Patent ID: 7722554

Claim:
A device for treating a human, said device comprising: a chest belt adapted to extend around the chest of a patient; an abdominal belt adapted to extend around the abdomen of the patient; a first drive spool operably connected to a motor through a first clutch, the first drive spool engaging the chest belt such that rotation of the first drive spool causes the chest belt to spool upon the first drive spool; a second drive spool operably connected to the motor through a second clutch, the second drive spool engaging the abdominal belt such that rotation of the second drive spool causes the abdominal belt to spool upon the second drive spool; a control module which controls the operation of the chest belt and the abdominal belt to alternately cause the chest belt to be spooled upon the first drive spool while causing the abdominal belt to be unspooled from the second drive spool, and cause the abdominal belt to be spooled upon the second drive spool and while causing the first belt to be unspooled from the first drive spool; wherein the second drive spool is connected to the first drive spool through the second clutch, the control module controls operation of the motor, the first clutch, and the second clutch, the control module operates to engage the first clutch to cause the first drive spool to rotate in a direction which causes the chest belt to constrict, the control module then operates to release the first clutch to allow the chest belt to expand and counter-rotate the first drive spool in response to expansive force applied by the chest, then the second clutch is engaged to lock the first drive spool to the second drive spool during counter-rotation of the second drive spool.