Patent Publication Number: US-6698038-B2

Title: Waterfall foot massager

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a foot massager and more particularly to a waterfall foot massager that is adapted to hold a fluid that may be deposited from above onto a user&#39;s feet. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Devices for soothing a massaging one&#39;s feet are well known in the art. One particular device includes a portable foot bath or basin that holds water into which one&#39;s feet may be placed. Such foot baths typically include a vibrating foot support surface that provides a soothing foot massage. Foot baths may also include a pump mounted within the housing so that the water could be moved within the basin and thereby create a therapeutic current which provides soothing sensations. It is also known to pump air into the basin to agitate the basin fluid and comfort the feet. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,161 to Barradas discloses a foot bath having a heated floor. The floor is heated to provide direct heating to the user&#39;s feet through the floor and by indirectly warming the feet by warming the water in the foot bath. However, Barradas, does not provide any further soothing to a user&#39;s feet besides the sensation of warm water. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,841 to Chan discloses a foot massager having a heated floor positioned in a basin so that the user&#39;s feet may be covered by water. Chan discloses that the floor may be heated and has a plurality of massaging projections on the floor which move to soothe the user&#39;s feet. However, Chan does not soothe the tops of the user&#39;s feet or provide relaxing visual stimulation as the user&#39;s feet are being massaged. 
     Foot baths of the prior art fail to address the overall well being of the user. Vibrating motors and swirling water of the prior art devices create disturbing noise making it difficult for one to fully relax. While the vibration and jetted water may provide desirable stimulation to the feet, the user&#39;s auditory and visual senses are not addressed. 
     Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a foot massager that provides desirable tactile, visual, and auditory sensation to aid in relaxation and provide a feeling of well being. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a foot massager having a waterfall. 
     It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a foot massager that provides desirable tactile, visual and auditory sensation to aid in relaxation and provide a feeling of well being for the user. 
     It is still a further advantage of the present invention to provide a foot massager having a basin adapted to hold a fluid and fluid transport device for moving fluid from the basin to a point above a floor of the basin such that water may fall onto a user&#39;s feet positioned in the basin. 
     In accordance with one form of the present invention the foot massager generally includes a housing having a foot supporting floor and walls extending upwardly therefrom to form a basin adapted to hold a fluid. In the preferred embodiment the fluid is water. Preferably there is a fluid transport device disposed within the housing and being operatively connected to a fluid inlet disposed in the basin. The inlet is preferably positioned near the floor or on the lower half of the walls so that it is disposed below the top surface of the fluid level. The fluid transport device then after taking the fluid into the fluid inlet disposes the fluid out of a fluid outlet to a place disposed above and spaced a distance from the floor of the basin. The fluid outlet and the floor defines a foot receiving space therebetween whereby the fluid exiting the fluid outlet falls through the foot receiving space and into the basin. There may be a mechanical pump that pumps the fluid from the inlet to the outlet. 
     The fluid outlet in the preferred embodiment has a fluid distributor which creates a waterfall effect of the fluid falling onto the user&#39;s feet and into the basin. In the preferred embodiment the fluid distributor may include a laterally extending slot. The slot may be disposed on a cover, which defines the upper limit of the foot receiving space with the cover covering a portion of the basin. The laterally extending slot or channel may have an upstanding lip on the front edge whereby the fluid fills up behind the lip and then overflows over the lip and falls into the basin to form a generally uniform layer of fluid to fall from the outlet. 
     In the preferred embodiment the foot massager further includes a vibration actuator for either vibrating the basin floor or the entire massager unit. The foot massage may also include a heating coil for warming the fluid so that it is comfortable to the touch for the user. It is envisioned that the user may be able to control the vibration, heating and waterfall devices independent of each other and may have an option that allows the user to combine any two of the different options. 
     The present invention may include a center portion in the basin which allows the user to change removable portions of the service of the center portion. The changeable portion of the center portion may allow the users to change the surface so that they may then rub the bottoms of their feet over the changeable surface depending on the attachment used. The attachments may include a pumice stone, roller or a bristle brush. The users may place their feet over the attachment so that they are further relaxed by the soothing sensations on the bottoms of their feet. 
     The basin of the present invention may include pivotally mounted rollers on the floor to further provide soothing sensations to the bottoms of the user&#39;s feet when the massager is in use. These rollers are preferably freely movable and are not actuated by a motor. Another advantage of the present invention is the vibrations from the vibrator actuator may also pass through the rollers positioned on the bottom of the basin. 
     A preferred form of the foot massager as well as other embodiments, objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the present invention having a portion cut-away for clarity; 
     FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the present invention along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of the present invention along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1 showing the path of the fluid existing the outlet; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the present invention of FIG. 1 with a gel insert. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a foot massager  10  that is adapted to retain a fluid, such as water, and receive a user&#39;s feet in the fluid. Foot massager  10  includes a housing  12  having a foot supporting floor  16  and side walls  18  extending upwardly therefrom to define an open basin  14 . In the preferred embodiment, basin  14  is of a size sufficient to receive a person&#39;s feet generally placed side by side next to each other in basin  14 . Foot massager  10  further includes a vibrating motor  13 , which may vibrate the basin  14  to provide a stimulating vibration to a user&#39;s feet. Foot massager  10  is relatively light weight and may be easily moved for use and storage. 
     In order to provide soothing visual, auditory and tactile sensations, foot massager  10  further includes a waterfall  20  that deposits fluid from above into the basin and onto a user&#39;s feet placed therein. In the preferred embodiment, waterfall  20  is created by transporting fluid held in basin  14  up above a foot receiving space  22  and permitting the water to spill out onto the feet positioned below. The falling water flows over the tops of ones feet creating a pleasant sensation. In addition, the gentle sound and visuals generated by the falling water creates a soothing experience. Accordingly, the present invention does not only sooth one&#39;s feet but also aides in overall relaxation. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 2A, in order to create the waterfall effect, the present invention includes a fluid transport device  23  to move the water from the basin  14  to above foot receiving space  22  defined between basin floor  16  and a fluid outlet  47 . Preferably, fluid transport device  23  is an electric pump  24  which may be chosen from any one of a number of pumps well known in the art. Pump  24  may be operatively and sealingly connected to a fluid inlet  26  by a inlet passage  28  and to a fluid outlet  47  by outlet passage  30 . Fluid inlet  26  is preferably formed in basin floor  16  or a lower portion of the side wall  18  such that it is covered with water during operation. Alternatively, there may be a plurality of inlets formed in basin  14 . Preferably, both the inlet passage  28  and the outlet passage  30  are made of a non-corrosive PVC type tubing. Outlet passage  30  extends upward to a point above basin floor  16 , such that pump  24  transports the fluid from the basin  14  to above the users feet where it its then deposited into the basin  14  onto the upper surface of the user&#39;s feet. 
     In a preferred embodiment, a cover  34  may be located on the upper end of side walls  18  so that it partially covers basin  14 , yet still permits one to place their feet within basin  14 . The cover  34  may have fluid outlet  47  positioned thereon. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment fluid outlet  47  and floor  16  define the foot receiving space  22  therebetween such that a user&#39;s feet can be inserted into basin  14  and below cover  34  so that water will fall onto one&#39;s feet and the water in basin  14 . 
     It is contemplated that in an alternative embodiment, the inlet passage  28  and outlet passage  30  for the fluid may be integrally molded into the housing  12  of the massager. The molding of the passages into the housing of the massager  10  would eliminate the need for separate PVC type tubing and would further facilitate production of the massager. An added advantage of having the fluid passages molded into the housing, is that less parts would be needed for assembly. It is contemplated that the routing of the fluid could take many forms, so long as the fluid which is transported from the basin  14  is later deposited into the basin  14  at a point above the user&#39;s feet. 
     Prior to the water falling into basin  14 , the outlet passage  30  terminates to allow the water to exit at fluid outlet  47 . In the preferred embodiment, fluid outlet  47  includes a fluid distributor  51  (FIG. 1) that permits the fluid to fan out so that it generally falls in a longitudinal sheet as in a naturally occurring waterfall. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the fluid distributor  51  may have a split passage which creates a separate water fall for each feet. Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention may have fluid outlet  47  come to a junction  49  that directs the fluid to the fluid distributor  51 . There may be one fluid distributor  51  positioned over each of the user&#39;s feet to create a dual water fall effect. 
     In an alternative embodiment, fluid distributor  51  may include a waterfall shelf  36  contained in cover  34 . As shown in FIG. 3, waterfall shelf  36  includes a trough  40  extending along the length of the waterfall shelf  36 . Preferably, the shelf  36  is inclined to facilitate the falling of the fluid from the trough  40 . Trough  40  has a bottom portion  42  with upward rising walls  44  to create the trough  40  which has an open space  46 . The outlet passage  30  may have an outlet passage opening  48  that is positioned above trough  40  in the open space  46  so that when the fluid exits the opening  48  it fills trough  40  with fluid. The opening  48  may be positioned adjacent to the trough  40  in an alternative embodiment so long as the trough is adequately filled with fluid by the opening  48 . The trough  40  has a front lip  46  positioned under the front edge of the waterfall shelf  36 . The front lip  46  is formed by one of the upward rising walls  44 . When the fluid coming out of the opening  48  fills the trough  40  so that the fluid level in the trough  40  overflows, the fluid will flow over the front lip  46  into the basin  14 . Cover  34  is preferably made so that it is aesthetically pleasing to they eye while at the same time hiding the trough  40  and the outlet passage opening  48 . Referring to FIG. 2A the present invention shows the path of the fluid exiting fluid distributors  51 . 
     In a further alternative embodiment (not shown), the fluid distributor  51  may include a pair of laterally extending slots integrally formed in the cover  34 . Either one slot which extends substantially the width of the cover  34  or a pair of slots positioned on each side of the cover  34  from the center to form an individual waterfall for each foot may be employed. Preferably, the outlet that is connected to the fluid distributor  51  allows the fluid or water to fill the slots with water so that the water is then spread out forming a wide laterally extending fluid output. The water upon spreading laterally then flows over the upwardly extending walls of the slots formed in the cover  34  and then over the front lip  46  of the cover  34 . 
     The foot massager  10  of the present invention also includes a vibration actuator for providing additional massage therapy to the feet. In the preferred embodiment, the vibration actuator may include an eccentric motor  13  placed within the housing. It is preferable that the vibration actuator is positioned such that it evenly distributes a vibrating sensation to the bottoms and sides of the user&#39;s feet. Preferably, the entire housing of the massager will vibrate such that any part of the person&#39;s feet which may be contacting the basin  14  of the massager  14  may have the sensation of a soothing vibrating massager. The types of eccentric motor  13  that is used for vibration are well known in the art and are not discussed in further detail. In addition, it is within the contemplation of the present invention that other well-known vibration actuators could be employed to provide the desired massage. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, the present invention may have a housing  12  having both an outer wall  70  and inner wall  72 . The inner wall  72  forms the actual side walls  18  of the basin  14 . In the preferred embodiment, the floor  16  has a textured surface  74 . The textured surface  74  may have a plurality of nodes  76  extending upward from the floor  16 . Preferably the nodes  76  have a semi-circular cross section to form a stimulating surface for the user&#39;s feet. In the preferred embodiment, the nodes  76  are made of a rigid material such as rubber or a hard plastic. One advantage of having the nodes  76  is that when the vibration actuator is activated, the vibrations may pass through the nodes  76  to stimulate and soothe the bottoms of the user&#39;s feet. The floor  16  may include a roller  78  with a textured surface so that the users may further soothe their feet by moving their feet within the basin  14 . The roller  78  preferably has a textured surface with a plurality of raised nodes  80 . The roller  78  may be pivotally mounted to the floor  16  so that the roller  78  may freely rotate around its center axis  82 . The user would move their feet over the roller  78  so that it would provide a massaging sensation. In another embodiment, the nodes may be moved by a vibration actuator to provide stimulation for the user&#39;s feet (not shown). 
     The present invention may further include a heating element (not shown) for warming the fluid in the basin. The heating element may be used to warm the fluid in the basin to further soothe the user feet by eliminating the sometimes initial cold feeling that is experienced when using prior foot spas which do not warm the fluid in the basin. 
     The foot massager of the present invention includes various functions such as the waterfall, vibration, and heating element. These functions may be selectively controlled by a control circuit  89 . Control circuit includes a control mechanism  90  connected to control knob  50  which is preferably position in an upper portion of the housing  12  so that it is easily accessed by the user. The control mechanism  90  may be operatively connected to heating element, eccentric motor  13  and pump  24 . The control mechanism  90  may allow for various setting such as all options off, vibration only, waterfall only and waterfall and vibration simultaneously. It is envisioned that the heat will always be activated when any of the options are chosen, except when the foot massager is in the off position. The various components may be electrically connected together to achieve the desired control in a manner well known in the art. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, center portion  52  is used to hold various components of the foot massager  10 , and includes a foot care station  53 . The foot care station  53  is preferably located in the center of the basin  14  to provide easy access for either of the user&#39;s feet. The foot care station  53  preferably includes an attachment section  58  positioned on the top to further facilitate its use. The attachment section  58  has selectively removeably supported attachments  60  which may interchange depending on the user&#39;s needs. The attachments  60  may include a brush, a roller or a pumice stone. 
     Th attachments  60  are preferably held in place by a friction fit. The friction fit should be of sufficient strength to hold the attachment  60  in place while the user rubs the bottoms of their feet against the attachment  60 . One advantage of the attachment section  58  of the present invention, is that the attachments  60  may be easily changed without the need for any special skills or tools. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, a cushioning insert  100  may be placed in the basin  14  to further soothe a user&#39;s feet. In the preferred embodiment, the cushioning insert  100  can be a gel pad or other cushioning material. Once such material that can be used is Shell Krayton TPE, shore “A” scale, number  13  through  15 . Preferably, the cushioning insert  100  is contoured to fit on the basin floor  16  to provide a more cushioned area for a user to put their feet. The cushioning insert  100  may be heated or cooled prior to using by the user by either using heating in a microwave or possibly refrigerating to make cold. The cushioning insert  100  can be used to allow the vibrations from the vibration actuator to be evenly dispersed to the user&#39;s feet to increase comfort. In the preferred embodiment the cushioning insert  100  may follow the outer contours of the user&#39;s feet to further increase the comfort experienced by the user. 
     Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been described herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiment and that various other changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.