Scanning toy

• US 6,905,391 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2003
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Soto, Jorge Gabriel, Shuler, Eric Thomas, Freeman, Richard Glen, Campisano, Kathleen
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks, Derris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US10/338,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20030171063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 446/483, 446/404, 446/175, 446/484, 446/486, 446/491, 446/397, 434/116, 434/187, 434/110, 434/393, 434/308, 434/365, 434314-317, 235/435, 235/472, 235/493, 235/383, 235/382, 235/462, 235/380, 235/169
• US Class Current: 446/397
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/3005 Cash-registers

Abstract

An interactive shopping role-play toy comprises a toy item bin, a first set of toy items replicating shopping items, an input device adapted to uniquely identify each of the toy items; and an audio playback device adapted to play an audio acknowledgment associated with the identified toy item. The audio acknowledgement is uniquely associated with the identified toy item. The input device is configured to uniquely identify a toy item when the toy item is within physical proximity of the input device. Each toy item includes an RF identification tag corresponding to a unique electronic identification, and the input device includes an RF identification tag reader.

Claims

1. A toy comprising:

(a) a scannable toy item;

(b) an electronic scanner configured to identify the scannable toy item when the electronic scanner is brought within physical proximity to the scannable toy item; and

(c) an audio playback device electronically coupled to the electronic scanner, wherein the audio playback device is configured to play an audio output that is uniquely associated with the scannable toy item,

wherein the audio playback device is configured to play a first unique audio output in response to a first scan resulting in an initial identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner and to play a second unique audio output in response to a second scan resulting in a subsequent indentification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner, and

wherein the audio playback device is further configured to play an audio output that requests a child to scan the scannable toy item before the first scan of the scannable toy item.

2. The toy of claim 1, wherein the audio output describes an attribute of the scannable toy item.

3. The toy of claim 2, wherein the attribute of the scannable toy item is a color.

4. The toy of claim 2, wherein the attribute of the scannable toy item is a shape.

5. The toy of claim 2, wherein the attribute of the scannable toy item is a number.

6. The toy of claim 2, wherein the attribute of the scannable toy item is the name of the toy item.

7. The toy of claim 2, wherein the scannable item is a food item and the attribute is nutritional information associated with the food item.

8. The toy of claim 1, wherein the electronic scanner further includes a pressure switch in a scanning head portion, and wherein the audio playback device is configured to play a generic audio acknowledgement after the pressure switch is activated.

9. The toy of claim 1, wherein the audio output comprises at least one unique audio output and at least one non-unique audio output.

10. The toy of claim 1, further comprising a data input device electronically coupled with the audio playback device and adapted to receive additional data for use by the audio playback device.

11. The toy of claim 10, wherein the data input device is a slot adapted to receive a transferable information storage medium.

12. The toy of claim 1 wherein the scannable toy item is a scannable role-play toy item.

13. The toy of claim 1 further comprising a shopping cart, wherein the scannable toy item is to be placed in the shopping cart.

14. The toy of claim 1, further including an explore mode, a learn mode, and a game mode.

15. The toy of claim 14, wherein the learning mode teaches nutritional information about a food item.

16. The toy of claim 14, wherein the learning mode teaches colors.

17. The toy of claim 14, wherein the explore mode teaches nutritional information about a food item.

18. The toy of claim 14, wherein the game mode teaches numbers, the relationship between numbers, and the relationship between numbers and quantities.

19. The toy of claim 1 wherein the audio playback device comprises a memory comprising code for causing the audio playback device to play the first unique audio output in response to the initial identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner and to play the second unique audio output in response to the subsequent identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner.

20. The toy of claim 1 wherein the audio playback device comprises a memory comprising code for causing the audio playback device to play the first unique audio output in response to the initial identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner and to play the second unique audio output in response to the subsequent identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner, and wherein the first unique audio output comprises a first synthesized speech output and the second audio output comprises a second synthesized speech output, and wherein the first and second synthesized speech outputs are different.

21. A toy comprising:

(a) a scannable toy item;

(b) an electronic scanner configured to identify the scannable toy item when the electronic scanner is brought within physical proximity to the scannable toy item; and

(c) an audio playback device electronically coupled to the electronic scanner, wherein the audio playback device is configured to play an audio output that is uniquely associated with the scannable toy item,

wherein the audio playback device is configured to play a first unique audio output in response to an initial identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner and to play a second unique audio output in response to a subsequent identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner, and

wherein the audio playback device is further configured to play an audio output that requests a child to scan the scannable toy item before the child has scanned the scannable toy item, and

wherein the scannable toy item includes an RF identification tag that is used to provide the initial identification and the subsequent identification, and wherein the electronic scanner includes an RF identification tag reader adapted to read the RF identification tag.

22. A toy comprising:

(a) a scannable toy item;

(b) an electronic scanner configured to identify the scannable toy item when the electronic scanner is brought within physical proximity to the scannable toy item; and

(c) an audio playback device electronically coupled to the electronic scanner,

wherein the audio playback device is configured to play a first unique audio output in response to an initial identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner and to play a second unique audio output in response to a subsequent identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner, and

wherein the audio playback device is configured to play an audio output that is uniquely associated with the scannable toy item, wherein the toy has at least two of a learn mode, a game mode, and an explore mode.

23. The toy of claim 22, further comprising a mode switch configured to change the operational mode of the toy.

24. A toy comprising:

(a) a scannable toy item;

(b) an electronic scanner configured to identify the scannable toy item when the electronic scanner is brought within physical proximity to the scannable toy item; and

(c) an audio playback device electronically coupled to the electronic scanner, wherein the audio playback device is configured to play an audio output that is uniquely associated with the scannable toy item,

wherein the audio playback device is configured to play a first unique audio output in response to an initial identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner and to play a second unique audio output in response to a subsequent identification of the scannable toy item by the electronic scanner, and

wherein the audio playback device is further configured to play an audio output that requests a child to scan the scannable toy item before the child has scanned the scannable toy item, and wherein the toy further includes an explore mode, a learning mode, and a game mode,

wherein the learning mode teaches numbers, the relationship between numbers, and the relationship between numbers and quantities.

25. A toy comprising:

a plurality of scannable toy items comprising a first food item comprising a first quantity of food objects and a second food item comprising a second quantity of food objects, wherein the first and second food items comprise RF ID chips inside the first and second food items;

an electronic scanner configured to scan and identify the first food item when the electronic scanner is brought within physical proximity to the first food item and is configured to identify the second food item when the electronic scanner is brought into physical proximity to the second food item;

an audio playback device electronically coupled to the electronic scanner,

wherein the audio playback device is configured to play a first unique audio output in response to an initial scan of the first food item by the electronic scanner and to play a second unique audio output in response to a subsequent scan of the first food item by the electronic scanner,

wherein the audio playback device is further configured to play an audio output that requests a child to scan the scannable toy item before the initial scan of the first toy item, and

wherein the toy further includes an explore mode, a learning mode, and a game mode, and wherein in the learning mode, the toy prompts a user to select a predetermined set of the plurality of food items to make a meal or a snack.

26. The toy of claim 25 wherein the toy items have numbers printed on them.

27. The toy of claim 25 further comprising a shopping cart for holding the toy items.

28. The toy of claim 25 wherein the toy is adapted to teach the user about the numbers, colors, names, and nutritional information associated with the first and second food items.