DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRIMING A PERSON

• US 20150086951A1
• Filed: 03/29/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Bulut, Murtaza, Tsoneva, Tsvetomira Kirova, Garcia Molina, Gary Nelson, Van Dooren, Marieke, Weffers-Albu, Mirela Alina, Jaeger, Mark Christoph, Van Ee, Raymond, Sburlea, Andreea Ioana
• Application Number:
  US14/387,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20150086951A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0016 by the smell sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0022 by the tactile sense, e.g. vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0083 especially for waking up
• 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: 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 19/0092 Nutrition
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

The present invention relates to healthy lifestyle management. In particular to a device for priming a person (10), comprising a detector (2) for detecting when the person (10) expresses or should express a predetermined behavior, a stimulus unit (4) for providing the person (10) with a sensory stimulus (14, 16, 21), and a control unit (3) for controlling said stimulus unit (4) to provide the person (10) with a sensory stimulus (14, 16, 21) when it has been detected that the person expresses a predetermined behavior and to provide the same person (10) with the same sensory stimulus (14, 16, 21) when it has been detected that the person (10) expresses or should express said predetermined behavior. A further aspect of the invention relates to a method for priming a person and a computer program for carrying out said method.

Claims

1. A device for priming a person, comprising:

a detector for detecting when the person expresses or should express a predetermined behavior,

a stimulus unit for providing the person with a sensory stimulus, and

a control unit for controlling said stimulus unit to provide the person with a sensory stimulus when it has been detected that the person expresses a predetermined behavior and to provide the same person with the same sensory stimulus when it has been detected that the person should express said predetermined behavior.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said detector is configured to detect one or more behaviors of a group of behaviors including exercising, doing sports, sleeping, waking up, eating, refraining from eating, or working.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said detector is configured to detect when the person expresses or should express said predetermined behavior by measurement of a biometrical or behavioral signal.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said detector is configured to detect when the person expresses or should express said predetermined behavior automatically from the person'"'"'s agenda or schedule.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an interface for receiving and/or transmitting information about the person and/or in relation to said predetermined behavior.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for monitoring parameters related to said predetermined behavior.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein said stimulus unit is configured to providing the person with a group of one or more sensory stimuli out of a set of sensory stimuli including an olfactory stimulus, a stimulus of taste, an audible stimulus, a visual stimulus or a tactile stimulus.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein said stimulus unit is configured to randomly select and provide a sub-group of one or more sensory stimuli from said group of stimuli when it has been detected that the person expresses a predetermined behavior.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is configured to assess the effectiveness of each stimulus, group or sub-group of stimuli in eliciting the predetermined behavior.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is configured to control said stimulus unit to provide the person with a different sensory stimulus for different behaviors of the same person.

11. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit allowing the selection of a stimulus for a predetermined behavior.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein said stimulus unit is a fragrance unit comprising:

a scent container for holding a set of fragrances,

a scent dispensing unit, and

a scent control unit for controlling the composition of fragrances in said scent container that are dispensed by said scent dispensing unit.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein said detector comprises a movement detector, in particular an accelerometer, an imaging unit or a motion sensor.

14. A method for priming a person, comprising:

detecting when the person expresses or should express a predetermined behavior,

providing the person with a sensory stimulus when it has been detected that the person expresses a predetermined behavior, and

providing the same person with the same sensory stimulus when it has been detected that the person should express said predetermined behavior.

15. Computer program comprising program code means for causing a computer to carry out the steps of the method as claimed in claim 14 when said computer program is carried out on the computer.