Back Massage And Scrub Fixture

Abstract

A shallow frame with a concave back supports a friction pad having a multiplicity of friction fingers of equal length. Suction cups on the frame back secure the frame and pad to a support surface such as a wall. Finger grips on the frame afford means for removing the cups from the wall to transfer the scrubber to another position or location. The friction fingers define a horizontally concave area adapted to fit the human back.

Description

Conventional therapeutic and cleansing apparatus for the human back have heretofore been complicated to mount or difficult for a user to manipulate. Many have mounting apparatus precluding transfer of the device from one place to another. I have invented simple massage and cleansing apparatus for use in either a shower bath compartment or other private compartment which is capable of adjustment for height and easily transferred to other surfaces.

The invention contemplates a back massage and scrubber adapted to attach to a vertical wall surface and that comprises a support frame with suction attachment means on the frame. The frame has a concave back surface. The frame also has lift means such as finger slots or finger tabs. A friction pad adapted to fit on the concave backing has a plurality of friction fingers or protrusions. The extreme ends of the protrusions define a concave area adapted to contact the human back.

The massage and scrubbing device of the invention may be fixed by means of suction cups to vertical wall surfaces, such as in a shower stall, for instance, at any desired height. The user then impinges his back upon the protrusions and moves from side to side at the speed and at the pressure the user desires to achieve either cleansing or massage. Preferably, the materials from which the apparatus is made are such that water and cleansing agents have no deteriorating effect.

When made from suitable plastics or rubber compounds color may be added so that the apparatus of the invention either harmonizes with or matches the color schemes of the room or compartment within which it is used.

The apparatus of the invention may be used for either scrubbing or therapeutic massage to remove dry skin particles and to stimulate circulation in the back area. It is economical to construct, simple to put in place and easy to detach for relocation.

These and other advantages of the invention are apparent in the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a device in accordance with the invention in place upon a tile shower wall;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary rear elevation of an alternate embodiment of the invention.

The embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 comprises a support frame 11, a friction pad 12 and suction cups 13 fixed to the support frame. In FIG. 1 the frame is shown attached to a tile wall 16 of a shower compartment, shown fragmentarily.

The support frame has a concave back surface 17 having a shallow peripheral rim defined by top and bottom walls 18 and 19, respectively, and sidewalls 21, 22. Each sidewall has a pair of finger slots 24 affording a grip for the user to remove the support frame from the surface to which it is fixed.

Concave back surface 17 of the frame has a plurality of rearwardly extending bosses 26. Each boss has a shallow rear recess 27 into which a cylindrical base 28 of suction cup 13 fits. The cup may be adhered to the boss or fastened by a bolt or screw.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, in their relaxed condition unfixed to a wall, the suction cups protrude slightly beyond the rear frame edges 31 of the support frame. When the frame is pressed against the wall to activate the suction cups, the cups displace inwardly to force from their hollow centers the air which normally resides within that frustoconical volume.

Friction pad 12 comprises a planar base 33 from which a multiplicity of friction fingers 34 protrude. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the friction fingers are all substantially equal in their projection such that they define a concave friction area much like the concave surface of back surface 17. This surface is concave to adapt to the shape of the human back. While the concave surface of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 is shown to be generated by a straight line, a back surface and friction area defined by the fingers may have 2.degree. of concavity if desired. However, a nonlinear surface is more difficult to manufacture and is less economical to fabricate than the described embodiment.

In FIG. 1 the scrub fixture is shown in solid lines in one position upon wall 16. Dotted lines 11A define another position on the wall for the scrub fixture. The fixture is moved simply from the solid line to the dotted line position by inserting fingers into slots 24 and overcoming the vacuum grip of the suction cups on the wall and then placing the fixture in the desired second position on the wall and pressing the fixture firmly against the wall to implement the vacuum cups.

The user backs against the fixture and moves his back from side to side against the friction fingers to accomplish the desired massaging or scrubbing action. Since the preferred fixture of the invention is made from plastic or rubber or a combination of both, the effect of both water and cleansing agents upon the fixture is negligible.

The fixture can as easily be removed from the shower wall and adhered to the smooth wall of any other chamber to be conveniently placed for therapeutic massage or simple scratching, as may be desired. The friction fingers, while resistant to bending, may have some resilience so as not to abrade a bare back rubbed against them. Sharp edges should, of course, be avoided in the finished fixture. The spacing of the fingers is one-quarter to one-half inch between fingers such that little or no penetration of the skin between fingers occurs. The support frame may be about 16.times. 14 inches in area with the depth of the surrounding peripheral rim depending upon the type of suction cup or other adhering means used.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention wherein a different suction device is used for fixing the support frame to a wall. Scrub fixture 41 of FIG. 5 is substantially the same as the previously described embodiment, having top and bottom walls and sidewalls similar to those previously described. Concave back surface 17A of the embodiment of FIG. 5, however, has only a central boss 42 to which a circular suction pad 43 is adhered. Instead of a single frustoconical cavity, suction pad 43 has a multiplicity of small suction cups 44 distributed more or less evenly across its surface. Each small suction cup 44, when pressed against a smooth surface, adheres independently to its immediate vicinity regardless of the effectiveness of other adjacent suction cups. Thus, surface imperfections in the wall do not preclude sufficient points of vacuum adherence to support the fixture frame on the wall.

Sidewalls 21, 22 of the frame support lift tabs 45 which may be pivotally mounted in paired protrusions 46 of the sidewalls. A tongue of the tab 48 extends within the frame. The lifts slant outwardly from their pivot points to afford a finger grip such that lifting the tab pries the frame from the wall, breaking the vacuum grip of pad 43.

The described embodiments do not exhaust the potentiality of the invention. Other suction means may be utilized to hold the frame to the wall. The shape of the friction fingers may vary from that illustrated with the material used. Rubber fingers have proved to be efficacious. The mechanical effect of the fingers upon the back of a user opens the pores in the skin, releasing pore impurities under the flow of soap and water. When used as a back scratcher the fingers provide relief from itch and promote surface circulation, with attendant therapeutic results. In both use and fabrication the back massage and scrub fixture of the invention is extremely simple. Both the friction pad and the support frame may be molded from readily obtainable materials. The fixture of the invention, therefore, affords a needed device which may be inexpensively obtained.

Claims

I claim:

1. A massage and scrubber device for attachment to a wall surface comprising a support frame, suction attachment means on the frame, a peripheral rim surrounding the support frame, a plurality of lift slots in the peripheral rim on the vertical-extending sides thereof, a concave back surface on the frame, a friction pad adapted to fit on the obverse face of the concave back surface, a multiplicity of resilient bend-resistant friction protrusions on the friction pad, the extremities of the protrusions defining a concave area adapted to contact an anatomical portion.

2. A massage and scrubber device for attachment to a wall surface comprising a support frame, suction attachment means on a frame, a peripheral rim surrounding the support frame, lift tabs protruding from spaced locations on the vertical extending sides of the rim, a concave back surface on the frame, a friction pad adapted to fit on the obverse face of the concave back surface, a multiplicity of resilient bend-resistant friction protrusions on the friction pad, the extremities of the protrusions defining a concave area adapted to contact an anatomical portion.

3. A massage and scrubber device for attachment to a wall surface comprising a support frame, a peripheral rim surrounding the frame, a concave back surface on the frame, a single mounting boss projecting from the reverse face of the concave back surface, a single suction attachment means affixed to the mounting boss, lift means on the frame on the vertical extending sides thereof, a friction pad adapted to fit on the obverse face of the concave back surface, a multiplicity of bend-resistant friction protrusions on the friction pad, the extremities of the protrusions defining a concave area adapted to contact an anatomical portion.