Toy audio device

• US 5,092,810 A
• Filed: 11/15/1990
• Issued: 03/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CIT Group/Commercial Services Incorporated (CIT Group Incorporated), Jakks Pacific, Inc.
• Original Assignee: David C.K. Kwan, Harvey Goldberg, Steven Lebensfeld
• Inventors: Wai, Ma H., Kwan, David C. K., Lebensfeld, Steven, Goldberg, Harvey
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US07/613,613
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 446/405, 446/397, 446/297, 446/303, 446/484, 446/485, 446/298, 446/268, 434/335, 434/339, 340/384 E
• US Class Current: 446/268
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/52 Dolls' houses, furniture or other equipment simulating liquid flow A63H33/3022; Dolls' clothing or footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/04 Pistols or machine guns operated without detonators; Crackers cracker bonbons A63H37/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/216 adapted for button or coin cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A toy audio generating device is disclosed for use as an accessory to another toy, for example as a backpack for a toy action figure. The toy audio device comprises a receptacle defining an enclosure containing a speaker and plural batteries laid out side-by-side adjacent the end of the speaker opposite the sound projecting portion of the speaker. A printed circuit board containing circuitry for generating audio signals is located in a space alongside the speaker under a side wall of the enclosure. A switch for activating sound generation is mounted to that side wall and directly contacts the printed circuit board.

Claims

1. A toy audio device attached to or removably attachable to or forming a part of a toy action figure, comprising:

structure defining an enclosure, said structure having a substantially sound transmitting portion;

a speaker having a sound projecting portion mounted in said enclosure with said sound projecting portion facing said sound-transmitting portion;

a plurality of miniature disc-like batteries, each of said batteries having opposed end faces and a side, said batteries being disposed in said enclosure in a side-by-side grouping;

means for holding said batteries in said grouping;

circuitry disposed in said enclosure for generating audio signals, said circuitry being coupled to said speaker and to said batteries, said speaker producing audio in response to said audio signals; and

means accessible from the outside of said enclosure for activating said device.

2. The toy audio device of claim 1 wherein said batteries are disposed in said grouping with an end face of each of said batteries in a common plane which is opposite from and overlapping an end face of said speaker, said plane not intersecting said speaker.

3. The toy audio device of claim 2 wherein said batteries are disposed in said grouping on a same side of said plane.

4. The toy audio device of claim 2 comprising a printed circuit board on which said circuitry is mounted, said printed circuit board being disposed in said enclosure adjacent said speaker and having a major surface generally perpendicular to said plane.

5. The toy audio device of claim 3 comprising first and second plate-like members between which said batteries are disposed, said plate like members each having means for interconnecting said batteries, said first plate-like member being adjacent said speaker end.

6. The toy audio device of claim 1 wherein said structure comprises a receptacle having an open end and a lid closing said open end.

7. The toy audio device of claim 5 wherein said structure comprises a receptacle having an open end closed by said second plate-like member.

8. The toy audio device of claim 7 wherein said receptacle is rectangular in cross section, and said first and second plates are rectangular and sized to fit snugly in said enclosure.

9. The toy audio device of claim 8 comprising a printed circuit board on which said circuitry is mounted and spaced shoulders in said enclosure for supporting said printed circuit board adjacent said speaker with a major surface of said printed circuit board generally perpendicular to said plane of said battery end faces.

10. The toy audio device of claim 4 wherein said activating means comprises at least one switch mounted to said housing to directly contact and cooperate with said printed circuit board.

23. The toy audio device of claim 2 wherein said end of said speaker defines a flat end face, said plate-like member extending parallel to said speaker end face opposite thereto and overlapping said speaker end face.

24. The toy audio device of claim 23 wherein said printed circuit board extends perpendicular to said speaker end face and said plate-like member.

32. The toy audio device of claim 1 wherein said circuitry comprises an integrated circuit and wherein said device includes a switch coupled to said means for activating and to said circuitry, said plurality of batteries being coupled at least to said circuitry, said integrated circuit including read only memory storing signals representing at least one speech phrase and at least one sound effect, said circuitry in response to a single actuation of said switch causing said memory to provide signals representing both said speech phrase and said sound effect, and said circuitry to provide audio signals to said speaker representing said speech phrase and said sound effect.

33. The toy audio device of claim 32 configured as a removable accessory for a toy action figure and the like.

34. The toy audio device of claim 1 wherein said circuitry comprises an integrated circuit and wherein said device includes a switch coupled to said means for activating and to said circuitry, said plurality of batteries being coupled at least to said circuitry, said integrated circuit including read only memory storing signals representing at least one speech phrase and at least one sound effect, said integrated circuit in response to a first actuation of said switch causing said memory to provide signals representing said speech phrase and in response to a second actuation of said switch causing said memory to provide signals representing said sound effect, and said circuitry to provide audio signals to said speaker representing said speech phrase in response to said first actuation and to provide audio signals to said speaker representing said sound effects in response to said second actuation.

35. The toy audio device of claim 34 configured as a removable accessory for a toy action figure and the like.

11. A toy audio device for use with or forming a part of a toy action figure, comprising:

structure defining an enclosure, said structure having a substantially sound transmitting portion;

a speaker having a sound projecting portion mounted in said enclosure with said sound projecting portion facing said sound-transmitting portion;

a plurality of miniature disc-like batteries, each of said batteries having opposed end faces and a side, said batteries being disposed in said enclosure in a side-by-side grouping with an end face of each of said batteries in a common plane which is opposite from and overlapping an end face of said speaker, said plane not intersecting said speaker;

means for holding said batteries in said grouping;

circuitry disposed in said enclosure for generating audio signals, said circuitry being coupled to said speaker and to said batteries, said speaker producing audio in response to said audio signals;

a printed circuit board on which said circuitry is mounted;

means for supporting said printed circuit board in said enclosure adjacent said speaker with a major surface of said printed circuit board perpendicular to said plane; and

means accessible from the outside of said enclosure for activating said device to produce said audio.

12. The toy audio device of claim 11 wherein said batteries are disposed in said grouping on a same side of said plane.

13. The toy audio device of claim 12 comprising first and second plate-like members between which said batteries are disposed, said plate-like members each having means for interconnecting said batteries, said first plate-like member being adjacent said speaker end.

14. The toy audio device of claim 11 wherein said structure comprises a receptacle having an open end and a lid closing said open end.

15. The toy audio device of claim 14 wherein said structure comprises a receptacle having an open end closed by said second plate-like member.

16. The toy audio device of claim 15 wherein said receptacle is rectangular in cross section, and said first and second plates are rectangular and sized to fit snugly in said enclosure.

17. The toy audio device of claim 11 wherein said activating means comprises at least one switch mounted to said housing to directly contact and cooperate with said printed circuit board.

18. A toy audio device for use with or forming a part of a toy action figure, comprising:

a receptacle having an open end defining an enclosure therein, said receptacle having a sound transmitting portion;

a removable plate-like lid fastened to said receptacle closing said open end;

a speaker mounted in said enclosure having a sound projecting portion adjacent and facing said sound transmitting portion of said enclosure, said speaker having an end opposite said sound projecting portion;

at least one switch mounted to said receptacle accessible from the outside of said enclosure;

circuitry mounted within said enclosure and coupled to said speaker and said switch for generating signals representative of sound effects, speech, or both, in response to actuation of said switch;

a plurality of disc-like batteries coupled at least to said circuitry, each of said batteries having opposed faces and a side;

means for mounting said batteries within said enclosure in a side-by-side grouping so that an end face of each battery lies in a plane extending adjacent said speaker end;

means within said enclosure for electrically interconnecting said batteries.

19. The toy audio device of claim 18 comprising a printed circuit board supporting said circuitry, said printed circuit board extending in said enclosure adjacent said speaker substantially perpendicular to said plane.

20. The toy audio device of claim 18 wherein said receptacle comprises a rectangular end wall and four rectangular side walls which from an enclosure of rectangular cross section, said end wall including said sound transmitting portion of said receptacle, a shoulder projecting from each of two opposed side walls equally spaced from an adjacent side wall to define a space between said shoulders and said adjacent side wall, said printed circuit board being disposed in said space and held therein by said shoulders, said speaker being disposed between said printed circuit board and the side wall opposite said adjacent side wall with said sound projection portion of said speaker facing said sound transmitting portion of said end wall.

21. The toy audio device of claim 20 wherein said adjacent side wall has an opening therein and said switch comprises a resilient member mounted in said opening and having an electrically conductive portion positioned so as to contact said printed circuit board when pressed.

22. The toy audio device of claim 18 wherein said mounting means comprises a plate-like member having a surface defining said plane and means for positioning said batteries side-by-side in said grouping with a face of each battery contacting and parallel to said surface, said plate-like member being located between said speaker end and said batteries, said lid being fastened to said receptacle and cooperating with said plate-like member to hold said batteries between said plate-like member and said lid.

25. The toy audio device of claim 22 wherein three of said batteries are provided, said positioning means positioning said three batteries at vertices of an equilateral triangle.

26. The toy audio device of claim 22 wherein said means for electrically interconnecting said batteries comprises electrical contact members disposed on said plate-like member and on said lid.

27. The toy audio device of claim 18 comprising at least one fastener and cooperating means on said lid and said receptacle for removably fastening said lid to said receptacle.

28. The toy audio device of claim 18 including means coupled to said lid for removably attaching said device to another toy.

29. The toy audio device of claim 18 wherein said circuitry comprises means for storing at least one sound effect and at least one verbal message.

30. The toy audio device of claim 18 wherein said device is configured as a backpack and includes means for removably attaching said device to a toy action figure.

31. In combination, a toy action figure and the device of claim 18 mounted thereto.