Traps finger pressure type massage device

Abstract

This invention discloses a trapezius muscle acupressure massage device. The trapezius muscle acupressure massage device of this invention, through its back-of-the-head and cervical spine placement parts formed by closely following the curves of the user's back of the head and neck, allows the user's head to remain in a naturally fixed state. Therefore, the piston of the trapezius muscle acupressure module can apply accurate and stable acupressure to the trapezius muscle, thereby relaxing and strengthening the muscles around the trapezius muscle. This promotes and activates blood circulation, and further enhances the therapeutic effect through acupressure, traction, and stretching that promote metabolism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a trapezius muscle acupressure massage device, and more specifically, to a trapezius muscle acupressure massage device that uses air pressure to repeatedly apply pressure and retract the trapezius muscles located on both sides of the shoulders of the body with the cervical spine as the center, thereby relieving muscle tension around the trapezius muscles and improving blood circulation. Background Technology

[0002] One of the most common diseases is lumbar disc herniation, caused by a lack of exercise and the increasing number of people working in the same posture for long periods of time. In particular, the increased use of various mobile devices, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones, which are accessible to people of all ages and genders, has led to a sharp increase in people suffering from diseases of the cervical spine, the part of the spine that forms between the skull and the thoracic vertebrae.

[0003] On the one hand, the spine is composed of the vertebral body as the central body, the arch-shaped vertebral arch protruding backward and upward from the vertebral body, and multiple protrusions. A large vertebral foramen is formed in the center surrounded by the vertebral body and vertebral arch. This spine can develop spinal diseases due to prolonged incorrect posture, muscle aging, or strong external impacts. Most spinal diseases can be traced back to abnormally applying force to the spine, such as in daily habits like sitting, standing, or sleeping postures. When children and adolescents are in the growth and development stage, if the spine is abnormal, the growth plates are compressed, which disrupts the secretion of growth hormone and causes problems that hinder growth and development.

[0004] In particular, the increased use of smartphones, regardless of age or gender, has led to a surge in people suffering from cervical spine disorders, a part of the spine that lies between the skull and the thoracic vertebrae. The cervical spine, generally referred to as the cervical vertebrae, consists of seven vertebral segments. Foramina for the vertebral arteries pass through the transverse projections of each cervical vertebra, surrounded by veins and the brachial plexus. Connecting to the body below and the head above, it is considered a vital part of the body. Like the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, the cervical spine is highly susceptible to postural changes, resulting in various musculoskeletal disorders. One example is cervical disc herniation, which, like other spinal disc herniations, causes deformation of the ligaments supporting the cervical spine from the back. Stiffness in the neck muscles due to various reasons compresses nerves, ultimately leading to headaches, neck pain, shoulder and arm pain, and other musculoskeletal disorders.

[0005] Generally, to treat lower back pain or shoulder and arm pain, physical therapy to strengthen muscles or stimulation of acupoints to improve blood circulation are used. This method is widely used to treat and even alleviate the condition. In addition, for spinal diseases, widening the intervertebral spaces to relax compressed discs is preferred, thereby accurately correcting body shape through relaxation. Acupressure or massage primarily uses the hands to directly apply mechanical stimulation to the skin, triggering a biological response that corrects bodily changes to treat disease and improve health. Acupressure / massage promotes blood or lymphatic circulation, accelerates metabolism, improves tissue nutrition, eliminates aging substances, and enhances resistance. This tactile acupressure stimulation stimulates nerves, causing analgesia, thus promoting the recovery of paralyzed nerves and timely correcting changes in visceral function.

[0006] However, most acupressure / massage cannot be performed independently by the recipient, requiring assistance from others, which is inconvenient. Furthermore, because it relies on human strength, its effectiveness is inconsistent. To address this issue, various forms of acupressure / massage devices have been developed and used that allow individuals to receive acupressure / massage independently. These devices are mainly divided into vibratory massage devices that use a drive source to vibrate the acupressure points and pneumatic massage devices that utilize air pressure. However, vibratory massage devices repeatedly strike (pound) parts of the body, resulting in low acupressure effectiveness and secondary pain caused by the striking. Additionally, to accurately transmit the vibrations of the acupressure points, the acupressure points need to be pressed with considerable force, making them inconvenient and strenuous to use consistently.

[0007] Furthermore, pneumatic massage devices apply pressure to a part of the body by injecting and releasing air into a sleeve surrounding the arms, legs, or waist. These devices simply knead a part of the body, making it difficult to expect acupressure stimulation of acupoints or similar points. They are also inconvenient to use because they need to be worn on the arms, legs, or waist. Additionally, some pneumatic massage devices have cuffs that expand upwards and downwards using pneumatic pressure to create traction. These also need to be worn on the neck or waist, making them inconvenient to use. Moreover, when ineffective pneumatic pressure is applied, it is difficult to respond quickly and achieve sufficient traction, resulting in low therapeutic efficacy.

[0008] In particular, prior art, which aims to improve the flow of cerebrospinal fluid by compressing the suboccipital muscle or its surrounding area while relaxing the cervical spine, has been described in Patent Publication No. 10-1665115 (October 12, 2016). Specifically, it describes a functional cervical pillow that maintains the cervical spine in a "C" shape when lying flat and uses acupressure on the first cervical vertebra to relieve neck muscle tension and pain. When lying on the side, it allows for comfortable and correct sleeping posture without pressing the shoulder. This technology is configured to maintain the curvature of the cervical spine while acupressure on the first cervical vertebra to press the suboccipital muscle. Therefore, it has some similarities with the present invention. However, it only maintains the curvature of the cervical spine and does not include the function of relaxing the cervical spine and moving the cervical muscles. Moreover, it does not include the structure used to compress the ventricles together with the suboccipital muscle. Therefore, it has the disadvantage of not having the function of smoothing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid.

[0009] As another prior art, Patent Publication No. 10-1077885 (October 31, 2011) relates to a fascia relaxation device for physical therapy, and more specifically, describes technology related to a fascia relaxation device for physical therapy. The fascia relaxation device for physical therapy includes: a main body, placed horizontally on the floor; an occipital acupressure section protruding from one side of the main body to support the occipital bone; a suboccipital support section protruding from the front of the occipital acupressure section of the main body, higher than the occipital acupressure section to support the suboccipital region; and an upper thoracic vertebra acupressure section supporting the back of the neck while preventing the main body from being pushed away, and protruding from the front of the suboccipital support section of the main body to apply pressure to the upper thoracic vertebrae. However, this fascia relaxation device for physical therapy only uses multiple protrusions to simply compress the suboccipital muscle and its surrounding structures, thus having the problem of not being able to expect therapeutic effects. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Technical issues

[0011] This invention addresses the problems of the prior art described above. The purpose of this invention is to provide a trapezius muscle acupressure massage device. This device is configured to attach to the first and second cervical vertebrae starting from the back of the skull, following the shape of the suboccipital muscle, a muscle that stabilizes the head. Through acupressure and stretching with air pressure, it provides a massage effect, thereby relaxing the muscles. This improves the treatment effect on cervical spine diseases such as turtle neck or straight neck caused by excessive smartphone use or poor posture.

[0012] Technical solution

[0013] To achieve the aforementioned objective, a cervical spine massage device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the trapezius acupressure massage device comprises a main body and trapezius acupressure modules. The main body has a posterior head placement portion and a cervical spine placement portion. The posterior head placement portion has a curved curvature to support the posterior head of the human body. The cervical spine placement portion has an upward curved curvature from the posterior head placement portion and a downward curved curvature to place the posterior part of the human neck towards one side of the posterior head placement portion. A pair of trapezius acupressure modules are arranged at intervals to the left and right on one side of the cervical spine placement portion of the main body, thereby selectively supplying air pressure to protrude the acupressure heads, thereby pressurizing and supporting the trapezius muscles.

[0014] As a preferred feature of the present invention, the trapezius muscle acupressure module comprises: a cylinder fixedly disposed on one side of the interior of the main body; an air bag disposed on one side of the interior of the cylinder, which selectively receives air pressure from the outside for expansion or for contraction through gas discharge; a piston disposed on one side of the air bag, which moves linearly in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the air pressure; an acupressure head disposed on one side of the piston, which applies pressure and supports the trapezius muscle through contact; and a restoring spring supported at one end by the piston and at the other end by the cylinder, which applies an elastic supporting force to retract the piston.

[0015] As a preferred further feature of the invention, the air bag is connected to an air pump equipped with a solenoid valve for generating high-pressure air or forcibly venting air, and the finger pressure head is internally powered to generate vibration. The finger pressure head is a vibrating motor that receives a signal to operate when the air pump supplies air to the air bag and receives a signal to stop operating when the air pump vents air from the air bag.

[0016] As another preferred feature of the invention, the piston has an insertion groove formed on one side, an adapter is detachably assembled in the insertion groove, and an acupressure head is attached to one side of the adapter in an insertion structure. The acupressure head is either a straight acupressure head arranged in a straight line on the piston, or a bent acupressure head, one end of which is inserted into the adapter and the other end of which has an axis eccentric relative to the adapter so as to be adjustable along the trapezius muscle interval of the human body.

[0017] As another preferred feature of the invention, the cylinder has a receiving portion that internally accommodates an air bag and a guide portion into which a piston is slidably inserted, which extends elongatedly from one side of the receiving portion; one end of the piston is slidably inserted into the receiving portion so as to be movable back and forth, and a flange with an enlarged diameter is formed at one end of the piston located in the receiving portion to prevent the piston from disengaging from the guide portion, and an insertion groove is formed at the other end protruding from the guide portion for insertion and engagement of a finger pressure head; the restoring spring is a coil spring supported at one end by the flange and at the other end by the receiving portion of the cylinder.

[0018] Invention Effects

[0019] According to the trapezius acupressure massage device of the present invention, the back-head placement part and cervical spine placement part formed by closely fitting along the curve of the back of the user's head and the back of the neck can keep the user's head in a natural and fixed state. Therefore, the piston of the trapezius acupressure module can apply accurate and stable acupressure to the trapezius muscle, thereby relaxing and strengthening the muscles around the trapezius muscle, thereby guiding smooth blood circulation and activating blood circulation, and further improving the therapeutic effect through acupressure, traction and stretching that promote metabolism.

[0020] In other words, the trapezius muscle acupressure massage device of the present invention allows the user to lie comfortably with their head and neck supported by the shape of the back of the head and cervical spine support, and the operation is performed while the head is fixed. This allows for accurate acupressure effects using the acupressure head. Moreover, since air pressure is used, not only is the risk of safety accidents caused by device malfunction low, but it also prevents the risk of injury or pain caused by excessive physical force, such as acupressure, traction, or stretching, which is present in existing motors or solenoid valves. Therefore, it can be used safely and can improve consumer satisfaction with the product, thus providing a useful effect.

[0021] In addition, the trapezius muscle acupressure massage device of the present invention has a simple structure, making it easy to move and store, thereby minimizing the psychological burden on the user and allowing it to be used in a stable and comfortable posture. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the trapezius muscle acupressure massage device according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 Observe from behind Figure 1 3D image,

[0024] Figure 3 This is a perspective view showing the trapezius muscle acupressure massage device according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 3 A 3D view of the operating status.

[0026] Figure 5 Observed from above Figure 3 The picture,

[0027] Figure 6 This is an exploded perspective view used to illustrate the structure of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 7 This is a perspective view showing the bending acupressure head according to the present invention.

[0029] Figure label:

[0030] 1: Cervical spine massage device; 10: Main body; 10a: Back of head placement part; 10b: Cervical spine placement part; 11: Main body; 15: Tray; 17: Acupressure pad; 20: Trapezius muscle acupressure module; 21: Cylinder; 21a: Receiving part; 21b: Guide part; 22: Air bag; 22a: Port; 23: Piston; 23a: Insertion groove; 23b: Flange; 24: Adapter; 25: Acupressure head; 26: Bending acupressure head; 27: Restoring spring. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The structure and function of embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific disclosed form, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions included within the concept and scope of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the trapezius muscle acupressure massage device according to the present invention, viewed from the front. The figure illustrates a main body 10 consisting of: a main body 11 having a posterior head placement portion 10a and a cervical spine placement portion 10b with corresponding curved shapes for placing the posterior head and cervical spine respectively; multiple acupressure pads 17 provided on the cervical spine placement portion 10b, which apply acupressure to the cervical spine by being raised and lowered by a drive source; and a tray 15 that can rotate left and right to support the main body 11. The figure also illustrates a trapezius muscle acupressure module 20 provided on one side of the main body 10 to provide a massage effect to the trapezius muscle through pressure.

[0033] Figure 2 Observe from behind Figure 1A three-dimensional view is shown in the figure. The figure illustrates a trapezius acupressure massage device 1, which includes a body 10 and a trapezius acupressure module 20. The body 10 has a back-head placement part 10a and a cervical spine placement part 10b formed for placing the back of the head and the back of the neck of the human body. The trapezius acupressure module 20 is provided on one side of the body 10, i.e., on the side of the back-head placement part 10a, thereby applying pressure to the trapezius muscles that extend from the two shoulders of the human body towards the neck.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a perspective view showing the trapezius muscle acupressure massage device according to the present invention. The figure illustrates a trapezius muscle acupressure module 20, which comprises: a cylinder 21 forming the entire shape; an air bag 22 disposed on one side inside the cylinder 21 for selective expansion and contraction; a piston 23 disposed on one side of the air bag 22 for linear movement in conjunction with expansion and contraction; an acupressure head 25 disposed at one end of the piston 23 for applying pressure to the trapezius muscle portion of the human body; and a restoring spring 27 that provides elastic support to the piston 23.

[0035] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 3 A perspective view of the operating state of the device. The figure shows the state in which the air bag 22 located on one side inside the cylinder 21 is inflated. The figure also illustrates the state in which the flange 23b of the piston 23 moves linearly to the left with reference to the figure when the air bag 22 is inflated, in conjunction with the expansion force.

[0036] Figure 5 Observed from above Figure 3 The figure illustrates a trapezius muscle acupressure module 20, which comprises: a cubic-shaped receiving portion 21a; a cylinder 21 with a tubular guide portion 21b protruding to one side of the receiving portion; a tubular piston 23, one end of which is slidably inserted into the guide portion 21b of the cylinder 21, having an enlarged diameter flange 23b formed on the receiving portion 21a side to prevent it from detaching from the guide portion 21b; and a valve positioned between the flange 23b of the piston 23 and the receiving portion 21a, thereby... An air bag 22 that is selectively supplied with air pressure from the outside and expands; a restoring spring 27 that is supported between a flange 23b opposite to the air bag 22 and a receiving portion 21a, thereby acting as an elastic support force to move in the direction of retraction towards the piston 23; and an acupressure head 25 that is connected to the end of the piston 23 exposed to the outside of the guide portion 21b of the cylinder 21, thereby applying pressure to the trapezius muscle area of ​​the human body, and is provided with cushioning silicone or rubber.

[0037] Figure 6This is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of the present invention. The figure shows a trapezius muscle acupressure module 20 fixed inside the body 10 by multiple screw components. The trapezius muscle acupressure module 20 comprises: a cylinder 21 having a cubic shape and consisting of an open receiving portion 21a for assembling components to one side and a guide portion 21b protruding from one side of the receiving portion 21a and having a hollow interior; an air bag 22 located on one side of the receiving portion 21a of the cylinder 21, which expands and contracts by receiving air pressure from the outside or by being forcibly vented; and a guide portion 21b inserted at one end into the cylinder 21. The guide portion 21b contains a piston 23 with an enlarged flange 23b formed at one end of the receiving portion 21a, and the other end exposed to the outside of the guide portion 21b; a restoring spring 27, which is sleeved on the outside of the piston 23, is supported at one end by one side of the flange 23b and at the other end by one side of the receiving portion 21a, thereby exerting an elastic support force on the piston 23 in the backward direction; an adapter 24 is sleeved on the other end of the piston 23 exposed from the guide portion 21b; and a finger pressure head 25 is sleeved on the adapter 24.

[0038] Although not shown in the figure, the air bag 22 is a structure connected to an air pump equipped with a solenoid valve in order to generate high-pressure gas or force exhaust.

[0039] Figure 7 This is a perspective view showing a bent acupressure head according to the invention. The figure illustrates a bent acupressure head 26 with one end inserted into the adapter 24 and the other end bent multiple times at right angles, thereby having an axis eccentric to the end inserted into the adapter 24.

[0040] The structure of the cervical massage device according to the present invention will be described below.

[0041] The present invention is generally composed of a body 10 and a trapezius muscle acupressure module 20. The body 10 has a posterior head placement part 10a and a cervical spine placement part 10b. The posterior head placement part 10a has a curved curvature to support the posterior head of the human body. The cervical spine placement part 10b has an upward curved curvature relative to the posterior head placement part 10a, and also has a downward curved curvature to place the posterior part of the neck to one side of the posterior head placement part 10a. The trapezius muscle acupressure module 20 is arranged in pairs on the side of the cervical spine placement part 10b of the body 10, spaced apart to the left and right, so as to selectively supply air pressure to protrude the acupressure head 25, thereby pressurizing and supporting the trapezius muscle of the human body.

[0042] The main body 10 is generally composed of a main body 11 that forms the shape and a tray 15 that supports the main body 11 so that it can rotate left and right.

[0043] The main body 11 is provided with a cervical spine placement part 10b and a back-of-the-head placement part 10a with an ergonomically curved shape on the upper part so that the cervical spine and back of the head can be naturally placed. When the user places his head on the upper part of the main body 10, the back of the head and the cervical spine are respectively in close contact with the back-of-the-head placement part 10a and the cervical spine placement part 10b, thereby inhibiting movement.

[0044] The trapezius muscle acupressure module 20 consists of: a cylinder 21 mounted on one side of the interior of the main body 10 by multiple screw components; an air bag 22 located on one side of the interior of the cylinder 21, which expands or contracts by selectively receiving air pressure from the outside; a piston 23 located on one side of the air bag 22, which moves linearly in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the air pressure; an acupressure head 25 located on one side of the piston 23, which applies acupressure by pressing the area around the trapezius muscle of the human body; and a restoring spring 27 supported at one end by the piston 23 and at the other end by the cylinder 21, which provides elastic support in the direction of retraction of the piston 23.

[0045] The cylinder 21 has a structure with a receiving portion 21a and a guide portion 21b. The receiving portion 21a provides a cubic space inside to accommodate the air bag 22. The guide portion 21b is a hollow tubular component that extends long from one side of the receiving portion 21a, and a piston 23 is slidably inserted inside it.

[0046] The piston 23, as a component in the form of a pipe with a predetermined length, is a rotating component that is slidably inserted into the guide portion 21b of the cylinder 21, thereby moving linearly back and forth. The piston 23 has an insertion groove 23a formed on one side, through which the adapter 24 is detachably assembled.

[0047] The piston 23 has an enlarged flange 23b protruding from one end of the receiving portion 21a. The flange 23b serves to prevent the piston 23 from disengaging from the guide portion 21b of the cylinder 21. Then, the piston has an insertion groove 23a for inserting and engaging the finger pressure head 25 at the other end of the piston 23 opposite to the flange 23b.

[0048] The air bag 22 is a structure connected to an air pump equipped with a solenoid valve for generating high-pressure gas or forcibly venting gas. Although not shown, the air pump is configured to receive control signals from a controller and operate accordingly.

[0049] The adapter 24, which is a connecting component with one end inserted into the insertion slot 23a of the piston 23 and the other end inserted into the acupressure head 25 (described later), can be omitted when not needed.

[0050] The acupressure head 25 applies pressure to the muscles around the trapezius muscle of the human body to provide acupressure. It can be made of cushioning silicone, rubber, or mineral materials with excellent far-infrared radiation. It can be provided as a linear type or similar design arranged in a straight line on the piston 23. Figure 7 As shown, a bent acupressure head 26 is provided, with one end inserted into the adapter and the other end having an axis eccentric relative to the adapter so as to be adjustable along the trapezius muscle interval of the human body.

[0051] In addition, the finger pressure head 25 is powered internally to generate vibration, and can provide a vibration motor that receives a signal to operate when the air pump supplies air to the air bag 22, and receives a signal to stop operating when the air pump vents air from the air bag 22.

[0052] The restoring spring 27 is a coil spring supported at one end by the flange 23b and at the other end by the housing 21a of the cylinder 21. It exerts an elastic support force in the direction of retraction relative to the piston 23 that moves forward through the expansion of the air bag 22, so that it can quickly return to its original position when the air in the air bag 22 is discharged.

Claims

1. A trapezius muscle acupressure massage device, characterized in that, The trapezius acupressure massage device consists of a main body and trapezius acupressure modules. The main body has a posterior head placement section and a cervical spine placement section. The posterior head placement section has a curved curvature to support the back of the head. The cervical spine placement section has an upward curvature from the posterior head placement section and a downward curvature to support the posterior part of the neck on one side of the posterior head placement section. The trapezius acupressure modules are arranged in pairs on the cervical spine placement section of the main body, spaced apart to the left and right, so as to selectively supply air pressure to protrude the acupressure heads, thereby applying pressure to support the trapezius muscle. The trapezius muscle acupressure module comprises: a cylinder fixedly disposed on one side of the interior of the main body; an air bag disposed on one side of the cylinder, which selectively receives air pressure from the outside for expansion or contracts through gas discharge; a piston disposed on one side of the air bag, which moves linearly in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the air pressure; an acupressure head disposed on one side of the piston, which applies pressure and support by contacting the trapezius muscle; and a restoring spring supported at one end by the piston and at the other end by the cylinder, which applies an elastic support force to retract the piston. The cylinder has a housing portion that internally accommodates an air bag and a tubular component extending elongated from one side of the housing portion, with a guide portion into which a piston is slidably inserted. The housing portion provides a cubical space for accommodating the air bag. One end of the piston is slidably inserted into the housing portion, allowing it to move back and forth. A flange with an enlarged diameter is formed at one end of the piston located in the housing portion to prevent the piston from disengaging from the guide portion. The other end protruding from the guide portion has an insertion groove for inserting a finger pressure head. The restoring spring is a coil spring supported at one end by the flange and at the other end by the housing portion of the cylinder. The bent acupressure head has a shape in which one end is inserted into an adapter and the other end, which applies pressure to the trapezius muscle, has an axis that is off-center relative to the adapter so that it can be adjusted along the trapezius muscle interval of the human body.

2. The trapezius muscle acupressure massage device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air bag is connected to an air pump equipped with a solenoid valve for generating high-pressure air or forcing exhaust. The finger pressure head is internally powered and vibrates. The finger pressure head is a vibrating motor that receives a signal to operate when the air pump supplies air to the air bag and stops operating when the air pump exhausts air from the air bag.

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