Surgery – Sleep or relaxation inducing therapy – Sensory
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-10
2001-07-03
Mulcahy, John (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Sleep or relaxation inducing therapy
Sensory
C600S026000, C040S124070, C160S010000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254527
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of methods and devices for promoting personal stress reduction and relaxation; more particularly, the present invention concerns methods and apparatuses used to expose persons to appropriately selected visual stimuli which promote relaxation in intimate settings, such as in hospital room environments, office cubicles, health care institutions, educational institutions, and hospitality accommodations, or other like settings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Positive psychological and physiological responses are elicited in humans by visual exposure to pleasing landscape images such as pictures of spatially open natural landscapes. (Roger S. Ulrich, 1993, “Biophilia, Biophobia and Natural Landscapes”, Chapter 3, pages 73 to 137, in: Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson editors,
The Biophilia Hypothesis
, Island Press, Washington, D.C.) The preferred landscape image is a savanna-type landscape. By definition, a savanna-type landscape is a “grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest” (Eugene P. Odum, 1971
, Fundamentals of Ecology, Third Edition
, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, Pa.).
In one of his seminal and theoretical works, renowned evolutionary biologist Edward O. Wilson (1984),
Biophilia: The Human Bond with Other
Species, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.) suggests that humans are genetically predisposed to respond positively (biophilically) to savanna-like landscapes. After the publication of Wilson's seminal work on island biogeography (Robert H. MacArthur and Edward O. Wilson, 1967
, The Theory of Island Biogeography
, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.) and his expansive synthesis on sociobiology (Edward O. Wilson, 1975,
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis
. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.), biologists and others wrote many papers, dissertations and books on these topics of modern bioscience. Like the responses by the bioscientific community to his 1967 and 1975 works, Wilson's 1984 publication of
Biophilia: The Human Bond with Other Species
has prompted the writing of many scientific papers by a wide diversity of authorities. Among these works on biophilia are two papers especially relevant to the present invention: the aforecited “Biophilia, Biophobia and Natural Landscapes” by Ulrich, and “Humans, Habitats, and Aesthetics” by Judith H. Heerwagen and Gordon H. Orians (1993, Chapter 4, pages 138-172, in Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson, editors,
The Biophilia Hypothesis
. Island Press, Washington, D.C.).
The biophilic theory of Wilson supports the belief that natural selection favored the survival of paleohominids (ancestors of modern humans,
Homo sapiens
) genetically predisposed to inhabiting landscapes dominated by plant life forming vegetation having a physiognomy of a savanna. Such ancestral hominids are viewed as having innate aversions to desert, densely forested and like landscapes-generally less favorable to paleohominid survival than savannas. Human evolution is believed to have occurred substantially within tropical savannas in Africa. Predation, food-availability and other selection pressures were generally more favorable to human survival and evolution within these tropical savannas than in other kinds of African landscapes (such as tropical rain forest, mountainous, desert and like environments). Selection promoted disproportionately high survival of hominids and hominid genes favoring savanna-oriented behaviors. As evolution proceeded, there was a build-up and strengthening of genes and gene-combinations further predisposing hominid populations to savanna conditions. Wilson believes that these innate savanna-oriented characteristics continue in populations of modern humans and that modern humans are biophilically predisposed to responding favorably to savanna or savanna-like conditions. Certain embodiments of the present invention are in accord with this belief of one of the most widely respected and acclaimed biologists in the world today.
In the aforementioned 1993 publication of Ulrich, Ulrich reports evidence that simulations (including color photographs) of natural environments elicit restorative and other positive responses from human viewers and suggests that such simulations may serve as at least partial substitutes for real nature in terms of eliciting short-term restorative responses. Other scientific authorities are mentioned by Ulrich as providing proof that the viewing of natural settings positively affects the viewer by reducing stress (confirmed by such central nervous system indicators as blood pressure). This reporting by Ulrich is consistent with the innate biophilic landscape affinity believed by Wilson to characterize modern humans. The work of Ulrich suggests that positive (biophilic) responses can be elicited from patients within a very short time after patient exposure to wall art showing spatially open serene natural settings.
However, most attempts to reduce stress in a hospital or therapeutic setting have been sound-oriented, wherein music or other sounds are electronically delivered to a patient, where visual images are used to address patient well being, the images are either displayed remotely in a far away picture frame, or in optically glare-producing video screens.
Among the earlier background art patents related to methods of patient recovery stress reduction or promoting relaxation are the following:
U.S. Pat. No.
Inventor
3,140,709
Weisz
3,643,941
Kashar
3,773,049
Rabichev et al.
3,826,250
Adams
4,047,377
Banks
4,082,918
Chang et al.
4,124,022
Gross
4,553,534
Stiegler
4,573,449
Warnke
4,640,267
Lawson
4,681,096
Cuervo
4,762,131
Okuda
4,763,428
Fischer
5,219,322
Weathers
5,266,070
Hagiwara
5,267,942
Saperston
5,289,438
Gall
5,296,444
Saiki et al
5,304,112
Mrklas
5,352,181
Davis
5,356,368
Monroe et al
5,377,024
Dillinger
5,403,263
Rodgers
5,425,699
Spiegel
5,433,223
Moore
The most relevant patents are U. S. Pat. No. 5,403,263 of Rodgers, for a method of reducing the recovery time and stress associated with surgery and U. S. Pat. No. 4,763,428 of Fischer for providing a nature scene in a hospital wall-mounted picture frame. Rodgers '263 describes a method to reduce hospital recovery time and stress by providing verbal voice-over suggestions and soothing anxiolytic music before, during and after surgery. Fischer '428 describes the use of wall mounted pictures to assist in patient healing, but does not focus on what pictures to select other than nature scenes in general.
Weathers (U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,322) describes a reclining chair for a medical patient who is hooked up to an electronic apparatus for the controlled presentation of visual and auditory stimuli. Similarly, Mrklas (U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,112) describes a system where a patient is put in a chair in front of an electronic screen and is exposed to electronic visual images, auditory sounds and other stimuli.
Weisz (U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,709) describes a pain relieving apparatus wherein acoustical sounds such as music are fed through ear phones to divert a patient's attention from pain.
Rabichev et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,049) describe an electronic apparatus for treating neuropsychic and somatic disorders with repetitive exposure of the patient to light, heat and sound radiation sources.
Banks (U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,377) discloses an electronic sleep promotion apparatus wherein a wide band audio frequency generator applies audio impulses to a person.
Chang et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,918) describe an electronic audio device which provides analgesic sounds to dental patients.
Gross (U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,022) describes an electronic audio speaker in the shape of a heart, which provides repetitive slow heartbeat sounds, to relax a person.
Kashar (U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,941) describes a relaxation chamber containing a plurality of Styrofoam® balls to simulate movement of a person within a swimming pool. Colored lights are projected upon the Styrofoam® balls
Healing Environments International, Inc.
Kearney R.
Mulcahy John
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