Patent Application
20180200613
The present invention relates generally to an amusement device, system, and method, and more specifically, but not exclusively, to a spinning toy that may be controlled by a user without motors or electronics.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.
Amusement systems are popular, particularly toys for young children. User interaction with an amusement system, particularly with active and moving components, is sometimes desired. That interaction may be complicated when using electronics or powered motors (e.g., battery failure). Such complication may be inappropriate for amusement systems intended for use by young children.
What may be useful to certain users is a system and method for controlling an action toy without electronics or motors.
Disclosed is a system and method for controlling an action toy without electronics or motors.
The following summary of the invention is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the technical features related to user-controlled action devices, and is not intended to be a full description of the present invention. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole. The present invention is applicable to other amusement system in addition to spinning spheres.
An embodiment of the present invention may include one or more: 1) single ring (to be worn on a finger) and ball combo—rings all have two magnets of different polarities but to control the balls you use the same polarity for the ball and for the magnet; 2) battling arena—kids spin and control their balls trying to knock their opponent off the platform; and 3) track system—raised tracks that kids control their spinning ball over—The tracks may have different features like tunnels, seesaws, tightropes, ramps, and the like.
An embodiment of the present invention may include one or more of the following features, characteristics, elements, structure, or method: 1) a spinable device supporting two or more magnets evenly distributed and aligned along an equator; 2) ring and/or wand with magnets to influence a direction of the spinning device; 3) device may include a safety cross hatch so in an event that the device fails, internal device magnets remain encased in plastic to reduce any swallowing/choke hazards; 4) weight of ball and strength of magnets in device and controller may be optimized for controlling a direction of motion for a spinning device and for tricks such as picking a spinning device up off of a play surface; 5) use of magnets to control the device only when it is not spinning; 6) an alignment of the magnets in the device and an physical arrangement such that the device may be a sphere (or have a rotational symmetry) that may allow that no matter how one spins the device, the device will align itself so that the magnets are spinning along the equator of the ball (which is important for control from above as the magnets are advantageously specifically balanced); 7) a device need not have a top or bottom (may part of rotational symmetry), therefore the user is not required to worry which side comes “up” after spinning (some embodiments may have two distinct sides to add an element of randomness to use of the amusement system); 8) graphics on the device may create a dice game when two balls connect (two devices of opposite polarities may “stick” and result in a battle result—the specifics may change based upon the graphic element(s)); 9) multiple devices may be battled like in a Battle Game; 10) track systems that may involve guiding structures of various sizes and configurations/arrangements/features to both constrain motion as well as provide opportunity to navigate and control device direction and motion, for example a configuration may include going up ramps, through tunnels, over very thin tight ropes or over see-saws—one game play option may include a user selecting and assembling various track components and compete to get a device over the track course and/or competition for a fastest speed while maintaining the device on the course; 11) various tricks with the spinning devices and interactions with the controller that may help to develop hand/eye and muscle coordination; 12) one or more lights or illumination elements, which may be simple ON/OFF illumination or may be responsive to control, device operation, and/or environment features (such as track components); 13) a device may include visual persistence graphics to produce small animations during use; 14) a device may be controlled using a controller not limited to a user-worn ring or a user-manipulated wand; 15) other competitive or cooperative games (two users cooperate in controlling a single spinning device to compete against another team or the clock or to accomplish a predetermined goal) such as sports goal based games, knock over things games, race games, and the like; 16) a conductive pad on the bottom of the spinning device that can be sensed by a smart phone, pad, or other touch-sensitive structure to play app games using a controlled spinning device on the touch system as as a controller for the application; 17) ink or media distribution from a bottom of the spinning device allowing control of the spinning device to transfer a “drawn” image to a piece of paper or other foundation that is part of, or supported by, a play surface; and 18) the device may be manufactured from other materials in addition to, or in lieu of, plastic (e.g., aluminum or other non-magnetic material) as long as the interaction of the magnets of the controller and the spinning device are not adversely affected.
An embodiment of the present invention may include one or more important points: a) one or more mechanisms of controlling a spinning sphere remotely with no electronics using handheld/worn/manipulated magnet assemblies, b) evenly spaced magnets on a sphere either inside the sphere or outside combined with spinning the sphere combined with a handheld magnet creates a unique entertainment device, c) additional safety considerations may also be implemented, like the cross beam construction for improved anti-choke hazards.
An embodiment of the present invention may include a spin launcher feature. Some embodiments are designed for enjoyment by children and young adults and some embodiments may be best operated while the device is spinning. A mechanism to mechanically induce a consistent and sufficient rotational speed to the device may increase enjoyment for some of the user base. Such a feature may be implemented in a number of ways to induce spin in the device. For example, the controller (e.g., the ring or wand) may include a “wind up” feature coupled to a mechanical interface (e.g., a nub or dimple) that is non-circular (a triangle, square, or other regular/irregular polygon or arcuate (e.g., elliptical) cross-section that mates to a complementary structure at one or both poles. The controller feature may be wound by the user, engaged to the device, and when the controller is released, the spring will induce the device to spin rapidly about the axis. When the launcher is incorporated into the controller, the user may quickly begin to control the spinning device.
An amusement system, including a body having a rotational symmetry including an axis extending between a first reference point and a second reference point and further including a reference plane extending perpendicularly from the axis between the reference points, the reference plane defining a reference perimeter; a plurality of magnetic components distributed about the reference perimeter; and a controller, independent from the body, including a magnet structure configured to control a direction of motion of the body as it spins over a play surface.
A method of operating an amusement system, including a) spinning a first body on a play surface producing a spinning first body, the first body having a rotational symmetry including a first axis extending between a first reference point and a second reference point and further including a first reference plane extending perpendicularly from the axis between the reference points, the first reference plane defining a first reference perimeter; and a plurality of magnetic components distributed about the first reference perimeter, wherein the first reference point is proximate the play surface and wherein the second reference point extends above the play surface; and b) positioning a first controller, independent from the first body, over the second reference point while the first body is spinning, the first controller including a magnet structure complementary to the plurality of magnetic components; and c) inducing a movement of the spinning first body over the play surface by translating the first controller over the play surface proximate the second reference point.
Any of the embodiments described herein may be used alone or together with one another in any combination. Inventions encompassed within this specification may also include embodiments that are only partially mentioned or alluded to or are not mentioned or alluded to at all in this brief summary or in the abstract. Although various embodiments of the invention may have been motivated by various deficiencies with the prior art, which may be discussed or alluded to in one or more places in the specification, the embodiments of the invention do not necessarily address any of these deficiencies. In other words, different embodiments of the invention may address different deficiencies that may be discussed in the specification. Some embodiments may only partially address some deficiencies or just one deficiency that may be discussed in the specification, and some embodiments may not address any of these deficiencies.
Other features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon a review of the present disclosure, including the specification, drawings, and claims.
The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally-similar elements throughout the separate views and which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, further illustrate the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for controlling an action toy without electronics or motors. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements.
Various modifications to the preferred embodiment and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this general inventive concept belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
The following definitions apply to some of the aspects described with respect to some embodiments of the invention. These definitions may likewise be expanded upon herein.
As used herein, the term “or” includes “and/or” and the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
As used herein, the singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to an object can include multiple objects unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present.
As used herein, the term “set” refers to a collection of one or more objects. Thus, for example, a set of objects can include a single object or multiple objects. Objects of a set also can be referred to as members of the set. Objects of a set can be the same or different. In some instances, objects of a set can share one or more common properties.
As used herein, the term “adjacent” refers to being near or adjoining. Adjacent objects can be spaced apart from one another or can be in actual or direct contact with one another. In some instances, adjacent objects can be coupled to one another or can be formed integrally with one another.
As used herein, the terms “connect,” “connected,” and “connecting” refer to a direct attachment or link. Connected objects have no or no substantial intermediary object or set of objects, as the context indicates.
As used herein, the terms “couple,” “coupled,” and “coupling” refer to an operational connection or linking. Coupled objects can be directly connected to one another or can be indirectly connected to one another, such as via an intermediary set of objects.
The use of the term “about” applies to all numeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. This term generally refers to a range of numbers that one of ordinary skill in the art would consider as a reasonable amount of deviation to the recited numeric values (i.e., having the equivalent function or result). For example, this term can be construed as including a deviation of ±10 percent of the given numeric value provided such a deviation does not alter the end function or result of the value. Therefore, a value of about 1% can be construed to be a range from 0.9% to 1.1%.
As used herein, the terms “substantially” and “substantial” refer to a considerable degree or extent. When used in conjunction with an event or circumstance, the terms can refer to instances in which the event or circumstance occurs precisely as well as instances in which the event or circumstance occurs to a close approximation, such as accounting for typical tolerance levels or variability of the embodiments described herein.
As used herein, the terms “optional” and “optionally” mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur and that the description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances in which it does not.
As used herein, the term “size” refers to a characteristic dimension of an object. Thus, for example, a size of an object that is spherical can refer to a diameter of the object. In the case of an object that is non-spherical, a size of the non-spherical object can refer to a diameter of a corresponding spherical object, where the corresponding spherical object exhibits or has a particular set of derivable or measurable properties that are substantially the same as those of the non-spherical object. Thus, for example, a size of a non-spherical object can refer to a diameter of a corresponding spherical object that exhibits light scattering or other properties that are substantially the same as those of the non-spherical object. Alternatively, or in conjunction, a size of a non-spherical object can refer to an average of various orthogonal dimensions of the object. Thus, for example, a size of an object that is a spheroidal can refer to an average of a major axis and a minor axis of the object. When referring to a set of objects as having a particular size, it is contemplated that the objects can have a distribution of sizes around the particular size. Thus, as used herein, a size of a set of objects can refer to a typical size of a distribution of sizes, such as an average size, a median size, or a peak size.
As used herein, the term “rotational symmetry” refers to a specific shape of a body embodying the present invention. This body includes a pair of opposing reference points that define an axis, The body includes stability when rotating about this axis which refers to a resistance to toppling. When spinning, one of the reference points is proximate a play surface and the opposing reference point extends away from the play surface. Toppling is a tendency of certain bodies to tilt relative to the play surface when a force is applied to the opposing reference point. Anti-toppling as a characteristic of rotational symmetry allows a controller (such as a ring or a wand or the like) to manipulate the body when it is spinning from a position directly above the spinning body. Another secondary characteristic that may be present in some implementations includes that the body performs similarly with either reference point proximate the play surface with similar anti-toppling features with either reference point “on top” and the other opposing reference point “on bottom” during play with the body spinning. This anti-toppling is not principally a gyroscopic effect as the body is designed to be spun by hand by a young child so anticipated rotational speeds are limited. In between the reference points, approximately midway (consistent with the importance of the secondary feature) between the references is an equatorial reference plane extending generally perpendicularly from the axis. Distributed evenly around a perimeter in this reference plane are two or more magnetic components. A spacing of the reference plane from each reference point and a relative magnetic strength of the magnetic components vis-à-vis the magnetics is configured to allow the controller to influence direction (e.g., push (repulse) or pull (attract)) of the body when spinning from a position directly above the axis of the spinning body. In some embodiments, rotational symmetry may be achieved by a spherical body, however other body shape configurations may be possible. For example, the magnetic components in the reference plane may form a square perimeter with the axis extending through a center of the square. Embodiments may not require that this arrangement of the magnetic components and the reference points be included within a discrete housing (e.g., the sphere or the like).
An embodiment of the present invention may include gesture control spinning magnetic spheres. Important features may include one or more of the following:
a) Spheres, the bottoms are preferred to be round or pin points (like spinning tops) but the sides can be round or flattened into shapes. Illustrated herein is a representative implementation including spheres rather than other toy configurations.
b) Two or more magnets (in this representative implementation four magnets are used) are placed evenly spaced from each other along a latitude or longitude of the sphere (the equator of the spheres in this illustrated implementation). Note, the product does perform with a pair of magnets but is better with four magnets. An embodiment of the present invention may include, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or more magnets distributed around the equator or in the reference plane.
c) The magnets may be placed so that all the positive sides (e.g., north poles) of the magnets face out, all the negative sides (e.g., south poles) face out, alternating positive and negative poles, or some other arbitrary configuration, fixed or alterable.
d) A magnet assembly, separate from the magnets in the spinning toy, is included to control the spinning toy. In some embodiments, this magnet assembly may define a ring wearable by the user or operator, but it may also be defined in a wand or simply be some other hand-held or user-manipulated format.
e) To play with the product the user may spin the sphere like a spinning top and then grasp and manipulate the magnet assembly near the sphere to control the a movement of the sphere. This configuration allows that one or more using may perform numerous tricks and numerous games with one or more spheres.
f) When all the out facing magnets in the sphere are positive then the spinning sphere may be pushed by the positive side of the magnet assembly and may be pulled by the negative side of the magnet assembly. When the sphere includes negative out-facing magnets, the control protocol with the magnet assembly is reversed. A “randomized” configuration may include different outward facing poles, sometimes different strengths, making operation with the magnetic assembly harder to predict which may be a desirable product goal for some implementations.
g) Different magnet strengths in some embodiments may affect the game play in a wide range of ways to implement design goals. As noted, different embodiments may include magnets with the same strength, some with all different strengths, and some with one or more sets of magnets with different strengths.
h) For embodiments intended for use with children, it is important to protect children from swallowing any of these magnets. Therefore the sphere and magnet assembly are larger than a standard opening in a choke tube. Additionally, it is preferred that construction options including designs wherein the magnets are extremely difficult to remove. This may be achieved through material choices, welding choices, and construction implementation. One implementation may include embedding the magnets of the sphere in a center cross beam. The center cross beam will be larger than an opening of the choke tube. This creates a double safety check so that in an event that the sphere broke, the magnets could still not be swallowed. In production some embodiments may remove the cross beam implementation when the sphere will not break during anticipated uses and misuses which may release the magnets but it is another feature of the illustrated design.
i) In some embodiments, the center cross beam may be made replaceable/interchangeable to easily alter a pattern of the magnets of the sphere which can alter operation as described herein.
j) Game Play: Graphics on or integrated into the spheres may allow for many types of game play when two balls connect, dice games, battling games and the like.
Various play surfaces may be designed for use with one or more players, each controlling one or more spinning embodiments 100.
The system and methods above has been described in general terms as an aid to understanding details of preferred embodiments of the present invention. In the description herein, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of components and/or methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. Some features and benefits of the present invention are realized in such modes and are not required in every case. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the present invention.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “a specific embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and not necessarily in all embodiments. Thus, respective appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in a specific embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specific embodiment of the present invention may be combined in any suitable manner with one or more other embodiments. It is to be understood that other variations and modifications of the embodiments of the present invention described and illustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and are to be considered as part of the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings/figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed or rendered as inoperable in certain cases, as is useful in accordance with a particular application.
Additionally, any signal arrows in the drawings/Figures should be considered only as exemplary, and not limiting, unless otherwise specifically noted. Combinations of components or steps will also be considered as being noted, where terminology is foreseen as rendering the ability to separate or combine is unclear.
The foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed herein. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate. As indicated, these modifications may be made to the present invention in light of the foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention and are to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Thus, while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures, and it will be appreciated that in some instances some features of embodiments of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth. Therefore, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the essential scope and spirit of the present invention. It is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular terms used in following claims and/or to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by the appended claims.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/447,144 filed 17 Jan. 2017, the contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62447144 | Jan 2017 | US |
