Question and answer amusement device

• US 6,155,838 A
• Filed: 08/18/1997
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Jeffway, Robert W. Jr., Hyman, Gregory E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US08/912,546
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 434/322, 434/327, 434/350, 434/362, 446/484, 345/902
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

A housing supports a plurality of user depressible buttons including a question and answer button, a repeat or skip button and optionally a category select button. The housing further supports a multisegment liquid crystal display arranged in a linear arrangement. Within the housing, a microprocessor based circuit utilizes an associated memory and supporting apparatus such as display drivers to respond to the user pressing of buttons on the face of the housing to perform a series of question and answer operation. When the user presses the question and answer button, the microprocessor circuit assembles the next question from a stored list of questions and scrolls the question across the liquid crystal display. Thereafter, the circuit waits a predetermined interval for either the next pressing of the question answer button or expiration of a timed interval. When either occurs, the system ceases to wait and if the question and answer button has been pushed during the interval, the system displays the correct answer associated with the question. If, however, the question and answer button has not been pressed during the timed interval, the system preferably performs a negative output such as a razz signal and thereafter displays the answer. Following answer display, the system waits for the next pressing of the question and answer button to repeat the cycle.

Claims

1. A question and answer presenting amusement device comprising:

a housing;

a question/answer button and switch supported by said housing;

a multiple segment display supported by said housing; and

microprocessor means supported within said housing operatively coupled to said display and said question/answer switch, said microprocessor means operative in response to a first pressing of said question/answer button to display a first question on said display and operative in response to a second pressing of said question/answer button to display the answer to said first question upon said display,

said microprocessor means operative without an answer input from the user.

2. The question and answer presenting amusement device set forth in claim 1 further including timer means within said microprocessor means operative following said display of said first question to time out a question/answer interval and, in the absence of said second pressing of said question/answer button, displaying the answer to said first question.

3. The question and answer presenting amusement device set forth in claim 2 wherein said microprocessor means responds to a third pressing of said question/answer button by displaying a second question on said display.

4. The question and answer presenting amusement device set forth in claim 3 wherein said microprocessor means displays said questions and answers on said display in a scrolling image.

5. An amusement device comprising:

a housing defining a front surface;

a microprocessor having a timer and associated memory within said housing, said memory having a stored program and a plurality of questions and associated answers stored therein;

a question/answer button and switch supported on said housing coupled to said microprocessor means; and

a multiple segment display supported on said front surface coupled to said microprocessor means;

said microprocessor means operative under the control of said stored program;

said program including

(1) means for waiting for the pressing of said question/answer button;

(2) means for displaying a question from said stored questions and start said timer in response to the pressing of said question/answer button;

(3) means for waiting for either timed interval or another pressing of said question/answer button; and

(4) means for displaying the answer associated with the previously displayed question in response to the pressing question/answer button or the end of the timed interval without an answer input from the user.

6. The amusement device set forth in claim 5 further including a repeat/skip button and switch supported on said housing and coupled to said microprocessor and wherein said microprocessor responds to pressing of said repeat/skip button to either skip a currently displayed question or repeat the last displayed question or answer as a function of the duration of pressing of said repeat/skip button.

7. The amusement device set forth in claim 6 wherein said memory includes a plurality of questions and associated answers arranged in category groups.

8. An amusement device comprising:

a housing defining a front surface;

a microprocessor having a timer and associated memory within said housing, said memory having a stored program and a plurality of questions and associated answers stored therein;

a question/answer button and switch supported on said housing coupled to said microprocessor means; and

a multiple segment display supported on said front surface coupled to said microprocessor means;

said microprocessor means operative under the control of said stored program;

said program including

(1) means for waiting for the pressing of said question/answer button;

(2) means for displaying a question from said stored questions and start said timer in response to the pressing of said question/answer button;

(3) means for waiting for a timed interval; and

(4) means for displaying the answer associated with the previously displayed question in response to the end of the timed interval without an answer input from the user.

9. An amusement device comprising:

a housing defining a front surface;

a microprocessor having a timer and associated memory within said housing, said memory having a stored program and a plurality of questions and associated answers stored therein;

a question/answer button and switch supported on said housing coupled to said microprocessor means; and

a multiple segment display supported on said front surface coupled to said microprocessor means;

said microprocessor means operative under the control of said stored program;

said program including

(1) means for waiting for the pressing of said question/answer button;

(2) means for displaying a question from said stored questions and start said timer in response to the pressing of said question/answer button;

(3) means for waiting until said question/answer button is again pressed; and

(4) means for displaying the answer associated with the previously displayed question in response to the pressing question/answer button without an answer input from the user.

10. An amusement device comprising:

a housing having a multiple segment display means and a question/answer button and switch;

means for storing a program and a plurality of questions and associated answers;

means for reading a first pressing of said question/answer button and displaying said question in a sequence under the control of said stored program; and

means operative after each display of a question to display its associated answer without an answer input from a user.

11. The amusement device set forth in claim 10 wherein said means operative includes an interval timer timing a predetermined interval after a question is displayed.

12. The amusement device set forth in claim 11 wherein said means operative responds to wither said interval expiration or said pressing of said question/answer button.