US 12,138,219 B2
Body massager using shape memory alloy components
Mark A. Gummin, Silverton, OR (US); and Howard S. Cohen, Berkeley, CA (US)
Assigned to Miga Motor Company, Silverton, OR (US)
Appl. No. 15/329,209
Filed by MIGA MOTOR COMPANY, Silverton, OR (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 17, 2016, PCT No. PCT/US2016/022852
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 25, 2017,
PCT Pub. No. WO2016/153917, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 29, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/137,022, filed on Mar. 23, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2017/0252260 A1, Sep. 7, 2017
Int. Cl. A61H 7/00 (2006.01); A61H 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61H 7/001 (2013.01) [A61H 11/00 (2013.01); A61H 2201/0138 (2013.01); A61H 2201/0207 (2013.01); A61H 2201/0228 (2013.01); A61H 2201/1207 (2013.01); A61H 2201/1623 (2013.01); A61H 2201/1664 (2013.01); A61H 2201/50 (2013.01); A61H 2201/5002 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A massage apparatus for treating a human body, including:
a rigid peripheral frame defining a central opening, said frame including a first side spaced apart from a second side;
a fabric web spanning said central opening and adapted to be impinged upon by a portion of the body being treated and adopt a concave curvature in response to the impingement;
a plurality of shape memory wire segments extending between said opposed sides, said segments each having opposed ends mechanically fastened to each of said opposed sides of said frame, and at least one of said plurality of shape memory wire segments comprising a first leg extending from said first side to said second side of said frame, a second leg extending from said second side to said first side, and a looped portion passing through said second side of said frame;
said shape memory wire segments being disposed directly adjacent to said fabric web and disposed to adopt said concave curvature of said fabric web, said first leg and said second leg being spaced apart from each other across a gap along said fabric web, and said looped portion extending across said gap; and
an electronic circuit connected to each of said shape memory wire segments and adapted to electrically activate said shape memory wire segments to contract and move normal to said concave curvature and impinge on the body portion being treated, said first leg, said second leg, and said looped portion of said at least one of said shape memory wire segments being electrically coupled.