Interactive robotic toy

• US 10,449,463 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WowWee Group Limited (WowWee Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WowWee Group Limited (WowWee Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Sufer, Davin, Lemire, Anthony, Wiseman, Sydney
• Primary Examiner(s): Niconovich, Alexander R
• Application Number:
  US15/802,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20180326312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 446 72, 446 81, 446 98, 446102, 446175, 446268, 446297, 446298, 446300, 446301, 446330
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/001 simulating physiological processes, e.g. heartbeat, breathing or fever with fluid ingestion or emission A63H3/24
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/14 into which the fingers of the hand can be inserted, e.g. hand-puppets
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/40 movable

Abstract

The toy includes a body section including flexible limbs and a head section rotatably coupled with the body section having eyes and eye lids. A speaker and a motor to rotate the head section are provided along with an eyes blink actuator which moves the eye lids. A touch sensor and a sound sensor for detecting sound in the vicinity of the toy are included. A rotational motion sensor detects rotational motion of the toy about selected axes. A memory is provided for storing a plurality of physical animations. A processor, coupled with the speaker, motor, eyes blink actuator, touch sensor, sound sensor, rotation motion sensor and the memory, selects at least one physical animation corresponding to signals received from the touch sensor, sound sensor and rotational motion sensor. The processor produces signals corresponding to the selected physical animation for the speaker, the motor and/or the eyes blink actuator.

Claims

1. An interactive robotic toy comprising:

a body section having an axis, a left side and a right side,

a first pair of flexible limbs adapted to cling to a finger of the user, said limbs extending from said left side and said right side of said body section, respectively, and comprising unattached ends, said unattached ends of said limbs being and remaining spaced from each other when the limbs cling to the user'"'"'s finger;

a head section coupled with said body section for rotation about said body section axis,

a motor operative to rotate said head section relative to said body section about said body section axis;

a touch sensor for detecting touch;

a sound sensor for detecting sound in the vicinity of said interactive robotic toy;

a rotational motion sensor for detecting rotational motion of said interactive robotic toy about selected axes;

a memory for storing a plurality of physical animations;

a processor, coupled with said motor, said touch sensor, said sound sensor, said rotation motion sensor and with said memory, for selecting at least one stored physical animation corresponding to signals received from said touch sensor, said sound sensor and said rotational motion sensor, and for producing signals corresponding to said selected physical animation to operate said motor to rotate said head section relative to said body section about said body section axis.

2. The interactive robotic toy according to claim 1, further comprising a speaker connected to said processor operative to produce sounds, wherein the sounds comprise sound of laughing, sound of sneezing, and/or sound of a kiss.

3. The interactive robotic toy according to claim 1, wherein said head section comprises eyes and respective eye lids operable to cover and uncover the eyes;

an eyes blink actuator, operable to move said eye lids to enable said interactive robotic toy to perform said motion of eye lids covering and uncovering said eyes.

4. The interactive robotic toy according to claim 3, wherein said eyes blink actuator comprises a solenoid and a magnet or comprises a motor and gears.

5. The interactive robotic toy according to claim 1, wherein said touch sensor is a capacitive touch sensor and said sound sensor is a microphone.

6. The interactive toy according to claim 1, wherein said touch sensor, said sound sensor and said rotational motion sensor are located within said head section.

7. The interactive toy according to claim 1, wherein the interactive toy further comprises a power supply which electrically connected to said motor, said speaker, said sound sensor and said processor to power them.

8. The interactive toy according to claim 1, wherein said power supply is one or more batteries located within said body section.

9. The interactive toy according to claim 1, wherein said head section further comprises an ear(s), a nose, a mouth and/or a hair(s).

10. The interactive toy according to claim 1, wherein the interactive toy is shaped as a monkey.

11. The interactive toy according to claim 1, wherein said at least one limb comprises curled part for clinging to said finger of said user.

12. The toy of claim 1 wherein each of said limbs of said first pair has a first section and a second section, said first sections of said limbs of said first pair extending in substantially parallel directions from said body section.

13. The toy of claim 1 wherein each of said limbs of said first pair has a first section and a second section, said second sections of said limbs of said first pair extending toward each other.

14. The toy of claim 1 wherein each of said limbs of said first pair has a first section and a second section, said first sections of said limbs of said first pair extending in substantially parallel directions from said body section, said second sections of said limbs of said first pair extending from said first sections of said limbs of said first pair toward each other.

15. The toy of claim 1 wherein said limbs of said first pair and said body section define an opening adapted to receive a finger of the user.

16. The toy of claim 1 wherein each of said limbs of said first pair comprises an arm.

17. The toy of claim 1 wherein each of said unattached ends of said limbs of said first pair comprises a hand.

18. The toy of claim 1 further comprising a second pair of spaced flexible limbs extending from said body section adapted to cling to the finger of the user.

19. The toy of claim 18 wherein said first pair of limbs and said second pair of limbs are spaced from each other along said body section.

20. The toy of claim 18 wherein each of said second pair of limbs comprises a leg.

21. The toy of claim 1 wherein said body section has a bottom and further comprising a flexible member extending from said bottom of said body section.

22. The toy of claim 21 wherein said flexible member comprises a tail.

23. An interactive robotic toy comprising:

a body section having an axis, a left side and a right side,

a first pair of flexible limbs adapted to cling to a finger of the user, said limbs extending from said left side and said right side of said body section, respectively, and comprising unattached ends, said unattached ends of said limbs being and remaining spaced from each other when the limbs cling to the user'"'"'s finger;

a body section having an axis and a head section coupled with said body section for rotation about said body section axis;

a motor capable of rotating said head section relative to said body section axis,

sound sensors capable of detecting an external sound having a direction;

a processor, coupled to said sound sensors, capable of determining said direction of said detected external sound relative to said toy and causing said motor to rotate said head section relative to said body section axis in accordance with the direction of said detected external sound.

24. The interactive toy according to claim 23, wherein said head section comprises eyes and respective eye lids operable to cover and uncover the eyes;

an eyes blink actuator, operable to move said eye lids to enable said interactive robotic toy to perform said motion of eye lids covering and uncovering said eyes.

25. The interactive toy according to claim 24, wherein said eyes blink actuator comprises a solenoid and a magnet or comprises a motor and gears.