Talking book

• US 6,697,602 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Ferrigno, Albert J., Duke, Laurie Guiliano
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T.
• Application Number:
  US09/498,051
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 434/308, 434/309, 434/311, 446/175, 446/300, 446/302
• US Class Current: 434/308
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon

Abstract

A talking book is combined with a talking, animated toy figure. Each includes a sound synthesizer, a digital memory including at least some speech data to be used by the synthesizer to produce speech and a processor to control the operations of the synthesizer. Each includes a speaker coupled with the synthesizer to actually produce speech and other sounds. The book includes two outer covers and two inner pages, each with some printing. Depressible switches are provided on the inner covers to cue the processor to generate sounds appropriate to the print near the depressed cover switch. Switches in a hinge pin received in hinge rings provided each cover and page to join the covers and pages together are depressed by cam surfaces inside the ring of the front cover and each page and signal, the processor the configuration of the book. In addition to generating its own speech, the book processor transmits a control signal to the processor of the toy figure cuing that processor to generate control signals to generate the appropriate sound and/or sound by the figure synthesizer and/or animation control signals to animate the toy figure. Thus, actions of the toy figure are coordinated with the information provided in the book.

Claims

1. A combination comprising:

a talking book component with a sound synthesizer, a memory operably coupled with the synthesizer and containing at least some speech data, and a speaker operably coupled with the synthesizer to reproduce sound including speech;

a talking toy figure component with a sound synthesizer, a memory operably coupled with the synthesizer and containing at least some speech data, and a speaker operably coupled with the synthesizer to reproduce sounds including speech;

at least a first one of the talking book and the talking toy figure components of the combination including a processor configured to generate at least a first speech control signal to at least initiate speech generation by the first component and at least a second speech control signal to initiate speech generation by a remaining, second one of the talking book and the talking toy figure components; and

a communications link between the first component and the second component, each second speech control signal generated by the processor for the second component being transmitted over the link from the processor to the second component;

wherein the book comprises a plurality of leaves pivotally connected together and at least one leaf position indicating switch coupled with the processor and responsive to a position of at least one of the leaves of the book.

2. The book of claim 1, wherein the book includes a second leaf position indicating switch coupled with the processor and separately responsive to a position of another of the leaves of the book.

3. The book of claim 1, wherein the book includes at least one response switch capable of initiating a response from at least the book.

4. The book of claim 3, wherein the book includes a second response switch capable of initiating a response from at least the book.

5. A combination comprising:

a toy figure with an actuator operably coupled with some portion of the toy figure to animate the portion of the toy figure when the actuator is operated;

a remote control for the toy figure in the form of a book separate from the toy figure, the book having a pair of outer covers with printed matter on at least one of the covers; and

a transmission link operably coupling the book remote control with the actuator of the toy figure,

wherein the book includes a plurality of leaves pivotally connected together and at least one component position indicating switch coupled with the processor and responsive to a position of one of the leaves of the remote control.

6. The remote control of claim 5, wherein the book includes a second leaf position indicating switch coupled with the processor and separately responsive to a position of another of the leaves of the book.

7. The remote control of claim 5, wherein the book includes at least one response switch capable of initiating a response from at least the book.

8. The remote control of claim 7, wherein the book includes a second response switch capable of initiating a response from at least the book.

9. A talking book comprising:

a processor configured to generate at least a first speech control signal to at least initiate speech generation by the talking book;

a memory operably coupled with the processor and containing at least some speech data;

a speaker operably coupled with the processor to reproduce sound including speech;

a hinge pin;

a plurality of leaves pivotally connected together with the hinge pin passing through an end of each leaf of the plurality of leaves; and

at least one leaf position indicating switch operably coupled with the processor and responsive to a pivotal position of at least one of the leaves with respect to the hinge pin.

10. The book of claim 9, wherein the book includes a second leaf position indicating switch coupled with the processor and separately responsive to a pivotal position of another of the leaves of the book with respect to the hinge pin.

11. The book of claim 10 wherein the first and second leaf position indicating switches are located inside the hinge pin.

12. The book of claim 9 further comprising at least one manually actuated response switch operably coupled with the processor, the processor being configured to respond to actuation of the response switch to initiate a sound response from the book.

13. The book of claim 12 wherein the at least one manually actuated response switch is located on one of the plurality of leaves pivotally mounted on the hinge pin.

14. The talking book of claim 13 wherein the hinge pin is non-rotatably engaged with one of the leaves of the book.

15. The talking book of claim 9, wherein the book includes a second response switch operably coupled with the processor so as to initiate a sound response from the book independently from any sound response generated by the first response switch.

16. The talking book of claim 9 further comprising a wireless signal transmitter operably coupled to the processor.

17. The talking book of claim 9 in combination with a separate, talking toy figure component, the talking toy figure component including a sound synthesizer, a memory operably coupled with the synthesizer and containing at least some speech data, and a speaker operably coupled with the synthesizer to reproduce sounds including speech;

and,

the talking book and talking toy figure combination further comprising a communications link between the talking book and the talking toy figure configured to at least transfer speech control signals generated by the processor of the talking book to initiate speech generation by the talking toy figure.

18. The combination of claim 17, wherein the communications link is wireless.

19. The combination of claim 17 wherein the talking book includes at least one manually actuated switch operably coupled to the talking book processor to initiate sound generation by the talking book processor through the talking book speaker and the generation of the speech control signals transferred to the toy figure.

20. The combination of claim 17 wherein the toy figure includes a processor configured to at least generate speech control signals to initiate speech generation by the synthesizer of the toy figure and at least one manually actuated switch on the toy figure operably coupled to the processor of the toy figure to selectively manually initiate the generation of speech by the toy figure independently of the talking book.

21. The combination of claim 20 wherein the toy figure includes an actuator operably coupled with some portion of the toy figure to animate the portion of the toy figure when the actuator is operated and wherein the processor of the toy figure is operably coupled with the actuator to operate the actuator to control animation of the portion of the toy figure.

22. The combination of claim 21 wherein the toy figure further comprises a manually operated switch operably coupled to the processor of the toy figure to at least initiate operation of the actuator through the processor of the toy figure.

23. The talking book of claim 9 in combination with a separate, toy figure, the toy figure including an actuator operably coupled with some portion of the toy figure to animate the portion of the toy figure when the actuator is operated;

and the combination further comprising;

a transmission link operably coupling the processor of the talking book with the actuator of the toy figure.

24. The combination of claim 23 wherein the communications link is wireless.

25. The combination of claim 23 wherein the toy figure includes a manually actuated switch operably coupled with the actuator to initiate operation of the actuator independently of the talking book.

26. The combination of claim 23 wherein the toy figure has a processor and the processor of the book is operably coupled to the actuator through the communications link and processor of the toy figure.