Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT NOT APPLICABLE 
     DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to meditation surfaces. Meditation is defined here to include such activities as meditation, contemplation, yoga, spiritual activities, worship and prayer. 
         [0003]    Several meditation surfaces are known that allow people to assume a comfortable sitting, laying, kneeling, prostration or standing position comfortably while engaged in meditation activities. In prayer houses such as churches, there are comfortable wooden benches, or other seating arrangements, where individuals can pray in a comfortable environment and away from the outdoor elements. In mosques there is end to end carpeting upon which individuals lay their prayer rugs and do their prayers. Even in yoga, there are the rubber yoga mats upon which people do their yoga in comfortable and clean fashion whether indoors or outdoors. 
         [0004]    In the distant past early Jews, Christians and. Muslims, as did other early belief systems, prayed barefooted and prostrated directly on the bare ground. Native Americans, too, valued connecting with the earth directly, and drawing healing powers from their contact with the earth during their spiritual rituals. In the case of the prophet Mohamed, there are historical records that he advised Muslims to pray standing directly on the sand, and when the sand was too hot for their foreheads to touch in prostration, he instructed them to put their heads on a few stones that were kept in their hands to keep them cool. He instructed his people not to put any kind of cloth between their foreheads and the ground, such as part of the turbans that men used to wear, or their sleeves, even when the desert sand was uncomfortably hot. This direct earth contact is still pursued today by some traditions. For example, today, some traditions of Islam, place a small piece of dry clean clay called Turbah on their prayer rug, upon which their head touches during prostration. This is done to resemble the old teachings of the religion; and millions of people around the world pray in this fashion today in an attempt to resemble the old teachings of direct contact with the earth during prayer. The current meditation surfaces evolved over time from meditating directly on the ground, as took place in human traditions thousands of years ago, to its current format, which is more comfortable, cleaner and away from the outdoor elements. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]    Among the meditation surfaces known in the art are yoga mats, prayer rugs, church benches and chairs and so on. They are designed for comfort and have evolved over time to their current format for comfort and cleanliness. Furthermore, meditation activities have been moved mostly indoors for comfort and to be shielded from the elements. The known meditation surfaces are typically made out of rubber as in yoga mats, wool or synthetic fiber as in prayer rugs, wood or leather as in church benches, and so on. What the known meditation surfaces have in common is comfort and cleanliness but also they have effectively provided for complete electrical insulation from the earth. People today have not recognized this as a problem, but rather, a fact of life. The present inventors, however, have recognized that making the meditation surface electrically conductive and connecting to grounding means, would resolve this problem. Thus, the present invention provides for meditation surfaces configured in such a way to facilitate electrically grounded meditation. 
         [0006]    The current prayer meditation surfaces, while comfortable, have effectively prevented true direct contact with the earth, which was so valued by the early traditions. In the pursuit of advancement, comfort, and protection from the elements, not only has the physical contact with the earth been lost, but also the electrical body connection with the earth has been eliminated. The present invention recognizes that configuring the meditation surfaces in such a way to facilitate electric conductivity and connecting the meditation surface to grounding means, restores the electrical contact and balance with the earth for those meditating on such surface, while still preserving the comfort and cleanliness of being shielded from the elements, if so desired. 
         [0007]    Currently, even when shielded from the elements indoors, the human body and mind, at any moment, are being constantly bombarded by invisible Electro Magnetic Fields (EMFs), which are continuously generated by electrical transporting wires, electrical telecommunication towers, various electrical equipment and devices, as well as EMF generated naturally by the atmosphere at all times. These artificial and natural EMFs induce body voltage, in any ungrounded body. The magnitude of the induced body voltage is a function of the magnitude of the EMFs and the distance from the EMF source. This induced body voltage impacts natural chemical as well as natural electrical functions within the human body and brain. 
         [0008]    Long term and ongoing body grounding have been theorized to provide health advantages. Meditation Prayer for any individual, if it happens at all, is intermittent and of a short term duration, such that it does not go on all day long and the amount of time spent doing such activity is a small fraction of anyone&#39;s weekly activity, if any. Therefore, the importance of grounding during such a sporadic short period of time, is considered of little value for health purposes, and thus ignored by those advocating the health benefits of long term ongoing body grounding. 
         [0009]    This invention addresses this lack of grounding problem during meditation, not for any medical or health advantage, that it may or may not provide, but to restore electrical contact and grounding with the earth. Furthermore, removing the induced body voltage and its negative impact on the body and mind, specifically during meditating activities, thus restoring electrical balance precisely during meditation. The problem is solved by one embodiment of the invention by providing a meditation surface comprising electrically conductive material and then connecting it to grounding means to establish electrical grounding. The electrically conductive material can be any conductive material alone or in combination such as conductive fabric, conductive coating, conductive paint, conductive polymer (e.g. plastic/rubber), and other conductive natural and synthetic materials and compounds. The electrically conductive material used for the meditation surface may be placed on top of any other material, including electrically insulating material such as wood, batting, fabric or carpet; and then connected to grounding means, such as a wire connected to the conductive ground outside to electrically ground the conductive meditation surfaces. 
         [0010]    This invention thus re-establishes electrical contact with the earth which is currently missing in meditation activities in almost all religious and spiritual traditions around the world. By doing so, this invention also allows individuals to emulate the ancient teachings of being in contact with the earth during prayer and meditation, in at least the electrical contact aspect, which has been lost over the centuries. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  depicts meditation surface of a conductive yoga mat, embodying the principles of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  depicts meditation surface of a conductive yoga mat grounded by touching a conductive surface, such as conductive ground, embodying the principles of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  depicts meditation surface of a conductive yoga mat grounded by connecting to grounding means, embodying the principles of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  depicts meditation surface of a conductive quilt with the top surface conductive, embodying the principles of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  depicts meditation surface of a conductive quilt with the top surface conductive connected to grounding means, embodying the principles of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  depicts meditation surface of a conductive quilt with the top surface conductive with a conductive extension connected to the conductive surface that can be slipped underneath or placed in such a way to touch a conductive grounded surface, embodying the principles of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  depicts meditation surface of a conductive quilt with both the top and bottom surfaces being conductive, electrically connected together by conductive binding or other electrical connection means, touching a surface such as conductive ground, embodying the principles of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  depicts meditation surface of a conductive quilt with both the top and bottom surfaces conductive, electrically connected together by conductive binding or other electrical connection means, connected to grounding means, embodying, the principles of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  depicts meditation surface of a wooden meditation bench coated painted with electrically conductive material connected to grounding means, embodying the principles of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner. 
         [0022]    The object of the invention is to do any one or more of the following: to re-establish electrical contact with the earth for those meditating on such surface; to emulate the ancient teachings of being in contact with the earth and being, grounded during meditation, in at least the electrical contact aspect; to remove EMF induced body voltage and restore electrical harmony during meditating activities; to preserve the comfort and cleanliness of being shielded from the elements, if so desired. 
         [0023]    Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. 
         [0024]    In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, disclosed is an article of manufacture, comprising a meditation surface configured to facilitate electrically grounded meditation. A preferred embodiment of the meditation surface comprising electrically conductive material, and grounding means. Also, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a method is claimed comprising meditating while in contact with electrically grounded meditation surface. 
         [0025]    Meditation is defined here to include such activities as meditation, contemplation, yoga, spiritual activities, worship and prayer. 
         [0026]    Meditation surface is defined here as the outer surface of a constructed apparatus for use during meditation for such activities as seating, laying, standing, or prostration during meditation, where such surface comes in electrical bodily contact with the individual during meditation. Said constructed apparatus excludes metal chairs, metal benches, metal stools or metal bars used during meditation, if they are naturally electrically grounded during meditation without the need for grounding means. 
         [0027]    An example of a meditation surface is the part of the yoga mat that comes in contact with the individual doing yoga. Another example of a meditation surface is the part of the praying rug that comes in contact with the individual during praying activities. Another example of a meditation surface is the surface of a chair or bench in a church. 
         [0028]    Meditation quilt is defined to include prayer rugs, yoga mats, meditation cushions and meditation pillows. 
         [0029]    Meditation seating is defined to include chairs, benches, seats, and stools intended to be used for meditation activity. 
         [0030]    Meditation carpeting means include carpeting and rugs of all shapes and sizes made out of natural material such as wool, silk, cotton, other natural fibers and synthetic material such as nylon, polyester, triexta, and polypropylene, where such carpeting means are intended to be used for meditation activity. 
         [0031]    Grounding means is defined as any method of establishing electrical contact with the earth or a method of dissipating electrical charges, such as connecting to the ground/earth in an electrical socket indoors or outdoors; another example is electrically connecting to a grounding stake or a large structure for the purpose of dissipating electrical charges. 
         [0032]    Conductive material can be in the form of conductive fabric, conductive coating, conductive paint, conductive polymer (e.g. plastic/rubber), conductive natural material, conductive synthetic materials, conductive compounds and conductive alloys. 
         [0033]    One embodiment of the current invention depicted in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3  comprises meditation surface of a yoga mat  1  constructed from a conductive material such as conductive rubber, where it can be placed directly on the earth  2  outside, or connected to grounding means  3  to facilitate electrical grounding while meditating. 
         [0034]    Another embodiment of the current invention depicted in  FIGS. 4. 5  and  6  is a meditation quilt comprising, top conductive meditation surface  4 , and bottom quilt surface  5 , where top conductive meditation surface can be connected to grounding means  3 , such as a wire connected to an electrical grounding outlet in an electric wall socket. Such top meditation surface will facilitate electrical grounding during meditation when used anywhere, including indoors. Conductive extension  5  can be attached to top electrically conductive meditation surface  4  that can be slipped underneath the meditation quilt or placed in such a way to touch a conductive grounded surface to facilitate electrical grounding. 
         [0035]    Another embodiment of the current invention depicted in  FIGS. 7 and 8  comprises a meditation quilt comprising a top conductive meditation surface  4  and a bottom conductive surface  8 , such that both top and bottom surfaces are electrically connected together with conductive binding  7 ; where meditation quilt can be placed directly on the earth outside  2 , or connected to grounding means  3  and then used for meditation in comfort, while at the same time facilitating electrical grounding. 
         [0036]    The present inventors have found that static dissipative fabrics such as those made out of carbon fibers woven into polyester fabric work well when used as electrically conductive fabric for use in preferred embodiments of the invention. The present inventors also have found that static dissipative fabrics such as those made out of polyester/cotton blend with micro-fine stainless steel fibers work well when used as electrically conductive fabric for use in preferred embodiments of the invention. Other types of static dissipative fabrics, such as those containing copper, silver or other conductive material also worked well for use in the preferred embodiments of the invention. 
         [0037]    Another embodiment of the current invention depicted in  FIG. 9  comprises a meditation chair/bench surface  9  painted, coated or plated with conductive meditation surface  10 , where such meditation surface can be electrically grounded by grounding means  3 , thus electrically grounding a person meditating while seated on such meditating surface. The present inventors have found that electroconductive coating and paints such as YSHIELD typically used for painting structures, such as bedrooms, to shield from EMF, work well when used as electrically conductive paint on meditation chair to create meditation surface that is electrically conductive. When additional paint, that was not electrically conductive, was applied on top of the YSHIELD paint, the meditation surface remained electrically conductive and the embodiment of the invention continued to function as intended. 
         [0038]    Another embodiment of the current invention comprises a conductive meditation surface such as conductive fabric placed on top of an insulated prayer rug or yoga mat where the top meditation surface can be electrically grounded. 
         [0039]    Another embodiment of the current invention comprises meditation surface carpeting means in a temple, mosque or church comprising conductive fabric or material where such carpeting means can be grounded by grounding means. 
         [0040]    The embodiments of the present invention disclosed include meditation surface configured to facilitate, electrically grounded meditation; meditation surface comprising electrically conductive material, wherein said meditation surface is adaptable for grounding during meditation, the conductive meditation surface can be grounded by connecting to any grounding means; meditation quilt comprising electrically conductive upper material, wherein said conductive top material is adaptable for grounding; meditation quilt comprising electrically conductive top material wherein conductive top material may have an extension made out of conductive material; meditation quilt comprising electrically conductive top fabric connected to electrically conductive bottom fabric, wherein top and bottom fabric is adaptable for grounding; any disclosed embodiment of conductive meditation surface may be grounded by connecting to a grounding means; meditation seating means comprising electrically conductive material, wherein said meditation surface is adaptable for grounding; conductive meditation seating means may be grounded by connecting to grounding means; meditation carpeting means comprising electrically conductive material, wherein said carpeting means is adaptable for grounding; meditation carpeting means may be grounded by connecting to grounding means; meditation article of manufacture comprising electrically conductive meditation surface and grounding means for the purpose of meditating in a state of electric neutrality; meditation article of manufacture comprising conductive fabric constructed is such a way to yield electrically conductive meditation quilt, and grounding means; meditation article of manufacture comprising conductive rubber material constructed in such a way to yield electrically conductive meditation yoga mat, and grounding means; and a method comprising meditating while in contact with electrically grounded meditation surface 
         [0041]    The conductive material, conductive top material or conductive bottom material discussed in any of the embodiments of the invention can be made out of any one or more conductive material alone, integrated together, integrated with other nonconductive material as long as electrical conductivity is maintained: such material includes conductive fabric, conductive coating, conductive paint, conductive polymer, conductive natural material, conductive synthetic material, conductive compound, and conductive plating. 
         [0042]    The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. For example, an electrically conductive meditation bracelet can be used as meditation surface, or the grounding means itself can be considered a meditation surface when used directly to facilitate grounding during meditation. 
         [0043]    While the invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous alternative arrangements that, while not shown in described herein, embody the principles of the invention and thus are within its spirit and scope.

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