<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->John Houghtaling, inventor of the vibrating Magic Fingers bed that once was pervasive in motel rooms and became a cultural touchstone for a generation of American travelers, died Wednesday at his Fort Pierce, Fla., home of a brain hemorrhage after apparently falling and hitting his head, said his son Paul. He was 92.<br />In 1958, Houghtaling -- pronounced &quot;Huff-tail-ing&quot; -- devised the Magic Fingers machines after he was hired to sell a combination mattress and box spring with a pre-installed vibrating mechanism. The beds didn&#39;t sell well and were far too expensive, but he thought he saw a way to shake quarters out of motel guests.<br />Working in his New Jersey basement, he developed a fist-size motor that snapped onto existing box springs, transforming the bed into a &quot;relaxation service,&quot; as the Magic Fingers coin machines would advertise.<br /><br />By feeding a quarter into a machine, motel guests could purchase about 15 minutes of shaking, a curious luxury that surely enticed children traveling with their parents.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->