Electronic amusement device with long duration timer

• US 6,705,919 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2002
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Mahoney, Charles R., Curran, Kevin G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks, Derris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cegielnik, Urszula M
• Application Number:
  US10/041,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20030129922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 446/175, 446/297, 446/298, 446/299, 446/300, 446/301, 446/302, 446/303, 446/268, 446/369, 446/484, 368/45, 368/107, 368/108, 368/109, 368/110, 368/111, 368/112, 368/113, 368/10, 368/12, 340/384.7, 340/384.71
• US Class Current: 446/484
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 29/22 Electric drives power supply through track A63H18/12
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds

Abstract

An electronic amusement device includes a housing having an outer side presented to a consumer using the device; an electronic timer in the housing and a controller. The timer is configured to track time to an end of an extended time period having a length of at least a plurality of weeks and preset in the device before the device is released to the consumer. The timer is further configured to output a signal at the end of the extended period to the controller. The controller is configured to perform at least one task in an initial mode of operation available to the consumer using the device and to respond to the signal from the timer to enable, for a first time, the performance of at least one new additional mode of operation the controller did not perform before receipt of the timer signal or to disable a mode of operation it had performed or to exchange a new mode of operation for a previously performed mode of operation.

Claims

1. An electronic amusement device comprising:

a housing having an outer side presented to a consumer using the device;

an electronic timer in the housing configured to track time to an end of an extended time period having a length of at least a plurality of weeks, the extended time period being preset in the device and the timer started before the device is released to the consumer, the timer further being configured to output a signal at the end of the extended period; and

a controller in the housing configured to perform at least one task in at least an initial mode of operation available to the consumer using the device, the controller being operably coupled with the timer and responsive to the signal from the timer to enable, for a first time, performance of at least one new additional task the controller did not perform before receipt of the timer signal.

2. The amusement device according to claim 1 wherein the timer has capacity to track an extended period of at least a month.

3. The amusement device according to claim 1 wherein the timer has capacity to track an extended period of at least a plurality of months.

4. The amusement device according to claim 1 wherein the timer has capacity to track an extended period of at least a year.

5. The amusement device according to claim 1 wherein the timer has capacity to track an extended period of at least a plurality of years.

6. The amusement device according to claim 1 further comprising:

at least one source of sound, light or movement of at least part of the device operably coupled with the controller in the housing; and

wherein the controller is configured to provide at least an initial mode of operation of the source before output of the timer signal and to change the initial mode of operation of the source in response to the timer signal.

7. The amusement device according to claim 1 wherein the timer comprises:

a first stored value representative of the time period to be tracked;

a crystal oscillator;

a second stored value updated regularly by the crystal oscillator; and

a comparator configured to compare the second stored value with the first stored value and to output the timer signal after the values are equal.

8. The amusement device according to claim 7 wherein the timer includes a register containing the first stored value and a signal connector coupled with the register to load the first stored value into the register from outside the timer.

9. The amusement device according to claim 8 wherein the signal connector extends outside the housing.

10. The amusement device according to claim 8 in combination with a package containing the device wherein the signal connector is accessible from the outside of the package without opening the package.

11. The amusement device according to claim 9 wherein the timer further includes a plurality of registers coupled together serially with one another and with the crystal oscillator such that each register incrementally advances the next register in the series.

12. The amusement device according to claim 11 wherein the timer further includes a time period register and wherein the plurality of registers coupled together output one bit per day to the time period register.

13. The amusement device according to claim 12 wherein the time period register has sufficient bit places to store a time period of at least fifteen days.

14. The amusement device according to claim 1 wherein the controller is enabled by the timer signal to announce whether the device is a prize winning device in a contest.

15. The amusement device according to claim 1 wherein the timer is configured to output a second signal after a second extended period following the extended period and wherein the controller is configured to perform at least one new additional task the controller did not perform before receipt of the second signal from the timer.

19. The amusement device according to claim 14 wherein the controller provides a plurality of initial modes of operation of the device to the consumer and wherein at least one of the initial modes of operation is changed in response to the signal from the timer.

20. The amusement device according to claim 15 wherein less than all of the plurality of initial modes of operation are changed by the controller in response to the signal from the timer.

16. An electronic amusement device comprising:

a housing having an outer side presented to a consumer using the device;

a controller in the housing configured to provide at least one initial mode of operation of at least part of the device for the consumer; and

an electronic timer in the housing operably coupled with the controller, the timer being configured to track time to an end of an extended time period, the period being of a length of at least a plurality of weeks, the extended time period being preset in the device and the timer being started before the device is released to the consumer, the timer further being configured to output a signal to the controller at the end of the extended period;

wherein the controller is configured to respond to the signal from the timer to provide for a first time, a new mode of operation different from all of the initial modes of operation provided by the controller before receipt of the timer signal by the controller.

17. An electronic amusement device comprising:

a housing having an outer side presented to a consumer using the device;

a controller in the housing configured to provide at least one initial mode of operation of at least part of the device for the consumer; and

an electronic timer in the housing operably coupled with the controller, the timer being configured to track time to an end of an extended time period, the period being of a length of at least a plurality of weeks, the extended time period being preset in the device and the timer being started before the device is released to the consumer, the timer further being configured to output a signal to the controller at the end of the extended period;

wherein the controller is configured to respond to the signal from the timer to disable for a first time, at least one of the initial modes of operation provided by the controller before receipt of the timer signal by the controller.

18. An electronic amusement device comprising:

a housing having an outer side presented to a consumer using the device;

a controller in the housing configured to provide at least one initial mode of operation of at least part of the device for the consumer; and

an electronic timer in the housing operably coupled with the controller, the timer being configured to track time to an end of an extended time period, the period being of a length of at least a plurality of weeks, the extended time period being preset in the device and the timer being started before the device is released to the consumer, the timer further being configured to output a signal to the controller at the end of the extended period;

wherein the controller is configured to respond to the signal from the timer to change for a first time, at least the one initial mode of operation to a different mode of operation.