Voice responsive toy

• US 4,245,430 A
• Filed: 07/16/1979
• Issued: 01/20/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Steven D. Hoyt
• Original Assignee: Steven D. Hoyt
• Inventors: Hoyt, Steven D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peshock, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foycik, Jr., Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US06/057,738
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 181/125, 367/127, 46/266, 46/264, 46/265, 46/256, 46/251, 46/228, 318/587, 318/580
• US Class Current: 446/175
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 11/00 Self-movable toy figures
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

A sound responsive toy which seeks an emitted sound such as a child'"'"'s voice, the toy includes control circuitry for activating an associated drive to turn and/or guide the toy toward the child'"'"'s voice.

Claims

1. A toy, comprising in combination, solid surface contacting means, motive means including a power source for actuating said contacting means and moving said toy, an electronic circuit including audio sound responsive means, said electronic circuit including at least two positionally spaced microphones for providing a signal in response to incident sound, a signal processing channel connected to each of said microphones, said channels converting the signal from the respective microphones into pulses, and means for combining the output of said channels and providing an output dependent on the time delay between the pulses on said channels, and means for activating said motive means dependent on said time delay.

2. A toy as in claim 1 wherein said motive means comprises a pair of motors, each of said motors connected to be started and stopped in response to the signals on said channels.

3. A toy as in claim 1 further including at least two feeler means for physically sensing an object, said feeler means electronically connected to said channels for overriding said audio sound and activating the motor associated therewith to tend to avoid the object being sensed by the feeler.

4. A toy as in claim 3 further including means for deactivating said motors when both feeler means sense and contact an object.

5. A toy as in claim 1 further including noise gates for sensing an audio sound above the level of said noise to cause the motors to selectively start and stop in the absence of the audio sound.

6. A toy as in claim 1 wherein the channels include a signal balancing means to assure the signal levels from the two microphones are essentially of the same amplitude to thereby provide an accurate time delay relation between the two signals.

7. A toy as in claim 1 wherein the microphones are omni-directional microphones positioned a selected distance apart.

8. A toy as in claim 1 wherein the ground reference for the electronic circuit is separated from the ground reference for the motor circuit to minimize the effects of noise.

9. A toy as in claim 1, wherein said toy is a doll having a stationary body, and said contacting means comprising a movable member mounted on said body for movement relative thereto.