The invention relates to a device for drawing a person's attention to either or not smoke a cigarette or a such like product, comprising a housing with in it a micro controller, an energy source, a LCD for showing certain data and a means for adjusting said micro controller, such that after certain periods of time a source of light and/or sound is switched on for giving a signal, said micro controller being executed such that, after the device is switched on, the period of time between succeeding signals will automatically be extended in the course of time. The smoker who is trying to limit the number of cigarettes or such like which he or she is smoking per day and perhaps to reduce it to zero, can use the device described above .

For the sake of simplicity in what follows will be spoken of "him" and of "cigarettes", however without limiting the invention to this.

Said micro controller can be executed such that the extension of said period of time can be dependent on the number of cigarettes smoked. If, e.g., a person is smoking about fifty cigarettes a day, in the beginning the period between two cigarettes will be relatively short and so the extension of said period will have to be relatively short too. Possibly said extension can be increased after some time when a given extension of said period has taken place.

Further it is remarked that the period of time can vary during the course of a day. When the device is put into use then mainly the patron of smoking can be followed which was usually for the smoker. In particular the device can be provided with a green lamp, as in the shape of a LED, which is switched on when a g-iven period of time has ended. When the green lamp is burning the smoker knows that a given period is ended so that he can light a cigarette again.

As well a red lamp can be present which is warning that an adjusted period of time is not yet ended and that the smoker is not allowed to light a cigarette.

Further also use can be made of a source of sound for signalising the end of a period of time. The source of sound can be combined with said lamps.

Because the adjusted period of time will extend after some time, e.g. after a number of days either weeks, the smoker will be smoking less if he is following the rule of conduct.

The invention relates also to a method for operating said device. This method comprises the following steps: establishing by the smoker the number of cigarettes he is smoking per day and the number of hours he is smoking a day, calculating the period of time between lighting two succeeding cigarettes by the smoker either by said micro controller, into which at least the data concerning the number of hours are fed, and feeding said period of time into said micro controller.

The smoker which wants to use the device, in particular will execute said indicated steps when lighting the first cigarette at a day. After the adjusted period of time the device will give a signal that the next cigarette might be lightened.

Along with this the moment of the first cigarette at a day will be fixed, such that the device after the last cigarette, so in particular during the hours of night, is switched off.

As already remarked said micro controller is executed such that the period of time between succeeding lightenings of the green lamp is automatically extended. The first day said period e.g. might be constant and might be adjusted on the number of cigarettes which normally is smoked at a day.

Now said micro controller will automatically take care for it that the following day, either a number of days, the time between two successive signals will be extended somewhat. So the smoker will not so fast receive the signal that he might again light a cigarette.

Dependent on the execution of said micro controller the tempo in which the extension of the period of time takes place might be more or less faster. Also the whole process can be spread over a great number of days either weeks to make the change of succes as great as possible. By this the ultimate step to stop smoking might be made easier possible.

The invention is further elucidated with the help of an embodiment, shown in the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 schematically shows a side view of a device according to the invention; and

Fig. 2 schematically shows the various parts of the device of figure 1 and the way in which these are connected to each other.

The device 1, shown in the figures 1 and 2, comprises a housing 2, which in this case is having the shape of two cigarettes, connected to each other.

Suvch a device can easly be received in a parcel for cigarettes.

Of course it is possible that the housing 2 is having the shape of one single cigarette but then the further parts must have still smaller dimensions.

The housing 2 also can have the shape of half a matchbox and can be hanged up on a keyring. All these possibilities, however, will not need further description.

A battery 3, only schematically shown, is received in the housing 2. E.g. it might be a battery of the type AAA, but it can be also a so-called button cell. This will depend on the energy consumption of the device as a whole.

Via a power supply 4 the battery can take care for supplying energy to the various parts of the device 1 •

The housing 2 is provided with at least one LED, but in case of the shown embodiment with two LED's, to wit one LED 5 which is giving green light and a LED 6 giving red light. Also a buzzer 7 is provided.

Said LED's 5 and 6 and the buzzer 7 are connected to the micro controller 8, to which a LCD 9 is connected too. To introduce the necessary data some switches 10, in this case three, are connected to the micro controller 8.

It will be obvious that only one possible embodiment of a device according to the invention is shown in the draewing and is described above and that many modifications can be made without leaving the inventive thought as this is described in the claims.