Interactive hand held apparatus with stylus

• US 20050037327A1
• Filed: 02/09/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lepfrog Enterprises Incorporated
• Inventors: Flowers, Mark, Wood, Michael C., Goldstein, David, Fitts, Michelle, Adolf, Rick, Thies, Carol, Kohl, Antonia, Miller, Joseph B. III, Cole, Robert Curtis, Chen Jordan, Alice
• Granted Patent: US 7,529,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/362
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/302 specially adapted for receiving control signals not targeted to a display device or game input means, e.g. vibrating driver's seat, scent dispenser
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An interactive, handheld apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a housing, a display screen on the housing, an electronic position location system, a stylus for selecting images on the display screen, a directional control pad on the housing and a memory device. The electronic position location system includes a processor that is capable of determining a location of a selected region of the display screen. The memory device includes computer code for an educational game and is operatively coupled to the processor. A light is associated with the stylus. The light is illuminated to indicate that the stylus is available for use during operation of the educational game.

Claims

1. An interactive, handheld apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a display screen on the housing, the display screen configured to display a plurality of images;

an electronic position location system, wherein the electronic position location system includes a processor that is capable of determining a location of a selected region of the display screen;

a stylus for selecting one or more of the plurality of images on the display screen;

a directional control pad on the housing;

a memory device comprising computer code for an educational program, wherein the memory device is operatively coupled to the processor; and

a light associated with the stylus, wherein the light associated with the stylus is illuminated to indicate that the stylus is available for use during operation of the educational program.

2. The interactive, handheld apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a light associated with the directional control pad, wherein the light associated with directional control pad is illuminated to indicate that the directional control pad is available for use during operation of the educational program.

3. The interactive, handheld apparatus of claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of images are displayed on the display screen using vector graphics.

4. The interactive, handheld apparatus of claim 1 wherein the memory device is a removable cartridge.

5. An interactive, handheld apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a display screen on the housing, the display screen configured to display a plurality of images;

an electronic position location system, wherein the electronic position location system includes a processor that is capable of determining a location of a selected region of the display screen;

a stylus for selecting one or more of the plurality of images on the display screen;

a directional control pad on the housing;

a memory device comprising computer code for an educational game, wherein the memory device is operatively coupled to the processor;

a light associated with the stylus; and

control logic configured to control illumination of the light, wherein the light is illuminated at specific points during the course of the educational game to indicate that the stylus is available for use.

6. The interactive, handheld apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:

a light associated with the directional control pad; and

control logic configured to control illumination of the light associated with the directional control pad, wherein the light associated with the directional control pad is illuminated at specific points during the course of the educational game to indicate that the directional control pad is available for use.

7. The interactive, handheld apparatus of claim 5 wherein one or more of the plurality of images are displayed on the display screen using vector graphics.

8. The interactive, handheld apparatus of claim 5 wherein the memory device is a removable cartridge.

9. An interactive, handheld apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a display screen on the housing, the display screen configured to display a plurality of images;

an electronic position location system, wherein the electronic position location system includes a processor that is capable of determining a location of a selected region of the display screen;

a stylus for selecting one or more of the plurality of images on the display screen;

a directional control pad on the housing; and

a memory device comprising computer code for a first educational program that uses the stylus, computer code for a second educational program that uses the directional button, computer code for informing a user to use the stylus with the first educational program and the directional control pad with the second educational program, wherein the memory device is coupled to the processor.

10. The interactive, hand-held apparatus of claim 9 wherein the apparatus further comprises a speaker coupled to the processor, and wherein the computer code for informing a user to use the stylus with the first educational program and the directional control pad with the second educational program causes the display screen to display images on the display screen and audio to sound from the speaker that informs the user to use either the stylus or the directional control pad.

11. The interactive, hand-held apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first educational program comprises a painting program and the second educational program comprises a game that teaches about letters or spelling.

12. The interactive, hand-held apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a first light associated with the stylus and a second light associated with the directional control pad.

13. The interactive, hand-held apparatus of claim 9 wherein the housing has a trapezoidal shape.

14. The interactive, hand-held apparatus of claim 9 wherein further comprising a hint button coupled to the housing.

15. The interactive, hand-held apparatus of claim 9 one or more of the plurality of images are displayed on the display screen using vector graphics.