Hand Held Vibrator With Flexible Drive Shaft

Abstract

A vibrator is disclosed which includes a flexible drive shaft and a connector at one end of the drive shaft for manually connecting and disconnecting the one end to a vacuum cleaner power source for rotating the drive shaft. An eccentric weight is releasably attached to the other end of the drive shaft for vibrating a handle. A first stop member is secured to the other end of the drive shaft, and a second stop member is secured to the handle for engaging the first stop member and preventing rotational movement of the drive shaft to permit manual removal of the eccentric weight. A cover is releasably secured to the handle to cover the eccentric weight by an annular groove on the cover extending through 360.degree. and an annular lip on the handle extending through slightly more than 180.degree.. The handle encapsulates the other end of the drive shaft to prevent abrupt bending thereof.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a vibrator attachment for a vaccum cleaner, and more particularly to such a vibrator attachment which is driven by a flexible power shaft so that the operator need not support the weight of the power source when using it.

Vibrators for massaging portions of the human body generally include a power source, such as an electric motor, and an eccentric weight which is rotated by the power source to produce a vibration. Such prior art vibrators may be of the integral type in which the power source is contained in a single unit with the eccentric weight, or of the type in which the eccentric weight is driven by a flexible power shaft from a remotely located power source. The available power of the former type is generally limited by weight considerations, because the operator must support the weight of the power source when using the device. Although this is not a problem with the latter type vibrator, the additional cost of the more powerful power source and of the flexible cable of the latter type may render such a device economically impractical.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes these and other problems and disadvantages of prior art vibrators by providing a flexible power shaft driven vibrator which utilizes the electric motor of a household vacuum cleaner for its power source. In this manner, a rather powerful power source generally heretofor available only on professional vibrators is made available to the occasional household user without undue cost. Furthermore, the operator need not support the weight of the motor when using the vibrator. The present invention also provides such a vibrator which may be easily converted by the operator to provide a flexible power shaft for use with a wide variety of other tools and appliances.

In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a vibrator which includes a flexible drive shaft, a flexible tubing substantially encapsulating the drive shaft, and a means for selectively connecting and disconnecting one end of the drive shaft to a household vacuum cleaner power means for rotating the flexible drive shaft. A handle at the other end of the drive shaft is provided for receiving a human hand, and a first attachment means is provided for manually releasably attaching the eccentric weight means to the other end of the flexible drive shaft for vibrating the handle when the flexible drive shaft is rotated by the vacuum cleaner motor. As used herein, the term "manually" means solely by human hand, without the aid or use of any type of tool. A cover is provided for encapsulating the eccentric weight, and a second attachment means is provided for manually releasably attaching the cover to the handle. In this manner, the invention provides a vibrator with a rather powerful power source without requiring the operator to support the weight of the motor and without undue cost. Still further, by providing a vibrator in which the eccentric weight is manually releasably secured to the flexible drive shaft, and in which a cover for the eccentric weight is manually releasably secured to the handle, the invention provides a vibrator in which the eccentric weight and cover may be removed so that the vibrator may be used as a power extension shaft for other tools and appliances.

In the preferred embodiment, the first attachment means for manually releasably attaching the eccentric weight includes a first stop means secured to the flexible drive shaft and a second stop means secured to the handle. The second stop means is movable between a normally retracted position and a projected position in which the second stop means engages the first stop means to prevent rotational movement of the flexible drive shaft in at least one direction. This permits easy removal of the eccentric weight so that it can be replaced by a wire brush or other desired tool or appliance.

In the preferred embodiment, the second attachment means for manually releasably attaching the cover to the handle includes an annular lip and an annular groove for receiving the lip. The annular lip extends through an arc of slightly greater than 180.degree. so that the cover may be securely attached to the handle and will not loosen when the vibrator is used, yet the cover may be easily removed manually when desired because the lip of the handle does not extend the entire 360.degree.. This permits the lip to be dimensioned such that it projects further into the groove to provide a reliable attachment means yet permits deflection of the cover for easy removal of the cover.

Still further, the invention provides a vibrator in which a handle includes a hand receiving portion which extends axially along the drive shaft adjacent the eccentric weight to prevent abrupt bending of the drive shaft and preclude the need for a separate reinforcing sleeve at that location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent upon a full understanding of the preferred embodiment as shown in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in cross-section, of a vibrator according to the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view taken generally along reference view line 2--2 of FIG. 1, but with the cover means and all rotating members removed for clarity; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the weight carrier member for the vibrator shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, the vibrator shown in FIG. 1 includes a flexible drive shaft 11 which is substantially encapsulated by an externally serrated flexible tubing means 12. The flexible drive shaft 11 in the preferred embodiment is of circular cross-section, but is provided with an end portion 13 of square cross-section for connection to a square socket on a power means such as the electric motor or accessory attachment of a vacuum cleaner as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,652. The right end of the flexible tubing 12 is provided with a coupling member 14 for manually connecting the vibrator to and disconnecting the vibrator from the power source. The coupling member 14 is an open ended cup shaped member adapted to be received by a mating cylindrical coupling member (not shown) on the power source, and is provided with two opposed notched portions 15, only one of which may be seen in FIG. 1, for receiving suitable pins to lock the coupling member 14 on the power means in a well-known manner. A flexible reinforcing sleeve 16 is also provided on the right end of the flexible tubing 12 immediately adjacent the coupling member 14. The reinforcing sleeve 16 is provided to prevent abrupt bending of the drive shaft 11 and tubing 12 adjacent the coupling member 14.

A handle member 22 is secured on the left end of the flexible tubing 12 such as by molding the handle member 22 directly thereon. The handle member 22 includes a hand receiving portion 23, which is circumferentially ribbed to prevent slipping when held by a human hand. The hand receiving portion 23 extends axially along the drive shaft 11 and tubing 12 to serve as a reinforcing sleeve to prevent abrupt bending of the drive shaft 11 and tubing 12 at the left end thereof, in a manner similar to the reinforcing sleeve 16. A suitable bronze bearing 24 is received within a passage 25 which extends axially from end to end through the handle 22, and the bearing 24 butts against a shoulder 26 of the handle 22. A generally cylindrical carrier member 27 is received by the bronze bearing 24. An end portion of the drive shaft 11 extends into a bore 28 in the carrier member 27, and the portion of the carrier member 27 surrounding the end portion of the drive shaft 11 is crimped radially inwardly to drivingly secure the drive shaft 11 to the carrier member 27. A flat washer member 34 butts against a shoulder of the carrier member 27 and provides a bearing surface for the left end face of the bearing 24. In a similar manner, a second generally flat washer member 35 provides a bearing surface for the right end face of the bearing 24. The carrier member 27 is suitably staked at circumferentially spaced points 36 adjacent the washer member 35 to prevent any substantial relative axial movement between the carrier member 27 and the bearing 24.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the bearing 24 is secured against axial movement and rotational movement relative to the handle 22 in the bore 25 by providing the bearing 24 with radially opposed tabs 37 which are secured to the handle 22 by suitable self tapping screws 38 which are received in suitable holes (not shown) in a cylindrical portion 39 of the handle 22. For reasons that are described in detail below, a disc shaped stop member 45 is carried by the carrier member 27. The stop member 45 butts against a suitable shoulder of the carrier member 27, and the carrier member 27 is staked at circumferentially spaced points as at 46 to secure the stop member 45 to the carrier member 27 in such a manner that the stop member 45 rotates with the carrier member 27.

The carrier member 27 is provided with a threaded end portion 47 for threadably receiving an eccentric weight 48. The threaded end portion 47 is threaded in such a manner that the eccentric weight member 48 is tightened thereon by the inertia force of the eccentric weight member 48 when the carrier member 27 is accelerated.

In the use of the vibrator shown in FIG. 1, the operator first attaches the coupling member 14 and the square end portion 13 to a vacuum cleaner electric motor or accessory attachment. The hand receiving portion 23 of handle 22 is then grasped and held between the thumb and palm of the operator's hand. When the power source is turned on, the eccentric weight member 48 is rotated by the drive shaft 11, producing vibrations which are transmitted to the hand receiving portion 23 by bearing 24. The operator then places the fingers of the hand that is holding the vibrator in contact with the surface to be massaged so that the vibrations from the eccentric weight and the hand receiving portion 23 are transmitted to the surface to be massaged only through the operator's fingers. The operator need not support the weight of the motor when using the vibrator, so that the hand receiving portion 23 may easily be held by the thumb and palm of the hand to permit the fingers to engage the surface to be massaged.

A cover member 53 is provided to substantially encapsulate the eccentric weight member 48. To provide access to the eccentric weight member 48 so that it may be removed to permit the device shown in FIG. 1 to be used as a flexible power shaft for driving any other desired tool or appliance, the invention provides a means for permitting the cover member 53 to be manually connected to and disconnected from the handle 22. However, because of the vibrations encountered in the use of the device shown in FIG. 1, the means for attaching the cover 53 to the handle 22 must prevent the cover 53 from being disconnected from the handle 22 due to the vibrations. For this purpose, the invention provides the cover member 53 with an annular groove 54 which, in the preferred embodiment extends for 360.degree. about the entire diameter of the cover 53. The invention also provides a lip portion 55 on the handle 22 which is adapted to be received by the groove 54. The lip portion 55 extends through an arc of slightly greater than 180.degree. and substantially less than 360.degree.. This permits radially opposed portions 56 and 57 of the lip 55 to extend fully into the groove 54 to prevent the cover 53 from loosening from the handle 22 even under conditions of severe vibration. However, because the lip 55 does not extend through 360.degree., the cover member 53 may be easily removed.

The invention further provides an attachment means for manually releasably attaching the eccentric weight 48 to the carrier member 27. This attachment means includes the threaded end portion 47 and the stop member 45, which is secured to the carrier member 27 for rotational movement therewith as described above. The stop member 45 includes two radially opposed apertures 58, which provide access to the screws 38 for assembly purposes, and which otherwise do not form a part of this attachment means. The stop means 45 further includes four circumferentially spaced stop portions 59, which are notches extending radially inwardly from the outer periphery of the stop member 45 in the preferred embodiment. An aperture 60 extends through the handle 22, and receives a suitable machine screw 61 which is threadably connected to a stop member 62. The screw 61 and stop member 62 are spring biased to a retracted position as shown in FIG. 1 by a coil spring 63. When it is desired to remove the eccentric weight member 48, the cover member 53 is first removed. The screw 61 and stop member 62 are manually displaced from the retracted position shown in FIG. 1 to an advanced position in which the stop member 62 projects into one of the notches 59 of stop member 45. This secures the carrier member 27 against rotational movement. The eccentric weight member 48 may then be easily removed from its threaded connection to the carrier member 27, without the use of other tools since the carrier member 27 is locked against rotational movement. In this manner, the invention provides a means for attaching the eccentric weight 48 which permits easy manual removal of the eccentric weight so that it can be replaced by any desired tool or appliance and the vibrator can be used as a power extension shaft.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, various modifications and rearrangements of parts may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A vibrator comprising a flexible drive shaft, a flexible tubing means substantially encapsulating said flexible drive shaft, means at one end of said flexible drive shaft for manually selectively connecting and disconnecting said one end to a vacuum cleaner power means for rotating said flexible drive shaft, handle means at the other end of said drive shaft, said handle means including an axially extending hand receiving portion means for being grasped by a human hand, said hand receiving portion means comprising solely an axially extending tubular reinforcing sleeve snugly encapsulating the end of said flexible tubing means adjacent said other end of said flexible drive shaft, eccentric weight means, first attachment means for manually releasably attaching said eccentric weight means to the other end of said flexible drive shaft for vibrating said handle means when said flexible drive shaft is rotated by said power means, cover means for at least partially encapsulating said eccentric weight means, second attachment means manually releasably attaching said cover means to said handle means and providing the sole means for preventing movement of said cover means relative to said handle means, and said second attachment means including continuous annular lip means of predetermined and nonextensible diameter extending through an arc of only slightly greater than 180.degree. and an annular groove means for receiving said lip means, said annular lip means and annular groove means being disposed on said cover means and said handle means.

2. A vibrator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said continuous annular lip means extends fully into said groove means along the entire arcuate extent of said lip means.

3. A vibrator as set forth in claim 2 wherein said annular groove means extends through an arc of substantially 360.degree..

4. A vibrator as set forth in claim 3 wherein said annular lip means is on said handle means and said annular groove means is on said cover means.

5. A vibrator as set forth in claim 2 wherein said reinforcing sleeve provides the sole means for preventing abrupt bending of said last mentioned end of said flexible tubing and of said other end of said flexible drive shaft.

6. A vibrator as set forth in claim 5 including collar means covering the end of said flexible tubing means adjacent said one end of said flexible drive shaft for preventing abrupt bending of said last mentioned end of said flexible tubing means.

7. A vibrator as set forth in claim 2 wherein said first attachment means includes a first stop means secured to said other end of said flexible drive shaft, and a second stop means secured to said handle means and movable between a normally retracted position and a projected position in which said second stop means engages said first stop means to prevent rotational movement of said flexible drive shaft in at least one direction.

8. A vibrator as set forth in claim 7 wherein said second stop means is spring biased to said retracted position.