The present invention claims priority under 35 United States Code, Section 119 on the provisional application numbered 62785710 filed on Dec. 28, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
The present invention generally relates to the children's toy industry, and, more particularly, relates to a portable children interactive system including a doll structure and multiple electronic tags for communicating therewith in such system.
Convenience, flexibility and choice have become an important part of our modern-day society. Based on same, the children's toy industry has evolved accordingly providing a wide range of choices which are flexible and convenient to use. In such ever-evolving children's toy industry, dolls have been very relevant over the longest period of times that everybody can relate to. Nowadays interactive dolls are quite in demand as they are very useful, not only for playing, but also for purposes of learning and communicating with the children.
In the history of development of dolls, electronics has played an important part. Dolls have been adapted with recording and playback equipment, for example, and with speakers, so dolls so equipped may speak to a child. There are many other examples in the art of dolls including electronic gadgets to better simulate human activity and response. Other development in dolls exhibit some type of interaction to external parameters such as touch or spoken words or sounds from a child user. Such toys appear to interact in some way with the user of the toy, i.e., the child playing with the toy.
More sophisticated toys include those which respond to signals transmitted through a television program or a computer terminal so that the toy appears to react to the television program or computer. Some of such toys are known to respond to radio frequency (RF) signals, e.g., toy vehicles having radio frequency transmitting remote control units. Such toys typically respond to simple signals, such as “forward”, “stop”, “turn” and “reverse”.
Some of the other such dolls are known to speak prerecorded messages in response to a push of a button or RFID or Infrared signals. In spite of all these developments in the recent past, the using effect and the operating mode of such conventional dolls are limited in either scope or mobility, among other limitations, and, for example, there is foregoing need of providing such dolls that can be on the one hand, mobile, and at the same time, smart enough to recognize the surrounding thereof and be utilized in more specified manner based on the recognized surroundings and/or context of usage.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, the general purpose of the present invention is to provide a portable children interactive system to include all advantages of the prior art, and to overcome the drawbacks inherent in the prior art.
The objective of the present disclosure is to provide such dolls that can be on the one hand, mobile, and at the same time, smart enough to recognize the surrounding thereof and be utilized in a more specific manner based on the recognized surroundings and/or context of usage.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, a portable children interactive system for communicating over a wireless network including one of a WI-FI wireless network or a Bluetooth wireless network, having one or more children is provided. The portable children interactive system includes a plurality of electronic tags and a doll structure. The plurality of electronic tags is configured to be placed at different places. Further, the doll structure includes an interactive module. The interactive module is configured to interact with the plurality of electronic tags over the wireless network up to a longest distance that is within the reach of the wireless network. The interactive module is configured to determine: (i) whether at least one electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags is detected and present, but not beyond a certain distance threshold from the doll structure, and which of the at least one electronic tag out of the plurality of electronic tags is the closest one. In order to determine which tag is the closest, the interactive module is configured to: (a) measure at least once, a signal strength of each electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, and average the measurements, separately for each electronic tag, to one average signal strength per tag, and (b) calculate—a distance from the doll structure based on the average signal strength of each of the electronic tags from the doll structure over the wireless network. The interactive module is further configured to determine: (ii) based on identification of the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, to the doll, a predetermined message, chosen out of the plurality of predetermined messages coded in relation to the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags to be played to create an illusion as if the doll structure knows its surrounding thereof, and/or the context of the time the doll structure is being used at.
In one embodiment, the doll structure may further include a power source placed within the doll structure and configured to be electrically coupled to power the interactive module.
In one embodiment, the doll structure may further include an audible member placed within the doll structure and coupled to the power source and the interactive module to play the predetermined message out of the plurality of predetermined messages coded in relation to the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags. The audible member is adapted to audibly play the predetermined message out of the plurality of predetermined messages.
In one embodiment, the doll structure may further include an activation member including a push button placed inside or outside of the doll structure to electrically couple the interactive module, the audible member and the power source. The activation member in a normal position cuts electrical connection between the interactive module, the audible member and the power source.
In one embodiment, the audible member is configured to audio-out a default message, based on the selection, from the plurality of predetermined message, stored in the doll structure, if the interactive module does not recognize any of the plurality of electronic tags within the predetermined distance threshold.
In one embodiment, the interactive module, in order to determine which of the electronic tag out of the plurality of electronic tags is the closest one, is configured to measure, multiple times, the signal strength of one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags, and to average all the measurements of each tag to one average number, and then to calculate the distance based on the strength of the signal received from one or more electronic tags over the wireless network.
In one embodiment, each electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags comprises a unique ID. Based on the identification of the unique ID of the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags by the interactive module, the interactive module of the doll structure plays at least one of the predetermined message out of the plurality of predetermined messages attached to the unique ID of the identified closest electronic tag, via the audible member.
In one embodiment, one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags includes a voice message. The voice message having a digital voice file adapted to be read by the interactive module to play the predetermined message out of the plurality of predetermined messages based on the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags.
In one embodiment, one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags may include a text message. Further, in such embodiment, the interactive module comprises a text-to-speech chip. The text-to-speech chip is adapted to read and play the text message. In one example embodiment, the text message of the tags is one of an editable text message or a non-editable text message.
In one embodiment, one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags comprises a voice recording element to record at least one voice-message. Further, the interactive module comprises a reading member. In such embodiment, the reading member is adapted to read and play the recorded voice message.
In one embodiment, one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags includes a switch member to switch ON/switch OFF the one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags.
In one further aspect of the present disclosure, a portable children interactive system for communicating over a wireless network including one of a WI-FI wireless network or a Bluetooth wireless network, having one or more children, is provided. The portable children interactive system includes a plurality of electronic tags and a doll structure. The plurality of electronic tags is configured to be placed at various parts of a predefined-place. Each electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags includes a unique identification attribute. Further, the doll structure, is adapted to play, based on identification of a closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, a predetermined message, chosen out of a plurality of predetermined messages coded in relation to the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, to create an illusion as if the doll structure knows the surrounding thereof, and/or the context of the time the doll structure is being used at.
In this aspect, in one embodiment, the doll structure may include an interactive module to interact with the plurality of electronic tags over the wireless network up to the longest distance within the reach of the wireless network. The interactive module upon the electrical connection with the power source is configured to determine: (i) whether at least one electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags is detected, and is not beyond a certain distance threshold from the doll structure, wherein to determine which electronic tag out of the plurality of electronic tags is the closest one, the interactive module is configured to: (a) measure at least once, the signal strength of each of one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags, and average the measurements, separately for each tag, to one average number, per tag, and (b) calculate the distance of each of the tags from the doll structure, based on the average signal strength of each of the tags as received over the wireless network; and (ii) based on the identification of the closest electronic tag, the interactive module enables the audible member to play the predetermined message coded in relation to that closest electronic tag to create an illusion as if the doll structure knows its surrounding and/or the context of the time it is being used at.
In this aspect, in one embodiment, the interactive module, to determine which electronic tag out of the plurality of electronic tags is the closest one, is configured to measure, multiple times, the signal strength of one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags, and to average all the measurements of each tag to one average number, and then to calculate the distance based on the strength of the signal received from one or more electronic tags over the wireless network.
In one further aspect of the present disclosure, a children interactive method for communicating over a wireless network including one of a WI-FI wireless network or a Bluetooth wireless network, having one or more children, is provided. The children interactive method includes: placing a plurality of electronic tags at different places in the wireless network; and placing a doll structure in the wireless network in proximity to the plurality of electronic tags, the doll structure comprising an interactive module; interacting, via the interactive module, with the plurality of electronic tags over the wireless network up to the longest distance within the reach of the wireless network, the interactive module is configured to: (i) determine whether at least one electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags is detected and is not beyond a certain threshold from the doll structure, wherein to determine which of the at least one electronic tag out of the plurality of electronic tags is the closest one, the interactive module is configured to: (a) measure at least once, the signal strength of each electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, and average the measurements, separately for each electronic tag, to one average signal strength per tag, and (b) calculate a distance of each electronic tag from the doll structure, based on the average signal strength of each of the electronic tags over the wireless network; and (ii) play, based on the identification of the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, a predetermined message, chosen out of a plurality of predetermined messages coded in relation to the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, to create an illusion as if the doll structure knows the surrounding thereof, and/or the context of the time the doll structure is being used at.
In one further aspect of the present disclosure, a doll structure for communicating with a plurality of electronic tags over a wireless network including one of a WI-FI wireless network or a Bluetooth wireless network, having one or more children, is provided. The doll structure is adapted to play, based on the identification of a closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, a predetermined message, chosen out of a plurality of predetermined messages coded in relation to the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, to create an illusion as if the doll structure knows the surrounding thereof, and/or the context of the time the doll structure is being used at.
In one further aspect of the present disclosure, a portable children's interactive package for communicating over a wireless network including one of a WI-FI wireless network or a Bluetooth wireless network, having one or more children, is provided. The doll structure package includes a plurality of electronic tags and a doll structure. The doll structure is adapted to play, based on the identification of a closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, a predetermined message, chosen out of a plurality of predetermined messages coded in relation to the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags, to create an illusion as if the doll structure knows the surrounding thereof, and/or the context of the time the doll structure is being used at.
This together with the other aspects of the present invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the present invention, is pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forms a part of the present invention. For a better understanding of the present invention, its operating advantages, and the specified objective attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the description of several views of the drawings.
For a thorough understanding of the present invention, reference is to be made to the following detailed description, including the appended claims, in connection with the above-described drawings. Although the present invention is described in connection with exemplary embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
The terms, “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items.
The present invention provided pertains to a portable children's interactive system including a doll structure and multiple electronic tags for communicating therewith in such system. Such children's interactive system including the doll structure and multiple electronic tags may be portable and may provide an illusion as if the doll structure knows its surroundings and/or the context of the time it is being used at.
The present invention provides convenience in the using effect and the operating mode of the doll structure by providing such doll structure that may be portable, and such doll structure (or may also be referred to as ‘doll’) and multiple electronic tags provide an illusion as if the doll structure knows its surroundings and/or the context of the time it is being used at.
The doll structure, in combination with multiple electronic tags of the present invention offers a portable, seemingly smart, and more interactive system that is capable of providing an illusion as if the doll structure knows its surroundings, and/or the context of the time it is being used at. The doll structure in combination with multiple electronic tags of the present invention, and in combination with different software programs running inside the doll, may be used by all age groups, including adults, teens, and kids, male or female.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of electronic tags is configured to be placed at various, different, parts of a predefined space. The plurality of electronic tags may be configured to communicate over the wireless network including one of the WI-FI wireless network or the Bluetooth wireless network. Each electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags may include a unique identification attribute (i.e. ID). For example, one electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags that is placed in the kitchen may include the identification attribute identifying the kitchen as the place it is placed at. In another example, one electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags that is placed in the kitchen may trigger the playback of one or more than one message by the doll structure, such as “I'm hungry”, or “I want water” or “I'm ready for dinner/lunch”. Similarly, another one tag of the plurality of electronic tags, that may be placed in the bathroom, may trigger the playback of messages such as “I'm ready for a bath”, “I'm brushing my teeth”, etc., by the doll structure.
In one embodiment, each electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags may include a power source to power thereto. The power source may, for example, be a battery or any other power source known in the art.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the doll structure includes a replica of non-moving parts of a head, a body and limbs. The doll structure may feature any known character including, but not limited to, Action Men, Barbie, Disney characters, Star Wars characters, and the like. The doll structure may further include various other components, for example, an interactive module, an audible member, an activation member, including, but not limited to a push button and a power source, or any other additional components that may be required to perform the desired purpose of the invention.
In one embodiment, the interactive module may be placed within the doll structure. The interactive module may be configured to interact with the plurality of electronic tags over the wireless network up to the longest distance within the reach of the wireless network.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the doll structure includes a power source placed within the doll structure and configured to be electrically coupled to power the interactive module. In one example embodiment, the power source may be a battery.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the doll structure includes an audible member placed within the doll structure and coupled to the power source and the interactive module to play a predetermined audible message out of a plurality of a predetermined audible messages coded in relation to one or more electronic tags.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the doll structure includes an activation member including, but not limited to, a push button placed along the inside or outside of the doll structure to electrically couple the interactive module, the audible member and the power source. The activation member in a normal position cuts electrical connection between the interactive module, the audible member and the power source.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the interactive module with the help of its associated components, such as the audible member, the activation member and the power source, may be configured to perform its desired task. In one embodiment, for example, the activation member may be configured to be activated to enable the electrical connection between the power source, the audible member and the interactive module.
The interactive module, upon the electrical connection with the power source, determines whether at least one electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags is detected and is not located beyond a certain predetermined distance threshold from the doll structure. The interactive module then determines which electronic tag out of the plurality of electronic tags is the closest one. To do that, the interactive module is configured to measure, multiple times, the signal strength of one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags, and to average all the measurements of each tag to one average number, and then to calculate the distance of each electronic tag from the doll structure based on the strength of the signal received from one or more electronic tags over the wireless network.
Further, based on the ID of the closest electronic tag, which is within the predetermined distance threshold, a message out of a plurality of pre-coded messages for that specific calculated closest electronic tag is played to create an illusion as if the doll structure knows its surroundings and/or the context of the time it is being used at. In one embodiment, the selected predetermined message coded in relation to that closest electronic tag is played instantly, for example within one second, to create such an illusion.
For example, the interactive module, upon the electrical connection with the power source, if determines the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags is the one that is placed in the kitchen, then, based on the ID of the closest electronic tag as the one being in the kitchen, a predetermined message out of a plurality of predefined messages, such as “I'm hungry”, or, any other message, coded in relation to that closest electronic tag may be played, to create an illusion as if the doll structure knows it's in the kitchen. Similarly, in bathrooms, the doll may remind the child to brush his/her teeth.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the doll structure may also play a default audible message, based on the selection from various default sentences, stored in the doll structure, if the interactive module does not recognize an electronic tag which is within the predetermined distance threshold.
In one further embodiment of the present invention, a doll structure package may be provided. Such doll structure package may include a plurality of electronic tags; and a doll structure, as described herein. The doll structure package may be capable of communicating over a wireless network including one of a WI-FI wireless network or a Bluetooth wireless network, in a predefined distance threshold having one or more children.
In one further embodiment of the present invention a doll structure in combination with a plurality of electronic tags is provided for communicating with the plurality of electronic tags over a wireless network including one of a WI-FI wireless network or a Bluetooth wireless network, having one or more children.
In one or more additional embodiments there may be provided additional tags. In one embodiment of the present invention, the doll structure can hold within many more sentences to be ‘unlocked’ by future tags. For example, five tags may be included in the initial package sold with doll, and extra tags may be sold separately to unveil ‘hidden’ phrases pertaining to additional places (e.g. kitchen, playroom, bathroom, etc.) and/or contexts (e.g. visit to the doctor's, first day in kindergarten, Christmas day by the Christmas tree, etc.). In one embodiment of the present invention, tags may have an ON/OFF switch for context sensitivity. For example, a tag with a comforting message to be played just before, or, while visiting at the doctor's when switched to the ON position. The message may calm the kid and encourage him/her to get the Flu shot, for example. In one embodiment of the present invention, all the dolls may be capable of recognizing all the tags. For example, if a child goes with her doll to a friend's house, with new tags, her doll should be able to identify them and say the selected matching sentence.
In one or more additional embodiments there may be provided voice tags. In one embodiment of the present invention, the system may include new tags that may hold voice files already inside, instead of a tag ID. The interactive module inside the doll structure may read the digital voice file instead of only the tag ID. The system may include endless new tags that may be added to same doll, such as, special tags for holidays, new ‘places’, special scenarios, etc.
In one or more additional embodiments there may be provided text to speech and audio-recording. In one embodiment of the present invention, the doll may include a Text-to-Speech chip inside thereto. The tag may hold a textual sentence rather than only its ID. The interactive module inside the doll may read the tag text. Further, the doll may say the sentence that was embedded as text on the tag. Again, in this embodiment as well, endless tags can be offered to same doll. In one embodiment of the present invention, the doll may include audio-recording features configured in the doll, wherein various user-recorded audio messages may replace the factory pre-recorded messages within the doll. A message may be recorded over a space, and when a tag is identified (i.e. its ID is determined), the doll will play the user's own recorded audio. In one embodiment of the present invention, the tags themselves may feature audio-recording, wherein various user-recorded audio messages may replace the factory pre-recorded messages within the doll. In one embodiment of the present invention, the tags may include editable text messages, and the doll may include a Text-to-Speech chip inside thereto.
In one or more additional embodiments there may be provided hand-made tags. In one embodiment of the present invention, the system may include a device connecting to a personal computer or a smart phone with an application on it to make tags with special software at home. For doing so, a user of the doll may buy blank tags and create and record his/her own sentences and load them on tags or download prerecorded sentences online. In such embodiment, an endless number of tags may be recorded or downloaded, either text to speech or voice.
Referring now to
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For doing so, the doll structure 200 may include an interactive module 210, as shown in
In one embodiment, the interactive module 210, in order to determine which electronic tag out of the plurality of electronic tags 100 is the closest one, is configured to measure, multiple times, the signal strength of one or more electronic tags of the plurality of electronic tags 100, and to average all the measurements of each tag to one average number, and then to calculate the distance of each tag from the doll structure 200 based on the strength of the signal received from one or more electronic tags 100 over the wireless network 10.
In one embodiment, as shown in
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In one embodiment, as shown in
In one embodiment, the audible member 230 is configured to audio-out a default message, based on a selection, from the plurality of predetermined message, stored in the doll structure 200, if the interactive module 210 does not recognize any of the plurality of electronic tags 100, which is within the predetermined distance threshold.
In one embodiment, as shown in
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In one embodiment, a children's interactive method for communicating over the wireless network 10 is provided. The children's interactive method includes: placing a plurality of electronic tags 100 at different places P1, P2, P3 . . . Pn in the wireless network 10; and placing a doll structure 200 in the wireless network 10 in proximity to the plurality of electronic tags 100 the doll structure 200 comprising an interactive module (210); interacting, via the interactive module 210, with the plurality of electronic tags 100 over the wireless network 10 up to the longest distance within the reach of the wireless network 10, the interactive module 210 is configured to: (i) determine whether at least one electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags 100 is present and is not beyond a certain distance threshold from the doll structure 200, and to determine which of the at least one electronic tag out of the plurality of electronic tags 100 is the closest one. In order to determine which of the at least one electronic tag out of the plurality of electronic tags 100 is the closest one, the interactive module is configured to: (a) measure at least once, the signal strength of each electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags 100, and average the measurements, separately for each electronic tag, to one average signal strength per tag, and (b) calculate the distance of each electronic tag based on the average signal strength of each of the electronic tags 100 over the wireless network 10; and (ii) play, based on the identification of the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags 100, a predetermined message, chosen out of a plurality of predetermined messages coded in relation to the closest electronic tag of the plurality of electronic tags 100, to create an illusion as if the doll structure 200 knows the surroundings thereof, and/or the context of the time the doll structure 200 is being used at.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omission and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62785710 | Dec 2018 | US |