Computer Peripheral Device For Accessing Web Site Content

• US 20090100144A1
• Filed: 10/15/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Favorito, Anthony R., Sullivan, Michael P., Ciganko, David J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,886,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards

Abstract

A computer peripheral device is provided comprising a housing, a plurality of figures each having a unique physical appearance and a unique structural characteristic, an identifying portion that is configured to identify one of the plurality of figures, at a time, based on the unique structural characteristic of the figure. The computer peripheral device comprises a controller coupled to the identifying portion that generates an identifier associating with the figure identified by the identifying portion. Connection of the computer peripheral device to a computer is made by a standard connection cable, such as a USB cable. Computer software is installed in the computer to store data associating a web site address with an identifier for each of the plurality of figures. A web browser application is activated to retrieve content from a web site having a web site address corresponding to an identifier received from the controller in the computer peripheral device.

Claims

1. A computer peripheral device, comprising:

a. a housing;

b. a connection cable that connects the housing unit to a computer;

c. a plurality of figures, each figure having a base with unique structure characteristics;

d. a receptacle on the housing that is configured to receive the base of one of the plurality of figures;

e. a plurality of switches, a unique combination of which are actuated by the base of a figure inserted in the receptacle; and

f. a controller in the housing that is electrically connected to the connection cable and to the plurality of switches, wherein the controller identifies which one of the plurality of figures is inserted in the receptacle of the housing based on states of the plurality of switches.

2. In combination, the computer peripheral device of claim 1, and a computer connected to the computer peripheral device by the connection cable, wherein the computer communicates with said controller and stores a web site address associated with the identifier for each of the plurality of figures, said controller generates an identifier for the figure inserted in the receptacle of the housing and sends the identifier to the computer, and wherein the computer activates a web browser application on the computer to access content from a web site using a web site address corresponding to an identifier received from said controller in the computer peripheral device.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein each of plurality of figures has a unique shape, color pattern or indicia thereon, and wherein the web site address associated with each figure is for a web site containing content that is related to the shape, color pattern or indicia of the corresponding figure.

4. The combination of claim 2, wherein the plurality of figures are toy figures each of which having a unique physical appearance, and wherein the web site address associated with each toy figure is for a web site containing content that is thematically related to a physical appearance of the corresponding toy figure.

5. The combination of claim 2, and further comprising a plurality of buttons disposed on a surface of the housing and connected to said controller, wherein said controller is responsive to actuation of one of the plurality of buttons and sends a message to said computer that in response sends a command to a web site with which the computer is communicating.

6. The combination of claim 2, and further comprising a plurality of switch levers positioned on an inner side wall of the receptacle and each being operatively connected to a corresponding one of the switches, and wherein the base of each of the plurality of figures comprises a different external surface profile that engages a unique combination of the switches levers when inserted into the receptacle.

17. The device of claim 6, wherein the housing comprises at least one location to support a figure when it is not placed in said identifying portion.

7. A computer peripheral device, comprising:

a. a housing;

b. a plurality of figures each having a unique physical appearance;

c. an identifying portion on the housing that receives one of the plurality of figures and identifies which of the plurality figures is placed in identifying portion based on a structural characteristic of the figure;

d. a connection cable that electrically connects to a computer; and

e. a controller coupled to said identifying portion, wherein the controller generates a signal containing an identifier of which one of the plurality of figures is placed in the identifying portion for transmission to a computer via said connection cable.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein each of the figures comprises a base having a unique structural characteristic and wherein the identifying portion receives the base of a figure.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the identifying portion comprises a plurality of push switches that are selectively depressed by the base of a figure placed into the identifying portion, and wherein the controller identifies which figure is placed therein based on which of the plurality of push switches are depressed.

10. In combination, the device of claim 7 and a computer connected to the computer peripheral device by the connection cable, wherein the computer comprises software that enables communication between said controller in the computer peripheral device and the computer, and wherein the software stores data associating a web site address with an identifier for each of the plurality of figures.

11. The combination of claim 10, wherein the computer comprises software for a web browser application that is activated to access and retrieve content from a web site using a web site address corresponding to an identifier received from the controller in the computer peripheral device.

12. The combination of claim 11, wherein when the web browser application is activated the computer ignores interrupts from certain keys on a keyboard associated with the computer.

13. The combination of claim 10, wherein each web site address stored in the computer is associated with a web site that supplies content which is thematically related to the physical appearance of the corresponding figure.

14. The combination of claim 10, wherein the computer connects to a server to update the stored data that associates a web site address with an identifier for each of the plurality of figures.

15. The combination of claim 14, wherein the computer connects to the server in response to determining that the identifier received from the controller in the computer peripheral device is not contained in the stored data.

16. The combination of claim 10, wherein the plurality of figures are toy figures each of which having a unique physical appearance, and wherein the web site address associated with each toy figure is for a web site containing content that is thematically related to a physical appearance of the corresponding toy figure.

18. In combination:

a. a computer peripheral device comprising a housing, a plurality of figures each having a unique physical appearance and a unique structural characteristic, an identifying portion that is configured to identify one of the plurality of figures, at a time, based on the unique structural characteristic of the figure, and a controller coupled to the identifying portion that generates an identifier associating with the figure identified by the identifying portion; and

b. computer software for installation in a computer connected to the computer peripheral device that, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to store data associating a web site address with an identifier for each of the plurality of figures, and to activate a web browser application to retrieve content from a web site having a web site address corresponding to an identifier received from the controller in the computer peripheral device.

19. The combination of claim 18, wherein each web site address stored in the computer by the computer software is associated with a web site that supplies content which is thematically related to the physical appearance of the corresponding figure.

20. The combination of claim 18, wherein the computer software causes the computer to connect to a server to update the stored data that associates a web site address with an identifier for each of the plurality of figures.

21. The combination of claim 20, wherein the plurality of figures are toy figures each of which having a unique physical appearance, and wherein the web site address associated with each toy figure is for a web site containing content that is thematically related to a physical appearance of the corresponding toy figure.

22. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform functions for connecting the computer to a web site and retrieving content, comprising:

a. storing data associating a web site address with an identifier for each of a plurality of figures, each identifier being based on a structural characteristic of each of the plurality of figures; and

b. activating a web browser to retrieve content from a web site having a web site address based on an identifier corresponding to one of the plurality of figures that is identified by a computer peripheral device connected to the computer.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions stored on the computer readable medium that cause the computer to perform said storing comprise instructions for storing a web site address for a web site that supplies content which is thematically related to a physical appearance of the corresponding figure.

24. A method for accessing web site content, comprising:

a. providing a plurality of figures having a unique physical appearance and structure;

b. inserting one of the plurality of figures into a portion of a housing unit;

c. structurally identifying which of the plurality of figures is inserted into the portion of the housing unit;

d. generating an electrical signal containing information that identifies which of the plurality of figures is inserted into the portion of the housing unit;

e. coupling the electrical signal to a computer that has internet access;

f. storing in the computer data associating a web side address with an identifier for each of the plurality of figures; and

g. receiving at the computer the electrical signal from the housing unit and accessing web site content from a web site address corresponding toy figure that is identified by the information in the electrical signal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said providing comprises providing a plurality of toy figures, and wherein said storing comprises storing data for a web site address containing content that is thematically related to the physical appearance of the corresponding toy figure.