US2019224050A1PendingUtilityA1

Sleep Aide Device

52
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Jun 24, 2002Filed: Jan 22, 2019Published: Jul 25, 2019
Est. expiryJun 24, 2022(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Raymond C. KurzweilSonya Kurzweil
H04R 1/10A61F 11/12H04R 1/1008A61F 2011/145G10K 11/178H04R 1/1083G10K 2210/116A61F 11/14A61F 11/145G10K 11/17857G10K 11/17885G10K 11/17873
52
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Claims

Abstract

In one aspect, the invention is a sleep device. The sleep-aide device includes a soft housing adapted to be disposed over a user's head, a microphone positioned on the housing to receive an ambient sound signal, a suppression circuit that receives the ambient sound signal and produces a suppression sound signal, and a set of transducers, arranged in the soft housing, which receive the suppression sound signal. The suppression sound signal has a magnitude and phase to substantially cancel the ambient sound signal at the user's ear. In another aspect, the sleep-aide device includes a microphone to receive an ambient sound signal, a suppression circuitry, which receives the ambient sound signal and transmits a suppression sound signal based on the ambient sound signal, and a transducer which receives the suppression sound signal, which has a magnitude and phase to substantially cancel the ambient sound signal at the user's ear. The sleep device also includes an earphone housing, which is attached to the ear when worn by a user, containing the microphone, the suppression circuitry and the transducer.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A sleep-aide device, comprising:
 a soft housing adapted to be disposed over a user's head;   a microphone positioned on the housing to receive an ambient sound signal;   a suppression circuit that receives the ambient sound signal and produces a suppression sound signal; and   a set of transducers arranged in the soft housing and which receive the suppression sound signal, the suppression sound signal having a magnitude and phase to substantially cancel the ambient sound signal at a user's ear.   
     
     
         2 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 cushioning placed within the soft housing, the cushioning corresponding to locations where the soft housing would contact the ears of a user.   
     
     
         3 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 1 , further comprising an amplifier for amplifying the suppression sound received from the suppression circuit. 
     
     
         4 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 1  wherein the ambient sound signal is a snoring signal. 
     
     
         5 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 1  wherein the ambient sound signal is a traffic noise signal. 
     
     
         6 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 1  wherein the suppressive sound signal is an inverted signal of a predicted sound signal. 
     
     
         7 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 6  wherein the predicted sound signal is calculated based on the ambient sound signal. 
     
     
         8 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 1  wherein the housing is a sleeping bonnet. 
     
     
         9 . The sleep aide device of  claim 1  wherein the housing are headphones. 
     
     
         10 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a battery compartment having terminals coupled to wires that are disposed through the soft housing and connected to the suppression circuit.   
     
     
         11 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 wiring disposed through the soft housing connecting the transducer, the suppression circuit and the microphone.   
     
     
         12 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a receiver receiving sounds signals from an exterior transmitter, the receiver relaying the information to the transducer.   
     
     
         13 . A sleep-aide device, the devices comprising:
 a microphone to receive an ambient sound signal;   a suppression circuitry, the first suppression circuitry receiving the ambient sound signal and transmitting a suppression sound signal based on the ambient sound signal;   a transducer which receives the suppression sound signal, the suppression sound signal having a magnitude and phase to substantially cancel the ambient sound signal at the user's ear; and   a earphone housing attached to a first ear when worn by a user, the earphone housing containing the microphone, the suppression circuitry and the transducer.   
     
     
         14 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 13  wherein the earphone housing holds the transducer within an ear canal of the first ear when worn by the user. 
     
     
         15 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 13 , further comprising an amplifier for amplifying the first suppression sound signal received from the first suppression circuitry. 
     
     
         16 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 13  wherein the ambient sound signal is a snoring signal. 
     
     
         17 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 13  wherein the ambient sound signal is a traffic noise signal. 
     
     
         18 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 13  wherein the suppression sound signal is an inverted signal of a predicted sound signal. 
     
     
         19 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 18  wherein the predicted sound signal is calculated based on the ambient sound signal. 
     
     
         20 . The sleep-aide device of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a member adaptable to fit on a user head, supporting at a first end thereof, the first sleep-aide device, and supporting at a second end thereof, a second sleep-aide device, the second sleep-aide device comprising:   a second microphone to receive an ambient sound signal;   a second suppression circuitry, the second suppression circuitry receiving the ambient sound signal and transmitting a second suppression sound signal based on the ambient sound signal;   a second transducer which receives the second suppression sound signal, the second suppression sound signal having a magnitude and phase to substantially cancel the ambient sound signal at the user's ear; and   a second earphone housing attached to a second ear when worn by a user, the second earphone housing containing the second microphone, the second suppression circuit and the second transducer.   
     
     
         21 . A method of aiding sleep comprising:
 receiving an ambient signal from a microphone located in a soft housing; and   transmitting a suppression signal to a transducer by using a suppression circuitry, the suppression signal based on the ambient signal received from the microphone and having a magnitude and phase to substantially cancel the ambient sound signal at the user's ear.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the soft housing includes cushioning corresponding to locations where the housing would contact the ears of a user. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 amplifying the first suppression signal received from the first suppression circuitry.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21  wherein receiving the ambient sound signal comprises receiving a snoring signal. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21  wherein receiving the ambient sound signal comprises receiving a traffic noise signal. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21  wherein transmitting the suppression signal comprises transmitting an inverted signal of a predicted sound signal. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26  wherein transmitting the inverted signal of a predicted sound signal comprises calculating the predicted sound signal based on the ambient sound signal. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21  wherein placing the soft housing over the head comprises placing a sleeping bonnet over the head. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising using a receiver to receive signals from an external device, the receiver electrically connected to the transducer. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising using the soft housing to hold wires within the housing, the wires connecting the transducer, the suppression circuitry and the microphone. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising using a transducer for receiving the suppression sound signal. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the transducer, microphone, suppression circuit and suppression signal are first ones, with the method, further comprising:
 receiving an ambient signal from a second microphone located in the soft housing; and 
 transmitting a second suppression signal to a second transducer by using a second suppression circuitry, the second suppression signal based on the ambient signal received from the second microphone and having a magnitude and phase to substantially cancel the ambient sound signal at the user's ear; 
 placing the first transducer and the second transducer over separate ears of the user.

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