US008761417B2

(12) United States Patent

(10) Patent N0.:

(45) Date of Patent:

Oser et a].

(54)

(58)

TACTILE STIMULATION USING MUSICAL

TONAL FREQUENCIES

Field of Classi?cation Search

297/2173; 601/47, 57
See application ?le for complete search history.

(US); Suzannah Long, Lafayette, CO

(56)

(Us)

References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

(73) Assignee: So Sound Solutions, LLC, Louisville,

CO (US)
Notice:

2,297,972 A
2,520,172 A
2,821,191 A

Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this

patent is extended or adjusted under 35

10/1942 Mills
8/1950 Rubinstein
1/1958 Paii

(Continued)

U.S.C. 154(b) by 300 days.

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS

This patent is subject to a terminal dis

claimer.

W0

W0 03/092441

Filed:

U.S. Appl. No. 60/546,021, ?led Feb. 19, 2004.

US. Appl. No. 60/652,611, ?led Feb. 14,2005.

Dec. 9, 2011

(65)

Prior Publication Data

US 2012/0313765 A1

(Continued)

Dec. 13, 2012

Primary Examiner * Brian Ensey

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm * William W. Cochran;

Related US. Application Data

(63)

Cochran Freund & Young LLC

Continuation of application No. 12/139,351, ?led on

Jun. 13, 2008, noW Pat. No. 8,077,884, Which is a

(57)

continuation-in-part of application No. 11/463,520,

Transducers and resonators are embedded in body support

?led onAug. 9, 2006, noW Pat. No. 7,981,064, Whichis

a continuation-in-part of application No. 11/061,924,

structures in contact With a user to for the purpose of convey

prise beds, pillows, chairs, and other structures typically used

(60) Provisional application No. 60/706,718, ?led on Aug.

to support people. The sound may be audio tones and/or

music. The transducers and resonators may be incorporated
into a foam component or in a coil spring component of the
body support structure. Latex-type foams and beds made With

9, 2005, provisional application No. 60/546,021, ?led

on Feb. 19, 2004, provisional application No.
60/652,611, ?led on Feb. 14, 2005.

(52)

springs are, candidate body support structures

for receiving
.

Int. Cl.

H04R 25/00

(200601)

H04R 1/02

(2006 01)

U 5 Cl

ABSTRACT

ing musical sound energy to a user s body at selected frequen

cies and in selected patterns. Body support structures com

?led on Feb. 18, 2005, noW Pat. No. 7,418,108.

(51)

11/2003

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

(21) App1.No.: 13/316,379

(22)

*Jun. 24, 2014

USPC ....... .. 381/326, 380, 396, 401, 402, 412, 420;

(75) Inventors: Richard Barry Oser, Lafayette, CO

(*)

US 8,761,417 B2

transducer s and resonators. Electro-actlve polymers are also

used as transducers. Floor systems are activated by both

'

mechanical transducers and electro-active polymers.

USPC ......................................... .. 381/152; 381/396

ELONGATED
MEMBERS
510

54 Claims, 21 Drawing Sheets

SPIRAL
OPENING
506
DIAPHRAGM
504

502

TRANSDUCER

L7

500
TRANSDUCER
SYSTEM

US 8,761,417 B2
Page 2

(56)

References Cited

6,024,407 A

6,120,468 A
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

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5,898,244

11/1958
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3/1971
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10/1973
4/1975
4/1977
5/1977
10/1977
12/1977
11/1978
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10/1982
1/1987
6/1988
6/1988
3/1989
6/1989
8/1990
11/1990
4/1991
5/1991
5/1991
2/1992
3/1992
4/1992
9/1992
2/1993
6/1993
10/1993
5/1994
8/1994
11/1994
6/1995

Marchand
Scott
Ries
Thielen
Thurston
Leonardini
Rivera
Komatsu
Jochimski
Nohmura
Garner et al.

Martinmaas
Nohmura
Yamada
Abbeloos
Immel
Yamada et al.
Hirano
Yamada et al.

Vogel
Endo
Carter et al.

Andrews
Komatsubarra

Delaney
Raffel
Hubner
Schmid-Eliber
Eakin ............................ .. 601/47

6,151,402
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6,377,145 B1
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6,785,922
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Stuart et al.

Tal et al.
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Taylor

B1
B2
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B2

B2
B1
B1
B1

B1

B2
B2
B2
7,082,570 B1
7,418,108 B2 *

7,553,288 B2
7,981,064 B2
8,077,884 B2
2002/0141610
2004/0164971
2005/0069166
2005/0124897
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9/2000 Tseng
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AZima
Lizama et al.
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Souder
AZima et al.

4/2002 Kumagai
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Kabemba
Newton

1/2006 Rogers
7/2006
7/2006
7/2006
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Ardizzone
Nickel
Tosaya et al.
von Wiegand et al.

8/2008

Oser ........................... .. 381/401

6/2009 Cohen
7/2011 Oser et al.
12/2011 Oser et al.

A1

10/2002 Davantier et al.

A1
A1
A1
A1
A1

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OTHER PUBLICATIONS

U.S. Appl. No. 60/706,718, ?led Aug. 9, 2005.

Shelby Addison et al.; Sleep Monitoring; Duke University Smart
House, Pratt School of Engineering; Spring 2005; pp. 1-5.
http ://www. bme .vanderbilt. edu/Kin g/ sleepmate .htm;Internati onal
Award-Winning Student invention Bene?ts Newborns; Jamie Iaown
Reeves; The Vanderbilt Register, Jan. 19-25, 1998, page 4.
Steven Ashley, Arti?cial Muscles, Scienti?c American, Oct. 2003,

Komatsu

pp. 53-59.

Fenner, Jr.

Non-Final Of?ce Action mailed Aug. 31, 2010, in US. Appl. No.
11/463,520, ?led Aug. 9, 2006 by Richard Barry Oser.

Bluen et al. ................... .. 601/57

Rasamny et al.
Kotsianas et al.

* cited by examiner

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 1 0121

US 8,761,417 B2

HEAD OF BED

106?
MID/HIGHTRANSDUCER

r140

new 112

118\ 1203

15%

MUSIC

muszc

SOURCE!

souncu

CONTROLS

CONTROLS

1y

I
5

\I'

L AMP

AMP l

1301 /
132

\ L1:12
1

114/

116

122

134

124

LOWTRANSDUCER

108 g
FOOT OF BED
104
BED OR PAD

FIGS!

US. Patent

Jun. 24,2014

Sheet 2 or 21

US 8,761,417 B2

HEAD OF BED

206 ?
f" 240

L CONTROLLER
Z

( 21 O

( 21 2

TRAY,CER

LOW
TRANSDUCER

21 4

21 6

1 AMP
230 J

208 g
/

FOOT OF BED

204
BED

FIG. 2

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 3 or 21

US 8,761,417 B2

319.

UPPER FOAM
LAYER
r

\/

\308

DIAPHRAGM

___4_L/ /

[15:]
1Q;

TRANSDUCER

399

i K304OPENING

FOAM LAYER

K300

c:::_-:-C:L314
EXTERNAL
HEATSINK

r312
POLY SWITCH

PIC-1.3

BED
PADOR

US. Patent

Jun. 24,2014

Sheet40f21

US 8,761,417 B2

512

UPPERFOAM
LAYER
l////)(///////////

DIXP?RsAGM L] [J
402

TRAN-STJ-UCER

(410

DiAPH RAGM

599

FOAM LAYER

H64

//I

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

ELONGATED
MEMBERS

Sheet 5 or 21

US 8,761,417 B2

SPIRAL
OPENING
506

DIAPHRAGM

510

504

5I2
ELONGATED
MEMBERS

5 2

TRANSDUCER

XV

500
TRANSDUCER
SYSTEM

FIG. 5

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 6 or 21

US 8,761,417 B2

SPIRAL
OPENING
506

ELONGATED
MEMBER

DIAPHRAGM

510

504

51 2

ELONGATED
MEMBER
508

SPIRAL

OPENING

FIG.6

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 7 or 21

US 8,761,417 B2

DIAPHRAGM

/ 504

CONE

l L L

L 1502
TRANSDUCER

\500
TRANSDUCER
SYSTEM

FIG]
DIAPHRAGM

/ 504

'lli__

ill

"!

*-

502

llP TRANSDUCER

500

TRANSDUCER
SYSTEM

802

K 800
COlL SPRING
SYSTEM

F168

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 8 or 21

US 8,761,417 B2

906
HIGH

FREQU ENCY
CU RVED
STRUCTURE

902

DIAPHRAGM
906
LOW

FREQUENCY
CU RVED
STRUCTURE

900
RIGID

DIAPHRAGM
STRUCTURE

FIG.9

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 9 or 21

US 8,761,417 B2

MATTRESS
PAD
1 008

MATTRESS
1 002

H610

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 10 0121

US 8,761,417 B2

/ 1100 EAP MATRIX ARRAY

LELLEQ
000005
g

1 1 1O

1 104

POLYMER

ELECTRODES

1 108

LEADS

FIG. 11
1100 EAP MATRIX ARRAY

ELECTRODES

)/

ELECTRODES
1102

1106

1112
08

ELECTRODES

BULGE

7
1110
POLYMER

F1612

m4

ELECTRODES

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 11 0f 21

UUUEHJUDU

US 8,761,417 B2

mm
SOURCBKONTROL

El [3 E] [1 E] [II E] El}
DEIEIEIEIEJEIEJ

\B12

1306

1302

UUUEIEIEJEHIIEHI]

DUUUDUUUDU ~7rDDUDDUUDDU
1308
\1314
K1316

BUUBDDEIDEIEI}
UUUDDUUEJUE]
UBUDUEIUUEIE]

310

1300 ELECT ROACI' IVE

POLYMER ARRAY

FIG.13

Q?$$
MR
11304

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 12 0f 21

US 8,761,417 B2

WELLNESS STTMULATTON SYSTEM

T400

BED
1404

AUDIO

EAP

SENSOR

TRANSDUCER

TRANSDUCER

SENSOR

141?:

T410

T412

M__L6

VOLUME
CONTROL
1440
V
k AMPLTETER

V'DEO

Iiiq

EXTERNAL

SYSTEM

SYSTEM

AUDTO

1559
f

1455
.. _

Av
_______
CONTROLLER
1460
k

<
L

AUDIO

Nng?K

INFORMATION

1470

DATASTORE

L495

\VEUNESS

A S S MENY
SERVER

NEWORK
1475

LL89

AUBO

D TA
SERVER

1&852

F1614

US. Patent

Jun. 24, 2014

Sheet 14 0f 21

US 8,761,417 B2

CAST SYSTEM

USER'S LEG
1612

ELECTROACI'IVE
POLYMER ARRAY
1 604

SOCK
1602

1 mnmuummumn
u

manna

55%.321?

[1 i g : P I T] I

SENSOR

CAST

1614 \

1608
'

SENSOR

1 610

BATTERY
PACK AND
ELECTRONICS
1 61 6

1618

OUTPUT
CONNECTOR

ELECTRlCAL
GENERATION
FOOT PAD

FIG. 16

US. Patent

Jun.24,2014

US 8,761,417 B2

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