Real time conversational toy
First Claim
1. A real time conversational verbal interactive toy apparatus comprising a removably insertable magnetic storage medium having a housing for said storage medium, said magnetic storage medium comprising a plurality of coextensive multipurpose audio tracks capable of having audio information stored thereon for multipurpose audio playback therefrom;
- receptacle means for removably receiving said inserted storage medium housing with said storage medium in a playback position thereof;
audio playback means adjacent said multitrack storage medium and in alignment therewith in said playback position of said received inserted storage medium housing for selectively obtaining said stored audio information from each of said coextensive tracks;
multiple choice multipurpose selection means operatively connected to said playback means for directly selecting one of said tracks for reproducing said selected information stored thereon in accordance with a predetermined variable purpose for said multipurpose audio track; and
audio output means operatively connected to said playback means and said direct selection means for directly providing said selected track information from said selectively obtained stored audio information for selectively reproducing said information as an audio output therefrom, said information being stored on each track in a plurality of reproducible information segments, each of said segments comprising a complete message reproducible by said playback means directly in response to the selection of said track upon which said segments are stored, each of said information segments on each of said coextensive tracks being spatially related in real time along said tracks and related in content to said information segments on the other of said coextensive tracks in said plurality thereof, said selection means comprising means for designating only one of said coextensive tracks as an interrogatory message track with said information thereon comprising interrogatory messages and for designating said other of said coextensive tracks as responsive message tracks with said stored information thereon comprising selectable responsive messages spatially related along said other tracks in said real time and related in content to said interrogatory messages on said one designated interrogatory message track dependent on said predetermined purpose for said multipurpose tracks, each of said tracks having substantially the same associated track width, said verbal interactive toy having a timed relationship between adjacent successive interrogatory messages solely dependent on the spatial relationship between said adjacent successive interrogatory messages on said one designated interrogatory message track and said responsive messages on said other tracks whereby said verbal interactive toy apparatus is capable of controlling verbal interaction in real time solely dependent on said spatial relationship, said interrogatory message containing a predetermined category of response thereto, each of said predetermined variable purposes corresponding to a different category of response to said interrogatory messages on said designated interrogatory message track, said multipurpose selection means enabling said category of response to be varied in accordance with a variation in said predetermined category of response contained in said interrogatory message on said designated real time related interrogatory message track;
whereby a real time conversational type response to an interrogatory message may be provided for said verbal interactive toy apparatus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A real time conversational verbal interactive toy apparatus capable of providing a conversational type playback response to an interrogatory message from a removably insertable magnetic storage medium which comprises a plurality of coextensive multipurpose audio tracks contained in a housing includes parallel connected switch banks for directly selecting one of the tracks for reproducing the selected information stored thereon, such as a particular category, which may vary, of multiple choice response to the interrogatory message with the particular category of response being contained in the interrogatory message. Additional descriptive information on the answered interrogatory message may simultaneously be provided by selection of one track while the other selected tracks are capable of providing responsive messages to the next interrogatory message, with all of the tracks being spatially related in time along the length thereof. A single track movable playback head, movable to the track selected in accordance with the user'"'"'s selection may be provided for such selected information reproduction. Removable indicia bearing templates corresponding to the various selectable purposes or multiple choice categories of the tracks are utilized on a robot-like housing for the toy in order to correctly designate the purposes of the switches in the switch banks with respect to a particular multitrack storage medium, which may be varied in accordance with the multitrack storage medium being employed at a given time.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A real time conversational verbal interactive toy apparatus comprising a removably insertable magnetic storage medium having a housing for said storage medium, said magnetic storage medium comprising a plurality of coextensive multipurpose audio tracks capable of having audio information stored thereon for multipurpose audio playback therefrom;
- receptacle means for removably receiving said inserted storage medium housing with said storage medium in a playback position thereof;
audio playback means adjacent said multitrack storage medium and in alignment therewith in said playback position of said received inserted storage medium housing for selectively obtaining said stored audio information from each of said coextensive tracks;
multiple choice multipurpose selection means operatively connected to said playback means for directly selecting one of said tracks for reproducing said selected information stored thereon in accordance with a predetermined variable purpose for said multipurpose audio track; and
audio output means operatively connected to said playback means and said direct selection means for directly providing said selected track information from said selectively obtained stored audio information for selectively reproducing said information as an audio output therefrom, said information being stored on each track in a plurality of reproducible information segments, each of said segments comprising a complete message reproducible by said playback means directly in response to the selection of said track upon which said segments are stored, each of said information segments on each of said coextensive tracks being spatially related in real time along said tracks and related in content to said information segments on the other of said coextensive tracks in said plurality thereof, said selection means comprising means for designating only one of said coextensive tracks as an interrogatory message track with said information thereon comprising interrogatory messages and for designating said other of said coextensive tracks as responsive message tracks with said stored information thereon comprising selectable responsive messages spatially related along said other tracks in said real time and related in content to said interrogatory messages on said one designated interrogatory message track dependent on said predetermined purpose for said multipurpose tracks, each of said tracks having substantially the same associated track width, said verbal interactive toy having a timed relationship between adjacent successive interrogatory messages solely dependent on the spatial relationship between said adjacent successive interrogatory messages on said one designated interrogatory message track and said responsive messages on said other tracks whereby said verbal interactive toy apparatus is capable of controlling verbal interaction in real time solely dependent on said spatial relationship, said interrogatory message containing a predetermined category of response thereto, each of said predetermined variable purposes corresponding to a different category of response to said interrogatory messages on said designated interrogatory message track, said multipurpose selection means enabling said category of response to be varied in accordance with a variation in said predetermined category of response contained in said interrogatory message on said designated real time related interrogatory message track;
whereby a real time conversational type response to an interrogatory message may be provided for said verbal interactive toy apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- receptacle means for removably receiving said inserted storage medium housing with said storage medium in a playback position thereof;
Specification