Psychophysiological touch screen stress analyzer

• US 8,264,364 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thorad, LLC
• Original Assignee: Phillip Roger Sprague
• Inventors: Sprague, Phillip Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SIGMUND N
• Application Number:
  US12/206,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/665, 715/864, 600/301, 601/46, 601/48, 601/49, 601/148, 601/152
• US Class Current: 340/665
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/164 Lie detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing

Abstract

The Psychophysiological Touch Screen Stress Analyzer is capable of capturing information on how a person emotionally reacts to a series of verbal, visual, or written stimulus when the person touches the touch screen computer monitor in response to the stimulus.

Claims

1. A touch screen stress analyzer system comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store executable programmed modules and information;

a processor communicatively coupled with the non-transitory computer readable medium and configured to execute programmed modules stored therein;

a touch screen monitor communicatively coupled with the processor and configured to determine a location value of a touch and a muscle tremor reaction pattern determined by a pressure value of the touch and a time duration value of the touch, wherein the location value represents a location on the touch screen monitor, the pressure value represents a pressure of the touch on the touch screen monitor and the time duration value represents a time duration of the touch on the touch screen monitor;

a survey module stored in the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the processor, the survey module configured to present a first series of questions on the touch screen monitor and record in the non-transitory computer readable medium location and muscle tremor reaction patterns for responses to said first series of questions, the survey module further configured to present a second series of questions on the touch screen monitor and record in the non-transitory computer readable medium location and muscle tremor reaction patterns for responses to said second series of questions; and

an analysis module configured to calculate an emotional reaction baseline to said first series of questions based on the recorded location and muscle tremor reaction patterns and calculate an emotional reaction to each of said second series of questions based on the recorded location and muscle tremor reaction patterns and compare the calculated emotional reaction for each question in said second series of questions to said emotional reaction baseline.

2. A system for analyzing emotional stress of a subject, comprising:

a touch screen monitor device configured to determine a location value of a touch of the subject and a muscle tremor reaction pattern determined by a pressure value of said touch and a time duration value of said touch, wherein the location value represents a location on the touch screen monitor, the pressure value represents a pressure of the touch on the touch screen monitor, and the time duration value represents a time duration of the touch on the touch screen monitor;

an analysis server device communicatively coupled with the touch screen monitor device via a data communication network;

wherein the touch screen monitor device is configured to present a series of questions on the touch screen monitor and capture location and muscle tremor reaction patterns for responses to said series of questions and send said location and muscle tremor reaction patterns to the analysis server; and

wherein the analysis server is configured to calculate an emotional reaction to said series of questions based on the captured location and muscle tremor reaction patterns.

3. A method for analyzing emotional stress of a subject, where one or more processors are programmed to perform steps comprising:

presenting a question on a touch screen monitor device;

sensing a touch of the subject on the touch screen monitor device in response to presenting the question;

determining a pressure value of the touch of the subject on a touch screen monitor device, wherein the pressure value represents a pressure of the touch on the touch screen monitor;

determining a time duration value of the touch of the subject on the touch screen monitor device, wherein the time duration value represents a time duration of the touch on the touch screen monitor;

determining a muscle tremor reaction pattern based on the pressure value of the touch of the subject on a touch screen monitor device and the time duration value of the touch of the subject on a touch screen monitor device; and

calculating an emotional reaction to said question based on said muscle tremor reaction pattern.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining a location value of the touch of the subject on a touch screen monitor device, wherein the location value represents a location on the touch screen monitor.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising calculating an emotional reaction to said question based on said location, muscle tremor reaction and time duration values.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising presenting a first series of questions and calculating an emotional reaction baseline.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising presenting a second series of questions that is different from said first series of questions and comparing the calculated emotional reaction for each question in said second series of questions to said emotional reaction baseline.