Abstract:
A portable battery power operated chiropractic adjustor, manipulator or thruster for applying an adjustment energy to a patient through a plunger having a resilient or cushioned head with the energy applied to the plunger being supplied by non-manual sources and the impulse is adjustable or tunable along with having annunciators or indicators for preload and readiness to operate. The power source may be an internal rechargeable battery or removable rechargeable battery pack and the adjustor is DC motor operated to impart selectively single or multiple thrusts.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to a portable chiropractic adjustor for use in chiropractic adjustment of musculoskeletal structures. More, particularly, this invention concerns an improved power operated chiropractic-adjusting device for use in spinal manipulative therapy to apply impact forces or thrusts to a human body. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The chiropractic art is generally concerned with adjusting misaligned body structures by manually manipulating the various joints in the human body. Of more specific interest in the art, however, is the spinal column which is comprised of several interconnected musculoskeletal structures or vertebrae. Unlike other, less critical body structures, the spinal column must be treated or manipulated with extreme caution because of its link with the central nervous system. 
         [0003]    The human spine is susceptible to many different pathologic abnormalities including misalignment, miscellaneous trauma and pain, and degeneration as a result of age or disease. By employing various physical therapy techniques, though, a chiropractor, or one skilled in the chiropractic art, may be able to successfully treat a pathologic spine. Successful treatment will not only relieve any pain or discomfort that the patient might be suffering, but will also improve the overall quality of life of that patient. 
         [0004]    One common spinal-adjustment technique involves applying thrusts or forces to the afflicted region of the spine. In particular, this technique involves either “mobilizing” the spine (i.e. passively moving the spine with relatively slow cyclic or oscillatory motion), or “manipulating” the spine (i.e. applying an impulsive thrust or force in a well-defined direction to a specific region of the spine). Depending on professional affiliations, this technique is referred to as chiropractic adjustment, osteopathic manipulation, orthopedic manual therapy, and/or spinal manipulative therapy. 
         [0005]    There are several well-known procedures or techniques for “manipulating” or administering impulsive thrusts to a spine. One technique involves applying one or more rapid thumb thrusts to misaligned or afflicted vertebrae. Thumb thrusts, however, tend to be both imprecise in magnitude and location and tiresome to administer. Another technique involves using a manually operated chiropractic-adjusting instrument. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,235, issued to Fuhr et al. (“Fuhr”); Fuhr U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,836; Fuhr U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,375; Keller et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,615; Keller et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,017; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,464, issued to Morgan, Jr., disclose such instruments. 
         [0006]    Throughout the years it has also been known that power driven devices at times can offer benefits or advantages in use over the manually operated devices. Particularly, there is a current need for a compact, lightweight device that is portable and yet can be easily and repetitively operated by a person with a lower degree of hand strength. 
         [0007]    Electric solenoid operated adjustors such as ones described in Evans U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,955 issued in 1989 or Adelman U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,490, issued in 1987, can provide adjusting and controllability benefits over manual devices. However, using an electrical appliance operating at conventional voltages close to the body can be potentially hazardous and even prohibited by governmental regulatory agency rules or regulations and power supply cords can get in the way. 
         [0008]    Thus, numerous efforts have been made to develop a power operated thrusters with all of the desired features and benefits required for safe and varied usage of such devices. Examples of such an approach in pneumatic operated thrusters is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,890, issued in 1988 to Bichel. 
         [0009]    While the Bichel thruster as described did seek to overcome disadvantages presented in prior art devices, it still did not provide certain features and advantages required to achieve wide spread acceptance and use by chiropractic practitioners. 
         [0010]    By way of example, it may be noted that such prior devices including Bichel are capable of only delivering a single thrust or stroke, provide only manual adjustability of stroke lengths; provide force adjustment by changing stroke length and change air pressure only at the compressor or supply source. In addition they involve complicated multiple parts designs which make them more costly to manufacture and more difficult and costly to maintain or use. A pneumatic thruster of Frye U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,211 has solved some of the problems and objections of the field. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The present invention may provide a portable chiropractic adjustor instrument comprising a DC motor driven plunger. The instrument may be relatively light weight and have a substantially long life rechargeable battery. 
         [0012]    The present invention may provide an improved power operated chiropractic instrument that is “tunable” or settable as to load, amplitude, and frequency within a user selected range of natural frequency. 
         [0013]    The present invention may provide a portable device with annunciators or indicators of settings such as preload and readiness to operate. 
         [0014]    The present invention may provide a self contained power source for the adjusting instrument which is long lasting and yet can be rechargeable or replaceable. 
         [0015]    These together with other features of the invention are more fully hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. 
         [0016]    It will be appreciated that the foregoing and subsequent descriptions are considered as illustrative only of aspects and features of the invention. Thus, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be utilized, falling within the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of an embodiment of a portable chiropractic adjustor of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a right elevational side view of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a left elevational side view of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a front elevational view of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a rear elevational view of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a partial cross-sectional view taken through line  7 - 7  of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is another cross-sectional view taken through line  7 - 7  of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view taken through line  9 - 9  of  FIG. 2  of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 10  is an exploded view of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 11  is an exploded view of a motor and gear mechanism for the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 12  is an exploded view of a heat dissipating mechanism for the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 13  is an exploded view of a thrust transfer mechanism for the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 14  is an exploded view of a barrel portion for the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 15  is an exploded view of a plunger mechanism for the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 16  is a simplified diagram illustrating a control board in communication with components of the portable chiropractic adjuster shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0033]    Turning to  FIGS. 1-16 , there is shown another embodiment of a portable chiropractic adjustor instrument  100 . Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , the portable chiropractic instrument  100  may comprise a structure, including a housing, that is relatively convenient for an operator to hold, adjust, and operate. The instrument may have an ergonomic handle  102  which is comfortable and convenient to grip. The portable chiropractic instrument  100  may also have a trigger mechanism  104  that likewise comfortably receives an operators finger for firing the instrument. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the trigger  104  may be coupled to a spring  106  which biases the trigger  104  in the non-engaged position. The trigger  104  may be in contact with a switch  108  that is depressed when the trigger  104  is depressed to operate the instrument  100 . 
         [0034]    Turning to  FIGS. 7-15 , suitable internal components of the portable chiropractic instrument  100  are shown in detail. The instrument  100  may utilize a battery  112  such that the such that the portability of the instrument  100  is enhanced by not requiring an unwieldy power cord for usage. Furthermore, in order to offer further enhanced portability along with a reasonable battery usage life, the instrument may utilize a DC motor  114  which is significantly more energy efficient than solenoid driven devices. In addition, a DC motor  114  may generally be constructed such that it weighs less than a solenoid for supplying a comparable amount of force such that the instrument  100  may be made lighter, and thus, easier for an operator to hold over an extended period of time than a solenoid driven instrument. The battery  112  may be disposed in the handle  102  and the motor  114  may be disposed in the housing  110  such that it is in line with a plunger mechanism  154  (described in further detail below). 
         [0035]    In some embodiments, the battery  112  may be generally disposed within the housing  110  such that it is not generally removable by the operator. In other embodiments, the battery  112  may be removable and replaceable by the operator. The battery  112  may be any suitable battery for driving a DC motor  114  with long usage and recharge characteristics. The battery  112  may be rechargeable such that the battery  112  may be reused after charging. 
         [0036]    The instrument  100  may comprise a charging port  116 , such as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , for receiving an adaptor to recharge the battery  112 . In some embodiments where the battery  112  is removable, the battery  112  may be removed for charging in a free standing charger and may be replaced with a spare charged battery when one battery  112  is being charged. The instrument  100  may also comprise a charge indicator  118 , such as an LED light shown in  FIGS. 7 ,  8 , and  10 , that may inform an operator when the battery  112  is charging, when the battery  112  has been charged, and/or when the battery  112  is nearly discharged. It will be appreciated that any suitable form of battery  112  indicator may be used, the instrument  100  may utilize any suitable number of battery indicators, and the battery indicator(s) may be used to indicate any suitable battery condition. In some embodiments, the battery  112  may be a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIGS. 7-11 , the motor  114  may be in contact with a gear mechanism  120  that may comprise a plurality of gears  122  for assisting with the transfer of force from the motor  114  to further components of the instrument  100 . In some embodiments, the gear mechanism  120  may comprise a gear housing  124  having gear teeth  126  on an internal surface of the gear housing  124 . The gear mechanism  120  may comprise one or more sets of planetary gears  128 . A pinion gear plate  130  may be disposed between sets of planetary gears  128  to transfer motion. The gear mechanism  120  may also comprise a head portion  132  having one or more camming actuators, such as protrusions  134 . 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIGS. 7-10  and  12 , the instrument may comprise a heat dissipation structure  136  for dissipating heat within the instrument  100 . In some embodiments, the heat dissipation structure  136  may operate as a heat sink to draw heat away from one or more components within the instrument  100 . The heat dissipation structure  136  may at least partially surround a portion of the thrust transfer mechanism  138  (described below). 
         [0039]    Turning to  FIGS. 7-10  and  13 , the instrument  100  may comprise a thrust transfer mechanism  138 . The thrust transfer mechanism  138  may comprise a suitable structure(s) for contacting the gear mechanism and converting the rotational forces conveyed by the motor  114  to the gear mechanism  120  into an axial force directed away from the motor  114  and toward a patient. For example, the thrust transfer mechanism  138  may operate as a camming structure and may comprise one or more ramping structures  140 , with grooves  142  therebetween, coupled to a ramping component  144 . The protrusions  134  of the head portion  132  of the gear mechanism  120  may ride along these ramping structures  140 . The ramping component  144  may be biased away from the motor by one or more springs  146 . 
         [0040]    As the head portion  132  of the gear mechanism  120  is rotated, the protrusions  134  ride up the ramping structures  140  which forces the ramping component  144  to move toward the motor  114  and compress the one or more springs  146 . As the ends of the ramping structures  140  are reached, the protrusions  134  reach the grooves  142  and the spring force propels the ramping component  144  forward. In this way, the rotational forces of the motor  114  have been converted into an axial force. 
         [0041]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 ,  7 - 10 , and  14 , the instrument  100  may comprise a forward end  148  having a barrel portion  150  coupled to the housing  110 . The barrel portion  150  may comprise a plurality of components for receiving a force from the thrust transfer mechanism  138  and conveying the force to a plunger mechanism  154  (described below). For example, the barrel portion  150  may comprise a hammer  152  for receiving and carrying forward the force created by the spring force propelling the ramping component  144  forward when the trigger  104  has been engaged. 
         [0042]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-5  and  7 - 10 , and  15 , the forward end  148  may further have a plunger mechanism  154 . The plunger mechanism  154  may have a suitable structure for asserting a force on a patient. Furthermore, the plunger mechanism  154  may have a suitable structure for allowing an operator to assert a preload force on a patient before firing the instrument  100 . 
         [0043]    The plunger mechanism  154  may comprise a plunger  156 , a plunger housing  158 , a spring  160 , a force transfer pin  162 , and an o-ring  164 . When assembled, the spring  160  may be disposed around the force transfer pin  162  and both the spring  160  and the force transfer pin  162  may be at least partially disposed within the plunger housing  158 . The plunger housing  158  may be coupled to the barrel portion  150 . A tip  166  may be disposed at an end of the plunger  156  for contact with the patient. The tip  166  may be cushioned. The plunger  156  may be mounted such that the plunger  156  may be at least partially received by the plunger housing  158 . The plunger  156  can be interchangeable with various single or dual style forms. 
         [0044]    The plunger  156  may be movable with respect to the plunger housing  158  when a force is asserted against the tip  166 . The plunger  156  may be coupled to a suitable structure, such as the spring  160  disposed against the force transfer pin  162 , which applies an increasing amount of force to resist the inward movement of the plunger  156  as the plunger  156  is pushed further into the plunger housing  158 . This permits an operator of the instrument  100  to apply a preload force prior to engaging the trigger  104 . Therefore, the plunger mechanism  154  may have a structure such that as the instrument  100  is pressed against the patient and as the plunger  156  moves further into the plunger housing  158 , the amount of preload force increases. 
         [0045]    In addition, the force transfer pin  162  receives the force transmitted through the barrel portion  150  when the trigger  104  is engaged and directs the force onto the patient via the plunger  156  and plunger tip  166 . This force is carried by the hammer  152  through the barrel portion  150  to the force transfer pin  162 . The o-ring  164  provides a cushioning contact between the force transfer pin  162  and the hammer  152  to reduce the noise that would otherwise result from the impact of these two components and also reduce the wear on these components. The amount of preload force that is applied to the force transfer pin  162  may affect the distance that the force transfer pin  162  travels when the trigger  104  is engaged. 
         [0046]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 10 , the instrument  100  may comprise a suitable mechanism for turning the instrument  100  on and off and setting the instrument  100  to any suitable operating mode. For example, the instrument  100  may comprise a switch  168  that is movable between any two or more suitable positions to place the instrument  100  into a desired operating mode. 
         [0047]    In one embodiment, the switch  168  may be movable between an off mode, a single thrust operating mode, and a multiple thrust operating mode. In the single thrust operating mode, the instrument  100  may apply a single thrust for each activation of the trigger  104 . In comparison, the multiple thrust setting may apply multiple thrusts for each activation of the trigger  104 . In some embodiments, the instrument  100  may continue to apply thrusts until such time as the trigger  104  is released. In other embodiments, the instrument  100  may apply a predetermined or operator set number of thrusts. It will be appreciated, however, that the switch  168  may be used to place the instrument  100  into any suitable operating mode and the switch  168  may be movable between any suitable number of operating modes. 
         [0048]    An annunciation structure may be disposed on the instrument to provide feedback to the operator as to such things as preload settings, loading status, readiness, force settings, and even values of impulse frequency or amplitude. It will be appreciated that the annunciation structure may be any suitable structure in any suitable quantity. As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  7 , and  8 , the housing may comprise a plurality of indicators  170 , such as LED lights, that indicate the thrust setting. The instrument  100  may have any suitable number of indicators  170  representing any suitable number of thrust settings. In some embodiments, the LED lights could change colors, such as from red to yellow to green, for example, for preload status. In some embodiments, the annunciation structure may be an LCD display and/or an audio annunciator. An LCD display could be graphic, alpha numeric, and/or pictorial. 
         [0049]    By way of example and not limitation, as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  7 , and  8 , the instrument may have indicators  170  that notify the operator when certain predetermined amounts of preload force have been asserted on the patient based on information provide by the one or more preload force sensors disposed within the housing  110 . As the amount of preload force applied reaches a first predetermined amount, the first indicator will notify the operator. As the amount of preload force is increased to a second predetermined amount, the second indicator will notify the operator. Further indicators may be provided to indicate when further increased amounts of preload force have been reached. In this way, the operator may accurately apply a desired amount of preload force before engaging the trigger  104 . In one example embodiment, the respective indicators  170  may notify an operator when 19 pounds, 34 pounds, 38 pounds, and/or 55 pounds of preload force have been applied. In another example embodiment, respective indicators  170  may notify an operator when 75 Newtons, 125 Newtons, 175 Newtons, and/or 250 Newtons of preload force have been applied. It will be appreciated that any suitable number of indicators  170  may indicate any suitable levels of preload force. 
         [0050]    The motor  114  may be in contact with a gear mechanism  120  for driving the thrust of the tip  166  in response the engagement of the trigger  104 . When the trigger switch  108  is depressed, power from the battery  112  may be provided to the motor  114 . Depending on whether the instrument  100  is set for single thrust operation or multiple thrust operation, the motor  114  may be driven for only a relatively short period of time, the motor  114  may be driven for a desired longer period of time to provide a predetermined number of thrusts, or the motor  114  may be driven until the trigger  104  is released. The motor  114  may drive the gear mechanism  120 , which in turn, may apply a force on the thrust transfer mechanism  138 . The thrust transfer mechanism  138  may convert the rotational force of the gear mechanism  120  into an axial force that may be transmitted through the instrument to the plunger  156  and on the patient. 
         [0051]    As shown in  FIG. 16 , a control board may be disposed within the instrument that may be used to communicate with such features as the battery  112 , motor  114 , annunciaton structure(s) (such as  170 ), thrust setting switch(es)  168 , microsensors  176 , preload sensor(s)  174 , and any other suitable structures, for operation of the portable chiropractic instrument  100 . The circuitry of the instrument  100  may also contain microprocessor devices for data storage such as number and duration of thrusts, for example, and the data collected can be downloadable to a computer having diagnostic software and/or a patient database. 
         [0052]    All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. 
         [0053]    The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods