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Interactive toy

  • US 6,149,490 A
  • Filed: 12/15/1998
  • Issued: 11/21/2000
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A compact interactive toy that provides life-like interaction with a user, the compact toy comprising:

  • a compact body of the toy having of body parts that are moved in a substantially non-cyclic life-life manner;

    a plurality of sensors for detecting predetermined sensory inputs to the toy;

    a single small, low power reversible motor having forward and reverse states and being disposed in the toy body for driving of the body parts for non-cyclic movement;

    cam mechanisms associated with each of said body parts for causing movement thereof when the motor is activated;

    a single small control shaft in the toy body driven for rotation by the motor and to which each of the cam mechanisms is mounted for moving said at least two body parts off of said single control shaft to conserve space in the toy body and power of the motor, the cam mechanisms including respective cam surfaces which are mounted co-axially about the control shaft;

    a programmable information processor for activating the reversible motor in either of its forward or reverse states to move said body parts in response to signals generated by the sensors for processing by the processor;

    the cam surfaces of the cam mechanisms being programmed for providing said body parts with precisely controlled movements with the surfaces including active portions for generating movement of the associated body parts, the cam surfaces being co-axially oriented about the control shaft so that rotation of the control shaft rotates each of the cam surfaces about a common axis of rotation defined by the shaft for moving said body parts in predetermined relation relative to each other at each position interval of angular rotation of the shaft;

    a position feedback sensor which detects the angular position of the shaft and signals the processor with the shaft annular position so that the processor can determine the precise position of the cam surfaces for each of said body parts and cause the motor to rotate the control shaft and cam surfaces thereabout to coordinate subsequent movements of said body parts relative to each other in a highly controlled fashion in response to the detected sensory inputs; and

    the processor cooperating with the cam surfaces and operable to activate the motor in one of its forward and reverse states based on the angular position of the control shaft for causing at least one of the cam mechanisms to traverse the active portion of the cam surfaces in one direction, and to subsequently activate the motor in the other of its forward and reverse states with the one cam mechanism traversing the active portion of the cam surface in a direction opposite to the one direction to allow said body parts to be moved in opposite directions to provide for highly controlled, life-like non-cyclic movement of each of said body parts.

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