Toy mirror assembly

• US 5,228,879 A
• Filed: 08/19/1992
• Issued: 07/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Fromm Group
• Original Assignee: Wayne G. Fromm
• Inventors: Fromm, Wayne G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUIR, DAVID N
• Application Number:
  US07/932,327
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• Field of Search: 446/219, 446/472, 446/485, 446/479, 446/482, 40/219, 40/442, 40/443, 40/444, 40/455, 40/538, 40/540, 40/573, 40/900, 472/58, 472/63, 263/161, 362/135, 362/140, 362/806, 362/808
• US Class Current: 446/219
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/22 Optical, colour, or shadow toys puzzles with optical elements A63F9/0613; kaleidoscopes G02B27/08
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/12 using a transparent mirror or other light reflecting surface transparent to transmitted light whereby a sign, symbol, picture or other is visible only when illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/806 Ornamental or decorative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 40/90 Mirror that has changing effect

Abstract

A hand held two-way mirror assembly 10 having one or more hidden images 26 mounted behind the back surface of a two-way mirror 20, one of which images can be seen when a light 36 behind the image is lit. The mirror assembly includes a frame 12, 14, 16, there being a cavity 30 behind the mirror 20, which cavity receives the lights 36 and a circuit board 48. A speaker 50 is mounted on the board. One or more digitized voices is stored in a memory chip 54 mounted on the board. Electronic switches 52 and 56 select a lamp 36 to be lit when a manually engageable switch is operated, and also cause one of the digitized voice tracks to be broadcast through the speaker, the particular voice track being associated with the illuminated image, the lights and voices preferably being selected in a predetermined manner to follow a script.

Claims

1. A hand held two-way mirror assembly for displaying a selected one of a plurality of hidden images when operated;

said mirror assembly comprising;

a support including an annular frame having front and back portions;

a two-way mirror of the type having a viewing side and a back side, the two-way mirror normally reflecting the image of the viewer, but which mirror will permit the viewer to see through the mirror when light behind the mirror is brighter than light in front of it, the mirror being supported by the front portion of the annular frame, there being a cavity behind the mirror which is defined by the back of the mirror, the annular frame, and the back portion;

a plurality of spaced apart transparent images behind the back side of the mirror when the mirror is supported by the front portion of the annular frame, each transparent image having a peripheral edge;

a plurality of light sources mounted within the cavity, one source being associated with each transparent image, each light source including a lamp and a shield which insures that light from the associated lamp will only illuminate one transparent image;

a battery compartment carried by the support for holding one or more batteries;

electronic circuit means carried by the support, the circuit means including switching means for initiating operation of a single light source at a time for a limited length of time in response to operation of the electronic circuit means; and

a manually operated witch carried by the support and capable of initiating operation of the electronic circuit means when engaged.

2. The hand held two-way mirror assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the shield is a reflector which has a peripheral edge which contacts the peripheral edge of the associated transparent image behind the back of the mirror.

3. The hand held two-way mirror assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the support includes a handle normally positioned below the annular frame, and wherein the manually operated switch is located on the handle.

4. The hand held two-way mirror assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein a speaker is carried by the mirror assembly, wherein the electronic circuit means includes memory assemblies provided with digitized electronic voice tracks, and wherein the switching means is capable of initiating the retrieval and broadcast through the speaker of one of the voice tracks shortly after the operation of the single light source is initiated.

5. The hand held two-way mirror assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein the electronic means is programmed to operate the lights and the voice tracks in a predetermined sequence to follow a selected story line.

6. A two-way mirror assembly for displaying one of a plurality of hidden images and for playing a voice track associated with that image, said mirror assembly comprising:

a support including an annular frame having front and back portions;

a two-way mirror of the type having a viewing side and a back side, the two-way mirror normally reflecting the image of the viewer, but which mirror will permit the viewer to see through the mirror when light behind the mirror is brighter that light in front of it, the mirror being supported by the front portion of the annular frame, there being a cavity behind the mirror which is defined by the back of the mirror, the annular frame, and the back portion;

a plurality of spaced apart transparent images behind the back side of the mirror;

a plurality of light sources supported by the back portion, one source being associated with each image, each light source including a lamp and a shield which insures that the light from the associated lamp will only illuminate one image;

a speaker carried by the support;

a battery compartment carried by the support for holding one or more batteries;

a manually operated switch carried by the support; and

electronic circuit means carried by the support, the circuit means including

a plurality of digitized voice tracks, each of which is operably interconnected with the speaker, and

switching means for initiating operation of one light source at a time when the manually operated switch is initially manually operated, and for initiating the operation of a selected one of the voice tracks shortly after a light source is energized, the selected voice track being associated with the image that has been randomly illuminated.

7. The two-way mirror assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein the support is hand held, the support including a handle normally positioned below the annular frame, the manually operated switch being located on the handle.

8. The two-way mirror assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein the speaker and the electronic circuit means are mounted on a circuit board, the circuit board in turn being mounted within the cavity.

9. A hand held two-way mirror assembly for displaying one of a plurality of hidden images and for playing a voice associated with that image, said mirror assembly comprising:

a support including handle, an annular frame above the handle, the annular frame having front and back portions, and a removable back secured to the back portion of the annular frame;

a two-way mirror of the type having a viewing side and a back side, the two-way mirror normally reflecting the image of the viewer, but which mirror will permit the viewer to see through the mirror when light behind the mirror is brighter that light in front of it, the mirror being supported by the front portion of the annular frame, there being a cavity behind the mirror which is defined by the back of the mirror, the annular frame, and the removable back;

a plurality of spaced apart transparencies of cartoon characters or the like behind the back side of the mirror when the mirror is supported by the front portion of the annular frame;

a plurality of light sources disposed within the cavity and supported by the removable back, one source being associated with each transparency, each light source including a lamp and a reflector which insures that the light from the associated lamp will only illuminate one transparency;

a speaker mounted within the cavity;

a battery compartment carried by the support for holding one or more batteries;

a manually operated switch carried by the handle; and

electronic circuit means carried by the support, the circuit means including

a plurality of digitized voices, each of which is interconnected with the speaker, and

switching means for initiating operation of one light source at a time when the manually operated switch is operated, and for initiating the operation of a selected one of the voices shortly after the light source is energized to illuminate a transparency.

10. The two-way mirror assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein the switching means selects a particular voice which has previously been selected to be associated with the image that has been randomly selected, the electronic circuit means being programmed to operate the lights and the voices in a predetermined sequence to follow a selected story line.

11. A toy mirror assembly for displaying a hidden image when operated;

said mirror assembly comprising;

a support including a frame;

a two-way mirror of the type having a viewing side and a back side, the two-way mirror normally reflecting the image of the viewer, but which mirror will permit the viewer to see through the mirror when light behind the mirror is brighter that light in front of it, the mirror being supported by the frame, there being a cavity behind the mirror when supported by the frame;

a speaker mounted within the cavity;

a battery compartment carried by the support for holding one or more batteries;

characterized by

one or more transparent images supported on or adjacent a portion of the back side of the mirror when the mirror is supported by the frame;

one or more light sources mounted within the cavity behind the images, each light source being associated with only one transparent image, and each source being capable of illuminating the associated image to cause the associated image to be viewable when the light source is operated;

electronic circuit means carried by the support, the circuit means including

one or more digitized voice tracks which are operably inter-connected with the speaker, and

switching means initially initiating operation of a light source to illuminate the associated image, and initiating the operation of one digitized voice track when the light source is operated, the digitized voice track being associated essentially with the image being illuminated; and

a manually operated switch carried by the support, the switch being normally open, but when closed completing a circuit between a battery and the electronic means to cause a light source to be operated and the associated digitized voice track to be broadcast by the speaker.

12. A toy mirror assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein each light source includes a lamp and a shield which insures that the light from the lamp associated with the shield will only illuminate one transparent image.

13. The toy mirror assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein the shield is a reflector which has a peripheral edge which contacts the peripheral edge of the associated transparent image behind the back of the mirror.

14. The toy mirror assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein the frame includes an annular portion which supports the two-way mirror, wherein the support further includes a handle normally positioned below the annular frame, and wherein the manually operated switch is located on the handle.

15. The toy mirror assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein the support includes a removable back secured to the back portion of the annular frame, the annular frame, removable back and the two-way mirror defining the cavity.

16. The toy mirror assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein the speaker and the electronic circuit means are mounted on a circuit board, the circuit board in turn being mounted within the cavity.

17. The toy mirror assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein the electronic circuit means includes memory assemblies provided with the digitized voice tracks, and wherein the switching means i capable of initiating the retrieval and broadcast through the speaker of one of the voice tracks shortly after the operation of the single light source is initiated.

18. The toy mirror assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein a plurality of transparent images are supported on or adjacent a portion of the back side of the mirror, wherein there are a plurality of light sources, and wherein the electronic circuit means includes a plurality of digitized voice tracks, each of which is operably interconnected with the speaker, and wherein the switching means is capable of initiating operation of a single light source at a time when the normally open manually operated switch is initially closed, and for initiating the operation of a selected associated voice track shortly after a light source is energized.

19. The toy mirror assembly as set forth in claim 18 wherein the electronic means is programmed to operate the lamps and the digitized voice tracks in a predetermined sequence to follow a selected story line.