Patent Publication Number: US-2004059386-A1

Title: Low frequency foot-electric stimulating assistor

Description:
[0001] The present invention is a continuation in part (CIP) of U.S. patent series No. 10/253,817, filed at Sep. 25, 2002, which is incorporated into the present invention as a part of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] (a) Field of the Invention  
       [0003] The present invention relates to a low frequency foot-electric stimulating assistor, more particular to an electric stimulating piece comprising a conductive film made of copper foils or conductive rubber materials and at least a pair of positive and negative electrodes embedded therein; the electrodes are connected either in series or in parallel. Activated by a controller, a number of electrode pairs can be chosen to emit low-frequency electromagnetic waves, and therefore the electric stimulating piece, taking the shape of a shoe pad, can be applied to provide an electrically stimulated massage via low-frequency waves to the acupuncture points on the bottom of a human foot.  
       [0004] (b) Description of the Prior Art  
       [0005] The foot massaging devices of the prior art usually adopt a mechanism of an eccentric wheel or a foot stepping pad having granules formed thereon to produce a massaging effect. In close contact with a foot as the foot is pressed on, those devices stimulate the acupuncture points on the bottom of a human foot. In spite of structural simplicity, the massaging effect is less prominent.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] The purpose of the present invention is for providing a low frequency foot-electric stimulating assistor, which is an electric stimulating piece comprising a conductive film made of copper foils or conductive rubber materials and at least a pair of positive and negative electrodes embedded therein; the electrodes are connected either in series or in parallel. Activated by a wired or wireless controller, a number of electrode pairs can be chosen to emit low-frequency electromagnetic waves. When a foot rest passively on the electric stimulating piece, those activated electrode pairs can electrically stimulate the foot acupuncture points they correspond to, achieving a massaging effect that could promote the blood circulation therein.  
       [0007] More particularly, the present invention of a low frequency foot-electric stimulating assistor can embody itself in a shoe pad of a shoe, on which the positive and negative electrodes are distributed according to the acupuncture points in the reflex areas on the bottom of a human foot. Activated by a controller, a number of electrode pairs can be chosen to provide low frequency electrically stimulated massage to the corresponding acupuncture points, which may promote health. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0008]FIG. 1 illustrates a partial section of an electric stimulating piece composed of at least one pair of positive and negative electrodes, connected in series or in parallel, embedded in a conductive film.  
     [0009]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the electric stimulating piece illustrated in FIG. 1.  
     [0010]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the controller used with the electric stimulating piece.  
     [0011]FIG. 4 illustrates the acupuncture points on the bottom of a human foot.  
     [0012]FIG. 5 is a top view of an embodiment of the present invention as a shoe-pad electric stimulating piece.  
     [0013]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention as a shoe-pad electric stimulating piece integrated in a shoe.  
     [0014]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an,embodiment of the present invention in which two electric stimulating pieces integrated in a massage treading pad.  
     [0015]FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0016]FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0017]FIG. 10 shows a yet embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0018]FIG. 11 shows a further embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0019]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention applied to a shoe.  
     [0020]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention applied to a shoe.  
     [0021]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention applied to a shoe.  
     [0022]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention in which two electric stimulating pieces integrated in a massage treading pad 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this present invention as a low frequency foot-electric stimulating assistor in which at least one pair of positive and negative electrodes  11  and  12  is built into a conductive film  1 , made of copper foils or conductive rubber materials, and connected in series or in parallel to form an electric stimulating piece  10 . In more detail, the positive and negative electrodes  11  and  12  are respectively connected to electrode joints  112  and  122  through conductive paths  111  and  121 . The electrode joints  112  and  122  are further respectively connected to conductive inserting pins  114  and  124  through wires  113  and  123 . With a distance apart, the conductive paths  111  and  121  can be fixed within the conductive film  1  between two thin foils so that the positive and negative electrodes  11  and  12  are in a state of insulation.  
     [0024] The above-mentioned electric stimulating piece  10 , composed of at least one pair of the positive and negative electrodes  11  and  12  embedded in a conductive film  1  (made of copper foils or conductive rubber materials), is for a foot to rest passively on in a position that the foot acupuncture points F 1  align with the positive and negative electrodes  11  and  12 . Meanwhile, low frequency electromagnetic waves are activated, at the pairs of positive and negative electrodes  11  and  12  by a wired or wireless controller  2  as shown in FIG. 3, to stimulate electrically the area about an acupuncture point F 1  as shown in FIG. 4. The electric stimulation provides an effect of massage that improves the blood circulation in the body portion the electric stimulating piece  10  is pressed on, eventually leading an effect of promoting one&#39;s health. The functions of the above-mentioned controller  2  are at least switching on/off an output current and regulating the magnitude of the current. Control switches  24  and  25  are for starting and stopping the control and an adjusting switch  26  is for regulating the output current; the adjusting switch  26  controls a stepless adjustment by a knob or a push-pull piece. The controller  2  contains batteries and the conductive inserting pins  21  and  22  thereof are connected to the conductive inserting pins  114  and  124  of the electric stimulating piece  10 . Further, a clip  23  can be installed at a chosen area on the controller  2  for wearing on clothes, if desired.  
     [0025] As shown in FIG. 5, an embodiment of the present invention is an electric stimulating piece  10  in the shape of a shoe pad. One or more pairs of positive and negative electrodes, corresponding to the acupuncture points in various reflex areas on the bottom of a foot, are embedded within the electric stimulating piece  10 , connected either in parallel or in series. The wires connected to those electrodes are converged to a lateral piece  101  to form a BUS wire portion  102 , which portion is for connecting to a wired controller  2 .  
     [0026] The shoe-pad shaped electric stimulating piece  10  described above can be attached to a shoe to form a combined configuration. Further, a wired or remote controller  2  can be attached to the top wearing piece  31  of the shoe for activating the emission of low frequency electromagnetic waves at electrodes embedded within the electric stimulating piece to achieve an effect of massaging acupuncture points in the reflex areas on the bottom of a human foot.  
     [0027] Further, as the present invention embodies itself in a shoe  3 , electrodes of one polarity can be installed within the top wearing piece  3   1  while those of the other polarity are installed within the bottom wearing piece  32 ; the electrodes can be arranged in a concentrated way or a distributed way, depending on actual requirements. The various forms of application are illustrated by the embodiments shown in FIGS.  8  to  11 .  
     [0028] As shown in FIG. 12, as the present invention embodies itself in a shoe  3 , an electrode plate of positive or negative polarity  33  can be installed on the inner wall of a top wearing piece  31 , the electrode plate  33  being coupled with those electrodes in the shoe-pad shaped electric stimulating piece  10  to create an effect of electrically stimulated massage. Instead of being an integral part, the top wearing piece  31  of the shoe  3  may comprises two separated pieces  311  and  312 , which can be connected by the adhesive or buckling-up components  313  and  314  form in the overlapping sections of the separated pieces  311  and  312 ; in this way the top wearing piece  31  fits foots of various sizes and therefore the electrode plate  33  is in close contact with a foot.  
     [0029] By the same token, as shown in FIG. 13, as the present invention embodies itself in a shoe  3 , an electrode joint  112  or  122  of the controller  2  can be installed with in the bottom wearing piece  32  for externally activating low-frequency electrically stimulated massage.  
     [0030] As shown in FIG. 14, the present invention can embody itself in an electrode plate of positive or negative polarity being connected externally by a wire to a shoe  3  at a chosen location so that the electrode plate  33  may stick to the top part of a foot. The configuration works with an external controller  2 , wired to the bottom wearing piece  32  of the shoe  3 ,to achieve low-frequency electrically stimulated massage.  
     [0031] As shown in FIG. 15, the present invention embodies itself in a massage treading pad  4 , in which two extended adhesive electrodes are installed on the massage treading pad  4  for sticking to foots for low-frequency electrically stimulated massage, in the same spirit of the above-mentioned embodiments in a shoe  3 .  
     [0032] The various application configurations of a low frequency foot-electric stimulating assistor illustrated above are only embodiments of the present invention, which should not restrict the technical field of the present invention. Other equivalent applications made by obvious changes based on the same techniques should be included in the technical field of the present invention.