Interactive apparatus with templates

• US 6,641,401 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2001
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Flowers, Mark, Grunert, Margaret E., Avery, Jason, Jedrzejek, Tracey Hope, Wood, Michael C., Shuler, Eric Thomas, Freeman, Richard Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Hieu T.
• Application Number:
  US09/886,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20020197587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 434/159, 434/350, 434/169, 434/167, 434/171, 434/172, 434/335, 434/339, 434/340, 434/429
• US Class Current: 434/159
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/00 Manually or mechanically operated educational appliances using elements forming, or bearing, symbols, signs, pictures, or the like which are arranged or adapted to be arranged in one or more particular ways puzzle-games A63F9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• 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 interactive apparatus is disclosed. In one embodiment, the interactive apparatus includes a base unit. The base unit can has a surface and an array of electrical elements under the surface. A removable template is placed on the base unit and is positioned over the surface. The removable template has a movable element that the user can move and a speaker in the apparatus can produce an audio output in response to the movement of the movable element.

Claims

1. An interactive apparatus comprising:

a) a base unit comprising

i) a substantially planar surface and

ii) an array of electrical elements under the surface;

b) a processor operatively coupled to the array of electrical elements;

c) a memory operatively coupled to the processor;

d) an audio output device operatively coupled to the processor; and

e) a removable template over the surface of the base unit, wherein the removable template comprises a movable element that is over an electrical element in the array of electrical elements, wherein the electrical element is assigned to provide audio output that is related to the movable element.

2. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the array of electrical elements comprises an array of switches.

3. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audio output device comprises a speaker.

4. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audio output device is within the base unit.

5. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the removable template is adapted to educate the user about numbers or letters.

6. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base unit comprises an edge region that at least partially defines the surface, and wherein the template is cooperatively structured to fit within the edge region.

7. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the interactive apparatus is a toy.

8. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the removable template comprises a substantially planar sheet of molded plastic.

9. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the removable template comprises a stationary region, and wherein the movable element moves independently of the stationary region and has a structure and an appearance that is distinct from the stationary region.

10. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the removable template comprises a stationary region, and wherein the movable element includes a portion that moves in a direction parallel to the plane of the removable template.

11. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a reprogrammable memory.

12. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a speech synthesizer.

13. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base unit further comprises a slot and a transferable information storage medium that is removably insertable within the slot.

14. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a set of removable templates.

15. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the template comprises (i) a hinge, (ii) a first portion having a frame and (iii) a second portion having a frame, wherein the first portion and the second portion are coupled together with the hinge.

16. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the removable template comprises (i) a hinge, (ii) a first portion having a frame and an aperture in the frame, and (iii) a second portion having a frame, wherein the movable element is disposed in the frame of the second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are coupled together with the hinge, and wherein the movable element extends through the aperture in the frame of the first portion when the removable template is in a closed position.

17. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the removable template comprises (i) a hinge, (ii) a first portion having a frame and (iii) a second portion having a frame, wherein the first portion and the second portion are coupled together with the hinge, and

wherein the interactive apparatus further includes a sheet that is disposed between the first portion and the second portion of the removable template, and

wherein the sheet includes a plurality of print elements that are disposed over select electrical elements within the array of electrical elements, wherein the select electrical elements are assigned to retrieve audio output that relates to the print elements.

18. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a selecting device for selecting a mode of operation.

19. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the movable element comprises a number or a letter.

20. The interactive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the interactive apparatus uses an asymmetric debounce technique to determine if the user is interacting with the sheet within a predetermined period of time.

21. A system comprising:

a server computer;

a client computer; and

the interactive apparatus of claim 1.

22. A system comprising:

a server computer;

a client computer in communication with the server computer;

a linker device coupled to the client computer; and

the interactive apparatus of claim 1.

23. An interactive apparatus comprising:

a) a base unit comprising

i) a surface,

ii) an array of switches under the surface,

iii) a memory,

iv) a processor operatively coupled to the array of switches and the processor,

v) a slot, and

vi) a speaker;

b) a transferable information storage medium removably insertable in the slot; and

c) a removable template over the surface of the base unit, wherein the removable template comprises a stationary portion and a plurality of movable elements, wherein each of the movable elements is capable of being moved while the stationary portion remains stationary and has a structure that is distinct from the stationary portion, and

wherein the plurality of movable elements is disposed over a set of switches within the array of switches, each switch within the set of switches being assigned to provide output relating to the movable element that is disposed over the switch.

24. The interactive apparatus of claim 23 comprising:

a set of removable templates.

25. The interactive apparatus of claim 23 wherein the transferable information storage medium is a data cartridge.

26. The interactive apparatus of claim 23 wherein the transferable information storage medium comprises a flash memory.

27. The interactive apparatus of claim 23 wherein the base unit further comprises an edge region that encircles the surface of the base unit, and wherein the edge region and the template are cooperatively structured.

28. The interactive apparatus of claim 23 wherein the transferable information storage medium comprises a flash memory.

29. The interactive apparatus of claim 23 wherein the interactive apparatus is an educational toy.

30. A system comprising:

a server computer;

a client computer; and

the interactive apparatus of claim 23.

31. A system comprising:

a server computer;

a client computer in communication with the server computer;

a linker device coupled to the client computer; and

the interactive apparatus of claim 23.

32. A removable template for use over a surface of a base unit of an interactive apparatus, the removable template comprising:

a) a stationary region; and

b) a movable element that is structurally distinct from the stationary region and moves independently of the stationary region, and wherein the movable element comprises an upper portion capable of being moved by a user and a lower portion capable of contacting the surface in response to the movement by the user, and wherein the base unit produces an audio output that is related to the movable element.

33. The removable template of claim 32 further comprising a hinge, a first portion comprising a frame and an aperture in the frame, and a second portion comprising a frame having the stationary region and the movable element, wherein the first portion and the second portion are coupled together with the hinge, and wherein the movable element extends through the aperture in the frame of the first portion.

34. The removable template of claim 32 further comprising a plurality of the movable elements, wherein each movable element comprises a bright color.

35. A method of using an interactive apparatus, the method comprising:

a) providing a base unit comprising a substantially planar surface;

b) placing a removable template over the substantially planar surface;

c) moving a movable element in the removable template; and

d) producing an audio output that relates to the movable element in response to moving the movable element.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the movable element is a first movable element and the removable template is a first removable template, and wherein the method further comprises:

e) removing the first removable template from the base unit;

f) placing a second removable template on the base unit, wherein the second removable template comprises a second movable element;

g) moving the second movable element; and

h) producing an audio output that relates to the second movable element in response to the movement of the second movable element.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein the removable template includes a frame, and wherein the method further comprises:

e) securing a sheet comprising a print element to the surface of the base unit using the removable template;

f) marking on the print element; and

g) producing an output that relates to the print element.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein marking comprises coloring.