Voice responsive "talking" toy

• US 4,221,927 A
• Filed: 08/08/1978
• Issued: 09/09/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bryan Mccoy, Richard C. Levy
• Original Assignee: Bryan L. Mccoy, Richard C. Levy, Scott Dankman
• Inventors: Levy, Richard C., McCoy, Bryan L., Dankman, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Thomas W.
• Application Number:
  US05/932,069
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 46/232, 46/254, 46/256, 46/170, 46/229, 179/1 VC, 179/1 AA, 179/1 AL, 179/1 SA, 340/148
• US Class Current: 367/198
• 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 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 toy which, in response to a complex sound such as human speech generates a train of audio pulses. The pulses are psuedo-random with respect to frequency composition and to duration, thus simulating syllabic speech. Provisions are also described whereby the length of the pulse train is made random.

Claims

1. A toy comprising:

a body;

actuator means, disposed within said body, for generating an actuation signal; and

audio generator means, disposed in said body and responsive to said actuation signal, for generating electrical tone pulses, said electrical pulses being pseudo-random both as to frequency composition and duration; and

transducer means responsive to said electrical tone pulses for generating audio output pulses indicative of said electrical pulses.

2. The toy of claim 1 wherein said actuator means comprises sound responsive means for generating said actuation signal in response to a predetermined species of sound.

3. The toy of claims 1 or 2 wherein said body includes a portion defining a mouth and said toy further includes:

illuminating means disposed in said mouth and responsive to said actuation signal, for illuminating said mouth in accordance with the generation of said audio output pulses.

4. The toy of claims 1 or 2 wherein said body includes portions representative of eyes, and further including:

illumination means disposed in said eye portions and responsive to control signals applied thereto for illuminating said eyes in accordance with generation of said actuation signal.

5. A toy comprising:

a body;

audio generator means, disposed in said body and responsive to an actuation signal applied thereto, for generating electrical tone pulses, said electrical pulses being pseudo-random as to frequency composition and duration;

transducer means, responsive to said electrical tone pulses for generating audio output pulses indicative of said electrical pulses, and including means for generating an electrical output signal indicative of audio sound waves incident thereon; and

sound responsive actuator means, disposed within said body, for generating said actuation signal in response to a predetermined species of sound, said sound responsive means comprising;

sampling means, responsive to a sampling clock signal applied thereto, for sampling said transducer means electrical output signal at predetermined time intervals in accordance with said sampling clock signal and generating a digital sample signal indicative of said samples; and

counter means, incremented responsive to changes of state in said digital sample signal and reset responsive a reset signal of predetermined frequency applied thereto, for generating said actuation signal upon accumulation of a predetermined number of counts such that said actuation signal is generated only in response to sound waves effecting said predetermined number of changes in state in said digital sample signal within a predetermined period in accordance with said reset signal frequency.

6. The toy of claim 5 wherein said sampling means comprises:

rectifier means for generating a rectified signal indicative of said transducer means electrical output signal;

means, responsive to said rectified signal, for integrating and clipping said rectified signal; and

a D-type flip-flop receptive of said integrated and clipped signal and said sampling clock signal, for generating said digital signal, the valve of said digital signal being representative of instantaneous value of said integrated and clipped signal at sampling times in accordance with said clock signal.

7. The toy of claim 5 wherein said audio generator means comprises:

a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) for generating a VCO output signal having a frequency in accordance with a control voltage applied thereto;

pseudo-random code generator means for generating a pseudo-random code signal;

D/A converter means, responsive to said pseudo-random code signal, for generating said control voltage to said VCO;

divider means, responsive to said VCO output signal, for generating a plurality of tone signals of respective frequencies related to said VCO output signal frequency;

first gate means, responsive to a signal indicative of said pseudo-random code signal for generating said electrical tone pulses, said electrical pulses being formed of pseudo-random combinations of said respective tone signals, pseudo-randomly interrupted to control the duration of said pulses; and

audio response length control means, responsive to said electrical tone pulses and to said actuation signal, for selectively applying said electrical tone pulses as electrical input signals to said transducer means.

8. The toy of claim 5 wherein said body includes a portion defining a mouth and said toy further includes:

illuminating means disposed in said mouth and responsive to said actuation signal, for illuminating said mouth in accordance with the generation of said audio output pulses.

9. The toy of claim 5 wherein said body includes portions representative of eyes, and further including:

illumination means disposed in said eye portions and responsive to control signals applied thereto for illuminating said eyes in accordance with generation of said actuation signal.

10. A toy comprising:

a body;

actuator means, disposed within said body, for generating an actuation signal; and

audio generator means, disposed in said body and responsive to said actuation signal, for generating electrical tone pulses, said electrical pulses being pseudo-random as to frequency composition and duration; and

transducer means responsive to said electrical tone pulses for generating audio output pulses indicative of said electrical pulses, said audio generator means comprising;

a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) for generating a VCO output signal having a frequency in accordance with a control voltage applied thereto;

pseudo-random code generator means for generating a pseudo-random code signal;

D/A converter means, responsive to said pseudo-random code signal, for generating said control voltage to said VCO;

divider means, responsive to said VCO output signal, for generating a plurality of tone signals of respective frequencies related to said VCO output signal frequency;

first gating means, responsive to a signal indicative of said pseudo-random code signal for generating said electrical tone pulses, said electrical pulses being formed of pseudo-random combinations of said respective tone signals, pseudo-randomly interrupted to control the duration of said pulses; and

audio response length control means, responsive to said electrical tone pulses and to said actuation signal, for selectively applying said electrical tone pulses as electrical input signals to said transducer means.

11. The toy of claim 10 wherein said actuator means comprises sound responsive means for generating said actuation signal in response to a predetermined species of sound.

12. The toy of claim 7, 10 or 11 wherein said audio response length control means comprises:

second gating means, responsive to said actuation signal for applying said electrical tone pulses to said transducer means during periods of random duration subsequent to generation of said actuation signal.

13. The toy of claim 12 wherein said second gating means comprises:

a gate device responsive to gate control signals applied thereto;

means, responsive to said actuation signal and a period end signal applied thereto, for generating a gate control signal to enable said gate device after a predetermined period subsequent to generation of said actuation signal, and for generating a gate control signal to inhibit said gate device in response to said period and signal; and

free running counter means for periodically generating said period end signal, whereby the period during which said audio pulses are generated is randomly controlled in accordance with the time relationship of generation of said actuation signal and generation of said period end signal.

14. The toy of claim 7, 10 or 11 wherein said pseudo-random code generator comprises:

a shift register, having a data input terminal and an output terminal corresponding to each stage thereof, and responsive to shift register clock signals applied thereto, said shift register output terminals being coupled to said D/A converter means; and

a two-input exclusive OR gate, having input terminals connected to respective ones of said shift register output terminals and to an output terminal supplying signals to said shift register data terminal.

15. The toy of claim 14 wherein said first gating means comprises:

combinatorial logic means responsive to said pseudo-random code signal, and at least said tone signals, for generating an output signal formed of psuedo-random combinations of said tone signals; and

a two-input gate device, responsive to the output signals of said combinatorial logic means and the output of said exclusive OR gate for pseudo-randomly interrupting said combinatorial logic means output signal.

16. The toy of claim 15 wherein said combinatorial logic comprises:

a plurality of two-input NAND gates, each responsive to a respective one of said tone signals, and to signals from a respective one of said shift register output terminals;

a multi-input gate responsive to the output signals of said two-input NAND gates; and

wherein said two-input gate device comprises a two-input NOR gate responsive to said exclusive OR gate output signals and said multi-input NAND gate output signals.

17. The toy of claim 14 wherein said body includes a portion representing a mouth and said toy further comprises:

a plurality of light emitting devices disposed in said mouth portion and responsive to control signals applied thereto; and

second gating means, responsive to signals indicative of said pseudo-random code signal and a signal indicative of the generation of said audio output pulses, for selectively generating control signals to activate said light emitting devices.

18. The toy of claim 14 wherein said pseudo-random code generator further comprises a second two input exclusive OR gate having one input thereof connected to the output terminal of said first mentioned exclusive OR gate and the second input thereof receptive of a clock signal of predetermined frequency.

19. The toy of claim 15 wherein said body includes portions representing eyes and further comprising:

light emitting devices disposed in said eye portions; and

second gating means, responsive to signals indicative of generation of said actuation signal and said combinatorial logic means output signal for selectively energizing said light emitting devices.