Claims
- 1. An animated display device simulating a movable two-dimensional picture for presenting a viewable, self-contained story, said display device comprising:a housing having a front viewing opening defining a plane and simulating in said plane a frame for a two-dimensional picture, said housing having a predetermined height and width and a relatively shallow depth; at least one substantially planar scenery layer disposed in said housing substantially parallel to said plane of said viewing opening and viewable through said front opening, said scenery layer comprising part of said two-dimensional picture; at least one subassembly disposed in said housing and comprising: a substantially planar moveable display element comprising part of said two-dimensional picture and movable along a substantially planar path of travel, said path of travel being substantially parallel to said scenery layer; and an electromechanical driving mechanism for moving said moveable display element along said substantially planar path of travel, at least a portion of said at least one subassembly being concealed from viewing through said front viewing opening in said housing by said substantially planar scenery layer; a storyline memory device for storing data corresponding to a plurality of storyline events specific to said self-contained story, the plurality of storyline events comprising at least a movement of said moveable display element; and a processor electrically connected to said electromechanical driving mechanism and to said storyline memory device for retrieving said data corresponding to said storyline events and for generating corresponding control signals for transmission to said electromechanical driving mechanism for moving said at least one moveable display element in its substantially planar path of travel such that sequential execution of said storyline events by said processor presents said self-contained story through said front viewing opening in said housing.
- 2. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said device comprises at least two sub-assemblies.
- 3. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said storyline memory device further comprises a programmable audio memory device for storing audio data representing sounds specific to the self-contained story being depicted, wherein said plurality of storyline events further comprises at least a playing of a selected audio data from said audio memory device, and wherein said processor is electrically connected to said audio memory device for generating control signals for selecting and playing audio data from said audio memory device in synchronization with movement of said moveable display element; and further comprising a speaker electrically connected to said processor for producing an audio sound corresponding to said selected audio data.
- 4. The device in accordance with claim 3, wherein said processor retrieves and initiates performance of a next storyline event from said storyline memory device upon completion of playing of said selected audio data from said audio memory.
- 5. The device in accordance with claim 3, wherein said sub-assembly further comprises a switch electrically connected to said processor and disposed along the substantially planar path of travel of said moveable display element, wherein in an engaged state said switch generates a closure signal.
- 6. The device in accordance with claim 5, wherein said processor retrieves and initiates performance of a next storyline event from said storyline memory device upon receiving the closure signal transmitted by said switch.
- 7. The device in accordance with claim 5, wherein said processor retrieves and initiates performance of a next storyline event from said storyline memory device upon completion of playing of said selected audio data from said audio memory and receiving the closure signal transmitted by said electronic switch.
- 8. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor retrieves and initiates performance of a next storyline event from said storyline memory device when a predetermined period of time has elapsed sine initiation of movement of said moveable display element to a previous storyline event.
- 9. The device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the audio data comprises an audio data loop and said plurality of storyline events comprises at least continuously playing the audio data loop until said processor receives the closure signal transmitted by said switch.
- 10. The device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the audio data comprises an audio data loop and said plurality of storyline events comprises at least continuously playing the audio data loop until said processor receives the closure signal transmitted by said switch and completion of playing of a current cycle of the audio data loop.
- 11. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor comprises a timer for monitoring a time period since initiation of movement of said moveable display element for a particular storyline event, and wherein said processor generates an interrupt signal to stop movement of said moveable display element when the time period exceeds a predetermined timeout processing period.
- 12. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor comprises duty cycling circuitry for varying a duty cycle of said electromechanical driving mechanism that moves said moveable display element in the substantially planar path of travel according to a given storyline event.
- 13. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said electromechanical driving mechanism comprises:a support rail disposed along the substantially planar path of travel of said moveable display element; a carriage supported by and displaceable along said support rail, and wherein said moveable display element is pivotally mounted to said carriage; and a first motor for driving said carriage along said support rail in a first direction at a first speed.
- 14. The device in accordance with claim 13, wherein said electromechanical driving mechanism further comprises a second motor for driving said carriage in a second direction along said support rail opposite the first direction and at a second speed different from the first speed.
- 15. The device in accordance with claim 14, wherein said first motor is a uni-directional motor and said second motor is a bi-directional motor.
- 16. The device in accordance with claim 13, wherein said electromechanical driving mechanism further comprises an undulating cam and a cam follower, and wherein said cam follower contacts said cam as said carriage moves along said support rail whereby said moveable display element pivots back-and-forth as it moves along its support rail.
- 17. The device in accordance with claim 5, wherein said electromechanical driving mechanism comprises:a support rail disposed along the substantially planar path of travel of said moveable display element; a carriage supported by and displaceable along said support rail, and wherein said moveable display element is mounted to said carriage; a spring connected at one end to said carriage; a rack connected to the other end of said spring, said rack being supported by and displaceable along said support rail along the path of travel; a pinon disposed so as to operatively engage and move said carriage and said rack along said support rail; a motor for rotating said pinon and, in turn, driving said carriage and said rack together along said support rail; and an actuating member projecting from said rack a sufficient distance to engage said switch as said carriage moves along said support rail.
- 18. The device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a lamp, and wherein said plurality of storyline events comprises at least a lighting of said lamp.
- 19. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said electromechanical driving mechanism further comprises a gear box including:a bidirectional motor; a first pulley rotated by said motor, said first pulley having a first diameter; a belt disposed about said first pulley; a second pulley having a second diameter larger than the first diameter of said first pulley, said belt being disposed about said second pulley; a pinon disposed coaxially with respect to said second pulley; a first plurality of gears operatively interconnected in series and including a first gear and a last gear, said plurality of gears being arranged with the first gear engaging said pinon; and an idler gear engaging the last gear of said first plurality of gears, said idler gear producing a transmitted output power from said gear box.
- 20. The device in accordance with claim 19, wherein said electromechanical driving mechanism further comprises:a cam disposed to engage and rotate with said idler gear; and a pivoting member engaging said cam and rotatable thereby between two positions.
- 21. The device in accordance with claim 19, wherein said electromechanical driving mechanism further comprises:a bell crank disposed to engage and rotate with said idler gear of said gear box; a rod mounted at one end to said bell crank; and a swinging assembly mounted to the other end of said rod, and wherein said moveable display element is mounted to said swinging assembly.
- 22. The device in accordance with claim 19, wherein said electromechanical driving mechanism further comprises:a second plurality of gears operatively interconnected in series and including a third gear that engages said idler gear and a fourth gear that engages said third gear; a pair of rods, each rod being mounted at one end to a respective one of said second plurality of gears; a pair of bars, each bar being mounted to the other end of a respective rod and rotatable about a pivot point; a pair of first weights, each first weight being disposed on one end of a respective bar; a pair of second weights and a pair of third weights, each second weight being pivotally connected to the other end of a respective bar and each third weight being fixedly connected to the other end of a respective bar; and a pair of four bars extending substantially parallel to a respective bar, each four bar being fixedly connected to a respective second weight to maintain said moveable display element in a substantially erect position irrespective of radial movement of said bars.
- 23. The device in accordance with claim 22, wherein the opposite end of each rod is slotted at its connection to its respective bar.
- 24. The device in accordance with claim 23, each second weight having a rear surface adjacent each respective third weight, and further comprising a tilted ridge mounted to the rear surface of a respective second weight and disposed such that as each bar pivots radially, each third weight is guided by said tilted ridge so as to restrict displacement of each third weight relative to each second weight.
- 25. An animated display assembly simulating a movable two-dimensional picture for presenting a viewable, self-contained story comprising a plurality of different scenes, comprising:a plurality of dynamic dialogue animated display units depicting different scenes of said self-contained story arranged in a predetermined direction, and wherein said units comprise adjacent units including a previous unit and a next unit, wherein the previous unit generates an actuation signal for initiating performance of the sequence of storyline events in the next unit, and wherein each unit comprises: a housing having a front viewing opening defining a plane and simulating in said plane a frame for a two-dimensional picture, said housing having a predetermined height and width and a relatively shallow depth; at least one substantially planar scenery layer disposed in said housing substantially parallel to said plane of said viewing opening and viewable through said front opening, said scenery layer comprising part of said two-dimensional picture; at least one subassembly disposed in said housing and comprising: a substantially planar moveable display element comprising part of said two-dimensional picture and movable along a substantially planar path of travel, said path of travel being substantially parallel to said scenery layer; and an electromechanical driving mechanism for moving said moveable display element along said substantially planar path of travel, at least a portion of said at least one subassembly being concealed from viewing through said front viewing opening in said housing by said substantially planar scenery layer; a storyline memory device for storing data corresponding to a plurality of storyline events specific to said self-contained story, the plurality of storyline events comprising at least a movement of said moveable display element; and a processor electrically connected to said electromechanical driving mechanism and to said storyline memory device for retrieving said data corresponding to said storyline events and for generating corresponding control signals for transmission to said electromechanical driving mechanism for moving said at least one moveable display element in its substantially planar path of travel such that sequential execution of said storyline events by said processor presents said self-contained story through said front viewing opening in said housing; means for generating an actuation signal which initiates performance of the storyline events in the next unit, said generating means being electrically connected to and controlled in response to the control signal generated by said processor; and means for receiving the actuation signal from said generating means of the previous unit, said processor being electrically connected to said receiving means and initiating performance of the sequence of storyline events in the next unit upon receipt of the actuation signal.
- 26. The assembly in accordance with claim 25, wherein said generating means comprises at least one infrared transmitter and said receiving means comprises at least one infrared sensor.
- 27. The assembly in accordance with claim 26, wherein said generating means comprises two infrared transmitters disposed along adjacent sides of said unit and two infrared sensors disposed at diagonal corners of said unit, wherein the infrared sensors of any two adjacent units are disposed at alternating diagonal corners with respect to one another.
- 28. The assembly in accordance with claim 27, wherein the infrared transmitters are disposed along a bottom and right sides of each unit.
- 29. The assembly in accordance with claim 25, wherein said plurality of units are arranged one after another in one of a horizontal and a vertical direction.
- 30. The assembly in accordance with claim 25, wherein each unit comprises at least two sub-assemblies.
- 31. A method for simulating a movable two-dimensional picture for presenting a viewable, self-contained story using an animated display device including a housing having a front viewing opening defining a plane and simulating in said plane a frame for a two-dimensional picture, at least one substantially planar scenery layer comprising part of said two-dimensional picture and disposed in said housing so as to be viewable through said front opening, and at least one sub-assembly disposed in said housing substantially parallel to said plane of said viewing opening and including a substantially planar moveable display element and an electromechanical driving mechanism for moving said moveable display element, said method comprising the steps of:(a) retrieving from a programmable storyline memory device data corresponding to a plurality of storyline events specific to said self-contained story using a processor, wherein the plurality of storyline events comprise at least a movement of the substantially planar moveable display element along a substantially planar path of travel substantially parallel to said scenery layer; (b) generating using the processor control signals corresponding to the retrieved storyline events; (c) initiating in response to the generated control signal movement of said moveable display element along the substantially planar path of travel using an electromechanical driving mechanism, wherein at least a portion of said at least one subassembly is concealed from viewing through said front viewing opening in said housing by said substantially planar scenery layer; and (d) retrieving a next storyline event in the storyline memory and repeating step (b) to recreate said self-contained story through said front viewing opening in said housing.
- 32. The method in accordance with claim 31, wherein step (c) further comprises the step of playing of selected audio data representing sounds specific to the self-contained story being depicted from an audio memory device using a speaker in response to the control signal generated by said processor.
- 33. The method in accordance with claim 31, before step (a) further comprising the steps of:(e) applying power to said processor; and (f) performing self-correcting processing.
- 34. The method in accordance with claim 33, wherein step (f) comprises the step of checking at least one of the operability of the moveable display element and processor, wherein if at least one of the moveable display element and processor is not operating, further comprising the step of disabling said display.
- 35. The method in accordance with claim 33, wherein step (f) comprises the step of checking to determine if a power supply is sufficient, wherein if the power supply is insufficient, further comprising the step of initiating a power supply replacement request and disabling said display.
- 36. The method in accordance with claim 33, wherein step (f) comprises the steps of checking if the moveable display element is in a reset position, wherein if the moveable display element is not in the reset position, further comprising the step of moving the moveable display element to the reset position.
- 37. The method in accordance with claim 36, wherein the step of checking if the moveable display element is in the reset position further comprises the step of checking continuously to determine whether a time period since initiation of movement of the moveable display element to the reset position exceeds a predetermined timeout processing period, wherein if the time period exceeds the predetermined timeout processing period further comprising the step of disabling said display.
- 38. The method in accordance with claim 31, before step (a) further comprising the steps of:(g) generating a start signal; and (h) performing reset processing.
- 39. The method in accordance with claim 38, wherein step (h) further comprises the step of checking if the moveable display element is in a reset position, wherein if the moveable display element is not in the reset position, further comprising the step of driving the moveable display element to the reset position.
- 40. The method in accordance with claim 38, wherein step (h) further comprises the step of continuously checking until the processor is finished playing a previously selected audio data.
- 41. The method in accordance with claim 32, wherein step (c) further comprises the steps of:(i) continuously checking to determine whether a time period since initiation of movement of the moveable display element exceeds a predetermined intermediate processing period, wherein if the time period exceeds the predetermined timeout processing period further comprising the steps of; (j) interrupting movement of the moveable display element; (k) playing of intermediate audio data from the audio memory; and (l) resuming movement of the moveable display element upon completion of playing of the intermediate audio data.
- 42. The method in accordance with claim 31, wherein step (c) further comprises the step of continuously checking to determine whether a time period since initiation of movement of the moveable display element exceeds a predetermined timeout processing period, wherein if the time period exceeds the predetermined timeout processing period further comprising the step of disabling said display.
- 43. The method in accordance with claim 32, wherein step (d) comprises the step of retrieving the next storyline event in the storyline memory upon completion of playing of the selected audio data from said audio memory.
- 44. The method in accordance with claim 31, wherein step (d) comprises the steps of retrieving the next storyline event in the storyline memory upon said moveable display element engaging a switch disposed along the path of travel.
- 45. The method in accordance with claim 32, wherein step (d) comprises the step of retrieving the next storyline event in the storyline memory upon completion of playing of the selected audio data from said audio memory and upon said moveable display element engaging a switch disposed along the path of travel.
- 46. The method in accordance with claim 31, wherein step (d) comprises the step of retrieving the next storyline event in the storyline memory when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since initiation of performance of movement of said moveable display element to a previous storyline event.
- 47. The method in accordance with claim 32, wherein step (c) further comprises the step of continuously playing an audio data loop until said moveable display element engages a switch disposed along the path of travel and completion of playing of a current cycle of the audio data loop.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 08/779,385, filed Jan. 7, 1997, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
“Automata & Mechanical Toys”, Mary Hillier, Bloomsbury Books London, 1988, pp. 48, 50, 94, 96 and 97. |
“Bagatelle”, Trianon & Terrasse, Apr. 7 to Jul. 30, 1993, pp. 11, 28, 29, 130-139. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/779385 |
Jan 1997 |
US |
Child |
09/004012 |
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US |