Player programmable, interactive toy for a shooting game
First Claim
1. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
- a wave energy projector comprising a wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector in response to an input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by another energy projector having another energy source compatible with said energy source;
at least one circuit coupled to said energy source and said sensor which controls operation of said toy, including operation of said energy projector to project wave energy therefrom, processing said signals provided by said energy sensor and making a determination that a hit has occurred when energy received by said energy sensor has been emitted by another energy projector;
an input device coupled to said at least one circuit;
said at least one circuit being responsive to coded information provided by said input device to cause said toy to change its status or operation;
wherein said at least one circuit in response to a given code in coded information provided by said input device conditions said toy to operate in a game ending mode defined by the number of determinations of hits made by said at least one circuit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention disclosed herein relates to a portable, player programmable, interactive toy for a shooting game played by radiating and appropriately detecting infrared light (or other radiated energy). Player sets of the toy include at least one IR emitter, at least one IR detector, and in the preferred embodiments, at least one audio or visual device. A keypad or other input device is provided for the entry of coded information to select from preprogrammed features and functions, including game modes, both prior to the start of a game and/or during a game. The interactivity includes at least two players interacting other than by detection of a hit, i.e., detection by one player of light shot by another player. The invention provides for information transfer between players to transfer or remotely activate features and functions or to remotely control another player'"'"'s equipment. Programmed circuitry is provided which may be linked with other devices via an auxiliary connector or wirelessly for different purposes.
183 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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a wave energy projector comprising a wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector in response to an input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by another energy projector having another energy source compatible with said energy source;
at least one circuit coupled to said energy source and said sensor which controls operation of said toy, including operation of said energy projector to project wave energy therefrom, processing said signals provided by said energy sensor and making a determination that a hit has occurred when energy received by said energy sensor has been emitted by another energy projector;
an input device coupled to said at least one circuit;
said at least one circuit being responsive to coded information provided by said input device to cause said toy to change its status or operation;
wherein said at least one circuit in response to a given code in coded information provided by said input device conditions said toy to operate in a game ending mode defined by the number of determinations of hits made by said at least one circuit. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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2. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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a wave energy projector comprising a wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector in response to an input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by another energy projector having another energy source compatible with said energy source;
at least one circuit coupled to said energy source and said sensor which controls operation of said toy, including operation of said energy projector to project wave energy therefrom, processing said signals provided by said energy sensor and making a determination that a hit has occurred when energy received by said energy sensor has been emitted by another energy projector;
an input device coupled to said at least one circuit;
said at least one circuit being responsive to coded information provided by said input device to cause said toy to change its status or operation;
wherein said at least one circuit includes means for measuring time, and in response to a given code provided by said input device conditions said toy to operate in a game ending mode defined by the expiration of a given time period. - View Dependent Claims (3)
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4. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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a wave energy projector comprising a wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector in response to an input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by another energy projector having another energy source compatible with said energy source;
at least one circuit coupled to said energy source and said sensor which controls operation of said toy, including operation of said energy projector to project wave energy therefrom, processing said signals provided by said energy sensor and making a determination that a hit has occurred when energy received by said energy sensor has been emitted by another energy projector;
an input device coupled to said at least one circuit;
said at least one circuit being responsive to coded information provided by said input device to cause said toy to change its status or operation; and
at least one sound generating device coupled to said at least one circuit, said toy operating in a sound active mode in which said at least one circuit causes said sound generating device to produce one or more sounds in response to one or more given conditions and in a sound inactive mode in which said sound producing device does not produce said at least one of said sounds in response to at least one of said given conditions, wherein said at least one circuit in response to a given code in coded information provided by said input device causes said toy to change from a sound active or inactive mode to a sound inactive or active mode, respectively.
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5. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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a wave energy projector comprising a wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector in response to an input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by another energy projector having another energy source compatible with said energy source;
at least one circuit coupled to said energy source and said sensor which controls operation of said toy, including operation of said energy projector to project wave energy therefrom, processing said signals provided by said energy sensor and making a determination that a hit has occurred when energy received by said energy sensor has been emitted by another energy projector;
an input device coupled to said at least one circuit;
said at least one circuit being responsive to coded information provided by said input device to cause said toy to change its status or operation; and
one or more visual indicators coupled to said at least one circuit, said toy operating in a visual indicator active mode in which said at least one circuit causes at least one of said visual indicators to provide a visual indication in response to a given game condition and in a visual indicator inactive mode in which said at least one visual indicator device does not provide said visual indication in response to said given game condition, wherein said at least one circuit in response to a given code in coded information provided by said input device causes said toy to change from a visual indicator active or inactive mode to a visual indicator inactive or active mode, respectively.
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6. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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a wave energy projector comprising a wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector in response to an input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by another energy projector having another energy source compatible with said energy source;
at least one circuit coupled to said energy source and said sensor which controls operation of said toy, including operation of said energy projector to project wave energy therefrom, processing said signals provided by said energy sensor and making a determination that a hit has occurred when energy received by said sensor has been emitted by another energy projector;
an input device coupled to said at least one circuit;
said at least one circuit being responsive to coded information provided by said input device to cause said toy to change status or operation;
a display device coupled to said at least one circuit, said at least one circuit being responsive to a code in coded information provided by said input device to cause said display to display selected information.
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7. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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a wave energy projector comprising a wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector in response to an input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by another energy projector having another energy source compatible with said energy source;
at least one circuit coupled to said energy source and said sensor which controls operation of said toy, including operation of said energy projector to project wave energy therefrom, processing said signals provided by said energy sensor and making a determination that a hit has occurred when energy received by said energy sensor has been emitted by another energy projector;
an input device coupled to said at least one circuit;
said at least one circuit being responsive to coded information provided by said input device to cause said toy to change its status or operation;
wherein said at least one circuit in response to a code in coded information provided by said input device causes said projector to project wave energy coded with information to be transferred to a toy of another player.
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18. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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a wave energy projector comprising a wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector in response to an input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by another energy projector having another energy source compatible with said energy source;
at least one circuit coupled to said energy source and said sensor which controls operation of said toy, including operation of said energy projector to project wave energy therefrom, processing said signals provided by said energy sensor and making a determination that a hit has occurred when energy received by said energy sensor has been emitted by another energy projector;
an input device coupled to said at least one circuit;
said at least one circuit being responsive to coded information provided by said input device to cause said toy to change its status or operation;
wherein said at least one circuit includes means for disabling said energy projector from projecting wave energy after a given number of energy projections, and in response to a first code in coded information provided by said input device enables said energy projector to project energy therefrom in response to further input signals, and wherein said at least one circuit is responsive to a second code in coded information provided by said input device to cause said toy to operate in a mode in which said circuit does not respond to said first code.
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19. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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at least one of a wave energy projector comprising a wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector in response to an input signal, and a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by another energy projector having another energy source compatible with said energy source;
at least one circuit coupled to said at least one of said energy source, if present, to and said projector, if present, which controls operation of said toy, including selectively providing said input signal to said projector, if present, and processing signals provided by said sensor, if present, to determine when said sensor receives wave energy from said another energy source;
an input device coupled to said at least one circuit;
said at least one circuit being responsive to given coded information provided by said input device to condition said toy for use in a game, and in the absence said given coded information prevent operation of at least one feature or function of said toy;
wherein said at least one circuit in the absence of said given coded information prevents said input signal from being supplied to said projector, if present, and does not determine when said sensor, if present, receives wave energy from said another energy source, thereby effectively precluding said toy from being used in a shooting game until said given coded information is input.
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20. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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a first wave energy projector comprising a first wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector having first coded information in response to an input signal and second coded information in response to an input signal different from said input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by said first wave energy projector;
a second wave energy projector which projects wave energy therefrom compatible with the wave energy projected by said first projector in response to an input signal supplied thereto;
at least one circuit coupled to said sensor and said second projector which controls operation of said second projector to project wave energy therefrom, said at least one circuit processing said signals provided by said energy sensor and controlling operation of at least one feature or function of said second projector in response to said signals provided by said sensor corresponding to coded information in the wave energy from said first projector;
wherein said circuit disables said second projector from projecting energy therefrom in response to said input signal supplied to said second projector after a given number of energy projections from said second projector, and wherein responsive to said signals provided by said sensor, enables said second projector to project energy therefrom in response to another said input signal supplied to said second projector. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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21. A toy for a shooting game comprising:
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a first wave energy projector comprising a first wave energy source which projects wave energy from said projector having first coded information in response to an input signal and second coded information in response to an input signal different from said input signal;
a wave energy sensor providing signals responsive to wave energy received by said sensor emitted by said first projector;
a second wave energy projector which projects wave energy therefrom compatible with the wave energy projected by said first projector in response to an input signal supplied thereto;
at least one output device;
at least one circuit coupled to said sensor, said second projector and said at least one output device, said at least one circuit controlling operation of said second projector to project wave energy therefrom, said at least one circuit processing said signals provided by said sensor and controlling operation of at least one feature or function of said at least one output device in response to said signals provided by said sensor corresponding to both the first and the second coded information in the wave energy from said first projector;
wherein said circuit disables said second projector from projecting energy therefrom in response to said input signal supplied to said second projector after a given number of energy projections from said second projector, and wherein responsive to said signals provided by said sensor, enables said second projector to project energy therefrom in response to another said input signal supplied to said second projector; and
wherein said at least one circuit also controls operation of at least one feature or function of both said at least one output device and said second projector.
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Specification