Talking doll having head movement responsive to external sound

• US 6,565,407 B1
• Filed: 02/02/2000
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Wulff, Virgil, Woolington, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks, Derris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fernstrom, Kurt
• Application Number:
  US09/496,484
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 446/175, 446/300, 446/301, 446/338, 446/384, 446/391, 446/369
• US Class Current: 446/175
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 13/005 with self-moving head or facial features with a choice of features A63H3/365; movable eyes A63H3/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/02 made of fabrics or stuffed
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds

Abstract

A doll includes a plush doll body having a movable head. A body housing within the doll body supports a control and sound circuit which is operatively coupled to a bidirectional motor drive system operative to move the head from side-to-side. A mouth moving mechanism is independently provided within the doll head. The body housing supports a pair of outwardly facing microphones on the right and left side of the housing to detect sound from either side. The control and sound circuit compares the sound energy received by the right side and left side microphones and determines the appropriate direction to pivot or rotate the head to simulate a “listening” attention by the doll.

Claims

1. A talking doll comprising:

a doll body having a torso and a head;

a body housing supported within said torso and defining an interior body cavity;

a head housing within said head pivotally coupled to said body and defining an interior head cavity;

a reversible motor supported within said interior body cavity;

first gear means operatively driven by said reversible motor;

a shaft coupler operatively driven by said first gear means;

a shaft having a first end engaging said shaft coupler and a second end;

a head coupler coupling said second end to said head housing;

a control and sound circuit having a left microphone, a right microphone, sound producing means and means responsive to said microphones to energize said reversible motor in a first direction in response to sound energizing said left microphone and in a second direction in response to sound energizing said right microphone;

a movable mouth supported by said head and means for moving said mouth including a single direction motor supported within said interior head cavity wherein said sound circuit causes said means for moving said mouth to be active simultaneously with sound production; and

a position switch operatively coupled to said shaft coupler providing an off signal to said control and sound circuit when said shaft coupler is pivoted left or right beyond a predetermined position,

said head being pivoted to left or right in response to said sound from left or right respectively and said means for moving said mouth operating independent of left or right pivoting head movement.

2. The talking doll set forth in claim 1 wherein said control and sound circuit includes a comparator coupled to said left and right microphones producing a signal for selecting said first or second direction energizing of said reversible motor.