Patent Application
20110269365
The present disclosure relates generally to interactive toys for image capture and display and, more particularly, to interactive toy dolls with an integral video camera and image display.
Children enjoy a variety of toy action figures and dolls that can be manipulated to simulate real life activities. Often these dolls allow children to simulate activities the children are not yet able to participate in themselves.
One way of increasing the enjoyment of these activities and available play options is to provide dolls that are capable of capturing and displaying a video image of these simulated real life activities. Examples of toys/devices for capturing and displaying a video image are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,982,281, 5,289,273, 6,264,521; and in U.S. Publication No. US20030016286; and in published patent application No. FR2703205. The disclosures of these and all other publications referenced herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
In one example, an interactive toy doll for image capture and display is provided having a torso that may include a sternum region located on a front portion of the torso and a thoracic region located on a back portion of the torso, generally aligned with the sternum region. The torso may additionally include a lumbar region located on the back portion of the torso, generally below the thoracic region. A camera lens may be integrated into the sternum region, and optically connected to an image sensor supported inside the torso. An image display may be integrated into the thoracic region and operatively connected to the image sensor. The torso may further include a control panel integrated into the lumbar region, operatively interconnected to the image sensor and the image display, and including at least one manual input so that the image sensor and the image display may be controlled using the control panel.
In some embodiments the toy doll may include a microphone integrated into the sternum region and operatively connected to the image sensor; a processor operatively connected to the image sensor and the image display; an image memory operatively connected to the processor; an electrical connector integrated into the torso and operatively connected to the processor; and a power source operatively connected to the processor.
In other embodiments the toy doll may include a torso defining a front portion of the torso and a back portion of the torso; legs extending from a lower portion of the torso; an image sensor located on the front portion of the torso; an image display located on the back portion of the torso; and a processor operatively connected to the image sensor and the image display. Additionally, the toy doll may include legs that may be grasped by a user while leaving the image sensor and the image display exposed so that a user may view an image on the image display while grasping the legs.
There may also be various methods of playing with the toy doll that may include the steps of providing a toy doll including a torso that may have an image sensor and an image display integrated into opposing surfaces of the torso, with legs extending from a lower portion of the torso. The steps may additionally include grasping the legs while leaving the image sensor and the image display exposed; pressing a control input on the lower portion of the torso; capturing a sensed image using the image sensor; transmitting the sensed image to the image display; viewing the sensed image on the image display; outputting the sensed image to a computer; and editing the sensed image on the computer.
An interactive toy doll as disclosed provides a revolutionary new way for a user to play with an interactive toy doll by combining a traditional toy doll with an integrated video camera and image display. A user playing with an interactive toy doll may use an interactive toy doll to capture videos of another user, other interactive toy dolls in play, and/or simulated real life activities. Later, a user may upload captured videos to a computer, edit the videos using software, and share video files over the Internet using such services as YouTube.
Torso 14 is labeled in
Legs 18 extend from lower portion 28 of torso 14, and may be grasped by a user, as represented in
Preferably, image sensor 40, processor 42, and image memory 44 are part of an integrated circuit or circuits, and are operatively connected to image display 20 and control panel 22 by a printed wiring assembly, or additional wires, not shown.
Image sensor 40 may be integrated into sternum region 38 located on a front portion 46 of torso 14. Additionally and/or alternatively, image sensor 40 may be supported inside torso 14 and optically connected to camera lens 36. Audio sensing may be provided by a microphone 48, represented in
Processor 42 may be capable of processing both sensed images captured by image sensor 40 and audio captured by microphone 46, and then storing captured image and audio information on image memory 44. Processor 42 and image memory 40 may be housed within torso 14. In some embodiments, doll 10 may include a card slot for image memory expansion. Various memory cards are available, with microSD cards being particularly convenient and small.
Doll 10 may further include a power-source 50 housed in one or more legs 18, and operatively connected to processor 42. Power-source 50 may include one or more AAA batteries, rechargeable batteries, or USB chargeable power-source.
In
Some functionality of control panel 22 will be described next. For the purposes of this description captured image and/or audio information will additionally be referred to as video, a video, or video file.
Manual inputs 52 may include one or more of the following: a trash button 54, a record button 56, a play button 58, and a reset button 60. Reset button 60 may be used to power-off doll 10, otherwise doll 10 may power-off after a certain amount of inactivity.
Manual inputs 52 may be pressed to perform some of the following functions. To power-on doll 10, a user may press, hold, and release record button 56. Once powered on, doll 10 may show image 34 on image display 20. Pressing record button 56 a second time may capture and/or store a video file on image memory 44. Pressing record button 56 a third time may stop capturing video. Pressing record button 56 a fourth time may resume capturing video. A user may press, hold, and release record button 56 to power-off doll 10.
After powering on doll 10, a user may press play button 58 to access and view a first stored and/or captured video file on image display 20. Pressing play button 58 a second time may pause a video file, and a third press of play button 58 may resume a paused video file. Pressing and holding play button 58 may allow access to a second stored and/or captured video file.
While doll 10 is powered-on, pressing trash button 54 may delete a stored and/or captured video, however doll 10 may display a prompt on image display 20 to confirm deletion, pressing trash button 54 a second time may confirm deletion and cause a video file to be purged from image memory 40 making additional memory available.
During operation, image display 20 may provide a user with visual representations to communicate functions that may be performed or are being performed. For example, a miniature camcorder may appear in a lower right corner of image display 20 to indicate image sensor 40 is ready to record. Once recording begins, image display 20 may display record time along with a flashing record symbol. Additionally, image display 20 may display a low battery, low memory, and/or delete memory graphic during operation. In some embodiments, additionally and/or alternatively, doll 10 may include a LED that may flash different flashing patterns if an interactive toy doll has either low memory or low battery power. Moreover, before a video is viewed/played image display 20 may display a unique file name associated with each video to indicate which video is being viewed/played.
Moving on from control panel 22,
As discussed above, electrical connector 62 may be used for connecting doll 10 to a computer, which may allow a user to edit captured audio and visual information using software located on any or all of memory inside doll 10, memory inside a computer, a CD-ROM (or similar data storage device) or on the Internet. In some embodiments, however, doll 10 may include software and/or additional manual inputs to allow editing without a computer. This may allow a user to view and edit video directly after capturing video.
Editing Tools may include: Timeline edit, Filters, Graphics, and Dubs. Using timeline edit, a user may be able to edit the length, order, and speed of captured audio and/or visual information. Using filters, a user may be able to filter captured images and/or video files by, for example, warping, applying black and white filters, and/or applying sepia tone filters. Using graphics, a user may be able to drop in thought bubbles, popping hearts, and other graphical elements. Using dubs, a user may be able supplement captured audio information and/or video files with sound effects that may be included in a bank of sound effects. Additionally, a user may be able supplement captured audio information and/or video files with user recorded sounds or videos. After editing is complete, a user may share video files with other users.
In some embodiments, doll 10 may include a separate miniature video camera capable of capturing audio, moving images, and still images. A user may use miniature video camera by itself to capture and view video of doll 10, or a user may attach miniature video camera to a slot located on back portion 24 of torso 14 to capture and view video from a perspective of doll 10. After attachment, an image sensor on the miniature video camera may be generally aligned with camera lens 36.
In some embodiments, additionally and/or alternatively, doll 10 may include a detachable image display capable of attachment to back portion 24 of torso 14. Detachable image display may be disguised as a jacket, backpack, or purse allowing a user to accessorize and/or change the appearance of doll 10.
In some embodiments, doll 10 may additionally and/or alternatively include a separate pair of glasses with an embedded image display that may be remotely connected to image sensor 40. Glasses may be worn to view images from a perspective of doll 10. Additionally and/or alternatively, in some embodiments doll 10 may include a headphone jack for audio output.
It is believed that the disclosure set forth herein encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in its preferred form, the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. Similarly, where the claims recite “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.
It is believed that the following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations that are directed to one of the disclosed inventions and are novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present claims or presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to a different invention or directed to the same invention, whether different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are also regarded as included within the subject matter of the inventions of the present disclosure.
