Patent Abstract:
The present invention is a unique compact cane adapted to provide pain relief for the user. It has the ability to apply heat and pressure to constricted muscles anywhere on the body. This device employs removable microwavable massage handles that heat to an elevated temperature to relax muscles without burning the skin. The combination of heat and pressure has been proven to relax knotted muscles. The cane is hingeably foldable.

Full Description:
[0001]    This application claims under 35 U.S.C. 119, the right of priority and the benefit of earlier filing date of provisional application No. 60/789,462, filed Apr. 5, 2006. Both this application and the provisional application have the same inventors. 
     
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is a thermal cane and relates to a unique compact cane adapted to provide pain relief for the user. More particularly, the user of the cane will have the ability to apply heat and pressure to constricted muscles anywhere on the body. This device applies a new micowavable attachment that heats to a proper temperature to relax muscles without burning the skin. The combination of heat and pressure has been proven to relax knotted muscles. 
         [0003]    The American populace is aging, therefore, there is an increased need for self-help related pain-relief devices. For example, the prolific sales of vibrating massagers demonstrate this fact. There are canes on the market that are designed to apply pressure to knotted muscles, but there are no canes known to us that utilize the novel and very useful component of removable massage handles that can be heated, which the thermal cane does. An additional novel component of the present invention is its portability. Thus the thermal cane has massage handles that are removable also the cane will have an appropriate hinge (or some other apparatus) that enables the cane to be folded in half or collapsed. 
         [0004]    A recent study states that 18,899,000 persons or 9.3% of the population have used massages and 10,052,000 persons or 5% of the population have used massages in the past six months. With these statistics: in mind we believe that many persons in this population will need or desire some form of self-care to treat themselves when not getting professional treatment. In a United States survey on the use of complementary and alternative medicines, 10.9% of the total population utilized manipulative and body-based methods (which includes chiropractic and massage). We believe these individuals represent the first-adopters of self-help pain-relief devices. 
         [0005]    Henceforth, the thermal cane would fulfill a long felt need in the health care/self-help industry. This new invention utilizes and combines known and new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems and provide an effective means of relief for muscle pain. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to relieve pain that is common in knotted muscles. It has many of the advantages mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new self-help health tool which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
         [0007]    In accordance with the invention, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved pressure cane capable of relieving pain through pressure and heat, which is an excellent combination. 
         [0008]    It is another object of this invention to provide a personal massage device with detachable massage handles that can be placed in a microwave wherein the handle stays cool while the massage ball absorbs the right amount of heat. 
         [0009]    It is a further object of this invention to enable the user to utilize the detachable massage handles with or without heat as hand held devices. 
         [0010]    It is a further object of this invention, to provide a personal massage device designed for portability and ease of travel packing. 
         [0011]    The subject matter of the present invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. However, both the organization and method of operation, together with further advantages and objects thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like elements. Other objects, features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of the cane showing the general arrangement of all components. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the cane. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the removable heat sphere  5  and shaft  6 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the removable heat sphere  3  and shaft  4 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the removable heat sphere  1  and shaft  2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    The above description will enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention. It also sets forth the best modes for carrying out this invention. There are numerous variations and modifications thereof that will also remain readily apparent to others skilled in the art, now that the general principles of the present invention have been disclosed. 
         [0018]    There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
         [0019]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0020]    As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit 
         [0021]    Looking at  FIG. 1  it can be seen that the thermal cane  30  has a cane shaped tubular, resilient body having three removable spheres extending therefrom, between a distal end  12  and a proximate end  11  of the cane body. There is a first removable heat sphere  1 , frictionally attached at the distal end  12 , a second removable sphere  3 , threading engaged with stub shaft  13  and a third removable heat sphere  5  frictionally attached at the proximate end  11 . A mechanical hinging member  8  connects lower cane body  9  and upper cane body  10 . This allows the cane to be folded for transport and storage. 
         [0022]    On the lower cane body  9  adjacent the hinging member  8  lock threads  18  are formed. On the upper cane body  10  adjacent to the hinging member  8  a locking collar  14  resides. The locking collar has internal threads  19  that matingly conform to lock threads  18 . The lock collar  14  has a central orifice formed therein  20  that allows sliding engagement of the lock collar about the upper cane body  10 . 
         [0023]    The lower body portion of the cane  9  is comprised of a first inner tube  21  and a second outer tube  22  one fitting inside of the other to provide telescopic extension to accommodate persons of different heights as is well known in the industry. 
         [0024]    The inner tube  21  has a linear grouping of small orifices (approximately ¼″ in diameter) that will align with matching orifices in the upper tube  22 , which allows the cane to extend to various lengths. The inner tube  21  is locked into position relative to the outer tube  22  by extension of spring button  23  through the aligned orifices. 
         [0025]    The outer tube  22  has a handle  7  and an internally threaded stub shaft  13  that extends normally therefrom. 
         [0026]    The first sphere  1 , second sphere  3 , and third sphere  5  may be of the same or differing dimensions. The first sphere  1  and third sphere  5  have tapered shafts  2  and  6  extending therefrom. The tapered shafts are physically configured to frictionally engage the internal surfaces of the distal end  12  and proximal end  11  of the cane. The second sphere  3  has a straight shaft  4  threaded at one end to engage the threads of stub shaft  13 . The material of sphere construction is a polymer or other material that is safely microwavable and designed to have a high coefficient of heat retention. Numerous sized spheres may be provided with the cane. The tapered shafts  2  and  6  and straight shaft  4  are made of a different polymer than the spheres  1 ,  3  &amp;  5 , (or other appropriate material) that has a small coefficient of thermal expansion and a low coefficient of microwave excitability. 
         [0027]    The dimensions of the preferred embodiment cane body  3  are approximately 2′ 6″ long by ¾″ in diameter. The curved end  10  (which is horseshoe shaped) curves back toward the main cane body  9  with about a foot of space between the cane body  9  and the curved proximate end  11 . This spacing is designed to allow the user to reach any place on the user&#39;s back or any other hard-to-reach place on the body. 
         [0028]    The three removable spheres  1 ,  3  &amp;  5  with tapered shafts  2 ,  4  &amp;  6  that can be detached (in an appropriate fashion) from the cane and placed in the microwave, heated up and reattached to the cane or used as hand-held devices. The first and second shafts  2  &amp;  6  are a shaft and in the preferred embodiment are about 3½ inches long by ¾″ with a slight therein taper. The massage sphere that is approximately 1¼″ in diameter. The shaft is made of an appropriate material that will resist heat, specifically microwave heat, and the spheres  1 ,  3  &amp;  5  are made of ceramic or other appropriate material that will absorb microwave heat. 
         [0029]    The first removable massage sphere  1  is located at the proximate end  11  of the cane. The second removable massage sphere  4  is located approximately in the middle of the cane. The third removable massage sphere is located at the distal end  12  of the cane. 
         [0030]    There is a handle  7  about 6″ from the distal end  12  of the cane. This enables the user to grip the cane, hook it around a body part such as a shoulder and apply pressure to the appropriate area of the body.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0