Foot-Based Massage Apparatus With Flexible Balance Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Massage practitioners face challenges with existing foot-based massage techniques due to the need for bulky apparatuses and overhead supports, which require installation and occupy excessive space, limiting portability and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A foot-based massage apparatus featuring a base member with flexible members attached to connector points above the support surface, allowing practitioners to maintain balance while delivering force to patients without the need for overhead installations, and optionally including a patient support member and gripping members for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If overhead ropes or bars are used for support, then practitioner balance is improved, but device complexity and installation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the overhead support requirement entirely, replacing it with a base member that provides support from the ground level. The flexible member attached to the base member creates a portable support system that eliminates the need for ceiling-mounted ropes or bars, thus reducing device complexity and installation requirements while maintaining practitioner balance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing support from above (overhead ropes/bars), the patent inverts the support direction by using a base member that provides support from below (ground level). This inversion eliminates the need for overhead installations while still providing the necessary structural support for practitioner balance.
2Reliability
If bulky apparatuses are used, then structural support is improved, but portability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the support system into a compact base member with attached flexible members, rather than using a single bulky apparatus. This segmentation allows the support structure to be compact and portable while still providing adequate structural support when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible member introduces dynamic properties to the support system, allowing it to adapt to different practitioner positions and weights. This dynamic flexibility enables the compact base member to provide reliable structural support without requiring a bulky rigid structure.
3Reliability
If overhead installations are required, then practitioner support is improved, but ease of setup deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the overhead installation requirement entirely by providing support from ground level through the base member. This extraction of the overhead component eliminates the need for ceiling mounting, drilling, or complex installations, making the system easy to set up and move.
Solution Approach 2:
The base member with flexible members is designed to be self-supporting from ground level, requiring no external overhead infrastructure. The system serves itself by providing all necessary support functions through its own structure, eliminating the need for installation in overhead locations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of administering a massage comprising providing a base member with a flexible member coupled to opposite sides of the base member. The base member is rested on top of a support surface so that connection points where the flexible member attaches to the base member are vertically disposed above the support surface. A patient is positioned on the base member and the support surface so that the patient is laying between the opposite sides of the base member. Force is delivered to the patient laying on the base member using a foot of a massage practitioner. The massage practitioner utilizes the flexible member to assist with balance of the massage practitioner while the force is delivered to the patient.