Sequence learning toy

• US 6,247,934 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2000
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mary Ann Cogliano
• Inventors: Cogliano, Mary Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Ackun, Jr., Jacob K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Bena B.
• Application Number:
  US09/592,581
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 434/159, 434/169, 434/160, 434/335, 434/327, 434/337, 434/365, 446/297, 446/313, 446/368, 446/369, 446/143, 446/9, 446/7, 446/298, 273/429
• US Class Current: 434/159
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

An educational toy for teaching a child a sequence of letters, numbers, colors or other sequences. The toy would be provided with a plurality of segmented body portions, each of the body portions associated with a single indicia. A switch is provided on each of the segmented body portions. When this switch is depressed, an audio output associated with the indicia would be produced. After the child has memorized a series of indicia to produce a learned sequence, a switch associated with a segmented body portion having demarcation indicia would be depressed, allowing the entire sequence to be vocalized in order.

Claims

1. A caterpillar shaped educational toy comprising:

a caterpillar shaped body formed of a series of segmented body portions,

a plurality of switches associated with the caterpillar shaped body, each of the switches forming a leg of the caterpillar shaped toy, and each of the switches associated with a letter of the alphabet; and

a voice synthesizer associated with the plurality of switches so that when a switch is activated, the voice synthesizer vocalizes the letter of the alphabet associated with the switch.

2. The toy according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second switching device connected to the caterpillar shaped body, wherein a sequence of alphabetic letters is recited when the second switching device is activated.

3. An educational toy comprising:

a series of connected body segment portions;

a series of legs attached to the body segment portions to form a caterpillar shape, each of the legs being associated with a letter of the alphabet; and

a voice synthesizer associated with the legs so that when a leg is pressed, the voice synthesizer speaks the letter of the alphabet associated with the leg.