INTERACTIVE DEVICE WITH TIME SYNCHRONIZATION CAPABILITY

• US 20090199034A1
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter Sui Lun Fong
• Original Assignee: Peter Sui Lun Fong
• Inventors: Fong, Kelvin Yat-Kit, Fong, Peter Sui Lun, Liu, Chun Yan
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/400
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/003 specially adapted for a particular function not connected with dolls as electric lighting devices A63H3/006
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/26 the radio signal being a near-field communication signal

Abstract

An interactive device having time synchronization capability is provided. In one embodiment of the present invention, the interactive device has a computer processor that stores an internal clock. The computer processor may be preprogrammed to generate announcements based on a particular time of the internal clock. A user may input and adjust the time of the internal clock. In another embodiment of the present invention a setup module is provided. A setup module is an operative device that includes a computer processor that stores a setup time. The setup module establishes a connection with an interactive device, and time synchronizes the interactive device such that the internal clock of the interactive device is running the same time as the setup module. The setup module is capable of synchronizing the internal clock of multiple interactive devices, despite the interactive devices being programmed on separate occasions. In addition, the setup module is capable of programming a number of interactive devices in a quick and efficient manner, thereby keeping the manufacturer'"'"'s costs low. The computer processor of the interactive device runs a software program which enables the interactive device to be synchronized by the setup module via a hard-wired connection or wireless means such as infrared (IR) and/or radio frequency (RF) signals.

Claims

1. An interactive device having time synchronizing capability, comprising:

a computer processor having a memory to store data and being operative to run a software program which is stored in the memory;

an electrical power source for providing power to the interactive device;

at least one input device for entering data into the computer processor; and

an output device operative to provide a cognizable output;

wherein the computer processor is programmed to run a clock calendar program which is integrated into the software program and is operative to accept, store and actively maintain time and date data obtained from and synchronized with an external time and date data source.

2. The interactive device of claim 1, wherein the electrical power source is an internal battery stored within the interactive device.

3. The interactive device of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises at least two switches which are electrically connected to the computer processor.

4. The interactive device of claim 1, wherein the input device is an infrared receiver which is electrically connected to the computer processor.

5. The interactive device of claim 1, wherein the interactive device is a toy having a head, arms, legs, and a mouth.

6. The interactive device of claim 5, wherein the interactive device is equipped with at least one motor, a plurality of actuators, and a plurality of switches which are individually and collectively operative to manipulate the head, mouth, arms and legs of the toy in accordance with the software program.

7. The interactive device of claim 1, wherein the software program includes a daylight savings program which is run by the computer processor and is operative to adjust the time to move forward one hour on a summer solstice date and move backward one hour on a winter solstice date.

8. The interactive device of claim 1, wherein the software program includes a daily alarm and announcements program which is run by the computer processor and is operative to activate any one of a plurality of stored functions on a corresponding stored setting date at a corresponding stored setting time.

9. The interactive device of claim 8, wherein the daily alarm and announcements program stores the functionality of an Advent calendar.

10. A system for time synchronizing interactive devices, comprising:

at least one interactive device comprising a computer processor having memory to store data and being operative to run a software program which is stored in the memory, an electrical power source to provide power to the interactive device, at least one input device for entering data into the computer processor, and an output device operative to provide a cognizable output; and

a setup module comprising a computer processor which includes a memory to store data and being operative to run a setup software program which is stored in the memory, an electrical power source to provide power to the setup module, at least one input device for entering data into the computer processor, a display screen to display the data, and an output device operative to transmit data from the computer processor of the setup module to the computer processor of the interactive device;

wherein the computer processor of the interactive device is programmable to run a clock calendar program which is integrated into the software program and is operative to accept, store and actively maintain a time and a date, the computer processor of the setup module is programmable to run a setup clock calendar program which is integrated into the setup software program and is operative to accept, store and actively maintain a setup time and a setup date, and the output device of the setup module is operative to allow the computer processor of the setup module to transmit the setup time and the setup date into the computer processor of the interactive device as the time and the date.

11. The system for time synchronizing an interactive device of claim 10, wherein the electrical power source of the setup module is an internal battery for providing power to the setup module.

12. The system for time synchronizing an interactive device of claim 10, wherein the input device of the setup module is an infrared receiver electrically connected to the computer processor of the setup module.

13. The system for time synchronizing an interactive device of claim 10, wherein the output device of the setup module is an infrared transmitter electrically connected to the computer processor of the setup module and the input device of the interactive device is an infrared receiver electrically connected to the computer processor of the interactive device.

14. The system for time synchronizing an interactive device of claim 10, wherein the input device of the setup module comprises at least two switches which are electrically connected to the computer processor of the setup module.

15. The system for time synchronizing an interactive device of claim 10, wherein the setup module includes an internal sound generating device that generates an audio signal triggered by the computer processor of the setup module.

16. The system for time synchronizing an interactive device of claim 10, wherein the computer processor of the setup module tests the time stored in the computer processor of the interactive device, and is operative to generate a cognizable output if the time stored in the interactive device does not equal the setup time stored in the setup module.

17. The system for time synchronizing an interactive device of claim 16, wherein the setup software program includes a margin of error program which is run by the computer processor of the setup module, and is operative to store an error field, wherein the error field stores an acceptable deviation of time between the setup time stored in the setup module and the time stored in the interactive device.

18. The system for synchronizing an interactive device of claim 17, wherein the computer processor of the setup module is configured to generate a cognizable output if the deviation of time between the setup time stored in the setup module and the time stored in the interactive device is greater than the error field.

19. The system for synchronizing an interactive device of claim 10, wherein the setup software program includes a daily alarm and announcements program which is run by the computer processor of the setup module, and is operative to activate any one of a plurality of stored functions on a corresponding stored setting date at a corresponding stored setting time.

20. A method for time synchronizing interactive devices, wherein each of the interactive devices comprises a computer processor having a memory to store data and being operative to run a software program which is stored in the memory, wherein the computer processor is programmable to run a clock calendar program which is integrated into the software program and is operative to accept, store, and actively maintain a time and a date, comprising the steps of:

a. inputting a setup time into a software program run on a computer processor of a setup module;

b. connecting an input device of a first interactive device to an output device of the setup module;

c. initiating a data transfer between the setup module and the first interactive device, such that the setup time is transferred from the computer processor of the setup module to the computer processor of the first interactive device and is stored as the time;

d. testing the first interactive device, such that if the time stored in the computer processor of the first interactive device is not equal to the setup time, the computer processor of the setup module generates a cognizable output;

e. connecting an input device of a second interactive device to the output device of the setup module and initiating a data transfer such that the setup time is transferred from the computer processor of the setup module to the computer processor of the second interactive device and is stored as the time; and

f. verifying that the time stored in the computer processors of the first and second interactive devices matches the time stored in the computer processor of the setup module within an acceptable deviation range.