Patents by Inventor Haruo Sugai
Haruo Sugai has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 8444580Abstract: A housing is adapted to be placed on a floor and is provided on its top face with a left foot support 2a and a right foot supports 2b respectively bearing left and right feet of a user. A drive unit 3 is provided to displace the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in a mutually linked manner. The drive unit 3 is configured to reciprocate the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in a forward/rearward direction respectively along individual travel paths La, Lb, while varying a lateral distance between said left and right foot supports with regard to representative points of the left and right foot supports. The lateral distance between forward ends of the travel paths is made greater than the lateral distance between rearward ends of the travel paths.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2007Date of Patent: May 21, 2013Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Goto, Atsuhiro Saitou, Haruo Sugai
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Publication number: 20100075813Abstract: A housing 1 is provided with a left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b each of which is provided for bearing the user's foot thereon. A drive unit 3 is configured to vary an upper surface angle of each of the left foot support 2a and the right foot support relative to horizontal plane. Each of the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b is driven to move within a swing range. When one of the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b has its front end being located at an upper end of the swing range, the other of the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b has its front end being located at a lower end of the swing range. Both of a left ankle joint and a right ankle joint are alternately dorsiflexed and plantarflexed. Consequently, it is possible to obtain an exercise assisting device being configured to bend and stretch lower legs to stimulate lower leg muscles.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 25, 2007Publication date: March 25, 2010Inventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Goto, Atsuhiro Saitou, Haruo Sugai
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Publication number: 20100022370Abstract: A housing 1 is provided with a left foot support 2a and a right foot support 2b respectively for mounting user's left foot and right foot. The left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b are respectively driven to move along a rail which defines a travel path. The housing 1 is provided with a motor 31 having an output shaft 31a which generates a rotary motion which is distributed into two routes by a worm gear 32a and two worm wheels 32b. Rotary motions of each of the worm wheels 32b are respectively transmitted to the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b by a crank rod 38, thereby the rotary motions of each of the worm wheels 32b act as driving forces which respectively reciprocate the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b. Accordingly, this configuration makes it possible to provide an exercise assisting device being configured to stimulate leg muscles by only one driving force for generation of the driving forces.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 25, 2007Publication date: January 28, 2010Inventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Goto, Atsuhiro Saitou, Haruo Sugai
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Publication number: 20100010397Abstract: A housing is adapted to be placed on a floor and is provided on its top face with a left foot support 2a and a right foot supports 2b respectively bearing left and right feet of a user. A drive unit 3 is provided to displace the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in a mutually linked manner. The drive unit 3 is configured to reciprocate the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in a forward/rearward direction respectively along individual travel paths La, Lb, while varying a lateral distance between said left and right foot supports with regard to representative points of the left and right foot supports. The lateral distance between forward ends of the travel paths is made greater than the lateral distance between rearward ends of the travel paths.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2007Publication date: January 14, 2010Inventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Goto, Atsuhiro Saitou, Haruo Sugai
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Patent number: 6065806Abstract: A massaging device capable of easily achieving a reclining operation. The massaging device of the present invention includes a base supporting a seat and a backrest rotatable about a pivot axis about a limited angular range. Mounted within the backrest is a massaging mechanism which includes an applicator giving a massaging action to a user. A pair of armrests extend on opposite sides of the seat and the backrest. The massaging device includes a reclining mechanism for selectively holding the backrest at a position about the pivot axis within the angular range and permitting the bracket to rotate about the pivot axis within the angular range. A handle, which is connected to actuate the reclining mechanism for permitting the backrest to rotate, is mounted on a lower surface of one of the armrests at a location upwardly of the seat.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 1998Date of Patent: May 23, 2000Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Masamichi Miyaguchi, Makoto Fukutani, Fumihiro Nishio, Haruo Sugai, Eiji Masutani, Naoto Sayama
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Patent number: 6030347Abstract: A biological-signal detecting device of a non-wrapper type for accurately detecting a biological signal of a user such as heartbeat number, respiration number or blood pressure, comprises a frame, a spring net fixed to the frame and having an elastic deformation capability to support a weight of the user, and a biological-signal detecting unit. The detecting unit is disposed on a second supporting surface of the spring net opposed to a first supporting surface of the spring net for receiving the weight of the user. The detecting unit determines the biological signal of the user according to a biological vibration which is a cyclic, minute load-variation of the user transmitted through the spring net when the weight of the user is supported by the spring net.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 1997Date of Patent: February 29, 2000Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Katsuji Nakamura, Hiroyuki Noda, Yoshinori Matsue, Satoru Makita, Kazumi Ookawa, Haruo Sugai
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Patent number: 5836645Abstract: In a lounger-type massage machine, a back support is reclinable relative to a seat. There is provided a leg rest which is movable between a retracted position where the leg rest is retracted to be held below the seat and a projected position where the leg rest is extended outwardly in front of the seat. A sheet is extended to cover the seat and the leg rest. There is provided a looseness prevention mechanism which pulls an end of the sheet inwardly so as to prevent the loosening of the sheet in both the retracted position and the projected position of the leg rest.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 1996Date of Patent: November 17, 1998Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Hironobu Sakaue, Ryuji Yamada, Haruo Sugai, Akihide Sugawa, Masamichi Miyaguchi, Masatoshi Dairin, Makoto Fukutani, Fumihiro Nishio, Hiroyuki Hojyo
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Patent number: 5792080Abstract: A massaging apparatus has a capability of self-adjusting a massage strength for giving an optimum massaging effect for individual users. The apparatus includes a supporting frame on which a user rest and an applicator projecting from the supporting frame to be pressed against a user's body. The applicator is driven to move for applying a massaging force to the user's body. A pressure sensor is provided to monitor a pressure applied back to the applicator from the user's body as a counter-action of applying the massaging force to the user's body and to provide an output indicative of the monitored pressure. A strength-adjustor is included to vary a projecting amount of the applicator from the supporting frame and/or an operational speed of moving the applicator in order to adjust a massage strength applied to the user's body.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 1996Date of Patent: August 11, 1998Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Kazumi Ookawa, Masatoshi Dairin, Haruo Sugai, Hikoyoshi Hara
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Patent number: 5077841Abstract: A hydromassaging apparatus for use in a bathtub comprises a housing provided with a pump for drawing water from the bathtub to provide a forced flow of water through a flow channel leading from the pump to a plurality of spouts. Air is intermixed into the forced water flow downstream of the pump to generate a water-air mixture to be discharged out of the sprouts into the bathtub water. At least one of the spouts is provided with a directional nozzle which is movable relative to the spout for adjusting the direction of the water-air mixture into the bathtub. The directional nozzle projects from the housing to be accessible by the user and is kept in fluid communication with the corresponding spout while it is angularly displaced within a limited range of angles relative to an axis of the spout so as to discharge the water-air jet therethrough.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 1990Date of Patent: January 7, 1992Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventor: Haruo Sugai
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Patent number: 4686967Abstract: A rocking massage chair wherein massaging wheel elements and their drive mechanism are disposed in backrest part of the chair while a motor for driving an operating shaft of the drive mechanism is disposed in seating part of the chair, whereby the relatively heavy motor is located on forward side of a rocking center of the chair so as to keep the center of gravity of the chair always on the forward side and thus to prevent the chair from overturning rearward.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 1985Date of Patent: August 18, 1987Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Koichi Hashimoto, Haruo Sugai, Hikoyoshi Hara, Norio Yamada
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Patent number: 4422448Abstract: A massaging apparatus comprises a pair of massaging wheels obliquely and eccentrically attached to a main shaft, a shifting mechanism for shifting the massaging wheels and main shaft in the direction of the length of a chair back rest or a bed, and a spacing changing mechanism for changing the spacing between the massaging wheels. The apparatus is designed to detect the position of the pair of massaging wheels and the spacing therebetween. It further comprises position selecting switches associated with the neck, shoulders, back and waist of the human body. When any one of these position selecting switches is operated, the shifting mechanism and the spacing changing mechanism as well as the rotative direction of the main shaft are automatically controlled in accordance with the detected shifted position and spacing of the massaging wheels.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 1981Date of Patent: December 27, 1983Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Haruo Sugai, Takafumi Hamabe, Yukio Yamamura, Shinpei Otuka, Hiroshi Moriwaki
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Patent number: 4167182Abstract: A massage apparatus performable massaging actions substantially in the same mode as of manual actions by massagers is provided. In driving mechanism for massaging attachments with which massaging force is applied to user's suffering body part, driving and driven side gears are arranged to provide an unequal velocity ratio so that rotating velocity of the driven side gear will be varied as rotated by the driving side gear, whereby the massaging attachments are pushed toward the suffering body part when the velocity of the driven side gear is low and thus with a slowly gradually increased force whereas the pushed attachments are released from the body part when the velocity is high and thus with a quickly decreased force.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 1978Date of Patent: September 11, 1979Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Yukio Yamamura, Takafumi Hamabe, Haruo Sugai
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Patent number: 4016872Abstract: A massaging apparatus wherein electric driving means rotates a tubular driving shaft to which opposing disk elements of massaging means is mounted eccentrically as inclined with respect to the shaft's axis and movably in its axial direction. Means for adjusting massaging range determined by mutual distance of the disk elements is mounted on an inner shaft disposed coaxially within the driving shaft and coupled at an end thereto through a clutch. Upon manual operation of the clutch, the inner shaft is disconnected from the driving shaft and the massaging range adjusting means shifts along the inner shaft as rotated by the driving shaft being rotated to move the disk elements toward and away from each other. All the components are compactly mounted onto a single support frame except manual operating means for the driving means and clutch which is remote from apparatus body.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 1976Date of Patent: April 12, 1977Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Yukio Yamamura, Takafumi Hamabe, Haruo Sugai