Communications: electrical – Systems – Timer control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-19
2001-10-02
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Systems
Timer control
C340S573100, C340S575000, C128S848000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06297728
ABSTRACT:
The present invention refers to a method for preventing persons from falling asleep according to the preamble of claim
1
as well as to an apparatus for performing the method according to the preamble of claim
8
and claim
14
, respectively.
Methods and apparatuses for preventing persons from falling asleep are well known in the art in various embodiments. By means of apparatuses of this kind, it should be ensured, particularly with persons driving a car or guiding a locomotive or an airplane, that a beginning sleepiness can be postponed for a sufficient time that it can be driven to the next rest area or the next train stop, respectively, or, in the case of airplanes, that the pilot can be replaced by another qualified person and that the plane can be safely landed, respectively.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,098 discloses an apparatus of this kind for preventing a person driving a car from falling asleep that comprises a vibrator to be fastened to the seat back of the driver's seat. That vibrator is electrically connected to a pulsator to be fastened to the dashboard and which electrically triggers the vibrator. Test conducted with such an apparatus have shown that the danger exists that the driver becomes accustomed to the vibrations in the course of time; thus, the apparatus looses its efficiency in the long term.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to propose a method for preventing persons from falling asleep that operates efficiently and which avoids the danger that a person becomes accustomed to it in the long term.
This object is met by the method described in the characterizing portion of claim
1
.
Surprisingly, it has shown that a person tightening with sleepiness can be reliably kept awake if a specific location on its head, particularly on its forehead, is cooled, presumed that the sleepiness is caused neither by the influence of alcohol or drugs nor by medication, health problems or serious lack of sleep.
Moreover, further tests have shown that persons treated with the proposed method do not shown any sign of getting used to that cooling treatment, even in the long term.
Preferred embodiments of the method according to the invention are described in the dependent claims
2
to
7
.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus by means of which the proposed method can be efficiently put into practice.
This object is met by the characteristics defined in the characterizing portion of claim
8
and in the characterizing portion of claim
14
, respectively.
Preferred embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention are described in the dependent claims
9
to
19
.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4470263 (1984-09-01), Lehovec et al.
patent: 4987896 (1991-01-01), Nakamatsu
Pope Daryl
Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell Tummino & Szabo L.L.P.
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