Facial wearable device and methods for providing external stimuli using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024033466-A1
Application number	US-202318484677-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 11, 2023
Priority date	Apr 27, 2022
Publication date	Feb 1, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A facial wearable device for providing external stimuli to a user comprises a foldable frame, a flexible layer, an airbag layer, a plurality of heating pads, a plurality of vibrating motors, and a sensor. The flexible layer may couple to a proximal side of the foldable frame and be configured to couple to a facial area of the user. The airbag layer may be disposed between the foldable frame and the flexible layer and comprise a plurality of inflatable bladders configured to provide pressure to the facial area of the user. The plurality of heating pads may couple to the flexible layer and be configured to provide heat to the facial area of the user. The plurality of vibrating motors may couple to the flexible layer and be configured to provide vibration to the facial area of the user. The sensor may couple to the flexible layer and be configured to detect biometric data of the user. At least one of the plurality of inflatable bladders, the plurality of heating pads, and the plurality of vibrating motors may be controlled based on the biometric data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of providing external stimuli to a user with a facial wearable device, the method comprising:
coupling the facial wearable device to the user's facial area, the device comprising:
a plurality of inflatable bladders,
a plurality of heating pads,
a plurality of vibrating motors, and
a sensor configured to detect biometric data of the user,
selecting an operational mode for the device, the operational mode comprising a first external stimuli and a second external stimuli; activating a first external stimuli, the first external stimuli comprising actuation of one type of actuator comprising one of the plurality of inflatable bladders, the plurality of heating pads, and the plurality vibrating motors; activating a second external stimuli, different from the first external stimuli but from the same type of actuator, the second external stimuli comprising actuation of a different one of the plurality of inflatable bladders, the plurality of heating pads, and the plurality vibrating motors.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the facial wearable device further comprises
a top edge, a bottom edge, and a nose bridge having an apex running across the bottom edge; a left side and a right side divided by a first axis, wherein a second axis runs across a width of the device perpendicular to the first axis, wherein the second axis is located at a height halfway between the top edge of the device, where the first axis intersects the top edge of the device, and between the bottom edge at the apex of the nose bridge of the device, where the first axis intersects the apex; a upper side and a lower side divided by the second axis; and wherein the device includes top-left, top-right, bottom-left, and bottom-right portions divided by the first axis and the second axis.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein activating the first external stimuli comprises inflating a first bladder of the plurality of inflatable bladders in a least one of the top-left, top-right, bottom-left, and bottom-right portions, and
wherein activating the second stimuli comprises inflating a second bladder of the plurality of inflatable bladders in a least one of the top-left, top-right, bottom-left, and bottom-right portions.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein activating the first external stimuli comprises inflating at least one bladder of the plurality of inflatable bladders for a first predetermined amount of time, and deflating the at least one bladder of the plurality of inflatable bladders for a second predetermined amount of time.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the first predetermined amount of time is greater than the second predetermined amount of time.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein activating the first external stimuli comprises operating at least one vibrating member of the plurality of vibrating motors disposed in the upper side of the device, and activating the second external stimuli comprises operating at least one vibrating member of the plurality of vibrating motors disposed in the lower side of the device.

7 . A method of providing external stimuli to a user with a facial wearable device, the method comprising:
coupling the facial wearable device to the user's facial area, the device comprising:
a heart rate sensor configured to detect heart rate data of the user,
a first vibrating member disposed in a first portion of the device,
a second vibrating member disposed in a second portion of the device that differs from the first portion of the device;
collecting heart rate data of the user with the heart rate sensor; pulsating the first vibrating member and the second vibrating member at a first device pulse rate for a first period of time, wherein the first device pulse rate is based on the heart rate data of the user; pulsating the first vibrating member and the second vibrating member at a second device pulse rate for a second period of time after the first period of time, wherein the second device pulse rate is based on the heart rate data of the user.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the first vibrating member vibrates at a first intensity and the second vibrating member vibrates at a second intensity different from the first intensity, and the first vibrating member and the second vibrating member pulsate in a sequential rhythm similar to a human heart rhythm.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the first and second device pulse rates are between a range of about 60 pulses per minutes and 24 pulses per minutes.

10 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising operating the device in a relaxation mode, wherein the second device pulse rate is less than the first device pulse rate.

11 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising operating the device in an energize mode, wherein the second device pulse rate is higher than the first device pulse rate.

12 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising communicating heart rate data to a separate user device to enable displaying the heart rate of the user over the first period of time and the second period of time on the separate user device.

13 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising the device entering an operational mode wherein the first device pulse rate is equal to the lesser of the heart rate of the user or an upper limit pulse rate of the device.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein in the operational mode, the second device pulse rate is equal to the lesser of a first percentage of the heart rate of the user or the upper limit pulse rate of the device.

Assignees

• Therabody Inc

Inventors

• Nazarian Benjamin
• Wersland Jason
• Sanchez Solana Jaime
• Merino Eduardo
• Deshmukh Mandar
• Roberts Timothy

Classifications

• A61M21/02 Primary

  for inducing sleep or relaxation, e.g. by direct nerve stimulation, hypnosis, analgesia (for massage A61H; electrotherapy A61N, e.g. applying alternating or intermittent electric currents for producing anaesthesia A61N1/36021) · CPC title

• A61N1/36031

  using physiological parameters for adjustment · CPC title

• A61N1/36028

  for aversion therapy · CPC title

• A61M2205/507

  Head Mounted Displays [HMD] · CPC title

• A61M2021/0066

  with heating or cooling · CPC title