US20080060116A1

US20080060116A1 - Behavior influencing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20080060116A1
Application number: US11/680,149
Authority: US
Inventors: Leon Massage
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-09-08
Filing date: 2007-02-28
Publication date: 2008-03-13
Also published as: AU2007101242A4; AU2007294480A2; AU2007294480A1; WO2008028243A1

Abstract

An apparatus and method for improving a personal habit of a wearer by way of tactile, visual and olfactory stimulation, includes a member such as a wristband of a size to be worn by the wearer and of a material that is impregnated with an aroma for influencing the behavior of the wearer in a manner to improve the personal habit so that the wearer is reminded to improve the selected habit, tactilely when touching the member, visually when seeing the member and olfactorily when smelling the aroma. To further improve the habit the wristband may also carry an indicia such a word to further cognitively remind the wearer of the habit to be improved.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for influencing personal behavior.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Personal behavioral traits manifest in a variety of ways. For example, laziness in terms of exercise and loss of libido are strongly influenced by the lifestyle of a person.
Similarly, undesirable behavior, such as bad eating habits, over-eating and smoking cigarettes, may stem from a multitude of factors, including stress and lifestyle pressures. These undesirable behavior and lifestyle patterns can have serious consequences on personal health by predisposing to many chronic diseases.
For example, over-eating in response to inappropriate food cues, typically leads to obesity and many other health problems associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels and heart disease. Similarly, smoking typically leads to respiratory problems and increases the risk of lung cancer.
One form of controlling appetite involves an invasive procedure called “lap banding,” where a band is placed around the stomach. This form of appetite suppression is relatively extreme, although it can be reversible.
Other forms of attempts at weight loss rely on the will power of the individual to refrain from eating. However, unless the individual has a particularly strong will power, that person usually succumbs to the temptation of indulging in the eating of undesirable, and unhealthy food items. At such times, the person is not thinking about the need to control their food intake in terms of volume and nutrition.
It is not unusual for smokers trying to quit smoking to frequently succumb to their cravings for a cigarette. Nicotine patches are used to control the physical effects of quitting smoking. Counseling assists smokers to improve their will power to resist smoking. However, a patch does not assist to remind a person of the techniques learnt through counseling for controlling cravings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is concerned with influencing personal behavior to improve personal habits.
The present invention provides an apparatus for encircling at least part of a wrist of a wearer, the apparatus comprising a substance for producing an aroma that influences personal behavior and thereby assists a wearer of the apparatus to improve a personal habit.
The apparatus assists with improving the personal habit of a wearer by way of three or four effects or stimulations. First, the physical feeling of the apparatus on the wrist serves as a reminder to the wearer to control the habit. Second, the apparatus can be seen by a wearer when performing their usual natural arm movements. Accordingly, the apparatus provides a visual reminder to the user to control the habit. Third, the aroma produced by the apparatus has a physical effect on the wearer of influencing the wearer to behave in a particular way concerning a personal habit. Fourth, the apparatus may carry recognizable indicia such as an inspirational or reminding word to remind the wearer of the improvement being sought. The combination of these effects assists a user to control the personal habit.
The apparatus preferably comprises a wristband. However, the apparatus may comprise a bangle, an amulet, a bracelet, a strap or any other wrist born member.
Preferably the wristband includes the indicia for reminding the wearer to control the personal habit.
The indicia, preferably is a motivational reminder.
The aroma may be selected to suppress the desire to satisfy an undesirable personal habit and thereby assists a wearer of the apparatus to control the personal habit.
The personal habit may be over-eating in response to an appetite or an eating cue and the substance may be selected for producing an aroma that acts as an appetite suppressant.
The substance preferably is selected for producing an aroma of peppermint, banana or green apple.
The substance may be selected for producing an aroma of buttered corn or strawberries for influencing the wearer to exercise or may be selected for producing an aroma of lavender or pumpkin pie for influencing sexual arousal and, thereby the sexual behavior, of a wearer.
The wristband preferably has a color for attracting the attention of the wearer.
The wristband preferably is formed of silicone impregnated with the aroma producing substance.
Accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for improving a selected personal habit of a wearer by way of tactile, visual and olfactory effects or stimulations which comprises a member of a size to be worn by the wearer and of a material adapted to be impregnated with an aroma, means for engaging the member to the wearer at a location where the member is readily touchable by and visible to the wearer, and an aroma selected for influencing the behavior of the wearer in a manner to improve the selected personal habit, impregnated into the member so that the wearer is reminded to improve the selected habit, tactilely when touching the member, visually when seeing the member and olfactory when smelling the aroma, and even cognitively by reading or recognizing the indicia.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for improving a selected personal habit of a wearer by way of tactile, visual and olfactory effects or stimulations, which comprises providing a member of a size to be worn by the wearer and of a material which is impregnated with an aroma selected for influencing the behavior of the wearer in a manner to improve the selected personal habit, engaging the member to the wearer at a location where the member is readily touchable by, and visible to the wearer, so that the wearer is reminded to improve the selected habit, tactilely when touching the member, visually when seeing the member and olfactorily when smelling the aroma, and cognitively as well.
The various features of novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawing and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing of an isometric view of a wristband in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention is shown in the drawing in the form of a wristband 10, although the same figure may schematically represent a bangle, a bracelet or a strap, or even an amulet.
The wristband 10 comprises an annulus formed of silicone and defining a vacant internal region of sufficient size to enable the hand of a wearer to pass through the vacant internal region so that the wrist band 10 can be worn on the arm of a wearer at or adjacent the wrist. Naturally, the wristband 10 may be formed in a range of sizes that define different vacant internal regions for filling larger or smaller hands and wrists of respective wearers.
The wristband 10 is preferably formed of silicone, but may otherwise be formed of any other suitable plastics material, including rubberized plastics material for a comfortable feel when worn.
The wristband 10 may be formed in any color, but preferably is formed in a bright color to readily catch the eye of the wearer, such as red, yellow or orange.
Importantly, the wristband 10 includes indicia in the form of a word 20. However, the indicia may take the form of a statement or drawing. The word 20 is printed on or embossed into an outwardly facing surface 22 of the wristband. The object is to provide indicia to remind the wearer cognitively by reading or recognizing the indicia
Preferably, the word 20 is selected to motivate the wearer of the wristband 10 to control a person habit by reminding the wearer of a thought. An example of motivational indicia is the word “Will Power” printed or embossed on the wrist member.
Importantly, the silicone from which the wristband 10 is formed is impregnated with an aroma producing substance. Preferably, the aroma producing substance is selected to produce an aroma that has a physiological effect on the wearer of influencing the behavior of the wearer and thereby assisting a wearer to control a personal habit. For example, the aroma diminishes or suppresses the desire to fulfill an undesirable person habit, such as smoking a cigarette or eating in response to an appetite. Alternatively, the substance is selected to produce an aroma of buttered corn or strawberries that make the wearer feel energized and willing to exercise or to produce an aroma of lavender or pumpkin pie that makes the wearer feel sexually aroused and thereby improves libido.
With regard to a personal habit of over-eating, the wristband 10 is impregnated with a substance for producing an aroma for suppressing appetite. For example, the substance may produce the aroma of green apple or peppermint.
The aroma produced by the wristband 10 has the effect of influencing the behavior of the wearer by making the wearer feel a particular way. When this effect is coupled to the effect produced by a user being alerted to the wrist band 10 by feeling the wrist band 10 on the wrist or by seeing the wrist band 10 and motivational word 20 on the wrist, the combined effect is a boost in the will power of a user to the extent that the personal habit can be controlled.
The visual and physical reminders provided by the wrist band 10 alone or the aroma alone does not have the same effect in influencing the behavior of the wearer as the effect produced by the combination of the visual and physical effect the aroma of allowing a wearer to control the personal habit.
Many modifications may be made to the preferred embodiment of the present invention as described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The present invention thus is a method and an apparatus for improving a selected personal habit of a wearer, such as smoking, over-eating, or sexual indifference, by way of tactile, visual and olfactory effects or stimulations, which comprises a member of a size to be worn by the wearer, such as a wrist band, a bangle, an amulet, a bracelet or a strap, and of a material adapted to be impregnated with an aroma means for engaging the member to the wearer at a location where the member the member is readily touchable by, and visible to the wearer, such means being, for example, the appropriate shape and size of band, bangle, bracelet or strap for engaging the wearers wrist, or a pin or clip for attaching the amulet to the wearer's clothing or a chain or cord for hanging the amulet around the wearer's neck, and an aroma selected for influencing the behavior of the wearer in a manner to improve the selected personal habit, impregnated into the member so that the wearer is reminded to improve the selected habit, tactilely when touching the member, visually when seeing the member and olfactorily when smelling the aroma.
It will be understood that the term “comprises” or its grammatical variants as used in this specification and claims is equivalent to the term “includes” and is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other features or elements.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

Claims

1. An apparatus for improving a selected personal habit of a wearer by way of tactile, visual and olfactory stimulation, comprising:

a member of a size to be worn by the wearer and of a material adapted to be impregnated with an aroma;

means for engaging the member to a wrist of the wearer so that the member is readily touchable by, and visible to the wearer; and

an aroma selected for influencing the behavior of the wearer in a manner to improve the selected personal habit, impregnated into the member so that the wearer is reminded to improve the selected habit, tactilely when touching the member, visually when seeing the member and olfactorily when smelling the aroma.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member is a wristband, the means being a size and shape of the wristband for engaging the wrist of the wearer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member is a bangle, the means being a size and shape of the bangle for engaging the wrist of the wearer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member is a bracelet, the means being a size and shape of the bracelet for engaging the wrist of the wearer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member is a strap, the means being a size and shape of the strap for engaging the wrist of the wearer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member is an amulet, the means being for engaging the amulet to the wrist of the wearer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member carries indicia for cognitively reminding the wearer to control the personal habit.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member is a wristband and the wristband carries indicia for cognitively reminding the wearer to control the personal habit, the indicia being a word.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member is a wristband and the wristband carries indicia for cognitively reminding the wearer to control the personal habit, the indicia being a word and a bright color.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the aroma is an appetite suppressant peppermint, banana or green apple.

11. An apparatus for improving a selected personal habit of a wearer by way of tactile, visual, olfactory and cognitive stimulation, comprising:

a member of a size and shape to be worn by the wearer and of a silicone material adapted to be impregnated with an aroma, so that the member is readily touchable by, and visible to the wearer;

an aroma selected for influencing the behavior of the wearer in a manner to improve the selected personal habit, impregnated into the member so that the wearer is reminded to improve the selected habit, tactilely when touching the member, visually when seeing the member and olfactorily when smelling the aroma;

the member being a wristband of a size and shape to engage the wearer's wrist, the aroma being selected from the group consisting of at least one of: peppermint, banana, green apple, buttered corn, strawberries, lavender, and pumpkin pie; and

the wristband carrying indicia in the from of a word selected for cognitively reminding the wearer to improve the selected habit.

12. A method for improving a selected personal habit of a wearer by way of tactile, visual and olfactory stimulations, comprising:

providing a member of a size to be worn by the wearer and of a material which is impregnated with an aroma selected for influencing the behavior of the wearer in a manner to improve the selected personal habit; and

engaging the member to the wearer at a location where the member is readily touchable by, and visible to the wearer, so that the wearer is reminded to improve the selected habit, tactilely when touching the member, visually when seeing the member and olfactorily when smelling the aroma.

13. The method of claims 12 wherein the member is a silicone wristband of a size and shape to engage the wearer's wrist, the aroma being selected from the group consisting of at least one of: peppermint, banana, green apple, buttered corn, strawberries, lavender, and pumpkin pie; and the wrist band carries an indicia in the from of a word.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the member is a wristband, the means being a size and shape of the wristband for engaging the wrist of the wearer.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the member is a bangle, the means being a size and shape of the bangle for engaging the wrist of the wearer,

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the member is a bracelet, the means being a size and shape of the bracelet for engaging the wrist of the wearer.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the member is a strap, the means being a size and shape of the strap for engaging the wrist of the wearer.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the member carries indicia selected for cognitively reminding the wearer to control the personal habit.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the member is a wristband and the wristband carries indicia for reminding the wearer to control the personal habit, the indicia being a word.