Apparatus and method for stimulating one or more areas on a wearer

• US 7,260,420 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2004
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patino, Joseph, Korneluk, Jose E., Tracy, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US10/965,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20060084480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 455/567, 455/461, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/426.1, 455/445
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations

Abstract

A system includes a wireless device (101) and at least one stimulator pad (400, 500). The stimulator pad (400, 500) has a set of electrodes (404) that are in communication with the wireless device (101). The stimulator pad (400, 500) is worn on the skin of a user. The wireless device (101) is operable to receive an incoming signal and to place an electric potential on the conductors (404) so that various areas of the user'"'"'s body are stimulated and the user will receive notification of the incoming signal in a completely silent manner. The pad (400) can be either wired or wireless and can be used to deliver therapeutic body stimulation as well. In another embodiment, the wireless device (101) controls at least one stimulator pad (400, 500) independent of any incoming signal received.

Claims

1. An apparatus for stimulating areas of a body comprising:

a wireless communication device that alerts a user of an incoming message through a user interface;

at least one set of conductors coupled to the wireless device, the conductors including a first conductor and a second conductor that are arranged so as to contact an epidermal area of a body of a wearer of the apparatus; and

a power source for creating an electric potential between the first conductor and the second conductor under control of the wireless communication device, wherein the electric potential induces a current flow between the first conductor and the second conductor and the current travels through the epidermal area of the body of the wearer of the apparatus.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one set of conductors comprises:

a receiver for wirelessly receiving a control signal from the wireless communication device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless device holder that removably holds the wireless communication device, the wireless device holder including;

a wireless device holder body; and

a docking interface on the wireless device holder body connecting an output of the wireless communication device to the at least one set of conductors.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one set of conductors are disposed on an outside of the wireless device holder and make contact with the epidermal area of the body when the wireless device holder is disposed against the body.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrical potential is applied in pulses.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the pulses vary in current, width, amplitude, or frequency.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a memory for holding at least one identifier corresponding to pulse patterns.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each set of conductors is independently addressable by the wireless device for control thereof.

9. The apparatus accordingly to claim 1, wherein at least one set of conductors is coupled to a power source independent of the wireless device.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrical potential created across at least one set of conductors is sufficient to be detectable by the body as a notification.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a memory that stores a plurality of stimulus patterns.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a user interface that selectively chooses one of the stimulus patterns.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a processor; and

a software application that is run by the processor and causes at least one of the plurality of stimulus patterns to be followed.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrical potential created across at least one set of conductors is sufficient to stimulate at least part of the epidermal area of the body.

15. A method for stimulating areas of a body, the method comprising:

applying to an epidermal area of a body at least one set of conductors, each set including a first conductor and a second conductor; and

transmitting a signal from a wireless communication device that alerts a user of an incoming message through a user interface to at least one of the set of conductors, whereby the signal controls an electric potential between the first conductor and the second conductor of the at least one set of conductors and the electric potential induces a current flow between the first conductor and the second conductor and the current travels through the epidermal area of the body.

16. The method of according to claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting a silent alert signal to the at least one set of conductors from the wireless communication device.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

applying the electric potential in pulses that vary in current, width, amplitude, or frequency.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

searching a memory for at least one identifiers and corresponding preselected electric potential pulse patterns; and

applying the preselected electric potential pulse pattern to the at least one set of conductors.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein each of the at least one set of conductors is individually addressable and the method further comprises:

searching a memory for at least one identifiers and corresponding preselected electric potential pulse patterns; and

applying the preselected electric potential pulse pattern to the individually addressable at least one set of conductors.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the electric potential further comprises:

an alternating polarity on each of the conductors.

21. A simulator pad for applying stimulus to an epidermal area of a body, the pad comprising:

at least one set of conductors, each set including a first conductor and a second conductor adapted to apply an electric potential to an epidermal area of a body of a wearer of the simulator pad; and

an interface for receiving a signal from a wireless device with a user interface for alerting a user of an incoming message, whereby the signal controls the electric potential between the first conductor and the second conductor and the electric potential induces a current flow between the first conductor and the second conductor and the current travels through the epidermal area of the body of the wearer of the simulator pad.

22. The stimulator pad according to claim 21, wherein the alerting a user of the incoming message is associated with the signal for controlling the electrical potential.

23. The stimulator pad according to claim 22, wherein the alerting a user of the incoming message includes alerting the user with a silent alert.