WO2007104116A2

WO2007104116A2 - Communication and kids games device and system

Info

Publication number: WO2007104116A2
Application number: PCT/BR2007/000039
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erich Muschellack; Sergio Pommerening
Original assignee: Celplay Jogos E Entretenimento Ltda
Priority date: 2006-03-10
Filing date: 2007-02-09
Publication date: 2007-09-20
Also published as: BRPI0600950A

Abstract

Constituted by an electronic module (1) with a cover (2) resembling a stylized animal and giving access to the viewer (3) and a reduςed sst.of keys (4), each one identified by a distinct color, and having a new software which implements a unique and integrated system of cell phone functions, kids electronic games and pedagogic instrument, incorporating and treating a set of stylized images o the same animal represented on the device cover as a 'resident animal' and leading role of all the games, to be treated as a virtual pet and which affects the humor and physical condition of the animal and expresses such state through the screen image, and presents color icons on the screen (6, 8, 11), related to the functions assigned to the corresponding color keys (7, 10, 12), and possessing software which recognizes and processes the commands received via SMS mechanism (Short Message), in the format of three fields, and, as a safety measure, requests a command of valid password to accept any other command, both individual commands or a sequence of chained commands in one only SMS message, which implements a pictorial telephone book with telephone numbers referring to the photos (17) of the corresponding people, which allows to automatically exchange information with another similar device, which identifies the kind of 'resident animal' of the device and adds the stylized image of such animal (21) to the photo in the telephone book (19), which allows to change the humor and physical condition of the 'resident animal ', which implements a pictorial game book from which the child can select (25) the desired game (23, 24), which inserts the 'resident animal' into each game as the leading role, and which changes the resident animal performance inside the game, according to its mood and physical disposition.

Description

"COMMUNICATION AND KIDS GAMES DEVICE AND SYSTEM"

The present invention refers to an electronic device with its software destined to the use and operation by children at pre-school age,

5 mainly between 4 and 7 years old, for restricted telephone communication and fun. Its objective is to offer the child an option for fun, by portraying a friendly little animal with which the child can interact and play. Furthermore, it has function of cell phone for communication only with telephone numbers previously registered in the device and also serves as an pedagogic aid by 0 allowing the parents to program aspects of their children daily routine.

Practically all current cell phones allow the performance of several kinds of games, some of them already furnished with the device and others may be downloaded by the own user. AU of them use the telephone standard keyboard, and are not designed specifically for kids use. Such 5 cell phone games¹ characters are specific for each game, without a correlation with the device or with other games. As the main cell phone function is the communication, they do not have mechanisms to impose use restrictions. In the United States and Japan extremely restricted cell phones intended for small children use have recently been launched, typically with 3 keys to call 3 pre- 0 determined numbers, the father, mother and the police, and without any additional function for fun.

There are also several kinds of portable devices in the market specific for electronic games performance, generally conceived for age groups above 10 years old. The cheapest ones are of only one game, others allow 5 to download several games. Some of them have specific characters for certain games, however without keeping a direct character correlation in all the line and having the potential to create affective link.

The "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System" Object Hereof was conceived specifically for children at pre-school age, >0 not necessarily able to read, and gathers in the same device functions of entertainment and communication, under total parental control. More than a simple entertainment, it creates conditions to build up affective link between the child and the character, similar to a pet.

The innovative concepts described below and gathered on the same device turn the "Communication And Kids Games Device

And System" unique in the market. Firstly, due to its look and physical format, portraying a stylized animal to be adopted by the child as a friend and adventure companion. Several models, each one with a different animal, help to create diversity of options. The same animal portrayed by the physical format of each device appears on the screen to interact with the child and to be the main character and leading role of the games performed on the device. Such animal is the "resident animal". Just as an example, if the device looks like a macaw, the main game character shall be such macaw, while another device resembling a wolf, the game character shall be such wolf. The keyboard has a restricted number of keys, around 5 or 6 depending on the specific model, each one identified by a different color. There are no numerical or alphabetical keys. Here, the innovation lies on the way of correlating each key with its function. At each moment, each key function is represented on the screen by an icon or figure with the same corresponding key color. As appropriate for a better visualization, the icons may have the corresponding key color on a neutral color background or vice-versa, that is to say, the neutral color icon on the color key background. This scheme allows to indicate the key functions on a very intuitive and flexible manner. To present option menu upon the child interaction with his/her little friend, for example to dress or feed him, the same color correlation scheme is used.

AU the games may be partially or totally played on solo or couple mode. On solo mode, the child interacts alone with the game trying to beat the challenges. To play in couple, the child invites a friend who has similar device and both play the same game in parallel.

The telephone book is pictorial, relating the father. mother or friend's picture with the telephone number. When the telephone rings due to a received call, the corresponding photo appears on the screen to inform the child who is calling. When the child intends to choose a telephone number to call, he/she selects the corresponding photo in the directory and presses the key with the dial function, duly identified by its icon. The photo search in the directory is done with the aid of the colored icons described above. The figure of the animal representative of such friend's device also automatically appears in every photo of a friend who has a similar device.

The "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System" allows the parents or responsible to program the telephone numbers that the child may call, as well as the daily routines with times allowed or hindered to play and other parameters. Such programming demands numerical and alphabetical information, impossible to be typed on the device restricted keyboard. Such deficiency is supplied by an innovative protocol command implemented on the SMS format ("Short Message"), available on any ordinary cell phone and via Internet. With such protocol, alphanumerical data may be sent from any cell phone or from the Internet directly to the device, with a minimum typing work. On the market cell phones the SMS format messages are used for direct communication between the people, the sender writes the message to be read on the screen by the receiver. There is no message content treatment by the software on the conventional devices.

SHORT INVENTION SUMMARY The present invention gathers the innovative concepts below, which shall constitute a device intended to provide fun, communication ease and pedagogic aid for children at pre-school age.

Figure 1 shows the device look with front and side view. To create diversity of options, multiple models with different animals may be created, but we will use a stylized bird as example and reference in this description. The first innovative concept here is that the animal represented on the device is the leading role of all games and interactions, a real kid's friend of adventures. In this figure we see the complete electronic module of a normal cell phone device (1) which is the new product base, covered by the plastic cover (2) representing a stylized animal and showing it on the screen (3) and a reduced set of keys (4), each of a different color.

Figures 2 to 6 show the operating mode and use of the

"COMMUNICATION AND CHILDREN GAMES DEVICE AND SYSTEM". The colors are mentioned as example and to ease the understanding, and upon the implementation they are used at the most convenient way at each moment. Figure

2 shows the device resident animal (5) on the screen main part, in blue frame (6), indicating that the blue screen (7) is used to start the interaction with the animal.

On the bottom of the screen the icon of "games" (8) is shown on a yellow background (9), indicating that the yellow key (10) must be used to select a game, and the telephone white icon (11) on gray neutral background, indicting that the white key (12) serves to start a telephone call. The use of color relating icons and keys allows for the operation by kids who cannot read.

Another innovation is that the animal (5) shows its humor or state of mind through its posture and expression. Those states may be happy, sad, tired, sleepy, etc. The treatment provided during the interaction of the child with the animal, similar to a live pet, affects the humor and physical availability of the virtual animal and reflects on the game performance. By using the protocols explained below, the parents may also influence this humor as pedagogic aid from their own cell phone. For example, to cause the animal to be sleepy when it is bed's time. Figure 3 shows an example of a screen of interaction between the child and the animal, with food icons on a blue background (14), clothing icon on a yellow background (15), red icon to return (13) and green to forward to new options (16), indicating which keys must be pressed for each desired function. The innovative pictorial telephone book turns it easy for the child who cannot read the immediate recognition of the origin of a telephone call received through the photo shown on the screen (17) and give them the option to answer or reject the call according to the corresponding color icons (18), as shown in picture 4. When the child wants to make call, he/she searches the photo of the person to call (19), oriented by the icons (20). The color frame (22) indicates that the key must be activated to start the telephone call. In case someone else's device is of the same kind, both devices shall identify themselves automatically via SMS protocol explained below and the resident animal figure of the other device shall be displayed together with the person's picture (21). With this telephone book and without a numerical alphabet, the possible telephone calls are limited to the numbers registered on the telephone book, under total parental control.

A game selection between the ones available on the device occurs on a manner similar to the selection of a telephone number to call, through the pictorial telephone book of games and with the aid of color icons referring to the keys. Figure 6 shows a game selection screen, where the identifying figure of one of the possible games appears on the main screen part (23) in yellow frame (24, indicating that the yellow screen must be activated to start the game. On the bottom of the screen (25) other icons guide to forward in the telephone book or return.

The possibility to program the device daily routine is another innovative concept introduced on this device. For being essentially virtual, this part is not passible to be shown in figures. It is about a programming indicating when each function must be released or blocked, and through the same the parents may define the times released and blocked for game and telephone calls. This programming can also be momentarily changed by the parents through messages of the control protocol sent from their cell phone. Here the innovation lies in the conjugation of this functionality controlling all the others, with a concept of pedagogic instrument helping to teach the respect to times and limits for the activities,

The command protocol using SMS messages is also new. It allows to send commands from any conventional cell telephone to influence the "Communication And Children Games Device And System" performance and supplying the lack of keyboard with numbers and letters.

This protocol gathers the features of simplicity to ease the understanding and typing of messages by the parents and responsibles, safety to avoid bad use and abuses by third parties and functionality upon processing the messages by the receiver's device. The same can be used to send alphanumerical data to the device or to activate a processing not accessible by its restricted keyboard. In this protocol, each command is composed by 3 fields, and the character "#" as a delimiter and identifier of command protocol, followed by a field of 3 characters of command identifier and a third field of data or information. Such protocol commands may be sent individually or in chain in one only SMS message, as preferred. Safety is checked by the use of a password to qualify the acceptance and command processing, and such password is also sent by the protocol.

Such protocol understanding is very easy with the list of examples of commands below, although it is not limited to only this restricted set of commands:

#SEN1234 - sends a password with amount "1234" to release the access for new commands.

"SENl 23498769876 - releases the access by the current password "1234" and replaces such password by the amount "9876", sent in duplicity as a safety measure.

"TEL99552468 = registers the telephone number 9955-2468 as valid for calls.

"DAT151105 = sets the date for November 15, 2005.

#DORmir - causes the animal to be sleepy. #FIM - ends a command session. "SEN1234#TEL99552468#FIM = three commands chained on the same SMS message.

Claims

1) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", characterized for being constituted by a complete electronic module of cell phone (1) with plastic cover (2) resembling a stylized animal and giving access to the viewer (3) and to a reduced set of keys (4).

2) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", according to the claim 1, characterized for possessing a keyboard with a reduced number of keys, each one identified by a distinct color.

3) "Communication And Kids Games Device And System", according to the claim 1, characterized for having a new software which implements a unique and integrated system of cell phone, kids electronic games and pedagogic instrument.

4) "Communication And Kids Games Device And System", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which incorporates and treats a set of stylized images of the same animal represented on the device cover as "resident animal" and leading role of all the games.

5) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", according to the claim 1, characterized for possessing a "resident animal" to be treated as a virtual pet, and such treatment affects the humor and physical state of the animal and expresses such state through the screen image.

6) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which portrays color icons on the screen (6, 8, 11), such icons are related to the functions assigned to the corresponding color keys (7, 10, 12). 7) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which deals with each key (7, 10, 12) activated according to the corresponding color icon (6, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16) shown on the screen.

8) "Communication And Kids Games Device And System", according to the claim 1 , characterized by a software which recognizes and processes commands received via SMS mechanism (Short Message), in the format of three fields, being the first character "#" as a protocol identifier and delimiter, the second as command identifier with three alphabetical characters and the third field as command data.

5 9) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which, as a safety measure, requests a command of valid password to accept any other command.

10) "Communication And Kids Games Device And System", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which accepts 0 both individual commands or a sequence of chained commands in the same SMS message.

11) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which allows the use of commands via SMS message to download information and alphanumerical 5 data on the same device.

12) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which implements a pictorial telephone book with telephone numbers referring to photographs (17) of the corresponding people. 0 13) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which uses the protocol of commands via SMS to automatically change information with another similar device belonging to a friend contained in the telephone book, identify the kind of "resident animal" of the device and add the stylized image of

.5 such animal (21 ) to the photo on the telephone book (19).

14) "Communication And Kids Games Device And

System", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which, upon reception of a telephone call, automatically shows on the screen the photograph (17) related to the number on the telephone book.

»0 15) "Communication And Kids Games Device And which, upon reception of a telephone call, automatically shows on the screen the photograph (17) related to the number on the telephone book.

15) "COMMUNICATION AND KIDS GAMES DEVICE AND SYSTEM", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which allows the user to select (20) the photo of a person (19) in the telephone book and continuum act (22) to dial the corresponding telephone.

16) "COMMUNICATION AND KIDS GAMES

DEVICE AND SYSTEM", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which allows to change the humor and the physical state of the "resident animal" through protocol commands via SMS and reflect such change on the screen image.

17) "COMMUNICATION AND KIDS GAMES

DEVICE AND SYSTEM", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which implements a pictorial game book through which the child may select (25) the desired game (23, 24).

18) "COMMUNICATION AND KIDS GAMES

DEVICE AND SYSTEM", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which inserts the "resident animal" into each game as leading role.

19) "COMMUNICATION AND KIDS GAMES DEVICE AND SYSTEM", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which changes the resident animal performance in the game according to its humor and physical state.

20) "COMMUNICATION AND KIDS GAMES DEVICE AND SYSTEM", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which allows to release or block its functions on certain times, according to a pre-programmed agenda, or momentarily through SMS messages of the command protocol.

21) "COMMUNICATION AND KIDS GAMES DEVICE AND SYSTEM", according to the claim 1, characterized by a software which is used as pedagogic instrument to teach the concepts of times and limits.