Vibrating garment assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11896545-B2
Application number	US-202217678924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2022
Priority date	May 7, 2019
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

A garment assembly includes a sleeve member having outer and inner surfaces, a first vibration assembly associated with the sleeve member, and a control module associated with the sleeve member. The first vibration assembly includes a plurality of vibration motors that are arranged in a circle about a center point. An angular distance between each vibration motor of the plurality of vibration motors is approximately the same. The control module includes a battery, and the first vibration assembly is in electrical communication with the control module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A washable garment assembly, comprising:
a sleeve member, comprising:
an inner surface;
an outer surface; and
a tunnel defined between the inner surface and the outer surface;

a first vibration assembly associated with the sleeve member and permanently sealed between the inner surface and the outer surface, wherein the first vibration assembly includes at least a first vibration motor, wherein the first vibration motor is waterproof enclosed; and
a control module associated with the sleeve member and in electrical communication with the first vibration assembly, wherein the control module comprises:
a battery; and
a docking station that includes a battery portion and a control portion,

wherein the docking station is secured to the inner surface of the sleeve member,
wherein a battery space is defined between the battery portion and the inner surface of the sleeve member,
wherein the sleeve member includes a battery opening defined therethrough that couples the battery space with an exterior of the sleeve member,
wherein the battery is removable from the control module through the battery opening, and
wherein the tunnel fully extends between the first vibration assembly and the control module,
wherein the washable garment assembly is washable after removing the battery through the battery opening.

2. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve member comprises a knitted material, wherein the sleeve member includes a first vibration assembly pocket defined within the sleeve member and between the inner and outer surfaces, and
wherein the first vibration motor is disposed in the first vibration assembly pocket.

3. The washable garment assembly of claim 2 , further comprising an electrical communication strip that includes a stretchable fabric member and at least a wire that is secured to the stretchable fabric member,
wherein the wire extends between the control module and the first vibration motor,
wherein the wire is formed in a slack pattern when the stretchable fabric member is in a normal position, and
wherein the stretchable fabric member is configured to stretch in a longitudinal direction and the wire is configured to straighten when the stretchable fabric member is stretched in the longitudinal direction.

4. The washable garment assembly of claim 3 , further comprising a control module pocket that contains the control module, wherein the tunnel fully extends between the first vibration assembly pocket and the control module pocket, and wherein the tunnel contains the electrical communication strip.

5. The washable garment assembly of claim 4 , wherein the first vibration assembly includes a second vibration motor, wherein the first vibration assembly pocket includes first and second pocket fingers, and wherein the first vibration motor is positioned in the first pocket finger and the second vibration motor is positioned in the second pocket finger.

6. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the docking station further includes an outer flange extending therearound, and wherein the outer flange is secured to the inner surface of the sleeve member.

7. The washable garment assembly of claim 6 , wherein an inner layer member is secured to an inner surface of the docking station and the inner surface of the sleeve member to form the control module pocket that houses the control module.

8. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a second vibration assembly associated with the sleeve member,
wherein the second vibration assembly includes a plurality of vibration motors that are arranged in a circle about a center point,
wherein an angular distance between each vibration motor of the plurality of vibration motors is approximately the same, and
wherein the first vibration assembly is positioned to target a first body part and the second vibration assembly is positioned to target a second body part when the garment assembly is worn by a user.

9. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve member includes a distal end and a proximal end, and a sleeve length is defined between the proximal end and the distal end, and wherein the sleeve member includes a first section with a first compression value and a second section with a second compression value.

10. The washable garment assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second section is defined between the first section and the proximal end, and wherein the first compression value is greater than the second compression value.

11. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve member defines a sleeve length between a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the sleeve member comprises a material that includes a range of compression values that decrease from the distal end to the proximal end.

12. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve member comprises a germanium alloy that is configured to emit infrared radiation.

13. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve member comprises a biometric sensor.

14. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the docking station includes a first magnet and the battery includes a second magnet, and wherein the first magnet is magnetically attracted to the second magnet when the battery is received in the docking station.

15. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the control module, the battery, and the docking station are removable from the garment assembly prior to washing.

16. The washable garment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve member is a sock, and wherein the first vibration assembly and the control module are arranged in a layer of the sock.

17. A method of forming a washable garment assembly, the method comprising the steps of:
forming a garment member using a knitting process, wherein the garment member includes an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein during the knitting process at least a tunnel and at least a vibration assembly pocket are formed within the garment member and between the inner and outer surfaces, and wherein a slit is formed in the inner surface of the garment member;
coupling a control module to the garment member, wherein the tunnel fully extends between the vibration assembly pocket and the control module, wherein the control module comprises a docking station and a battery;
obtaining a vibration assembly that includes at least a vibration motor, wherein the vibration motor is waterproof enclosed, wherein the vibration motor includes at least a wire connected thereto;
inserting the vibration motor and the wire through the slit;
maneuvering the vibration motor into the vibration assembly pocket;
maneuvering the wire into the tunnel; and
sealing the vibration motor between the inner surface and the outer surface, such that the vibration motor is permanently embedded within the washable garment assembly,
wherein the washable garment assembly is washable after removing the battery from the control module.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
forming a battery opening through the garment member,
wherein the docking station comprises a battery portion and a control portion,
wherein coupling the control module to the garment member comprises securing the docking station to the inner surface of the garment member,
wherein a battery space is defined between the battery portion and the inner surface of the garment member,
wherein the battery opening couples the battery space with an exterior of the garment member, and

Assignees

• Therabody Inc

Inventors

• Merino Eduardo
• Nazarian Benjamin
• Solana Jaime Sanchez

Classifications

• A61H23/0254 Primary

  with rotary motor · CPC title

• A41D27/10

  Sleeves; Armholes · CPC title

• A41D2400/322

  Massage · CPC title

• A61H2023/0272

  multiple masses each rotated by an individual motor · CPC title

• A61H2201/165

  Wearable interfaces · CPC title