Claims
- 1. An interactive character system comprising:one or more toy characters, each toy character having a head and limb portion, one or more wireless electronic signal receivers structured to receive an wireless signal, and an electronic system, said electronic system having a programmable memory structured to store software and preprogrammed data, said software structured to interpret a received electronic signal and to trigger playback of preprogrammed data related the received electronic signal; and an environment having disposed therein one or more environmental signal transmitters structured to transmit an electronic signal indicating a location within said environment; wherein said toy character is carded by a person within the environment, and produces an oral communication associated/related to a location within the environment in response to receiving an electronic signal.
- 2. The interactive character system of claim 1, wherein said software is further structured to recognize audio signals.
- 3. The interactive character system of claim 2, wherein said audio signal is human speech.
- 4. The interactive character system of claim 1, wherein said one or more environmental transmitters includes at least one roving environmental transmitter and at least one stationary environmental transmitter.
- 5. The interactive character system of claim 4, wherein said at least one roving environmental transmitter is disposed on a moving object.
- 6. The interactive character system of claim 5, wherein said moving object is a large character.
- 7. The interactive character system of claim 1, wherein said environment includes a theme park and a hotel.
- 8. The interactive character system of claim 1 wherein said oral communication includes simulated speech, sound effects and music.
- 9. The interactive character system of claim 1 wherein said electronic signal is an infrared signal, said receiver is an infrared receiver and said environmental signal transmitter is an infrared transmitter.
- 10. The interactive character system of claim 1 wherein said electronic signal is a radio frequency signal said receiver is a radio frequency receiver and said environmental transmitter is a radio frequency transmitter.
- 11. The interactive character system of claim 1 wherein the toy character produces said oral communication at a time substantially after receiving the signal.
- 12. The interactive character system of claim 1 wherein said electronic system is structured to store said wireless signal in its memory, and to read said memory and produce an oral communication relevant to said at least one or more environmental transmitter at a later time when said toy is not within said theme park.
- 13. An interactive character system comprising:an environment having disposed therein one or more wireless signal transmitters structured to transmit a wireless signal indicating a location within the environment; and one or more portable toy characters, each toy character comprising a head and limb portion; a wireless signal receiver structured to receive a wireless signal; electronics capable of playing audio data, the audio data reproducing an oral communication; a programmable memory for storing pre-programmed data, the pre-programmed data comprising audio data related to a location within said environment; and software stored in said programmable memory, said software structured to process a received wireless signal and to cause said electronic system to locate and play said pre-programmed audio data to produce said oral communication; and wherein said toy character is carried by a person throughout the environment, and acts as a personal tour guide to the person by producing oral communication related to the location in the environment.
- 14. The interactive character system of claim 13 wherein said wireless signal receiver is an infrared receiver and said environmental signal transmitter is an infrared transmitter.
- 15. The interactive character system of claim 13 wherein said wireless signal receiver is a radio frequency receiver and'said environmental transmitter is a radio frequency transmitter.
- 16. An interactive character system comprising:an environment having disposed therein one or more wireless signal transmitters structured to transmit a wireless signal indicating a location within the environment and one or more wireless signal receivers; and one or more portable toy characters, each toy character comprising a head and limb portion; a wireless signal receiver structured to receive a wireless signal; a wireless signal transmitter structured to transmit a wireless signal; electronics capable of playing audio data, the audio data reproducing an oral communication; a programmable memory for storing pre-programmed data, the pre-programmed data comprising audio data related to a location within said environment; and software stored in said programmable memory, said software structured to process a received wireless signal and to cause said electronic system to locate and play said pre-programmed audio data to produce said oral communication; and wherein said toy character is carried by a person throughout the environment, and acts as a personal tour guide to the person by producing oral communication related to the location in the environment.
- 17. The interactive character system of claim 16 wherein said wireless signal is an infrared signal, said receiver is an infrared receiver and said environmental signal transmitter is an infrared transmitter.
- 18. The interactive character system of claim 16 wherein said wireless signal is a radio frequency signal, said receiver is a radio frequency receiver and said environmental transmitter is a radio frequency transmitter.
- 19. The interactive character system of claim 16, wherein:said one or more environmental transmitters includes at least one roving environmental transmitter and at least one stationary environmental transmitter; and said one or more environmental receivers include at least one roving environmental receiver and at least one stationary environmental receiver.
- 20. The interactive character system of claim 6 further comprising a badge containing an infrared transmitter, the badge worn by the toy's owner, and for facilitating communication between the owner and its toy.
- 21. An interactive character system comprising:an environment having disposed therein one or more environmental signal transmitters configured to transmit a first electronic signal indicating a location within said environment; and one or more toy characters that can be carried by a person within said environment, each of the one or more toy characters having a head and limb portion and an electronic system comprising: one or more electronic signal receivers configured to receive the first electronic signal; a programmable memory configured to store software and preprogrammed data; and a processor that utilizes the software to interpret the first electronic signal that was received, triggers a playback of the preprogrammed data related to the first electronic signal that was received, and produces an oral communication associated with a location within the environment in response to the first electronic signal.
- 22. The interactive character system of claim 21, wherein the first electronic signal is an audio signal.
- 23. The interactive character system of claim 21, wherein the electronic system further comprises one or more electronic signal transmitters configured to transmit a second electronic signal to said environment.
- 24. The interactive character system of claim 21, wherein said environment has disposed therein one or more environmental signal receivers configured to receive the second signal.
- 25. The interactive character system of claim 21, wherein said environment includes a theme park and a hotel.
- 26. The interactive character system of claim 21, wherein said one or more environmental transmitters includes at least one roving environmental transmitter.
- 27. The interactive character system of claim 21, wherein said one or more environmental transmitters includes at least one stationary transmitter.
- 28. An interactive character system comprising:an environment having positioned therein one or more radio frequency transmitters, one or more infrared transmitters, and a communications module that selects between an infrared mode tat utilizes the one or more infrared transmitters and a radio frequency mode that utilizes the one or more radio frequency transmitters to transmit a first electronic signal indicating a location within said environment; and one or more toy characters that can be carried by a person within said environment, each of the one or more toy characters having a head and limb portion and an electronic system comprising: one or more electronic signal receivers configured to receive the first electronic signal; a programmable memory configured to store software and preprogrammed data; and a processor that utilizes the software to interpret the first electronic signal that was received, triggers a playback of the preprogrammed data related to the first electronic signal that was received, and produces an oral communication associated with a location within the environment in response to the first electronic signal.
- 29. The interactive system of claim 28, wherein the communications module initially selects the infrared mode.
- 30. The interactive system of claim 29, wherein the communications module selects the radio frequency mode if the one or more toy characters are not in the line of sight of the one or more infrared transmitters.
- 31. The interactive character system of claim 28, wherein said environment includes a theme park and a hotel.
- 32. The interactive character system of claim 28, wherein said one or more infrared transmitters includes at least one roving environmental transmitter.
- 33. The interactive character system of claim 28, wherein said one or more radio frequency titters includes at least one roving environmental transmitter.
- 34. The interactive character system of claim 28, wherein said one or more infrared transmitters includes at least one stationary transmitter.
- 35. The interactive character system of claim 28, wherein said one or more radio frequency transmitters includes at least one stationary transmitter.
- 36. The interactive character system of claim 28, wherein the electronic system further comprises one or more electronic signal transmitters configured to transmit a second electronic signal to said environment.
- 37. The interactive character system of claim 30, wherein said environment has disposed therein one or more environmental signal receivers configured to receive the second signal.
Parent Case Info
Priority of the Provisional Patent Application filed by the Inventors on Feb. 22, 1999 is claimed (Ser. No.: 60,120,912).
US Referenced Citations (21)
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60/120912 |
Feb 1999 |
US |