GB2243709A

GB2243709A - Sleep-inducing sound generator

Info

Publication number: GB2243709A
Application number: GB9010157A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Teppei Kumada
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-05-04
Filing date: 1990-05-04
Publication date: 1991-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2010-05-04
Also published as: GB2243709B; GB9010157D0

Abstract

A sleep-inducing sound generator includes means 5 for generating a sleep-inducing sound comprising a combination of specific sounds, such as, "Sheee" and "Poo", and sound control means 4 for presetting the period and duration of the sleep-inducing sound generated by the sound generating means. Such a generator may be build in clocks or dolls. <IMAGE>

Description

SLEEP-INDUCING SOUND GENERATOR The present invention relates to a generator for sleep-inducing sound and to clocks and dolls incorporating such generators.

For the induction of sleep, there have heretofore been used natural sound or quiet music recorded in tape recorders, etc, which are now found to be less satisfactory due to noticeable differences in the sleepinducing effect upon persons.

Conventional alarm clocks function only when rising, and do not effectively work when going to sleep.

Experience often teaches that if the alarm clock is set for rising in the next morning, then she or he will paradoxically become wide-awake and so difficult to fall asleep.

In most cases, infants have the habit of going to bed with stuffed dolls. If such dolls are provided with additional means for giving out sleep-inducing sound, then they will induce sleeping and so help grow infants.

The present invention has been accomplished with the foregoing in mind.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a generator for giving out sleepinducing sound effective for sleeping.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a clock or doll equipped with means for generating sleep-inducing sound.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a sleep-inducing sound generator comprising sleep-inducing sound generating means for giving out a sleep-inducing sound made up of a combination of specific synthesised sounds and sound control means for presetting the period and duration of said sleep-inducing sound emitted from said sleep-inducing sound generating means.

Said synthesised sleep-inducing sound is made up of a combination of the sounds "Sheee" with "Poo", and is controlled by said sound control means in such a way that it is generated at a time ratio of 2:1 and with 12 to 20 cycles per minute. Said sleep-inducing sound generating means is selected from the group consisting of a sound synthesising IC with a speaker, a tape recorder, a video tape recorder, a compact disk unit and an optical disk unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a clock comprising a clock body built in with sleep-inducing generating means made up of a sound synthesising IC with an associated speaker and sound control means for presetting the period and duration of said sleep-inducing sound emitted from said generating means.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a doll comprising a clock body built in with sleep-inducing generating means made up of a sound synthesising IC with an associated speaker and sound control means for presetting the period and duration of said sleep-inducing sound emitted from said generating means.

Reference will now be made to the action of the generator, clock and doll according to the present invention.

According to the invention, the sleep-inducing sound generating means gives out a sleep-inducing sound made up a combination of specific synthesised sounds, the period and duration of which are then properly preset by the sound control means to induce sleeping.

Said sleep-inducing sound is synthesised from the sounds "Sheee" and "Poo", and is generated at a time ratio of 2:1 and with 12 to 20 cycles per minute, whereby comfortable stimuli are given to the hearing organs of sleepers in coincidence with their respiration rate to induce an effective sleeping. The sleep-inducing sound generator is easily assembled because of its sleep-inducing sound generating means being selected from the group consisting of a sound synthesising IC with a speaker, a tape recorder, a video tape recorder, a compact disk unit and an optical disk unit.

In the case of the clock, the clock body may be built in with a sleep-inducing sound generator which uses a sound synthesising IC with a speaker as sleep-inducing sound generating means and be provided with sound control means, whereby the clock is additionally provided with a sleep-inducing sound generating function to induce a deeper sleep.

In the case of the doll, the doll body may be built in with a similar sleep-inducing generator as used with the above clock, whereby the doll is additionally provided with a sleep-inducing sound generating function to induce a deeper sleep.

The present invention will now be explained specifically but not exclusively with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematically perspective view of an embodiment of the generator according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic block view of that embodiment, Figure 3 is a schematically perspective view of an embodiment of the clock according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a schematically perspective view of said clock, as viewed from the back side, Figure 5 is a schematically perspective view of an embodiment of the doll according to the present invention, and Figure 6 is a perspective view of said doll, as viewed from the back side.

A sleep-inducing sound generator generally shown at 1 comprises a casing body 2 in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, which has in its front panel 2A a first switch for presetting the period of a sleep-inducing sound to be explained later, a second switch for presetting the duration of the sleep-inducing sound and a power switch SW and includes a speaker SP having its sound generating face directing to said front panel 2A.

As illustrated in Figure 2, said sleepinducing sound generator 1 includes sleep-inducing generating means 3 and sound control means 4.

Said sleep-inducing sound generating means 3 includes a d.c. power source (e.g., a button or ordinary type of dry battery) E, a power switch SW, sleep-inducing sound signal generating means 5 and a speaker SP. The sleep-inducing sound signal generating means 5 is selected from the group consisting of a sound synthesising IC, a body of a tape recorder, a body of a video tape recorder, a disk body of a compact disk unit and a disk body of an optical disk unit. As said speaker, use may be made of a usual magnetic speaker or a paper type of speaker.

Said sleep-inducing sound signal generating means 5 is designed to send a sleep-inducing signal corresponding to a sleep-inducing sound made up of a combination of specific synthesised sounds, i.e., a combination of the sounds "Sheee" with "Poo". Hence, the speaker SP gives out a sleep-inducing sound "Sheee-Poo". It is noted that said sleep-inducing sound "Sheee-Poo" is derived from an English word "sheep" prolonged. Therefore this sleep inducing sound may be described as "shee-ee-poo" etc besides "shee-poo".

Said sound control means 4 includes a CPU 6 and switches 7 and 8 for presetting the period and duration of sound respectively.

The switch 7 for presetting the period of sound divides said sleep-inducing sound "Sheee-Poo" into the sounds "Sheee" and "Poo" to emit both the sounds at a time ratio of 2:1 (say, two seconds:one second) and with 12 to 20 cycles corresponding to the respiration rate of a human being at rest.

Said switch 8 for presetting the duration of sound presets the duration of said sleep-inducing sound to, say, 3 minutes, 5 minutes and 10 minutes.

The action of the generator of such a structure as mentioned above will be explained with reference to an individual going to sleep.

While the present unit 1 is placed bedside, the power switch SW is put on. Then, the time ratio of "Sheee" and "Poo" to be emitted is preset at 2:1, while the cycles of "Sheee-Poo" to be emitted are preset at, say, 20 cycles per minute, by the period presetting switch 7, and the duration of sound is preset at, say, 5 minutes.

By such presetting, the sleep-inducing sound "Sheee-Poo" is generated from the speaker SP at said time ratio and with 20 cycles per minute.

At this time, the individual lightly clenches the upper and lower front teeth, and chins down lightly while relaxing. Then, she or he breathes out to the sound "Sheee" with the intention of exhaling air from her or his belly, and breathes in lightly to the sound "Poo".

By repeating such movements as mentioned, the individual can rapidly fall asleep in rhythm with her or his own respiration while hearing comfortably the sound "Sheee-Poo" coming from the speaker SP.

In what follows, another embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

Built in a body 11 of a clock 10 shown in Figures 3 and 4 are said sleep-inducing sound generator 1 comprising a d.c. power source E, a power switch SW, a speaker SP, a period presetting switch 7 and a duration presetting switch 8. A sleep-inducing sound signal generating means 5 is formed as a one-chip module M comprising a sound synthesising IC and a CPU 6, and is built in the clock body 11. This clock 10 also helps induce sleep, since it has a function of generating such a sleep-inducing sound "Sheee-Poo" as already mentioned in addition to time displaying and alarming functions.

A further embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to Figures 5 and 6.

Figures 5 and 6 show a doll 20 equipped with sleep-inducing sound generating means. A doll body 21 of this doll 20 includes on the back side of its head a speaker SP, a period presetting switch 7, a duration presetting switch 8 and a power switch SW, and has in its head, a d.c.

power source (not shown), a sound synthesising IC and a CPU formed into a one-chip module M, as in the case with the aforesaid clock 10. With this doll 20 designed to generate such a sleep-inducing sound "Sheee-Poo" as already mentioned, it is also possible for infants to have a deep sleep.

It is understood that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and may be variously modified within the scope defined in the appended claims. For instance, the present invention is applicable to not only such a desktop type of clock as explained with reference to Figures 3 and 4 but also a wristwatch as well.

Moreover, the sleep-inducing sound generator according to the present invention may be applied to a wider range of articles other than clocks or dolls.

The present invention has the following advantages over the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sleep-inducing sound generator which can give out a sleep-inducing sound made up of a combination of specific sounds to induce a deeper sleep.

In this case, if a sound comprising a combination of the sounds "Sheee" with "Poo" is used as the sleep-inducing sound to be emitted at a time ratio of 2:1 and with 12 to 20 cycles per minute, then it is possible to provide a generator which gives out a sound to induce a much deeper sleep. Moreover, such a generator can be easily obtained by using a tape recorder or a combination of a sound synthesising IC with a speaker as sleep-inducing sound generating means.

According to a second aspect of the invention, it is possible to provide a clock having a sleepinducing function in addition to an ordinary clock function.

According to a third aspect of the inven tion, it is possible to provide a doll having a sleepinducing function and so suitable for infants to fall asleep.

Claims

1. A sleep-inducing sound generator including means for generating a sleep-inducing sound comprising a combination of specific sounds, and sound control means for presetting the period and duration of the sleep-inducing sound generated by said sleep-inducing sound generating means.

2. A sound generator as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the sleep-inducing sound comprises a combination of the sounds "Sheee" and "Poo".

3. A sound generator as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the sound control means is such that the sounds "Sheee" and "Poo" are generated in a time ratio of 2:1 at a repetition rate of 12 to 20 cycles per minute.

4. A sleep-inducing sound generator as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the sleep-inducing sound generating means is a sound synthesising IC with a speaker, a tape recorder, a video tape recorder, a compact disk unit or an optical disk unit.

5. A clock provided with a sleep-inducing sound generating function and having a clock body incorporating a sleep-inducing sound generator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

6. A doll provided with a sleep-inducing sound generating function and having a dolls body incorporating a sleep-inducing sound generator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

7. A sleep-inducing sound generator, clock or doll substantially as hereinbefore described with referance to the accompanying drawings.