AUDIO ANIMATION SYSTEM

• US 20100099327A1
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ENTT Limited
• Original Assignee: ENTT Limited
• Inventors: BINYAMIN, Moshe
• Granted Patent: US 8,753,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/297
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles

Abstract

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a system for rendering audio animation, the system comprising: two or more non-biotic figures; an audio player, having two or more audio sources correspondingly to the two or more non-biotic figures, for simultaneously playing the audio signals associated with the two or more non-biotic figures; and two or more speaker units corresponding to the two or more audio sources. The system may further comprise means for wireless transmission of the audio signal of at least one of the audio sources to a remote speaker unit thereof. The means for wireless transmission may comprise a wireless transmission unit deployed at the audio player, and a wireless receiving unit deployed at the speaker unit. The non-biotic figure may be a two-dimensional, three-dimensional figure, and so on.

Claims

1. An audio animation system, comprising:

two or more non-biotic figures;

an audio player, having two or more audio sources corresponding to said two or more non-biotic figures, for simultaneously playing the audio signals associated with said two or more non-biotic figures; and

two or more speaker units corresponding to said two or more audio sources.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of said speaker units is deployed closer to the non-biotic figure associated with said speaker unit than to any other of said non-biotic figures, for associating an audio signal with the non-biotic figure thereof.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said figures is a two-dimensional figure.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said figures is a three-dimensional figure.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said audio player is selected from a group comprising:

a computer, a DVD, an MP3 player, a cassette player, a TV set, a cellular telephone.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means for wireless transmission of the audio signal of at least one of said audio sources to a remote speaker unit thereof.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said means for wireless transmission comprises:

a wireless transmission unit deployed at said audio player, and a wireless receiving unit deployed at said speaker unit.

8. A system according to claim 1, further comprising interaction means with a user.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said interaction means comprise speech recognition means.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein said interaction means comprise a speech-to-text converter.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein said two or more audio sources are of a stereophonic device.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the content of said two or more audio sources is provided by a remote server over a network.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said network is selected from a group comprising:

a telephone network, a cable TV network, the Internet.

14. A system according to claim 13, further comprising means for selecting the content to be provided.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein said means for selecting the content to be displayed is selected from a group comprising:

SMS analyzer, analyzer of data sent from a Web page.

16. A system according to claim 1, wherein the content of said two or more audio sources is provided by a memory card.

17. In an audio animation system, an apparatus for operating a non-biotic figure, the apparatus comprising:

a casing comprising;

an audio inlet, to which an audio outlet of an audio player in connected;

an RF transmitter, for transmitting the audio signal entered through said inlet;

a circuitry installed in said non-biotic figure, said circuitry comprising;

an RF receiver, for receiving an RF signal transmitted by said transmitter;

an amplifier, for amplifying said signal; and

a speaker unit, for playing said audio signal.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said non-biotic figure further comprises means for moving one or more organs of said non-biotic figures.

19. An audio animation system, comprising:

a three-dimensional doll;

an audio player comprising a DVD player having an associated display monitor for displaying an animated character of a DVD, the audio player having a first audio source corresponding to the doll and a second audio source corresponding to the animated character, the audio player capable of simultaneously playing the audio signals associated with the doll and of the animated character, the audio player including interaction means by means of which the doll, the animated character and a child user interact with one another;

a first speaker unit capable of associating a first audio signal with the first audio source, the first speaker unit located closer to the doll than to the display monitor; and

a second speaker unit capable of associating a second audio signal with the DVD player, the second speaker unit located closer to the display monitor than to the doll.

20. The audio animation system of claim 19, wherein the interaction means includes a digital processing unit that signals portions of the doll to move based on the audio signal received by the doll.

21. A method of having animated figures interact with a child, comprising:

providing a doll having a receiver for receiving an audio signal, the doll having a digital processor connected to a first speaker unit for converting the audio signals into movements of portions of the doll, the receiver and speaker unit forming part of an audio player that is associated with the doll;

providing a DVD player also forming part of the audio player, the DVD player including a second speaker unit and a display monitor connected to a computer, the computer connected to a web site on the World Wide Web, the web site providing content that includes animated figures;

positioning the first speaker closer to the doll than to the display monitor and positioning the second speaker unit closer to the display monitor than to the doll so that a child interacting with the doll and the display monitor associate sound from the first speaker with the doll and associate sound from the second speaker with the display monitor;

positioning the child so that the child can simultaneously see and hear both the doll and an animated character seen on the display monitor; and

having the doll talk to the child about the animated character and having the animated character talk to the child about the doll so that the child, the doll and the animated character are interacting in a three-way conversation.