool  19 , a crank arm  20 , and a lever  28 . The guiding tool  19 , which is constituted in the substantially same manner as in the previous embodiment, comprises a pair of slide shafts  19 A having a shape of a horizontal round bar and vertically bridged over the box body  10 . The slide shafts  19 A are respectively penetrated through the slide holes  16 A formed on the bearing tools  16  to thereby slidably support the bearing tools  16 , wherein the massage means  8  can be movably supported in the same manner as described in the previous embodiment.  
      The crank arm  20  has a straight-bar shape, and an end thereof is fixed to an end part of a rotation shaft  3  rotatably supported by the bearing tools  16 . The rotation shaft  3  according to the present embodiment is provided with chamfered square shaft parts  79  formed at the end parts thereof protruding from the bearing tools  16 . The end of the crank arm  20  is fitted into the square shaft part  79  so that the crank arm  20  is fixed to the rotation shaft  3 .  
      The lever  28  has the straight-bar shape in the same manner as the crank arm  20 , and an end thereof is supported by the box body  10 . In the present embodiment, the lever  28  is oscillatably supported by means of a receiving tool  80  comprised of a substrate  80 A and a receiving shaft  80 B provided in the substrate in a protruding manner. More specifically, the end of the lever  28  is engaged with the receiving shaft  80 B of the receiving tool  80 , the substrate  80 A of which is fixed to the leg part  25  of the box body  10 , by means of a fitting tool  81  via a bearing  82 .  
      Further, another end of the crank arm  20  and another end of the lever  28  are rotatably engaged with each other by means of a combining pin  84  comprising a bearing  83 . In the moving means  9  constituted in the foregoing manner, the lever  28  is oscillated in liaison with the rotation of the crank arm  20 , which is rotated in conjunction with the rotation shaft  3 . As a result, a linkage device substantially having a slider crank mechanism, wherein the massage means  8  including the bearing tools  16  and the rotation shaft  3  is reciprocated, is formed.  
      More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 24 (A), when the crank arm  20  is positioned diagonally upward right relative to the rotation shaft  3  and makes a substantially down-turn shape with the lever  28 , the rotation shaft  3  is in a cental position of the reciprocation. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated in a right direction, the crank arm  20  is rotated in the right direction to be thereby more tilted, while the lever  28  is rotated in a left direction to be thereby more tilted. At that time, an interval between the receiving shaft  80 B fixed in the box body  10  and the movable rotation shaft  3  is enlarged, which relatively moves the rotation shaft  3  in the left direction on the drawing. As shown in  FIG. 24 (B), when the crank arm  20  and the lever  28  are rotated to reach a position where they are extended horizontally in a straight line with the combining pin  84  therebetween, the rotation shaft  3  moves in the left direction by d 1  relative to the central position and reaches a left end. Further, as shown in  FIG. 24 (C), when the crank arm  20  reaches a diagonally downward right position relative to the rotation shaft  3  and makes a substantial V-letter shape with the lever  28 , the rotation shaft  3  returns to the central position again. The lever  28  starts to rotate in the right direction in response to a further rotation. As shown in  FIG. 24 (D), when the crank arm  20  and the lever  28  are rotated to reach a position where they are overlapped with each other, the rotation shaft  3  moves in the right direction by d 2  relative to the central position and reaches a right end. When the rotation shaft  3  is rotated through 360 degrees, the initial state shown in  FIG. 24 (A) is regained.  
      According to the present embodiment, a linkage length of the crank arm  20  is arranged to be 75 mm, while a linkage length of the lever  28  is arranged to be 110 mm, as a result of which a stroke of the reciprocation is 150 mm. The stroke of the reciprocation, however, can be optionally set in the range of 80-180 mm mentioned earlier by forming the crank arm  20  and the lever  28  in appropriate lengths.  
      As described, the rotation shaft  3 , which is supported by the moving means  9  including the guiding tools  19 , crank arms  20 , and levers  28 , repeatedly reciprocates in the direction orthogonal to its rotational central line. Therefore, the massage bodies  7  provided in the rotation shaft  3  press and stimulate the different massage parts  4  in turn, thereby providing an effective massage effect. Further, the moving means  9  according to the present embodiment constitutes the linkage device substantially having the slider crank mechanism, wherein the crank arm  20  and the lever  28  are rotated in liaison with each other. Because of the constitution, the reciprocation of the massage means  8  can be smooth and noiseless. Besides, the stroke of the reciprocation can be easily enlarged when the linkage lengths of the crank arm  20  and the lever  28  are changed.