Toy system cooperating with Computer

• US 20020077021A1
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: E-Planet Corporation
• Original Assignee: E-Planet Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, In Seob, Moon, Jung Ho, Cho, Soon Young, Park, Sang Kyu
• Application Number:
  US09/922,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20020077021A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/265
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

Disclosed is a toy system for downloading digital contents via the internet and processing the downloaded digital contents through real time cooperation between a computer and a toy. The computer comprises a recording medium which stores digital contents and a digital contents driving program. The toy comprises a microprocessor, a communication port, a digital sound decoder, a speaker, a motor driving unit, a motor, an LED/lighting device and an LED/lighting device control unit. The digital contents comprise image data, first and second sound data and motion control data. The digital contents driving program processes the following steps: reading the digital contents; displaying the image data of the digital contents on a screen of the computer; outputting the second sound data of the digital contents to a speaker of the computer; and transmitting the first sound data and the motion control data of the digital contents as a packet form to the toy connected with the computer.

Claims

1. A toy system comprising:

a computer with a recording medium in which digital contents and a digital contents driving program are stored; and

a movable device interfaced with said computer;

wherein said digital contents are stored in said recording medium of said computer, and comprise image data, sound data and motion control data;

wherein said digital contents driving program processes the following steps of;

(a) reading said digital contents;

(b) displaying the image data of said digital contents on a screen of said computer; and

(c) transmitting the sound data and the motion control data of said digital contents as a packet form to said movable device connected with said computer;

wherein said movable device comprises;

a communication port for providing an interface with said computer;

a microprocessor for decoding a data packet received via said communication port, outputting sound data and a motion control signal, and controlling operations of said movable device;

a memory for storing a program and a motion code table required for the operation of said microprocessor;

a decoder for decoding the sound data from said microprocessor to output a sound signal;

a motor driving unit for driving a motor in response to the motion control signal from said microprocessor; and

a motor installed in each part of said movable device; and

wherein the image data is displayed on said computer screen and said movable device decodes the data packet transmitted from said computer to output the sound data to said digital sound decoder and the motion control signal to the motor driving unit when said digital contents driving program is processed in said computer, whereby the motion and sound output of said movable device are synchronized with the screen output of said computer.

2. A toy system according to claim 1, wherein said motion code table comprises a character ID and a motion code table version, motion codes and motor control data corresponding to each motion codes, and

wherein said digital contents driving program further processes the steps of:

comparing version of said motion code table of the movable device with a motion code table stored in said computer; and

if said motion code table of said movable device has a lower version than said motion code table stored in said computer, downloading said motion code table stored in said computer to said memory of said movable device.

3. A toy system according to claim 2, wherein said motor control data is composed of position data and time duration data.

4. A toy system according to claim 1, wherein said movable device comprises a robot and a stage unit, said robot having motor and being detachable from said stage unit.

5. A toy system according to claim 4, wherein said motion code table is stored in an electrically rewritable memory installed in said robot.

6. A toy system according to claim 4, wherein said memory includes first and second memories, said first memory storing a program necessary for the operation of said microprocessor of said movable device and being installed in said stage unit, said second memory storing said motion code table and being installed in said robot.

7. A toy system according to claim 6, wherein said second memory is electrically rewritable.

8. A toy system according to claim 1, wherein said digital contents further comprise a sound data pool, said sound data pool being composed of sound data IDs, and sound data and motion control data corresponding to each sound data ID;

and

wherein said digital contents driving program obtains the sound data and the motion control data corresponding to the sound data ID from said sound data pool and transmits the sound data and the motion control data to said movable device.

9. A toy system according to claim 1, wherein said movable device further comprises an input unit for inputting an external signal, said microprocessor of said movable device transmitting an event signal to said digital contents driving program when said input unit receives an external input, said digital contents driving program executing an operation corresponding to the event signal.

10. A toy system according to claim 9, wherein said input unit has user control buttons for instructing start, stop, forward and backward, said event signal informing of the start, stop forward and backward from said user control buttons installed in said movable device.

11. A toy system according to claim 3, wherein said movable device further comprises an input unit for inputting an external signal, said microprocessor of said movable device transmitting an event signal to said digital contents driving program when said input unit receives an external input, said digital contents driving program executing an operation corresponding to the event signal, said input unit having user control buttons for instructing start, stop, forward and backward, said event signal informing of the start, stop, forward and backward from said user control buttons installed in said movable device, or informing if said robot is detached.

12. A toy system according to claim 1, wherein said digital contents comprise additional sound data, said digital contents driving program outputting said additional sound data of said digital contents to a speaker installed in said computer.

13. A toy system according to claim 1, wherein said microprocessor of said movable device detects an envelope from a waveform of the sound data transmitted via said communication port, and uses the envelope as an electric reference signal to control a motor connected to the mouth of said movable device.

14. A toy system according to claim 1, wherein said microprocessor comprises:

a communication processor for successively storing a data stream received from said communication port, and then upon completion of receiving the packet, outputting the received packet to a packet decoder unit or transmitting data received from an input processing unit to said computer;

a packet decoder unit for decoding the packet from said communication processor, and then transmitting the decoded packet to a motor control unit or a sound data processing unit;

an input processing unit for transmitting a signal corresponding to each event of an input unit to said communication processor when the input unit is inputted;

a motor control unit for using motion control data from said packet decoder unit to read position and time data of motors corresponding to the motion code from the motion code table, obtain the motion control signal from said position and time data, and output the motion control signal to said motor driving unit; and

a sound data processing unit for outputting the sound data from said packet decoder unit to said digital sound decoder.

15. A toy system according to claim 1, wherein said digital contents are downloaded together with the motion code table corresponding to a character ID of said digital contents from a server of a digital contents provider via the internet.

16. A toy system according to claim 15, wherein said digital contents driving program further performs the steps of:

(a) receiving the character ID and the motion code table version of said movable device from said movable device;

(b) comparing the character ID and the motion code table version stored in said computer with the character ID and the motion code table version received from said movable device;

(c) if the character IDs are not the same, stopping the downloading; and

(d) if the character IDs are the same and the motion code table version of said movable device is lower than the motion code table version stored in said computer, downloading the motion code table in said computer to said memory in said movable device.

17. A toy system according to claim 1, wherein said digital contents further comprise LED/lighting control data, said digital contents driving program forming the LED/lighting control data into a packet to transmit the packeted data to said movable device;

and

wherein said movable device further comprises an LED or a lighting device, and controls said LED or said lighting device according to the LED/lighting control data from said digital contents driving program.

18. A toy system according to claim 17, wherein said microprocessor comprises:

a communication processor for successively storing a data stream received from said communication port, and then upon completion of receiving the packet, outputting the received packet to a packet decoder unit or transmitting data received from an input processing unit toward said computer;

a packet decoder unit for decoding the packet from said communication processor, and then transmitting the decoded packet to a motor control unit, a sound data processing unit or an LED/lighting control unit;

an input processing unit for transmitting a signal corresponding to each event of an input unit to said communication processor when the input unit is inputted;

a motor control unit for using motion control data from said packet decoder unit to read position and time data of motors corresponding to motion code from the motion code table, obtain the motion control signal from said position and time data, and output the motion control signal to said motor driving unit;

a sound data processing unit for outputting the sound data from said packet decoder unit to said digital sound decoder; and

an LED/lighting control unit for obtaining an LED/lighting control signal from LED/lighting control data outputted from said packet decoder, and outputting said LED/lighting control signal to an LED/lighting driving unit.