1. (Currently Amended) A method for treatment of feelings of fear, anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, or vulnerability caused by a prior adverse interpersonal interaction, said method comprising the steps of:

   (1) causing to be visibly displayed to, or perceived by, a first person an image of an actual, living second person actually personally known to said first person, said first person having, in respect to said second person, because of an actual prior adverse interpersonal interaction between said first person and said second person, an initial level of feelings of fear, anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, or vulnerability as to which said first person desires said treatment;

   (2) causing to be visibly displayed to, or perceived by, said first person an image of an object having an actual potential for harming the second person; and

   (3) causing said image of said object to touch, become located within, or become near said image of said second person in a manner such that said object appears to harm said second person,

wherein each said image is embodied in a machine readable graphics file fixed in a tangible, corporeal article of manufacture from which said image can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated.

   2. (Previously amended) The method of claim 1, further comprising:

   (a) repeatedly monitoring said first person's level of feelings of fear, anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, or vulnerability, by receiving and monitoring information representative of said first person's blood pressure, pulse rate, or sweating;

   (b) comparing said information from before and after causing said image of an object to touch, become located within, or become near said image of said second person in a manner such that said object appears to harm said second person, whereby an comparison result is provided; and

   (c) reiterating the step of causing said image of an object to touch, become located within, or become near said image of said second person in a manner such that said object appears to harm said second person, until said comparison result shows a predetermined reduction of said first person's blood pressure, pulse rate, or sweating.

   3. (Previously amended) The method of claim 1 wherein:

   (a) prior to step 1 of claim 1, said first person has a first state of mind, said first state of mind characterized by thought patterns constituting or representative of fear, anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, or vulnerability, or by a negative cathexis with respect to said second person; and

   (b) after step 3 of claim 1, transforming said first state of mind of said first person to a second state of mind of said first person, said second state characterized by thought patterns constituting or representative of a reduced level of said feelings of fear, anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, or vulnerability or by an at least partial discharge of said cathexis.

   4. (Previously Amended) The method of claim 3 wherein said method further comprises transforming said first state of mind so that, in said second state of mind, said first person comes to feel that he or she has imposed retribution or vengeance on said second person, said transforming occurring without said first person consciously believing that his or her conduct has actually caused said second person to suffer an actual physical injury.

   5. (Previously Amended) The method of claim 3 wherein at least part of each step is carried out by a machine.

   6. (Original) The method of claim 5 wherein said image of a second person and said image of an object are each located on a computer display visible to said first person, said computer display operatively coupled to a programmable processing unit operatively coupled to a memory, said memory storing a computer program for carrying out said method of claim 5.

   7. (Original) The method of claim 6 wherein said image of an object is embodied in an animated graphics file, said file embodying an audiovisual work that is performed on said computer display when said first person engages in a prespecified action on an input device operatively coupled to said processing unit.

   8. (Original) The method of claim 6 wherein said image of an object is translated on said display so that said image of an object appears to touch or penetrate said image of said second person, and then said image of said second person is transformed so that said second person appears to be bleeding or sustaining a mutilation.

   9. (Original) The method of claim 6 further comprising:

a step of logging on to the Internet; and

an Internet-implemented step of causing a payment to be made to a vendor; and

wherein at least one step of said method comprises transmitting a signal over the Internet between the first person and the vendor.

    10. (Previously amended) The method of claim 6 wherein at least one step of said method is preceded, accompanied, or followed by an audible rendition of a predetermined phrase, mantra, or incantation that the first person personally selected.

   11. (Original) The method of claim 10 wherein said predetermined phrase, mantra, or incantation is selected with regard to helping overcome negative feelings caused by said prior adverse interpersonal interaction between said first person and said second person.

   12. (Original) The method of claim 1 wherein at least one step of said method is preceded, accompanied, or followed by an audible rendition of a predetermined phrase, mantra, or incantation that is selected with regard to helping overcome negative feelings caused by said prior adverse interpersonal interaction between said first person and said second person.

  13. (Currently amended) A method for treating a victim of spousal abuse, said method comprising the steps of:

   (1) causing to be visibly displayed to, or perceived by, a first person an image of an actual second person, said second person a present or former spouse of said first person, said first person a victim of spousal abuse by said second person, said first person having a first mental state comprising feelings of fear, anxiety, powerlessness, vulnerability, or helplessness caused by said spousal abuse;

   (2) causing to be visibly displayed to, or perceived by, said first person an image of an object having an actual potential for harming the second person;

   (3) causing said image of an object to touch, become located within, or become near said image of said second person in a manner such that said object appears to harm said second person; and

   (4) transforming said first mental state of said first person to a second mental state comprising a reduction of said feelings of fear, anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, or vulnerability,

wherein each said image is embodied in a machine readable graphics file fixed in a tangible, corporeal article of manufacture from which said image can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated.

    14. (Previously amended) The method of claim 13 wherein at least one step is preceded, accompanied, or followed by an audible rendition of a predetermined phrase that has been selected for use in treating a victim of spousal abuse, said phrase selected with regard to helping to alleviate feelings of fear, powerlessness, vulnerability, or anger caused by spousal abuse.

   Claim 15. (Canceled)

   16. (Currently amended) A machine adapted for use in treating negative thoughts or feelings, or a negative cathexis, of a first person with respect to a second person, said machine comprising:

a selection unit comprising means for permitting a first person to select a photographic image of an actual, living second person who is actually personally known to said first person and with respect to whom said first person has, because of actual, prior adverse interpersonal interactions between said first person and said second person, negative thoughts or feelings, or a negative cathexis, for which said first person desires treatment;

a person display unit that causes to be visibly displayed to, or perceived by, said first person said image of a second person;

an object display unit for causing to be visibly displayed to, or perceived by, said first person an image of an object having an actual potential for harming said second person; and

a translator unit for causing said image of an object to touch, become located within, or become near said image of said second person, in a manner such that said object appears to harm said second person;

a sensor unit adapted to be operatively coupled to a body part of said first person, to measure a magnitude of pulse rate, blood pressure, or another physiological parameter representative of fear, anxiety, or stress, and to provide a sensor output signal representative of said magnitude; and

a comparator operatively coupled to said sensor unit, adapted to receive said sensor output signal, to compare said sensor output signal to a reference, and to provide a comparator output signal representative of whether said sensor output signal and said reference have a predetermined relationship;

where said person selection unit, said person display unit, said object display unit, and said translator unit cooperate to influence a reduction of said negative thoughts or feelings, or an at least partial discharge of said negative cathexis.

   17. (Currently amended) The machine of claim 16, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether said comparator output signal has fallen below said reference by a predetermined amount, first person has undergone a reduction of said negative thoughts or feelings, or a reduction of said negative cathexis, and for again actuating an operation of said translation unit unless said comparator output signal has fallen below said reference by said predetermined amount. a reduction of said negative thoughts or feelings, or a reduction of said negative cathexis has occurred.

   18. (Original) The machine of claim 16 further comprising a processing unit operatively coupled to a memory in which is stored a computer program for operating or effectuating said image display unit, said object display unit, said translator unit, and said determination unit.

   19. (Original) The machine of claim 18 further comprising a sound system operatively coupled to said processing unit and, operatively coupled to said processing unit, an incantation unit for causing said sound system to make a predetermined phrase, mantra, or incantation audible during at least a portion of a time when said machine is operated.

Claims 20-23. (Canceled)

   24 (Previously Presented). The method of claim 13, wherein the step of causing said image of an object to touch, become located within, or become near said image of said second person in a manner such that said object appears to harm said second person is performed by a programmed machine acting in response to signals from an input device operated by said first person, said method further comprising:

(a) repeatedly monitoring said first person's level of feelings of fear, anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, vulnerability, or negative thoughts or feelings, by receiving and monitoring information representative of said first person's blood pressure, pulse rate, or sweating;

(b) comparing said information from before and after causing said image of an object to touch, become located within, or become near said image of said second person in a manner such that said object appears to harm said second person, whereby an comparison result is provided; and

(c) reiterating the step of causing said image of an object to touch, become located within, or become near said image of said second person in a manner such that said object appears to harm said second person, until said comparison result shows a predetermined reduction of said first person's blood pressure, pulse rate, or sweating.

25 (Previously Presented). A storage medium encoded with machine-readable computer code adapted for performing the method of claim 24.

Specification Excerpts

The term “image” means a likeness or representation of a person, animal or thing. The term includes pictorial images such as those capable of being embodied in a graphics file (jpeg, gif, png, bmp, ico, ani, etc.) of a photograph, drawing, or other picture. References to providing, accepting, or selecting an image (and like expressions) refer to providing, selecting, etc. such a graphics file (such as a jpeg or gif), or a signal or machine-readable medium embodying or representative of such a file; or providing, selecting, etc. something from which the subject matter of the image can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated.

The term “display” is usually used herein as a verb, but it is not so restricted and is used at times herein as a noun, and while a display device includes a computer display (e.g., CRT) the term “display device” is not so restricted and just requires that a device is used that causes the images to be displayed to or perceived by the user.

Warmerdam claim 5 read: A machine having a memory which contains data representing a bubble hierarchy generated by the method of any of Claims 1 through 4.

Dictionary definition of "input"

n.   1. Something put into a system or expended in its operation to achieve output or a result, especially:

a. Energy, work, or power used to drive a machine.
b. Current, electromotive force, or power supplied to an electric circuit, network, or device.
c. Computer Science. Information put into a communications system for transmission or into a computer system for processing.
d. Computer Science. A position, terminal, or station at which input enters a system.
e. Any of the items, including materials, equipment, and funds, required for production.
       2. a. The act of putting in; infusion: a steady input of fuel.

b. An amount put in.

 

This page was last modified: