초록 ▼

A sturdy portable massage roller that collapses flat. The roller includes an outer contact skin formed of a plurality of longitudinal stiffeners connected by longitudinally-extending hinge points, the contact skin defining an inner cavity. A collapsible support structure within the contact skin inne

A sturdy portable massage roller that collapses flat. The roller includes an outer contact skin formed of a plurality of longitudinal stiffeners connected by longitudinally-extending hinge points, the contact skin defining an inner cavity. A collapsible support structure within the contact skin inner cavity is sized to contact and radially support the longitudinal stiffeners in the expanded shape of the contact skin, and is adapted to collapse so that the massage roller converts between a generally cylindrical expanded shape and a collapsed, flattened shape. The support structure may include a series of rigid discs that either pivot or are folded in half to convert the massage roller between its expanded and flat configurations.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A portable massage roller, comprising: an outer contact skin having an outer surface configured to massage a user, the contact skin adapted to convert between a generally tubular expanded configuration having a central roller axis and a flattened collapsed configuration in which a volume of the r

1. A portable massage roller, comprising: an outer contact skin having an outer surface configured to massage a user, the contact skin adapted to convert between a generally tubular expanded configuration having a central roller axis and a flattened collapsed configuration in which a volume of the roller is substantially reduced, the outer contact skin defining an inner cavity; anda convertible support structure comprised of a plurality of rigid discs disposed within the contact skin inner cavity and sized to contact and radially support the contact skin in its expanded configuration, the rigid discs being movable between a first orientation extending generally perpendicular to the roller axis in its expanded configuration and a second substantially flattened orientation that permits the contact skin to convert to its collapsed configuration. 2. The portable massage roller of claim 1, wherein the rigid discs are each adapted to pivot from the first orientation to the second substantially flattened orientation about a fixed point within the inner cavity. 3. The portable massage roller of claim 2, wherein each of the rigid discs has a polygonal exterior contour. 4. The portable massage roller of claim 2, wherein a first one of the rigid discs is located at one end of the collapsible support structure and pivots inward toward the other rigid discs, while the other rigid discs all pivot toward the first rigid disc. 5. The portable massage roller of claim 1, wherein the outer contact skin includes a series of axial stiffeners parallel to the central roller axis and extending a length of the contact skin. 6. The portable massage roller of claim 1, wherein the collapsible support structure includes a rigging system with pull rings on both ends of the roller which when pulled convert the roller from its collapsed to its expanded configuration. 7. The portable massage roller of claim 6, wherein the collapsible support structure includes at least one inner disc exposed at one end of the roller providing radial support to the outer contact skin and pushing the at least one inner disc inward converts the roller from its expanded to its collapsed configuration. 8. The portable massage roller of claim 1, wherein the rigid discs are each adapted to generally fold in half from their first orientation to their second substantially flattened orientation. 9. A portable massage roller, comprising: an outer contact skin having an outer surface configured to massage a user, the contact skin having a series of longitudinally-extending ribs connected by longitudinally-extending hinge points, the contact skin being configured to convert between a generally tubular expanded shape having an inner cavity which is circular or polygonal in cross-section and a generally flattened collapsed shape with the inner cavity conforming to the collapsed shape, wherein the ribs remain parallel to a central axis of the tube when expanded and collapsed; anda collapsible support structure comprised of a plurality of stiffening elements disposed within the contact skin inner cavity and sized to contact and radially support the longitudinally-extending ribs to provide inner support for the expanded shape of the contact skin, the collapsible support structure adapted to collapse wherein the stiffening elements move between a first position extending generally perpendicular to the central axis in its expanded shape and a second substantially flattened position that permits the outer contact skin to assume its collapsed shape. 10. The portable massage roller of claim 9, wherein each stiffening element is hinged relative to a fixed point within the inner cavity and adapted to pivot from a generally perpendicular orientation relative to the ribs to an orientation generally parallel to the ribs, at least two of the stiffening elements being coupled to pivot together. 11. The portable massage roller of claim 10, wherein the collapsible support structure includes a rigging system with cords connected between the stiffening elements to coordinate their conversion between the first and second positions. 12. The portable massage roller of claim 11, wherein the rigging system includes pull rings on both ends of the roller which when pulled convert the roller from its collapsed to its expanded shape. 13. The portable massage roller of claim 10, wherein the stiffening elements are all mounted to pivot on a longitudinal spar attached to an inner side of the outer contact skin. 14. The portable massage roller of claim 9, wherein the outer contact skin includes the longitudinal ribs inserted into longitudinal cavities formed in a foam connecting sheet, and wherein the longitudinally-extending hinge points are living hinges in between the longitudinal stiffeners. 15. The portable massage roller of claim 14, wherein the foam connecting sheet includes a series of longitudinally-spaced bumps arrayed outward of each longitudinal rib. 16. A portable massage roller, comprising: an outer contact skin having an outer surface configured to massage a user, the contact skin adapted to convert between a generally tubular first configuration defining an expanded shape with a cylindrical volume and a longitudinal axis and a second configuration in which the shape is collapsed and the volume is substantially reduced; anda support structure that radially supports the outer contact skin in its generally tubular first configuration, the support structure adapted to convert the contact skin between the first and second configurations, the support structure comprised of a plurality of stiffening elements movable within an inner cavity of the contact skin to first positions that radially support the contact skin in its expanded shape and that are convertible to second substantially flattened positions that permit the outer contact skin to assume its collapsed shape, the support structure further having a rigging system with cords connected between the stiffening elements to initiate their conversion between the first and second positions. 17. The portable massage roller of claim 16, wherein the stiffening elements are each adapted to fold from their first position to their second position orientation generally folded in half and parallel to the longitudinal axis. 18. The portable massage roller of claim 16, wherein the stiffening elements are each adapted to pivot from an orientation generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis in the generally tubular first configuration of the roller to an orientation generally parallel to the longitudinal axis in the second configuration of the roller, at least two of the stiffening elements being coupled to pivot together. 19. The portable massage roller of claim 16, wherein the outer contact skin includes a series of axial stiffeners parallel to the longitudinal axis and extending a length of the contact skin. 20. The portable massage roller of claim 19, wherein adjacent axial stiffeners of the outer contact skin are joined via hinges to allow the contact skin to convert between its generally tubular and reduced volume configurations.