WO1997037712A1

WO1997037712A1 - System and device for producing and transmitting subliminal messages

Info

Publication number: WO1997037712A1
Application number: PCT/IB1997/000313
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vitaliano Silingardi
Original assignee: Vitaliano Silingardi
Priority date: 1996-04-05
Filing date: 1997-03-27
Publication date: 1997-10-16
Also published as: IT1303050B1; ITBO960192A0; ITBO960192A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for producing and communicating subliminal visual (optical) messages, in such a way that these messages may effectively influence the behaviour of the individuals. The invention concerns also a device suited to produce these messages in such a way that they can be easily used as effective instruments while putting a therapeutic treatment into practice. In particular, the present invention concerns a system and devices that allow to create logically structured visual messages, namely messages composed of many words.

Description

SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING AND TRANSMITTING SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES

TECHNICAL FIELD

A subliminal message is a message that can be perceived below the consciousness threshold, therefore too weak to be recognised consciously, but not without effects, since it is perceived at a subconscious level.

Research performed by various scientists during the last 40 years has demonstrated that subliminal messages exchanged subconsciously by people when they meet affect their behaviour and therefore are perceived.

However, subliminal messages produced in laboratory by means of various artifices, which can be called artificial messages, have given results which are either negative or uncertain and cannot be considered reliable results, with reference to their capability of affecting the behaviour. In fact, that research has not led to any practical application in the fields where these messages could be very useful, as e.g. in behaviour disorders treatment.

The application of subliminal messages, namely messages that can influence behaviour, could be several. Indeed, it could be possible to control stress, improve sleeping quality, reduce anxiety effects, offer valid support in treatment of depression and behaviour disorders in general, and so on.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The subject of the present invention related to the characteristics and technical ways of producing effective subliminal messages and the relative devices, offers an instrument that can be used for transmitting to patients subliminal messages which the therapists believes to be useful for stimulation of desired positive behaviour. Obviously, it is the therapist who prepares words which compose the message, and therefore its logical contents

As far as natural messages are concerned, reliable experimental research, carried out with high-speed film recording, has been performed It appeared that a considerable part of communication between individuals was executed by means of gesture messages (e g face, mouth, eyes expressions) which were so short that the interlocutors were not aware of them

However, a very important thing has been stated, that is when these subliminal messages were in conflict with conscious messages, communicated verbally and by gestures, the subsequent behaviour was coherent with the subliminal messages meaning

This research confirms what has been already stated before, i e that "natural" subliminal messages are perceived and affect behaviour All the same, as has been already said, studies and research on effects of "artificial" subliminal messages, produced by various techniques, have resulted either negative or doubtful, and therefore, unreliable

A broad interest was generated in the fifties by James Vicary, an experienced market researcher, who announced that he had presented subliminal messages in a cinema in New Jersey, by projecting the words DRINK COCA put between the film photograms for 1/300 second

He declared that the consumption of this product had considerably increased

However, in 1962, the same J. Vicary admitted that the fact had not been quite in this way Anyway, the experiment was actually carried out in the eighties in strictly controlled conditions and no effect was discovered

Serious research on the possibility of affecting human behaviour by visual subliminal messages has used pπncipally two methods of producing these messages According to one method, a suitable device projects, for very short penods of time (about 4 ms), a message composed of words and possibly drawings, interposed between or superimposed on photograms

According to the other method, a suitable optical apparatus presents a message in such a way that one eye receives a message while the other receives a graphic image which, superimposing on the vision of the message in mind, makes it difficult to be decoded in a short time e.g. in about 1/5 second (dichoptic method with a masking image).

According to the inventor of the present invention, the substantially negative results obtained by these two methods derive from technical characteristics of the messages. In fact, according to the inventor, it is a big methodological error to affirm that when a message (which is projected in a context of images which become continuous due to persistence on the retina, or seen together with images constructed in such a way that a certain period of time is required for decoding a word or words) is displayed for a period of time so short that it is not perceived consciously, it becomes "ipso facto" a subliminal message and therefore it is perceived subconsciously.

It is more probable that such a message is perceived neither consciously nor subconsciously, if not casually.

In fact, conscious perceiving of the first type of message does not depend on the fact that it is displayed for a short period of time.

The inventor has performed a test which can be easily repeated.

A visual message composed of eight letters has been displayed for a few milliseconds and it has appeared that the message is perceived consciously when the contrast with the image constituting the background is good, due to the image persistence on the retina, provided that the eye already fixes the area where the message should appear.

At this point another error of some researchers becomes evident.

In fact, human eye can see clear and sharp only within a very small angle and only rapid movements of the eyeball can give an impression that a big part of visual field is seen clearly at the same time.

However, in order to catch images, perceived either consciously and even more subconsciously, which are projected rapidly on a screen, the eye must be fixed on a limited part of the screen, on which the message will appear

Coming back to the problem of the contrast between the image constituting the background and the message, the inventor has pointed out by means of the simple experiment previously described that if these messages, projected interposed between frames, by suitable devices, are not perceived consciously, this does not depend only on shorter or longer exposure time, but actually on the combined result of more parameters, i e exposure time and contrast, without forgetting that the contrast is affected also by the lighting of the room with respect to the lighting of the screen

The contrast concerns the difference of luminance and/or colour

But there is another parameter not to be forgotten, that is the capability of the image, perceived simultaneously, of confusing graphically, in some way of, more or less, masking the message Therefore, the second type of message (dichoptic) is scientifically more correct, because during the fusion of the two images, the confusion degree is as desired and not casual like in the case of projection of messages in the context of images

However, it is to be pointed out that also with this kind of message, the perception capability, i e the period of time necessary to perceive, consciously and therefore, supposedly also subconsciously, the masked words constituting the message, is subjective

The researchers have taken into consideration this fact, but have neglected that the above mentioned perception capability is not always the same even for the same subject, but changes from trial to trial, depending on these particulars of the image that attract immediately the perceiving attention

According to the results of the research, in which dichoptic messages have been used, published in 1995 and conducted by A G Greenwald, M R K nger of Washington University and Alabama University, respectively, the dichoptic methodology, although used since 1983 in research on the effects of the subliminal messages on the behaviour, does not supply the basis for a sufficient model of subliminal activation, and anyway, no effects on the -

behaviour have been noted.

Some elements appear from the inventor's critics to the characteristics of subliminal messages used in various researches : a visual message composed of some words is not necessarily subliminal only because it has been presented for a short period of time so that it has not been perceived consciously in a context of contrasts and confusion with graphics of masking background image, perceived simultaneously.

It might not be perceived subconsciously, or perceived only casually, from time to time, so weakly as not to affect behaviour, but at the most have a slight semantic effect (recognition within an error margin inferior to the probable one, e.g. if the message contains "good" or "bad" words).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Based on the determination of the characteristics that a subliminal message should possess to surely affect behaviour, the object of the present invention is to conceive a system and create a device that make it possible to produce and communicate a message with these characteristics.

On the other side, the inventor has pointed out that there is not only one subliminal message, but a range of subliminal messages characterised by a group of parameters that change their features.

This happens by changing the message duration, luminance intensity, contrast with possible background images, etc.

The above mentioned objects are obtained by a system and device described in the claims.

The characteristics of the invention, not resulting from what has already been said, will be pointed out in the following, with reference to the enclosed drawing tables, in which:

- figs. 1a, b, and c show an embodiment of a display used in the devices being the subject of the present invention; - figs 2 and 3 show block diagrams of two possible configurations of the devices being the subject of the present invention

BEST MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Critical analysis of what has been done by researchers to produce subliminal messages, analysis of factors that have determined failure of behaviour affecting, analysis of aforementioned natural subliminal messages, study of the eye and visual perception physiology have brought the inventor to the conclusion that the pπncipal obstacle to producing effective visual subliminal messages derives from the fact that in order to present written words on a display or a screen it is necessary to supeπmpose and/or use sequence of images

Whereas e g in the "natural" message, the passage from a "good" look to a "bad" one and again to a "good" one occurs by continuous expression changes due to facial muscles movement

The supeπmposition of images should be rejected if carried out to mask, namely that effect of graphic confusion, making its decoding not immediate, either if this hiding effect is obtained by suitably studied or casual images For the reasons explained above, it is not sure that the message is perceived and anyway, even if and when perceived, it is "weak" and does not affect behaviour

The sequence of images with possible non-masking supeπmposition causes a presentation of these images with an obvious discontinuity between one another

From the other side, there are not other possibilities, technically easy to apply

Therefore, it became necessary to take note of the problem and find out solutions that allow to create effective artificial visual subliminal messages in spite of these limits The inventor has proceeded in three steps Beaπng in mind that all these limits, the eye and visual perception physiology together with requirements deriving from the use of messages during therapeutic treatments, the inventor has first of all specified the technical characteristics of a valid subliminal message, i e a message that is always perceivable and "strong" enough to affect behaviour

Then, the inventor has created a system for producing sequences of images featuring these characteristics and finally, the devices that carry out this system

Therefore 1^sl - characteristics, 2^nd - system or method for realisation of messages with these characteπstics, 3^rd - devices, the last two points being strictly interconnected with the first one and constituting the substantial basis of the present invention

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

1) Since, as it has already been stated, a human eye can see clear and sharp only within a very small angle and only rapid movements of the eyeball make it possible to see a bigger part of visual field clearly at the same time, the limited area where the message will appear must be well defined for the same message to be seen clearly

Therefore, in order to receive the message, composed of some letters, possibly with other graphic signs, the eye must be already focused on the area where they are to appear, so this area must be well defined

Further, the dimensions of the message must be small, otherwise, because of short exposure time, not all of the message would be seen, even if subconsciously

Moreover, the message must not be composed of more than about ten alphabetical characters, otherwise, as it has been tested, it is difficult to perceive perfectly An example of a message perceived well is a message composed of about ten letters, about 10 mm high and exposed on a display situated about 30 - 40 cm from the observer's head

It is to be recalled that known words generally are not read entirely, but only some letters and/or groups of letters are read, facilitating rapid perception

2) In order to be certainly perceived each time, a visual subliminal message composed of written words must be exposed for a determined period of time and with a good contrast of light and/or colour with a possible image constituting the background

The contrast must prevent, at least for a certain desired time, any masking effect of the background graphic (masking does not mean covering or deleting the message, but making it difficult to decode immediately)

This is to avoid that the visual message may require time to be decoded, time which, as already said, would depend on the subject and, accidentally changes also from one moment to another for the same subject

3) The time of clear presentation of the message must be as long as possible, better if at the limit of the conscious perception, because according to the theory, formulated and verified by the inventor, the longer is perception, even subconscious, of the message, the bigger is the power of this "strong" perception to affect behaviour

Obviously, since the message must not be perceived consciously, it must not exceed the aforementioned time limit, and therefore, not only must its presentation be stopped within this time limit, but also its perception due to image persistence in the eye retina must be removed.

4) The message visibility must not be considerably affected by the room lighting, which is changeable, except for precautions that could make uneasy the treatments with subliminal messages

5) These messages must be easy to prepare and use

In other words, they must be prepared easily and in a short time and be composed of words fulfilling the needs of the subject and easily used by him, almost always, also at home 6) It must be possible to have at one's disposal not only one visual message, but a sequence of time-spaced messages, each composed of one or more words in such a way that a total, logically structured message is obtained, which can be perceived and can affect behaviour in the desired way.

It is important that the time left between one part of the message and the subsequent one is long enough to allow subconscious processing of the logical connections between the different parts (words) constituting the whole message.

The best interval has occurred to be included between 0,4 and 2 seconds.

Advantageously, the whole message is to be repeated several dozens of times 7) It is essential for an application that lasts even ten minutes that these messages do not disturb or considerably tire the sight.

SYSTEM FOR REALISATION OF MESSAGES WITH THESE CHARACTERISTICS

In order to possess these characteristics, the subliminal messages can be realised in the following way in time sequences.

First step: in a graphically well delimited area of the screen or display (point 1 of the technical characteristics), appears a first image. The medium value of this image luminance with respect to the following message luminance is such as not to disturb the observer's sight (point 7 of the technical characteristics).

This first image is not absolutely necessary and could be replaced with a no- image step (dark phase), but an intense flickering could provoke a considerable and difficult to bear sight annoyance and tiredness to the observer who must be subjected to this treatment for several minutes.

Second step: at a certain moment, the above mentioned image is replaced with the message, which can be superimposed on a possible background image, provided that it does not have masking effect, at least for a desired time. Third step a bit before (approximately five - ten milliseconds) the message can be perceived consciously, the image of the message is replaced with a graphic image, an example of which is given later, aimed at removing the consequences of the message image persistence on the retina, therefore at cutting off further perception of the same message

After a short break the last image is replaced with the first one, described in the first step, and the whole cycle repeats with the second message and so on until the whole desired message is presented

Afterwards, the cycle starts again and is repeated for a necessary number of times (point 8 of technical characteristics)

If a suitable graphic image is found out, as in a non limitative example given later, the image that appears in the first step and the image that appears in the third step can correspond, possibly weakening the luminance intensity before the message presentation Now let us see how the above described sequence is perceived by the observer's eye

For example, a first image appears for half a second and the observer perceives it consciously

In the second step, this image is replaced with the message In the visual perception, the message is immediately superimposed on the image presented in the first step, persisting in the eye retina

As the intensity of the first image persistence on the retina weakens, the message is clearly and gently perceived (point 2 of the technical characteπstics) In order to keep the perception subliminal, this step must be interrupted by the image of the third step, a bit before that the perception becomes conscious

When the image of the third step appears, the observer stops immediately perceiving of the subliminal message

In fact, together with the persistence of the image of the message on the eye retina, the new image appears in its whole intensity, this new image being prepared in such a way that summed up with the precedent one makes it - I I

impossible to further perceive the subliminal message

This way, it is certain that the subliminal message is presented for a period very near to the maximum possible time In fact some milliseconds of exposure more would cause conscious perception (point 3 of technical characteristics)

Obviously, also a shorter period of exposure would be effective but the results would not be so active

The graphic of the last image, aimed at avoiding further perception of the message due to the persistence on the retina, can be different, but it is important that summing up with the message image, it is not possible to decode the letters composing the words and therefore the message

APPARATUSES

These subliminal messages could be obtained by two or three slide projectors equipped with synchronised shutters

To present a logically structured message, composed of more images following one another at suitable intervals, it would be necessary to use synchronised automatic mechanisms to change slides All this would be very complicated and delicate from the mechanical point of view, and also very expensive, but first of all it would not be easy to prepare necessary messages and therefore, would not agree with point 5 of the above mentioned technical characteristics

Anyway, even in this way, giving up the practicality and using known means, it is possible to produce an apparatus suited for realisation of subliminal messages with the indispensable characteristics given by the present invention

It is more convenient to use electronic equipment, in which a microprocessor allows to present, on a suitable display, messages and images, memorised in sequences and for programmed periods of time, and featuring also other wanted characteristics At this point the problem of displays emerges

Cathode-ray tubes offer a vast graphic possibility, but are not recommended because of the phosphor luminance persistence (also liquid crystal displays are not recommended due to their switching slowness) Since this luminance persistence decreases in time, the moment in which the eye does no longer see the image, depends on the room's lighting

Moreover, tn order to regulate the message length, it is necessary to change the video display frequency, which leads to relative stability problems

It is also possible to obtain subliminal messages as described above using a videorecorder connected to a monitor or to a TV-set

However, in this case the length of the subliminal message would be fixed and not programmable, and therefore the result would not be the best

Moreover, it would be impossible for a technician in the field, e g a therapist, to prepare single tapes relative to each case Likewise, also in this case, the drawbacks of display constituted by a cathode- ray tube remain

For instance, a film could be used, composed of a sequence of photograms, some of which contain words that form the message

The precedent and following photograms contain the images of the described above steps 1 and 3

Nevertheless, it is possible to use a cathode-ray tube display (as well as a liquid crystal display), but even if first prototypes have been produced with this component, according to the author, it is much more preferable to use LED (light emitting diode) displays, which do not feature the disadvantages of the cathode-ray tube display

The luminance of LED displays, comprising luminous elements of rapid commutation, is very high and therefore the room's lighting influence can be practically ignored (This fulfils the requirements of point 2 of the technical characteπstics) Moreover, all the LED's constituting the display switch on and off practically instantaneously

With reference to figs 1a, b, and c, these displays comprise strings made up of a certain number of rectangles 12 arranged either side by side or anyway near to each other, each of which destined to keep one letter or another graphic sign (alphanumeric displays)

Each rectangle is formed by a certain number of LED's 13 (fig 1c), which are sufficient, after the required LED's have been activated, for creating, with points any necessary letter or another graphic sign, which can be read without any difficulty It is important to point out that, since the words constituting the message are made of letters, which in their turn, are formed by separate points, it is much easier to create a graphic image aimed at immediate cancellation of the letters perception due to the persistence on the retina

In this connection, it has appeared to be particularly useful to have possibility of removing the consequences of the message words persistence on the retina with an image, in which the luminous points, constituting the LED's, are activated alternatively

It would be much more difficult, if the letters were formed by a continuous luminous line Also in his first tests, in which cathodic-ray tubes were used as displays, the author has used characters made of many small points (asterisk-like) near to each other, but separate, and for the image aimed at removing the consequences of the image persistence on the retina, a raster formed by on- off asteπsks, has been used An indicative, but not limitative example of the devices with which the author has performed many experiments, is a LED display of the NEC (Nipponic Electronic Company), model FC20X1SA-AB, constituted by a stnng 10 of twenty rectangular areas 12, each for one alphanumeric character, and each made of thirty five diodes 13 emitting a light round dot, of about 1 mm diameter, arranged in seven lines of five elements each (figure 1 a)

It is to be pointed out that in figure 1 , the switched on diodes of each matrix have been represented by small black full circles, whereas the deactivated diodes are shown by empty circles.

On such a display, it is possible to form letters like these shown in figure 1b.

This type of display allows to obtain the image of figure 1c by keeping alternatively one diode switched on and one off. This image has appeared to be best for cancelling the effect of the persistence of the passage from the above mentioned step 2 to step 3, for any letter of the alphabet.

Apart from the kind of display used, it is preferable that the letters constituting the message parts are formed of points, near to each other but separate and distinct, which can be of different shapes - round, square, asterisk-like, etc.

This way it is easier to realise an image formed by elements which are subsequently changed to an alternate on and off configuration, and which allows to remove the persistence of the word or words constituting the message parts on the retina. The same image can be used in step 1 as background image, possibly reducing its luminance intensity a bit before the step 3 finishes, that is a bit before presenting the message.

In fact, in this case, as soon as this background image is switched off during the passage from step 3 to step 2 and more or less simultaneously the message letters appear in all their luminance intensity, they are not immediately perceived violently due to the background image persistence on the retina.

However, as has already been said, as the intensity of the image persisting on the retina gets weaker, the message appears gently.

EXAMPLES OF DEVICES

Whereas the invention derives from a group of characteristics, some indispensable other optional but useful, which the visual subliminal message must have in order to be effective and whereas together with the carrying out of aforesaid characteristics with graphic images presented in sequence, make up the main subject of the invention, independently of all the various possible devices with which this aim can be reached , the devices, which are considered by the inventor as being ideal as they not only correspond to the indispensable needs but also to those useful characteristics presented in the description of the invention, are described herein Consequently, these devices will be subject of claims

First device - personal unit for the subject

As shown in the block diagram of figure 2, it includes power supply line filter 15 to avoid interferences, a power supply device 16 which supplies the necessary voltage and power, a CPU 17 equipped with a microprocessor, an EPROM memory 18 containing the program and a RAM memory 19, powered by batteries, or anyway a memory (EEPROM type) which can be re-wπtten, or an insertable memory card, in which the therapist introduces a necessary message by the apparatus MASTER, through the serial port A LED display 20, featuπng all the characteπstics -and advantages described before, is preferably connected to the CPU 17 Also a serial connector 21 links the CPU to the MASTER device for the message transfer

A recharging accumulator power supply can be also provided, particularly useful for subjects who must take the apparatus with them, in special types of treatment

MASTER unit for the therapist's use.

In the block diagram of figure 3, this unit is formed in part like the personal unit, i e includes a power line filter 25, a power supply device 26, a CPU 27, a display 30, but it features also a senal output 31 with an echo and a keyboard 32 for creating messages and fixing some characteristics (luminance, intervals, etc )

This unit can be used for treatments performed in stable centres, but can also be used for composing and transmitting messages, which the subject must have for treatment outside, to personal units through the serial port For convenience's sake, several dozen of messages can be memorised in the RAM memory 29 of these MASTER units

The program loaded in the EPROM memory 18, 28 in both devices allows to read the message contained in the RAM memory, then to show the parts of the message on the display with programmed time intervals, luminance intensity and length, then, after the message has been presented, to display the image used to remove the persistence on the retina, and if necessary, to weaken its luminosity before displaying the next part of the message, or replace it with other images, if programmed Moreover, the program allows to repeat the message for all the pre¬ determined number of times

According to this program, the word or words constituting each part of the message appear always centred on the display, complying with the technical characteristics of the point 1 Moreover, according to the program, the number of luminous elements activated dunng the exposure of each of the partial massages constituting the whole message does not change and coincides with the number of luminous elements corresponding at least to the longest word of the message, and in case of shorter words, the luminous elements not involved in the message are activated to supply the images of the first or the third step

The EPROM memory of the professional device (MASTER) has also memorised therein a program for

1 Accepting the introduction of messages from the keyboard (text duration intervals, etc ) 2 Storing of these messages

3 Downloading any of the stored messages to a personal unit

4 Verifying if the transmitted message has been perfectly stored

The inventor has performed many expeπments with this apparatus in a systematic way, while using the first prototypes the experiments were generally limited to information on the effectiveness of these subliminal messages in order to improve them DESCRIPTION OF THE PERFORMED EXPERIMENTS

There are two different types of experiments performed or co-ordinated by the inventor

The first type includes tests for verifying the effectiveness of the subliminal messages, and for improving their parameters

The other type concerns tests performed with subliminal messages complying with the setup characteristics and presentation modes and related to single individuals as well as to groups of individuals of significant number

Some of these experiments are described, because they show that the subliminal messages featuring the presented characteπstics can affect behaviour

Experiment concerning insomnia

After many orientating tπals, this message has been chosen, composed of eight words (partial messages), displayed one at a time, in this sequence

Calm Sleep

Sleep

Well All

Night Serene

Trust

The message featuring the characteristics defined in the invention, has been programmed on some devices like the ones described above An interval between words was established for about a second The subliminal message and cancelling image feature the technical characteristics of the subliminal message and cancelling image, etc , according to the technical characteristics of the present invention This treatment was applied to sixteen persons, suffeπng either from one insomnia type, in which it is difficult to fall asleep, or from another insomnia type, which causes the patient to wake up in the middle of the night and consequently it is impossible for the patient to fall asleep again

The treatment was performed at the moment of going to bed for about ten minutes and gave good effects with the first applications in all the cases

The patients slept well and normally

If the treatment is interrupted, the beneficial effect disappears generally immediately or, more often, after two or three days

The result could derive from three causes 1 The subliminal message is received and affects the behaviour,

2 "Placebo" effect

3 Light hypnosis due to watching for ten minutes a screen with very light flickering of regular rhythm

The second hypothesis is to be rejected, because with other messages or anyway neutral messages, the subject did not gam the beneficial effect

The hypnotic effect is to be rejected, because the inventor has exposed subjects to any message for about thirty minutes and the heartbeat measured with a hectograph remained unchanged

If even a very light hypnotic state had occurred, the heartbeat frequency would have been diminished

This is confirmed also by other experiments performed by various scientists in electroencephalography, stimulating patients with rhythmical flashes

Therefore, this research has pointed out that the subliminal messages featuring characteristics stated in the present invention affect behaviour S.D. case - last exam

During preparations to the last exam, a final year student suffers from anxiety with feelings of inadequacy and incapability of remembering what she is studying, and this state makes her want to abandon the study

No valid effect is obtained with tranquillisers prescribed by the doctor

Although with some scepticism, S D agrees to undergo the treatment with subliminal messages

The message prepared with the help of an expert is composed of two parts presented in sequence

YOU CAN DO SELF CONFIDENCE

The results are seen just on the first days, S D begins to study again with difficulty but effectively enough

After four or five days the situation becomes stable without further improvements but without regresses, either, so the message is replaced with the following one

YOU DESERVE DEGREE

After two applications, S.D has stopped using the message, because it provoked considerable anxiety, which could derive from the fact that this message touched deep psychological balance.

All the same, it contradicts a possible hypothesis of "placebo" effect.

The first message has been restored and S.D. came back to the state obtained with the first applications.

She has passed the exam and taken a degree.

Claims

1 System of producing and transmitting subliminal messages, characterised in that it includes in time sequence - a first step, in which in a graphically well defined area of the screen or display appears a first image, whose medium luminance value with respect to the following message luminance is such as not to disturb the observer's sight,

- second step, in which the above mentioned image is replaced with the message,

- third step, started a bit before the message can be perceived consciously, in which the image of the message is replaced with a graphic image, aimed at making the consequences of the message image persistence on the retina void of effect, and therefore prevents further perception of the same message

2 System according to claim 1 , characterised in that by suspending the message perception at almost conscious perception threshold, it is possible to display it for a maximum exposure time, with consequent improvement of its efficiency

3 System, according to claim 1 , characterised in that after the third step the removal graphic image is replaced with the first one, described in the first step, and the whole cycle repeats with the second message and so on until the whole desired message is displayed

4 System, according to claim 3, characterised in that the intervals between exposure of different parts of the whole message are comprised between 0,4 and 2 seconds in order to allow as correct and complete as possible perception of the logic of the whole message 5 System, according to claim 1 , characterised in that the graphic of the third step image, aimed at avoiding further perception of the message due to the persistence on the retina, can be different, but summed up with the message image, it makes it impossible to decode the letters composing the words and therefore the message

6 System according to claim 3 or claim 4, characterised in that said cycle is restarted and repeats itself several dozens of times

7 System according to claim 3 or claim 4 or 6, characterised in that the length, expressed in number of letters, of each partial message composing the whole message must be the same and coincide at least with the length of the longest message, replacing the empty areas of the shorter partial messages with images of the first of the third step in order to avoid annoying flickering

8 System, according to claim 1 , characterised in that the image appearing in the first step coincides with the image of the third step

9 System, according to claim 8, characterised in that the luminance intensity of the first step, coinciding with the third step, is decreased before the second step begins

10 System, according to claim 1 , characterised in that in said second step, the message is superimposed on a background image without masking effect, at least for a predetermined time

11 Device for producing and transmitting subliminal messages, characteπsed in that it includes a display (20,30) comprising one or more strings (10) made up of a pre- establlished number of rectangles (12) arranged side by side and each of which destined to keep one letter or another graphic sign and including a matrix of luminous on/off quick switching elements (13), and means for controlling said display (20,30)

12 Device, according to claim 11 , characteπsed in that said means for controlling said display (20) include

- a power line filter (15) to avoid interferences;

- a power supply circuit (16) which supplies the necessary voltage and power, - a CPU (17) equipped with a microprocessor;

- an EPROM memory (18) containing the program and a RAM memory (19) aimed at containing the necessary message

13 Device, according to claim 11 , characterised in that said means for controlling said display (20) include:

- a power line filter (15) to avoid interferences;

- a power supply circuit (16) which supplies the necessary voltage and power;

- a CPU (17) equipped with a microprocessor,

- an EPROM memory (18) containing the program and a memory (EEPROM type) which can be re-written, or an insertable memory card

14 Device, according to claim 12, characterised in that it includes also a serial port (21).

15. Device, according to claim 11 , characteπsed in that said control means for said display (30) include:

- a power line filter (25) to avoid interferences;

- a power supply circuit (26) which supplies the necessary voltage and power; - a CPU (27) equipped with a microprocessor;

- an EPROM memory (28) containing the program and a RAM memory (29) aimed at containing the necessary message;

- a serial port (31 ) with echo output and a keyboard for making up the messages and adjust some of their characteristics.

16. Device, according to claim 11 , characterised in that said luminous on/off quick switching elements (13) include a plurality of LED's.

17. Device, according to claim 16, characterised in that the use of the luminous elements LED's allows to use the same device independently from the room lighting.

18. Device, according to claim 11 , characterised in that the letters, forming parts of the message, are graphically made up by points, near to each other but separate and distinct, having different shapes for facilitating the creation of an image also made up of elements which are changed simultaneously to a configuration, in which they are alternatively set on and off, so as to remove the effects of the message words persistence on the retina and therefore to prevent further message perception.

19. Device, according to claim 16, characterised in that the making the effects of the message image persistence on the retina void of effect, obtained by said LED's is realised by alternate activation of the single luminous dots, making up the display, i.e. by setting one dots on and the adjacent one off.

20. Device, according to claim 11 , characterised in that these luminous elements include matrices of separate dots which can form letters, in case of a message, or images during the step in which the effects of the message image persistence on the retina are made void. 21 Device, according to claim 11 , characterised in that the number of luminous elements activated during exposure of each part composing the whole message must be the same and coincide with the number of luminous elements corresponding to at least the longest message part, and when shorter parts of messages are displayed, the luminous elements which are not concerned by the message are activated to show images from the first or third steps

22 Device, according to claim 11 , characterised in that the word making up the message on said luminous elements must always be horizontally centred with respect to the total extension of the display (20,30)

23. Device for producing and transmitting subliminal messages, characteπsed in that these messages are reproduced on a liquid crystal display

24 Device for producing and transmitting subliminal messages, characterised in that these messages are reproduced on a cathode-ray display

25 Device for producing and transmitting subliminal messages, characterised in that these messages are reproduced on photograms which form a film, or on a videotape.

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 01 October 1997 ⁽ 01.10.1997⁾ original claims 1 and 4 amended; remaining claims unchanged (1 page) ]

1 System of producing and transmitting subliminal visual messages, characterised in that a succession of images formed by close, distinct, luminous elements appear in a graphically well defined area of a display in the following order;

■ in a first step, a first image is displayed with a medium luminance value with respect to the following images is such as not to disturb the observer's sight;

- in a second step, the above mentioned image is replaced with the image of a message;

- in a third step, started a bit before the message can be perceived consciously, the image of the message Is replaced with a graphic image, aimed at removing the consequences of the message image persistence on the retina, and therefore prevents further perception of the same message. 5

2. System according to claim 1, characterised in that by suspending the message perception at almost conscious perception threshold, it is possible to display it for a maximum exposure time, with consequent improvement of its efficiency. 0

3. System, according to claim 1, characterised in that after the third step the removal graphic image Is replaced with the first one, described in the first step, and the whole cycle repeats with the second message and so on until the whole desired message is displayed 5

4. System_, according to claim 3, characterised in that the intervals between exposure of different parts of the whole message are comprised between 0,4 and 2 seconds in order to allow as correct as possible perception of the whole message logic. 0