Methods And Systems For Gathering And Analyzing Human Biological Signals
Patent No. US12370339 (titled "Methods And Systems For Gathering And Analyzing Human Biological Signals") was filed by Eight Sleep Inc on Jan 15, 2025.
What is this patent about?
’339 is related to the field of home automation and, more specifically, to systems that gather and analyze human biological signals to control appliances. The background highlights the limitations of existing sleep-support technologies like electric blankets, which require manual operation and offer limited functionality beyond basic heating. The patent aims to improve sleep environments and automate appliance control based on real-time user data.
The underlying idea behind ’339 is to use biological signals from a user, such as heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature, combined with environmental data, to intelligently control appliances, particularly a bed device. The system monitors the user's sleep phases and adjusts the bed's temperature accordingly, aiming to optimize sleep quality and overall comfort. This closed-loop control system automates adjustments that would otherwise require manual intervention.
The claims of ’339 focus on a method for operating a bed device. The method involves obtaining a first biological signal indicating the user's presence, determining a control signal to turn the bed on or off and set a temperature based on the user's bedtime or presence. While the bed is on, a second biological signal is obtained, and the temperature is adjusted based on this second signal. Thus, the claims cover a system that dynamically adjusts bed temperature based on real-time biofeedback.
In practice, the bed device includes sensors embedded in the mattress or a pad placed on top. These sensors measure the user's heart rate, breathing rate, temperature, and motion. Environmental sensors measure ambient temperature, humidity, light, and sound. A processor analyzes this data to determine the user's sleep phase and adjust the bed's temperature accordingly. For example, the bed might pre-heat before the user's typical bedtime or cool down during deep sleep.
The invention differentiates itself from prior approaches by providing automated, personalized climate control within the bed. Unlike simple electric blankets, this system actively monitors the user's physiological state and adjusts the bed's temperature to optimize sleep. Furthermore, the system can be extended to control other home appliances, creating a smart home environment that responds to the user's needs and preferences based on their biological signals.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the mid-2020s when ’339 was filed, systems commonly relied on sophisticated sensor technologies and data analytics to monitor and respond to user biometrics. At a time when home automation was typically implemented using networked devices and centralized control systems, hardware or software constraints made real-time personalized adjustments based on physiological data non-trivial.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner allowed the claims because the prior art of record, specifically Petrovski, teaches a sleep aid for assisting the modification of a breathing rate in a human, comprising: a substantially flexible mattress configured to receive a fluid; a fluid pump on fluid communication with the flexible mattress and configured to pump the fluid at a modulated rate; and a control module functionally coupled to the fluid pump and configured to determine the modulated rate. However, the prior art of record fails to teach, make obvious, or suggest, a method for operating a bed device, the method comprising: obtaining at least one first biological signal from a user, the at least one first biological signal indicating a presence of the user on the bed device; determining a first control signal and a time to send the first control signal to the bed device, wherein the first control signal comprises a first instruction to turn bed device or off and a second instruction to set a temperature of the bed device to a first temperature, and wherein the time to send the first control signal to the bed device is based on a bedtime associated with the user, the presence of the user, or both; sending the first control signal to the bed device at the determined time to turn the bed device on or off and set the bed device to the first temperature; obtaining, while the bed device is turned on, at least one second biological signal from the user, wherein the at least one second biological signal is different from the first biological signal; determining a second control signal, wherein the second control signal comprises an instruction to the bed device to adjust the temperature of the bed device to a second temperature in response to the obtained at least one one second biological signal; and sending the second control signal to the bed device to adjust the temperature of the bed device to the second temperature, as presented in the claimed invention. The examiner stated that none of the prior art of record, either taken by itself or in any combination, would have anticipated or made obvious the invention of the present application at or before the time it was filed.
Claims
This patent includes 30 claims, with claim 1 being the sole independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to a method for operating a bed device by obtaining biological signals from a user to control the bed's temperature and on/off state. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and refine the method described in the independent claim, providing details about the types of biological signals, sensors, sleep phases, and environmental properties used in the method.
Key Claim Terms New
Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.
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Date
Description
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US12370339
- Application Number
- US19022417
- Filing Date
- Jan 15, 2025
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Jun 5, 2035
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents