Claims
- 1. A remotely activated novelty device adapted to respond to an operating signal received via an over-the-air channel, the device comprising:
an antenna that receives the operating signal; a receiver coupled to the antenna; a decoder that decodes the operating signal to detect the presence of an activation command; a switch coupled to the decoder; and an indicator coupled to the switch; wherein the decoder operates the switch to activate the indicator when the decoder detects the presence of the activation command.
- 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the antenna receives a modulated operating signal including the operating signal, and wherein the receiver further includes a demodulator that demodulates the modulated operating signal to retrieve the operating signal.
- 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the decoder includes a dual-tone multiple frequency decoder.
- 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the indicator includes a light emitting diode.
- 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the indicator includes a speaker.
- 6. A system for remotely activating a novelty device comprising:
a signal source that provides an activation command; a transmitter that modulates the activation command to produce an operating signal; an antenna coupled to the transmitter to transmit an operating signal through an over-the-air channel; and a plurality of novelty devices, each novelty device including:
an antenna that receives the operating signal via an over-the-air channel; a receiver coupled to the antenna; a decoder that decodes the operating signal to detect the presence of an activation command; a switch coupled to the decoder; and an indicator coupled to the switch; wherein the decoder operates the switch to activate the indicator when the decoder detects the presence of the activation command.
- 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the signal source includes a phone.
- 8. The system of claim 6, wherein the antenna receives a modulated operating signal including the operating signal, and wherein the receiver further includes a demodulator that demodulates the modulated operating signal to retrieve the operating signal.
- 9. The system of claim 6, wherein the decoder includes a dual-tone multiple frequency decoder.
- 10. The system of claim 6, wherein the indicator includes a light emitting diode.
- 11. The system of claim 6, wherein the indicator includes a speaker.
- 12. A method for remotely activating a novelty device, including the steps of:
providing an activation command; transmitting an operating signal through an over-the-air channel; receiving the operating signal via the over-the-air channel; decoding the operating signal to detect the presence of the activation command; and operating a switch to activate an indicator when the decoder detects the presence of the activation command.
- 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of modulating the activation command to produce a modulated operating signal.
- 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of demodulating the modulated operating signal to produce the operating signal.
- 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of decoding the operating signal includes step of decoding the operating signal to detect the presence of a dual-tone multiple frequency tone.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of operating a switch to activate the indicator includes the step of operating a switch to activate the indicator when the decoder detects the presence of the dual-tone multiple frequency tone.
- 17. A method for promoting a company, comprising the steps of:
distributing a plurality of remotely activated novelty devices; providing an activation command after an occurrence of an event or an activity; transmitting an operating signal through an over-the-air channel; receiving the operating signal via the over-the-air channel; decoding the operating signal to detect the presence of the activation command; and operating a switch to activate an indicator when the decoder detects the presence of the activation command.
- 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of modulating the activation command to produce a modulated operating signal.
- 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of demodulating the modulated operating signal to produce the operating signal.
- 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of decoding the operating signal includes the step of decoding the operating signal to detect the presence of a dual-tone multiple frequency tone.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of operating a switch to activate the indicator includes the step of operating a switch to activate the indicator when the decoder detects the presence of the dual-tone multiple frequency tone.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority from Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/171,435, entitled “Remotely Activated Novelty Device” filed Dec. 22, 1999.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60171435 |
Dec 1999 |
US |