Patent Publication Number: US-2009222024-A1

Title: Dermabrasion handpiece

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a dermabrasion handpiece. 
     More specifically, the present invention relates to a handpiece adapted to perform micro-pulsed massages and to abrade the epidermis of a patient. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Skin abrasion handpieces are known in the field of cosmetics. 
     For example, a handpiece of this type is described U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,983. 
     In a first embodiment described in this document, the distal end is provided with a central hole surrounded by an abrasive element. The hole is connected to a vacuum source for aspirating a portion of skin and for putting such portion of skin into contact with the abrasive element. The operator, by manually displacing the handpiece on the patient&#39;s skin, abrades the same. 
     In another embodiment described in the same document, a rotating blade is used to abrade the skin. 
     However, such handpieces only approximately solve the problem of performing a homogenous skin abrasion. Furthermore, some embodiments, such as that which contemplate a rotating blade, are potentially dangerous. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to make a dermabrasion device which is also capable of performing micro-massage actions on the patient&#39;s skin. 
     According to the present invention, a dermabrasion device is thus made according to the attached claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a non-limitative example of embodiment thereof, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows an assembly view of the handpiece object of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the assembly in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows a longitudinal section and two side views of a first element comprised in the handpiece shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows a longitudinal section and two side views of a second element comprised in the handpiece shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows a longitudinal section, a side view and two transversal sections of a third element comprised in the handpiece shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ; 
         FIG. 6  shows a side view of a fourth element comprised in the handpiece shown in  FIG. 1 ,  2 ; 
         FIG. 7  shows a side view, a longitudinal section and a plan view of a fifth element comprised in the handpiece shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ; and 
         FIG. 8  shows a section view of the components of a head used in the handpiece in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , numeral  10  generically indicates, as a whole, an innovative handpiece adapted to abrade a user&#39;s skin and adapted to further perform micro-pulsed massages. 
     Handpiece  10  comprises a first half-shell  11  and a second half-shell  12 , which, by means of four screws  13  (accommodated in corresponding seats  14 ) define a casing CT, which encloses therein a plurality of functional elements which will be described hereafter. 
     Proceeding from right to left in the exploded view in  FIG. 2 , handpiece  10  comprises on a first proximal end  10   a  a plastic spiral-like element  15  crossed by a flexible electrical wire  16  by means of which an electrical connection of handpiece  10  itself to a programmable dermabrasion machine (not shown) is obtained. 
     One end of electrical wire  16  end with a cable gland element  17  (integral with element  15 ), in turn fixed to half-shells  11 ,  12 , by means of a washer  18  which is located on the other side with respect to an abutment  19  integral with second half-shell  12 . 
     In other words, one portion  17   a  of cable gland element  17  rests on a surface  20  of second half-shell  12 , while washer  18  is in contact with a surface  21 , again of second half-shell  12 . Washer  18  is screwed onto a threaded portion  17   b  of cable gland element  17 , thus fixing cable gland element  17  to the two half-shells  11 ,  12 . 
     Electrical wire  16  supplies a direct-current, low-voltage electrical motor  22 , accommodated in use between two half-shells  11 ,  12 . 
     Electrical motor  22  presents a shaft  23  which is inserted in use in a hole  24  obtained in a first support  25  ( FIG. 3 ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , axis (a) of shaft  23  presents an eccentricity (e) with respect to a central axis (b) of handpiece  10 . 
     Furthermore, shaft  23  is fixed to first support  25  by means of two threaded dowels  26 , each of which is inserted in a corresponding threaded through hole  27 ,  28 , with axis (c) perpendicular to axes (a) and (b). The free ends of threaded dowels  27  are tightened about shaft  23  and make it integral with first support  25  ( FIG. 3 ). 
     As shown again in  FIG. 3 , first support  25  has a seat  29  (essentially conical) adapted to accommodate a first portion of a ball  30 . 
     A second portion of ball  30  is contained in a seat  31  (also essentially conical) made in a second support  32  ( FIG. 4 ) which is located in use on the opposite side of first support  25  with respect to ball  30 . 
     The whole of first support  25 , second support  32  and ball  30  creates a motion transmission joint GT having particular features, as better described below. 
     A seat  33  obtained in second support  32  accommodates a first end  34   a  of a spring  34  crossed by an end  35   a  of a head-holding shaft  35  ( FIG. 6 ). 
     During assembly, end  35   a  of head-holding shaft  35  is further made to cross through a ball joint  36  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     Furthermore, head-holding shaft  35  presents a shoulder  35   b  on which a second end  34   b  of spring  34  rests ( FIGS. 2 ,  6 ). 
     By comparing the two  FIGS. 3 and 4 , it is inferred that seats  29  and  31  are identical, conical, and both with axis of symmetry (b). 
     Furthermore, head-holding shaft  35 , like spring  34 , has axis (b). 
     In turn, ball joint  36  is accommodated in a supporting bush  37  ( FIG. 5 ). Furthermore, the external surface of ball joint  36  is locked onto support bearing  37  by the action of three dowels  38  arranged at  1200  with respect to each other, each of which is fastened into a corresponding threaded seat  37   a  with axis (d) perpendicular to axis (b) ( FIGS. 2 ,  5 ). 
     The presence of such ball joint  36 , in addition to the eccentricity (e) of shaft  23  with respect to axis (b) ( FIG. 3 ), allows an “orbital” movement of head-holding shaft  35  and of the corresponding parts integral to it (see below), with positive effects on skin abrasion uniformity, precision and “smoothness”. 
     Spring  34  has a two-fold function. In virtue of the intentionally present clearance, on one hand a certain beating, i.e. high-frequency vibration (micro-pulsation), of head-holding shaft  35  is allowed, and on the other hand ball  30  is maintained correctly in place between the two seats  29 ,  31 , also in conditions of maximum effort or of creation of excessive clearance generated by the possible wear of seats  29 ,  31  due to the rolling action of ball  30  itself. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  6 , head-holding shaft  35  presents two threaded portions  35   c,    35   d.    
     A lock nut  39  ( FIG. 2 ) is screwed onto threaded portion  35   c  to “sandwich” ball joint  36  against an abutment  37   b  provided in support bush  37  ( FIG. 5 ). 
     A head-holding support  40 , which allows to accommodate abrasive heads T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , T 5  by pressure (in virtue of the presence of two O-rings  41 ,  42 ) is fastened onto the other end  35   e  (presenting treaded portion  35   d ) of head-holding shaft  35 . 
     Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 7 , head-holding support  40  presents an essentially cylindrical shape on whose outer surface two grooves  43 ,  44  are obtained, each of which is adapted to accommodate a corresponding O-ring  41 ,  42 . 
     Furthermore, a blank threaded hole  45  (with axis (b)) is obtained in head-holding support  40  into which end  35   e  of head-holding shaft  35  is fastened in use. 
     A cylindrical through hole  46 , which allows the release of air from inside abrasive head T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , T 5  during its assembly on the head-holding support  40  extends parallelly to blank threaded hole  45 . 
     Each head T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , T 5  comprises three parts. 
     Specifically, each head T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , T 5  comprises a cylindrical support  47  which is hinged onto head-holding support  40  (and kept still by the O-rings  41 ,  42 ), a slightly rounded ring  48  of abrasive material (for example, silicon carbide, of variable grain among five different FEPA grain size values from 280 to 1200), and a plastic material plate element  49 , which inserted in the plastic cylindrical support  47  allows to keep ring  48  itself in position. 
     Handpiece  10  is completed by an electronic board SP (fixed to the first half-shell by means of two screws  43 ) and an operating button PL of electrical motor  22  and thus of heads T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , T 5  ( FIGS. 1 ,  2 ). 
     In addition to heads T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , T 5  having variable grain size, shaft  23  of electrical motor  22  may be made to rotate at different speeds (e.g. at three different speeds) to implement different dermabrasion treatments. 
     All components  22 ,  23 ,  25 ,  26 ,  30 ,  32 ,  34 ,  39 ,  36 ,  37 ,  38 , and a portion of  35  are contained within a space defined by the coupling of two half-shells  11 ,  12  by means of screws  13  ( FIGS. 1 ,  2 ). 
     The operation of handpiece  10  object of the present invention is easily inferred from description above. 
     The rotation of shaft  23  generates a similar rotation of first support  25 . Motion is transmitted firstly to ball  30  and then to second support  32  to which shaft  35  is fixed. Since axis (a) of shaft  23  is offset by an eccentricity (e) with respect to axis (b) of the handpiece, an oscillation is generated on ball  30 , oscillation which is transmitted to second support  32  and to shaft  35 , which, being supported by ball joint  36 , starts oscillating about axis (b). 
     The oscillations are thus transmitted to head-holding support  40  and to head T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , T 5  which is in use in that moment. 
     It must further be noted that the movement of ring  48  is not only vibratory but also oscillatory with respect to a laying plane initially perpendicular to axis (b). In this manner, an oscillatory motion of ring  47  with respect to a plane perpendicular to axis (b) is generated, which is transposed into a series of pleasant micro-massages on the patient&#39;s skin in addition to the dermabrasion action due to the vibratory motion about axis (b). 
     In use, an operator (not shown), after having carefully chosen one of heads T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , T 5  (according to the type of treatment to be performed), selects a rotation speed of shaft  23  (and thus the vibration speed ring  47  on the skin to be treated), for example by means of a sector situated on the dermabrasion machine (not shown) to which handpiece  10  is electrically connected. The operator then displaces ring  47  over the entire body surface to be treated. 
     The main advantage of above-described handpiece  10  object of the present invention consists in that by means of a simple mechanism comprising two supports  25 ,  32  and a ball  30  it is possible to transform the single rotational movement of shaft  23  of electrical motor  22  into vibrations and oscillations by means of which a pleasant massage is performed in addition to a dermabrasion on the patient&#39;s skin.