Patent Application
20220254271
The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
Humans often use written words for communicating, and the impact of reading disability is profound. In 1877, German doctor Adolph Kussmaul first diagnosed “wordblindheit” or word blindness. A decade later, Rudolph Berlin, used the term dyslexia, from Greek prefix dus-, meaning difficult, and lexis, meaning speech or word. In 1917, James Hinshelwood, described letter reversals, and difficulties with spelling and reading comprehension. He saw that attempts to teach children by ordinary methods had failed. In 1937, Samuel T. Orton suggested a visionary theory. He thought dyslexia was caused by conflicting stores of visual information in the left and right brain hemispheres. Orton suggested reading be taught using both left and right brain functions. By the 1970s research focused on phonological deficit. Phonics and phonological awareness were taught. Basic resources and teaching methods introduced included flash cards, worksheets, dictionaries, word games and word lists. In the absence of any better solution, these approaches are currently used for reading intervention. They are time consuming and need intense adult intervention. Many students still fail to read.
In 2003 Peter Turkeltaub et al. used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study brain activity of children learning to read. Their findings supported Orton's theory of reading development. In 2017, Ruth Williams saw lack of a dominant eye and a symmetrical layout of rods and cones within the retinas of dyslexic people.
Modern prior art includes eye patches, eyeglasses that block peripheral vision, a reading aid, eye level reading rulers, vision therapy, eyeglasses with colored lenses, eyeglasses with differently-tinted lenses for each eye, context-base dynamic rendering of digital content, special fonts, light control and sampling devices, text to speech devices, and extra reading time in examinations. Each approach has disadvantages. Eye patches are uncomfortable, embarrassing and do not eliminate reversals, inversions and moving text.
One apparatus described, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,902 to Morelle, et al. (1990), is eyeglasses that block peripheral vision. This aid may give the brain less visual information to process, but does not correct reversals, blurring, inversions, and moving text. This apparatus is dangerous since with peripheral vision blocked, a wearer may not see a hazard. An apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,294, Schiffer, (1999), is eyeglasses that block one visual field. A wearer may not see a hazard. This aid is embarrassing to wear, expensive, and difficult to manufacture.
A similar device is eyeglasses with a restricted opening in the shape of a hole and slit. This apparatus is described in Foreign Patent Application 2,942,552, Danilo, (2010). The wearer can only see a tiny area. Reading speed is lost because the device reveals only a small segment of text at once. When a user loses their place, they have to remove the device to find it again. Again, this device would be embarrassing to wear and difficult and expensive to manufacture.
A reading aid, described in U.K. patent 2,393,690 to Bruce (2004) helps readers by focusing the eye on one word but does not eliminate reversals, inversions and moving text. Only one word or short phrase can be seen at once, so reading speed is diminished. When reading speed is low, comprehension of a text is significantly reduced.
Eye level reading rulers, described in U.K. patent 2,414,438 to Hext and Hext (2005) help readers by cutting out glare and focusing the eye on a line of text. The device does not eliminate reversals, inversions and moving text.
Vision therapy can help to improve eye tracking, and there is anecdotal evidence that it improves connections across the cerebral cortex. Results are erratic, and vision is improved for some patients but not others. Vision Therapy does not eliminated reversals, inversions and moving text. Vision therapy is expensive and time consuming. Eyeglasses with colored lenses, and eyeglasses with different colored lenses for each eye, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,028,064 to Harris, et al. (2015). Custom-made, these are expensive. They do not eliminate reversals, inversions and moving text.
Described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,242,588 to Thirupparangiri, et al. (2019), Context-base dynamic rendering of digital content, has the disadvantage that it does not work with printed content, or when viewing a scene. Described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,386,646 to Serdarevic, et al. (2019), Light control and sampling devices are expensive and difficult to produce. Another disadvantage of these devices is that they require a source of electricity to work.
Large print and special fonts do not work with existing normal font size books and printed content. Text to speech devices are slow, error prone, expensive, and loud. A current method of helping dyslexic students is to give extra reading time for assignments, tests, and examinations. This is expensive, requires extra staff, requires extra test taking facilities, is time consuming and stressful for students. An extra-time accommodation requires a diagnosis, that is costly and difficult to obtain.
The prior art does little to help the brain to assimilate the visual information from the left and right visual fields, and both eyes, correctly. It does nothing to compensate for the symmetrical pattern of rods and cones in dyslexic people. It does not compensate for the lack of a dominant eye in dyslexic people. Currently there is no quick, affordable method for diagnosing or screening for dyslexia or visual processing disorder and many people slip through the cracks.
In accordance with one embodiment, a visual processing aid comprises a housing, and an anchoring element with a uniform change in the value of a property.
Accordingly several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: to provide visual processing aids that help the brain assimilate the visual information from the left and right visual fields, that helps the brain assimilate the visual information from both eyes, that will compensate for the symmetrical pattern of rods and cones, that will compensate lack of a dominant eye, that will eliminate reversals, inversions, blurring, disappearing, and moving text, that will allow the user to see the entire visual field, that are safe, that are discreet, neat, comfortable, light, quick, easy and convenient to use, that are relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture, that increase reading speed and comprehension, that can be used to diagnose dyslexia or a visual processing disorder cheaply, easily and quickly, that can be used to quickly and inexpensively screen large numbers of students or patients for dyslexia or visual processing disorder, that will prevent students with dyslexia or visual processing disorder slipping through cracks in the education system, that will improve brain connections, that will ameliorate disorders related to poor connections between the right and left hemisphere of the brain. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
One embodiment of a visual processing aid is illustrated in
On a top side 88 of the housing, an anchoring element 76 is screen printed. The anchoring element is screen printed; however, the anchoring element can be attached to the housing by any application technique such as, but not limited to heating, adhesion, engraving, etching, printing, painting, laminating, etcetera. The anchoring element is opaque. The anchoring element has a first branch 78 positioned parallel to an upper edge 84 of the housing. The first branch is typically 10 mm to 30 mm distance from the upper edge and 50 mm to 110 mm from a lower edge 86. The first branch is typically 100 mm to 190 mm long and 0.1 mm to 2 mm wide. The anchoring element is long enough to appear to span at least two words in the text, and can be long enough to appear to span whole lines of text. A second branch 80 meets the first branch, and slopes away from the first branch at an angle that is typically 5 degrees to 35 degrees. The second branch meets the first branch; however, the second branch can be proximal to the first branch. There are two branches; however, there can be one branch. There are two branches; however, there can be multiple branches. The first branch is black but may be any color. The second branch is red but may be any color.
The anchoring element has a uniformly changing height along an axis that is parallel to the lines of text in a scene 44, and in this embodiment is also asymmetrical about that axis.
To add to the complexity, the visual information reaching the left eye is split further as visual information originating in a left visual field of left eye 42 reaches a left-nasal retina 40, while visual information originating in a right visual field of left eye 46 reaches a left-temporal retina 38. Visual information from the left-nasal retina is passed along a first optic nerve 62 in an optical pathway 66 to the right visual cortex. Visual information from the left-temporal retina is passed along a second optic nerve 32 to the left visual cortex.
Conversely, the visual information reaching the right eye is also split. Visual information originating in a left visual field of right eye 52 reaches a right-temporal retina 58, while visual information originating in a right visual field of right eye 54 reaches a right-nasal retina 56. Visual information from the right-nasal retina is passed along a third optic nerve 34 to the left visual cortex. Visual information from the right-temporal retina is passed along a fourth optic nerve 64 to the right visual cortex. Throughout the remainder of this specification, references are made back to
Further, the brain may shift the four components around, until they coincide and produce a meaningful image of the text. In a well-functioning brain, visual processing is easy, and a crisp image is assimilated, quickly. In a poorly-functioning brain, such as a brain with weak or no connections across the corpus collosum, the result is a nonsensical image, composed of text that appears to move, is blurred, disappears, inverts, switches sides, and floats around the page.
The visual processing aid shown in
It is easier to process visual information from the simple anchoring element than from the complex and detailed scene, but in assimilating an image of the anchoring element, an image of the scene is correctly assimilated too. Additionally, any anchoring element that is also asymmetrical about an axis that is parallel to the lines of text, also differentiates visual information vertically, helping the brain invert the image more easily and more accurately.
The manner of using the visual processing aid follows. One places the housing upon text in the scene. The housing is placed so that the upper edge is parallel to the lines of text and the anchoring element is below a line of text to be read. The housing is positioned so that the anchoring element appears to span at least two words in the text. The housing is positioned so that the anchoring element crosses over a transition zone 49. The transition zone is approximately the area between a left eye transition line 48 and a right eye transition line 50. For example, if the text is in a book, one holds the book so that the page is central, and places the visual processing aid so that the anchoring element is below an entire line of text. Fingers are placed upon the top side of the housing proximal to the lower edge. As one finishes viewing the line of text one moves the housing so that a next line of text is above the anchoring element.
Additional embodiments are shown in
Alternative embodiments of a visual processing aid are illustrated in
As used herein, and unless otherwise specified, the term “transparent” means allowing light to pass through so that objects can be distinctly seen; an alternative meaning may include “translucent” or shaded to mean that the clarity remains unaltered or dulled, but the “brightness”, “tone”, “luminance”, “luminosity”, and or “lightness” may be altered; the term “text” can be taken to mean “text and/or letters and/or words and/or numbers and/or symbols and/or objects and/or part of a scene and/or an entire scene and/or multiple scenes;” the term “scene” can be taken to mean “anything that is being viewed;” the term “detail” can be taken to mean “small element” for example in a piece of text the details may be phrases or words or letters; the terms “information” or “visual information” can be taken to mean “light energy” and/or “nerve impulses” and/or “brain signals;” the term “resolve” can be taken to mean “assimilate” and/or “put together accurately” and/or “understand;” the term “uniform change” can be taken to mean “predictable change” and/or “ordered change” and/or “regular steps” and/or “incremental change” and/or “gradation” and/or “steady change;” the term “line of sight” can be taken to mean “a line from the vicinity of the eye/s of the subject to the scene,” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein the terms “left” and “right” are from a wearer's point of view, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
As used herein, the term “or” is an inclusive “or” operator, and is equivalent to the term “and/or,” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise; in addition, throughout the specification, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references; the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.”
From the description above, a number of advantages of some embodiments of my visual processing aid become evident:
Some embodiments will ameliorate learning disabilities, including, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, language processing difficulties, public speaking anxiety, speech disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette Syndrome, conditions related to autism spectrum disorders, or Asperger syndrome. Some embodiments will improve focus, attention, or attention to detail. Some embodiments will improve conditions such as left-right confusion, inability to recognize faces, inability to understand facial expressions, or sensory overload. Further, some embodiments will ameliorate visual perception problems, including depth, color, hue, or shade perception.
Some embodiments will improve skills, including fine motor, gross motor, sensory integration, sports, musical, driving, navigation, machine operating, organizational, study, or academic skills. Some embodiments will improve balance and coordination.
Some embodiments will ameliorate motion sickness, vertigo, acrophobia, phobias related to vision, phobias related to information processing, exaggerated startle response, headaches, migraines, other one-sided headaches, eye strain, stimming, stress, anxiety, epilepsy, or schizophrenia. Some embodiments will improve processing of information, including but not limited to visual, auditory, tactile, taste, olfactory, proprioception, or kinesthetic information. Some embodiments will correct perceived spatial differences in visual information. Some embodiments will improve function of a brain or improve connection or processing between hemispheres of a brain.
Some embodiments will improve, stabilize, or slow, deterioration of vision, eye function, eye oscillatory movements, ocular motor system, optic nerve, visual pathway or brain. Some embodiments will ameliorate conditions caused by inadequate function of, or damage to, eyes, ocular motor system, optic nerve, visual pathway, or brain; including split brain syndrome, spatial orientation phenomenon, brain injury, concussion, neurological disorders, developmental delays, hemispherectomy, keratoconus or stroke.
Some embodiments will alleviate symptoms of other conditions, disease, disorder, deterioration or injury, including but not limited to, autoimmune disorders, high blood pressure, seizure disorders, esophagitis, gastritis, reflux, asthma, eczema, ear infections, respiratory infections, allergy disorder, neuro-ocular vestibular dysfunction, or problems within or caused by a vestibular system.
Some embodiments will alleviate symptoms of ophthalmic or neurological conditions, disease, disorder, deterioration or injury including, but not limited to, age-related macular degeneration, amblyopia, astigmatism, Behcet's disease, Bietti's crystalline dystrophy, blepharospasm, cataracts, color blindness, convergence insufficiency, diabetic retinopathy, floaters, glaucoma, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, low vision, macular edema, macular hole, macular pucker, refractive errors, retinal detachment, retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, Usher syndrome, uveitis or vitreous detachment.
Some embodiments will ameliorate other conditions caused by inadequate connection between two hemispheres of a brain, or inadequate function of one hemisphere of a brain, or dominance of one hemisphere over another.
Some embodiments will be used for screening, customization, calibration, measurement, analysis, recovery, improvement, or monitoring of conditions or function of an eye, ocular motor system, optic nerve, visual pathway, brain, vision, or visual processing. Some embodiments can be used in conjunction with other treatments.
Some embodiments can be used in humans or animals. Some embodiments will be more economical, portable, discrete, fast, accurate, easy to manufacture, or user friendly.
Accordingly, the reader will see that the visual processing aid and methods of the various embodiments can be used to read, and see, text, numbers, symbols and scenes easily and accurately. Furthermore, the visual processing aid and methods of the various embodiments have the additional advantages in that:
Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments but as merely providing illustrations of some of several embodiments.
For example, in some embodiments, the housing can be eliminated or duplicated; the housing can have other shapes, size, color, tint, or material; the housing can be a void; the housing can be made integrally or separately; the housing can be formed by shaping techniques, such as, but not limited to, cutting, molding, casting, extrusion, crimping, molding, pressing, curing, heating, injection, machining, rolling, etcetera.
In other embodiments, the housing can have a different mode or function of operation; the housing can be a viewing apparatus, such as, but not limited to a, lens, monocle, pair of goggles, visor, magnifying glass, helmet, heads up display, intraocular accessory, intracorneal accessory, bookmark, reading ruler, reading guide, word swatter, text viewer, image viewer, telescope, pair of binoculars, text isolating apparatus, window, windshield, mirror, etcetera; the housing can be a writing surface, such as, but not limited to, books, composition books, paper, posters, sentence strips, white boards, blackboards, smart boards, etcetera; the housing can be printed material, such as, but not limited to, books, magazines, newspapers, leaflets, posters, web pages, documents, flash cards, picture, etcetera; the housing can be a sign, such as, but not limited to a, road sign, place name sign, exit sign, direction sign, public safety sign, etcetera; the housing can be a container, such as, but not limited to a, tube, box, frame, etcetera.
In other embodiments, the housing can be a software application, such as, but not limited to, an application for reading, writing, texting, typing, calculating, processing data, displaying data, analyzing data, virtualizing reality, augmenting reality, placing a virtual anchoring element, displaying text, displaying narrow columns of text, scrolling text, etcetera; the housing can be a visual presentation, such as, but not limited to an animation, a film, a video game, etcetera; the housing can be a virtual or physical overlay for a screen that is part of a machine, such as, but not limited to a, television, telephone, computer, tablet, theatre projection apparatus, teleprompter, virtual reality device, augmented reality device, etcetera; the housing can move in a manner such as but not limited to sliding, rotating, scrolling etcetera.
In some embodiments, the housing can consist of materials, such as, but not limited to, stainless steel, metal, titanium, aluminum, plastic, acetate, wood, polycarbonate, CR-39, high-refractive-index polymer, air, vacuum, glass, aluminium oxynitride, glass, calcite, cellophane, foturan, fused quartz, cellulose acetate, ceramic, minerals, glassine, paper, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, polyvinyl butyral, etcetera; the housing can consist of materials with different opacity, such as transparent, opaque, or translucent; the housing can have regions of different opacities; the housing can be tinted; the housing can have regions of different tints; the housing can be made from material that has other optic property such as, but not limited to, mirrored, coated, refractive, etcetera.
In some embodiments, the anchoring element can have other shapes, size, color, tint, density, or material; the anchoring element can be a channel, tunnel, or ridge; the anchoring element can have an asymmetrical, sloping shape, such as, but not limited to a triangle, a ramp shape, two thin rectangles that meet at an acute angle, two thin rectangles that intersect at an acute angle, etcetera.
In other embodiments, the anchoring element can be wide enough to extend over at least two details in the scene; however, the anchoring element can be too small to extend over at least two details in the scene, but be attached to the housing so that it is held closer to the eye, and therefore appears to be extend over at least two details of the scene; the anchoring element can have any length great enough that it that it can appear to span over at least two details in the text; the anchoring element can be any width that the brain can detect; the anchoring element can be any depth that the brain can detect.
The anchoring element can be attached to the housing such that it can appear to span over a plurality of details in the scene, can be held proximal to a line of sight of the subject, spans a transition between a left visual field and a right visual field of the subject.
The anchoring element can be disposed with the display surface such that it can appear to span over a plurality of details in the scene, can be held proximal to a line of sight of the subject, and spans a transition between a left visual field and a right visual field of the subject.
In some embodiments, the anchoring element can have any uniform change in the value of a property, such as, but not limited to opacity, transparency, translucency, reflectivity, brightness, color, tint, shape, hue, orientation, thickness, width, height, depth, density, optical density, refractive index, polarization, wavelength, photo-sensitivity and electromagnetic and electrochromic and electro-optical and physical and chemical and electronic and biological and bacterial and state of matter, etcetera.
In some embodiments, the anchoring element can be asymmetrical about any axis that is orientated in any direction; the anchoring element can have a uniform change in the value of a property along an axis that is orientated in any direction.
In other embodiments, the anchoring element can be energy from the electromagnetic spectrum; the anchoring element can filters, alters, or blocks, energy from any part of the electromagnetic spectrum; the anchoring element can be virtual; the anchoring element can be configured to move in a manner such as but not limited to sliding, rotating, scrolling, etcetera; the anchoring element may be switched on, or off, with a controller, such as, but not limited, to sensor, electronic switch, voice controller, remote controller, random controller, computer software controller, physical controller, blink controller, or gaze controller, etcetera; the anchoring element can frequently adjust, if for example, text size increases the anchoring element may increase in size, if line spacing increases the anchoring element may increase in size, or the anchoring element may adjust position, etcetera; the anchoring element can be made integrally or separately.
In other embodiments, the display surface can have a different mode or function of operation; the display surface can be a viewing apparatus, such as, but not limited to a, lens, monocle, pair of goggles, visor, magnifying glass, helmet, heads up display, intraocular accessory, intracorneal accessory, bookmark, reading ruler, reading guide, word swatter, text viewer, image viewer, telescope, pair of binoculars, text isolating apparatus, etcetera; the display surface can be a writing surface, such as, but not limited to, books, composition books, paper, posters, sentence strips, white boards, blackboards, smart boards, etcetera; the display surface can be printed material, such as, but not limited to, books, magazines, newspapers, leaflets, posters, web pages, documents, flash cards, etcetera.
In other embodiments, the display surface can be a sign, such as, but not limited to a, road sign, place name sign, exit sign, direction sign, public safety sign, etcetera; the display surface can be a container, such as, but not limited to a, tube, box, frame, etcetera; the display surface can be an application, such as, but not limited to, an application for reading, writing, texting, typing, calculating, processing data, displaying data, analyzing data, virtualizing reality, augmenting reality, etcetera, that places a virtual anchoring element onto a screen that is part of a machine, such as, but not limited to, televisions, telephones, computers, tablets, theatre projection apparatus, teleprompters, virtual reality devices, augmented reality devices etcetera; the display surface can be a virtual or physical overlay for a screen that is part of a machine, such as, but not limited to a, television, telephone, computer, tablet, theatre projection apparatus, teleprompter, virtual reality device, augmented reality device, etcetera.
In some embodiments, the display surface can move in a manner such as but not limited to sliding, rotating, scrolling etcetera; the display surface can display text proximal to the anchoring element, for example, by displaying narrow columns of text, scrolling text, etcetera; the display surface can be a training tool, such as, but not limited to an animation, a film, a visual presentation, a training exercise, a training video game, a training game, etcetera; the display surface can be a visual presentation, such as, but not limited to an animation, a film, a video game, etcetera.
In other embodiments, the anchoring element can be attached to the housing by a different technique; the anchoring element can be attached to the housing with components such as, but not limited to, wires, Wi-Fi connections, hinges, stickers, tape, pivots, sliders, magnets, clips, clings, lamination, fusing, printing, adhesion, painting, screen printing, heating, etching, engraving, molding, injecting, curing, boring, etcetera.
In other embodiments, the contrast between anchoring element and housing can be created with materials that have a plurality of different properties such as, but not limited to materials of different, opacity, transparency, density, color, tint, shape, focal length, refractive index, optical density, polarization, wavelength, composition, state of matter, photo sensitivity, electrochromic, electro-optical, electromagnetic properties, etcetera; the contrast between anchoring element and housing can be created by adding material such as but not limited to physical, chemical, electronic, biological, bacterial, etcetera.
Other embodiments may have components that can manipulate energy waves by directing, reflecting, refracting, bending them, such as, but not limited to, electro-optical elements, fiber optics, waveguides, cloaking devices, virtual reality devices, augmented reality devices, etcetera.
Some embodiments may have inbuilt or attachable accessories such as, but not limited to, screens, display units, sensors, connectors, controllers, speakers, and printers.
Some embodiments can be used in conjunction with other treatments for damage to or conditions of the eye, ocular motor system, optical nerve, visual pathways or brain. Other embodiments may be used in conjunction with imaging technologies such as, but not limited to, laser speckle imaging, laser doppler imaging, functional near red spectroscopy, or other imaging technologies to screen, asses, treat, customize, calibrate, measure, improve, monitor function of, monitor damage to, monitor conditions of, the eye, ocular motor system, optic nerve, visual pathway or brain.
Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with other technologies that block visual information from areas of the visual field, such as, but not limited to, eye patches, blinkers, or glasses that block peripheral vision, etcetera.
In some embodiments, the method for producing a visual processing aid can have steps added and/or repeated and/or removed. In some embodiments the technique for producing a visual processing aid can include diverse manufacturing methods, that would be known to those skilled in the art, such as, but not limited to, rolling, molding, fusing, shaping, enclosing, laminating, spraying, joining, dipping, cutting, grinding, polishing, molding, pouring over blocks of different material, cutting, etcetera.
Other embodiments can have or addition to, or alteration of, or removal of, part of the eye, such as, but not limited to, sections of the, cornea, retina, rods, cones, or lens, to create an anchoring element.
In other embodiments, the visual processing aid can be customized for each user; the visual processing aid can have a real slider, electronic slider or virtual slider, or progressively changing anchoring elements to determine an optimal configuration of a visual processing aid for a user; progressively changing anchoring elements could be filmed or animated to determine an optimal configuration of a visual processing aid for a user; the visual processing aid can have elements with progressively changing anchoring elements that can be integrated with ophthalmological devices, such an embodiment will be used to determine an optimal configuration of a visual processing aid for a user. Different exemplary embodiments can be combined, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, etcetera.
Thus, the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.
This application claims benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/841,152, filed 2019 Apr. 30 by the present inventor.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2020/070010 | 4/29/2020 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62841152 | Apr 2019 | US |
