Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6244260
-
Patent Number
6,244,260
-
Date Filed
Friday, January 28, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, June 12, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 124 6
- 124 32
- 124 34
- 124 78
- 473 451
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
An electronic game includes a device that is held or worn by a player, and a housing. The device includes an emitter that emits a signal in response to player input. The housing includes a controller and a detector that detects the signal from the emitter and provides an electrical signal to the controller indicating the location of the emitter. The housing further includes a magazine for storing objects, and a fire mechanism coupled to the magazine and controlled by the controller to fire a stored object at the implement when the controller determines that the detector has detected an emitted signal from the emitter.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an interactive projectile-discharging toy.
BACKGROUND
Projectile-discharging toys are well known. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,967, a toy in the shape of a pistol discharges a disc when a player presses a trigger on the toy.
SUMMARY
In one general aspect, the invention provides an electronic game that includes a housing and device that is held or worn by a player. The device includes an emitter that emits a signal. Moreover, the housing includes a controller and a detector that detects the signal from the emitter and provides an electrical signal to the controller indicating the location of the emitter. The housing further includes a magazine for storing objects, and a fire mechanism coupled to the magazine and controlled by the controller to fire a stored object at the device when the controller determines that the detector has detected a signal from the emitter.
Embodiments may include one or more of the following features. For example, the device may include a speaker that emits one or more audio signals in response to player input. The emitter also may emit the signal in response to player input.
The emitter may include a light emitting diode, and the signal emitted from the emitter may be an electromagnetic signal. The emitter may be configured to emit the electromagnetic signal in the infrared wavelength region, and the detector may be configured to detect the electromagnetic signal emitted in the infrared wavelength region. To this end, the detector may include a photodiode detector. The detector also may be configured to detect a signal based on characteristics of the signal.
The electronic game may further include a supporting post on which the housing is mounted. When this is the case, the housing may include a mechanical rotator that is electrically controlled by the controller and is coupled to the post. The controller may determine that the emitted signal has been detected by causing the rotator to rotate the housing relative to the post and toward the signal. The controller may further determine whether a value of the electrical signal remains above a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time. When the controller determines that the detector has detected an emitted signal from the emitter, the controller may cause a speaker in the housing to emit an acoustic warning signal. The acoustic warning signal may be based on input from the player.
The housing may include a speaker controlled by the controller to emit an acoustic signal. The controller may thus cause the speaker to emit an acoustic game over signal when the controller determines that a predetermined number of objects have been fired from the magazine.
The object may be a sponge-like material and shaped in the form of a disc.
Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following description, including the drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a game involving a toy body and a device held by a player.
FIG. 2
is a perspective view of the hand held device of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 3
is a block diagram of the hand held device of FIG.
2
.
FIGS. 4A and 4B
are, respectively, front and back perspective views of the toy body of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 4C
is a cross sectional back perspective view of the toy body of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 5A
is a side cross-sectional view of the toy body of
FIG. 1
, with portions removed to illustrate the interior.
FIG. 5B
is a top cross-sectional view of the toy body of
FIG. 1
, with portions removed to illustrate the interior.
FIG. 6
is a block diagram of the toy body of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 7
is a flow diagram showing player operation of the game of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 8
is a perspective view of the game of
FIG. 1
during game play.
FIG. 9
is a flow diagram showing operation of the hand held device of FIG.
2
.
FIG. 10
is a flow diagram showing operation of the toy body of FIG.
1
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In
FIG. 1
, a player
100
holds and controls a device
105
. A toy
110
produces an output when it detects a signal emitted from the device
105
. For example, the device
105
may emit a signal that is detected by the toy
110
when the player presses a button on the device
105
. The toy
110
responds to the signal by emitting or shooting an object
115
toward the player
100
.
The device
105
may be in the shape of a sword or a weapon that is used to block the object
115
shot at the player
100
. The device
105
is preferably made of a durable, safe, and inexpensively fabricated material, for example, plastic. To facilitate shipping, the device
105
may be formed into several pieces that may be easily assembled by the player without the aid of additional tools. The pieces may mate with each other using any suitable fastening mechanism, such as, for example, using matching threads formed on the pieces.
The toy
110
includes a base
117
that supports a post
120
that couples to a body
125
. The body
125
rotates relative to the post
120
during game play. The base
117
, post
120
, and body
125
are made of plastic, with individual smaller components made of rubber or plastic. To facilitate shipping, the body
125
may be made to detach from the post
120
, which also may be detached from the base
117
. These parts may mate with each other using various fastening mechanisms, including snap-fit features and mating threaded features.
The object
115
is preferably made of a resilient, compressible material, such as, for example, a sponge made of rubber, cellulose, or plastic, to prevent injury to the player
100
. In particular, the object
115
may be made of vinyl chloride, a blow-formed article of urethane foam, or a polyethylene foam. Moreover, to increase aerodynamics and facilitate shooting, the object
115
is shaped in the form of a toroidal disc.
Referring also to
FIG. 2
, the device
105
includes a handle
200
shaped to fit the player's hands. For example, a grooved side
205
may be shaped into the handle
200
to help the player grip the device
105
. The device
105
also includes an upper segment
210
connected to the handle
200
. An on button
215
is formed into the handle
200
to control electronics positioned within the device, such as a speaker, a power source, a controller, and one or more light emitters
220
.
The light emitters
220
are positioned along an outer perimeter of the device
105
at unobstructed positions. For example, a light emitter
220
may be placed at the top of the handle
200
and away from the player's hands. The light emitter
220
may be a light emitting diode (“LED”) that emits electromagnetic radiation in the infrared wavelength region. In this way, the light emitted from the device
105
is invisible to the player, which makes the game more entertaining.
The speaker may be positioned within the handle
200
. Holes or slots
225
are formed in the handle to permit sound from the speaker to emanate from the device without being muffled.
Referring also to
FIG. 3
, the handle
200
contains the power source
300
, which may be one or more batteries retained in a battery holder (not shown). The controller
305
is also housed within the handle
200
. The controller
305
receives input from the power source
300
and the on button
215
. In response to this input, the controller
305
operates the light emitters
220
and the speaker
310
. The electrical components—controller
305
, power source
300
, light emitters
220
, and speaker
310
—are retained in the handle
200
to enable the player to easily maneuver the device during play.
Referring also to
FIGS. 4A-C
, the body
125
includes a barrel
400
for launching the objects
115
, and a supply section or magazine
405
coupled to the barrel
400
through a firing mechanism. The magazine
405
is used for loading the objects
115
from the top of the body
125
and supplying the objects,
115
to the barrel
400
. When an object is fired, the fire mechanism seizes an object
115
from the magazine
405
and launches that object through the barrel
400
.
The body
125
also includes signal detectors
410
, such as, for example, photodiode detectors, for detecting the radiation emitted by the light emitters
220
of the device
105
. As such, the signal detectors
410
may be optimized based on the wavelength of the emitted light.
An on button
415
is used for turning on the body
125
. Additionally, a speaker, a power source, and a body controller are housed inside the body
125
. Slots
420
are formed on the body
125
to permit sound to freely emanate from the speaker in the body
125
.
A compartment
430
is formed on the bottom of the body
125
to house the power source. The compartment
430
may be opened and closed using, for example, a screwdriver or a snap-fit feature. A rotator
435
couples the body
125
to the post
120
. The rotator
435
grips the post
120
and causes the body
125
to rotate around the longitudinal axis of the post
120
.
Several exterior cosmetic features may be incorporated into the design of the body
125
as shown in
FIGS. 4A-C
. Such features contribute to an android-like appearance of the body
125
. For example, an antenna
440
, various knobs
445
, or wires
450
may be placed on the body
125
.
Referring also to
FIGS. 5A and 5B
, the magazine
405
is shaped to hold the objects
115
. For example, if the objects
115
are disc-shaped, then the magazine
405
may be a cylinder with a diameter somewhat wider than the diameter of the objects. The magazine
405
includes a top lid
500
that is pivotally opened using a knob
425
. When the top lid
500
is pivoted to an open position, the objects
115
can be loaded into the magazine
405
. When the top lid
500
is pivoted to a closed position, the objects
115
are retained in the magazine
405
.
Inside the toy body
125
, a trigger motor
505
couples to a trigger mechanism
510
which includes a four-joint rotational chain mechanism between links
515
,
520
and the toy body
125
. When the trigger motor
505
activates the trigger mechanism
510
, link
520
is caused to rotate via link
515
. As link
520
is rotated, the objects
115
held in the magazine
405
are forcibly fed to a discharging position.
Pawls
525
,
530
are provided on the surface of link
520
to help facilitate this feeding action. The pawls
525
,
530
both project into the upper compartment of the barrel
400
. Of the two pawls, the pawl
525
confronts a hole in the object
115
held at the bottom of a stack of the objects
115
and functions as a stop for that bottom-most object
115
. The pawl
530
is brought into contact with the rear portion of the bottom-most object
115
and functions to forcibly feed the object
115
to the discharging position when the trigger mechanism
510
is activated by the trigger motor
505
.
Inside the toy body
125
, a discharge or fire motor
535
couples to and rotatably drives a discharge mechanism that includes a driving roller
540
located near the barrel
400
. The discharge mechanism also includes an idler roller
545
located on the other side of the barrel
400
so as to hold the object
115
between the two rollers.
In operation, the object
115
located at a position of the magazine
405
(a position indicated by the letter “A” in
FIG. 5B
) is fed to the discharging position (a position indicated by the letter “B” in
FIG. 5B
) by the trigger mechanism
510
. The object
115
so fed is designed to be discharged forward by virtue of the rotation of the driving roller
545
.
Detail of design and implementation of the trigger and discharge operations may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,967 issued on Dec. 5, 1995 to Matsuzaki et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.
Referring also to
FIG. 6
, the body
125
contains the power source
600
, such as, for example, a battery that is retained in the compartment
430
. The controller
605
is housed within the body
125
and receives input from the on button
415
, the power source
600
, and the signal detectors
410
. Based on this input, the controller
605
controls the speaker
610
, motors
505
,
545
, and a motor
615
that mechanically controls movement of the rotator
435
. The controller
605
performs these tasks using additional information obtained from a processor
635
, memory
640
, a clock
645
, and a counter
650
.
Referring also to
FIG. 7
, the player
100
operates the game according to a procedure
700
. The player
100
loads the objects
115
into the magazine
405
(step
705
) and places the toy
110
in an open area (step
710
). This setup reduces the chances that signal reflections from the device
105
will reach the signal detectors
410
, which could potentially cause the toy body
125
to operate erratically.
After the player
100
turns on the toy body
125
using the on button
415
(step
715
), the player
100
selects a play level (step
720
) by pressing the on button
415
a preset number of times. For example, if the player
100
wishes to play at an easy play level, the player presses the on button
415
once, and if the player
100
wishes to play at a harder play level, the player presses the on button
415
twice. The play level indicates a level of difficulty in playing the game. At an easy play level, the toy body
125
may warn the player
100
with a preset number of sounds before shooting the object
115
at the player
100
. On the other hand, at a harder play level, the toy body
125
may provide a shorter-duration warning, or no warning at all, to the player
100
before shooting the object
115
at the player
100
.
Referring also to
FIG. 8
, the player
100
stands with the device
105
within a predetermined range ΔD
800
of distances from the body
125
(step
725
). The predetermined range ΔD is based on the wavelength of the radiation (shown as wavefront
805
) emitted from the device
105
, the signal detectors
410
in the toy body
125
, and the shape of the radiation from the emitter
220
. When the signal detector
410
is too close to the emitter
220
, the detector
410
may not be in the path of the emitted radiation. Whereas when the signal detector
410
is too far from the emitter
220
, the signal may be too weak for the detector
410
to detect.
The player
100
grips the handle
200
and presses the on button
215
to turn on the device
105
(step
730
). This activates the signal emitters
220
and the speaker
310
. If the player
100
requires a rest during game play, the player may release the on button
215
for a preset number of seconds before the device
105
turns off.
When the toy body
125
shoots an object
115
through the barrel, the player
100
moves the device
105
toward the object
115
to block or strike the object
115
(step
735
). When all of the objects
115
have been fired from the toy body's barrel
400
(that is, there are no objects
115
remaining in the magazine
405
), the player
100
determines the score based on the total number of objects blocked (step
740
).
Referring to
FIG. 9
, during game play, the device controller
305
performs a procedure
900
. First, the controller
305
determines whether the device is activated by, for example, detecting whether the player has pressed the on button
215
(step
905
). If the controller
305
determines that the device is activated, the controller
305
emits light or electromagnetic radiation from the light emitters
220
(step
910
), and emits one or more sounds from the speaker
310
(step
915
).
Referring to
FIG. 10
, the toy body controller
605
performed a procedure
1000
during game play. The controller
605
determines the play level input by the player
100
by counting the number of times the player presses the on button
415
(step
1005
). Based on the play level, the toy body controller
605
selects an acoustic warning signal to be emitted by the speaker
610
before firing of the object from the barrel (step
1010
). The acoustic warning signal may be set to include at least three beeps for an easy play level or at least two beeps for a harder play level.
The toy body controller
605
then scans the surrounding area for emitted electromagnetic radiation (step
1015
). The controller
605
scans the area by first activating the motor
515
. The motor
515
, under control of the controller
605
, moves the rotator
435
and causes the toy body
125
to rotate around the post
120
(shown as arrows
810
,
815
in FIG.
8
). In this way, the signal detectors
410
are able to scan a complete 360° around the post for the emitted light.
The toy body controller
605
determines whether light is emitted from the implement
105
(step
1020
) by analyzing the output from the detector
410
. The output from the detector
410
is an electrical signal that indicates energy of the detected electromagnetic radiation. If the controller
605
determines that the device
105
is emitting electromagnetic radiation (step
1020
), then the toy body controller
605
tracks the emitted radiation until it pinpoints the location of the implement
105
(step
1025
). The controller
605
tracks the emitted radiation by adjusting an output signal to the motor
615
. The motor
615
moves the toy body via the rotator
435
in response to the analyzed output signal from the detector
410
. In particular, the motor moves the toy body until a peak in the signal is detected, with the peak indicating that the toy body is facing the device. The controller
605
tracks the emitted radiation for a period of time before firing to reduce the possibility that stray light has been erroneously detected.
Once the controller
605
determines the location of the device
105
(step
1025
), the speaker
610
emits the acoustic warning signal based on an electrical signal it receives from the controller (step
1027
). The electrical signal depends on the play level determined at step
1005
.
After emitting the acoustic warning signal, the controller
605
sends a trigger signal to the motor
505
, which activates the trigger mechanism
510
to forcibly feed an object
115
into the discharge location. Then the controller
605
sends a fire signal to the discharge motor
535
, which activates the fire mechanism (driving roller
540
and idler roller
545
) to shoot an object
115
through the barrel
400
and toward the location of the emitted electromagnetic radiation (step
1030
).
After an object
115
has been fired, the controller
605
determines whether there are any more objects
115
left in the magazine
405
(step
1035
) by counting the number of objects
115
that have already been fired. Because a predetermined number of objects
115
can fit into the magazine
405
, the controller
605
counts the number of times that the fire mechanism has been activated.
If there are more objects remaining in the magazine, then the controller
605
continues to scan the surrounding area for emitted light from the device (step
1015
). If there are no more objects remaining in the magazine, then the controller
605
sends a game over signal to the speaker
610
. The speaker
610
then emits an acoustic game over signal (step
1040
) to indicate that all the objects have been fired. The acoustic game over signal may correspond to a voice of the android-like object. For example, the android-like object may give a speech when all objects have been fired. Once the player
100
hears the acoustic game over signal, the player can then count up the number of blocked objects to determine a score.
The toy
110
and device
105
may be used in a game in which the toy
110
represents a spy probe that locates the player. The spy probe, upon finding the player, releases a message disc (represented by the object) that informs the owner of the spy probe of the location of the player. The player's goal is therefore to block the message discs from ever reaching the owner of the spy probe. At the end of the game, the speaker
610
, under control of the controller
605
, would emit an acoustic game over signal that corresponds to the voice of the spy probe owner.
Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the LED or light emitter
220
may emit light of other wavelengths, for example, in the visible region. Likewise, the signal detectors
410
may detect light at wavelengths corresponding to the expected wavelength of light emitted from the light emitters
220
.
To facilitate game play, the objects
115
may be made of different colors. Each color may represent a different point value. For example, when the player blocks an object of a blue color, the player receives, 5 points, whereas when the player blocks a yellow object, the player receives 1 point. The object
115
may be shaped into any form that facilitates aerodynamics, for example, spherical or toroidal forms would be suitable shapes.
The player may press the on button
215
to turn on the device
105
and then press the on button
215
to turn off the device
105
.
The device may be designed to emit an acoustic signal and the toy body may be designed with acoustic detectors to detect the acoustic signal.
The rotator may cause the body to rotate around an axis other than the longitudinal axis of the post, giving the signal detectors the ability to scan through a wider range for the emitted light.
Claims
- 1. An electronic game comprising:a device that is held or worn by a player, the device including an emitter that emits a signal; and a housing that includes: a controller, a detector that detects the signal from the emitter and provides an electrical signal to the controller indicating the location of the emitter, a magazine for storing objects, a fire mechanism coupled to the magazine and controlled by the controller to fire a stored object at the device when the controller determines that the detector has detected an emitted signal from the emitter.
- 2. The electronic game of claim 1, wherein the device includes a speaker that emits one or more audio signals in response to player input.
- 3. The electronic game of claim 1, wherein the emitter emits the signal in response to player input.
- 4. The electronic game of claim 1, wherein the emitter includes a light emitting diode.
- 5. The electronic game of claim 1, wherein the signal emitted from the emitter is an electromagnetic signal.
- 6. The electronic game of claim 5, wherein the emitter is configured to emit the electromagnetic signal in the infrared wavelength region.
- 7. The electronic game of claim 6, wherein the detector is configured to detect the electromagnetic signal emitted in the infrared wavelength region.
- 8. The electronic game of claim 1, wherein the detector includes a photodiode detector.
- 9. The electronic game of claim 1, wherein the detector is configured to detect a signal based on characteristics of the signal.
- 10. The electronic game of claim 1, further comprising a post, wherein the housing includes a mechanical rotator that is electrically controlled by the controller and is coupled to the post.
- 11. The electronic game of claim 10, wherein the controller determination that the emitted signal has been detected includes causing the rotator to rotate the housing relative to the post and toward a signal source.
- 12. The electronic game of claim 11, wherein the controller determination that the emitted signal has been detected further includes determining whether a value of the electrical signal remains above a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time.
- 13. The electronic game of claim 12, wherein the controller causes a speaker in the housing to emit an acoustic warning signal when the controller determines that the detector has detected an emitted signal from the emitter.
- 14. The electronic game of claim 13, wherein the acoustic warning signal is predetermined and configured by the player.
- 15. The electronic game of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a speaker controlled by the controller to emit an acoustic signal.
- 16. The electronic game of claim 15, wherein the controller causes the speaker to emit an acoustic game over signal when the controller determines that a predetermined number of objects have been fired.
- 17. The electronic game of claim 1, wherein the object is made of a sponge-like material and is disc-shaped.
- 18. An electronic game comprising:a device that is held or worn by a player, the device including an emitter that emits an electromagnetic signal in response to player input; a post; a housing mounted on the post and including: a controller, a mechanical rotator coupled to the post and controlled by the controller to rotate the housing relative to the post and toward the emitter; a detector that detects the electromagnetic signal from the emitter and provides an electrical signal to the controller indicating the location of the emitter, a magazine for storing objects, a fire mechanism coupled to the magazine and controlled by the controller to fire a stored object at the device when the controller determines that the detector has detected an emitted signal from the emitter; wherein the controller determines that the detector has detected an emitted signal by determining whether a value of the electrical signal remains above a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time.
US Referenced Citations (14)