Massage Machine.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1899
Massage Machine.
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I, WHITE WOLF M. HICKEY, residing at the Brooklyn Hotel, in the City and
County of San Francisco, State of California, U.S.A., Physician, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to an apparatus which is especially designed for the
massage treatment of persons. It consists essentially of a standard with adjust-
ably supported mechanism carried thereby, with reciprocating spring-pressed arms
and rubbing pads, a means for reciprocating the pads and allowing them to auto-
matically adjust themselves with relation to the part to be treated, a mechanism
by which the movable parts may be raised or depressed and also turned about the
vertical standard, and an electro-magnetic battery carried upon the standard with
connecting wires by which the current may be passed through the apparatus
and rubbers and the person being operated upon during the operation.
It also comprises details of construction which will be more fully explained
by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is a general view of my machine.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the adjusting device for the rubber-carrying bar.
Figure 3 shows the application of rubber rollers.
In the construction of my present apparatus the standard A has a semi-
globular foot-piece B which fits in a corresponding shaped socket or base C, and
this has a step D upon which the centre of the semi-globular foot-piece fits and
upon which it is turnable within the casing C at the base.
Around the semi-globular head B are made small holes b and a spring-pressed
foot-pawl E is fulcrumed upon the outside of the casing C with the inner end
adapted to engage with any one of the holes b so as to hold the standard in any
desired position, or by releasing it when the foot is placed upon the foot-piece,
the standard may be turned around its vertical axis so as to present the parts
carried thereby in any direction.
Upon the upper part of the standard are carried bars F which are pivoted one
above the other and by means of a curved rack G fixed to the lowermost of these
bars and a spring-pressed pawl engaging the teeth of the rack, these bars may
be tilted up or down about their fulcrum points to raise or lower the opposite end
which carries the rubbing apparatus.
a
The opposite ends of these arms F are connected with a centrally pivoted vertical
bar H so that the bars F H and their connections with the standard A form
parallelogram which will maintain the bar H approximately parallel with the
standard A whatever may be the point to which it is raised or depressed.
One of the bars F is extended to and beyond the opposite side of the standard,
and has a handle formed or fixed upon it by which to move and adjust the parts,
and a counterbalance weight F2 adjustable upon it with reference to the rubbers
and mechanism carried upon the opposite end, so that the apparatus may be
balanced and easily moved about.

page_text: Upon the standard A is journaled a pulley S and upon the centre of the bar H
is journaled a pulley P, and a driving cord or belt passes around these pulleys
so that by means of a crank-handle upon the pulley S, the pulley P may be
rotated.
In the apparatus I have shown a semi-circular or horse-shoe shaped yoke I
connected with the ends of the arm H and movable up and down with it."
The central portion of the lower limb of this yoke forms a fulcrum for the
lever J and a crank arm J¹ fixed upon a shaft of this lever is connected by a pit-
man K with a crank K¹ upon the shaft of the pulley P so that when the pulley P
and the crank Kare turned the action through the connecting rod or pitman K
will oscillate the lever arm J.
To the ends of this lever arm are fulcrumed the upwardly projecting bars L,
the lower ends extending sufficiently below their fulcrum points and having
springs M connecting with them by which the bars are normally drawn toward
each other at one end and correspondingly separated at the other.
N is a lever fulcrumed to the yoke I as shown at n and having a roller n'
journaled in the angle or near the upper end and adapted to travel against the
outermost of the bars L.
The end of this lever N has connected with it a cord O passing over the pulley 01
and a weight is attached to the opposite end 02 of the cord, so that this weight
pulls continually upon the arm N, pressing the roller n¹ against the back of the
bar L.
This action allows the bar L to move about its fulcrum point by the tension of
the spring M so that when the yoke I is alternately raised and lowered in the action
of applying the rubber to the person, the arm L is allowed to oscillate so as to
keep the rubber continually in contact with the part acted upon."
The rubbers may be in the form of suitably journaled rollers, or they may be
fiat, or convex as shewn at M', with arms or supports, and set or holding-screws N¹
by which they may be adjusted and fixed to the bars L L¹. The yoke I is made
of sufficient thickness transversely, and has made through one end of it a
rectangular hole i through which the bar L extends and the curved are of the
yoke is slotted as shown at so that the other arm L₁ may be oscillated as
previously described, moving in this open slot.
In order to adjust the angle of movement of the rubber carrier L', I have shewn
a device consisting of a tube Q having a transverse arm or pivot Q which is
fulcrumed within the curvature of the arched yoke I. The inner portion of this
yoke is convexed in the opposite direction from the curvature of the back, and is
notched or toothed as shown at 12, and the outer end of the tube Q carries a
transverse fork Qin which is journaled a roller R, see Figure 2.
A spring g acts upon the shank of the fork Q' which is slidable within the tube Q
and continually draws the yoke or fork Q³ against the convexity of the inner
art of the yoke I, so that by drawing the yoke Q outwardly the part I may be
turned to any desired angle and by releasing the fork Q³ the spring y draws it
inwardly and causes it to engage with one of the notches I, thus retaining the
arts in the desired position.
The bar L contacts with the roller R in its movements and is moved up and
down by the action of the tilting lever J as previously described, and the position
of the roller R determines the angle to which the bar L¹ may move outwardly as
previously described.
In order to combine an electrical treatment with the rubbing action, I have
shewn a magneto-electrical device T of any well-known or suitable construction
attached to the standard or post A at a point between the base and the upper
portion.
This magneto-machine being a mechanically excited device has a pulley
fixed upon the shaft extending into the machine, and another palley is fixed
in line above it upon the end of the shaft carrying the pulley S previously
described, so that when the pulley S is rotated, the pulley U will be rotated also,

page_text: and by means of a bolt or cord u power will be transmitted to rotate the pulley
and excite the electrical apparatus shown at T. V is a metallic plate upon which
the person to be operated upon may stand or place some part of his person, and
one of the wires W of the magneto-electrical machine connects with this plate
while the other wire W₁ connects with the post A, and by metallic communication
through that, in one of the arms F, and thence through the bars L, to the rubbers,
a circuit may be completed through the person to be operated upon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: :-
(1). The combination in a massage machine, of a vertical horizontally rotatable
and adjustable standard or post with arms pivoted thereto, the horse-shoe shaped
yoke connected with the outer ends of the arms, vertically disposed rubber-carry-
ing arms, a centrally fulcrumed oscillating lever to the outer ends of which said
arms are connected, springs by which the arms are normally drawn together, a
mechanism intermediate between the standard and the lever whereby the latter is
oscillated and the rubber arms reciprocated, a fulcrumed arm having a roller press-
ing against the back of one of the rubber arms and a weight whereby the yielding
pressure of the roller upon the arm is effected, in combination with the inwardly
curved toothed rack forming a part of the horseshoe yoke, and a spring-pressed
roller carrying yoke adapted to engage the teeth of the rack and adjust the roller
with relation to the reciprocating rubber-carrying arm, substantially as described.
(2). In a massage-machine, an adjustable standard, directing and rubbing
mechanism carried thereby, a mechanical magneto-electrical device fixed to the
standard having an actuating pulley, a corresponding pulley fixed upon the crank
shaft upon the standard and a belt through which motion is transmitted to excite
the electric device, a metallic plate adapted to support and contact with the
patient, and wires, one of which connects the electric apparatus with said plate,
and the others with the rubbers through the mechanism of the apparatus, sub-
stantially as described.
For the Applicant,
GEDGE & FEENY,
Chartered Patent Agents, 60, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,
Аррисан,
GEDGE & FEENY,
Chartered Patent Agents, 60, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,