Patent Application

                                     of

                            Christina Ruth Mann

                                    for

           Method of assisting in the provision of medical care 

   of which the following is a specification:

                                  ABSTRACT

   A method of assisting in the provision of medical care is disclosed.
   The method comprises the steps of alternating leg movements and arm
   movements while laying on one's back, in order to amuse and entertain
   a distressed visotor, thereby providing emotional support the the
   visitor. The emotional support may also be thus provided indirectly to
   a person undergoing surgery.

                           FIELD OF THE INVENTION

   The present invention pertains generally to the provision of emotoinal
   support to a distressed visitor of a person undergoing surgery.

                        BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

   With increses in the costs of providing medical care, health care,
   etc., along with the growing costs of health care, there is an
   increase in the need to reduce stress, especially in the case of a
   visitor who might normally wear a heart monitor or biofeedback
   computer that is not functioning properly.

   Younger patients can often assist in the stress reduction process,
   especially when surgery can often increase the stress involved.

   The method is particularly applicable to comforting a distressed
   father.

   In particular, the method may be practiced when released from the womb
   of a mother by way of an incision in the belly of the mother, to
   comfort the father while the father is in a state of panic at the
   sight of his wife having been cut open.

   The distraction, with such cute gestures and movements, allows medical
   staff sufficient time to repair the damage to the mother.

   Particularly complex cute behaviour helps keep the father amused,
   especially if the phase of movement between legs and feet, or between
   legs and arms is sufficiently random, shifted, or especially if the
   frequency or periodicity is sufficiently different.

   A novel mixture of different periodicities and phase shifts can be
   used to synthesize a simulation of in-phase and quadrature ambulation
   that will entertain the father.

   Alternatively, moving all four limbs in a pattern having high fractal
   dimension while aiming the head back and forth in the direction of the
   father, provides further amusement.

   These patterns may cause sufficient amusement to be picked up and
   carried by the father to being within view of the mother, and thus
   also provide amusement and comfort to the mother.

                          SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

   The invention consists of a method of providing emotional support to a
   visitor in a health care setting.

   In one aspect of the invention, a user of the invention moves her arms
   and legs alternately while laying on her back, in order to amuse a
   distressed visitor.

   In another aspect of the invention, she tilts her head toward the
   distressed visitor, and then moves her feet in an oscilatory periodic
   motion commensurate with the movement of her legs.

   In another aspect of the invention, she moves her feet in an
   oscilatory periodic motion together with the movement of her legs, in
   which the frequency of periodic motion of her legs and that of her
   feet are not an integer multiple of one another.

                     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

   The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of examples
   which in no way are meant to limit the scope of the invention, but,
   rather, these examples will serve to illustrate the invention with
   reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

   FIG. 1 is a timing diagram showing arm and leg movement.

   FIG. 2 is a diagram of a facial expression modulator.

             DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

   While the invention shall now be described with reference to the
   preferred embodiments shown in the drawing, it should be understood
   that the intention is not to limit the invention only to the
   particular embodiments shown but rather to cover all alterations,
   modifications and equivalent arrangements possible within the scope of
   appended claims.

   FIG. 1 depicts arm and leg movement, in which left leg LL and right
   leg RL operate out of phase by an angle pi (e.g. alternately), with
   respect to one another. Left arm LA and right arm RA also operate
   alternately (phase angle pi between them). A phase shift of pi/2
   between arms and legs, provides an amusing feature. Alternatively,
   other asynchronous movements between arms and legs may also provide
   such amusement through the novelty of this movement.

   By moving the arms and legs at different frequencies, but with the
   phase shift of pi between left arm and right arm, together with the
   phase shift of pi between left leg and right leg, other cute
   amusing effects can be achieved.

   A facial expression that is modulated in a quasi periodic or
   cyclostationary manner, may also be used to modulate the phase or
   frequency of arm or leg movements, further amusing the father, while
   the mother is being stitched back together.

   Additionally, the arms and legs may be moved in a more random manner,
   of high fractal dimension, while a period or near-periodic facial
   expression is used to modulate at least on aspect of said more random
   manner.

   FIG. 2 depicts a facial expression modulator. A first facial
   expression 100 is generated first. Subsequently a second facial
   expression 101 is then generated. Additionally, the method involves
   transitioning between the two facial expressions in a period pattern
   105. The periodic pattern 105 modulates a periodic arm or leg
   movement, 130L of the left side of the body and 130R of the right side
   of the body, 130L being out of phase with 130R by an angle of pi.

   The modulation is performed by construction of a time base 120 to be
   modulated by a modulator 110. The modulator can be thought of
   internally, or can be performed by periodic gestures on time base 120
   and performing other period gestures as modulated from this first
   period gesture on time base 120, to get modulated gestures 130L and
   130R.

   From the foregoing description, it will thus be evident that the
   present invention provides a design for a method of assisting in the
   providing medical care. As various changes can be made in the above
   embodiments and operating methods without departing from the spirit or
   scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in
   the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings should be
   interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

   Variations or modifications to the design and construction of this
   invention, within the scope of the invention, may occur to those
   skilled in the art upon reviewing the disclosure herein. Such
   variations or modifications, if within the spirit of this invention,
   are intended to be encompassed within the scope of any claims to
   patent protection issuing upon this invention.

                                   CLAIMS

   The embodiments of the invention in which I claim an exclusive
   property or privilege are defined as follows:

   What I claim as my invention is:
    1. A method of providing amusement to a vistor of a patient, said
       method comprising the steps of:
          + alternate approximately periodic gesture by way of a first
            pair of body parts about an approximate central axis of
            symmetry;
          + alternate approximately periodic gesture by way of a second
            pair of body parts about an approximate central axis of
            symmetry;
       said gesture by way of said first pair of body parts being out of
       phase with that of said second pair of body parts.
    2. The method of Claim 1 where said first pair of body parts are
       legs.
    3. The method of Claim 2 where said second pair of body parts are
       arms.
    4. The method of Claim 2 where said second pair of body parts are
       feet.
    5. The method of Claim 1 where said visitor is a husband of said
       patient.
    6. The method of Claim 1 where a person providing said amusement is a
       newborn baby of said patient.
    7. A method of providing amusement to a distressed husband of a
       patient, said method comprising the steps of:
          + being released from a womb of said patient by way of an
            incision in the belly of said patient;
          + distracting said husband by way of performing alternate
            approximately periodic movement of a first pair of body parts
            about an approximate central axis of symmetry, alternate
            approximately periodic movement of a second pair of body
            parts about an approximate central axis of symmetry, said
            movement of said first pair of body parts being out of phase
            with said second pair of body parts,
       said distracting performed while said incision is being repaired.
    8. A method of providing amusement to a distressed visitor of a
       patient said method for being practiced by a person recently
       released from a womb of said patient by way of an incision in the
       belly of said patient, said method comprising the steps of:
          + moving of legs in an alternate approximately periodic pattern
            about an approximate central axis of symmetry;
          + movement of at least one of:
               feet;
               arms,
            about an approximate central axis of symmetry, said movement
            being out of phase with said movement of said legs.