Dual-Hardness Stretching Tool for Balanced Fascia Pressure

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional stretching tools either fail to apply sufficient pressure due to excessive softness, leading to inadequate stretching effects, or apply excessive pressure, risking injury to skin, muscles, or joints due to hardness, and struggle to effectively massage shallow fascia under subcutaneous fat.

Innovation Solution

A double-structured stretching tool with inner shells of high hardness and outer covering layers of lower elasticity, featuring spiral projecting lines on the surface, which allows for gentle pressure application and blood circulation promotion while minimizing load on skin, muscles, or joints.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If the stretching tool is formed of soft material, then gentleness for skin is improved and excessive load is suppressed, but sufficient pressing force cannot be applied to achieve stretching effect on fascia

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexcessive load on skinVSAvoidpressing force on fascia

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The stretching tool employs a composite structure consisting of an inner shell made of hard material (e.g., resin with high hardness) and an outer covering layer made of soft material (e.g., elastomer or rubber). This composite construction allows the inner shell to provide sufficient structural support and pressing force for deep fascia stretching, while the outer covering layer ensures gentleness for skin contact and prevents excessive load.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the stretching tool have different hardness properties: the inner shell maintains high hardness throughout to provide structural integrity and deep pressing capability, while the outer covering layer has uniformly softer properties to ensure gentle skin contact. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between needing hard support and soft contact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Force

If the stretching tool is formed of hard material, then stretching effect on fascia is improved, but excessive load is applied to skin, muscles, or joints

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepressing force on fasciaVSAvoidexcessive load on skin

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The stretching tool employs a composite structure consisting of an inner shell made of hard material (e.g., resin with high hardness) and an outer covering layer made of soft material (e.g., elastomer or rubber). This composite construction allows the inner shell to provide sufficient structural support and pressing force for deep fascia stretching, while the outer covering layer ensures gentleness for skin contact and prevents excessive load.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the stretching tool have different hardness properties: the inner shell maintains high hardness throughout to provide structural integrity and deep pressing capability, while the outer covering layer has uniformly softer properties to ensure gentle skin contact. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between needing hard support and soft contact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the stretching tool has smooth spherical surface, then skin contact is gentle, but sufficient massaging effect cannot be exerted on shallow fascia

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveskin irritationVSAvoidmassaging effect on shallow fascia

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The outer covering layer features localized protrusions distributed on its surface, creating regions of concentrated pressure for massaging shallow fascia while maintaining overall gentle skin contact. The protrusions provide mechanical stimulation to subcutaneous tissue without requiring the entire surface to be hard, thus resolving the contradiction between gentleness and massaging effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The tool achieves a balanced stretching effect on deep and shallow fascia, promoting blood circulation and preventing injury, by distributing pressure effectively and providing a gentle yet stimulating massage.

Implementation Method 1

the outer covering layers having a relatively smaller hardness than that of the inner shells so as to have elasticity

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS11278467B2Stretching tool

Publication Date: 2022.03.22 JUTE INC

AI summary

A stretching tool includes: two spheres of identical size, each with a two-layer structure consisting of an inner shell and an elastic outer covering layer which is affixed to the surface of the inner shell and which has a hardness relatively less than that of the inner shell; and a connecting section that connects the inner shells of the two spheres so that an extended axial center line passes through the centers thereof. The spheres' exterior surfaces have ridges that have saw-blade-shaped cross-sections and extend over the extended axial center line continuously from an end section on the outermost side of each of the two spheres toward the connecting section.