Apparatus for increasing brain activity

Claim 2

Apparatus for increasing the mental activity of a human person characterised by means for cooling the head of the person and means for warming the sole of the person.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that it is incorporated in an article of furniture.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the apparatus is incorporated in a chair, with the cooling means being mounted at or near a head rest and the warming means being mounted at or near a foot rest.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, characterised in that the cooling and warming means comprises a compressor for compressing a coolant, a condenser connected to the compressor for receiving the compressed coolant and radiating heat, and an evaporator connected with the condenser through a pipe for evaporating the coolant from the condenser and for returning the evaporated coolant to the condenser, the cooling means including the evaporator and said warming means including the condenser.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to Claim 4, characterised in that a blower means is connected with the evaporator for blowing air cooled at the evaporator toward the head of the said person sitting in the chair.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to Claim 4 or 5, characterised in that the evaporator is housed in the head rest of the chair including a thermally insulating yieldable member adapted to yield under the pressure of the head of the person.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to Claim 6, characterised in that the thermally insulating yieldable member includes at least one flexible sheet spaced from the evaporator to form an air gap therebetween.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, characterised in that the cooling and warming means includes an electric fan means housed in the chair, electric heating means in the foot rest, and wherein the head'rest includes a plurality of openings for drawing air into the interior of the head rest and then blowing air towards the head of the person when the fan means is energised.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the cooling and warming means comprises a thermoelement utilising the Peltier effect with the cold section located in a head rest and the hot section disposed in a foot rest.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to Claim 9, characterised in that the cooling and warming means is mounted in a head pillow and has a cold section to be engaged by the head of a person using the pillow and a hot section connected with blower means via a conduit and including a nozzle adapted to be placed adjacent to the feet of the user.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the cooling and warming means comprises a housing containing a compressor for compressing a coolant and a condenser for receiving the compressed coolant and radiating heat, and blower means for receiving air heated at the condenser and feeding the heated air to another nozzle via flexible duct means, and an evaporator disposed in a head pillow and connected with the condenser through a capillary pipe for evaporating the coolant from the condenser.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the cooling and warming means comprises a housing having a font rest and containing a compressor for compressing a coolant and a condenser adjacent the foot rest for receiving the compressed coolant from the compressor and an evaporator connected with the condenser through a capillary pipe for evaporating the coolant from the condenser and connected with said compressor for returning the coolant thereto, and duct means extending outwardly of the housing and connected to the evaporator at the inlet of the duct means, and blower means positioned between the evaporator and the duct inlet for drawing in and blowing out air cooled at the evaporator.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the cooling means is disposed at the head rest of a seat in a vehicle and the warming means comprises the vehicle heater.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 12, characterised in that it is incorporated in a student's desk.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, characterised in that the evaporator comprises a cooling plate made of a material adapted to reflect alpha waves from the human brain.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, characterised in that the evaporator is shaped and adapted to produce a soothing noise.

Claim 18

Apparatus for measuring the activity of the human brain, characterised by means for receiving a part of the body of a person whose brain power is to be measured, means for radiating light through the body part, means for receiving the light transmitted through the body part and converting it into an electrical signal, and means for indicating the magnitude of said electrical signal.

Claim 19

Apparatus for measuring the activity of the human brain, characterised by means for receiving a part of the body of a person whose brain power is to be measured, means for radiating light through the body part, means for receiving the light transmitted through the body part and converting it into an electrical signal, and means for indicating the magnitude of said electrical signal.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to Claim 17, characterised in that the body part has blood vessels and is e.g. a finger.