US3549920A - Cordless electric vibrator for use on the human body - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent inventor App]. No. Filed Patented Jon H. Tavel.

17643 Belinda SL, Encino, Calif. 91316 835,712

June 23, 1969 Division of Ser. No. 715,631, Mar. 25, 1968, Pat. No. 3,451,391, which is a continuationin-part of Ser. No. 516,867, June 30, 1966, Pat. No. 3,375,381.

Dec. 22, 1970 CORDLESS ELECTRIC VIBRATOR FOR USE ON THE HUMAN BODY 7 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 310/68, 310/81, 128/36 Int. Cl. H02k 11/00 Field ofSearch 310/66, 68,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Tavel Abel Gawron Turley Tavel Omori Primary Examiner-D. F. Duggan Attorney-Robert C. Comstock ABSTRACT: A cordless electric vibrator which is adapted for use on the human body. The vibrator is small and compact, and can be held in one hand and applied to any part of the body. The structure is simple and compact and the exterior housing may comprise only one piece of molded plastic, except for the removable cap. The vibrator may be selectively operated at high or low speed by manual rotation of the end cap.

PATENTEI] 0&0221970 Jaw ff. rave] SHEET 1 BF 2 IN VENTOR.

l/forme r CORDLESS ELECTRIC VIBRATOR-FOR USE ON THE HUMAN BODY CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention t The invention relates to cordless electric vibrators for use on the human body.

2. Description of the Prior Art Prior art vibrating devices are customarily operated from conventional sources of electrical supplythrough cords or wiring. They are also customarily bulky and awkward in size and shape and relatively expensive to manufacture. The prior art devices also do not have simple and effective means for selec tively operating at high and low speeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention comprises a cordless electric vibrator for use on the human body which is substantially small and compact so that the vibrator can be held in one hand and applied to any part of the body without being connected to a separate course of electrical supply.

The vibrator is unusually simple and compact in its structure, so that it is economical to manufacture and to maintain.

In one embodiment of the invention, the exterior housing may be formed of a single piece of molded plastic (except for the removable cap), the exterior of which is capable of being washed. The vibrator may be used to vibrate other things such as hairbrushes, toothbrushes, polishing devices, etc.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a cordless electric vibrator for use on the human body which may be selectively operated at low or high speed, as desired by the user, by simple manualrotationo'f theend cap.

It is another object of the invention to provide a two-speed vibrator which is simple and economical to manufacture and to use.

It is accordingly among the objects of the invention to provide a vibrator having all of the advantages and benefits set forth above and described in greater detail hereinafter in this application.

My invention also comprises such other objects, ad vantages, capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by the invention.

- While I have shown in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the same are susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of my vibrator;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same fully assembled;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the same taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; 1

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the battery housing taken from the right hand side of FIG. 2, with the batteries and end cap removed;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the inside of the end cap;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the outside housing except for the end cap comprises a single piece;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the same, taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the end cap portion of the vibrator in which the end cap includes a two-speed control means, the control means being shown in high speed position;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the interior of the end cap shown in FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1-6 of thedrawings, a first embodiment which has been selected to illustrate my invention comprises an elongated cylindrical battery housing 16, which may be conveniently formed of molded plastic or other suitable material. The battery housing 10 is adapted to receive and hold a pair of flashlight batteries 11 in the same end to end relationship in which batteries are mounted in a flashlight.

The lower end of the battery housing 10, which is disposed at the right hand side of FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, is open and is adapted to removably receive'an end cap 12. The end cap 12 has a base and an adjoining circular sidewall. The end cap 12 is removably and rotatably, mounted on the lower end of the battery housing 10. The end cap 12 serves two purposes-it holds the batteries 11 within the battery housing 10 and it acts as an on-off switch to control the flow of electrical current to the motor, as described hereafter.

Mounted on the inside of the base of the end cap 12 is a substantially U-shaped contact spring 13, the lower part of which is in physical and electrical contact with the midportion of a pair of contact arms 14, which extendoutwardly on opposite sides of the contact spring 13 to adjacent the sidewall of the end cap 12. The contact spring 13 and contact arms 14 are held in place by an eyelet 15, which secured to the center of the end cap 12.

The inside of the sidewall of the end cap 12 is provided with a pair of diametrically spaced bosses 16, which protrude inwardly a short distance. The outside of the lower end of the battery housing 10 is provided witha pair of substantially L- shaped slots 17, which have a short axial leg 18 connecting with a substantially longer transverse leg 19. The bosses 16 are dimensioned and adapted to slidably-move into the open lower end of the short axial legs 18 of the slots 17 and then move from the upper end of the axial legs 18 into the transverse legs 19. i

The lower edge of each of the transverse legs 19 of the slots 17 is angled slightly downwardly from its closed end toward its junction with the axial leg 18. A short stop 20 is disposed at one end of the lower edge of each of the transverse legs 19, directly adjacent to the intersection of the transverse leg 19 with the axial leg 18. The stop 20 acts to engage the boss 16 in its counterclockwise movement along the axial leg 18. The boss 16 can be moved past the stop 2.0 only by moving the end cap 12 inwardly against the pressure of the contact spring 13. The stop 20 accordingly prevents accidental removal of the end cap 12 and batteries 11 and permits such removal only when the end cap 12 is moved inwardly and then rotated past the stop 20.

An elongated flat contact strip 21, which may be formed of copper or other suitable electrically conductive material, extends along the inner wall of the battery housing 10 for its entire length. The lower end of the contact strip 21 is bent back on itself to extend into a slot 22 which extends axially into the lower end of the battery housing 10.

The upper end of the contact strip 21 extends through a notch 50 in the periphery of a disc 24 which extends across the upper end of the battery housing 10. The upper end of the contact strip 21 is bent to extend radially inwardly between protuberances 53 and 54 formed on the upper surface of the disc 24.

A second contact strip 25 has one end thereof disposed between protuberances 54 and 55 on the upper surface of the disc 24 radially spaced from the first contact strip 21. The second contact strip 25 is formed integrally with a contact plate 27, which extends along the lower surface of the disc 24.

The second contact strip 25 is bent to extend through a notch 51 in the periphery of the disc 24. The contact plate'27 has a downwardly struck contact 28 which resiliently engages the contact of the adjacent battery 11. A short tab 29 at the opposite side of the contact plate 27 extends upwardly through a hole 30 in the disc 24, to help hold the contact plate 27 in position.

The disc 24 is provided with a central opening 31, which is surrounded by a concentric circularring 32 and seat 33. A resilient O-ring 34 is mounted on the seat 33 surrounding the ring 32. A small direct current electrical motor 35 is mounted on the upper end of the disc 24. While any suitable type of motor may be used, the one illustrated in the drawings is a Mabuchi FM 25 of the type commonly used in miniature slot racing cars. p

The motor 35 has a projecting portion 36 which fits into the opening 31 in the center of the disc 24. The O-ring 34 is disposed between the bottom of the motor 35 and the disc 24 and it acts to provide a resilient cushionlike mounting which reduces noise.

The upper side of the disc 24 is provided with a pair of elongated locator pins 37 which fit loosely in a pair of grooves 38 which are disposed on opposite sides of the motor 35. The locator pins 37 and grooves 38 orient the motor 35 so that its two downwardly directed contact pins 39 engage and make electrical contact with the portions of the contact strips 21 and 25 which extend along the upper side of the disc 24.

A cylindrical motor housing 40 surrounds the motor 35. The lower end of the motor housing is secured to the upper end of the battery housing 10 by electronic fusion, adhesive or other suitable means, preferably waterproof, with the periphery of the disc 24 being held between the battery housing 10 and the motor housing 40.

A conical end member 41 is removably connected to the upper end of the motor housing .40. The inner wall of the motor housing 40 is provided with a pair of diametrically spaced square bosses 42 which extend'into L-shaped slots 43 in the end member 41 in substantially the same manner in which the end cap 12 is connected to the battery-housing 10. There is no stop or the equivalent thereof. The lower edge of the transverse portion of eachof the slots 43 is preferably slightly angled so that the end member 41 fits progressively more tightly as the bosses 42 move toward the ends of the transverse portions of the slots 43. The engagement between the end member 41 and the motor housing 40 should also preferably be waterproof, so that the entire upper end poru'on of the vibrator can be washed.

The motor 35 in operation rotates a shaft 44 on which a weight 45 is eccentrically mounted. The periphery of the disc 24 has an arcuate groove 46 into which projections 47 and 48 carried by the battery housing 10 and motor housing 40 fit, in order to orient the parts with respect to each other.

The lower end of the battery housing 10 is provided with a square indentation 56 which overlies the slot 22, so that the contact strip 21 overlies the inner half of the base of the indentation 56. A second indentation 57 is radially spaced a short distance from the indentation 56. A matching pair of indentations 58 and 59 are disposed diametrically from the indentations 56 and 57.

The indentations 56-59 are oriented so that when the bosses 16 are disposed away from the closed end of the transverse legs 19 of the slots 17, the vibrator is in an off position and neither of the contact arms 14 is disposed in the indentation 56.

When the end cap 12 is rotated in a clockwise direction with respect to the battery housing 10, moving the bosses 16 to the closed ends of the transverse legs 19 of the slots 17, the contact arms 14 are moved into alignment with the indentations 56-59. The contact arms are urged into the indentations 56 and 59 by their own resilience, bringing one of the contact arms 14 into engagement with the portion of the contact strip 21 disposed within the indentation 56. When this occurs, an electrical circuit is completed through the batteries 11 and motor 35, to operate the motor. The vibrator is then in an on" position.

When the motor 35 is in operation, it rotates the shaft 44 and eccentrically mounted weight 45. The eccentric mounting of the weight 15 imparts rapid vibration to the vibrator, such vibration being strongest around the end member 41 and motor housing 40. The vibrator and particularly these parts thereof may then be applied to any part of the body to convey the vibration to the body. 1 I

If the end cap 12 is rotated a short distance counterclockwise, the bosses 16 will move away from the closed ends of the transverse legs 19 and the contact arms 14 will move out of the indentations 56 and 59, thus breaking the electrical contact between the contact arm 14 and the contact strip 21. The motor 35 will then cease to operate. If the end cap 12 is rotated a sufficient distance to bring the contact arms 14 into orientation with the indentations 57 and 58, the contact arms 14 will move into those indentations.

It may be noted that the duplication of the contact arms 14 and indentations 56-59 makes it possible for the user to insert either of the bosses 16 into either of the slots 17 and the switch will still operate in the same manner.

it will be noted that if the motor 35 should need to be removed for replacement or repair, the user need only unscrew the end member 41 and turn the vibrator upside down. The motor35 will then drop out and a new motor 35 can be inserted in its place. l Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, these show an alternative embodiment of the invention in which a single elongated housing holds the batteries 101 and motor 102. The housing is provided adjacent its inner end with an annular inwardly directed shoulder 103. A cylindrical sleeve 104, which is preferably formed of somewhat resilient plastic or natural material is mounted so that its upper end engages the shoulder 103. The motor 102 is mounted within the sleeve 104, which acts to hold the motor 102 in place within the housing 100 and which also provides protective shielding of the motor.

The motor 102 has a right angular resilient contact arm 105 which carries at the end thereof an inverted contact cup 106, which makes electrical contact with the contact of the adjacent battery 101.

The other contact of the motor 102 is connected by a fastening member, soldering or other suitable means to the upper end of an elongated contact strip 107. The lower end of the contact strip 107 extends across an indentation 108 in the end of the housing 100, back into a slot 109 and is then bent laterally outwardly to hold the contact strip against longitudinal movement and to prevent it from pulling away from its connection with the motor 102. Access to the lower end of the contact strip 107 is provided through a small opening 109a, which extends into the sidewall of the housing 100, intersecting the slot 109. The point of a tool can be inserted through the opening 109a to engage and deform the end of the contact strip 107. While this deformation is shown in the drawings as being right angular, any suitable deformation which will serve the purpose may be used.

it will be noted that the device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings is substantially cheaper to manufacture and assemble than the device shown in FIGS. 1-6 because the number of parts and the number and type of assembly operations have been greatly reduced and simplified.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 of the drawings, these illustrate a further alternative embodiment of the invention which incorporates the same contact strip construction described above and in which the motor can be selectively operated at either high or low speed, with the speed selection being accomplished by manual rotation of the end cap 110.

The inside of the end cap 110 is provided with a contact spring 111, the lower part of which is in physical and electrical contact with the midportion of a pair of contact arms 112, which extend outwardly on opposite sides of the contact spring 111 to adjacent the sidewall of the end cap 110.

A flat sheet of insulation 113 is disposed beneath the contact arms 112 to insulate them electrically from a second pair of similarly formed contact arms 114, which extend at an angle with respect to the contact arms 112.

A resistance element 115, which is shown as an elongated coil of wire, but which may assume any suitable form, is connected between one of the contact arms 112 and one of the contact arms 114. The end cap hasbosses 116 corresponding to the bosses 16 described above. The end of the housing with which the end cap 110 is used is preferably the same as that described above with reference to FIGS. 1l-6 of the drawings and the same reference numerals will accordingly be used.

The contact arms 112 and 114 are so positioned within the end cap 110 with respect to the bosses 116 that when the end cap 112 is rotated to bring the bosses ll6into engagement with the closed end of the transverse legs 29 of the slots 17, one of the contact arms 112 is broughtinto engagement with the portion of the contact strip which is disposed within the indentation 56 in the end of the housingThis closes an electrical circuit through the batteries and motor for high speed rotation of the motor, i

The end cap 110 may be rotated to move the bosses 1R6 away from the closed ends of the slots 17 and to move one of the other pair of contact arms 114 into engagement with the portion of the contact strip disposed within the indentation 56. This closes a circuit from the contact strip through the contact arm 114, through the resistance element 115 and through the other contact arm 112 to the contact spring 111 and the adjacent battery.

Since the resistance element 115 is thereby brought into se-. ries with the motor, it consumes part of the current supplied by the batteries, so that the motor will be supplied with less current than when the end cap 110 was in the previous position and the vibrator will accordinglyioperate at a reduced speed.

If the end cap 110 is disposed in any position in which none of the contact arms 112 or 114 is in engagement with the contact strip, there will be no current flow to the motor and the vibrator will be turned off.

lclaim:

1. A cordless electric vibrator for use on the human body, said vibrator comprising a housing, an electrically operated motor disposed within said housing, a shaft rotatably connected to said motor, an eccentrically mounted weight carried by said shaft to impart vibration to said housing upon the operation of said motor, at least one dry cell battery disposed within said housing, a contact strip connected at one end thereof to said motor, a rotatable member mounted on said housing and acting as a switch to control the operation of said motor, a contact arm carried by said rotatable member, said contact arm being electrically connected to said battery, said rotatable member being rotatable with respect to said housing to an operating position in which said contact arm engages said contact strip to complete an electrical circuit through said battery and motor, said rotatable member being rotatable to a nonoperating position in which said contact arm is out of engagement with said contact strip, a second contact arm carried by said rotatable member, said second contact arm being electrically insulated from said first contact arm and said battery, and a resistance element connected to said first and second contact arms, said rotatable member being rotatable to a second operating position in whichsaid second contact arm engages said contact strip to complete an electrical circuit through said motor, battery and resistance element to operate said motor at a lower speed. i

2. The structure described in claim 1, said resistance element comprising a coil mounted within said rotatable member and extending between said contact arms.

3. The structure described in claim 2, said rotatable member comprising a circular end cap," each of said contact arms extending diametrically across the inside of said end cap, said second contact am being disposed at an angle with res pect to said first Contact arm. I

.. The structure described in claim 3, said end cap having a central contact spring, said first contact arm being connected to said contact spring and said second contact arm being insulated from said contact spring.

5. The structure described in claim 4, said housing being elongated and substantially cylindrical, said housing having a closed end and an open end, said motor being disposed adjacent to said closed end, said end cap being rotatably and removably mounted on said open end of said housing, said end cap being disposed adjacent to said battery and acting to hold said battery within said housing.

6. The structure described in claim 5, said contact strip being elongated and extending along the inside of said housing from said motor to the open end of said housing, said contact arms being adapted to contact the portion of said contact strip adjacent to open end of said housing.

7. The structure described in claim 6, the open end of said housing having a longitudinally axial slot, the end of said contact strip being bent back upon itself and extending a substantial distance into said axial slot to anchor said contact strip against movement with respect to said housing, said housing having a transverse opening therein intersecting said axial slot, the end of said contact strip being laterally deformed into said transverse opening to prevent the withdrawal of said contact strip from said axial opening.

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