Method and apparatus for cognitive training of humans using adaptive timing of exercises

• US 6,261,101 B1
• Filed: 09/21/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lumos Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Scientific Learning Corp. (Carnegie Learning, Inc.)
• Inventors: Benitz, Angela Jane, Jenkins, William M.
• Primary Examiner(s): RIMELL, SAMUEL G
• Application Number:
  US09/400,643
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 434/156, 434/162, 434/169, 434/118, 434/238, 434/258, 434/236, 273/299, 463/23, 463/40
• US Class Current: 434/167
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/0575 Aids for the handicapped in speaking

Abstract

An apparatus and method for training the cognitive and memory systems in a subject is provided. The apparatus and method incorporates a number of different games to be played by the subject. The games artificially process selected portions of language elements, called phonemes, so they will be more easily distinguished by the subject, and gradually improves the subject'"'"'s neurological processing and memory of the elements through repetitive stimulation. The programs continually monitor a subject'"'"'s ability to distinguish the processed language elements, and adaptively configures the programs to challenge and reward the subject by altering the degree of processing. That is, the subject advances through a number of different processing or skill levels as their ability to distinguish between language elements improves. The subject'"'"'s progress through the processing levels is recorded to allow an adaptive timing mechanism to optimize game play time for each of the games. As the subject advances through the processing levels in a particular game, the amount of game play time for that game is reduced. This insures that the subject spends the most time with those games s/he finds most difficult, and the least time with those games s/he has mastered.

Claims

1. A method on a computing device for adaptively adjusting relative playing times for two or more different games to be played within a training session, to train a subject'"'"'s sensory perceptual system, the method comprising:

providing the two or more different games to the subject for play on the computing device, each of the two or more different games having a plurality of skill levels;

recording advancement of skill levels by the subject for each of the two or more different games in previous training sessions; and

adjusting the relative playing time for each of the two or more different games within the training session according to the recorded advancement, said step of adjusting comprising;

providing default same times for each of the two or more different games;

calculating plaving times for each of the two or more different games utilizing the default game times, and using the recorded advancement of skill levels for each of the two or more different games; and

after said step of calculating, determining whether the sum of the calculated game times for each of the two or more different games is equivalent to a predetermined total time.

2. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 1 wherein the adjusted playing times indicate how long the subject will play each of the two or more different games on a given day.

3. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of recording advancement of skill levels comprises:

monitoring game play by the subject for each of the two or more different games; and

recording in a file the skill levels obtained at the end of play in each of the plurality of games.

4. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 3 wherein said step of adjusting playing time for each of the two or more different games comprises:

reading from said file the skill levels obtained by the subject the last time s/he played each of the two or more different games;

providing default game times for each of the two or more different games; and

adjusting the default game times to establish playing times for each of the two or more different games according to the read skill levels.

5. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 4 wherein the playing times for each of the two or more different games are reduced as the subject advances in the skill levels.

6. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 1 wherein if the sum is greater than the predetermined total time, reducing the playing times in ones of the two or more different games until the sum is equivalent to the predetermined total time.

7. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 1 wherein if the sum is less than the predetermined total time, increasing the playing times in ones of the two or more different games until the sum is equivalent to the predetermined total time.

8. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

if the sum is equivalent to the predetermined total time, determining whether the calculated game times are within predetermined minimum/maximum (min/max) game time thresholds.

9. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 8 wherein if the calculated game times are not within the predetermined min/max game time thresholds, adjusting those calculated game times that are outside the min/max thresholds such that they are equivalent to the min/max thresholds.

10. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 9 wherein if a calculated game time is below the min threshold, the calculated game time is reset to the min threshold.

11. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 9 wherein if a calculated game time is above the max threshold, the calculated game time is reset to the max threshold.

12. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 9 wherein after said step of adjusting those calculated game times, repeating said step of adjusting playing time for each of the two or more different games according to the recorded advancement.

13. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 8 wherein if the calculated game times are within the predetermined minimum/maximum game time thresholds, writing the calculated game times to a file.

14. The method for adaptively adjusting playing times as recited in claim 13 wherein the calculated game times written to the file are used by the two or more different games to control how long they are played by the subject.

15. A method for adjusting the play time of a game on a computing device, the game for training a subject to discriminate between similar phonetic sounds, the game having a plurality of processing levels that are advanced through by the subject, the method comprising:

providing a default play time for the game; and

adjusting the play time for the game according to processing levels advanced through by the subject; and

determining whether the adjusted play time is within minimum/maximum thresholds for the game;

wherein if the adjusted play time is less than the minimum threshold for the game, resetting the adjusted play time to the minimum threshold.

16. The method for adjusting the play time of a game, as recited in claim 15 wherein if the adjusted play time is greater than the maximum threshold for the game, resetting the adjusted play time to the maximum threshold.

17. A method on a computer for establishing optimum game playing times for at least two distinct sensory training games within a training session, each of the games having a plurality of skill levels, the method comprising:

recording advancement by a subject through the plurality of skill levels for each of the at least two distinct games;

adjusting game playing times for each of the at least two sensory training games within the training session according to the recorded advancement for each of the plurality of games; and

providing a Remove Weight List that indicates an order for reducing game playing time for the at least two distinct games.

18. The method on a computer as recited in claim 17 wherein as the subject advances through the plurality of skill levels in a particular one of the at least two distinct games, the playing time for that game is reduced.

19. The method on a computer as recited in claim 17 further comprising:

providing an Add Weight List that indicates an order for increasing game playing time for the at least two distinct games.

20. The method on a computer as recited in claim 17 wherein said step of adjusting game playing times utilizes said Remove Weight List to reduce game playing times for specified ones of the at least two distinct games so that the sum of all of the game playing times does not exceed a predetermined total.