Massage appliance having floating motor and vibration plate for vibration isolation

Abstract

A vibration appliance includes a vibration-isolation structure which substantially reduces vibration felt by the user at the handle. The vibration motor is mounted to a vibration plate which carries the massage node. The vibration plate floats within the vibration appliance housing, being suspended by a flexible, elastomer membrane having contours such as curves or folds in it that provide freedom of movement of the vibration plate relative to the housing to which the flexible membrane is mounted. This arrangement can be thought of as the motor and vibration node being mounted on a flexible diaphragm that can move freely as if mounted to the housing by a bellows-like arrangement.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A massage appliance comprising:
 a handle for a user to hold;   a distal portion, the distal portion being distal of the handle and coupled thereto, the distal portion having an aperture therein, and an edge surrounding the aperture defining a lip;   a diaphragm having:
 a central portion having a first and outward face and an opposite second and inward face; 
 a flexible portion around the central portion and supporting said central portion; and 
 a mounting portion surrounding the flexible portion, the mounting portion being mounted to the lip; 
   a massage node mounted to the outward face of the diaphragm central portion, the massage node being adapted for application to a subject to be massaged; and   a vibration motor mounted to the inward face of the central portion of the diaphragm, the vibration motor adapted to cause said central portion of the diaphragm and said massage node to vibrate;   wherein:
 the flexible portion of the diaphragm is sufficiently flexible such that vibrational movement of the central portion of the diaphragm and the massage node mounted thereto is substantially uncoupled from the handle. 
   
     
     
         2 . The massage appliance of  claim 1  wherein “substantially uncoupled” means that less than 20% of vibrational energy produced by the motor rotating the eccentric weight is transmitted across the flexible portion of the diaphragm to the lip of the aperture. 
     
     
         3 . The massage appliance of  claim 1  wherein when the massage appliance is operating at a highest available speed selection, a base of the massage node vibrates with a horizontal travel distance of at least 5 times a horizontal travel distance of the handle when the handle is unconstrained. 
     
     
         4 . The massage appliance of  claim 1  wherein the flexible portion of the diaphragm has at least one contour, said contour selected from the group consisting of a curve, a bend, and a fold. 
     
     
         5 . The massage appliance of  claim 1  wherein:
 the aperture and the mounting portion of the diaphragm each have a generally rounded shape; and 
 the diaphragm flexible portion has a contour that is proximate to the mounting portion and extends around the mounting portion, the contour providing to the diaphragm central portion freedom of movement in two dimensions relative to the aperture edge. 
 
     
     
         6 . The massage appliance of  claim 4  wherein the contour includes a total angle change of at least 120 degrees. 
     
     
         7 . The massage appliance of  claim 1  wherein the flexible portion and the mounting portion of the diaphragm are integrally formed as a unitary part comprising an elastomer. 
     
     
         8 . The massage appliance of  claim 1  wherein:
 the diaphragm central portion comprises a curved plate; 
 the massage node comprises a plurality of flexible nubs integrally formed with the curved plate; and 
 the motor is mounted directly to the curved plate; 
 such that the diaphragm flexible portion separates the curved plate and vibrations induced therein from the lip of the aperture, thereby isolating said vibrations from said aperture and from said handle. 
 
     
     
         9 . The massage appliance of  claim 1  wherein the central portion of the diaphragm is formed separately from, and of a different material than, the flexible portion. 
     
     
         10 . The massage appliance of  claim 9  wherein:
 the central portion of the diaphragm has a curved top surface and boundary edge thereof defining a first boundary edge; 
 the flexible portion of the diaphragm has a curved top surface and a boundary edge thereof defining a second boundary edge; 
 the first and second boundary edges abut together, and the curved top surface of flexible portion of the diaphragm transitions smoothly to the curved top surface of the central portion of the diaphragm. 
 
     
     
         11 . The massage appliance of  claim 1  wherein the massage node is a brush. 
     
     
         12 . The massage appliance of  claim 11  wherein the brush and the central portion of the diaphragm are integrally formed and define a unitary part. 
     
     
         13 . The massage appliance of  claim 1  wherein:
 the motor defines a first motor, the first motor being mounted proximate a first end of the diaphragm central portion; the eccentric weight defines a first eccentric weight; and 
 the massage appliance further comprises:
 a second motor mounted proximate a second end opposite the first end of the diaphragm central portion, the second motor operatively coupled to rotate a second eccentric weight; and 
 a user-operated controller for separately controlling the first and second motors. 
 
 
     
     
         14 . A massage appliance comprising:
 a handle portion and a distal portion, the distal portion being located distal of the handle portion;   a flexible diaphragm having a moving part and peripheral edge, the peripheral edge being mounted to the distal portion of the massage appliance such that the moving part is free to move in at least two dimensions while the peripheral edge remains stationary;   a vibration generator mounted to the moving part of the flexible diaphragm;   a massage node mounted to the moving part of the flexible diaphragm, the massage node being vibrated when power is applied to the vibration generator, the massage node including a plurality of nubs;   wherein the flexible diaphragm provides sufficient vibration isolation between the moving part thereof and the peripheral edge thereof that when power is applied to the vibration generator and the massage node is vibrated, vibration at the massage node is substantially decoupled from the handle portion.   
     
     
         15 . The massage appliance of  claim 14  wherein the flexible diaphragm provides sufficient vibration isolation between the moving part thereof and the peripheral edge thereof that when power is applied to the vibration generator and the massage node is vibrated, the moving part oscillates with a horizontal travel distance that is at least 5 times a horizontal travel distance by which the handle portion moves when the handle is unconstrained. 
     
     
         16 . The massage appliance of  claim 14  wherein:
 the flexible diaphragm further comprises a flexible contoured portion between the moving part and the peripheral edge, the flexible contoured portion having a contour that includes a total angle change of at least 120 degrees, the flexible contoured portion allowing the moving part to move relative to the peripheral edge. 
 
     
     
         17 . A massage appliance comprising:
 a body including a handle;   a floating portion comprising a massage node and a vibration motor affixed thereto;   a vibration isolator for allowing the floating portion to float relative to the body, the vibration isolator comprising:
 an edge affixed to the body; 
 a flexible portion disposed inwardly of the edge, the flexible portion having at least one contour; 
 a floating portion mounting section, the floating portion being affixed thereto; 
   wherein the at least one contour of the flexible portion provides increased flexibility and freedom of movement for the floating portion relative to the body.   
     
     
         18 . The massage appliance of  claim 17  wherein the flexible portion allows for substantially free movement of the floating portion relative to the body in at least two dimensions. 
     
     
         19 . The massage appliance of  claim 17  wherein the flexible portion allows for substantially free movement of the floating portion relative to the body in three dimensions. 
     
     
         20 . The massage appliance of  claim 17  wherein the flexible portion comprises an elastomer, the elastomer having a curved surface which matches with a corresponding curved surface of the floating portion and which abuts thereto.