Taste inhibition through the use of an air flow

Abstract

A flow of air is directed at the face and into the nose and mouth so as to decrease taste and inhibit appetite.

Claims

1. A method to suppress appetite of a human comprising: causing a convective flow of air into a nose toward an oropharynx of the human during consumption of food or beverage by the human, thereby causing a reduction in a flow of food and beverage odorants from an oral cavity up a nasopharynx to an olfactory bulb of the human, wherein causing the convective flow of air into a nose toward an oropharynx of the human comprises: directing, by a device worn on a head of the human, a flow of air at a face of the human and into the nose of the human during the consumption of food or beverage, wherein the flow of air has a direction which forms an angle between greater than 0° and 90°, with 0° representing an angle pointed horizontally from one ear to another ear across the face and 90° representing an angle pointed directly at the face, wherein the device comprises a headset, a fan, and a tube, and is adapted to direct air at the face of the human and into the nose of the human during the consumption of food or beverage.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the flow of air is between 6 and 30 cubic feet per minute.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the flow of air is between 15 and 20 cubic feet per minute.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the air further comprises a fragrance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the angle is between greater than 0 and 45°.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the angle is between 45° and 90°.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow extends between 3 and 12 inches.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow starts between 1 and 6 inches from a plane of the face.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow of air is conical in shape.

10. A method to suppress appetite of a human comprising: causing a convective flow of air into a nose toward an oropharynx of the human during consumption of food or beverage by the human, thereby causing a reduction in a flow of food and beverage odorants from an oral cavity up a nasopharynx to an olfactory bulb of the human, wherein causing the convective flow of air into a nose toward an oropharynx of the human comprises: directing, by a device worn on a head of the human, a flow of air at a face of the human and into the nose of the human during the consumption of food or beverage, wherein the device comprises a headset, a fan, and a tube, and is adapted to direct air at the face of the human and into the nose of the human during the consumption of food or beverage.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the flow of air is between 6 and 30 cubic feet per minute.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the flow of air is between 15 and 20 cubic feet per minute.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the air further comprises a fragrance.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the flow extends between 3 and 12 inches.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the flow starts between 1 and 6 inches from a plane of the face.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the flow of air is conical in shape.

17. A method to suppress appetite of a human comprising directing a flow of air, by a device worn on a head of the human, during consumption of food or beverage, from outside a body of the human into a nose of the human to cause a convective flow of air into the nose toward the oropharynx and thereby diminish the flow of food and beverage odorants from an oral cavity up a nasopharynx to the olfactory bulb thereby decreasing flavor of the food or beverage and decreasing appetite of the human for the food or beverage during consumption of food or beverage by the human, wherein the device comprises a headset, a fan, and a tube, and is adapted to direct air at the face of the human and into the nose of the human during the consumption of food or beverage.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a top view of a human face wearing a device which directs a flow of air at the face;

(2) FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1 where the flow of air is directed horizontally across the face; and

(3) FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 1 wherein the flow of air is directed vertically up the face from the chin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) Turning to FIG. 1, device 10 of the present invention is worn on head 12 of a human being. Device 10 comprises headset 14 to which is mounted fan 16. Fan 16 has inlet 18 and outlet 20. Fixed to outlet 20 is flexible tubing 22. Outlet 20 has a manifold to mate square outlet 20 to circular tubing 22. Fan 16 with tubing 22 generates a flow of air 24 at face 13 of the human head 12. Outlet 26 of flexible tubing 22 is spaced 1 to 6 inches from the plane of the face.

(5) The horizontal orientation of the head with respect to the device is shown by the coordinate 0° and 90° in FIG. 1 while the vertical orientation to the head is shown in FIG. 2 by the coordinate 0°. For the vertical orientation, 90° is the same as shown in FIG. 2.

(6) In FIG. 2, a front view of face 13 is shown. As will be appreciated, air flow 24 has a generally conical cross section.

(7) FIG. 3 illustrates the preferred embodiment where air flow 24 starts below or at the chin and flows vertically upward towards the forehead. In FIG. 3, flexible tubing 22 has been bent to position outlet 26 at or below the chin.

(8) Flexible tubing 22 allows for the positioning of outlet 26 at different positions. Suitably, the length of the air flow from outlet 26 to where it dissipates is 3 to 12 inches.

(9) Scent can be introduced into the air flow.

(10) It has been found that the air flow reduces the amount of air exhaled through the nose. Olfaction occurs when there is exhalation of scent from food on the tongue through the nose. Thus, the flow of air diminishes olfaction.

(11) The addition of scent to the air flow helps to further reduce olfaction, thereby further suppressing appetite.

(12) The flow of air is used to diminish the transport of comestible odorants from the back of the tongue to the olfactory receptors in the nose. If one consumes some food or beverage while air is blown at the face one will immediately notice a substantial diminution of the flavor of that comestible.

(13) In order to accomplish this air has to be blown into the nares (opening of the nose) and into the mouth. In order to accomplish this the air flow is directed so it enters the nose and the mouth. For the mouth any air flow that has some velocity component that is directed into the mouth will work. In the horizontal orientation, 0° represents the direction parallel to the face and 90 degrees represent the angle that points directly at the face. Airflow that has a direction greater than 0 degrees to the face will work. However the closer the angle approaches 90 degrees the more effective it will be. The other angular coordinate is the angle with respect to the horizon. The most effective will be a source that is vertical from the chin upward but any air source which lies between straight up and straight down can work.

(14) The airflow that goes into the nose must have a direction such that it has a velocity component that points directly upwards. As in the case of the airflow into the mouth any air flow direction that has some velocity component that is directed towards the nose will work.

(15) It will be understood that the claims are intended to cover all changes and modifications of the preferred embodiments of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.