Abstract:
A removable cover portion for a body massager is provided with a sheet of material sized to be placed upon the body massager and adapted to be fastened to the body massager. The sheet has a reduced contact area for altering a resultant massage effect. A method for Manufacturing the cover portion provides the sheet, integrally forms a massage formation with at least two massage nodes and a cross member interconnecting the at least two massage nodes, and assembles a plurality of massage formations to the sheet of material whereby the cross members maintain the orientation of the corresponding adjacent massage nodes during assembly of the massage nodes to the sheet of material.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/982,609 filed Oct. 25, 2007, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    Embodiments of the invention relate to massage apparatuses with removable covers, and removable covers therefore. 
         [0004]    2. Background Art 
         [0005]    A portable body massager with a removable cover is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,721 B2, which issued to Ferber et al. on Oct. 31, 2006. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a body massage apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the body massage apparatus of  FIG. 1  illustrated with a cover attached thereto; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is another perspective view of the body massager of  FIG. 1 , illustrated with another cover attached thereto and illustrated supported upon a chair; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of the body massage apparatus, cover, and chair of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the cover of  FIG. 3 ; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged front elevation view of a region of the cover of  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0012]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
         [0013]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , a body massager is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and is referenced generally by numeral  10 . The body massager  10  includes a backrest region  12  and a seat support region  14 . The internal assemblies of the backrest region  12  and the seat support region  14  are collectively retained within a flexible cover  16 , which is formed of a high quality vinyl. Of course, other materials such as leather may be employed for the cover  16 . The cover  16  provides a pivotal connection  18  at a lower longitudinal end of the backrest region  12  and a rearmost end of the seat support region  14 . The flexible material of the cover  16  provides a living hinge at the pivotal connection  18  permitting user adjustment of an included angle between the backrest region  12  and the seat support region  14 . In at least one embodiment, the cover  16  includes a central woven fabric panel  20  along the backrest region  12 . 
         [0014]    Massage effects provided by the body massager  10  include a longitudinal percussive massage effect from a massage assembly  22 . The massage assembly  22  provides a percussive or tapping motion through the central panel  20  for massaging the back of the user, as illustrated by the arrows directed towards and away from the backrest region  12 . Additionally, the massage assembly  22  translates along the backrest region  12  for massaging various longitudinal regions of the user&#39;s back. Alternatively, a massage assembly  24  may be provided for imparting a kneading massage effect to the user. For example, the massage assembly  24  imparts a rotary kneading massage effect to the user, which may also translate along the backrest region  12 . One such rotary kneading massager is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,721 B2, which issued on Oct. 31, 2006 to Ferber et al., which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. Another suitable rotary kneading massager is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0211962 A1, which published on Sep. 21, 2006 to Ferber et al. and is also incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. The backrest region  12  may include one massage assembly  22  or  24 , or both massage assemblies  22 ,  24 , or any other suitable massage assembly, such as a vibratory massage assembly, a rolling massage assembly, or the like. Additionally, the seat support region  14  may also provide a massage effect, such as a vibratory massage effect for the user seated thereupon. 
         [0015]    The backrest region  12  is sized to be received upon a backrest of a conventional chair. Likewise, the seat support region  14  is sized to be received upon a seat support of a conventional chair. Additionally, the body massager  10  is portable due to its compact size and lightweight so that the user may place the body massager  10  upon a conventional chair for receiving a massage when seated upon the chair. The adjustability of the included angle between the backrest region  12  and the seat support region  14  accommodates a wide range of angles that may be incorporated in conventional chairs. Alternatively, the body massager  10  may rest flat upon a floor or may be supported by a floor and an adjoining wall. 
         [0016]    The backrest region  12  includes a height and width corresponding to the conventional chair and has a thickness that is adequate for housing the massage assembly  22 ,  24  therein while avoiding disruption of comfort and support provided by the underlying chair. Likewise, the seat support region  14  has a width and a depth corresponding to that of the conventional seat support and has a thickness that is adequate for housing the associated massage assembly while avoiding disruption of comfort and support provided by the underlying chair. 
         [0017]    The seat support region  14  includes a seating surface  26  provided thereon for receiving the user when seated. The backrest region  12  includes a backrest surface  28  for receiving and supporting the back of the user thereupon. The massage assemblies  22 ,  24  of the backrest region  12  and the seat support region  14  impart the respective massage effects through the backrest surface  28  and the seating surface  26 , respectively. 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the cover  16  may be provided with an additional cover portion, such as a removable flap  30  that is mounted to the backrest region  12  along the backrest surface  28 . The flap  30  is removably attached by a hook and loop material so that the user may remove the flap  30  and expose the woven fabric central panel  20 . In at least one embodiment, the flap  30  includes two arrays  32  of massage nodes  34 . Each array  32  is spaced laterally apart from center to focus on either side of a back region spaced apart from the user&#39;s spine. The flap  30  permits the user to attach or remove the flap  30  for altering the resultant massage effects. For example, the massage nodes  34  and the arrays  32  provide a series of contacts with the user that reduce the area in comparison to the massage assembly  22 . Thus, instead of receiving a surface contact associated with the massage assembly  22 , the user receives a plurality of reduced surface contacts thereby increasing the pressure applied at each contact point upon the user, resulting in a more aggressive and targeted massage action. Alternatively, if the massage assembly  22  includes a plurality of nodes, the removable flap permits the user to increase the number of nodes for a targeted area, or decrease the number of nodes thereby varying the intensity of the resultant massage effect. Additionally, if the massage assembly  22  includes nodes of one material density, such as a structural plastic, and the massage nodes  34  of the removable flap  30  include another material, such as an elastomeric material, the user can dampen the massage effect by employing the removable flap  30 . 
         [0019]    The invention contemplates any massage formation provided on the removable flap  30 . Additionally, the invention contemplates any pattern of massage formations, such as massage nodes  34  on the removable flap  30 . Further, the invention contemplates various interchangeable massage flaps  30  for providing varying massage effects. Such various massage effects may be provided by varying the pattern of the massage nodes  34  within the arrays  32 . Additionally, variations may include the size or shape of the massage nodes  34  within the arrays  32 . Other variations may include altering the materials of the massage nodes  34 . For example, massage nodes  34  of varying durometers may be employed for imparting massage effects of varying impacts. 
         [0020]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the body massager  10  is illustrated seated upon a conventional chair, such as an office chair  36 . A removable flap  38  is illustrated in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The removable flap  38  includes a pair of arrays  40  of massage nodes  42 . The arrays  40  differ from those depicting in the prior embodiment by staggering a center column of each array  40  relative to the outboard and inboard column of nodes  42 . Thus, by varying the pattern, the resultant massage effect is varied. A top region of the removable flap includes a hook and loop fastener region  44  mounted underneath for fastening the flap  38  to the body massager  10  by engaging the corresponding hook and loop fastener region. 
         [0021]      FIG. 5  illustrates the removable flap  38  removed from the body massager  10 .  FIG. 6  illustrates an enlarged view of a portion of one of the massage node arrays  40  of the removable flap  38 . The massage node arrays  40  are provided upon a transparent panel  46  in at least one embodiment for permitting the user to view the underlying body massager  10  and massage assembly  22 . The massage nodes  42  may be adhered directly to the panel  46 , or alternatively may be molded directly to the panel  46 . In at least one embodiment, the massage nodes  42  are each secured to the flap  38  independent of the other massage nodes  42 . 
         [0022]    Alternatively, adjacent massage nodes  42  may be provided with cross members  48  interconnecting adjacent massage nodes  42  as depicted in  FIG. 6 . The cross members  48  may be utilized for forming adjacent massage nodes  42  integrally in a forming operation, such as molding. The cross members  48  may be removed after the molding operation, or incorporated into the massage node array  40 . The cross members  48  may be utilized for maintaining the orientation of the massage nodes  42  while fastening the massage nodes  42  to the panel  46 . Alternatively, the cross members  48  may be utilized for conveying a massage effect that is imparted upon one massage node  42  to adjacent massage node  42 . 
         [0023]    The various removable flaps  30 ,  38  disclosed herein, can be utilized with a wide variety of massage assemblies for varying the resultant massage effect. The invention contemplates that the removable flaps  30 ,  38  can be employed for massagers having percussive massage assemblies, rolling massage assemblies, kneading massage assemblies, rotary kneading massage assemblies, vibratory massage assemblies, or the like. Additionally, the cover flaps  30 ,  38  may be employed for seat cushion type massagers such as the body massager  10  illustrated herein, mat massagers, pillow massagers, or the like. Additionally, the flaps  30 ,  36  may be employed with a massage assembly when a motorized massage operation is discontinued, for imparting a massage effect by the user resting a body part upon the massage node arrays  32  or  40 . Additionally, the removable flaps  30 ,  38  may be employed without a massage assembly and may be fastened directly to a conventional chair for providing the massage effect when the user rests a body part against the removable flaps  30 ,  38 . 
         [0024]    While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.