US20110114103A1

US20110114103A1 - False luxury item

Info

Publication number: US20110114103A1
Application number: US13/002,537
Authority: US
Inventors: Koji Hirai
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-07-30
Filing date: 2009-07-09
Publication date: 2011-05-19
Also published as: EP2329727A4; JP3145620U; WO2010013591A1; AU2009277732A1; EP2329727A1

Abstract

The false luxury item 10 of the present invention is characterized by having an outer package portion 14 being the same as or similar to an outer package portion 16 of a marketed luxury item 15 including a tobacco or an alcohol beverage such as beer and the outer package portion 14 has a false content 13 being different from that of the marketed luxury item 15 or a content being the same as the content of the marketed luxury item 15 in such a state not allowing the intake. A user repeats one set of actions that the user recognizes the false luxury item and pretends to drink alcohol either halfway or entirely, but actually does not drink alcohol or smoke tobacco and, as a result, conditional reflexes appeared at an early stage are reduced gradually and a desire for alcohol or tobacco does not occur finally, whereby abstention from alcohol and/or tobacco can be promoted.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a false luxury item applicable to various luxury items and/or having a content different from a real one or being contrived so that the intake of its content is not allowed, and particularly to the false luxury item effective as a treatment for various dependence symptoms such as alcohol dependence and/or nicotine dependence.

BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY

Luxury items such as alcohol beverages, tobaccos, and the like are items that a consumer can get widely from markets. However, there is a fear that excessive intake thereof caused by too much drinking of alcohol and/or by too much smoking harms human health. Repeated intake of alcohol and nicotine causes an uncontrollable desire for these substances and priority to be given to actions to seek after them, which produces a problem of dependence in which, unless there is the intake of these substances, uncomfortable mental and somatic symptoms may occur.
For example, in the case of smoking, most of smokers have desires for abstention from smoking and, therefore, various kits for smokers having the desires for quitting smoking or for modulation in smoking are proposed. For example, an artificial abstention tobacco pipe providing a feeling of reality and being effective in abstention from tobacco or modulation in smoking is known (see, for example, Patent Reference 1). Moreover, drug compositions are known which treat alcohol or cocaine dependence, alcohol or cocaine intoxication, nicotine dependence or intoxication, reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms or support abstention from alcohol, alleviate behavioral dependence such as alcohol intake, drug abuse, or gambling (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-78476
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-502808

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

However, the above kit and its use method for a smoker do not satisfactorily realize the depression of strong desires for smoking. Moreover, the above drug composition intended to reduce the alcohol withdrawal symptom is also a drug itself and, therefore, a side effect on a human body is to be apprehended and presents a problem that a person providing instructions for administration of the drug to a patient needs to harmonize various factors such as cognitive skills, patient age, pre-existing disease, existence of other diseases (for example, cardiovascular disease) of the patient, and further a new problem may arise that the use of the drug requires approval and authorization.
In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a false luxury item effective as a treatment of various dependence such as alcohol and/or nicotine dependence.

Means for Solving the Problem

In order to solve the above technological problems, the false luxury item of the present invention is characterized by having an outer package portion being same as or similar to an outer package portion of a marketed luxury item, wherein the outer package portion has a content being different from that of the marketed luxury item or a content being same as that of the marketed luxury item in such a state not allowing an intake of the content.
According to the present invention, examples of the marketed luxury item that the outer package of the false luxury item is the same as or similar to include a tobacco or alcohol beverage and examples of the alcohol beverage include a marketed beverage such as beer, low-malt beer, rice wine (sake), spirituous liquor, wine, or Chinese alcohol. In the case where the marketed luxury item is a tobacco, its outer package portion is a package of the tobacco and in the case where the marketed luxury item is an alcohol beverage, its outer package is made up of packing materials such as a bottle, can, pottery, resin, or paper having a pattern or print on its surface.
The false luxury item of the present invention is an item that is applicable to a patient with dependence of tobacco, alcohol, and the like, a person of potential alcohol and/or tobacco dependence, a person wishing to abstain from smoking or drinking, or in the case where a person about him/her such as a family or friend is encouraged to quit smoking and/or drinking. If a person, by using the false luxury item of the present invention, tries to quit smoking and/or drinking according to his/her own wish or according to others' request, when visually recognizing an outer package being the same as or similar to that of a marketed luxury item, actually touching the outer package, unwrapping the outer package to pretend to drink or to smoke halfway, actually drinking the liquid being not alcohol but the false alcohol beverage, or trying to light up the false tobacco, these actions serve as stimuli causing the occurrence of a conditional reflex at an early stage, however, unless these actions are followed by drinking or smoking, these repeated actions cause the conditional reflex appeared at an early stage to be gradually reduced and no conditional reflex to occur finally. That is, no desire for the substance occur at a final stage, whereby an effect to be obtained by abstention from smoking and/or drinking that can promote healthy can be expected.

Effect of the Invention

According to the present invention, when a user employing the false luxury item having the outer package being the same as or similar to the outer package of the marketed luxury item, while consenting to the fact that the false luxury item is a false one, visually recognizes the outer package, actually touches the same, unwrapping the same to actually drink the solution being not alcohol, or tries to light up a tobacco, these actions serve as stimuli inducing the conditional reflex at an early stage, however, by repeating actions of not drinking or smoking after these actions, the conditional reflex appeared at an early stage is gradually reduced and, at a final stage, no desire for alcohol or tobacco occurs, whereby abstention from smoking and/or drinking can be promoted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a false luxury item of a first embodiment of the present invention and a marketed tobacco.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one of false luxury items in a scattered state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a false luxury item of a second embodiment of the present invention and a marketed bottled beer.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a false luxury item of a third embodiment of the present invention and a marketed canned low-malt beer.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below by referring to drawings.

First Embodiment

In the first embodiment, an example of the false luxury item is described in the case where a marketed luxury item is a tobacco. As shown in FIG. 1, one case of the tobacco 15 is provided with a trademark or other package design on an outer package portion 16 so that the article is discriminated and a user wishing to smoke the tobacco 15 can get the tobacco 15 from a specific tobacco vending machine or a shop by visually recognizing the outer package portion 16.
The false tobacco 10 being the false luxury tobacco of the first embodiment has the outer package portion 14 with apparently almost the same package design as that of the marketed tobacco 15, however, the false tobacco 10 contains false tobaccos 13 in a scattered state being only apparently the same as the content of the real marketed tobacco 15.
The comparison in structure between the false tobacco 10 and the actually marketed tobacco 15 shows that the package design is common between the outer package portion 14 making up an outer appearance of the false tobacco 10 and the outer package portion 16 making up an outer appearance of the marketed tobacco 15 and there are points of similarity between the false tobacco 13 and the marketed tobacco 15, to a degree to which, at first sight, each of the false tobaccos 13 in a scattered state has no difference from each of the marketed tobacco 15.
However, each of the false tobaccos 13 in a scattered state differs from each of the actual tobaccos 15 in the following points. That is, as shown well in FIG. 2, in each of the false tobaccos 13 in a scattered state, its tobacco leaf 11 being the same as the content of each of the marketed tobaccos 15 and its filter portion 12 are isolated by a blocker 17 such as paper from each other. This causes gas not to flow between the filter portion 12 and the tobacco leaf 11 and, therefore, a person who smoked the tobacco 15 in the past pretends to smoke the tobacco using the false tobacco 10 and receives a stimulus being the same as the visual stimulus given by the real tobacco 15, in a state where the intake of nicotine is made impossible. Moreover, a plurality of small holes 18 is formed on the outer side of the filter portion 12 and air enters the inside of the filter portion 12 from its outside through these small holes 18, which enables natural absorption. Moreover, as the content of the false tobacco 13, a false substance being different from the content of the marketed tobacco 15 may be contained.
It is preferable that the false tobacco 10 described above can be bought in a manner to be distinguished from the action of buying the normally marketed tobacco 15 and that the false tobacco 10 can be obtained in a state where, when a smoker is apprehensive about his/her health and swears off smoking or when a person such as a family or friend recommends the smoker to quit smoking, the smoker can be allowed to receive the explanation and recognition that the false tobacco 10 is not an actual tobacco.
A smoker wishing to abstain from smoking intentionally uses the false tobacco 10 being the false luxury item of the first embodiment for the purpose of treatment. The user, in order to obtain the effect of suppressing the desire for tobaccos, gets the false tobacco 10, knowing that the false tobacco 10 being the false luxury item is a false one, nevertheless further makes preparations for the intake thereof and performs all or part of the intake actions and intentionally exposes the smoker himself or herself to such a stimulus but actual intake of the tobacco is not allowed and a series of the above actions is repeated.
At a first stage, as a reflex against visual information from an appearance of the outer package portion 14 having the package design being apparently almost the same as that of the outer package of one case of the marketed tobacco 15 or against intake actions, a desire for smoking is induced. However, by repeating one set of actions of no smoking for a while (20 to 30 minutes), even if the desire for smoking is induced by the initial stimulus, the conditional reflexes do not occur after the one set of the repeated actions and the strong desires for smoking do not occur and, thus, according to the above mechanism, abstention from smoking is promoted.
It is explained above that the package design of the outer package portion 14 of the false tobacco 10 being the false luxury item of the present embodiment is apparently almost the same as that of the marketed tobacco 15, however, the package design of the outer package portion 14 of the false tobacco 10 is not necessarily almost the same as that of the marketed tobacco 15 and, therefore, the similar package design taken for the actual package design or the design recognized as the design for tobaccos may be used as well. Moreover, if the weight of the false tobacco 10 that the smoker feels when the tobacco is touched actually is similar to the weight of the marketed tobacco 15, even after the smoker actually touches the tobacco 10, a weight-bearing stimulus being the same as the actual tobacco 15 is given to the smoker.
Additionally, the false tobacco 10 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, is of a box-type, however, if the marketed tobacco 15 is of a canned type, the canned tobacco may be applied.

Second Embodiment

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the example is described where a marketed luxury item and its false luxury item are bottled beer. As shown in FIG. 3, in the case of ordinarily marketed bottled beer 25, a label 28 with wording of “BEER” is stuck on a side portion slightly near to its bottom side of the bottle and its content of the bottled beer 25 is beer 26 adjusted to have a specific alcohol content and the bottle is sealed with a crown cap on the neck of the bottle. The outer package portion of the marketed bottled beer 25 is the bottle itself having the label 28 and crown cap 27.
Incidentally, the false bottled beer 20 being the false luxury item of the present embodiment has an outer package portion with an appearance being almost the same as that of the outer package portion of the ordinarily marketed bottled beer 25 having the label 28, crown 27, and the bottle itself, its label 23, and its crown 22 of the false bottled beer 20 are the same of those of the marketed bottle beer 25. Thus, the false bottled beer 20 being the false luxury item of the present embodiment has an appearance being the same as that of the marketed bottled beer 25, however, the false bottled beer 20 does not contain alcohol beverage such as beer and is filled with a liquid 21 such as water. Moreover, the wording “BEER” of the labels 23 and 28 are merely an explanatory exemplification.
A habitual user wishing to abstain from drinking intentionally uses the false bottled beer 20 for treatment of alcoholic dependence. The habitual user, in order to obtain the effect of suppressing a desire for drinking, gets the false bottled beer being the false luxury item, knowing that the false bottled beer is a false one, and makes preparations for the intake by pouring the liquid 21 into a cup or the like and performs the intake actions only partially or entirely. Thus, the user repeats one set of above actions to intentionally expose himself/herself to a stimulus and not to drink alcohol for about several ten minutes. At a first stage, even if conditional reflex occurs due to a stimulus, after the repeated actions, the conditional reflex does not occur, which causes the desire for drinking to disappear, thus, according to the above mechanism, abstention from drinking is promoted.
Moreover, in the present embodiment, the case in which the content is a liquid 21 other than beer is described, however, the content may be gas or solid substance. It is explained above that the outer package portion of the false bottled beer 20 being the false luxury item of the present embodiment is apparently almost the same as that of the marketed bottled beer 25, however, the outer package portion of the false bottled beer 20 being the false luxury item is not necessarily almost the same as that of the marketed bottled beer 25 and, therefore, the similar package design taken for the actual package design may be used as well.

Third Embodiment

In the third embodiment of the present invention, the example is described where a marketed luxury item and its false luxury item are canned low-malt beer. As shown in FIG. 4, the ordinarily marketed canned low-malt beer 35 has a printing surface 38 with wording “SPARKING WINE” on its side surface and its content of the canned low-malt beer 35 is sparking wine 36 adjusted to have a specific alcohol content and the can is sealed with a pull tab 37 on the upper surface of the can. The outer package portion of the marketed canned low-malt beer 35 is the outer package portion of the can including the printing surface 38.
Incidentally, the false canned low-malt beer 30 being the false luxury item of the present embodiment is sealed with a pull tab 32 and is provided with an outer package portion having an appearance being almost the same as the can itself that has the specific printing surface 38 of the marketed canned low-malt beer 35 and the can itself having the specific printing surface 33 of the false canned low-malt beer 30 is the same as the can having the specific printing surface 38 of the marketed canned low-malt beer 35. Thus, the marketed canned low-malt beer 35 has the same appearance as that of the false canned low-malt beer being the false canned sparkling of the present embodiment, however, the false canned low-malt beer 30 does not contain alcohol beverage such as low-malt beer and is filled with a liquid 31 such as water being not low-malt beer. Moreover, the wording “
” of the printing surfaces 33 and 38 are merely an explanatory exemplification.
A habitual user wishing to abstain from drinking intentionally uses the false canned sparkling 30 for treatment of alcoholic dependence. The habitual user, in order to obtain the effect of suppressing a desire for drinking, gets the false canned sparking wine being the false luxury item, though the user knows that the false canned sparking wine is a false one, and makes preparations for the intake by pouring the liquid 31 into a cup or the like and performs the intake actions only partially or entirely. Thus, the user repeats one set of the above actions to intentionally expose himself/herself to a stimulus and not to drink alcohol for about several ten minutes. At a first stage, even if a conditional reflex occurs due to a stimulus, after the repeated actions, the conditional reflex does not occur, which causes the desire for drinking to disappear, thus, according to the above mechanism, abstention from drinking is promoted.
Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the content is the liquid 31 other than the sparking wine is described, however, gas, solid substance, or the like may be used.
It is explained above that the outer package portion of the false canned low-malt beer 30 being the false luxury item of the present embodiment is apparently almost the same as that of the marketed canned low-malt beer 35, however, the outer package portion of the false canned low-malt beer 30 being the false luxury item is not necessarily almost the same as that of the marketed canned low-malt beer 35 and, therefore, the similar package design of the canned low-malt beer taken for the actual package design may be used as well.
Furthermore, in the above embodiments, as the example of the false luxury item, tobacco, bottled beer, and canned low-malt beer are described, however, the false luxury item of the present invention is not limited to these and tobaccos of other type and various marketed materials such as other beer, other low-malt beer, shochu clear liquor, rice wine (sake), spirituous liquor, wine, Chinese alcohol may be employed. In addition, in the case where the marketed luxury item is alcohol beverage, the package made up of a bottle, can, pottery, resin, or paper having a pattern or print on its surface may be used.
The mechanism of promoting the intake of a substance can be classified into three phenomena including (1) a psychological phenomenon, (2) a brain physiological phenomenon, and (3) a neurophysiological phenomenon. In the (2) brain physiological phenomenon, a conditional reflex causes irregularity of an autonomic nervous system and mental mood and the production of memory to control actions, which induces a desire. The irregularity in each of the autonomous nervous system and mental mood is produced in one conditioned reflex circuitry. The memory to control actions causes a phenomenon in which an action to be controlled by thought is learned by repetition and is controlled by the memory occurring as a reflex when a stimulus enters later. One circuitry for a conditional reflex to produce memory is one action to be controlled by a stimulus and memory occurring as a reflex against the stimulus and a perception accompanying the action. By a mechanism where a reflex in a circuitry is changed to be a stimulus in a succeeding circuitry, a plurality of conditional reflexes, i.e., a plurality of actions and perceptions successively appears in good order and a substance intake action is induced.
The substance intake action is induced more when memory to control a brain physiological action is activated as a reflex against some stimuli and a strong desire occurs when there is a friction between a state of wishing no desire for the intake of a substance based on rational judgment and a state of no existence of a substance that is desired. The irregularity in the autonomous nervous system and mental mood being the (2) brain physiological phenomenon does not make up a main element of a strong desire for a substance but accompanies an operation of memory to control actions.
Therefore, as is explained in each of the above embodiments, first, a user takes successive actions of putting a false alcohol beverage, contrived tobacco, or its pack about himself/herself, of touching the packed or single false alcohol beverage or a pack of contrived tobacco, then of unwrapping a package and of opening the same and, thereafter, pretends to drink the false alcohol or to smoke the false tobacco or finishes the intake of false alcohol (this is the same action of pretending to drink alcohol), that is, the user is given only stimuli but an action to repeatedly give pharmacological effect is not strengthened in a repeated manner and, as a result, even in places where stimuli are provided in a society, an operation of conditional reflexes against a dependent substance is decreased, whereby the desire for alcohol or tobacco can be thus suppressed.

Claims

1. A false luxury item comprising:

an outer package portion being same as or similar to an outer package portion of a marketed luxury item;

wherein the outer package has a content being different from a content of the marketed luxury item or a content being same as the content of the marketed luxury item in a state not allowing an intake of the content and wherein the outer package is same as or similar to a package of a marketed tobacco and a portion originally filled with a tobacco leaf contains a tobacco leaf or false substance other than the tobacco leaf and a filter portion and the tobacco leaf or the filter portion and the false substance are isolated by a blocker from each other and a plurality of small holes are formed on an outside of the filter portion.

2-5. (canceled)