Mirror and light box assembly with mother's image display and voice playback activated by crying infant

• US 5,774,861 A
• Filed: 01/09/1997
• Issued: 06/30/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Donald Spector
• Original Assignee: Donald Spector
• Inventors: Spector, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smits, Talivaldis Ivars
• Application Number:
  US08/785,815
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/272, 704/275, 381/110, 40/455, 369/19
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 15/00 Accessories for children's furniture, e.g. safety belts or baby-bottle holders
• 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

Abstract

A mirror and light box assembly installable in a crib or other enclosure occupied by an infant. The assembly which is interactive with the infant includes a light box on whose front face is mounted a semi-reflective mirror behind which is a film transparency having a photographic image of the infant'"'"'s mother. When an electric light bulb in the box is energized to illuminate the transparency, the image of the mother becomes visible to the infant through the then effectively transparent mirror. Associated with the light box is a sound-activated switching device connected between the bulb and a power source. The switching device, when activated by crying sounds emanating from the infant, remains activated for a predetermined period to energize the bulb and illuminate the transparency. Also associated with the light box is a record playback unit having stored therein a voice message recorded by the mother addressed to her infant, the unit being rendered operative only when the bulb is energized. Hence when the infant cries, it is then presented with an image of its mother as it hears her comforting message, as a consequence of which the infant is induced to stop crying.

Claims

1. A mirror and light box assembly installable in an enclosure occupied by an infant having a mother, said assembly comprising:

A. a light box having a front face on which is mounted a semi-reflecting mirror behind which is a film transparency which is a photographic image of the mother;

B. a light producing means within the box which when activated then illuminates the transparency to render the image visible to the infant through the mirror which is then effectively transparent;

C. a record playback unit associated with the box which when activated, reproduces a voice message recorded by the mother addressed to her infant; and

D. means responsive to sounds of crying emanating from the infant to concurrently activate the light producing means and the playback unit whereby when the infant cries, it is then presented with and comforted by an image of its mother and her voice message.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, in which the enclosure is a crib, and the assembly is provided with means to suspend the box from a rail in said crib.

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, in which said light-producing means includes a light bulb and a power source therefor.

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3, in which said light-producing means is actuated by a sound-activated switching device connected between said bulb and said power source.

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 4, in which said switching device includes a microphone which picks up the cries of the infant to produce a signal which activates a timer switch to connect said bulb to the power source for a predetermined time period.

6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5, further including a threshold device interposed between the microphone and the timer switch to cause said signal to activate the timer only when the amplitude of the infant'"'"'s cries exceed a predetermined threshold level.

7. An assembly as set forth in claim 6, in which the threshold device includes setting means to adjust the threshold level.

8. An assembly as set forth in claim 5, in which the timer switch includes setting means to adjust said time period.

9. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, in which said record playback unit includes a read-only memory in which said voice message is stored, and means to read out the message and convert it into an analog signal which is then reproduced.

10. An assembly as set forth in claim 9, in which said read-only-memory stores a series of different voice messages and a sequencer coupled to said memory to read out the next message when the playback unit is activated.

11. An assembly as set forth in claim 9 in which the signal is reproduced by a loud speaker mounted below the mirror on the face of the box.