Handheld microneedling device for local stimulation of a skin, skin stimulation device and articles

Abstract

A handheld microneedling device for local stimulation of a skin includes: a housing; a drive device within the housing and adapted to provide a driving force; a skin stimulation device; a microneedling stimulation tool formed on the skin stimulation device and connected to the drive device such that the microneedling stimulation tool is movable back and forth at a repetition frequency by means of the driving force in operation; and a needle plate which is formed on the microneedling stimulation tool and in which a plurality of non-piercing stimulation needles with a blunt needle tip are arranged distributed over a front-side application surface. The microneedling stimulation tool is movable back and forth at the repetition frequency between a front operating position and a rear operating position which is set back in comparison thereto. Furthermore, a skin stimulation device and an article are created.

Claims

1. A handheld microneedling device for local stimulation of a skin, with a housing; a drive device arranged in the housing and adapted to provide a driving force; a skin stimulation device; a microneedling stimulation tool formed on the skin stimulation device and connected to the driving device such that the microneedling stimulation tool is movable back and forth at a repetition frequency by the driving force when the driving force is in operation; and a needle plate formed on the microneedling stimulation tool, and in which a plurality of non-piercing stimulation needles having a blunt needle tip are arranged distributed over a front-side application surface; wherein the microneedling stimulation tool is movable back and forth by means of the driving force at the repetition frequency between a front working position and a rear working position which is set back in comparison thereto.

2. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, wherein, when moving between the front working position and the rear working position, at least the plurality of non-piercing stimulation needles of the needle plate in the front working position and the rear working position of the microneedling stimulation tool are arranged completely outside the housing and are thus exposed.

3. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, wherein, in operation, at least the front-side application surface is further arranged completely outside the housing and thus exposed both in the front working position and in the retracted rear working position of the microneedling stimulation tool.

4. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, wherein the needle plate is formed free of a housing portion of the housing at least partially surrounding the needle plate.

5. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, wherein the front-side application surface with the plurality of non-piercing stimulation needles distributed thereon, at least in the front working position, is inclined with respect to at least one reference direction from the following group: a longitudinal direction of the housing, a direction of movement of the microneedling stimulation tool when shifting between the front and the rear retracted working positions, and a direction of movement of the needle plate when shifting between the front and the rear retracted working positions.

6. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, wherein a protective cap which is selectively releasably arranged on the housing covers the needle plate, a functional tool being arranged on the protective cap on the outside.

7. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, wherein a front housing part, which is assigned to the skin stimulation device, is of sleeve-shaped design at the rear and at least partially encloses a rear housing part, which is assigned to the drive device.

8. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, wherein the skin stimulation device is selectively releasably arranged on the housing.

9. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 8, wherein the drive device is formed with a drive device for an electric toothbrush, which is configured to be selectively releasably coupled thereto the skin stimulation device and a toothbrush head operable by means of the drive device.

10. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, wherein the microneedling stimulation tool can be displaced through an opening at a front-side housing end of the housing into a non-working position which is further set back compared to the set-back rear working position and in which at least the front-side application surface of the needle plate is set back relative to the opening.

11. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 10, wherein the needle plate is spaced on one or more sides from an edge surrounding the opening during displacement through the opening.

12. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 10, wherein the needle plate in the further retracted non-working position is arranged to be exposed at a distance from housing portions of the housing surrounding the needle plate.

13. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, further comprising a reusable drive module in which the drive device is arranged, and a disposable module which is selectively releasably connected to the drive module and in which the skin stimulation device is arranged.

14. The handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, wherein the drive device is arranged to move the microneedling stimulation tool back and forth in operation at a repetition frequency between about 10 Hz and about 200 Hz by means of the driving force applied thereto.

15. A skin stimulation device having a housing and being couplable to a drive device for forming a handheld microneedling device according to claim 1, comprising: a microneedling stimulation tool formed on the skin stimulation device and connectable to the drive device such that the microneedling stimulation tool is movable back and forth at a repetition frequency by the driving force provided by the drive device; and a needle plate formed on the microneedling stimulation tool, and wherein a plurality of non-piercing stimulation needles having a blunt needle tip are arranged distributed over a front-side application surface; wherein the microneedling stimulation tool is movable back and forth between a front working position and a rear working position which is set back in comparison thereto, and wherein at least the plurality of non-piercing stimulation needles of the needle plate are arranged completely outside the housing and thus exposed in the front working position and the rear working position of the microneedling stimulation tool.

16. A kit, comprising: a drive device arranged in a housing; a toothbrush head selectively releasably connectable to the housing and thus coupled to the drive device to define an electric toothbrush; and a skin stimulation device which can be selectively releasably connectable to the housing and thus coupled to the drive device to define a microneedling device.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT EXAMPLES

[0044] In the following, further embodiments are explained with reference to figures of a drawing. Here show:

[0045] FIG. 1 a schematic perspective view of a handheld microneedling device;

[0046] FIG. 2 a schematic perspective view of the handheld microneedling device of FIG. 1. wherein a stimulation module with a microneedling stimulation tool is detached;

[0047] FIG. 3 a schematic perspective view of a front section of the handheld microneedling of FIG. 1, wherein the microneedling stimulation tool with needle plate is arranged in a front working position;

[0048] FIG. 4 a schematic perspective view of the front section of the Handheld microneedling, with the microneedling stimulation tool with needle plate arranged in a retracted rear working position;

[0049] FIG. 5 a schematic perspective view of the front section of the micro-needling handpiece, wherein a cover or protective cap is placed on the front of the microneedling stimulation device covering the needle plate;

[0050] FIG. 6 a schematic perspective view of the front section of the handheld microneedling device partially in section with the cover or protective cap in place;

[0051] FIG. 7 a schematic perspective view of the front section of the Handheld microneedling partially in section with the cover or protective cap removed;

[0052] FIG. 8 a schematic perspective view of an electric toothbrush;

[0053] FIG. 9 a schematic perspective view of another handheld microneedling device;

[0054] FIG. 10 a schematic perspective view of a front housing part of the handheld microneedling device of FIG. 9 in section;

[0055] FIG. 11 a schematic perspective view of the front housing part of the handheld microneedling device of FIG. 9, with the needle plate of the microneedling stimulation tool arranged in a retracted non-working position;

[0056] FIG. 12 a schematic perspective view of the front housing part of the handheld microneedling device of FIG. 9, with the needle plate of the microneedling stimulation tool exposed in a front working position;

[0057] FIG. 13 a schematic perspective view of the front housing part of the handheld microneedling device from FIG. 9, with the needle plate exposed in a retracted rear working position;

[0058] FIG. 14 a schematic perspective view of a needle plate with an arrangement of non-piercing stimulation needles with blunt needle tip in the area of a frontal application surface, seen from diagonally above;

[0059] FIG. 15 a schematic perspective view of needle plates of different sizes with an arrangement of non-piercing stimulation needles with blunt needle tip in the area of a frontal application surface in section;

[0060] FIG. 16 a schematic perspective view of a front section of another handheld microneedling device partially in section;

[0061] FIG. 17 a schematic perspective view of the front section of the further handheld microneedling device from FIG. 15 with selectively releasably attached cover or protective cap;

[0062] FIG. 18 a schematic perspective view of the front section of the further handheld microneedling device of FIG. 16 with the cover or protective cap removed, and

[0063] FIG. 19 a schematic perspective view of the cover or protective cap.

[0064] FIGS. 1 to 7 show perspective illustrations for a handheld microneedling device 1, which has a housing 2, which in the example shown is designed in several parts. The housing 2 is formed with a rear housing part 3 and a front housing part 4, which are associated with a drive module 5 and a skin stimulation device 6 selectively releasably arranged thereon, with which a stimulation module 7 is optionally formed. According to FIG. 2, the skin stimulation device 6 and thus optionally the stimulation module 7 is detachable from the drive module 5 and can be changed in this way. In the example shown, the drive module 5 and skin stimulation device 6 are selectively releasably connected with a plug-in connection.

[0065] In the rear housing part 3, which is associated with the drive module 5, a drive device is arranged, for example an electric motor, with which a drive movement or force is provided, which is coupled to a microneedling stimulation tool 8 of the skin stimulation device 6 in order to move the microneedling stimulation tool 8 back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the housing 2 during operation by means of the provided driving force with a repetition frequency. In this way, the microneedling stimulation tool 8, which is formed with a needle plate 9, is repetitively displaced between a front working position (FIG. 3) and a rear working position (FIG. 4) according to FIGS. 3 and 4. In this manner, during operation, a plurality of stimulation needles 10 protruding from the needle plate 9 in the region of an application surface 11 are locally applied (pressed on) to an associated skin portion in a non-piercing manner and withdrawn again. For this purpose, the several stimulation needles 10 are each designed with a needle tip that does not pierce the skin or is blunt (non-piercing).

[0066] In this case, the needle plate 9 with the plurality of stimulation needles 10 is exposed both in the front and in the rear working position according to FIGS. 3 and 4, i.e., in particular, it is not completely or partially surrounded by a section of the housing 2 and is thus arranged outside an inner space 12 of the housing 2. In this way, the local skin portion which comes into contact with the plurality of stimulation needles 10 can freely oscillate due to the back and forth movement of the microneedling stimulation tool 8 with the needle plate 9, which supports an efficient and preferably painless application on the skin.

[0067] In the example shown, the plurality of stimulation needles 10 are arranged in associated openings 13 in the region of the application surface 11 on the needle plate 9 and fixed therein, for example by means of bonding or soldering. In another embodiment, the plurality of stimulation needles 10 may be placed on the application surface 11, for example by means of welding. Alternatively, the stimulation needles 10 may be molded on by injection molding or integrated as insert components. The plurality of stimulation needles may all have substantially the same needle length or different needle lengths above the application surface 11, in which case groups of the plurality of stimulation needles 10 may be of the same needle length.

[0068] In the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the skin stimulation device 6, thus optionally the stimulation module 7, is attached by means of coupling 14, which is formed with a coupling part 14a on the drive side and a coupling part 14b on the stimulation tool side. The coupling 14 is formed, for example, as a magnetic coupling between the coupling part 14a on the drive side and the coupling part 14b on the stimulation tool side (cf. FIG. 6). The coupling 14 is used to initiate the driving force/movement for moving the needle plate 9 back and forth with the stimulation needles 10.

[0069] In the example shown, an anti-rotation device 15 is provided to prevent the stimulation tool module 6 from rotating.

[0070] According to FIG. 5, the needle plate 9 with the multiple stimulation needles 10 can be covered in non-operation by means of a cover or protective cap 16, which is selectively releasably attached and thus removable for operation. In the example shown, the cover or protective cap 16 is attached.

[0071] FIGS. 6 and 7 show the front section of the handheld microneedling device 1 partially in section with and without the cover cap 16, revealing that the plurality of stimulation needles 10 extend in associated bores 17 of the needle plate 9 and are received at the rear of the needle plate 9 on a needle holder 18.

[0072] FIG. 8 shows a schematic perspective view of an electric toothbrush 19, in which a front housing part 19a is formed with a toothbrush head 19b, which is fitted in place of the skin stimulation device 6 and couples to the drive device in the rear housing part 3 of the housing 2, so that the driving force (back and forth movement) is used to move a brush arrangement 19c in operation. Skin stimulation device 6 and toothbrush head 19b can thus be selectively selectively releasably mounted and operated by one and the same drive module 5, so that either the handheld microneedling device 1 or the electric toothbrush 19 are provided.

[0073] FIGS. 9 to 13 show another handheld microneedling device 20 in which the microneedling stimulation tool 8 with the needle plate 9 is displaceable through a front housing opening 21 on the skin stimulation device 6 (stimulation module 7) between a retracted non-working position as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 and extended working positions as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0074] When not in use, the needle plate 9 of the skin stimulation device 6 with the plurality of stimulation needles 10 arranged thereon can be retracted behind the surface of the housing opening 21 such that, according to FIG. 9, both the needle plate 9 and the stimulation needles 10 are arranged completely behind the housing opening 21 in the interior 12 of the front housing part 4, which in the embodiment shown is associated with the skin stimulation device 6. On the front housing part 4, the housing opening 21 is formed at a front section 4a.

[0075] During microneedling operation, the needle plate 9 with the multiple stimulation needles 10 is moved back and forth between the front working position (cf. FIG. 12) and the rear working position (cf. FIG. 13) as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. 13), i.e. back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the housing 2 corresponding to a working stroke, so that the needle plate 9 with the plurality of stimulation needles 10 is arranged both in the front and in the rear working position with respect to the housing opening 21 in front of the surface thereof and thus outside the housing 2, in particular outside the front section 4a of the front housing part 4, which in turn enables the skin section to be processed to be stimulated to oscillate freely, i.e. free from any obstruction to this oscillation by the housing 2, in particular a front housing edge 22 surrounding the housing opening 21. In the example shown, in operation substantially the entire microneedling stimulation tool 8 is positioned in front of the housing opening 21. In non-operation, the needle plate 9 can then be displaced to the retracted non-working position as shown in FIGS. 9 to 10.

[0076] According to the example shown in FIGS. 9 to 13, the needle plate 9 is circumferentially and continuously spaced from the housing rim 22 when passing through the housing opening 21, i.e., it is free of contact and contact-free.

[0077] It may be provided that the needle plate 9 may assume several different retracted non-working positions within the front housing portion 4 behind the housing opening 21, which differ with respect to their respective distance from the housing opening.

[0078] In the area of the coupling 14, the rear stimulation tool-side coupling part 14b of the skin stimulation device 6 according to FIG. 10 is (selectively releasably) connected to the drive-side coupling part 14a, which is designed here as a shaft component, in order to couple the provided driving force/movement to the microneedling stimulation tool 8 with the needle plate 9.

[0079] FIG. 14 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the needle plate 9 with an arrangement of the plurality of non-piercing stimulation needles 10 on the application surface 11, each having a blunt needle tip 10a. In the shown embodiment, the plurality of stimulation needles 10 are formed with a cone shape and a flattened needle tip. The same reference numerals as in the preceding figures are used for identical features in FIGS. 14 to 18.

[0080] FIG. 15 shows a schematic perspective view of needle plates 9 of different sizes with an arrangement of non-piercing stimulation needles 10 with blunt needle tip in the area of the application surface 11 in section, whereby the application surface 11 is convexly curved.

[0081] FIGS. 16 to 19 show schematic perspective views of a front section of a further handheld microneedling device 30, in which the application surface 11 on the needle plate 9 of the microneedling stimulation tool 8 is set at an angle or inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the housing 2, thus in the example shown also at an angle or inclined with respect to the direction of movement when moving the microneedling stimu lation tool 8 (with the needle plate 9) between the front and rear working positions.

[0082] FIGS. 17 and 18 show the further handheld microneedling device 30 with the cover or protective cap 16 selectively releasably fitted and removed. A functional tool 16a is arranged on the cover cap 16, which in the fitted state (cf. FIG. 17) covers the plurality of non- piercing stimulation needles 10, which in the embodiment example shown is formed with an arrangement of functional elements 16b, which are for example massage elements. The cover cap 16 is thus configured as a multifunctional cap. In the illustrated embodiment example, the functional elements 16b are formed in particular in the region of a front surface 16c of the cover cap 16.

[0083] In addition, the cover cap 16 can have, at least on the outside, an inclined end face with functional tool. It is also conceivable that it can be folded away, or also an axially movable sleeve with a missing cover surface or a cover surface that is perforated for the functional tool (comparable to a type of drill bit with tools on the circumference or on the remaining cover surface), which can be switched on/off, e.g., by a rotary gate cam control via rotary-slide movement.

[0084] Other functional tools can be provided, for example silicone nubs, gripping-pinching tools made of elastic material and / or alternately directed stimulation tools, which in turn achieve a prick-like (simulating piercing) effect on the skin and thereby cause skin irritation. Alternative functional tools for skin stimulation can be provided, which differ from the aforementioned, for example, with regard to a tip radius or angle.

[0085] In one embodiment, the needle plate 9 can be designed as an reversible plate or reversible insert in such a way that different functional tools can be arranged on it in an exchangeable or detachable manner in order to provide several functions or to compensate for wear. They can also be interchangeable inserts that are selectively releasably arranged on the needle plate 9 depending on the desired application. Reversible inserts can carry tooling on both sides. The interchangeable inserts may be selectable from an assortment or graduated set of tool characteristics.

[0086] FIG. 19 shows an enlarged perspective view of the protective or cover cap 16 with the functional tool 16a. Openings 40 are provided on the cover cap 16. In the example shown, the openings are arranged in the region of a lateral surface 41 of the cover cap 16 and thus form lateral openings. Alternatively or additionally, such openings may be arranged in the region of the front surface 16c in other embodiments (cf. FIG. 5). For example, the openings 40 may serve to perform gas sterilization for the needle plate 9 with the plurality of stimulation needles 10 with the cover cap 16 in place. The lateral openings 40 shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 have the advantage that the ingress of dust particles to the needle plate 9 and dust deposits caused thereby are reduced.

[0087] The features disclosed in the foregoing description, the claims, and the drawing may be significant, both individually and in any combination, for the realization of the various embodiments.