Patent Application
20050095948
The invention relates to children's toys, and more particularly to children's toys that provide sensory output in response to performance of a task.
Many useful children's toys are designed to teach or test certain motor or problem solving skills. Many of these toys fail to keep the interest of children, often because they lack sufficient visual or audio stimuli. Children's short attention spans often render such toys obsolete as failed attempts produce frustration or as repeated successes produce boredom. Therefore, children regularly require new devices to maintain their attention for continued development of motor and problem solving skills. Many devices require assistance from parents or older children to set up or reset the toy after each successful performance of a task. Thus, there is a need for a device that provides stimulation, independence and recognition of success to encourage children's continued interest and efforts in skills development through use of the device.
The invention includes a body having a base, an input opening, an output opening and a passage between the openings. The openings and passage are sized to allow an object to pass through each in sequence, triggering an actuator coupled to a sensory output generator. The passage includes a partial obstacle or interior surface features to redirect the movement of the object along the path between the openings. The output opening may be fitted with a door to selectively retain or return deposited objects. The passage may include apertures or transparent portions for viewing the objects in motion. The passage may also be used to store objects. The body of the device may further include a handle and features or surfaces for stacking or other arranging of objects.
In embodiments of the invention, the device may include audio and visual sensory output. The output may include sounds, music, lights, images or movement. The device may include obstacles to selectively stop or release the object along its path through the passage. Selective operation of these obstacles may include movement of dials, buttons, switches, knobs, sliders, etc., and may also be accompanied by sensory output. The device may also include an on/off switch or volume, intensity, or mode controls for the sensory output generation system.
In embodiments of the invention, different input openings may require shape sorting, proper orientation of or differentiation between objects. The object may be a block, ball, or other easily grasped object. Movement of objects through the passage may be by gravity or by momentum imparted either manually or mechanically or by automatic operation of the device.
These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following drawings and description.
The invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements.
Several embodiments of a children's entertainment device 100 incorporating the principles of the invention are shown in
Output opening 132 is fitted with a door 134 for selectively retaining or releasing deposited objects 104. Body 110 also includes viewing apertures 116 communicating with passage 140. Apertures 116 thus allow the user to view the motion of object 104 through passage 140 between openings 122 and 132.
An actuator 152 is disposed in passage 140 near output opening 132 and is positioned to be impacted by an object 104 passing through passage 140. Device 100 includes a sensory output generator 160 coupled to, and responsive to signals from, actuator 152. Sensory output generator 160 is coupled to a controller (not shown), and to a power supply 190, such as a battery. Power supply 190 can be one or more rechargeable or disposable batteries housed in a compartment which is accessible by removal or movement of power supply cover 192.
Referring again to
Although device 100 is described above as having a single actuator 152 positioned near output opening 132, device 100 may include multiple actuators 152. Actuators 152 may be placed near either opening 122 or 132 or along the passage 140, or at combinations of these locations. The audible and/or visual output from sensory output generator 160 triggered by activation of one actuator may be the same as or different than the output triggered by activation of a different actuator 152.
Additionally, although actuator 152 is described above as including a compression switch, it may be a motion detector, magnetic sensor, photodetector, reed switch, contact switch, or other similar actuator or sensor to detect contact, motion, or position of an object 104 relative to device 100. For example, a photodetector may be placed in the openings 122, 132 to detect passage or motion of an object 104 therethrough. Alternatively, actuators 152 may be located so as to respond to objects 104 contacting the redirectors 146 or passing through openings 122, 132 or passage 140 to cause different outputs as a function of the combination of actuators 152 triggered by object 104. A specific output from sensory output generator 160 may be uniquely associated with a particular actuator input sequence or combination.
Alternatively, actuator 152 and/or sensory output generator 160 may be part of object 104 rather than device 100. Any of the sensors or actuators 152 discussed above may be incorporated into object 104.
Output block 180 includes output content 182, which may be audio content and/or video content. Audio content can be, for example, in either digital or analog form, musical tones, speech (recorded, sampled or synthesized), or sounds (including recorded natural sounds, or electronically synthesized sounds). Video content can be, for example, in analog or digital form, still or video images, or simply control signals for activation of lamps or other light-emitting devices.
The output content 182 can be communicated to a user for hearing, or viewing, by output generator 160, which can include an audio output generator and/or a video output generator. Output generator 160 can include an audio and/or video signal generator 162, which converts audio and/or video output content 182 into signals suitable for driving an audio and/or video transducer 164, such as a speaker, for converting the signals into audible sound waves or a display screen or lights, for converting the signals into visible light waves. Output generator 160 can also include moving physical objects, such as miniature figures, to produce visual stimulus to the user. The selection of output content 182, and the performance attributes of the output generators 160, should be driven by the goal of generating output that is appealing or entertaining to a child user.
Control block 172 controls output block 180, selecting the output content 182 to be output and activating the output generator 160 to operate on the selected output content 182. The operation of control block 172 can be governed by control logic 174, which can be, for example, computer software code. Control logic 174 can select content to be output repetitively or non-repetitively, and/or randomly or in fixed sequences. Video and/or audio output can be coordinated to enhance the desired entertaining effect.
User input block 150 can include a mode selector (not shown), and at least one actuator 152, by which the user can provide input to control block 172 to influence the selection of output content 182 and to initiate its output. A mode selector allows the user to select from among output modes. Illustrative output modes include variations of audio and visual outputs or combined outputs. For example, the output content 182 can include a set of musical tones and a set of sound effect segments. Alternatively, output content 182 can include a selected sequence of illumination instructions for lamps. Control logic 174 includes sets of sequences in which the musical tones can be output to produce musical tunes. Various modes of light operation may be selected. A program can include a predetermined sequential output of the sets of tone sequences, producing a sequence of musical tunes. Lamps can be illuminated in response to a set of illumination instructions correlated with the playing of the tunes.
The components of sensory output generator 160 may be placed in any suitable locations in or on device 100. Audio and/or video transducers 164 may be placed in various locations in or on device 100 and have location- or actuator-specific sounds
In addition to input actuators 152, sensory output generator 160 may be coupled to on/off and/or mode selectors or switches and/or volume or intensity adjustment controls to modify the effect of the audio or visual outputs. Although the actuator 152 is described above as causing electronic output, other outputs such as mechanical sounds or movement are contemplated by the present invention.
The operation of device 100 is described with reference to
Some additional, optional features of device 100 are described with reference to
Body 110 may be configured to resemble any one of many shapes or objects, including an animal, building, vehicle, geographic formation, landmark, etc. In the embodiment illustrated in
The object 104 may be any one of many shapes. In the illustrated embodiment, object 104 is shown as a cubic block. Alternatively, object 104 may be formed as a sphere, pyramid, extruded geometric section, etc. Alternatively, object 104 may be formed to resemble any one of many objects typically recognized by children, such as fruit, vegetables, animals, coins, etc.
In the illustrated embodiments, the various components of the devices 100, 200, 300, 400 are formed of plastic materials, but any other material suitable for the intended use can be utilized.
Referring again to
While particular, illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described, numerous variations and modifications exist that would not depart from the scope of the invention. For example, device 100 can be configured to require manual or mechanized agitation to convey object 104 through passage 140. Although passage 140 is illustrated as a substantially vertical hollow body, in alternative embodiments, passage 140 may be of any shape, configuration, orientation, and/or cross-section that accommodates movement of object 104 between openings 122 and 132. For example, the passage 140 may follow an arcuate, spiraling, tortuous, or alternating incline path between openings 122 and 132.
While various embodiments of the invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the breadth and scope of the invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments, but should be defined in only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
