Patent Publication Number: US-7217248-B2

Title: Chair

Description:
The present invention is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/620,338, filed Jul. 17, 2003 now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a chair, particularly to one provided with a simple massage device positioned in a seat, backrest, thigh rest or armrest, having an additional function of massaging to the original function of sitting. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Conventional chairs can be classified into three categories described below.
         (1) A first kind of chairs shown in  FIG. 1 , is a simple chair  1  with a backrest and a seat made of slender bamboo, rattan or soft material, ordinarily used for dining or studying.   (2) A second kind of chairs shown in  FIG. 2  is a chair  2  as a sofa made of springs and foam covered with leather for comfortable sitting, and subsequently costing higher.   (3) A third kind of chairs shown in  FIG. 3 , is a chair  3  like a sofa often seen in guest rooms or waiting rooms in high-class living houses and large hotels, possibly provided with a complicated massage device with a motor for both sitting and massaging, costing very high.       

     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention has been devised to offer a simple chair provided with a simple massage device positioned in a seat, backrest, thigh rest or armrest for two kinds of purposes, sitting and massaging, with not so high cost. 
     The feature of the invention is a massage device combined in a seat, backrest, thigh rest or armrest, with a frame chamber formed in the seat, backrest, or thigh rest for receiving the massage device, which is composed of a frame and a massage roller unit arranged in stringed rows in the frame. Then the massage device forms massage surfaces for a user to sit, lie or rest on, and the user can shift the body on the massage roller unit so as to get massaged by the massage rollers contacting and rotating against the user&#39;s body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first conventional chair: 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a second conventional chair; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a third conventional chair; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a chair in the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of a chair in the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a massage device in the first embodiment of a chair in the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of two rows of massage rollers of the massage device in the first embodiment of a chair in the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of four rows of massage rollers of the massage device in the first embodiment of a chair in the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a side cross-sectional view of the massage device positioned in the seat of a chair in the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a side cross-sectional view of the massage device positioned in a backrest of a chair in the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of another embodiment of a massage device positioned in the seat of a chair in the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a chair capable to lie on in the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is an exploded perspective view of the second embodiment of a chair shown in  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a side view of the second embodiment of a chair used as a lying chair in the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  is a side view of the second embodiment of a chair to be expanded in the present invention; 
         FIG. 16  is another side view of the second embodiment of a chair being collided in the present invention; and, 
         FIG. 17  is a side view of the second embodiment of a chair with its thigh rest collapsed in the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A first embodiment of a chair in the present invention, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , includes a backrest  41  (also with a head rest), a seat  42 , a massage chamber  43  and  44  respectively formed in the backrest  41  and the seat  42  for receiving a massage device  5  therein, 
     The massage device  5 , also referring to  FIG. 6 , is composed of a frame  51 , and a massage roller unit  52  consisting of plural rows of massage rollers  520  fixed in the frame  51 . The massage rollers  520  of each row respectively have a center shaft hole  521  for an elongate center shaft  53  to fit in for keeping (or stringing) the massage rollers respectively provided with a plurality of massage projections  520  spaced apart on its outer surface. Then the massage roller unit  52  can be composed of a single massage surface area (or single shaft transmitting) and double massage surface area (or two shaft transmitting) to contact the use&#39;s body, arranged in the frame  51 . 
     The double massage surface area, referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , uses two independent shafts  53  for stringing the massage rollers, and two pivotal plates  54  and a center shaft  55  for supporting the massage rollers. The two pivotal plates  54  are curved a little outward, having a center shaft hole  540  for the center shaft  55  (maybe a threaded rod or any rod also usable) to fit therein, and two pivotal holes  541  bored at two sides of the center shaft hole  540  at a location little lower than the center shaft hole  540  for two ends of the independent rods  53  to fit pivotal y therein. Further, the center shaft  55  pivotally connects with the frame  51  of the massage device  5 , permitting the massage roller unit  52  to rotate with the center shaft  55  as a pivot, as shown in  FIG. 8 . Therefore, if a user rests the bottom or the back on the massage device  5 , as shown in  FIGS. 9 , and  10 , the user&#39;s body can get massage function by shifting the body rubbingly against the massage rollers unit  52 , which can also be rotated and produce massage action to the user&#39;s bottom or back with the substantial massage surface area. 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the massage roller unit  52  can be made to have the outermost string (or row) of the rollers with the whole outer surface formed to taper gradually from the two outer ends to the center point, or in other words, the whole massaging surface of the that string of the massage roller unit  52  formed a slow recess in the intermediate portion for a user to sit thereon so a special portion of the body may get better massage effect. 
     Further, the massage device  5  can be installed in a backrest  61  or a seat  62  of a lie-down chair  6 , and a thigh rest  7  can also be added to the lie-down chair and combined under the seat  62 , and at the same time two armrests  8  are possible to be pivotally connected at the two sides of the lie-down chair  6 , as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . The thigh rest  7  is composed of a thigh cushion  71  and a bottom base  72 , with the massage device  5  inserted in the center portion of the thigh resting surface  711  of the thigh cushion  71 , and the thigh resting surface  711  has a stop plate  712  fixed vertically projecting up on the outer end. An inverted U-shaped swing plate  723  is provided behind the bottom base  72 , possible to swing forward and backward by a connect rod  722  driven by a motor  721 , fixed with the bottom of the thigh cushion  71  so the thigh cushion  71  may move together, The bottom base  72  is positioned on a pair of rails  724 , with rollers  725  fixed on each outer side of each rail  724  and inserted movably in a C-shaped guide rails  621  at the inner side of the bottom of the feet of the lie-down chair  6 . Further, the rails  724  extend rearward and have a rack  726  respectively on its upper surface, and the racks  726  engage transmitting gears  633  at the two sides of the transmitting motor  622 . The massage devices  5  can also be combined on the upper surface of the armrests  8 . 
     If a user uses the lie-down chair  6  shown in  FIG. 14 , he/she rests two arms on the armrests  8  pulled in a flat condition, starting the motor  622  below the chair  6 . Then the transmitting gears  623  rotates synchronously, moving the racks  726  on the rails  724  to force the thigh rest  7  move forward along the rail  724  to the front of the seat  61  and stop in place. Next, as shown in  FIG. 14 , the user places two thighs on the thigh rest surface  711  of the thigh cushion  71 , with the soles resting on the stop plate  712 . Lastly, the motor  721  is started to move the connect rod  722  so as to move the swing plates  723  and the thigh cushion  71  to swing back and forth synchronously, as shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 . In this way, the stop plate  712  reciprocates back and forth, moving the user&#39;s feet back and forth, massaging the user&#39;s body automatically so long as the user is lying on the chair  6  without need of moving. So the lie-down chair  6  is enhanced in its usefulness and convenience. And it goes without saying that the user uses no more his/her own force to get massages, After massage finished, handling the motor  622  can force the gear  623  to move the thigh rest  7  slide back under the seat  61 , as shown in  FIG. 17 , collapsing the lie down chair  6  to a small size . 
     The chair according to the invention has the following advantages, as can be understood from the foresaid description.
         1. The massage device attached in a chair has a simple structure, having much useful effectiveness by the massage function in addition to the original sitting function of the conventional chairs. Moreover, the chair with a massage device in the invention costs not so high, improving conventional chairs in terms of business and consumers.   2. A user can select the location of the body for massage freely, with its massage device not like traditional one by utilizing two massage surfaces (referring to  FIGS. 9 and 10 ), and the massage surface area is increased by the massage rollers stringed in plurality and possible to be rotated with the center shaft  55  functioning as a pivot.   3. A user can be massaged automatically with no need of shifting the body, by means of the thigh rest  7  moved to reciprocate back and forth by the motor  721  and the connect rod  722  (referring to  FIGS. 15 and 16 ), with the user&#39;s body moved back and forth for the massage device performing massaging, saving user&#39;s force and letting the user relax.       

     While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.