Electronic game with infrared emitter and sensor

• US 5,904,621 A
• Filed: 01/16/1998
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tiger Electronics, Ltd. (Hasbro Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Jeffrey, Rago, Paul S., Small, David Bernard, Farley, Brian Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHAAF, JAMES CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US09/008,347
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 403/49, 403/50, 403/51, 403/52, 403/53, 434/21, 434/22
• US Class Current: 463/52
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 33/02 Light- or radiation-emitting guns ; Light- or radiation-sensitive guns; Cartridges carrying light emitting sources, e.g. laser
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2655 in which the light beam is sent from the weapon to the target
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2666 with means for selecting or varying PRF or time coding of the emitted beam
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 5/02 Photo-electric hit-detector systems comprising a light-emitting device for simulating the firing of a gun F41G3/2622; detecting by optical means G01V8/10

Abstract

A hand-held electronic toy gun and target apparatus facilitating a game of tag using infrared light communications between a plurality of players. An electronic controller is coupled to a transmitter for sending a series of encoded infrared light signals and a receiver for detecting infrared light signals. A gun body enclosing the controller, transmitter and receiver combination includes a handle with at least one hand operable trigger and a housing atop the handle conforming to the player'"'"'s wrist and forearm. The housing has a top portion for mounting a non-planar surface of a target window for exposing the target window upwardly and outwardly over a wide range of side angles. The housing further includes a front end portion forward of the handle for positioning an infrared light lens for focussing the series of encoded infrared light signals from the transmitter outwardly from the housing.

Claims

1. An apparatus for facilitating a game of tag using infrared light communications between a plurality of players, comprising:

an electronic controller;

at least one switch coupled to said controller for generating a plurality of game functions;

a transmitter coupled to said controller for sending a series of encoded infrared light signals responsive to said at least one switch;

an infrared light lens;

a gun body enclosing said controller comprising a handle and a housing attached to said handle including said at least one switch, said housing comprising a front end portion forward of said handle for positioning said infrared light lens for focussing the series of encoded infrared light signals from said transmitter outwardly from said housing; and

a target comprising a receiver for detecting infrared light signals, said target being responsive to said at least one switch wherein said at least one switch is operable with said controller and said transmitter for sending an encoded infrared light signal representative of a multiplicity of said series of encoded infrared light signals.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one switch is operable with said controller for inhibiting said receiver for a predetermined period of time.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 2 comprising a plurality of switches operable in combination for inhibiting said receiver for a predetermined period of time.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 comprising a plurality of switches operable in combination for sending said series of encoded infrared light signals.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one switch is operable with said controller and said transmitter for sending a multiplicity of said series of encoded infrared light signals.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said at least one switch comprises a hand operable trigger coupled to said controller for sending a series of encoded infrared light signals responsive to said trigger.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said target is mounted on said gun body housing.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said target comprises a target window having a non-planar surface, and said gun body housing comprises a top portion for mounting the non-planar surface of said target window for exposing said target window upwardly and outwardly over a wide range of side angles.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said gun body housing is positioned atop said handle.

10. A gun and target apparatus for facilitating a game of tag using infrared light communications between a plurality of players, each player being equipped with the gun and target, said apparatus comprising:

an electronic controller;

at least one hand operable trigger coupled to said controller;

a transmitter coupled to said controller for sending a series of encoded infrared light signals responsive to said trigger;

a receiver coupled to said controller for detecting infrared light signals;

an infrared light lens;

a target window having a non-planar surface;

a gun body enclosing said controller comprising a handle including said at least one hand operable trigger and a housing atop said handle, said housing comprising a top portion for mounting the non-planar surface of said target window for exposing said target window upwardly and outwardly over a wide range of side angles, said housing further comprising a front end portion forward of said handle for positioning said infrared light lens for focussing the series of encoded infrared light signals from said transmitter outwardly from said housing; and

said receiver comprising at least one photodiode for detecting infrared light, said photodiode being biased by an inductive current source presenting a substantially higher alternating current than direct current circuit impedance to limit current changes from abrupt changes in the illumination of said photodiode and to avoid driving said receiver into saturation.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said series of encoded infrared light signals sent by said transmitter provides a signature signal substantially longer in duration than abrupt changes in the illumination from background noise to discriminate the encoded infrared signals from the background noise at said receiver.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein the non-planar surface of said target window comprises an arcuate surface.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein said target window comprises a tinted filter material which passes infrared light.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein said receiver comprises a plurality of photodiodes for detecting infrared light over a wide range of side angles.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14 wherein said receiver comprises at least three photodiodes for detecting infrared light over 360 degrees.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 comprising a second hand operable trigger coupled to said controller for generating a plurality of separate game functions.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said second hand operable trigger is operable with said controller for inhibiting said receiver for a predetermined period of time.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said second hand operable trigger is operable with said controller and said transmitter for sending a multiplicity of said series of encoded infrared light signals.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said electronic controller comprises a sound generator for generating audio effects responsive to any of said transmitter, receiver and hand operable triggers coupled to said controller.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 10 comprising a plurality of visual indicators coupled to said electronic controller responsive to the encoded infrared light signals detected at said receiver.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said housing atop said handle conforms to the player'"'"'s wrist and forearm and comprises a hook and loop type fastener material strap for securing said gun body to the player'"'"'s arm.

22. A target apparatus for facilitating a game of tag using infrared light communications between a plurality of players, each target apparatus comprising:

an electronic controller;

a receiver coupled to said controller for detecting infrared light signals;

a target window having a non-planar surface;

an enclosure for said controller comprising a contoured surface conforming to the player'"'"'s person, said enclosure comprising a top portion for mounting the non-planar surface of said target window for exposing said target window upwardly and outwardly over a wide range of side angles; and

said receiver comprising at least one photodiode for detecting infrared light, said photodiode being biased by an inductive current source presenting a substantially higher alternating current than direct current circuit impedance to limit current changes from abrupt changes in the illumination of said photodiode and to avoid driving said receiver into saturation.

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 22 wherein said enclosure comprises a body enclosing said controller comprising a handle and a housing atop said handle conforming to the player'"'"'s wrist and forearm, said housing comprising a top portion for mounting the non-planar surface of said target window for exposing said target window upwardly and outwardly over a wide range of side angles.

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 23 wherein the non-planar surface of said target window comprises an arcuate surface.

25. An apparatus as recited in claim 24 wherein said receiver comprises a plurality of photodiodes for detecting infrared light over a wide range of side angles.

26. A method of facilitating a game of tag using infrared light communications between a plurality of players, comprising the steps of:

equipping each player with a transmitter for sending a series of encoded infrared light signals towards another player;

associating a target with each player having a receiver for detecting the encoded infrared light signals from each of the other players;

providing a gun body for the transmitter and the target in combination with a handle including at least one hand operable trigger and a housing atop the handle conforming to the player'"'"'s wrist and forearm such that a top portion of the housing secures a non-planar surface target window exposed upwardly and outwardly over a wide range of side angles;

positioning an infrared light lens at a front end portion of the housing for focussing the series of encoded infrared light signals from the transmitter outwardly from the gun body housing; and

coupling the at least one hand operable trigger to the transmitter with an electronic controller for sending an encoded infrared light signal representative of a multiplicity of the series of encoded infrared light signals through the encoding of the several states of the encoded infrared light signal.

27. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising the steps of:

counting the number of encoded infrared light signals detected from other players; and

disabling the transmitter from sending the series of encoded infrared light signals towards another player responsive to a predetermined count of received encoded infrared light signals being detected from other players in said counting step.

28. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising the step of providing the at least one hand operable trigger as a plurality of switches operable in combination for sending the series of encoded infrared light signals.

29. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the associating step comprises providing a photodiode for detecting infrared light at the receiver, the photodiode being biased by an inductive current source presenting a substantially higher alternating current than direct current circuit impedance to limit current changes from abrupt changes in the illumination of the photodiode and to avoid driving the receiver into saturation.

30. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising the step of transmitting the series of encoded infrared light signals sent by the transmitter as a signature signal substantially longer in duration than abrupt changes in the illumination from background noise to discriminate the encoded infrared signals from the background noise at the receiver.