Patent Publication Number: US-2012028764-A1

Title: Hand-exercising and wrist-massaging platform

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 (e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/400,360 filed on Jul. 27, 2010, the entire disclosure of this provisional patent application is hereby incorporated by reference. Should any inconsistencies exist between the incorporated provisional patent application and the present disclosure, the latter governs to the extent necessary to resolve definiteness issues. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The carpal tunnel is a narrow channel in the wrist formed by ligament and bone. Tendons and nerves pass through the carpel tunnel on route to the hand. When these tendons are stressed, they swell inside the carpel tunnel and compress adjacent nerves. This compression causes numbness and/or weakness in the hand and can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. 
     SUMMARY 
     A self-administration platform is provided which can be used for the treatment of carpal tunnel and other arm-hand-wrist conditions. The platform allows hand exercising in manner imitating the motions of kneading dough and at the same time massages the wrists in a manner known to relieve discomfort. The hand-exercising and wrist-massaging platform can be used conveniently in almost any home setting without a power source and/or without the supervision of medical personnel. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1-2  show front and rear views of the hand-exercising and wrist-massaging platform. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, a hand-exercising and wrist-massaging platform  10  is shown. The illustrated platform  10  comprises a base pad  20 , a kneadable mound  30 , and a relatively firm stage  40 . The mound  30  is adapted for hand kneading to provide hand exercise and the stage  40  is adapted for wrist engaging to provide wrist massage as the mound  30  is being kneaded. The platform  10  can also comprise raised ridge  50  adapted to angle arm for optimum wrist massaging by the stage. 
     The base pad  20  has a top surface  21 , a front wall  22 , a rear wall  23 , and lateral walls  24 . The kneadable mound  30  projects upward from the base pad  20  (i.e., upward from its top surface  21 ) and resides on rear region of the base pad  20 . The stage  40  is located forward of the mound  30  and resides on mid region of the base pad  20 . And the raised ridge  50  is located forward of the stage  40  and resides on a front region of the base pad  20 . 
     The base pad  20  can have a generally rectangular plan shape with rounded rear corners, and a substantially uniform thickness. The pad  20  can be preferably dimensioned for use on standard tables, desks, and other flat surfaces. Additionally or alternatively, a stiff mat  60  can be positioned under the base pad  20  to serve as a sturdy foundation for it and its topographic items. 
     The mound  30  can comprise any projected mass which allows kneading actions (e.g., pushing, pressing, pulling, pinching, etc.) to be performed thereon. In the illustrated platform  10 , the mound  30  has a ramp-like shape with a top wall  31  slanting upward in the rearward direction. A rear wall  32  and side walls  33  connect the top wall  31  to the base pad  20 . Other slanted, non-slanted, curved, and/or random mound geometries are possible and contemplated. 
     The stage  40  comprises, in the illustrated platform  10 , a pair of bumpy rostrums  41  situated to receive both wrists. The rostrums  41  can be parabolic in shape, as shown, with their apexes pointed in the forward direction. Depending upon platform design, they may be recessed, raised, and/or flush relative to the top surface  21  of the base pad  20 . Ribs  42  can project outward from the rostrums  41  for massaging engagement with the wrists. 
     Although the stage  40  comprises a rostrum  41  for each wrist, this need not be the case. A single rostrum  41  can be provided to accommodate both wrists of a person using the platform  10 . Or the platform  10  can be designed for use with only arm, whereby only one rostrum  41  would be provided. Additionally or alternatively, other types of ribs and non-rib massaging features can be utilized in the rostrum  41 . 
     The illustrated ridge  50  comprises a rounded hill occupying the front edge region of the base pad  20 . The ridge&#39;s top wall  51  reaches from the pad&#39;s front wall  22  to its top surface  21 , and the ridge&#39;s side wall  52  connects the top wall  51  thereto. The height of the ridge  50  can be greater than that of stage  40  and/or less than that of the kneadable mound  30 . 
     The base pad  20 , the kneadable mound  30 , the stage  40 , and the ridge  50  may be formed in one piece. Specifically, for example, an elastomeric casing, having a configuration corresponding to the platform profile, can surround a core having the desired characteristics of the pad  20 , the mound  30 , the stage  40 , and the ridge  50 . 
     To use the platform  10 , a person would situate his/her arm so that the hand is positioned palm-down to knead the mound  30  and the wrist engages the stage  40 . With two-handed design, as is illustrated, both hands are positioned palm-down on the mound  30  and both wrists engage the stage  40 . The mound  30  is then kneaded with the hand or hands, whereby wrist massaging simultaneously occurs. The kneading motion can entail, for example, the pressing-pushing-pulling actions done when kneading dough for bread baking. 
     Additionally or alternatively, a person can stand adjacent to the rear wall  23  of the base pad  20  and extend his/her arms downward to the kneading mound  30 . The mound  30  can then pressed-pushed-pulled-pinched in a dough-kneading fashion. By standing above the device, the person would be able to exert more pressure and his/her movements would more closely imitate kneading actions. 
     The platform  10  can be heated or cooled prior to kneading to enhance its therapeutic effects. In a home setting, this heating/cooling can be accomplished with ordinary kitchen appliances. The platform  10  can be heated, for example, in a microwave. And/or it can be cooled, for example, in a food refrigerator. 
     The platform  10  can be constructed in any suitable manner allowing it to be used in the desired setting. The pad  20 , the mound  30 , the stage  40 , and the ridge  50  can be formed in one piece during platform production. Such a one-piece construction can comprise, for example, a one-piece core surrounded by a one-piece core. Alternatively, multiple core members and/or plural casing parts can be assembled together to form the platform  10 . 
     In any event, the platform core can be constituted non-uniformly so as to have distinct properties depending upon its corresponding component. For example, the pad core portion can have rigid qualities, the mound core portion can have kneadable consistencies, the stage core portion can have a firm feel, and the ridge core portion can have cushioning attributes. This can be accomplished by different core compositions and/or curing techniques being employed. 
     Additionally or alternatively, core portions can incorporate materials causing or enhancing their desired characteristics. The rigid/firm portions (e.g., the pad/stage portions) can adopt reinforcing beams, rods, or plates. The kneadable portion can adopt pellets, ovoids, balls, or other granular objects that are movable with each other a generally fluidic non-friction fashion. The ridge portion can integrate foam or other cushioning packing. 
     In some cases, however, the core can comprise the same material throughout the platform  10 , as the geometries of the topographic components will result in the desired characteristics. The relatively large mass of the mound  30 , for example, would result in it being more compressible or “kneadable” than the thinner stage  40 , especially when the pad  20  is supported on a sturdy stratum. For similar reasons, the ridge  50  could be cushionable, but not necessarily kneadable, due to its proportional size. 
     The casing could be, for example, cloth, latex, nylon, polyester, or other covering that appropriately encases the core. The casing can be elastic and/or resilient to provide or enhance the compliancy of appropriate platform parts (e.g., the mound  30  and/or the ridge  50 ). Alternatively, the casing can be nonelastic and/or nonresilient whereby the core is relied upon to convey these characteristics. 
     A single molded structure constituting both the core and the casing is also feasible and foreseeable. 
     One may now appreciate that the hand-exercising and wrist-massaging platform  10  can be used for the treatment of carpal tunnel and other arm-hand-wrist conditions. Although the platform  10 , the base pad  20 , the kneading mound  30 , the massaging stage  40 , the ridge  50 , and/or the underlay  60  have been shown in described with respect to one or more embodiments, modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.