Massage table
A massage table includes a two piece face cradle with a wide range of adjustment. The face cradle comprises a chin support and a forehead support. The chin and forehead supports are connected by rods which allow an open field-of-view to a patient lying prone on the massage table. The face cradle is connected to the massage table using a ball-joint providing a broad range of adjustability. A diagonal strut connected between the forehead support portion of the face cradle and the massage table and provide stability. The massage table may further have adjustable width by allowing the table to separate along a longitudinal axis and one or more leafs inserted into a gap between table halves.
The present invention relates to massage tables and in particular to a massage table with an improved face cradle.
Massage tables are commonly used to support patients receiving massages. It is important to support the patient in a natural and comfortable manner to allow the patient to relax so that the patient's muscles may be worked to the greatest benefit. Such massages are generally received by patients laying in a prone position (i.e., face down) with the patient's face supported by a face cradle attached to one end of the massage table. Known face cradles may be adjusted in one dimension, either closer are farther from an end of the table. Such face cradle adjustment often does not provide adequate adjustment to allow the patient's head to be supported in a natural and comfortable manner. As a result, the patient may contract muscles and reduce the effectiveness of the massage.
Further, known face cradles comprise a substantially oval cushion which presents a tunnel-like field-of-view to the patient. A result is that some patients feel confined and therefore uncomfortable, and as a result have difficulty completely relaxing. Known massage tables may also lack sufficient width to comfortably support patients having large girth.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a massage table which includes a two piece face cradle with a wide range of adjustment. The face cradle comprises a chin support and a forehead support. The chin and forehead supports are connected by rods which allow an open field-of-view to a patient lying prone on the massage table. The face cradle is connected to the massage table using a ball-joint providing a broad range of adjustability. A diagonal strut is connected between the forehead support portion of the face cradle and a table leg assembly of the massage table to provide stability. The massage table may further have adjustable width by allowing the table to separate along a longitudinal axis and one or more leafs inserted into a gap between table halves.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided an improved massage table. The massage table includes a table top, a table leg assembly supporting the table top, and an adjustable face cradle. The face cradle includes an arced chin support, an arced forehead support, and two adjustable bars connecting the forehead support to the chin support. The adjustable bars provide adjustment of the separation of the forehead support from the chin support. A face cradle arm connects the face cradle to the table through a first ball joint, thereby allowing vertical and horizontal adjustment of the face cradle with respect to the table top. A telescoping diagonal brace is connected to the face cradle by a third ball joint at one end, and to the table leg assembly by a second ball joint at an opposite end. The telescoping diagonal brace includes a brace spring resisting compression of the diagonal brace.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGThe above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONThe following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.
A prior art massage table 10 is shown in
Unfortunately, the known face cradle 14 presents a closed or tunnel view to the patient. Such visual effect often is psychologically stressful and makes relaxing more difficult. As a result, the benefits from a massage are reduced. Further, known massage tables are generally about 30 inches wide. Some patients with large girth are not comfortably supported by such tables.
While the table 10 is described here with a single pair of cables 24, portable and foldable massage tables generally include a multiplicity of cables to ensure that the table does not collapse under the weight of a patient. An example of a portable and foldable massage table 10 is the Salon/Massage Combo table made by Pisces Productions in Sebastopol, Calif.
A massage table 10a according to the present invention is shown in
A top view of the face cradle 27 is shown in
The face cradle arm 32 includes a first ball joint 34a to allow adjustment of the face cradle 27. A first ball 48a and ball extension 31 are connected to the chin support 30, and preferably connected to the bars 36 and/or the plates 44. A first socket 50a cooperates with the ball 48a and is attached to a socket extension 52 which cooperates with the table through the second cradle supports 15a (see
Preferred dimensions of the face cradle 27 are shown in
A side view of the face cradle arm 33 with the ball joint 34a used to position the face cradle is shown in
The present invention may further include telescoping apparatus for positioning the face cradle 27 with respect to an end of the table 10a, which telescoping apparatus is shown in
A side view of the diagonal brace 33 (see
A face cradle 27 with the second cradle supports 15a attached is shown in
A top view of the expandable table top comprising sections 24a, 24b, 26a, and 26b in a narrow (or closed) position is shown in
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
Claims
1. A massage table comprising;
- a table top;
- a table leg assembly supporting the table top;
- a face cradle comprising: a chin support; a forehead support; at least one bar connecting the forehead support to the chin support; and
- a face cradle arm connecting the face cradle to the table top through a first joint, the first joint allowing vertical and horizontal adjustment of the face cradle with respect to the table top.
2. The massage table of claim 1, wherein the first joint is a first ball joint.
3. The massage table of claim 1, further including a brace between the face cradle and the table legs.
4. The massage table of claim 3, wherein the brace is a diagonal brace between the forehead support and the table leg assembly.
5. The massage table of claim 4, wherein the diagonal brace is connected to the table leg assembly by a second ball joint and to the forehead support by a third ball joint.
6. The massage table of claim 5, wherein the diagonal brace is a telescoping diagonal brace having a brace spring resisting compression of the diagonal brace.
7. The massage table of claim 1, wherein the forehead support is arced to provide a comfortable resting place for a forehead.
8. The massage table of claim 1, wherein the chin support is arced to provide a comfortable resting place for a chin.
9. The massage table of claim 1, wherein the at least one bar comprises two bars residing on opposite side of the face cradle.
10. The massage table of claim 9, wherein the two bars comprise two bowed downward bars.
11. The massage table of claim 1, wherein:
- the table top comprises a right table top and a left table top;
- the right table top and the left table top are connected to the table legs by sliding elements allowing the right table top and the left table top to slide laterally apart; and
- the massage table includes at least one leaf which may reside between the right table top and the left table top to provide a wider massage table.
12. A massage table comprising;
- a table top;
- a table leg assembly supporting the table top;
- a face cradle comprising: an arced chin support; an arced forehead support; two bars connecting the forehead support to the chin support;
- a face cradle arm connecting the face cradle to the table top through a first ball joint, the first joint allowing vertical and horizontal adjustment of the face cradle with respect to the table top; and
- a telescoping diagonal brace connected between the face cradle and the table leg assembly, and having a brace spring resisting compression of the diagonal brace.
13. The massage table of claim 12, wherein the diagonal brace is connected to the face cradle through a third ball joint.
14. The massage table of claim 13, wherein the diagonal brace is connected to the table leg assembly through a second ball joint
15. The massage table of claim 13, wherein the separation of the forehead support from the chin support is adjustable.
16. The massage table of claim 13, wherein the diagonal brace is connected between the table leg assembly and the forehead support.
17. A massage table comprising;
- a table top;
- a table leg assembly supporting the table top;
- an adjustable face cradle comprising: an arced chin support; an arced forehead support; two adjustable bars connecting the forehead support to the chin support, the adjustable bars providing adjustment of the separation of the forehead support from the chin support;
- a face cradle arm connecting the face cradle to the table top through a first ball joint, the first ball joint allowing vertical and horizontal adjustment of the face cradle with respect to the table top; and
- a telescoping diagonal brace connected at a first end to the forehead support by a third ball joint and to the table leg assembly at a second end opposite the first end, and having a brace spring resisting compression of the diagonal brace.
18. The massage table of claim 17, wherein the table top is a laterally expandable table top.
19. The massage table of claim 17, wherein the laterally expandable table top comprises laterally separable sections and at least one leaf to fill a gap between the section.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 6, 2006
Publication Date: Nov 1, 2007
Inventor: Nicolas Lara (Stanton, CA)
Application Number: 11/399,134
International Classification: A47B 7/00 (20060101);