GB2370908A

GB2370908A - Musical electronic toy which is responsive to singing

Info

Publication number: GB2370908A
Application number: GB0027443A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chris Evans
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-11-09
Filing date: 2000-11-09
Publication date: 2002-07-10
Also published as: GB0027443D0

Abstract

A device which analyses the pitch and duration of notes which are sung. The device uses this information to synthesise and reproduce a version of the song in a different 'voice'. It is intended that the device is incorporated into a toy or doll and the 'voice' would correspond to the shape of the toy, eg beeps for a UFO toy, barks for a dog. A memory for storing songs which have been sung by the user or pre-recorded may be provided. The device would be able to recognise when a song which was in its memory was being sung. The device is able to communicate song and game information with other units or a suitably equipped computer. The functions of the device may be accessed by hand claps.

Description

Musical Electronic Toy This invention relates to portable electronic toys.

The invention is a device that is capable of determining the pitch of notes that are sung Into it. This invention can be made into a toy, which is capable of playing a variety of singing games. The toy is able to reproduce songs that are sung into it using its own voice, and is also able to encourage a user to reproduce its own electronically stored songs.

Up until this point, the input required to play with electronic toys is treated in a very simplistic fashion. A button may be pressed on a unit which triggers off a set sequence of events, for example. For devices that sample human speech, this simplistic approach is always taken. A device may wait for a sound to trigger a button-like response, or be capable of regurgitating a sampled sound. Whilst such toys promise the earth, they invariably end up disappointing a child expecting them to behave in a more human manner.

The invention is a device that can analyse the pitch and duration of notes that are sung into it. An object of this invention is to allow a child to play with a toy that can analyse and reproduce a song using the sampled speech as its only reference.

The device is able to beep, cluck, buzz, or whatever along with the sounds it hears. If it was made in a UFO shape, for example, players could sing any song they liked in the toy, and it would'beep'the song back, in a nice and friendly way.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example.

A use of this invention would be in the design of electronic singing toys. These toys could be made in the shape of different objects, with the sound made by the toy being dependent on its shape. For instance, they could be made in the shape of UFOs, cars, cats, famous singers, or indeed anything else that makes a noise.

The toy would thus be able to play singing games with the child. These may take many forms. Here are a few examples, i. In standard mode, the toy will constantly monitor and record what is being sung into it, and will respond with the same pitch of note. The toy will also remember the song, which it can then repeat on command. ii. The toy will sing a tune that needs to be repeated by the child in order to advance to successive, more difficult, stages. iii. The toy has some'mystery tunes'programmed into it. The player has to work out what these songs are. This is done by guessing, on a note by note basis, what they are. The toy will respond to show you whether you are successful or not. If unsuccessful, you have to start again. iv. The toy is programmed to recognise certain tunes. For example, let's say that we have made a'singing dog'model. This will bark, in tune, along with anything that's sung to it. Also, it may be programmed to respond to the notes making up the song'How Much Is That Doggy In The Window'. Once it hears the required sequence, it would provide the'arf-arfs'that punctuate the middle of the song. This feature ensures longevity of use, as players have to work out what secret songs each model will recognise. v. The toy has a communication device, implemented using infrared technology. Having the ability to communicate will enable a child to record a song with one device, and play it back on another. It could be recorded on a car model, and played back by the bear model, for example.

Also, song information could be easily relayed to a suitably equipped computer, which would be able to display the notes on a musical scale.

Once they are in the computer, virtually anything can be done with them. This would mean that people would be able to write music by simply singing their songs.

Once connected to a computer, the opportunity is open to upload and download other songs via an internet connection. The benefits to this will be huge-people could share their songs, could download new ones, and could even download new games. vi. Specific functions of the toy will be chosen by a player by means of hand clapping. This will reduce the need for buttons and switches on the exterior of the device.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 A device that can analyse the pitch and duration of notes that are sung into it. An object of this invention is to allow a child to play with a toy that can analyse and reproduce a song using the sampled speech as its only reference.
2 A device as claimed in claim 1, that can sing along with the user.

Depending on the shape, it is able to beep, cluck, buzz, or whatever along with the sounds it is hearing. If it was made in a UFO shape, for example, the toy would'beep'a song back, in a nice and friendly way.
3. A device as claimed in any previous claim that can remember a song, and can repeat it using its own voice.
4. A device as claimed in any previous claim that requires a player to work out the notes making up one of its inbuilt tunes. A player is told as soon as a note is incorrect.
5. A device as claimed in any previous claim that has inbuilt mystery tunes, and can respond to them when it recognises one. The player only realises they have sung a mystery tune when they have sung the whole sequence.
6. A device as claimed in any previous claim that can communicate song and game data with other devices, or a suitably equipped computer.
7. A device as claimed in any previous claim that has its functions selected by hand clapping.
8. A musical electronic toy substantially as described herein.