Patent Publication Number: US-2009231156-A1

Title: Audible reminder device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
     The present invention is a reminder device for individuals. It is specifically designed for simple, uncomplicated operation by persons with diminished capacity. A recordable message may be stored in its memory for easy electronic recall by the depression of a single, oversized button. New messages may be recorded throughout a day to meet changing needs. The device brings useful and comforting information to the attention of a person who suffers mild to moderate loss of memory and reasoning ability. 
     There are, today, an increasing number of individuals who are experiencing diminished memory and reasoning function as they age. There are currently 5.1 million patients in the United States suffering from Alzheimer&#39;s disease, a serious, progressive form of dementia. More than half of these individuals are cared for by relatives or trained service providers in a home environment. 
     Those in mild to moderate stages of dementia can still carry on many activities of daily life with repeated prompting and oversight. The challenging role of their caregivers is to reduce the patient&#39;s confusion and anxiety by helping them stay oriented to what is going on around them. For example, such a person may need to be reminded multiple times during an hour&#39;s time that they are not alone, that they have eaten their meals, that they have taken medication, that they have an appointment, or that they need to go to bed. This constant reminding is tedious and frustrating and a documented cause of caregiver burnout. 
     This reminder device adds a tool that has been missing from the caregiver&#39;s toolkit. It eases caregiver burden and frustration by giving the patient an alternative source of comforting information. Patients with mild to moderate memory and reasoning loss retain the initiative and ability to seek out helpful information from the device. They can remember that the device offers help when they experience uncertainty, and they can retain the concept of depressing the device&#39;s single, oversized button for assistance. They benefit from hearing a reassuring message and their caregiver&#39;s familiar voice. 
     There are a number of reminder devices in existence. However, many are intended for use by fully competent persons. It is relatively complicated to enter and retrieve the desired reminders in these devices. Others need to be programmed by a sophisticated computer system, and still others simply provide a visual notice to an individual. 
     Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a reminder device that is extremely simple to operate, so that the person with diminished capacity can retrieve comforting messages at will. 
     It would also be advantageous if such device were capable of recording a message that is delivered to the person audibly and, preferably, by a familiar voice to enhance reliance on the device. It would be further advantageous to activate the message by means of a single, oversized button on a surface of the device. Such a button, unencumbered by the presence of other buttons or confusing components, would enable the user to confidently and reliably seek helpful information by activating the device. 
     It would be still further advantageous to have such a reminder device that is sufficiently small and portable so that it might be hung in the manner of a pendent around the neck of the user. This feature makes the device conveniently accessible to the user at all times during the day. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
     The present invention provides an audible reminder device that provides information that is comforting and reassuring for a user. This device has a housing that is sufficiently small so as to contain all of the necessary components needed to carry out the messaging system and yet be compact and lightweight enough to be carried by the patient in the manner of a pendent, that is, suspended by a lanyard that encircles the neck of the user. 
     The housing itself has two opposed principal outer surfaces. There is provided on one of those surfaces, an activation device, such as an activation button, that can be pushed to allow a person to record a message into a storage media contained within the housing. On the opposite surface, there is provided another activation device, such as a playback button, that can be pushed by the user to enable the reminder device to play an audible message that is stored in the storage media. The playback button itself is relatively large and can take up about 20-30 percent of the entire area of that outer surface in which it is located. More preferably, it should take up at least 20 percent of that area and still more preferably about 23 percent of the surface of the outer surface where it is located. 
     As such, the one outer surface has only one playback button and no other controls, switches or components that could cause confusion on the part of a user with a diminished capacity. On the other hand, all of the activation devices or controls necessary to carry out the recording of a message are then located on the opposite outer surface and are more inaccessible to the user so as not to confuse the user into pushing an erroneous button. 
     Within the housing there is an input device, such as a microphone, that inputs the audible message to a storage media where the message is stored in electronic form. When the playback button is activated, that stored message is played via a playback device to produce an audible message. As an advantage, not only is an audible message relatively easy for the user to follow and understand, the message can potentially be recorded by a person with whom the user is familiar. This adds some recognition and assurance that the message is legitimate and understandable. 
     Other features of the present audible reminder device will become apparent in light of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         FIG. 1  is a front view of an audible reminder device of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the device of  FIG. 1  taken along the line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a printed circuitboard usable with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a front view and rear view, respectively, of the audible reminder device  10  constructed in accordance with the present invention. As can be seen, the audible reminder device  10  comprises a housing  12  that is made up of two split housings  14  and  16 , each, therefore, presenting an outer surface  18 ,  20  that are oppositely disposed with respect to each other. Both split housings  14 ,  16  can be injection molded plastic components and can snap together to complete the housing  10 , however, other arrangements of components could be constructed and used to make up a complete housing  12 . 
     There is also provided on the outer surface  18 , a playback button  22  that takes up a relatively large area with respect to the overall area of the outer surface  18  for a purpose what will later be described. In the exemplary embodiment, the area of the playback button  22  is about 20-30 percent of the overall area of the outer surface  18  of split housing  14 , preferably at least 20 percent and, more preferably about 23 percent. There is also provided on the outer surface  18 , holes  24  for a speaker to allow the sound from a speaker to pass outwardly through the outer surface  18  of the housing  12 . 
     Taking then the outer surface  20  of the other split housing  16 , there can be seen an activation button  26  that is considerably smaller that the playback button  22  and less accessible to a user. There is also a battery door  28  in the outer surface  20  and which allows the replacement of a battery for the device. In general, the audible reminder device of the present invention can be operated with a single AAA battery  30 . 
     There can also be seen in  FIG. 2 , a speaker  32  that is located internal of the housing  12  as well as a printed circuitboard  34  in order to carry out the functioning of the present invention. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 3 , taken along with  FIGS. 1 and 2 , it can be seen that in this exemplary embodiment, the playback button  22  extends outwardly from the outer surface  18  to facilitate the pressing of the playback button  22  by the user. In an exemplary embodiment, the color of the playback button  22  can be contrastingly different than that of the housing  12  so that it stands out and is very visible to the user. For example, the housing  10  can be a light color with the playback button  22  a dark color, or the reverse may be used, it begin important that the playback button  22  be a significant and readily recognizable target for the user to push in order to listen to an audible message. 
     There are also semi-cylindrical openings  36 ,  38  formed, respectively, in the split housing  14  and the split housing  16  such that, upon joining those split housings together, there is formed a tunnel  40  through which a halyard can be passed for encircling the neck of a user such that the user can wear the audible reminder device  10  much in the manner of a pendant. 
     As such, the audible reminder device  10  can simply be worn by a user around the neck and always be present and accessible for use by the user and the size and location of the audible reminder device  10  is such that it does not prevent the user from carrying out any normal functions. In an exemplary embodiment, the audible reminder device  10  is elliptical in shape and having dimensions of about 2 inches wide by 3 inches high. In the preferred embodiment, the area of the playback button  22  is about 20-30 percent of the area of the outer surface  18  of the housing  12 , and more preferably, at least 20 percent of that area, and still more preferably about 23 percent of that area such that the size or area of the playback button  22  is relatively large with respect to the area of the surface in which it is located. 
     Turning next to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a horizontal cross sectional view of the present audible reminder device  10  taken along the line  44  of  FIG. 1 . In  FIG. 4 , it can be seen that the activation button  26  is recessed inwardly from the outer surface  20  so that it is not easily activated but requires some deliberate pushing to displace the activation button  26  inwardly. 
     Turning finally to  FIG. 5 , taken along with  FIG. 14 , there is shown a schematic view of a typical printed circuitboard  42  circuitry that can be used with the present invention. As can be seen, there are three basic circuits, the power circuit  44 , the record/play circuit  46  and the control circuit  48 . The power circuit  44  is provided in order to raise the voltage from the 1.5 volts provided by an AAA battery to 5 volts for use in powering the device. The record/play circuit  46  in the record mode, collects the speech signals from the microphone  50 , then amplifies and converts the signals from analog to digital form and stores those digital signals in a storage media. In the play mode, the digital signal are converted from digital form back to analog form and then amplified and played through the speaker  32 . 
     With the control circuit  48 , the control circuit  48  is controlled by only two buttons, the playback button  22  and the activation button  26  that is depressed for the recording and erasing functions. When the activation button  26  is depressed and held, the circuit operates to first send a pulse signal to delete or erase the hold message then activates the record/play circuit  46  into the record mode until the activation button  26  is released. 
     The volume of the audio signal from the speaker  32  is preset, thereby eliminating the option to the user and thereby avoiding further confusion. In effect, the audible message device  10  is a one button operation for the user such that a person having limited faculties can readily operate the device. 
     As such, the overall audible reminder device  10  is designed to be usable by one having an impaired memory or reasoning function and to present a very simple, non-complicated means of receiving the message. It is also calm-inducing since the audible message can be delivered by a voice that is familiar to the user. 
     A message can be easily recorded by a caregiver. The same message can continue to be played upon each activation of the playback button  22 , until a new message is recorded and the current message erased. Thus, the original message can be accessed multiple times during the course of a day by the user, or the caregiver can change the message as needed to maintain the user&#39;s orientation to daily activities It will be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed herein, by way of example, but only by the scope of the appended claims.