Abstract:
A Magnetic Therapy Belt includes an array of high-gauss magnets positioned within a foam insert, and mounted between surrounding materials. The positioning of the magnets within the array of magnets corresponds to the lumbar region of the lower back, and the Magnetic Therapy Belt is designed to be worn at a variety of times, such as work, exercise and relaxation. The magnetic elements are selectively positioned relative to the patient belt-line to create a suitable magnetic field environment to maximize magnetic therapy treatment.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is a Continuation of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/258,531 filed Dec. 20, 2000, having the same title, and currently co-pending. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to clothing worn by humans. More particularly, the present invention relates to clothing used by humans for therapeutic reasons. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to clothing having magnetic structure that is worn around a person&#39;s waist for therapeutic reasons.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Magnetic therapy is a practice that utilizes specific points on the human body known as pressure points. These pressure points are special points on the body which are susceptible to changes in the environment surrounding the points. An old Chinese practice of puncturing the pressure points with needles is recognized by many to relieve pain, sickness, or disease. Magnetic therapy works in a similar way, but instead of puncturing the pressure points with a needle, magnetic therapy creates a magnetic field around and through the pressure points. The magnetic field created by the magnets are low-leveled, so the body is not harmed by the magnetic field. The magnetic field is believed to assists in restoring a correct balance of electrical charge to stressed cells in and around the pressure points.  
           [0004]    Magnetic products have been developed to aide in healing cells in specific areas of the bodies. For example, magnetic hand-held balls are common in Chinese and other Asian stores which relieve built-up stress in the hands. Magnetic trinkets which dangle from various sized necklaces are believed to strengthen the heart and chest area, and to provide other therapeutic effects. These products, however, are not fashionable, are difficult to keep on, and are often uncomfortable because they irritate the skin where the cloth touches due to the constant shifting of the fabric. Also, these products are not useful for providing magnetic therapy to the lower abdomen and lumber portion of the back.  
           [0005]    Therefore, a need exists for a specialized product with the magnetic structure which can be easily worn around the waist and creates a magnetic field in the lower abdomen and back regions. This product must also be easy to put on a person, must be comfortable, and relatively fashionable for patients to wear.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    In accordance with the present invention, a Magnetic Therapy Belt is provided and includes an article of apparel resembling a belt and includes an array of magnetic elements, a buckle, and strips of material that compose the structure of the belt. The magnetic elements may be held in place inside the belt by an adhesive, and may be further retained in place by providing a band within the belt having circular apertures for receiving the magnetic elements. The magnetic elements are placed at intervals along a portion of, or the entire, length of the belt, and particularly adjacent the lower back, or lumbar, area. The magnets are oriented within the belt to provide a substantially unipolar magnetic field to the body of the person wearing the belt. The belt may be constructed of fabric commonly used for belts, such as leather.  
           [0007]    The Magnetic Therapy Belt as described above will overcome the disadvantages of currently available magnetic therapy products. For example, the Magnetic Therapy Belt of the present invention allows for a comfortable, fashionable, and efficient magnetic therapy treatment just by wearing a belt. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the Magnetic Therapy Belt of the present invention showing the placement of an array of magnetic elements along the portion of the belt which would be positioned adjacent the lower back region of a person wearing the device;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a top view of the Magnetic Therapy Belt of the present invention showing the relative placement of the array of magnetic elements within the belt and the location and attachment of the belt buckle to the device;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the Magnetic Therapy Belt of the present invention taken along line  3 - 3  in FIG. 1, and showing the placement and retention of a magnetic element within the internal structure of the belt; and  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a side view of the Magnetic Therapy Belt of the present invention with portions of the belt material removed for clarity, and showing the relative placement of the magnetic elements within the belt, the magnetic element-receiving aperture formed in the surrounding material of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]    Referring initially to FIG. 1, the Magnetic Therapy Belt of the present invention is shown as it is typically worn around the waist of a patient (not shown) and is generally designated  100 . Magnet Therapy Belt  100  includes a belt body  102  containing an array of magnetic elements  104 , and having a first end  106  and a second end  108 . First end  106  is formed with a loop  110  that is held in place with rivet  112  to capture buckle  114  in place. Second end  108  is formed with an array of through holes for receiving the tab portion  118  of buckle  114  for adjusting the length of the Magnet Therapy Belt  100  for comfortable positioning of the device on the person receiving the magnetic therapy.  
         [0014]    From FIG. 1, it can be appreciated that the magnetic elements  104  (shown in dashed lines) are strategically located within the portion of the belt which would be positioned adjacent the backside of the patient to give maximum treatment to the lower, or lumbar, region of the back. It should be understood, however, that while the Magnet Therapy Belt  100  of the present invention is shown to have magnetic elements positioned only along a portion of the length of the belt, the magnetic elements may be positioned along the entire length of the belt, or any portion of the belt, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0015]    Referring now to FIG. 2, a top view of the Magnetic Therapy Belt  100  of the present invention is shown and details the relative placement of the array of magnetic elements  104  within the belt  102  and the location and attachment of the belt buckle  114  to the device. Magnetic elements  104  (shown in dashed lines) are shown having a thickness  120  and a diameter  122  and separated by a distance  124 . In a preferred embodiment, the thickness  120  is three millimeters (3 mm), diameter  122  is one centimeter (1 cm), and separation distance  124  is one centimeter (1 cm). Magnetic elements  104 , in a preferred embodiment, are high gauss neodymium magnets which exhibit magnetic fields in excess of 35,000 gauss adjacent the magnet  104 .  
         [0016]    Referring now to FIG. 3, a cross-section of the Magnetic Therapy Belt  100  of the present invention is shown and details the placement of the magnetic elements  104  between the layers of the belt  102 . More specifically, belt  102  includes a pair of outer coverings  130  and  132 , and a pair of inner layers  134  and  136 . These outer coverings  130  and  132  are attached to inner layers  134  and  136  with an adhesive  137 . A foam insert  138  may be positioned between the inner layer  134  and  136  and may be formed with a circular aperture  142  for receiving the magnetic element  104 . The outer coverings  130  and  132 , and inner layers  134  and  136  are sewn together with threads  140  to capture magnetic element  104  within aperture  142 .  
         [0017]    Foam insert  138  is of a particular importance in Magnetic Therapy Belt  100  as the placement of magnetic elements  104  within belt  102  is difficult due to the high magnetic attraction between the magnetic elements  104 . Without the placement of the magnetic elements within aperture  142  of the foam insert  138 , the magnetic elements would otherwise move during the manufacturing process, resulting in a belt having irregularly spaced magnetic elements.  
         [0018]    In a preferred embodiment, foam insert  138  may be composed of foam or other polymeric materials, leather, vinyl or other material that maintains its shape when pressure is applied and is known in the art. Stitching  108  may be any material used for textile stitching as used in the art. In a preferred embodiment, outer coverings  130  and  132 , and inner layer  134  and  136  may be made of any material known in the art, and preferably leather.  
         [0019]    Referring now to FIG. 4, a side view of the Magnetic Therapy Belt  100  is shown with portions removed for clarity. Specifically, portions of the outer covering  130  and inner layer  134  have been removed to show the placement of the magnetic element  104  within the circular aperture  142  of foam insert  138 . As shown, each of the magnetic elements  104  are oriented such that the side of the magnetic element having a negative polarity is positioned adjacent the person, thus providing the wearer of the Magnetic Therapy Belt  100  with a negative magnetic field for the magnetic therapy treatment. Research has shown that magnetic therapy treatments incorporating exposure of the patient to a negative magnetic field provides superior results from the therapy.  
         [0020]    As a result of the positioning of the magnetic elements  104  along the length of belt  102 , and the consistent orientation of the negative side of the magnetic element  104  against the wearer of the Magnetic Therapy Belt  100 , the strength of the magnetic fields which are created by the magnetic elements  104  is substantially uni-polar and continuous along the portion of the belt  104  containing magnetic elements  104 . More specifically, because the magnetic elements  104  are high strength neodymium magnets, and they are all similarly positioned with the negative side against the wearer, the wearer experiences virtually no positive magnetic field from the Magnetic Therapy Belt  100 . This is particularly advantageous in providing a magnetic therapy treatment which is most effective.  
         [0021]    In a preferred embodiment, (21) twenty-one magnetic elements  104  may be used to spread the magnetic therapy laterally along the lower back region. With a separation distance of one millimeter (1 mm), the magnetic field experienced by the wearer is negative in polarity, and extends about the wearer&#39;s entire lumbar region. It should be appreciated, however, that the polarity of the magnetic elements may be reversed, exposing the wearer to a positive magnetic field during the magnetic therapy treatment. Further, the strength of the magnetic elements  104 , as well as the spacing between the magnetic elements  104 , may vary to provide a different magnetic field strength for the magnetic therapy treatment.  
         [0022]    In addition to the placement of the magnetic elements  104  along a length of the belt  102  for treatment of the lower back region of the patient, the belt  104  may also be worn with the buckle  114  positioned differently. For instance, should one side of a patient require a magnetic therapy treatment, the Magnetic Therapy Belt  100  may be positioned such that the magnetic elements  104  are positioned adjacent the kidney area of the patient&#39;s body. In this manner, a magnetic therapy treatment may be given to any portion of a patient&#39;s body by selectively positioning the magnetic elements  104  within the Magnetic Therapy Belt  100  in the appropriate location.  
         [0023]    While there have been shown what are presently considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.