Patent Application
20180326176
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of beds and more specifically relates to mattresses and accessories.
Many times infants can have trouble sleeping at night or during nap time. This can often be caused by separation anxiety from being inside the womb with the mother to outside the womb. Inside the womb, the unborn child receives audio stimulation. Such stimulation may include the mother's heartbeat, gastro-intestinal sounds, the mother's voice, as well as sounds external to the womb such as music of the voices of others. Often times, a white noise machine can be used to provide audio sounds to an infant or other child.
A white noise machine is a device that produces a sound that is random in character, which sounds like a rushing waterfall or wind blowing through trees. Often such devices do not produce actual white noise, which has a harsh sound, but pink noise, whose power rolls off at higher frequencies, or other colors of noise.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,832 to Avrum H. Blitzer relates to an apparatus and method for treating colicky infants. The described apparatus includes a device to mechanically simulate womb conditions to ease the transition from womb to post-gestational life. The device provides a regular, repetitive low frequency sine wave motion progressively traveling longitudinally thereof with simultaneous vibrations, whereby the infant experiences gentle, low frequency, regular, progressive, traveling sine wave motion plus hearing and sensing subdued vibrations like sensations previously experienced in the womb. The device includes an upper, mattress-supporting layer having a longitudinal series of transverse slats, gently moved up and down by motor-driven cams providing a distributed drive producing regular, repetitive, progressively traveling sine wave motion simulating peristalsis effects of an intestine near a uterine wall. A one-inch thick foam mattress covering the slats provides the longitudinally traveling sine wave motion undulating up and down.
However, such devices fail to effectively mimic the mother's heartbeat or provide voice-audio capabilities. Therefore a suitable solution is desired.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known bed art, the present disclosure provides a novel recordable mattress device. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a device that is incorporated into a mattress to allow the recording and/or playback of sounds.
A device for simulating a human presence of a remote person is disclosed herein. The device includes a speaker configured to provide an audio output substantially similar to a voice of the remote person, a heartbeat simulator configured to provide a tactile output onto a bed substantially similar to a heartbeat of the remote person, a processor communicably coupled to the speaker and to the heartbeat simulator, the processor configured to drive the speaker and the heartbeat simulator, and a power supply electrically coupled to the speaker and to the heartbeat simulator, the power supply configured to power the speaker and the heartbeat simulator.
According to one embodiment, the device for simulating a human presence of a remote person may be removable from a mattress. Additionally, the device for simulating a human presence of a remote person may include a mattress assembly into which the device for simulating a human presence of a remote person may be placed.
According to another embodiment, a method of using a recordable mattress device is also disclosed herein. The method of using a recordable mattress device includes a first step, providing the recordable mattress device and a mattress assembly; a second step, recording a first audio track on the recordable mattress device; a third step, inserting the recordable mattress device into the mattress; a fourth step, placing a child upon the mattress assembly; a fifth step, reproducing the audio track such that the child can hear the audio track; a sixth step, removing the child from the mattress assembly; and a seventh step, recording a second audio track on the recordable mattress device. It should be noted that not all steps need be implemented in all cases, nor the steps need be performed in a certain order.
For purposes of summarizing the disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the disclosure have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the disclosure which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a device for simulating a human presence and method, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to mattresses and accessories and more particularly to a device for simulating a human presence and method as used to improve the soothing of an infant or child by providing physical and/or auditory stimulation which may resemble a human presence.
Generally, a device for simulating a human presence may be useful for mimicking the heartbeat of a mother to comfort a baby or child, and may increase sleep time. The device may include a means for creating an electronic heartbeat to comfort a baby and promote sleeping. The present disclosure may be used by users of all ages. The sound of a heartbeat is naturally soothing and comforting to a user; the device may be used in hospitals, at home, or other places for increased comfort of the user.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
In some embodiments, the device for simulating a human presence 100 may include a mattress assembly 145.
Returning to
In embodiments, the speaker 110 may be configured to provide an audio output substantially similar to a voice of the remote person. The heartbeat simulator 120 may be configured to provide a tactile output onto a bed substantially similar to a heartbeat of the remote person. The processor 130 may be configured to drive the speaker 110 and the heartbeat simulator 120.
Further, the processor may be communicably 130 coupled to speaker 110 and to the heartbeat simulator 120. Similarly, the power supply 135 may be electrically coupled to the speaker 110 and to the heartbeat simulator 120, with the power supply 135 configured to power speaker 110 and heartbeat simulator 120. According to one embodiment, power supply 135 may include a DC battery. Further, the DC battery may be removable and replaceable and/or may be rechargeable. Alternately, power supply 135 may include an external AC electrical source.
In embodiments, device for simulating a human presence 100 may include the capability to record and playback human voice via the processor 130. Embodiments may also include the capability to download a pre-recorded human voice via the processor 130.
It should be noted that step six 506 and step seven 507 are optional steps and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in
The embodiments of the disclosure described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
