WO2015002823A1

WO2015002823A1 - An intentionally annoying toy with an interactive shut-off mechanism

Info

Publication number: WO2015002823A1
Application number: PCT/US2014/044518
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrew BRECKMAN
Original assignee: Breckman Andrew
Priority date: 2013-07-02
Filing date: 2014-06-27
Publication date: 2015-01-08
Also published as: US20150017873A1

Abstract

A sound emitting device, preferably a doll, is taught. The sound emitting device emits a continuous sound upon activation that requires a code be manually entered or requires the user to complete a series of challenges to silence the device. The sound emitting device has multiple power sources so the removal of one of the power sources will not silence the device. In an alternate embodiment, the sound emitting device has a LCD embedded into the device, which displays code information and provides further user interaction. Additionally, a method of silencing a sound emitting device is disclosed. The user must input the numerical code provided by the sound emitting device into a corresponding mobile application. From there, the user will be prompted by a series of challenges to complete before the device will be silenced.

Description

AN INTENTIONALLY ANNOYING TOY WITH AN INTERACTIVE

SHUT-OFF MECHANISM

Claim of Priority

This application claims priority of the U.S. utility application number 14/317,052 filed on June 27, 2014 and U.S. provisional patent application number 61/842,166 filed on July 2, 2013, the contents of both of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

Field of the Invention

The field of the invention relates to toys, namely dolls that have auditory and visual components and methods of ceasing said auditory and visual components. In particular, using a code comprising any combination of tactile, visual, and auditory elements, the present invention makes a continuous noise upon activation and only a properly entered code or sequence or the like can quiet the doll.

Background of the Invention

Toys and games have long been a staple of society as a way to entertain the masses. They have evolved from the most basic of games, such as marbles, to highly complex machines such as today's video game consoles. Nowadays, the toy market is a multi-billion dollar business with no signs of slowing down. The integration of printed circuit boards and microprocessors into what used to be the simplest of toys has fundamentally changed the way children now play and interact with their toys. Dolls used to simply be just a doll. Now, however, they can move, talk, walk, and respond to external stimuli. Some dolls have "needs" controlled by preset programs to let an individual know when they need to be fed or changed. Once the appropriate action has been taken, the doll will then react accordingly. For example, a crying doll may signal the owner to "feed" the doll, and the owner "feeding" the doll will cause the crying to cease. These dolls have become quite popular among children and more advanced versions are used in schools to teach responsibility to adolescents.

However, this opens up a market for toys that do not quit talking or making noise simply because you want them to, or by performing a simple action. They require much more substantive action to be taken and may be quieted only by the person who knows the secret mechanism or code necessary. The purpose is to playfully annoy another by leaving them with the task of quieting the device. The current invention addresses these needs.

Review of related technology:

U.S. Patent 8,414,346 pertains to an infant simulator capable of emulating the care requirements of an infant and recording the quality of care and responsiveness of a person caring for the infant simulator and/or signaling the person caring for the infant simulator when care is required. The infant simulator is capable of sensing the unacceptable environmental conditions of exposure to direct sunlight and exposure to temperature extremes and to which the infant simulator is subjected. The infant simulator is also programmed with the ancillary features of multiple behavior modes based upon the historic level of care experienced by the infant, and/or the health of the infant, and perceptibly different demand and distress signals for each type of environmental event.

U.S. RE36776 discloses an infant care simulation system for use in teaching individuals the realities, responsibilities and constraints inherent in caring for young babies. The system also demonstrates the special problems of drug-dependent babies. Basically, the system includes a doll having the shape and weight of a young baby and accessories of the sort used with such a baby. The doll and accessories are assigned to an individual for an extended period such as several days. A sound system and electronic circuitry are included within the doll to generate sounds simulating a baby crying at selected intervals for selected time periods. A spring loaded key or other manual switch is provided so that the individual can turn off the crying sound by holding the key in an off position. Preferably the key is secured to the assigned individual in a way preventing it being given to another person. Indicators showing rough handling, improper positioning of the doll, periods before a response is made to a crying signal, etc. are provided.

Mechanisms demonstrating the characteristics of a drug-dependent baby are included. The overall system also includes accessories, such as car seats, strollers and diaper bags that are to be taken everywhere with the doll.

U.S. Patent Application 2008/0176481 discloses an interactive baby doll. The interactive baby doll has a head, a body, and a display on the surface of the body. The display controllably displays a plurality of different images. Each image depicts an action to be taken with the baby doll. A plurality of sensors are located in the head or body. The sensors detect when a depicted action is taken with the baby doll, and the subsequent display or sounds of the baby doll depends on whether or not the sensors sense that the action depicted by the image displayed on the display is taken within a period of time after the image is displayed on the display.

Various devices are known in the art. However, their structure and means of operation are substantially different from the present disclosure. The other inventions fail to solve all the problems taught by the present disclosure. At least one embodiment of this invention is presented in the drawings below and will be described in more detail herein.

Summary of the Invention

The current invention describes and teaches a sound emitting device having a microprocessor contained within the sound emitting device, the microprocessor having preinstalled firmware containing a code wherein the code is numerical or orientation based; a power source contained within the sound emitting device; and at least one speaker contained within the sound emitting device, the at least one speaker generates a continuous sound effect upon activation, and the sound emitting device may have at least one digital gyroscope contained therein.

Preferably, the sound emitting device is a doll, which emits a tone or a dialogue upon activation. This tone or dialogue is emitted continuously until a particular code is correctly entered. In this instance, the code may be spatially (orientation) based and the code may be completed by orienting the appendages in a particular configuration.

The sound emitting device may further have at least two touch based sensors, at least two light emitting diodes (LEDs), and a touch based code. Here, a first tone would correspond to a first sensor and a first light, whereas a second tone corresponds to a second senor and a second light and so forth. This touch based code is preferably a pattern of tones and lights that must be correctly repeated by the user after first displayed by the sound emitting device. The sound emitting device is powered by at least one dry cell battery or at least one rechargeable battery.

In another embodiment, there is a doll having a microprocessor contained within the doll, the microprocessor having preinstalled firmware containing a code wherein the code is a string of digits; at least two power sources contained within the doll; at least one speaker contained within the doll, wherein the at least one speaker generates a continuous sound effect upon activation; and a liquid crystal display (LCD), the liquid crystal display having a translucent covering. The doll may further comprise at least one digital gyroscope. Upon activation, the code is displayed on the embedded LCD. The doll emits a tone or dialogue until a plurality of challenges linked to the corresponding code have been completed, upon which the doll ceases to continue making noise. The doll is powered by at least one dry battery and at least one rechargeable battery.

Further, a method of silencing a sound emitting device is disclosed having the steps of receiving a string of digits, the string of digits being in numerical length of 1-7 digits; accessing a mobile application associated with the sound emitting device;

inputting the string of digits into the mobile application; receiving a plurality of challenges; and completing the plurality of challenges to silence the sound emitting device. The plurality of challenges are designed to be, level, turn, or pattern based, or any combination of the aforementioned challenge types. The number, type and difficulty of challenges assigned to a user are designed to be random. In general, the present invention succeeds in conferring the following, and others not mentioned, benefits and objectives.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sound emitting device that requires substantive user interaction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sound emitting device that emits a continuous and annoying tone or dialogue.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sound emitting device that has multiple power sources and cannot be silenced by removing one of the power sources.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sound emitting device that can only be silenced by the manual input of a particular code or completion of a series of challenges.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a doll that makes a continuous sound, and requires user interaction to silence the sound.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a doll that requires a user to interact with a mobile application.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a doll gives commands to a user. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for silencing the sound emitting device or doll. Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig 1 shows a frontal view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a frontal view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows a frontal view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of silencing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified, as far as possible, with the same reference numerals. Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto without deviating from the innovative concepts of the invention.

Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The sound emitting device 100 preferably takes the form of a doll. However, one will appreciate that the sound emitting device 100 may take any number of forms including household items, personal items, and electronics. The sound emitting device 100 preferably has a head 101, two arms 102, a torso 108, and two legs 104. Each of the appendages

(including the head 101) can move or twist independently of one another to change the position of the body as need be. The electrical components are disposed within the device. The internal components may include a printed circuit board 103, microprocessor 109, speaker(s) 114, LEDs 112, power sources 107, wiring (not shown), and digital gyroscope(s) 111. In some instances, there at least two power sources 107 such that the device 100 can function with only one of the two power sources 107 coupled to the device 100, thereby preventing a user from attempting to silence the device by removing a power source 107.

The sound emitting device 100 begins to emit a continuous sound through at least one of the speaker(s) 114 upon activation. Activation of the device 100 may be prompted by a number of means including depressing any of the touch based sensors 106, orienting a limb in a particular direction, by changing the orientation of the device 100 as a whole, or by a start switch (not shown). Once activated, the only way to silence the device 100 is to complete the step(s) required by the preinstalled firmware. These step or steps can vary depending on the preinstalled settings of each device 100.

The device 100 may be silenced by the changing the orientation of the limb or limbs. Each of the limbs preferably are operably coupled to a three axis digital gyroscope 111. In some instances, it may or may not be necessary to include the gyroscopes 111 in each of the limbs and various configurations employing the gyroscopes 111 may exist. The digital gyroscopes 111 send spatial orientation readouts to the microprocessor 109 which processes the information. When the correct orientation is achieved, a signal is sent from the microprocessor 109 to silence the speakers 114 and consequently the device 100. As stated, the orientation necessary may include more than one limb. For example, the right arm may need to be rotated upwards about 90° and the left leg needs to be rotated outwards about 90°. Upon completion, the device 100 will silent itself.

Alternatively, the device 100 may be silenced by repeating a particular sequence presented to the user. In this case, the LEDs 112 located in each of the appendages will flash. Accompanying the flash may be a sound or tone produced by a speaker 114 located in each appendage respectively. The user then interacts with the device 100 by repeating the light and sound sequence by depressing the touch based sensors 106 located in the corresponding appendages. The length of the sequence will vary, and the sequence may get sequentially longer as the user plays along. Additionally, the sequences and response time(s) for the user may be timed. That is, if the user were to take too long on any one move or on the sequence as a whole, the user would fail. For example, the first pattern may be one light and one sound and the final pattern could be ten lights and ten sounds. If the user were to fail by employing the wrong sensor or taking too much time between depressing the sensors, then the pattern resets and the user starts at the first sequence.

Yet another silencing process may involve the user following directions given to them by the device 100. In this instance, the touch based sensors 106 and gyroscopes 111 would provide the information to the microprocessor 109 to confirm the directives are being followed correctly. Thus, the device may instruct the user to "squeeze the right hand" or "move the right leg." Following these directives correctly adds to the sequence as stated above. By making an incorrect move, the process restarts at the beginning. The device 100 may also include a command before the directive such as, "/ ask you to move my right leg." Only directives employing that particular "I ask" or similarly phrased commands are valid and contribute to the correct sequence. Thus, if a user follows a directive without the proper command then the user has failed and the sequence restarts.

Figure 2 shows a frontal view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment is substantially similar to and contains the elements and functionality as described in Figure 1. The inclusion of a liquid crystal display (LCD) 210 provides a more interactive experience. For protection purposes, the LCD 210 is preferably covered with a translucent covering 212. The LCD 210 may be circular in shape as shown. However, the LCD 210 may be a number of shapes including square, triangular, or rectangular. The location of the LCD 210 may vary depending on the particular doll to a location best suited for that doll. The translucent covering 212 may be a polymer or plastic of an appropriate strength and clarity as to protect the display underneath.

Here, the LCD 210 is capable of expressing various characters and numerals. In some instances, the LCD 210 may be of higher quality and capable of displaying more complex graphics, such as images. Once the device 100 is activated, the tone or dialogue begins to emanate from the speakers 114. Depending on the preinstalled firmware, one of at least two different actions can occur. Upon activation, a string of numerals will appear on the LCD 210. This string of numerals is required to aid in the user deactivating the device 100. The numerals are a code which outputs a random number and random type of challenge(s). The successful completion of these challenges is what will silence the device 100.

Alternatively, the device 100 may prompt the user with a manual code comprising manipulating a number of the installed sensors on the device 100. In this instance, the device 100, asks a user to guess the code. The code being a combination of moving appendages and/or squeezing the touch based sensor(s) 106. After the user inputs a specified amount of actions, the LCD 210 will display the number of correct actions (i.e. 3 of 5 correct). The user then manipulates the device 100 again to receive another readout. This process continues until the code is completed in a trial and error scenario. In some instances, the device 100 may give a readout on the LCD 210 wherein the sequence of the code guessed correctly is identified (i.e. 3 of 5 correct, actions 1, 3, and 4 are correct). As previously stated, the user must again achieve completion of the code in this scenario as well.

Figure 3 shows a frontal view of another alternate embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to that of Fig. 2 but does not contain the LCD 210, translucent covering 212, and the associated functionality. In this embodiment, the device 100 may be dressed in Western themed attire. The device 100 again has a head 101, two arms 102, a torso, 108, and two legs 104. This embodiment also contains touch based sensors 106, speakers 114, and LEDs 112 and may contain other components as previously described in Fig. 1. However, whereas, in Fig. 1 the code is orientation based and in Fig. 2 may require one to interact with a mobile application (see Fig. 4), the code in this embodiment is preferably sung by the device 100.

Once the user presses the start switch or other means of activating the device 100, the device 100 begins to sing. The song may vary in accordance with the particular dress theme or character of the device 100, and in this instance the song may be similar to a square dance routine. The song may require the user to interact with the LEDs 112 or touch based sensors 106. For example, the device 100 may sing a command such as "squeeze my left hand and spin me around." The user can then depress the touch based sensor 106 in the left hand, and the spinning of the device 100 can be monitored by the digital gyroscope 111 (see Fig. 1).

The device 100 may try to mislead or confuse the user. This may be done with such commands "squeeze my right hand." In most instances, especially when under pressure or by way of a rapid fire of commands, a user may squeeze the left hand (the user's right) instead of the device's 100 right hand. This would cause a reset of the song, and the user would have to start again from the beginning. Additionally, the device may increase or decrease the frequency of the directives in the song. These changes may be in response to a user getting a particular number of commands correct or incorrect in a row. The device 100 may embody a number of other alternative characters such as pop singers, rock stars, and sports fans.

Figure 4 shows a flowchart demonstrating a method of silencing a sound emitting device 400. The method 400 starts with a user receiving a string of digits from a sound emitting device 100. The string of digits is displayed on the LCD 210 (see Fig. 2) embedded in the sound emitting device 100. The length of the string of digits may vary but will represent a number of between 1 and 7 digits in length. The particular number received by the user corresponds to a particular set of challenges for the user to complete to silence the sound emitting device 100.

The user then accesses the mobile application 404 associated with the sound emitting device 100. In the written code for the mobile application are numbers that correspond to the output numerical string. When the user inputs the numerical string 406, the corresponding set of challenges is presented to the user 408. If the user incorrectly inputs the numerical string given to them, they will be redirected and prompted to input the numerical string again 416. Upon a successful input, the challenges are presented to the user 408. The challenges may take a number of forms including but not limited to level-based, turn-based (against computer), timed memory sequences, reaction time sequences, trivia, timed trivia, and direction following. The user completes a random number of random challenges generated by the mobile application. Upon, and only upon, completion of all the challenges 410 the device will deactivate and turn off 412. If the user does not complete all the challenges or cannot, then the device will stay active 418.

Alternatively, there may be questions presented on the LCD 210. The answers may be designated by a letter (i.e. A, B, C, etc.) or by a body part such as LH (left hand). If designated by a letter, the letter will correspond to a certain body part. By depressing a touch based sensor 106 in that part, the user answers the question. The same goes for if an answer is identified by the body part instead of a letter. This methodology follows the same method 400 identified above, replacing the need to access a web or mobile based application. While this methodology was described in relation to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, it can be applicable to any embodiment of the present invention described herein or otherwise.

Claims

What is claimed is:

Claim 1: A sound emitting device comprising:

a microprocessor contained within the sound emitting device, the microprocessor coupled to a printed circuit board having preinstalled firmware containing a code wherein the code is orientation based;

a power source contained within the sound emitting device;

at least one speaker contained within the sound emitting device, the at least one speaker generates a continuous sound effect upon activation; and

at least one digital gyroscope contained within the sound emitting device.

Claim 2: The sound emitting device of claim 1 wherein the continuous sound effect is a tone or dialogue.

Claim 3: The sound emitting device of claim 2 wherein the tone or dialogue ceases when the code is correctly entered.

Claim 4: The sound emitting device of claim 1 wherein the sound emitting device is a doll.

Claim 5: The sound emitting device of claim 4 wherein the orientation based code is completed by orienting the appendages of the device in a particular configuration. Claim 6: The sound emitting device of claim 1 further comprising:

at least two touch based sensors;

at least two light emitting diodes (LEDs); and

a touch based code.

Claim 7: The sound emitting device of claim 6 wherein a first tone corresponds to a first sensor and a first light and a second tone corresponds to a second sensor and a second light.

Claim 8: The sound emitting device of claim 6 wherein the touch based code is a pattern of tones and lights.

Claim 9: The sound emitting device of claim 1 wherein the power source is at least one dry cell battery or at least one rechargeable battery.

Claim 10: A doll comprising:

a microprocessor contained within the doll, the microprocessor being coupled to a printed circuit board having preinstalled firmware containing a code wherein the code is a string of digits;

at least two power sources contained within the doll;

at least one speaker contained within the doll, the at least one speaker generates a continuous sound effect upon activation; and a liquid crystal display (LCD), the liquid crystal display having a translucent covering.

Claim 11: The doll of claim 10 further comprising at least one digital gyroscope.

Claim 12: The doll of claim 10 wherein the sound effect is a tone or dialogue.

Claim 13: The doll of claim 10 wherein the at least two power sources are a combination of at least one rechargeable battery and at least one dry cell battery or any combination thereof.

Claim 14: The doll of claim 10 wherein the continuous sound effect can be silenced by a completion of a plurality of challenges. Claim 15: The doll of claim 10 wherein the code is displayed on the LCD.

Claim 16: A method of silencing a doll comprising:

receiving a string of digits, the string of digits being in numerical length of about one (1) to about seven (7) digits and being displayed on a LCD screen;

accessing a mobile application associated with the sound emitting device;

inputting the string of digits into the mobile application;

receiving a plurality of challenges; and

completing the plurality of challenges to silence the sound emitting device. Claim 17: The method of claim 16 wherein the plurality of challenges are level, turn, time, trivia, or pattern based or any combination thereof.

Claim 18: The method of claim 17 wherein the number and type of the plurality of challenges are randomly generated.

Claim 19: The method of claim 16 further comprising:

answering at least one question displayed on the LCD screen.

Claim 20: The method of claim 19 wherein the at least one question is answered by depressing a touch based sensor corresponding to the answer.