DEVICE FOR INDUCING AND MAINTAINING SLEEP

• US 20150038776A1
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cambridge Sleep Sciences Limited
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Learning Technology Limited
• Inventors: Donnet, Frederick, Aston-James, Colin
• Granted Patent: US 9,987,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0033 subsonic
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0083 especially for waking up
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/00 Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/02 for inducing sleep or relaxation, e.g. by direct nerve stimulation, hypnosis, analgesia for massage A61H; electrotherapy A61N, e.g. applying alternating or intermittent electric currents for producing anaesthesia A61N1/36021
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/04 with audible presentation of the material to be studied sound recording or reproducing G11B

Abstract

Described herein is a device (100) for inducing and maintaining sleep in which one of a number of sleep programmes can be selected in accordance with the requirement of a user, !n addition, a background can be selected by the user which forms part of the programme. The device (100) includes a display (120) and a control panel (130) mounted in a housing (110). individual sleep programmes are selected using the control panel (130) and the display (120). The device (100) includes processing unit (140) connected to a memory (150) and a driver (160) for a pair of speakers (170, 175) through which the selected sleep programme is played to the user.

Claims

1. A sleep inducing and sleep maintenance system comprising:

—

a housing;

a control panel formed in the housing and allowing input information to be provided for selecting a sleep programme from a plurality of sleep programmes;

a display formed in the housing for displaying information relating to at least a selected sleep programme;

a memory located within the housing for storing parameters relating to the plurality of sleep programmes;

a processing unit located within the housing for controlling the display and for processing input information received at the control panel relating to a selected sleep programme; and

at least one pair of speaker units through which a selected sleep programme is relayed to a user;

characterised in that the parameters stored in the memory comprise at least binaural beat frequencies used for each of the sleep programmes and loops of the binaural beat frequencies;

and in that the processing unit is operable to retrieve the parameters from the memory and to compile the retrieved parameters into the selected sleep programme in accordance with the input information received from the control panel.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein each sleep programme comprises a sequence of binaural beat frequencies, each binaural beat frequency comprising a number of repeated loops arranged in accordance with a selected sleep programme.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein each repeated loop comprises a predetermined duration.

20. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one pair of speaker units is formed in the housing.

21. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one pair of speaker units is separated from the housing and is connected thereto to receive signals corresponding to the selected sleep programme.

22. A method for inducing and maintaining sleep using a system according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:

—

a) selecting a sleep programme; and

b) compiling the selected sleep programme, the selected sleep programme comprising at least a sequence of binaural beat frequencies corresponding thereto.

30. A system according to claim 1, wherein the parameters stored in the memory further comprise a plurality of environmental sounds and loops of the environmental sounds.

31. A system according to claim 1, wherein the parameters stored in the memory further comprise at least one of:

a subliminal message sequence and an affirmative message sequence.

32. A method according to claim 22, wherein step a) further comprises selecting an environmental sound, and step b) comprises compiling the sequence of binaural beat frequencies with the environmental sound.

4. A system according to claim, wherein the plurality of sleep programmes comprises at least a deep sleep programme, and an alarm programme that comprises a deep sleep programme adjusted for an alarm time.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the deep sleep programme comprises binaural beats in the alpha, delta and theta frequency bands.

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein each sleep programme further includes at least one of a subliminal message sequence and an affirmative message sequence running at the same time as the sequence of binaural beat frequencies for a portion of the sleep programme.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the subliminal message sequence and the affirmative message sequence is used at the start of the sleep programme.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the subliminal message sequence and the affirmative message sequence is used at the end of the sleep programme.

9. A system according to claim 4, wherein each sleep programme further comprises a wake-up sequence in at least the beta frequency band.

10. A system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of sleep programmes further comprises a power nap programme that comprises one of:

a 15-minute programme;

a 30-minute programme;

a 45-minute programme; and

a 60-minute programme.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein the power nap programme comprises binaural beats in at least the alpha 01 and the alpha 02 frequency bands with a wake-up sequence in the beta frequency band.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the 30-, 45- and 60-minute programmes further comprise binaural beats in the alpha 03 frequency band.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein each 30-, 45- and 60-minute power nap programmes further includes at least one of:

a subliminal message sequence and an affirmative message sequence running at the same time as the sequence of binaural beat frequencies at the start of the power nap programme.

14. A system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of sleep programmes further comprises a falling asleep programme.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the falling asleep programme comprises binaural beats in the alpha, delta and theta frequency bands.

16. A system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of sleep programmes further comprises at least one sleep programme for children.

17. A system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of sleep programmes further comprises a jet lag sleep programme.

18. A system according to claim 4, wherein a selected environmental sound is played for the duration of the sleep programme.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the selected environmental sound comprises one of:

a background sound or a non-discernible sound.

23. A method for inducing and maintaining sleep in an individual, the method comprising the steps of:

—

a) selecting a sleep programme;

b) determining a sequence of binaural beat frequencies in accordance with the selected sleep programme;

c) determining a number of loops for each binaural beat frequency in the sequence of binaural beat frequencies;

d) compiling the sequence of binaural beat frequencies, each binaural beat frequency being run for a predetermined number of loops in accordance with the selected sleep programme to provide a sleep cycle; and

e) exposing the individual to the sleep cycle.

33. A method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of selecting an environmental sound, and step d) comprises compiling the sequence of binaural beat frequencies with the environmental sound for the entire duration of the selected sleep programme.

24. A method of compiling a sleep programme for an individual, the method comprising the steps of:

—

a) selecting a sequence of binaural beat frequencies in accordance with a selected sleep programme;

b) determining a number of loops for each binaural beat frequency in the sequence of binaural beat frequencies; and

c) compiling the sequence of binaural beat frequencies in accordance with the selected sleep programme, each binaural beat frequency in the sequence of binaural beat frequencies running for the determined number of loops.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein step c) comprises adjusting the sequence of binaural beat frequencies in accordance with a predefined wake-up time.

26. A method according to claim 24, wherein step b) comprises adjusting the number of loops for each binaural beat frequency in the sequence of binaural beat frequencies in accordance with a predefined wake-up time.

27. A method according to claim 24, wherein step c) further comprises adding at least one subliminal message sequence.

28. A method according to claim 24, wherein step c) further comprises adding at least one affirmative message sequence.

29. A computer program for executing the method according to claim 24, when performed on a computerised system.

34. A method according to claim 24, wherein step c) comprises compiling the sequence of binaural beat frequencies with a selected environmental sound, the environmental sound running simultaneously with the sequence of binaural beat frequencies.