GB2249036A - Toy - Google Patents

Abstract

A toy comprising a body, a signal generator 12 mounted to the body, and a body orientation detector 15 fixed with respect to the body and arranged to activate the signal generator 12 to provide a sound and/or light signal in response to a predetermined orientation of the body. The detector is suitably a gravity switch 15 which is formed by a number of electrically conductive posts 18a-c which surround an electrically conductive ball 19. Tilting or other movement of the vehicle results in movement of ball 19 to contact a number of the conductive posts thus completing a circuit and activating a sound or light signal. The circuit may be arranged to provide the signal for a certain period of time once it is triggered by the gravity switch. <IMAGE>

Description

TOY The present invention relates to a toy.

According to the invention, there is provided a toy which comprises a body, a signal generator-;mounted to the body, and a body orientation detector fixed with respect to the body and arranged to activate the signal generator to provide a sound and/or light signal in response to a predetermined orientation of the body.

Preferably, the signal generator is arranged to provide two different sound and/or light signals, and the body orientation detector is arranged to activate the signal generator to provide one of said different sound and/or light signals upon detecting the body in a corresponding tilting up or dipping down orientation.

It is preferred that the body orientation detector is arranged to activate the signal generator to provide a sound and/or light signal for an interval of time ending upon the body moving out of that predetermined orientation.

Preferably, the body orientation detector comprises a gravity switch.

In a preferred embodiment, the gravity switch comprises at least two electrical contacts corresponding to the or each said sound and/or light signal and an operating member movable to complete an electrical circuit between the said two or any two of the said electrical contacts.

It is preferred that the operating member is electrically conductive and is movable to bridge the said two or any two of the said electrical contacts.

Preferably, said at least two electrical contacts are provided by electrically conductive posts extending substantially in the same direction.

In a preferred embodiment, the operating member is surrounded by the said electrically conductive posts, and is movable in different directions to bridge corresponding pairs of posts to activate the signal generator to provide a corresponding sound and/or light signal.

An embodiment of the toy has a body in the shape of an aeroplane.

The invention will now be more particularly described1 by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a circuit assembly of an embodiment of a toy in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 shows the rear side of the circuit assembly of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown an embodiment of a toy according to the invention, which comprises a body (not shown) and a circuit assembly 10. The body can be of any design which in this particular case is an aeroplane, and accommodates the circuit assembly 10.

The circuit assembly 10 is provided on a printed circuit board 11, and comprises an integrated circuit 12, a buzzer 13 and two light-emitting diodes 14 controlled by the integrated circuit 12, a gravity switch 15 and a push-button switch 16 controlling the operation of the integrated circuit 12, and a button battery cell 17 supplying power to the whole circuitry.

The integrated circuit 12 is designed to generate two segments of sound by means of the buzzer 13, simulating the taking-off sound and the landing sound of an aeroplane, and to generate two control signals for the light-emitting diodes 14 to cause the latter to blink or to light up continuously corresponding in time relationship to the taking-off or landing sounds.

The push-button switch 16 is provided for a user to connect or disconnect the button battery cell 17 via the gravity switch 15 to the integrated circuit 12, the buzzer 13 and the light-emitting diodes 14. The gravity switch 15 is formed by six electrically conductive posts, generally designated as 18, upstanding generally perpendicularly from the printed circuit board 11 as shown in Figure 1. Four intermediate posts 18 a are electrically connected together and to the negative terminal of the button battery cell 17, and the remaining two end posts 18b and 18c are connected to the corresponding control pins of the integrated circuit 12.The gravity switch 15 further includes an electrically conductive metal ball 19 which is surrounded by the posts 18a-c and loosely trapped therein by the printed circuit board 11 and a part (not shown) of the toy body. The arrangement is such that the post 18b or 18c can be brought into electrical contact with the corresponding adjacent post 18a on either side thereof by means of the metal ball 19 which acts as a bridge.

The circuit assembly 10 is designed to be placed in the bod of the toy aeroplane, with the gravity switch end pointing forwards and the light-emitting diodes 14 visible on the two sides of the body.

In operation, the push-button 16 is firstly pressed by a user so as to enable the gravity switch 15 to control automatically the operation of the integrated circuit 12. When the toy aeroplane is tilted upwards, the metal ball 19 will move to come into contact with the post 18c (under the action of gravity) and also with either of its two adjacent posts 18a, thereby connecting electrically the corresponding control pin of the integrated circuit 12 to the negative terminal of the button battery cell 1 and in turn activating the integrated circuit 12 to play by means of the buzzer 13 a tune simulating the taking-off sound of an aeroplane.When the toy aeroplane is dipped downwards, the metal ball 19 will move in the opposite direction to come into contact with the post 18b (under the action of gravity) and also with either of the its adjacent posts 18a, thereby enabling the other control pin of the integrated circuit 12 to activate the integrated circuit 12 to play by means of the buzzer 13 a different tune simulating an aeroplane landing sound.

Simultaneously with playing a tune, the integrated circuit 12 also provides a corresponding control signal to the lightemitting diodes 14 to cause the latter to blink (to accompany the taking-off sound) or to light-up continuously (to accompany the landing sound). The provision of both sound and light signals to the toy aeroplane will render the toy aeroplane more attractive to play with.

In this particular embodiment, the simulated aeroplane takingoff or landing sound and the operation of the light-emitting diodes 14 will continue so long as the metal ball 19 remains bridging the appropriate posts 18, or in other words until the toy aeroplane body is moved out of the tilting-up or dippingdown position, as appropriate. The integrated circuit 12 may of course be programmed to provide such a sound and/or light signal for a certain period of time once it is triggered by the gravity switch 15.

It is understood that the gravity switch may have an operating member other than in the form of a loosely trapped metal ball, and an alternative operating member may be such as a slidably guided metal piece or a metal piece deflectably supported by a spring. In such modified constructions, the electrical contacts connected to the control pins of the integrated circuit would have to be arranged differently, for example two electrical contacts may be located at opposite ends of the path of movement of the metal piece and the guide or the spring itself may serve as a third, common electrical contact connected to the battery. Also, the operating member may simply be a movable weight operating two pressure-sensitive switches at the corresponding ends of the path of travel of the weight.

Various other modifications of and/or alterations to the described embodiment may be made by persons skilled in the art of toy manufactory without departing from the scope of the invention as specified in the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A toy comprising a body, a signal generator mounted to the body, and a body orientation detector fixed with respect to the body and arranged to activate the signal generator to provide a sound and/or light signal in response to a predetermined orientation of the body.

2. A toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal generator is arranged to provide two different sound and/or light signals, and the body orientation detector is arranged to activate the signal generator to provide one of said different sound and/or light signals upon detecting the body in a corresponding tilting up or dipping down orientation.

3. A toy as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the body orientation detector is arranged to activate the signal generator to provide a sound and/or light signal for an interval of time ending upon the body moving out of that predetermined orientation.

4. A toy as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the body orientation detector comprises a gravity switch.

5. A toy as claimed in claim 4, wherein the gravity switch comprises at least two electrical contacts corresponding to the or each said sound and/or light signal and an operating member movable to complete an electrical circuit between the said two or any to of the said electrical contacts.

6. A toy as claimed in claim 5, wherein the operating member is electrically conductive and is movable to bridge the said two or any two of the said electrical contacts.

7. A toy as claimed in claim 6, wherein said at least two electrical contacts are provided by electrically conductive posts extending substantially in the same direction.

8. A toy as claimed in claim 7 when dependent upon claim 2, wherein the operating member is surrounded by the said electrically conductive posts1 and is movable in different directions to bridge corresponding pairs of posts to activate the signal generator to provide a corresponding sound and/or light signal.

9. A toy as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body is in the shape of an aeroplane.

10. A toy substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.