Information-presentation structure with impact-sensitive color change and sound generation
First Claim
1. An information-presentation (“
- IP”
) structure comprising;
an object-impact (“
OI”
) structure having an exposed surface for being impacted by an object during an activity, the OI structure comprising a variable-color (“
VC”
) region which extends to the exposed surface at a surface zone and normally appears along it largely as a principal color during the activity, an impact-dependent (“
ID”
) portion of the VC region responding to the object impacting the surface zone at an ID object-contact (“
OC”
) area spanning where the object contacts the surface zone by temporarily appearing along an ID print area of the surface zone largely as changed color materially different from the principal color if the impact meets threshold impact criteria, the print area at least partly encompassing, at least mostly outwardly conforming largely to, and being largely concentric with the OC area; and
sound-generating apparatus for selectively generating a specified audible sound in response to the object impacting the OC area so as to meet the threshold impact criteria, the specified sound being separate from any audible sound originating at the OC area due physically to the impact.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A variable-color region (106) of an information-presentation structure extends to an exposed surface (102) at a surface zone (112) and normally appears along it as a principal color. An impact-dependent portion (138) of the variable-color region responds to an object (104) impacting the zone at an object-contact area (116) by temporarily appearing along a print area (118) of the zone as generic changed color materially different from the principal color. The print area closely matches the object-contact area in size, shape, and location. Sound-generating apparatus (602 or 702) selectively generates a specified audible sound in response to the object impacting the object-contact area so as to meet the threshold impact criteria. The specified sound is separate from any audible sound originating at the object-contact area due physically to the impact.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An information-presentation (“
- IP”
) structure comprising;an object-impact (“
OI”
) structure having an exposed surface for being impacted by an object during an activity, the OI structure comprising a variable-color (“
VC”
) region which extends to the exposed surface at a surface zone and normally appears along it largely as a principal color during the activity, an impact-dependent (“
ID”
) portion of the VC region responding to the object impacting the surface zone at an ID object-contact (“
OC”
) area spanning where the object contacts the surface zone by temporarily appearing along an ID print area of the surface zone largely as changed color materially different from the principal color if the impact meets threshold impact criteria, the print area at least partly encompassing, at least mostly outwardly conforming largely to, and being largely concentric with the OC area; andsound-generating apparatus for selectively generating a specified audible sound in response to the object impacting the OC area so as to meet the threshold impact criteria, the specified sound being separate from any audible sound originating at the OC area due physically to the impact. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
- IP”
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6. An information-presentation (“
- IP”
) structure comprising;an object-impact (“
OI”
) structure having an exposed surface for being impacted by an object during an activity, the 01 structure comprising a variable-color (“
VC”
) region which extends to the exposed surface at a surface zone and normally appears along it largely as a principal color during the activity, an impact-dependent (“
ID”
) portion of the VC region responding to the object impacting the surface zone at an ID object-contact (“
OC”
) area spanning where the object contacts the surface zone by providing a general characteristics-identifying impact signal if the impact meets threshold impact criteria, the impact signal identifying an expected location of an ID print area in the surface zone and general supplemental impact information for the impact; anda color-change (“
CC”
) controller responsive to the impact signal, if provided, for determining whether the supplemental impact information meets supplemental impact criteria and, if so, for selectively generating a specified audible sound and for providing a general CC initiation signal, the specified sound being separate from any audible sound originating at the OC area due physically to the impact, the ID portion responding to the initiation signal, if provided, by temporarily appearing along the print area largely as changed color materially different from the principal color, the print area at least partly encompassing, at least mostly outwardly conforming largely to, and being largely concentric with the OC area. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
- IP”
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11. An information-presentation (“
- IP”
) structure comprising;an object-impact (“
OI”
) structure having an exposed surface for being impacted by an object during an activity, the OI structure comprising a variable-color (“
VC”
) region which extends to the exposed surface at a surface zone and normally appears along it largely as a principal color during the activity, an impact-dependent (“
ID”
) portion of the VC region responding to the object impacting the surface zone at an ID object-contact (“
OC”
) area spanning where the object contacts the surface zone by temporarily appearing along an ID print area of the surface zone largely as generic changed color materially different from the principal color if the impact of the object on the OC area meets threshold impact criteria, the print area at least partly encompassing, at least mostly outwardly conforming largely to, and being largely concentric with the OC area; andsound-generating apparatus responsive to the object impacting the OC area so as to meet the threshold impact criteria for selectively generating a specified audible sound or substantially no audible sound, the threshold impact criteria comprising multiple sets of different threshold impact criteria respectively associated with multiple sound candidates, each being substantially no audible sound or a selected audible sound different from at least one other selected audible sound, the impact being potentially capable of meeting any of the criteria sets, the specified sound or substantially no audible sound being the sound candidate for the criteria set met by the impact and being separate from any audible sound originating at the OC area due physically to the impact. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- IP”
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17. An information-presentation (“
- IP”
) structure comprising;an object-impact (“
OI”
) structure having an exposed surface for being impacted by an object during an activity, the 01 structure comprising a variable-color (“
VC”
) region which extends to the exposed surface at a surface zone and normally appears along it largely as a principal color during the activity, an impact-dependent (“
ID”
) portion of the VC region responding to the object impacting the surface zone at an ID object-contact (“
OC”
) area spanning where the object contacts the surface zone by providing a general characteristics-identifying impact signal if the impact of the object on the surface zone meets threshold impact criteria, the impact signal identifying an expected location of an ID print area in the surface zone and general supplemental impact information for the impact; anda color-change (“
CC”
) controller responsive to the impact signal, if provided, for determining whether the supplemental impact information meets supplemental impact criteria and, if so, for providing a general CC initiation signal and selectively generating a specified audible sound or substantially no audible sound, the ID portion responding to the initiation signal, if provided, by temporarily appearing along the print area largely as generic changed color materially different from the principal color, the print area at least partly encompassing, at least mostly outwardly conforming largely to, and being largely concentric with the OC area wherein;(a) the supplemental impact criteria comprise multiple sets of different supplemental impact criteria respectively associated with multiple sound candidates, each sound candidate being either substantially no audible sound or a selected audible sound different from at least one other selected audible sound; and (b) the supplemental impact information is potentially capable of meeting any of the criteria sets and, if the supplemental impact information meets the supplemental impact criteria, the specified sound or substantially no audible sound is the sound candidate for the criteria set actually met by the supplemental impact information and is also separate from any audible sound originating at the OC area due physically to the impact. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
- IP”
Specification