U.S. patent application number 16/813496 was filed with the patent office on 2020-09-03 for virtual reality guided meditation in a wellness platform.
The applicant listed for this patent is The StayWell Company, LLC. Invention is credited to Aaron Serling Goldberg, Alex Jeffrey Goldberg.
Application Number | 20200276407 16/813496 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004842912 |
Filed Date | 2020-09-03 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200276407 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Goldberg; Alex Jeffrey ; et
al. |
September 3, 2020 |
VIRTUAL REALITY GUIDED MEDITATION IN A WELLNESS PLATFORM
Abstract
A method for providing guided meditation to a user in a virtual
reality environment is provided. A user selects a type of
meditation, time duration of meditation, and location of
meditation. Based on the user's selections, the VR guided
meditation system provides a guided meditation exercise and a VR
environment to a client device. The guided meditation exercise
includes audio instructions guiding the user through meditation
steps. The VR environment includes imagery corresponding to the
selected location for the meditation exercise, for example, imagery
of a beach, waterfall, or trees. The VR guided meditation system
also generates reports including statistics of data from a
population of users completing guided meditation exercises. For
instance, the population of users includes employees of an
employer. The report is provided to the employer for the employer
to track workplace wellness of the employees.
Inventors: |
Goldberg; Alex Jeffrey;
(Lake Oswego, OR) ; Goldberg; Aaron Serling;
(Portland, OR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
The StayWell Company, LLC |
Yardley |
PA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004842912 |
Appl. No.: |
16/813496 |
Filed: |
March 9, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15134333 |
Apr 20, 2016 |
10632277 |
|
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16813496 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 2205/502 20130101;
A61M 2021/005 20130101; G16H 15/00 20180101; A61M 21/02 20130101;
A61M 2021/0027 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61M 21/02 20060101
A61M021/02; G16H 15/00 20060101 G16H015/00 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: obtaining, by a
processor from client devices associated with a plurality of users,
information associated with guided medication exercises performed
by the plurality of users through a virtual reality environment
displayed on the client devices, the plurality of users associated
with a plurality of locations; for each location of the plurality
of locations: generating, by the processor, a report specific to
the location, the report including statistics about the obtained
information of users of the plurality of users that are associated
with the location, obtaining a respective goal of the guided
meditation exercises, the respective goal generated based on the
report specific to the location, the respective goal being specific
to the location, and updating, by the processor, information of the
virtual reality environment based on the respective goal specific
to the location; and providing, by the processor, the updated
information to the client devices associated with the plurality of
users, the client devices configured to display an updated virtual
reality environment to the plurality of users based on the updated
information.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 15/134,333, filed Apr. 20, 2016, which is incorporated by
reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to the field of guided
meditation, and specifically to providing guided meditation to a
user in a virtual reality environment.
[0003] Meditation can provide numerous physical and mental
benefits. For example, on a physical level, meditation may increase
a person's energy level, lower high blood pressure, improve the
immune system, and reduce tension-based pain. On a mental level,
meditation may, for example, decrease stress and anxiety, increase
happiness, improve emotional stability, and achieve peace of mind.
People who practice meditation regularly are more likely to
experience these benefits. Guided meditation is a form of
meditation in which a person follows voice instructions, either
live or recorded, guiding the person step-by-step through a
meditation exercise.
[0004] Meditating outdoors in nature may facilitate improved
meditation experiences compared to meditating indoors. Natural
environments such as beaches, oceans, forests, waterfalls, and
other pleasant settings can help people relax and focus while
meditating. However, it may be impractical for people who do not
live or work near these natural environments to meditate in natural
environments. Virtual reality technology can let users view these
environments through a virtual reality system. For example, the
virtual environment may be a natural environment located across the
world from the location of a user in real life.
SUMMARY
[0005] A method for providing guided meditation to a user in a
virtual reality environment is provided. A VR guided meditation
system receives information from a client device of a user such as
a smart phone running a VR guided meditation application. The
information includes a request for a guided meditation exercise and
selections for the exercise. For instance, the user may select a
type of meditation such as a meditation that focuses on breathing
patterns or a meditation that involves a "body scan" of the user.
Further, the user selects a time duration of the meditation
exercise and a location of the meditation exercise. The location
options include natural environments that are suitable for
meditation such as a beach, a waterfall, and a forest. Based on the
user's selections, the VR guided meditation system provides a
guided meditation exercise and a VR environment to the smart phone
device. In particular, the guided meditation exercise includes
audio instructions guiding the user through the exercise. The audio
instructions are played to the user via speakers of the smart phone
or headphones connected to the smart phone. The VR environment is
presented to the user via the display of the smart phone. The VR
environment includes 360 degree imagery corresponding to the
selected location for the meditation exercise, for example, imagery
of a beach, waterfall, or trees. To help provide an immersive VR
environment for the user completing the guided meditation exercise,
visual elements and/or events in the VR environment are
synchronized with steps of the guided meditation exercise. For
example, a step informs the user to look at the waterfall imagery
in the VR environment while exhaling a breath slowly.
[0006] The VR guided meditation system also generates reports
including statistics of data and usage trends from a population of
users (e.g., a group of users with similar characteristics, such as
a group of employees of a company) completing guided meditation
exercises. For instance, the population of users may include
employees of an employer or members of an insurance plan covered by
an employer. The population of users may also include a group of
users in general. The report is provided to the employer for the
employer to track the wellness of the employees, covered member
populations, and/or users in general. For example, the employer can
track usage trends and the average number of minutes that each
employee meditates per day. The system may also provide feedback to
the user based on the user's personal usage and trends of the
user's data relative to trends of a larger population. Further, the
users may receive incentives for achieving certain goals through
the guided meditation exercises. For instance, an employee who
meditates at least 500 minutes in a month receives a coupon for
meditation related products or a lower deductible for a health
insurance plan. The VR guided meditation system and reports may
assist employers in promoting workplace wellness and healthy
practices among employees such as regular practice of
meditation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing environment for
guided meditation with a VR guided meditation system according to
one embodiment.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the VR guided meditation system
within the computing environment of FIG. 1 according to one
embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 3 is user interface illustrating meditation types of
the VR guided meditation system according to one embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 4 is user interface illustrating meditation time
durations of the VR guided meditation system according to one
embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 5 is user interface illustrating meditation locations
of the VR guided meditation system according to one embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 6 is user interface illustrating meditation based
feedback of the VR guided meditation system according to one
embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a process for providing
guided meditation according to one embodiment.
[0014] The figures depict various embodiments of the present
invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art
will readily recognize from the following discussion that
alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated
herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the
invention described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
System Overview
[0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing environment for
guided meditation with a VR guided meditation system 100 according
to one embodiment. The VR guided meditation system 100 is connected
to the network 130 and includes various modules described in FIG.
2. A user 115 interacts with the system 100 via a user interface of
the client device 110 connected to the network 130. Further, an
employer 125 interacts with the system 100 via a user interface of
the client device 120 connected to the network 130. In some
embodiments, the employer 125 is another type of individual or
entity. For example, the employer 125 is instead an administrator
125 of a health wellness program or an insurance plan. In this
case, the users 115 are, e.g., participants of the health wellness
program or covered members of the insurance plan, respectively.
That is, in some embodiments, the users 115 are users in general
and not necessarily employees of the employer 125. Some embodiments
of the system 100 may have additional, fewer, and/or different
modules than the ones described herein and have more than two
client devices (i.e., client device 110 and client device 120),
users 115, and employers 125. The functions can be distributed
among the modules in a different manner than described in FIG.
1.
[0016] A client device, e.g., client device 110 and 120, is an
electronic device used by a user, e.g., user 115 and employer 125,
to perform functions such as executing software applications,
consuming digital content, browsing websites hosted by web servers
on the network 130, downloading files, and the like. For example,
the client device may be a mobile device, a tablet, a notebook, a
desktop computer, or a portable computer. The client device
includes interfaces with a display device on which the user may
view webpages, videos and other content. In addition, the client
device provides a user interface (UI), such as physical and/or
on-screen buttons with which the user may interact with the client
device to perform functions such as viewing, selecting, and
consuming digital content such as digital medical records,
webpages, photos, videos and other content.
[0017] The network 130 enables communications among network
entities such as the client device 110, the client device 120, and
the VR guided meditation system 100. In one embodiment, the network
130 comprises the Internet and uses standard communications
technologies and/or protocols, e.g., BLUETOOTH.RTM., WiFi,
ZIGBEE.RTM., clouding computing, other air to air, wire to air
networks, and mesh network protocols to client devices, gateways,
and access points. In another embodiment, the network entities can
use custom and/or dedicated data communications technologies.
[0018] In one embodiment, the VR guided meditation system 100
receives information from the user 115 via the client device 110.
For instance, the information includes a request for a guided
meditation exercise. Further, the information indicates a type of
meditation, time duration for meditation, and location for
meditation along with the request. Based on the information, the VR
guided meditation system 100 provides a VR guided meditation
exercise to the user 115 via the client device 110. Additionally,
the VR guided meditation system 100 generates a report based on the
VR guided meditation exercise, as well as previously provided VR
guided meditation exercises. The VR guided meditation system 100
provides the report to an employer 125 of the user 115 via the
client device 120.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the VR guided meditation system
100 within the computing environment of FIG. 1 according to one
embodiment. The VR guided meditation system 100 in FIG. 2 includes
a user interface module 200, user account module 205, VR engine
210, guided meditation module 215, report module 220, incentives
module 230, user account store 240, and VR guided meditation store
245. In other embodiments, the VR guided meditation system 100 may
include additional, fewer, and/or different modules for various
applications. Conventional components such as network interfaces,
security mechanisms, load balancers, failover servers, management
and network operations consoles, and the like are not shown so as
to not obscure the details of the system 100. Also, it is noted
that the modules may be embodied as hardware, software (which may
include firmware), or any combination thereof. For software, it may
include program code or code segments. Software is comprised of one
or more instructions storable in a computer readable storage
medium, e.g., a memory or disk, and executable by a processor.
[0020] The user interface module 200 may be configured to link the
VR guided meditation system 100 via the network 130 to the client
devices 110 and 120. In an embodiment, the user interface module
200 serves web pages, as well as other web-related content, such as
Flash, XML, and so forth. The user interface module 200 provides
the functionality of receiving and routing messages and/or
information, e.g., between the VR guided meditation system 100 and
the client devices 110 and 120, as well as other external systems.
These messages can be instant messages, queued messages (e.g.,
email), text and SMS (short message service) messages, or any other
suitable messaging technique. The user interface module 200 allows
the user 115 and employer 125 to view and/or interact with user
interfaces generated by the system 100 by communicating information
between the system 100 and the client devices 110 and 120.
[0021] The user account module 205 may be configured to store user
account data associated with users 115 of the VR guided meditation
system 100. In an embodiment, the user account data of a user 115
includes information including a name of the user, contact
information (e.g., email and phone number) of the user, an employer
of the user (e.g., employer 125), information about VR guided
meditation exercises that the user has previously started and/or
completed, incentives that the user has earned, information about a
third-party smart device and/software of the user (e.g.,
FITBIT.RTM. and APPLE.RTM. HEALTHKIT), and the like. The VR guided
meditation system 100 receives the information from the user 115
via the client device 110.
[0022] The VR engine 210 may be configured to generate a VR
environment associated with a VR guided meditation exercise
generated by the guided meditation module 215. In an embodiment,
the VR engine 210 extracts VR environment data from the VR guided
meditation store 245. The VR environment data may be previously
input, e.g., via a client device, to the VR guided meditation store
245 by an expert, e.g., a designer of VR environments. Based on the
data, the VR engine 210 generates the VR environment. In an
embodiment, the VR environment includes one or more visual and/or
audio signals corresponding to a location of the VR environment.
For instance, a location of the VR environment is "garden falls"
(e.g., the garden falls location shown in FIG. 5). Accordingly, the
one or more visual and/or audio signals corresponding to the
"garden falls" location includes visual and/or audio signals of
waterfalls and garden plants. In particular, a visual signal is a
video imagery of a waterfall surrounding by trees and plants with
flowers. Further, an audio signal is a sound of water flowing or
splashing in the waterfall. The VR engine 210 provides the VR
environment to the client device 110, via the user interface module
200, for presentation to the user 115. In particular, the visual
signals (e.g., videos and photos) are presented in a graphical
display of the client device 110, e.g., a screen display of a
smartphone. Additionally, the audio signals are presented via audio
speakers of the client device 110 and/or another audio playing
device (e.g., headphones or external speakers) communicatively
coupled to the client device 110.
[0023] The guided meditation module 215 may be configured to
generate a VR guided meditation exercise associated with a VR
environment generated by the VR engine. In an embodiment, the VR
engine 210 extracts meditation exercise data from the VR guided
meditation store 245. The meditation exercise data may be
previously input, e.g., via a client device, to the VR guided
meditation store 245 by an expert, e.g., a meditation instructor or
researcher. Based on the data, the VR engine 210 generates the VR
guided meditation exercise. In an embodiment, the VR guided
meditation exercise includes meditation instructions corresponding
to a type of meditation. For instance, a type of meditation is
"breathing" (e.g., the breathing type shown in FIG. 3).
Accordingly, the meditation instructions related to breathing of a
user 115. For example, the instructions include "keep your breath
natural" and "notice where you feel your breath in your body."
[0024] In an embodiment, the VR guided meditation exercise has a
time duration, e.g., a time duration shown in FIG. 4. For a VR
guided meditation exercise with a shorter time duration, e.g., 2
minutes, the guided meditation module 215 may reduce the number of
meditation instructions such that the VR guided meditation exercise
can be completed within the shorter time duration. For a VR guided
meditation exercise with a longer time duration, e.g., 10 minutes,
the guided meditation module 215 may increase the number or
duration of pauses in between meditation instructions such that the
VR guided meditation exercise can be completed within the longer
time duration. The VR engine 210 provides the meditation
instructions to the client device 110, via the user interface
module 200, for presentation to the user 115. In particular, the
meditation instructions represented by visual signals (e.g.,
graphical text of the meditation instructions) are presented in a
graphical display of the client device 110, e.g., a screen display
of a smartphone. Additionally, the meditation instructions
represented by audio signals (e.g., an audio narration of the
meditation instructions) are presented via audio speakers of the
client device 110 and/or another audio playing device (e.g.,
headphones or external speakers) communicatively coupled to the
client device 110.
[0025] The report module 220 may be configured to generate a report
including statistics of users 115 and VR guided meditation
exercises completed by users 115. The report may be presented on a
user interface (e.g., user interface 600 further described in FIG.
6) of a client device 120 for an employer 125 to view. The report
may also be presented on a user interface of a client device 110
for a user 115 to view. In one example, the statistics indicate the
average time users 115, e.g., employees of the employer 125,
meditate (i.e., using the VR guided meditation system 100) per
office location of the employer 125 per day. In another example,
the statistics indicate the average time all employees of the
employer 125 meditate per day. In yet another example, the
statistics indicate the percentage of all employees of the employer
125 that use the VR guided meditation system 100. Based on the
reviewing the statistics, the employer 125 may assess workplace
wellness of the employees, make recommendations to employees to
improve workplace wellness based on the assessment (e.g.,
meditating more to help reduce stress among employees, and thus
increase employee productivity), compare meditation statistics
and/or feedback between different populations of employees (e.g.,
whether employees at one office location are meditating fewer
minutes on average relative to employees at other office
locations), set goals for incentives, and the like. In some
embodiments, the VR guided meditation system 100 is integrated with
a workplace wellness platform associated with an employer 125 and
users 115 who are employees of the employer 125. The workplace
wellness platform may be a third-party application, e.g., an online
website or application running on client devices of users 115 and
employers 125. Further, the workplace wellness platform may be
integrated with other services such as FITBIT.RTM., APPLE.RTM.
HEALTHKIT, health insurance plan services, and the like.
[0026] The report module 220 may further be configured to collect
data over a period of time about guided meditation exercises
performed by users 115. The data may be organized individually by
each user or aggregated for a population of users. Based on the
collected data and corresponding statistics of the data, the report
module 220 can generate reports about individual users and/or the
population of users.
[0027] The report module 220 may additionally be configured to
provide questions to the client device 110 of a user 115. In an
embodiment, the questions are presented to the user 115 before the
user starts a guided meditation exercise as well as after the user
starts a guided meditation exercise. The questions may inform the
user 115 to provide, e.g., information describing a current level
of stress of the user 115, a location of the user 115 in real life
(e.g., office cubicle or balcony), a heart rate of the user 115
(e.g., measured by a third-party device such as a FITBIT.RTM.), a
current mood of the user 115 (e.g., happy or sad), a recent meal
consumed by the user 115 (e.g., whether the user ate fruit for
breakfast), and the like. The report module 220 can receive the
users' responses to the questions, e.g., via the user interface
module 200. In some embodiments, the responses include
pre-determined selections for responses. For example, the responses
may include Likert-type scale responses such as "strongly
disagree," "agree," "neutral," "disagree," and "strongly disagree."
In an embodiment, the report module 220 stores the responses in the
user account store 240 along with a user account associated with
the user 115. Further, in some embodiments, the report module 220
generates reports based on the responses of the user 115. For
instance, the report module 220 compares a level of stress of the
user 115 before and after completing the guided meditation
exercise. The report module 220 generates a report indicating that
the user's level of stress was lower after completing the guided
meditation exercise, relative to before starting the guided
meditation exercise. Thus, the report indicates that the guided
meditation exercise may have helped improve the user's level of
stress.
[0028] The incentives module 230 may be configured to provide
incentives to users 115 who perform VR guided meditation exercises.
The incentives may be associated with a particular goal, e.g., the
incentives module 230 provides an incentive to a user 115 if the
user 115 achieves the particular goal. A goal can be achieved by
completing a VR guided meditation exercise and/or performing a
portion of a VR guided meditation exercise. For instance, a goal is
achieved when a user performs at least 100 total minutes of VR
guided meditation exercises. A user can achieve this goal during
the middle of a VR guided meditation exercise before completing the
VR guided meditation exercise. In an embodiment, the incentives to
users 115 who are employees of an employer 125 are based on
incentive information provided by the employer 125. For instance,
the employer 125 provides incentive information to the incentives
module 230 indicating that users 115 who complete at least a
threshold number of minutes of VR guided meditation exercises earn
a certain incentive, e.g., a coupon for a discount on health and
wellness related products such as exercise apparel and water
bottles. The incentives module 230 provides the coupon incentive,
e.g., as a digital coupon via a client device 110, to a user 115
who earns the coupon incentive. The threshold number of minutes may
be a cumulative number of minutes or an average number of minutes
over a time period, e.g., a latest month. Further, the threshold
number of minutes can be manually selected by the employer 125 or
automatically set by the incentives module 230. For instance, the
incentives module 230 automatically sets the threshold number of
minutes based on data of a population of users 115, e.g., the
threshold number of minutes is equivalent to the number of minutes
that the top 10% of users 115 meditate on average each month. In an
embodiment, populations of users 115 is determined based on users
115 who are employees at a particular office location of an
employer 125. Incentives based on these populations may promote
competition between employees of different office locations (or
within one office location), and thus result in increased use of
the VR guided meditation system 100 among employees.
[0029] In some embodiments, incentives module 230 categorizes
incentives into different tiers of incentives. For example, users
115 earn tier 1 awards by satisfying a first set of one or more
criteria, e.g., complete ten VR guided meditation exercises in the
latest month; users 115 earn tier 2 awards by satisfying a second
set of one or more criteria, e.g., complete twenty VR guided
meditation exercises in the latest month; users 115 earn tier 3
awards by satisfying a third set of one or more criteria, e.g.,
complete a VR guided meditation exercises every day in the latest
month.
[0030] In some embodiments, incentives module 230 provides virtual
incentives, for completing VR guided meditation exercises,
associated with a user account of a user 115. For example, a
virtual incentive is a badge indicating an achievement of a user
115 (e.g., completed 100 total VR guided meditation exercises). The
virtual incentive is viewable user interfaces of client devices 110
of the user 115 and other users. Thus, as a result of earning the
virtual incentive, the user 115 may receive recognition from other
users such as other employees, i.e., co-workers of the user 115, as
well as an employer 125 of the user 115.
User Interfaces
[0031] FIG. 3 is user interface 300 illustrating meditation types
of the VR guided meditation system 100 according to one embodiment.
The user interface 300 shown in FIG. 3, e.g., generated by the
guided meditation module 215, includes a selection 310 to display
types of meditation for a VR guided meditation exercise and
selection 320 of a type of meditation. Types of meditations
illustrated in the user interface 300 include "body scan,"
"breathing," "anxiety," "focus," and "calm." In other embodiments,
the user interface 300 includes fewer, additional, and/or different
types of meditations. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the selection
320 indicates that the user 115 wants a breathing type of
meditation. The guided meditation module 215 receives the
indication and provides a VR guided meditation exercise based on
the indication. In an embodiment, the guided meditation module 215
stores the indication in the user account store 240 along with a
user account associated with the user 115.
[0032] In one example, a VR guided meditation exercise
corresponding to a breathing type of meditation focuses on
breathing patterns of a user 115. For instance, the guided
meditation module 215 generates visual and/or audio instructions of
the VR guided meditation exercise notifying the user 115 to "inhale
slowly over 4 seconds," "hold your breath for 7 seconds," and
"exhale slowly over 8 seconds." In an embodiment, the guided
meditation module 215 synchronizes the instructions with a visual
element and/or an event in a VR environment generated by the VR
engine 210. For example, the VR environment corresponds to a
"garden falls" location (e.g., the garden falls location in FIG.
3), so the VR environment includes visual and/or audio signals of a
waterfall. The guided meditation module 215 synchronizes the
instructions with the visual and/or audio signals of the waterfall.
In particular, the instruction "exhale slowly over 8 seconds" is
synchronized with a visual signal of a large wave of water
splashing in the waterfall and an audio signal corresponding to the
splashing of the wave of water. As another example, the instruction
may generally include asking the user to look at scenery
(regardless of what it is) while the user is imagining walking
through the scenery. The user 115 can more easily follow the
instruction when assisted with cues from the visual and/or audio
signals, e.g., because the imagery and/or sound of a waterfall
often help users relax their minds and concentrate on their
breathing patterns. Accordingly, synchronizing the instructions
with the visual and/or audio signals provides an improved user
experience to the user 115. In some embodiments, the visual and/or
audio instructions correspond to an event and/or a visual element
of the VR environment. For example, an audio instruction, "look at
the bottom of the waterfall as you exhale," instructs the user to
115 to look at a particular object and/or location while completing
the VR guided meditation exercise.
[0033] In another example, a VR guided meditation exercise
corresponding to a body scan type of meditation focuses on parts of
a body of a user 115. For instance, the guided meditation module
215 generates visual and/or audio instructions of the VR guided
meditation exercise notifying the user 115 to "let your shoulders
be soft," "if you stomach is tight, let it soften," and "notice the
weight of your feet on the ground." In an embodiment, the guided
meditation module 215 synchronizes the instructions with a visual
element and/or an event in a VR environment generated by the VR
engine 210. For example, the VR environment corresponds to a
"paradise beach" location (e.g., the paradise beach location in
FIG. 3), so the VR environment includes visual and/or audio signals
of a beach and ocean waters. The guided meditation module 215
synchronizes the instructions with the visual and/or audio signals
of the beach and ocean waters. In particular, the instruction
"notice the weight of your feet on the ground" is synchronized with
a visual signal of sand blowing beneath the user 115 and an audio
signal corresponding to the sound of the sand blowing. The user 115
can more easily follow the instruction when assisted with cues from
the visual and/or audio signals, e.g., because the imagery and/or
sound of beach and ocean often help users relax their minds and
concentrate on their breathing patterns. Accordingly, synchronizing
the instructions with the visual and/or audio signals provides an
improved user experience to the user 115.
[0034] FIG. 4 is user interface 400 illustrating meditation time
durations of the VR guided meditation system 100 according to one
embodiment. The user interface 400 shown in FIG. 4, e.g., generated
by the guided meditation module 215, includes a selection 410 to
display time durations of meditation for a VR guided meditation
exercise and selection 420 of a time duration of meditation. Time
durations of meditations illustrated in the user interface 400
include "2 minutes," "5 minutes," and "10 minutes." In other
embodiments, the user interface 400 includes fewer, additional,
and/or different time durations of meditations. In the example
shown in FIG. 4, the selection 420 indicates that the user 115
wants a 2 minute time duration of meditation. The guided meditation
module 215 receives the indication and provides a VR guided
meditation exercise based on the indication. In an embodiment, the
guided meditation module 215 stores the indication in the user
account store 240 along with a user account associated with the
user 115.
[0035] FIG. 5 is user interface 500 illustrating meditation
locations of the VR guided meditation system 100 according to one
embodiment. The user interface 500 shown in FIG. 5, e.g., generated
by the guided meditation module 215, includes a selection 510 to
display locations of meditation for a VR guided meditation exercise
and selection 520 of a location of meditation. Locations of
meditations illustrated in the user interface 500 include "breaking
waves," "garden falls," "paradise beach," "tropical island," and
"secret cove." In other embodiments, the user interface 500
includes fewer, additional, and/or different locations of
meditations. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the selection 520
indicates that the user 115 wants a "garden falls" location of
meditation. The guided meditation module 215 receives the
indication and provides a VR guided meditation exercise based on
the indication. In an embodiment, the guided meditation module 215
stores the indication in the user account store 240 along with a
user account associated with the user 115.
Meditation Based Feedback
[0036] FIG. 6 is user interface 600 illustrating meditation based
feedback (e.g., "meditation metrics") of the VR guided meditation
system 100 according to one embodiment. The user interface 600 is
associated with an employer 125 and employees, i.e., user 115, of
the employer 125 who complete VR guided meditation exercises. The
user interface 600 shown in FIG. 6, e.g., generated by the report
module 225, includes a chart 610 indicating the average time
employees meditate per location (e.g., office location of the
employer) per day, a display 620 of the average meditation time per
employee per day, a display 630 of the number of employees earning
tier 1 award this month, and a chart 640 indicating the usage
percentage of the VR guided meditation system 100 among all
employees. Other embodiments of the user interface 600 include
additional, fewer, and/or different types of meditation based
feedback from those shown in FIG. 6.
[0037] The chart 610 includes different office locations on the
x-axis, i.e., New York Office, San Francisco Office, San Jose
Office, and Chicago Office. The y-axis of the chart 610 represents
the average time (e.g., in minutes) that employees at each office
location meditates per day. For instance, employees at the Chicago
office meditate on average for 30 minutes each day. The average
time shown in FIG. 6 is based on VR guided meditation exercises
completed in a current month, i.e., the month of "Mar. 1-31, 2016."
The average time may also be based on information over a day, week,
year, and/or any other time duration. The chart 610 also includes a
dashed line indicating a goal for the average time that employees
at each office location meditate per day, e.g., a goal of averaging
25 minutes per day. In an embodiment, the employer 125 manually
selects the average time for the goal. In other embodiments, the VR
guided meditation system 100 automatically sets the average time
for the goal is based on meditation information about a population
of users 115 of the VR guided meditation system 100. For example,
the average time for the goal is based on the average time that the
top 25% of users 115 in the population spend meditating. The
population may include only employees of the employer 125 and/or
other users 115 of the VR guided meditation system 100, e.g.,
employees from multiple employers 125 aggregated together.
[0038] The display 620 indicates that employees of the employer 125
meditate for an average of 40 minutes per day over a certain time
period (e.g., over the current month, week, day, etc.). The display
630 indicates that 12 employees of the employer 125 have earned a
tier 1 award in the current month (i.e., Mar. 1-31, 2016). The
chart 640 indicates that 72% of all employees of the employer 125
use VR guided meditation system 100, e.g., 72% of all employees
have completed at least one VR guided meditation exercise.
Process Flow
[0039] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a process 700 for
providing guided meditation according to one embodiment. In some
embodiments, the process 700 is used within the computing
environment of FIG. 1. The process 700 may include different or
additional steps than those described in conjunction with FIG. 7 in
some embodiments, or perform steps in different orders than the
order described in conjunction with FIG. 7.
[0040] In an example embodiment of the VR guided meditation system
100 using the process 700, the user interface module receives 710
user information from a client device 110 of a user 115. The user
information may include a request from the user 115 for a guided
meditation exercise, information indicating a type of VR
environment for the guided meditation exercise, a duration of the
guided meditation exercise, a type of guided meditation exercise,
among other types of information. In response to the request from
the user 115, the guided meditation module 215 provides 720 VR
environment information for the guided meditation exercise to the
client device 110. Based on the VR environment information, the
client device 110 displays a VR environment (e.g., a VR environment
corresponding to the "garden falls" location shown in FIG. 5) to
the user 115 during the guided meditation exercise. The VR Engine
210 provides 730, with the VR environment, one or more steps of the
guided meditation exercise to the client device 110. At least one
of the one or more steps of the guided meditation exercise may be
synchronized with a visual element of the VR environment. The user
115 can perceive the visual element while performing the guided
meditation exercise, i.e., the user's eyes are open while
performing the guided meditation exercise. For example, the visual
element is a waterfall, a pebble on a beach, or a bird in the VR
environment. In some embodiments, the visual element is an event
occurring within the VR environment. For example, the event can be
a splash of water in a waterfall, a bird flying over a beach, or a
leaf falling from a tree.
[0041] Following in the same example embodiment, the report module
220 collects 740 data over a period of time about guided meditation
exercises performed by a population of users on a multiple client
devices. The population may include the user 115. Further, the
population of users may be based on categories such as demographic
information (e.g., age or gender of users), location information
(e.g., geographical location of an office of users), and/or other
types of information. The report module 220 generates 750 a report
based at on statistics of the data collected about the guided
meditation exercises performed by the population of users. For
example, the report includes visual representations such as bar
graphs, pie charts, line graphs, etc., of the statistics. The
statistics may include, e.g., a mean or standard deviation of an
amount of time that users 115 meditate using the VR guided
meditation system 100 over a given time period (e.g., daily or
weekly), a number of users 115 who achieved a particular goal
and/or received a particular incentive, and the like. The VR guided
meditation system 100 (e.g., the user interface module 200)
provides 760 the report for display to a client device 120. The
client device 120 may be used by an employer 125 of the user 115 to
view and/or interact with the report and/or other reports, among
other functions. For example, the employer 125 using the client
device 120 may input information to set a goal for users performing
the guided meditation exercises, send messages such as words of
encouragement and status updates to the users, input information
for incentives (e.g., which may correspond to a goal), retrieve
information about users 115 of the VR guided meditation system 100,
invite new users to use the VR guided meditation system 100 (e.g.,
by sending an email or text message invitation), and the like.
[0042] In an example use case with a smart phone client device 110,
the user 115 positions the smart phone in his or her vicinity while
completing a VR guided meditation exercise. The smart phone is
positioned such that the user 115 can view a VR environment
presented on the smart phone and listen to audio instructions of
the VR guided meditation exercise played by the smart phone. In
another example use case, a smart phone client device 110 is
movably coupled to a VR head-mounted display (HMD) that needs to be
used in conjunction with a smart phone, for example, Google.RTM.
Cardboard and Samsung.RTM. Gear VR. In this use case, the user 115
wears the HMD and views the VR environment on a display of the
smartphone positioned in front of the user's eyes. In yet another
example use case, the client device 110 is a VR head-mounted
display (HMD) that does not need to be used in conjunction with a
smart phone, for example, Oculus.RTM. Rift. In this use case, the
user 115 wears the HMD, views the VR environment on a display of
the HMD, and listens to audio instructions of the VR guided
meditation exercise played by audio speakers of the HMD.
Alternative Embodiments
[0043] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the
invention has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is
not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the
precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can
appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in
light of the above disclosure.
[0044] Some portions of this description describe the embodiments
of the invention in terms of algorithms and symbolic
representations of operations on information. These algorithmic
descriptions and representations are commonly used by those skilled
in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work
effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations, while
described functionally, computationally, or logically, are
understood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalent
electrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has
also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of
operations as modules, without loss of generality. The described
operations and their associated modules may be embodied in
software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof.
[0045] Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein
may be performed or implemented with one or more hardware or
software modules, alone or in combination with other devices. In
one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer
program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing
computer program code, which can be executed by a computer
processor for performing any or all of the steps, operations, or
processes described.
[0046] Embodiments of the invention may also relate to an apparatus
for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be
specially constructed for the required purposes, and/or it may
comprise a general-purpose computing device selectively activated
or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such
a computer program may be stored in a nontransitory, tangible
computer readable storage medium, or any type of media suitable for
storing electronic instructions, which may be coupled to a computer
system bus. Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the
specification may include a single processor or may be
architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased
computing capability.
[0047] Embodiments of the invention may also relate to a product
that is produced by a computing process described herein. Such a
product may comprise information resulting from a computing
process, where the information is stored on a nontransitory,
tangible computer readable storage medium and may include any
embodiment of a computer program product or other data combination
described herein.
[0048] Finally, the language used in the specification has been
principally selected for readability and instructional purposes,
and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the
inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope
of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but
rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon.
Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is
intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the
invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
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