Toy audio device

• US 5,147,237 A
• Filed: 12/11/1991
• Issued: 09/15/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jakks Pacific, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Toymax, Inc. (Jakks Pacific, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lebensfeld, Steven, Goldberg, Harvey, Wai, Ma H., Kwan, David C. K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US07/805,536
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 446/297, 446/397, 446/303, 446/405, 446/298, 446/268, 434/335, 434/339, 434/308, 434/340, 434/169
• US Class Current: 446/297
• 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 includes 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 configured as an accessory for a toy action figure attachable to, attached to or forming part of the toy action figure, said accessory having a configuration and visual appearance which are coordinated with the configuration and visual appearance of the toy action figure, said device comprising an audio generating system including circuitry comprising an integrated circuit, a switch coupled to said circuitry, at least one battery coupled at least to said circuitry and a speaker coupled 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.

2. A toy audio device configured as an accessory for a toy action figure attachable to, attached to or forming part of the toy action figure, said accessory having a configuration and visual appearance which are coordinated with the configuration and visual appearance of the toy action figure, said device comprising an audio generating system including circuitry comprising an integrated circuit, a switch coupled to said circuitry, at least one battery coupled at least to said circuitry and a speaker coupled to said integrated circuit, 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.

3. A toy comprising, in combination:

a toy action figure having a given configuration and visual appearance; and

an accessory attachable to, attached to or forming a part of said toy action figure, said accessory having a configuration and visual appearance which are coordinated with the configuration and visual appearance of said toy action figure;

said accessory including audio generating apparatus for generating speech and sound effects, said audio generating apparatus comprising at least one selectively actuable control for causing said audio generating apparatus to generate said speech and sound effects, said generating apparatus being carried entirely by said accessory.

4. The toy of claim 3 wherein a first said control is coupled to said audio generating apparatus, and said audio generating apparatus is configured, so as to generate at least one speech pattern and at least one sound effects pattern upon one or more activations of said first control.

5. The toy of claim 3 wherein a first said control is coupled to said audio generating apparatus and said audio generating apparatus is configured, so as to generate at least one speech pattern and at least one sound effects pattern in response to a single activation of said first control.

6. The toy of claim 3 wherein said audio generating apparatus comprises a plurality of selectively actuable controls, at least one said control being coupled to cause said audio generating apparatus to generate ate least one speech pattern, and at least one said control being coupled to cause said audio generating apparatus to generate at least one sound effects pattern, said audio generating apparatus generating said speech and sound effects patterns independently of each other in response to activation of the respective control.

7. The toy of claim 3 wherein said control comprises a manually actuable switch.

8. The toy of claim 3 wherein said audio generating apparatus further comprises a sound synthesizer and a speaker.

9. The toy of claim 8 wherein said sound synthesizer comprises ROM programmed to generate said at least one speech pattern and said at least one sound effects pattern.

10. The toy of claim 9 wherein said sound synthesizer consists of a single integrated circuit.

11. The toy of claim 9 wherein said audio generating apparatus comprises at least two selectively actuable controls and wherein said ROM is partitioned and configured so as to store said at least one speech pattern and said at least one sound effects pattern to be independently readable, said at least two controls being operable to cause said audio generating apparatus to independently generate said at least one speech pattern stored in said ROM upon activation of a first of said at least two controls and said at least one sound effects pattern stored in said ROM upon activation of another of said at least two controls.

12. The toy of claim 9 wherein said ROM is partitioned and configured so as to store said at least one speech pattern and said at least one sound effects pattern to be independently readable, and wherein said audio generating apparatus is configured so that at least one speech pattern and at least one sound effects pattern may be sounded in at least one desired sequence by activation of a same control.

13. The toy of claim 9 wherein a first said control is coupled to said audio generating apparatus and said audio generating apparatus is configured, so as to generate at least one speech pattern from a first partitioned part of said ROM and at least one sound effects pattern from a second partitioned part of said ROM upon a single activation of said first control.

14. The toy of claim 3 wherein said accessory is configured and has the visual appearance of a backpack or a weapon.

15. An accessory for a toy action figure which generates at least one speech pattern and at least one sound effects pattern, said accessory having a configuration and visual appearance which are coordinated with the configuration and visual appearance of the toy action figure, said accessory being attachable to, attached to or forming part of the toy action figure and including audio generating apparatus for generating said at least one speech pattern and said at least one sound effects pattern, said audio generating apparatus comprising at least one selectively actuable control for causing said audio-generating apparatus to generate a said speech pattern and a said sound effects pattern, said audio generating apparatus being carried entirely by said accessory.

16. The accessory of claim 15 wherein a first said control is coupled to said audio generating apparatus and said audio generating apparatus is configured, so as to generate at least one speech pattern and at least one sound effects pattern upon one or more activations of said first control.

17. The accessory of claim 15 wherein a first said control is coupled to said audio generating apparatus and said audio generating apparatus is configured, so as to generate at least one speech pattern and at least one sound effects pattern in response to a single activation of said first control.

18. The accessory of claim 15 wherein said audio generating apparatus comprises a plurality of selectively actuable controls, at least one said control being coupled to cause said audio generating apparatus to generate said at least one speech pattern, and at least one said control being coupled to cause said audio generating apparatus to generate said at least one sound effects pattern, said audio generating apparatus generating said speech and sound effects pattern independently of each other in response to actuation of the respective control.

19. The accessory of claim 15 wherein said control comprises a manually actuable switch.

20. The accessory of claim 15 wherein said audio generating apparatus further comprises a sound synthesizer and a speaker.

21. The accessory of claim 20 wherein said sound synthesizer comprises ROM programmed to generate said at least one speech pattern, and said at least one sound effects patterns.

22. The toy of claim 21 wherein said sound synthesizer consists of a single integrated circuit.

23. The toy of claim 21 wherein said audio generating apparatus comprises at least two selectively actuable controls and wherein said ROM is partitioned and configured so as to store said at least one speech pattern and said at least one sound effects pattern so as to be independently readable, said at least two controls being operable to cause said audio generating apparatus to independently generate said at least one speech pattern stored on said ROM in response to activation of a first of said at least two controls and at least one sound effects pattern stored in said ROM in response to activation of another of said at least two controls.

24. The accessory of claim 21 wherein said ROM is partitioned and configured so as to store said at least one speech pattern and said at least one sound effects pattern to be independently readable, and wherein said audio generating apparatus is configured so that at least one speech pattern and at least one sound effects pattern may be sounded in at least one desired sequence by activation of a same control.

25. The accessory of claim 24 wherein a first said control is coupled to said audio generating apparatus and said audio generating apparatus is configured, so as to generate at least one speech pattern from a first partitioned part of said ROM and at least one sound effects pattern from a second partitioned part of said ROM upon a single activation of said first control.