Toy telephone having phone number teaching system

• US 6,010,339 A
• Filed: 01/29/1999
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: McDonald, David Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Bena B.
• Application Number:
  US09/240,898
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 434/319, 434/169, 434/247, 434/258, 434/308, 434/309, 434/321, 434/322, 434/314, 434/379, 446/141, 446/142, 446/143, 446/397, 446/417, 446/491, 463/7, 463/30, 463/31
• US Class Current: 434/258
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/3016 Telephones

Abstract

A housing supports a keypad having a four by three matrix of depressible buttons each baring an appropriate number or symbol in correspondence to the four by three arrangement of a conventional telephone dial pad. The housing further supports a pageable book having a plurality of pivotally secured pages each baring a selected image and corresponding number. A simulated telephone hand unit is secured to the housing by a safety cord and is receivable within a cradle formed in the housing. Each depressible button includes a lighting device and a push button switch in association therewith. The depressible button operates the switch when the button is pressed and the button is illuminated when the light is energized. An electronic circuit within the housing operates the plurality of switches and lights associated with the plurality of buttons in accordance with a stored instruction set.

Claims

1. A toy telephone comprising:

a housing having cradle and hand unit receivable therein and an interior.

a keypad formed upon said housing having a plurality of depressible buttons, each formed of a light transmissive material, arranged upon said housing in a four row by three column matrix, said depressible buttons each having a symbol or number thereon and a downwardly extending post;

a plurality of lights supported by said housing, one of said lights being supported beneath a selected one of said depressible buttons;

a plurality of push button switches supported by said housing, one of said push button switches being supported beneath a selected one of said depressible buttons, each of said push button switches being supported beneath its respective one of said posts;

a plurality of hinges each pivotally coupling one of said plurality of push buttons to said housing to define a raised position and a depressed position; and

circuit means having a processor having an associated memory storing an instruction set, light driver matrix having an input coupled to said processor and a plurality of outputs coupled to said plurality of lights for selective exchanging each light, a switch matrix having an output coupled to said processor and a plurality of inputs coupled to said plurality of push button switches for selectively sensing each push button switch closure, and a program switch couple to said processor to select a program mode,

said stored instruction set responding to said program mode to receive a home phone number inputted by the user and thereafter repeatedly lighting said lights in sequence corresponding to said telephone number and sensing whether a corresponding push button is depressed,

whereby said toy telephone is able to receive, store and present a home phone number and sense a correct or incorrect push button depression on a repetitive basis to teach the user a home phone number.

2. The toy telephone set forth in claim 1 wherein said symbol or number on said push buttons forms a number and symbol array corresponding to a standard telephone keypad.

3. The toy telephone set forth in claim 2 further including sound means for providing music and voice prompts to the user.