Cupping head with vertical pumping effect

Abstract

Cupping applicator in the form of a hollow body with an opening on the treatment side, consisting of spring-elastic material, the restoring force of which is dimensioned such that it can be compressed to at least half its diameter by the force of a human hand and that it returns completely to its original shape after the end of the manual compression, characterized in that its wall is weakened by at least one circular groove (1c) in such a way that the cupping applicator (1) deforms approximately in the manner of an accordion when an axial force (7) is applied and thereby reduces the volume of air enclosed towards the skin (5).

Description

The invention is based on a rougher applicator according to the preamble of claim 1.Rough-cut applicators serve either for non-bleeding or bleeding (after scoring=scarification of the skin surface) in situ rough-cutting, in which the position of the rough-cut applicator is not changed during the rough-cutting operation, or for the suction wave massage, in which the rough-cut applicator is ideally drawn tangentially over the skin from the heart to the heart in the suctioned state.Rough applicators made of hard material such as metal or glass have been known since the antege.Only in recent years are it increasingly the use of rough applicators made of softer, more skin-friendly material, for example plasticized PVC or EVA.For example, No. 20 2013 003 613 U1 describes a hand-operated push-button applicator in the form of a hollow body with a treatment-side opening which consists of spring-elastic material, the restoring force of which is dimensioned such that it can be compressed to at least half its diameter by the force of a human hand and that it returns completely to its original shape again after the end of the manual compression.The compression reduces its internal volume. The air therein is forced out. Upon release, a vacuum arises when the applicator was previously placed with its treatment-side opening on the skin surface. Depending on its thickness, this vacuum draws a skin fold into the interior of the rougher applicator.Once suctioned, the vacuum in such a rougher applicator remains more or less constant, regardless of whether it remains in place or is drawn laterally over the skin surface in the sense of a suction wave massage. The vacuum prevailing in the interior of the rougher applicator can therefore not be varied in the sense of swelling and swelling without risk of dropping from the skin.The object of the present invention is to improve a generic rough-cut applicator in such a way that its internal volume can be reduced and again enlarged to the original volume in a simple and rapid sequence by application of mechanical pressure in the axial direction.This object is achieved by the features specified in the characterizing part of the main claim.Further embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.The rougher applicator is in the form of a hollow body with at least one treatment-side opening and, according to the invention, is made of spring-elastic material, the restoring force of which is dimensioned such that it can be compressed from the side or in the axial direction, for example by the force of a human hand or a massage device with vertically operating plunger movement, to such an extent that, after placement of the opening on the skin surface and release, a negative pressure builds up in its interior.According to the invention, the axial compression of the rougher applicator is facilitated in that its wall is weakened by at least one, preferably two circular round grooves in such a way that it deforms approximately in the manner of an concertina upon the action of an axial force and thereby simultaneously reduces the air volume enclosed toward the skin surface.If this occurs in a rapid sequence of compression and relaxation in the state in which it is placed on the skin, a change of strong and weak suction results which acts on the skin surface at the same frequency and draws it in alternately in the form of a low and a high skin fold.In the treated skin section, there is thus a considerable pumping effect with strong and weak aspiration of blood and lymph.Carried out at the correct frequency, metabolic slags can be selectively immobilized and flushed out or decongestion processes initiated.The rougher applicator can be operated manually up to a certain frequency and a maximum exertion of force in the case of vertical pump application, but can also be used quasi as a shoulder part for a commercially available percussion massage device, whereby frequency and force development can be significantly increased, if therapeutically indicated.For this purpose, a permanent magnet can be accommodated in the attachment piece of the rough-machining applicator facing away from the treatment side, which permanent magnet together with the ferritic-metallic counterpart of the, for example, percussion massage device produces a secure, force-locking connection which does not become detached even when pumping is rapid.A preferred embodiment of the invention provides an adapter as an intermediate piece between the rougher applicator and the massage device.In addition to the vertical pumping movement, the rougher applicator can be used for the stationary rougher or the suction wave massage. It is designed so that it can also be compressed between thumb and index finger without excessive force.Its function of schroping and sucking waves is developed in this case such that it is placed under slight pressure on the skin surface in the compressed state and is then released.The initial compression also reduces the internal volume of the rougher applicator. The air therein is forced out to the same extent. Upon release, a vacuum arises when the applicator was previously placed with its treatment-side opening on the skin surface.Depending on its thickness, this vacuum draws a more or less high skin crease into the interior of the rougher applicator.The user / therapist can then leave the applicator on site like a conventional rough glass for a longer time and quickly rough the patient dry or (after prior saccharification of the skin).However, it can also pull the applicator tangentially over the skin in the sense of a translation, the skin crease which is drawn in also migrating. This corresponds to the classic suction wave massage.This process is facilitated by the prior application of a lubricant which is massaged into the skin at the same time.The rough applicator is made of silicone, for example with a Shore hardness of 40 to 80, preferably 60 + / - 5.However, other shore hardnesses can also be used, for example in such a way that a plurality of rough applicators of different shore hardness are combined in one therapy set. In this case, it is expedient to characterize the different Shore hardnesses / degrees of softness of the applicators in a rapidly recognizable manner by a respectively assigned color print or a coloring of the material, so that the workflow of the therapist is accelerated.Inner edges of the treatment-side opening (see below) of different sharpness can also be clearly identified by the color coding described above or by corresponding imprints.Instead of coloring, transparent or even transparent material can also be used, so that the user / therapist sees exactly how the vacuum acts on the skin surface, i.e., for example, the height of the above-mentioned material. Skin fold or the color of the skin (fading? Redness? Bluish discoloration? Blood Effusions? Blood Leakage? Opening of Eiter Grooves?).The rough applicator is preferably approximately round in rotation and is produced in one piece, for example by injection molding or by vulcanization.The treatment-side opening should preferably have a sharp-edged edge without a radius on the inside, which edge encloses an angle of at most 100°.In the case of the above-described suction wave massage, this enables simultaneous peeling with removal of the uppermost dead horny layer of the skin, particularly if a lubricant is intentionally dispensed with.Instead, embodiments with an inner edge rounded off in different radii are of course also conceivable. Thus, the peeling effect, but also the treatment comfort (less painful in the case of a rounded edge) can be controlled in fine steps.The rougher applicator preferably has the following dimensions:The treatment-side opening should have a diameter between 5 mm and 200 mm; the total length should be between 15 mm and 300 mm, the thickness of the side wall 1 to 8 mm.The thickness of its side wall is preferably 1 to 3 mm in the region of the round grooves=wall weakening.At a readily visible location of its outer surface, at least one of the following items of information can be incorporated or applied to the rough applicator: numbering, therapeutic indications, advertising imprints, company logos and further items of information not listed here.With the therapeutic information, information on the body regions for which the respective applicator is suitable would be conceivable, but also prescribed treatment times, pulling speeds during the suction wave massage or the exact attachment locations for the applicators, for example in the case of treatment of trigger points or acupressur points.The attachment piece of the rough-cut applicator mentioned further above can be formed hollow on the inside with, for example, an undercut, so that it accommodates inner parts with a matching connection, which are then arranged in the cavity of the rough-cut applicator during the treatment.These inner parts can be designed either as a holding part for active elements, for example permanent magnets, healing stones, heat-emitting or heat-absorbing elements, in such a way that the active elements can interact with their surface at least upon compression of the rough-cut applicator, regardless of whether in the tangential or vertical direction to the skin.In the above-described pumping process with compression and relaxation of the rougher applicator, the active element thus comes into contact with the skin in each case in the compression phase and is moved away from the skin surface again in the relaxation phase, an additional, quasi-emulsifying stimulus.In order to condition the elements to be heated or cooled prior to use, the rougher applicator carrying these elements may be cooled or heated in its entirety prior to use for the sake of simplicity.Instead of accommodating active elements, the inner part can also be designed as a compressible, approximately bag-shaped reservoir, which can accommodate media selected before the treatment, for example ointments, creams, lotions, oils and the like.Analogously to the above-described pumping effect, the medium previously introduced is delivered to the skin in small portions during each vertical compression and distributed there, so that the mechanical stimulation can also be combined with a finely meterable chemical stimulus or cosmetic applications.Since the edge of the rougher applicator exerts a certain pressure on the skin in the suctioned state, the medium is intensively massaged into the skin, in particular during translation=sampling massage.In a further embodiment, the attachment piece can have an aperture which receives a hollow connection piece. The latter is shaped so that a hose can be connected to it to a vacuum generator. With this arrangement, in addition to or instead of the manual compression, the vacuum in the interior of the rougher applicator can also be generated by a separate component, for example an electric vacuum pump.The application fields of the rougher applicator are as follows:• Massage of Back, Neck and Shoulder Muscles including Fascia• Cutting over large joints• Treatment of insertional endopathies, e.g. tennis elbows• Acceleration of regeneration after activity• Acceleration of healing after e.g. muscle injuries• Reflex zone massage in diseases of internal organs• Foot reflex zone massage• Head and neck massage in headaches, migraine and the like.• Selective Roughing at Acupressur and Trigger Points• Treatment of poorly healing wounds• Lymphatic drainage, for example for decongesting the carpal tunnel• "Facelifting" by tightening skin tissue on the face• Tightening of abdominal coverings• Cellulite treatment• Peeling• Further cosmetic tasks, such as e.g. scarring• Psychic relaxationA rougher applicator according to the invention has the following advantages:• The rougher applicator can be used in the same session as a stationary, classic rougher head for non-bleeding or bloody rougher, for suction wave massage with lateral translation over the skin surface and, as a result of the circular weakening of its wall, also for the pressure suction massage, which changes slowly or rapidly depending on the frequency, with deslagging of the tissue.• It can also be used as a shoulder part for commercially available percussion massage devices, which considerably reduces the development of force required for the alternating axial pumping action.• The interior of the rougher applicator can likewise be used therapeutically, for example by the inclusion of heating / cooling active elements or by the introduction of a reservoir filled with medium (cream, lotion or the like), which, during the pumping process, releases and distributes the previously introduced medium on the skin surface.• Very easy application, which in turn opens up the multiple simultaneous use of multiple applicators in the same or different body regions. This ideally results in superadditive medical effects.• The part can be manufactured in one piece and therefore cost-effective in one working step.• It is suitable not only for the therapeutic purposes described above, but also as an advertising event or advertising medium, since the comparatively large outer surface is suitable for engraved, colored, printed or otherwise applied information of any type.Finally, an exemplary embodiment of the invention is to be explained with reference to the drawings:The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a rough-cut applicator according to the invention, and FIG. 2 shows the manner of application to the skin (from left to right):• The applicator at rest• Start of axial compression• Maximum axial compression• The applicator is released, relaxes and adheres to the skin. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the combination of a rougher applicator with a versatile inner part which can either accommodate an active element or be configured as a bag-shaped reservoir. FIG. 5 shows the adapter 12.FIG. 1 shows, on the basis of a longitudinal section, the structure of the rougher applicator 1, for example in the form of a bell, with a treatment-side opening 2, sharp-edged inner edge 1 dand side wall 1 b.The upper termination of the rougher applicator is designed in this example as a shoulder 1a for commercially available massage devices.Essential to the invention is the weakening of the side wall 1b by the two circular inner annular grooves 1c shown by way of example, whereby the axial compression is first made possible.FIG. 2 shows from left to right how the rougher applicator 1 rests with its treatment-side opening 2 resting on the surface of the skin 5.In the next figure, the vertical or axial compression, designated by 7 "compression-tensioning", of the rougher applicator 1 begins, which as a result presses itself, recognizable for a short time, into the skin 5.In the third illustration, the compression is fully pronounced, so that the skin surface is pressed in briefly in the form of a concave skin fold 6 until the air has leaked under the edge of the rougher applicator. It should be noted that in this process, the internal volume of the rougher applicator 1 decreases significantly in two stages. The air enclosed there escapes partially over the edge of the treatment-side opening 2, but this edge is then again located all around and sealed on the surface of the skin 5.If the pressure on the compressed rough-cut applicator 1 is now reduced ("release-release" 8), it assumes its original shape again, as shown in the right-hand illustration, owing to the resilient material from which it is composed. Since the edge of the rougher applicator rests tightly on the skin 5, a vacuum is formed which pulls the skin in the form of a clearly convex skin fold 6 into the interior of the rougher applicator 1.FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the combination of a rougher applicator 1 with a versatile inner part 3, the coupling piece 3 aof which is held by the inner contour of the attachment piece 1 aand can either receive an active element 4 or be designed as a bag-shaped reservoir. In the latter case, the inner part 3 contains in its cavity 3 b a medium 9 which, when pressure is (laterally) exerted on the rougher applicator, exits at the outlet nozzle 3 cand distributes itself on the skin (not illustrated).FIG. 5 shows the adapter 10 which receives the massage head 11a of a commercially available massage device 11 at the upper end in the drawing, while it is placed on the attachment piece 1a of the cut-off rough-button applicator 1 at the lower end. The permanent magnets 4a and 10a are inserted--polarized in opposite directions--in the attachment piece 1a or adapter 10, so that they ensure a fixed connection between these two parts.Figure legend was1 Schropf applicator 1 a Ansatz 1 bSide wall 1 c Rund groove - wall weakening 1 d Scharfkantig edge 2 Treatment-side opening 3 Inner part 3 a Kupplungs piece 3 b Hohlraum 3 c Auslass nozzle 4 Active element 4 a Permanentmagnet 5 Skin 6 Skin fold 7 "Compression-Tensioning" 8 "Release-Relaxation" 9 Medium 10 Adapter 10 a Permanentmagnet II 11 Massage device 11 aMassing head

Claims

A rough-cut applicator in the form of a hollow body having an opening on the treatment side, consisting of spring-elastic material, the restoring force of which is dimensioned such that it can be compressed to at least half its diameter by the force of a human hand and that it returns completely to its original shape again after the end of the manual compression, characterized in that its wall is weakened by at least one circular round groove (1c) in such a way that the rough-cut applicator (1) deforms approximately in the manner of an concertina upon the action of an axial force (7) and thus reduces the air volume enclosed towards the skin (5).The rougher applicator according to claim 1, characterized in that its side wall (1b) has two circular round grooves (1c).The rougher applicator according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the round grooves (1c) are recessed into its inner surface.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the round grooves (1c) have a radius of 5-15 mm.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that its side wall (1b) has a thickness of 1 to 8 mm.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the thickness of the side wall (1b) in the region of the deepest point of the round grooves (1c) is 1 to 3 mm.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in • that it is designed to be approximately round in rotation, • that it is produced in one piece.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the treatment-side opening (2) has, at least on the inside, a sharp-edged edge (1d) without a radius, which includes an angle of at most 100°.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 - 8, characterized in • that the treatment-side opening (2) has a diameter between 5 mm and 200 mm, • that its total length is between 15 mm and 300 mm.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that it consists of silicone with a Shore hardness of 40 to 80.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 - 10, characterized in that grip regions for the fingers of the hand are worked into on the outside at opposite points of the side wall (1b).The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the grip regions according to claim 11 are designed as recessed grips.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that different shore hardnesses are characterized by different colorations of the material.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that at least one of the following items of information is incorporated or applied at a readily visible location on its outer surface: • Numbering • Therapeutic indications • Advertising imprints • Company logosThe rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that it consists of translucent to transparent material.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that its end facing away from the treatment side is designed as a shoulder (1a) for connecting to or receiving other devices.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that a permanent magnet is incorporated into the attachment piece (1a), which permanent magnet produces a force-fit connection to other devices mentioned in claim 16.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1-17, characterized in that the attachment piece (1a) has a cavity in its interior for receiving inner parts (3).The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the attachment piece (1a) receives an adapter (10) on its outer contour in a force-fit but detachable manner, which adapter in turn surrounds the massage head (11a) of a commercially available massage device (11) in a force-fit but detachable manner.The rougher applicator according to claim 19, characterized in that permanent magnets (4a) and (10a), respectively, are provided both in the attachment piece (1a) and in the end of the adapter (10) facing the attachment piece (1a), which magnets are poled with respect to one another in such a way that they attract one another and in this way ensure the force-fit connection between rougher applicator (1) and adapter (10).The rough-cut applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 20da, characterized in that the inner part (3) is designed as a holding part for active elements (4), for example permanent magnets, healing stones, heat-emitting or heat-absorbing elements, in such a way that the active elements interact with the surface of the skin (5) at least upon compression of the rough-cut applicator (1).The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 20da, characterized in that the inner part (3) is designed as a compressible reservoir for media (9), for example creams, lotions, herbal extracts etc., which rests closely against the inner surface of the rougher applicator (1) and can be emptied in small portions onto the surface of the treated skin (5) when compressed from sideways or from above.The rougher applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the attachment piece (1a) has an aperture which receives a hollow connection in such a way that it establishes an open connection from the exterior space to the interior space of the rougher applicator.

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