WIRELESS MUSICAL FIGURINES

• US 20110059677A1
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hallmark Cards Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hallmark Cards Incorporated
• Inventors: Ng, Ka Wai, Dang, Phu
• Granted Patent: US 8,444,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/397
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 13/02 imitating natural actions, e.g. catching a mouse by a cat, the kicking of an animal
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10

Abstract

A method, system, and medium are provided for a wireless musical figurine belonging to a set of wireless musical figurines that play audio files in coordination with one another. One system of the musical figurine includes a wireless transceiver utilized to communicate with one or more musical figurines. The musical figurine also includes a set of master audio files of a first quality level, and a set of slave audio files of a second quality level. An audio player plays an audio file from the set of master audio files or the set of slave audio files. A master audio file is played when the musical figurine is initiated in accordance with a user indication, and a slave audio file is played when the musical figurine is initiated by another musical figurine. The musical figurine may also have movement capabilities which may be coordinated with the playing of an audio file to present a dancing figurine.

Claims

1. A wireless musical figurine belonging to a set of wireless musical figurines that play audio files in coordination with another, the wireless musical figurine comprising:

a wireless transceiver utilized to communicate with one or more musical figurines;

a set of master audio files of a first quality level;

a set of slave audio files of a second quality level; and

an audio player configured to play an audio file from at least one of the set of master audio files and the set of slave audio files,

wherein the audio player plays an audio file from the set of master audio files when the musical figurine is initiated in accordance with a user indication, and

wherein the audio player plays an audio file from the set of slave audio files when the musical figurine is initiated by another musical figurine.

2. The musical figurine of claim 1, wherein the communication with the one or more musical figurines comprises one-way communication during a performance cycle.

3. The musical figurine of claim 2, wherein the communication with the one or more musical figurines comprises communication directed from the musical figurine to the one or more musical figurines.

4. The musical figurine of claim 1, wherein the first quality level comprises a waveform audio file format.

5. The musical figurine of claim 1, wherein the second quality level comprises a musical instrument digital interface format.

6. The musical figurine of claim 1, wherein the user indication comprises a user selection of an activation button on the musical figurine that, when selected, initiates presentation of the audio file.

7. The musical figurine of claim 1, wherein the musical figurine is initiated by another musical figurine when the musical figurine receives a signal from the another musical figurine providing an indication to join in a musical presentation by playing the audio file.

8. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of coordinating audio presentations of a set of wireless musical figurines, the method comprising:

identifying a lapse of a predetermined time interval;

upon the lapse of the predetermined time interval, initiating a first audio presentation of a master audio file performed by a musical figurine, wherein a first portion of the master audio file is performed as a solo; and

during the first audio presentation of the first portion of the master audio file, initiating a second audio presentation of a slave audio file performed by a slave musical figurine that is remote from the musical figurine, the second audio presentation beginning at a second portion of the master audio file and corresponding with the master audio file.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the master audio file comprises a waveform audio file format.

10. The media of claim 8, wherein the slave audio file comprises a musical instrument digital interface format.

11. The media of claim 8, wherein the slave audio file is automatically initiated using one-way communication provided by the master device directed to the slave device.

12. The media of claim 8 further comprising selecting the master audio file for the first audio presentation.

13. The media of claim 8 further comprising selecting the slave audio file for the second audio presentation.

14. The media of claim 8, wherein initiating the second audio presentation comprises communicating a join-in signal to the slave device.

15. The media of claim 8, wherein the master audio file and the slave audio file include different musical instrument pieces for the same song.

16. The media of claim 8, further comprising waiting another lapse of the predetermined time period upon completion of the first audio presentation of the master audio file.

17. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of coordinating a set of wireless musical figurines, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of powering on the musical figurine;

initiating presentation of at least a portion of an audio file; and

determining if another musical figurine is set to any of a plurality of channels,

wherein if another musical figurine is set to one of the plurality of channels, setting the musical figurine to the one of the plurality of channels, and

wherein if another musical figurine is not set to any of the plurality of channels, establishing a channel for communication between the set of wireless musical figurines.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the indication of powering on the musical figurine is provided by a user selection of a power button on the musical figurine.

19. The media of claim 17, wherein the audio file comprises a high quality audio file.

20. The media of claim 17, wherein the channel for communication is established by generating a group identifier and broadcasting the group identifier.