Patent ID: 8852073

Claim:
A relaxation inducing sleep mask, comprising: an eye mask adapted to be worn about the head of a user having a first portion configured to provide light-tight eye cavities confronting the left and right eyes of the user and a second portion configured to laterally extend from the first portion across the left and right ears around the head of the user; a processor implemented controller and electro-optical means connected to said processor implemented controller coupled to the eye mask for providing a visible pattern of vertically spaced apart images simultaneously visible inside said eye cavities of said mask confronting the left and right eyes of the user that is of duration and intensity to allow the user to direct said left and right eyes in a successive upward, vertical direction from lowermost simultaneously visible images to uppermost simultaneously visible images and to fix said user's gaze on said uppermost visible images in order to relax the user and induce sleep in the user and thereafter said pattern of vertically spaced images simultaneously visible inside said eye cavities of said mask confronting the left and right eyes of the user is controllably extinguished; wherein said electro-optical means includes a source of light controllably actuated by said processor implemented controller; wherein said source of light includes first and second arrays of vertically spaced LEDs respectively mounted inside said eye cavities of said mask confronting the left and right eyes such that the LEDs of the first and second arrays of vertically spaced LEDs each have longitudinal axes that are generally parallel with longitudinal axes of said eye cavities of said mask so as to direct light from said LEDs rearwardly outwardly therefrom.