Abstract:
A therapeutic treatment machine alternatingly applies compression and traction to a patient. A frame includes: a platform having an upper body support pad with controllable resistance to forward and backward displacement; rollers supporting the lower back, buttocks and thighs; and a motor-driven foot support displaceable forward and backward predetermined distances and speeds. Tubular frame members fit over and adhesively engage arms projecting orthogonally from a corner section. Legs telescopically receive leg support members extending orthogonally from the arms. Compression and traction are each forcefully effected by motor rotation converted to longitudinal reciprocation of a linkage that drives the foot support. The patient&#39;s feet are held in place against footplates by clamps supported on a T-bar cross member having a stem extending forwardly through a longitudinal slot in the footplates. A threaded bolt extends through the slot to engage the platform at selectable locations to secure the T-bar to the footplates.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/472,112, filed May 21, 2003, and entitled “Exercise Machine”. The disclosure of that patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In addition, the present invention is an improvement over the “Therapeutic Treatment Machine” disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,691, issued Apr. 9, 1996 (referred to herein as the &#39;691 patent”), the entire disclosure from which is incorporated herein by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Technical Field 
   The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for therapeutically treating the human body and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for relieving discomfort and pain in the back, spine and neck of a human patient. 
   2. Discussion of Related Art 
   The essence of the invention disclosed in my prior in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,691 (referred to herein as the &#39;691 patent”) is the alternating application of compression and traction forces to the body of a patient to therapeutically treat the patient&#39;s back. A treatment table has a longitudinally slidable upper body pad for supporting the upper back, shoulders and head of a supine patient, and freely rotatable transversely extending rollers for supporting the lower back, buttocks and thighs of the patient. A selectively controlled, motor driven, movable platform is adapted to engage the feet of the patient. A reversible electric motor longitudinally reciprocates the movable foot platform a pre-selected distance, adjustable by the patient, to sequentially and repetitively place the patient in tension and compression. The spacing between the upper body support pad and the motor-driven foot support platform is adjustable to accommodate differences in patient torso lengths. The magnitude of the compression and traction forces can be selectively controlled by the patient. The table is easily deployed for use and is optimally collapsible into a unit that is easily hand-carried by a patient while traveling. 
   A commercial embodiment of the invention described my prior patent (the BackPro CPM Motorized Table) was constructed of 1″×2″ aluminum tubing, and by welding the table corners. This necessitated Heliarc welding, an expensive, time-consuming process that took over two hours per machine because of the sixty-four locations to be welded. Heliarc welding typically costs in excess of $65.00 per hour. 
   In addition, the BackPro CPM Motorized Table used a complex operating system consisting of a cable drive activated by a reversing motor controlled by micro-switches and relays. It is desirable, both from a reliability perspective and for user-friendly considerations to simplify this function. 
   The method used in the BackPro CPM Motorized Table to hold the patient&#39;s feet in the molded box involved a t-bar hinged at the bottom and maintained against the foot with force applied against the t-bar by a threaded handle. This proved to be not very effective and was, in fact, ultimately replaced with two straps that went over the feet and around posts attached to the motor box. That strapping method, while holding the feet in place, also meant that the patient, who likely had a sore back to begin with, had to bend forward and stretch to strap his/her feet in place. 
   OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a back exercise table of the type disclosed in the &#39;691 patent wherein all of the advantages of the table are maintained but the disadvantages described above are eliminated. 
   It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved structure of the back exercise table disclosed in the &#39;691 patent which eliminates the need for Heliarc welding. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvement over the back exercise table disclosed in the &#39;691 patent in the form of a simpler method and apparatus for the effecting reciprocating motion that produces the alternating compression and traction forces. 
   It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improvement over the back exercise table disclosed in the &#39;691 patent in the form of a simpler method and apparatus for engaging the feet of the patient using the table. 
   The aforesaid objects are achieved individually and in combination, and it is not intended that the present invention be construed as requiring two or more of the objects to be combined unless expressly required by the claims attached hereto. 
   In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, cast aluminum corner members are provided with open U-shaped connector members extending therefrom, each connector member having a pair of parallel spaced arms adapted to be slidably inserted into an elongated tubular frame component of the table. The orthogonally related arms of the U-shaped connectors are secured in the aluminum tubular frame members by means of an adhesive, typically a two-component acrylic glue. Each corner member additionally includes a leg engagement member, orthogonally related to the arms and adapted to be removably received in a tubular table leg and held in place by means of a V-shaped plastic spring, or the like. The entire corner member, including the frame engaging arm and the leg engagement member, is preferably made from a single piece of cast metal, preferably aluminum. With this construction and the elimination of the welding steps, a table can be manufactured every fifteen minutes or less. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the cable drive arrangement of my prior patented system is replaced by a simple rotating drive arm or plate driven by a gear motor to reciprocate the foot platform. The drive arm drives a linkage arm which reciprocates longitudinally. When the power switch is actuated 12VDC is fed to a timer that is manually adjusted by the patient to set the duration of a treatment. The timer passes current to the gear motor causing the motor drive arm to be rotated and the foot platform to be reciprocated by the linkage arm. A microswitch is normally closed and connected in parallel with the timer to permit activation of the gear motor until the arm of the microswitch is depressed. Therefore, when the timer, which is adjusted by the patient to set the duration of the treatment, completes its cycle, current is still fed to the gear motor until the motor drive arm actuates the microswitch at the end of a foot platform reciprocation cycle. This opens the circuit and stops the gear motor in the correct position. This arrangement effects the necessary reciprocating motion with a much simpler mechanism than described in my prior patent, thus saving a considerable amount of time and money, while accomplishing the same goal. 
   The approach in the present invention to holding the patient&#39;s feet in place utilizes a T-bar having an adjustment slot and held in place on the motor box with a threaded handle. This system allows the user to set T-bar one time while seated or standing, and then to slide his/her feet into position from the sides while in a supine position on the machine, thereby locking the feet in place on the foot platform when the machine is to be used. 
   A second advantage of this arrangement is that the force applied to the T-bar presses the T-bar against the motor box, thereby stabilizing the T-bar rather than applying forces tending to tear the T-Bar from the motor box. 
   The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view from below of a corner member utilized in the frame of the therapeutic back exerciser according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view from above of the corner member of FIG.  1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view from below of another embodiment of the corner member utilized in the frame of the therapeutic back exerciser according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuit used to control operation of the back exerciser according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom view in plan of the therapeutic back exerciser according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a detailed bottom view in plan of the foot platform portion of the therapeutic back exerciser of FIG.  5 . 
       FIG. 7  is a detailed bottom vies in plan of the motor and motor drive bar portion of the therapeutic back exerciser of FIG.  6 . 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view from above of the foot platform end portion of the therapeutic back exerciser of FIG.  4 . 
       FIG. 9  is an exploded view in partial perspective of the T-Bar and adjustment screw utilized in FIG.  8 . 
       FIG. 10  is a view of the patient height adjustment of the cartridge embodiment in FIG.  4 . 
       FIG. 11  is a view in perspective of the therapeutic back exerciser according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a corner member of  FIG. 1  showing the method of connecting the corner member to a frame member and a leg of the machine of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to the accompanying drawings in greater detail, a therapeutic treatment machine  10  according to the present invention includes a rectangular table frame  12  supporting an upper body pad  14  located toward the head end of the table, a series of six freely rotatable massage rollers  16  located toward the middle of the table and a motor driven, longitudinally and selectively reciprocable foot support platform  20  located toward the foot end of the table. Rectangular frame  12  is made of, for instance, aluminum angle or tube, and has a forward or torso-supporting frame section  26  housing the upper body pad  14  and rollers  16 , and a rearward or foot-supporting frame section  28  housing the foot support platform  20 . Frame sections  26  and  28  are rectangular and of similar size and shape. Forward section  26  has a forward or head end member  30  and a rearward end  34  extending transversely between opposite longitudinally extending side members. Table legs  40  support the machine at a convenient height for ease of use (e.g. twenty to twenty-four inches) and extend downward from the four corners of forward frame section  26 . Rearward frame section  28  has transversely extending forward end  42  and rearward end  46 , and opposite sides  48  and  50 . Table legs  40  extend downward from the back corners at rearward frame section  28 . Table legs  40  are removably attached to frame  12  for ease and compactness of storage and may be conveniently but removably locked into frame  12  with spring-loaded detents of conventional design. Forward frame section rearward end  34  may be connected along the lower surface to the lower surface of rearward frame section forward end  42  by a hinge to allow the two sections to be folded together for portability and storage compactness. 
   As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3  and  12  of the accompanying drawings, the corner joints of the table frame have a unique and simple construction that permits relatively rapid assembly of the table during manufacture. Cast aluminum corner members  301  are provided with open U-shaped connector members extending therefrom in orthogonal relation, each connector member having a pair of parallel spaced arms  302  adapted to be slidably inserted into an elongated tubular frame component, for example frame side  36 , of the table. The arms  302  of the U-shaped connectors are secured in the aluminum tubular frame members by means of an adhesive, typically a two-component acrylic glue. Each corner member  301  additionally includes a leg engagement member  303  adapted to be removably and telescopically received in a tubular table leg  40  and held in place by means of a V-shaped plastic spring, or other conventional detent mechanism for telescoping members. With this construction and the elimination of the welding steps, a table can be manufactured every fifteen minutes or less. 
   The connector arms  302  are sized and spaced to provide a slidable fit into the frame members  36 , et al, which are typically one inch by two inch cross-section aluminum tubes. The leg engagement member  303  is sized to slidably fit into a leg  40  which is typically a one inch square cross-section aluminum tube. The cast one-piece corner members are very inexpensive, and the adhesive attachment technique is much faster and less expensive than Heliarc welding. 
   Two or multi-component adhesive or sealant systems consist of two or more resins or a resin and a hardener, crosslinker, activator or catalyst that when combined react and cure into a polymerized compound or bond. The component systems are typically mixed immediately before assembly and then applied. 
   The process for constructing the frame at each corner is as follows.
         A. The two-part acrylic glue is in a two-part tube that has a mixing nozzle on the end and is dispensed with a gun onto a Teflon sheet.   B. The glue is inserted into the end of a frame member (e.g., member  36 ) along the end portions of the two shorter (e.g., one-inch) sides of the aluminum tube with a plastic applicator.   C. The glue is applied to the arms  302  which are then slid into the tubular frame member  36 .   D. After all the corners are assembled the frame is put into a jig and allowed to cure for seven to eight minutes, after which the frame is removed and the next frame that was being assembled during the cure time is ready to be put in the jig.       

   As best illustrated and described in the &#39;691 patent, friction bearings of, for instance, Teflon, mounted on sections of aluminum channel, are attached to the underside of the upper body pad  14  and are slidably mounted in angle stock attached along the inner surfaces of the forward frame section sides. Resistance to movement of upper body pad  14  along angle stock is proportional to the weight exerted on the pad and is equal in the forward and rearward direction. The forward and rearward displacement or stroke of the upper body pad along angle stock is limited by the forward end  30  of the forward frame section  26  and the mounting arrangement for rollers  16 . The upper body pad may comprise a plywood deck with foam rubber or other resilient padding material affixed to the upper surface and covered with a durable material offering frictional resistance to the head, shoulders and upper back of the patient. 
   Rollers  16  of conventional design are mounted in the forward frame section  26  and extend transversely of the frame with their axes parallel to one another at a location between end  34  and the upper body pad  14 . The rollers are partially exposed above the forward frame section  26  to contact the patient&#39;s lower back or buttocks. The rollers are rotatably mounted to opposite sides of the frame by bronze pins extending from the axles of the rollers, through washers and holes drilled in the inner surfaces of aluminum channel  74  attached to the inner surfaces of the frame sides and into bearings that are press-fit into the channels. 
   Foot support platform  20  has a generally rectangular base  78  sized to fit horizontally between rearward frame section sides  48  and  50 . A molded foot rest assembly  80  is attached to the upper surface of base  78 . as described in my &#39;691 patent, bearing blocks of, for instance, Teflon, are held against the lower surface of each corner of base  78  by bolts passing through holes in foot rest assembly  80 , holes in base  78 , holes in the bearing blocks and holes in sections of aluminum angle and threadedly received by nuts. Slots  100  formed in the outer surfaces of the bearing blocks receive the horizontal leg of the angle stock rigidly attached to the inner surfaces of frame sides  48  and  50  to slidingly support foot support platform  20  in the table frame  12 . 
   The molded foot rest assembly  80  is attached to the top of base  78  and has a central console box  104  extending along its central front portion. Padded heel rests  110  are disposed on either side of console box  104 , and footplate support brackets  112  are transversely spaced from one another at respective locations behind console box  104 . Support brackets slidably and removably receive rectangular foot support plates  126  in a position wherein plates  126  extend upwardly and rearward from platform  20  in transversely spaced relation. A T-bar  106  has a stem portion  107  with a lower end extending toward base  78  through the space between brackets  112  to a location rearward of brackets  112 . The width of the T-bar stem  107  permits it to fit between brackets  112 , thereby permitting the stem to extend upwardly and forwardly between the brackets  112  and the foot support plates  126 . Cross member  109  of T-bar  106  extends transversely in both directions from the top of stem  107  and has padded foot clamps  118  secured at each end thereof. Foot clamps  118  are hollow cylindrical padded members configured to slide onto respective ends of cross member  107  in positions forwardly of and in longitudinal alignment with respective foot plates  126 . 
   T-bar stem  107  has a slot  111  defined therethrough and extending longitudinally along a portion of the stem. A threaded bolt  122  extends through slot  111  and is retained in threaded engagement with a threaded hole in console box  104 . When the bolt is tightened in place by rotation of is actuator knob  124 , the otherwise unsecured T-bar stem  107  is secured to the machine. The degree of insertion of bolt  122  into the hole in the console determines the slack space between foot clamps  118  and foot plates  126 , thereby providing adjustability of that spacing for different patents. Importantly, once the spacing is set for a particular patient, it does not have to be re-adjusted for that patent. 
   The footplate support brackets  112  define respective slots on opposite sides of console box  104  and are sized to removably receive and support flat foot plates  126  in a generally upright position braced by support box  112 . Foot plates  126  are removable for compact storage and portability. 
   As noted previously above, the method used in my prior machine to hold the patient&#39;s feet in the molded box involved a t-bar hinged at the bottom and held against the foot with pressure applied against the t-bar by a threaded handle. The aforementioned method of holding the feet in place was not very effective and was, in fact, ultimately replaced with two straps that went over the feet and around posts attached to the motor box. That strapping method, while holding the feet in place, also meant that a person with a bad back had to bend over to strap his/her feet in place. 
   The approach to holding the feet in place with the present invention uses T-bar  106  with a four inch adjustment slot  111  held in place on the molded box with a threaded handle  124 . This system allows the user to set the T-bar one time and then to slide his/her feet into position from the sides, locking them in place while in a supine position when the machine is to be used. A second advantage to this approach is that the force applied to the T-bar presses the T-bar against the motor box, thereby stabilizing the T-bar instead of tending to tear it from the motor box. 
   Positioning arrows may be inscribed on the upper sides of the molded foot rest assembly to align with a series of marks inscribed along frame sides to indicate various separation distances between the upper body pad  14  and foot support platform  20  corresponding to various patient torso lengths. 
   As described in the &#39;691 patent, transverse hinges may be mounted on the front and rear edges, respectively, of foot support platform  20  and are spring biased in a partially open position. Safety stop microswitches may be mounted on the front and rear edges, respectively, of foot support platform  20  and activated by the rotational closing of the hinges in response to a body part or other obstruction closing the hinge by blocking the unimpeded forward or backward movement of the foot support platform within frame  12 . Activation of either microswitch causes the platform reciprocation to immediately stop, as is described more fully below, to prevent accidental injuries. 
   The drive system of the present invention uses a simple rotating arm driven by a gear motor. Specifically, 12VDC is fed from a wall adapter to a female plug  201  and is then routed for safety through a circuit breaker  202  and then to a four-position connector/junction box  204 . From the connector the red wire in conductor cord  206  is fed to an on/off switch  207  in a control box  208 . The green wire is energized when the switch  207  is turned on, and feeds 12VDC to the gear motor  205  through the red motor wire at the connector  204 . The yellow wire from the switch  207  joins the brown wire at the connector  204  and then feeds current to timer  209 . The black wire from the timer joins the black wire from the gear motor  205  at the connector. When the switch  207  is turned on, 12VDC is fed to the timer  209 . When the timer is activated current is fed to the gear motor  205 . The gear motor rotates a drive arm  210  and the machine is activated. The microswitch  203  activates the gear motor  205  until its actuator arm is depressed. Therefore, when the timer  209  completes its cycle, current is still fed to the gear motor  205  until the drive arm  210  contacts the microswitch  203  with a rubber bumper located under the end of the drive arm  210  opposite the bearing assembly  213 . This opens the circuit and stops the gear motor in the correct position. The rotation of the drive arm  210  moves the motor box horizontally approximately seven inches in a reciprocating forward and rearward motion through a bearing assembly  212  and linkage arm  213  which is connected to the frame of the machine by a threaded retaining screw  214 . Specifically, the distal end of linkage arm  213  passes through a space defined by the bottom surface of frame member  42  and a U-shaped bracket having the ends of its legs secured to that surface near the longitudinal center of member  42 . Linkage arm  213  is provided with a series of longitudinally spaced apertures through which retaining screw can be selectively inserted to determine the effective length of arm  213  for operation with a patient of given torso and body length. The speed or pace of the reciprocating displacements is a function of the tube motor rotation speed. 
   This system allows the necessary motion to take place with a much simpler mechanism, thus saving a considerable amount of time and money, while accomplishing the same goal. 
   The new motor box  218  is vacuum formed in one piece instead of requiring the three pieces in my original unit. A plywood deck  219  is glued in the inside of the motor box  218 . This plywood deck  219  has pre-drilled holes with tee-nuts installed to provide a solid method of attaching the gear motor and other parts. 
   In use of the machine, a patient first positions upper body pad  14 . Foot support platform  20  is then positioned to accommodate the torso length of the patient. The patient lies supine on the table with head, shoulders and upper back resting on upper body pad  14  and lower back and buttocks resting on rollers  16 . The patient&#39;s feet are inserted under pre-positioned foot clamps  118 , with the bottoms of the feet pressed against foot plates  126  and the backs of the feet resting on heel rests  110  to comfortably secure the feet in position between the heel rests and foot clamps. 
   The therapeutic treatment machine is then energized by turning the on-off switch “on” position. The motor rotates, driving the foot support platform  20  along frame sides  48  and  50 , supported and guided by slots in bearing blocks. Operation proceeds in the manner described above in connection with the description of the motor circuit. 
   The weight or force exerted by the head, shoulders and upper back of the patient on the upper body pad  14  controls the frictional resistance to sliding developed between friction bearings and the angle stock and is equal in the forward and rearward direction. When the compression or tension force transmitted through the body of the patient by the reciprocating foot support platform exceeds the frictional force between the friction bearings and the angle stock, the upper body pad will slide along the table frame to relieve and prevent additional force from being carried by the body. Consequently the patient can control the magnitude of tension and compression forces applied by the therapeutic treatment machine by increasing or decreasing the amount of body weight applied to the upper body pad. The platform continues to cycle back and forth applying alternating compression and traction to the patient until turned off at the on-off switch or until an obstruction of foot support platform  20  activates a safety stop microswitch. 
   During compression, posterior tilting of the pelvis takes place, decreasing lumbar lordosis, relaxing the posterior elements of the spine and compressing the anterior elements. During traction the pelvis tilts forward causing extension of the lumbar spine. The increase in lumbar lordosis causes compression of the posterior elements and traction of the anterior elements. 
   When the treatment is concluded the machine can be partially dismantled for compact storage or ease of portability by removing legs  40 , T-bar  106  and foot plates  126 , and folding forward section  26  and rearward section  28  together. 
   A timer is included in the circuitry to allow the user to preset a duration for traction-compression cycling. A microprocessor based controller can be used to program the nature and duration of treatment. Furthermore, a simple ice bath of conventional design can effectively be incorporated into the roller apparatus to provide further therapeutic action or alternatively, the rollers can be replaced by a temperature controllable waterbag having low sliding resistance to allow the patient&#39;s mid body to slide freely during compression and traction. 
   The power to drive the reciprocating movement of the foot support platform can be provided alternatively by a conventional rack and pinion drive, a screw actuator, a hydraulic piston or a drive wheel. In addition the braking action exerted by the weight of the patient&#39;s upper body acting frictionally on the bearing pads can alternatively be provided by conventional mechanical, electrical or hydraulic brakes or by force exerted by the patient against handles attached to the frame. A preferred mode of operation of the present invention involves applying forces of equal magnitude during the compression and traction, or pushing and pulling, sequences. The magnitude of the compression and tension force applied to the patient&#39;s body depends on the force exerted on the upper body pad. Typically forces applied to the patient are in the range of ten to seventy pounds. 
   In view of the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a therapeutic treatment machine capable of applying alternating cycles of preselected degrees of compression and traction to the back and spinal column or to other portions of a patients body. 
   The machine is adjustable to accommodate different torso lengths and allows the patient to control the duration, frequency and intensity of treatment. The sliding engagement between the patient and the upper body support pad combines ease of control and protection against the application of excessive forces. Safety step switches activated by any obstruction in the path of the reciprocating foot support platform prevent accidental injury to the patient or others and the use of stepped-down 12 volt AC converted to DC at the machine minimizes electrical risk. The fold-away nature of the hinged table and removable legs and T-bar allows the machine to portably accompany the patient to provide treatment while traveling. 
   Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations, modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all subject matter discussed above or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative only and not be taken in a limiting sense.