Infant simulation device and method therefore

• US 6,699,045 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nasco Healthcare, Inc. (Geneve Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aristotle Corporation The
• Inventors: Christianson, Daniel C., Johnson, Judith M., Lidicker, Roger E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US09/950,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20020022212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 434/238, 434/247, 434/265, 434/395, 434/308, 434/262, 434/118, 434/269, 434/297, 434/396, 434/307.R, 434/365, 446/268, 446/301-305, 446/295, 446/297, 446/299, 446/484
• US Class Current: 434/262
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/001 simulating physiological processes, e.g. heartbeat, breathing or fever with fluid ingestion or emission A63H3/24
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26

Abstract

A device and method is provided for simulating the activities of an infant. The invention includes a mannequin having a simulator position therein for generating a plurality of simulated activities by the mannequin at preprogrammed timed intervals. Simulated duties such as diaper change, feeding and burping, and attention are generated by the simulator. A user must respond by inserting a proper response element into the simulator in order to terminate the simulated activity. Indicators are provided to inform of the user'"'"'s abuse or tampering with the simulator.

Claims

1. An infant simulation system, comprising:

a mannequin;

a control module associated with the mannequin and including an output arrangement for simulating one or more infant activities;

a response arrangement operatively interconnected with the control module for terminating the one or more infant activities without terminating subsequent infant activities; and

an operating arrangement associated with the control module, wherein the operating arrangement includes a series of programs, each of which corresponds to a predetermined schedule of the one or more infant activities, and a program selection arrangement for selecting at least one of the programs so as to operate the control module and simulate one or more infant activities according to the predetermined schedule of at least one of the programs.

2. The infant simulation system of claim 1, wherein the control module includes a series of switches and wherein the program selection arrangement includes an actuator for engaging the switches in selected configurations, wherein each switch configuration corresponds to one of the programs.

3. The infant simulation system of claim 1, wherein the one or more infant activities comprise feeding, burping and diaper change.

4. The infant simulation system of claim 3, wherein the control module operates the output arrangement to output a crying sound at the commencement of each of the infant activities.

5. The infant simulation system of claim 1, wherein each infant activity has a predetermined duration.

6. The infant simulation system of claim 1, wherein the control module is operable in response to the response arrangement to operate the output arrangement so as to output a cooing sound when the response arrangement terminates the infant activity.

7. A method of operating an infant simulation device including a mannequin having an operating arrangement and an output, comprising the steps of:

providing the operating arrangement with a plurality of programs, each of which corresponds to a predetermined schedule of one or more simulated infant activities;

selecting at least one of the programs; and

operating the device according to the selected one of the programs to simulate infant activities according to the predetermined schedule of the selected program, and to terminate the one or more infant activities separately from the operating arrangement without terminating subsequent infant activities.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the control arrangement includes a control module having a plurality of switches, and wherein the step of selecting at least one of the programs is carried out by actuating the switches in one of a plurality of configurations, each of which corresponds to one of the programs.

9. An infant simulation system, comprising:

a mannequin;

a control module associated with the mannequin and including an output arrangement for simulating one or more infant activities;

a response arrangement operatively interconnected with the control module for terminating the one or more infant activities; and

a selectively actuable override arrangement associated with the control module for terminating the one or more infant activities separately from the response arrangement.

10. The infant simulation system of claim 9, wherein the response arrangement comprises a plurality of similarly configured response members, each of which is selectively engageable with the control module and is operable to terminate one of the infant activities, and wherein the override arrangement comprises an override actuator member configured similarly to the response members and engageable with the control module, wherein the override actuator member is operable to terminate all of the infant activities.

11. The infant simulation system of claim 9, wherein the control module is operable to provide an output indicative of actuation of the override arrangement.

12. A method of operating an infant simulation device including a mannequin having a control arrangement and an output, comprising the steps of:

operating the control arrangement to intermittently simulate one or more infant activities;

normally terminating the one or more infant activities by operation of one or more response elements, each of which corresponds to one of the infant activities; and

selectively terminating the one or more infant activities by operation of an override arrangement which interacts with the control arrangement to terminate the selected one or more infant activities occurring at the time of override without terminating subsequent infant activities.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more response elements comprise a plurality of similarly configured response members, each of which is engageable with the control arrangement and is operable to terminate one of the infant activities, and wherein the override arrangement comprises an override actuator member configured similarly to the response members and engageable with the control arrangement.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of providing an output signal in response to operation of the override arrangement.