Massage device

Abstract

A massage device includes a rotatable housing containing a plurality of projecting spheres for engaging the skin and kneading the tissues therebeneath. The housing has a cavity therein for storing massaging fluid or lotion which is dispensed over and by the spheres. The massage device may either be permanently or removably attached to a rotary drive unit or may be in combination with a fluid metering means contained in a rotary drive means.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A massage device comprising: a housing disposed about a rotational axis;   means for transmitting rotary motion to the housing to rotate the housing about the axis;   a circular cavity within the housing for containing a fluid;   a plurality of openings circumferentially disposed in one end of the housing, wherein said openings register with said cavity;   a sphere disposed in each of said openings, wherein the spheres each have a diameter greater than the smallest diameter of the openings, .[.the.]. .Iadd.and .Iaddend.project through the openings for rotation relative to the housing as the housing rotates; and   a passage into said housing communicating with said cavity, wherein said passage is aligned with the axis of said housing and provides for introduction of said fluid into said cavity and onto said spheres for distribution thereby.   
     
     
       2. The massage device of claim 1, wherein the means for transmitting rotary motion to the housing is a coupling for detachably connecting the .[.massage device.]. .Iadd.housing .Iaddend.to a motor. 
     
     
       3. The massage device of claim 2, wherein the passage opens on a side of the .[.house.]. .Iadd.housing .Iaddend.opposite the coupling. 
     
     
       4. The massage device of claim 3, wherein the passage includes an annular lip, which extends into the cavity to help prevent the fluid from flowing out of the cavity. 
     
     
       5. The massage device of claim 1, further including a drive unit and fluid dispensing unit, wherein the drive unit is coupled to the rotary motion transmitting means and the passage extends through the rotary motion transmitting means and registers with the fluid dispensing unit. 
     
     
       6. The massage device of claim 5, wherein the fluid dispensing unit includes metering means for dispensing metered amounts of fluid into a chamber which registers with said passage. 
     
     
       7. The massage device of claim 6, wherein the metering means includes: a reservoir for storing the fluid, said reservoir having first and second ends, the first end of which is slidably received in said chamber;   first one-way valve means communicating between the reservoir and chamber for allowing fluid to flow from the reservoir into the chamber, but not from the chamber to the reservoir;   second one-way valve means communicating between the reservoir and atmosphere for allowing air to flow into the reservoir but for preventing fluid from flowing out of the reservoir into the atmosphere;   retaining means for holding the reservoir in the chamber;   spring means for urging the reservoir against the holding means; and   flow restriction means for preventing fluid from flowing back into the chamber from the passage, so that when the reservoir is pushed into the chamber against the bias of the spring means and then returned against the retaining means by the spring means a partial vacuum is created in the chamber which pulls fluid through the first one-way valve means into the chamber and air through the second one-way valve means into the reservoir, and so that when the reservoir is again pushed, the fluid in the chamber pushes fluid in the passage through the cavity in the massage device housing.   
     
     
       8. The massage device of claim 7, wherein the spring means is disposed within the chamber between the chamber and the first end of the reservoir. 
     
     
       9. The massage device of claim 7, wherein a piston is disposed between the reservoir and chamber and wherein the reservoir is threaded to the piston, so as to be removable therefrom for charging with fluid. 
     
     
       10. The massage device of claim 7, wherein the drive unit and fluid dispensing unit are contained within a housing, and wherein the second end of the reservoir extends through the housing to provide a button, which when depressed meters fluid to the chamber. .Iadd. 11. A massage device comprising: a housing disposed about a rotational axis;   a rotary drive unit;   means for transmitting rotary motion from the rotary drive unit to the housing to rotate the housing about said axis;   a cavity within the housing disposed about said rotational axis for containing a fluid;   a plurality of openings disposed about said rotational axis in the side of the housing opposite to the rotary motion transmitting means, wherein said openings extend into said cavity;   a sphere disposed in each of said openings, wherein the spheres each have a diameter greater than the smallest diameter of the openings, and project through the openings for rotation relative to the housing upon manual engagement of said spheres with the skin as the housing is rotated by said rotary drive unit; and   a passage into said housing opening on said side of the housing opposite to the rotary motion transmitting means and communicating with said cavity, wherein said passage is aligned with the axis of said housing and provides for introduction of said fluid into said cavity and onto said spheres for distribution thereby. .Iaddend..Iadd. 12. The massage device of claim 11, wherein both the housing and the cavity are circular. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 13. The massage device of claims 11 or 12, wherein the passage includes an annular lip, which extends into the cavity to help prevent the fluid from flowing out of the cavity. .Iaddend..Iadd. 14. The massage device of claim 11, wherein the means for transmitting rotary motion to the housing is a coupling for detachably connecting the housing to a motor. .Iaddend..Iadd. 15. The massage device of claim 14, wherein the coupling has a bore and the housing has an axially projecting stem, said stem having a slot formed in its end and a pair of projections radially extending adjacent to the slot, so that the stem will frictionally engage said bore. .Iaddend..Iadd. 16. The massage device of claim 14, wherein said housing has projections which register with recesses in the coupling for positive drive thereby. .Iaddend..Iadd. 17. The massage device of claim 11, wherein said drive unit rotates within the range of one to ten revolutions per second. .Iaddend.