INTERACTING TOYS

• US 20150111465A1
• Filed: 07/21/2014
• Published: 04/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Steven Lipman
• Original Assignee: Hydrae Limited
• Inventors: Kilbride-Newman, Robert Frederick, Green, Ian, Heine, Jeffrey, Shmuel, Alon, LIPMAN, Steven
• Application Number:
  US14/337,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20150111465A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/484
• 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: A63H 30/00 Remote-control arrangements specially adapted for toys, e.g. for toy vehicles steering mechanisms for toy vehicles A63H17/36; for model railways A63H19/24, A63H19/28
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing

Abstract

There is provided a toy including a processor; a memory coupled to said processor; an output coupled to said processor; and means for establishing a network connection with at least one further such toy, where the processor includes means for controlling the output of each toy with which a network connection has been established. Furthermore, the controlling means is adapted to transmit, over said network connection, instructions to control a plurality of the outputs (preferably all of the outputs) of each toy with which a network connection has been established.

Claims

1. A toy comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to said processor;

an output coupled to said processor; and

means for establishing a network connection with at least one further such toy;

wherein the processor includes means for controlling the output of each toy with which a network connection has been established.

2. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said controlling means is adapted to transmit, over said network connection, instructions to control a plurality of the outputs (preferably all of the outputs) of each toy with which a network connection has been established.

3. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said network connection forms part of a personal area network.

4. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said memory is adapted to store at least one group of data, each said at least one group representing a particular theme.

5. A toy according to claim 4, further comprising means for determining the at least one theme stored in said memory.

6. A toy according to claim 5, said toy is adapted to only establish a connection with another toy when at least one theme stored in said memory is the same in both toys.

7. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said controlling means is adapted to transmit/receive a control message to control the output of each said toy, and wherein preferably the control message comprises an ID of the toy for which it is intended, and a command segment, and more preferably further comprises an ID of the originating toy and/or a message ID.

8. A toy according to claim 7, wherein said control message comprises instructions to access a reference database and perform a task.

9. A toy according to claim 1, wherein the processor includes means for transmitting/receiving acknowledgement of a transmitted/received control message, and wherein preferably said transmitting/receiving mean is adapted to request that the control message is resent if it does not receive acknowledgement.

10. A toy according to claim 9, wherein said transmitting/receiving means is adapted to transmit a parameter associated with the time that such toy will take to generate an output in dependence on the control message, and wherein preferably the originating toy waits for a duration associated with said parameter before transmitting a further control message (the time such toy will take to generate such output may vary, according for example with a theme or sub-theme of the toy).

11. A toy according to claim 8, wherein the processor comprises means for counting the number of re-sent control messages, and whereby communication with said toy that does not acknowledge said control message is stopped after 1,000-2,000, 2,000-5,000, 5,000-10,000 or more attempts to resend.

12. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said processor further comprises a conversation engine adapted to construct a conversation between said toys.

56. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said processor includes means for selecting a toy to interact based on pre-defined rules.

58. A toy according to claim 56, wherein said selecting means is adapted to select the next toy to interact.

59. A toy according to claim 58 wherein said pre-defined rules comprise:

direct selection;

random selection; and

choose the current interacter to interact again.

60. A toy according to claim 56, wherein the processor is adapted to output a control message comprising the ID of the selected toy and preferably the ID of the originating toy.

61. A toy according to claim 56, wherein said interaction comprises communication and wherein preferably said communication includes speech and directions.

13-55. -55. (canceled)

57. (canceled)

62-99. -99. (canceled)