Method and apparatus for evaluating the effects of internal and external stress influences

• US 8,747,311 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Make3wishes LLC
• Original Assignee: Make3wishes LLC
• Inventors: Barr, Lori Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): JIAN, SHIRLEY XUEYING
• Application Number:
  US12/949,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20110118558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• 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 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/18 the elements being rotatable
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/30 wherein the elements are adapted to be arranged in co-operation with the support to form symbols without special support G09B1/40
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 3/00 Manually or mechanically operated teaching appliances working with questions and answers electrically-operated G09B7/00; e.g. G09B7/063 advertising or displaying in general G09F

Abstract

A measuring device and method is for enabling a user to measure and record changes in emotion during the day and translate it into a relative stress value per day. It may be used to accumulate the positive and negative emotional reactions that a user experiences during a predetermined time period. This method and device will provide a record of the associated distress and eustress and the cumulative effect therefrom on the individual. The user has a visual display of whether or not the emotions felt during a given day are positive or negative. The recognition of the stress level may remind or enable the user to take some action that will counterbalance excessive negative emotions known to contribute to major diseases and engage in activities that reduce or relieve the stress influences on the user before the end of each day.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for evaluating a cumulative level of distress and eustress on an individual, the method implemented on a measuring device by software instructions contained in a memory coupled to a computer processor and including a user interface having a display means and an input means, comprising:

providing a negative and a positive graded scale on the measuring device, the scale being moveable with respect to a cursor displayed on the measuring device;

determining a time interval for recording emotional responses by the individual to life events and entering the time interval into the measuring device by the input means;

judging and assigning positive and negative numeric measures of emotional responses perceived by the individual to each instance of life events during the determined time interval and entering the positive and negative numeric measures into the measuring device by the input means;

accumulating the numeric measures of the emotional responses perceived by the individual during the determined time interval by the measuring device;

displaying and evaluating the level of distress and eustress on the individual during the determined time interval based on the accumulated numeric measures of emotional responses perceived during the determined time interval by the individual; and

using the displayed level of distress and eustress as a reference to change and balance emotional reactions to life events by the individual.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising evaluating long term trends over time of cumulative distress and eustress on the individual by comparing changes in the level of distress and eustress between successive time intervals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined time interval is selected from the group consisting of a day, a week and a month.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning positive numeric values based on an intensity of the positive measures of emotional responses and assigning negative numeric values based on an intensity of the negative measures of emotional responses.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing the measuring device with a displaying the positive and negative graded scale;

setting the measuring device to a value of zero at the beginning of the time interval;

using the input means, entering the assigned positive and negative numeric values based on the intensity of the measures of emotional responses into the measuring device during the time interval; and

evaluating the level of distress and eustress on the individual during the time interval based on the final summed numeric values in the measuring device of the intensity of the measures of emotional responses perceived during the time interval by the individual.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the measuring device is selected from the group consisting of an electronic measuring device, a personal digital assistant, a computer having non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a measurement application, and a cell phone having non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a measurement application.

7. An electronic device having a processor, a user interface including a display means and an input means, and a memory containing software instructions coupled to the processor for evaluating a cumulative level of distress and eustress on an individual, comprising:

the input means for entering into the device a predetermined time interval for recording emotional responses by the individual to life events;

the input means for entering into the device positive and negative numeric measures of emotional responses perceived by the individual to each instance of life events during the predetermined time interval;

the processor for summing the numeric measures of the emotional responses perceived by the individual during the predetermined time interval;

the display means for evaluating the level of distress and eustress on the individual during the predetermined time interval based on the summed numeric measures of emotional responses perceived during the predetermined time interval by the individual; and

the display means indicating the level of distress and eustress being used as a reference to change and balance emotional reactions to life events by the individual.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising means for evaluating long term trends over time of cumulative distress and eustress on the individual by comparing changes in the level of distress and eustress between successive time intervals.

9. The device of claim 7, further comprising means for assigning positive numeric values based on an intensity of the positive measures of emotional responses and assigning negative numeric values based on an intensity of the negative measures of emotional responses.

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising:

the device having the display means for displaying a positive and negative graded scale;

the input means for setting the device to a value of zero at the beginning of the time interval;

the input means for entering the assigned positive and negative numeric values based on the intensity of the measures of emotional responses into the device during the time interval; and

the display means for evaluating the level of distress and eustress on the individual during the time interval based on the final accumulated numeric values in the device of the intensity of the measures of emotional responses perceived during the time interval by the individual.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of an electronic measuring device, a personal digital assistant, a computer having non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a measurement application, and a cell phone having non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a measurement application.

12. A method for evaluating a cumulative level of distress and eustress on an individual, comprising:

providing a measuring device having a negative and positive graded scale, the scale being moveable with respect to a cursor on the device;

setting the cursor to zero on the measuring scale;

providing a relative scale to evaluate and value emotional responses to individual life events and to translate this evaluation into a numeric distress indicator value;

assigning a perceived numeric value relative to the intensity of the positive and negative emotion felt by the user of the device who perceives the life event as being emotional;

moving the cursor on the graded scale of the device by an amount equal to the assigned positive and negative numeric value of each perceived emotional event;

evaluating subsequent emotional events in the same way, and adding and subtracting the assigned relative emotional value to the on-going tally of emotional values; and

determining the cumulative daily value of the eustress and distress based on the final daily reading of the indicator and using it as a reference to change and balance emotional reactions to life events by the individual.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the measuring device is selected from the group consisting of a circular rotating data measuring wheel, an electronic measuring device, a personal digital assistant, an application for a personal computer, and a measurement application for a cell phone.