# US 10,478,590 B2 · Sleep assistance device for multiple users > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,478,590 B2 - Document ID: US10478590B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/655,836 - Filed: 2017-07-20 - Published: 2018-03-22 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-16 - Assignees: Bose Corporation - Applicants: Bose Corporation - Inventors: Martin James Dalgleish; Brian David Mulcahey - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478590B2 ## CPC - A61M 21/02: for inducing sleep or relaxation, e.g. by direct nerve stimulation, hypnosis, analgesia (for massage A61H; electrotherapy A61N, e.g. applying alternating or intermittent electric currents for producing anaesthesia A61N1/36021) - A61B 5/4812: {Detecting sleep stages or cycles} - A61B 5/6898: {Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers} - G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path} - H04R 1/406: {microphones} - A61B 5/024: Measuring pulse rate or heart rate - A61B 5/0816: {Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency (measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00)} - A61B 5/11: Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor or mobility of a limb {(A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721)} - A61B 5/4836: {Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods (A61B5/0036 takes precedence)} - A61B 2560/0242: adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution - A61M 2021/0027: {by the hearing sense} - A61M 2021/0083: {especially for waking up} - A61M 2021/0088: {modulated by a simulated respiratory frequency} - A61M 2205/3303: Using a biosensor - A61M 2205/3306: Optical measuring means - A61M 2205/3368: Temperature - A61M 2205/3375: Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means - A61M 2205/3553: remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office - A61M 2205/3561: local, e.g. within room or hospital - A61M 2205/3569: sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable - A61M 2205/3584: using modem, internet or Bluetooth® - A61M 2205/3592: using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission - A61M 2205/502: User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards - A61M 2205/505: Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches - A61M 2205/52: with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient - A61M 2205/581: by audible feedback - A61M 2205/583: by visual feedback - A61M 2205/80: voice-operated command - A61M 2230/06: Heartbeat rate only - A61M 2230/42: Rate - A61M 2230/63: Motion, e.g. physical activity - G06F 3/167: {Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback} - G10L 15/22: Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue - G10L 2015/223: {Execution procedure of a spoken command} - H04R 1/028: {associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles} - H04R 1/04: Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor (in electric hearing aids H04R25/00) - H04R 1/326: {for microphones (H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence)} - H04R 29/00: Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements {(for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308)} - H04R 2420/07: Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING ## Abstract A sleep assistance device is provided-for, including a contactless biometric sensor, a processor, memory, and a speaker. The processor detects a user's sleep state by reading signals from the contactless biometric sensor. The processor may then initiate a wind-down routine upon detecting a sleep-readiness state, including playing relaxing sounds or playing a respiration entrainment sound. The processor may also play noise-masking sounds upon detecting that a user has fallen asleep and seamlessly transition between the sounds played during the wind-down routine and the noise-masking sounds. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sleep assistance device comprising: a housing; a first contactless biometric sensor, integrated into the housing, for determining at least one of a heart rate, a respiratory rate, a presence, or movement of a first user; a processor; memory; and a speaker; wherein said processor is configured to: detect a sleep state of the first user by reading signals from said first contactless biometric sensor based on at least one of a detected change in the first user's heart rate, body movement, respiration, or presence; detect a sleep state of a second user by reading signals from a second contactless biometric sensor, not integrated into the housing, based on at least one of a detected change in the second user's heart rate, body movement, respiration, or presence; initiate a first wind-down routine upon detecting a sleep-readiness state of one of the first user or the second user, the first wind-down routine comprising at least one of playing relaxing sounds or playing a respiration entrainment sound; and play noise-masking sounds upon detecting that one of the first user or the second user has fallen asleep, wherein the processor is configured to play the sounds of the first wind-down routine for the first user and play the noise-masking sounds simultaneously for the second user, and wherein at least one of the noise-masking sounds or the sounds of the first wind-down routine mask the other from being heard by at least one of the first or the second user, wherein the noise-masking sounds mask the first wind-down routine from being heard by the second user, and the sounds of the first wind-down routine mask the noise-masking sounds from being heard by the first user. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sleep assistance device of claim 1, wherein, if the detected sleep-readiness state is of the first user, then the processor is configured to play the sounds of the first wind-down routine using the speaker, and if the detected sleep-readiness state is of the second user, then the processor is configured to play the sounds of the first wind-down routine using earphones in wireless communication with the sleep assistance device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The sleep assistance device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate a second wind-down routine upon detecting a sleep readiness state of the other of the first user or the second user, the second wind-down routine comprising at least one of playing relaxing sounds or playing a respiration entrainment sound. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The sleep assistance device of claim 3, wherein the sounds of the second wind-down routine are played over a different output than the sounds of the first wind-down routine. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The sleep assistance device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: play the sounds of the first wind-down routine using one of the speaker or earphones in wireless communication with the sleep assistance device, and play the noise-masking sounds using the other of the speaker or the earphones. ### Claim 6 A sleep assistance device comprising: a housing; a first contactless biometric sensor, integrated into the housing, for determining at least one of a heart rate, a respiratory rate, a presence, or movement of a first user; a processor; and memory; wherein said processor is configured to: detect a sleep state of the first user by reading signals from said first contactless biometric sensor based on at least one of a detected change in the first user's heart rate, body movement, respiration, or presence; initiate a first wind-down routine upon detecting a sleep-readiness state of the first user, the first wind-down routine comprising controlling earphones in wireless communication with the sleep assistance device to play at least one of relaxing sounds or a respiration entrainment sound, wherein the processor is configured to play the sounds of the first wind-down routine for the first user and play the noise-masking sounds simultaneously for a second user, and wherein at least one of the noise-masking sounds or the sounds of the first wind-down routine mask the other from being heard by at least one of the first or the second user, wherein the noise-masking sounds mask the first wind-down routine from being heard by the second user, and the sounds of the first wind-down routine mask the noise-masking sounds from being heard by the first user.