Electronic educational toy teaching letters words, numbers and pictures
DCFirst Claim
Patent Images
1. An electronic educational toy having a housing for teaching letters, words, numbers or pictures, comprising:
- a toy housing supporting a planar work platform on which a child can make selections by causing contact across the planar surface of the work platform and, the toy housing enclosing;
a speaker,a processor, andat least a portion of a sensing system capable of distinguishing between two or more co-existing child-caused contacts with the work platform, wherein the sensing system comprises a grid of wires, wires of the grid being sequentially energized so that contact caused by the child generates a variation in one or more of the wires of the grid from which the location of contact on the work platform can be determined;
a first learning mode wherein the child explores letters, words, numbers or pictures by causing contact with the work platform without there being an incorrect selection, or indication of an incorrect selection, of a letter, word, number or picture and the toy provides audio feedback to the child when such contact corresponds to the selection of a letter, word, number or picture, the audio feedback relating to the selected letter, word, number or picture; and
a second learning mode including;
a plurality of audio prompts output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, a prompt including a question or instruction having at least one correct response, the question or instruction designed to encourage a child to make a cognitive selection of a letter, word, number or picture and indicate the cognitive selection of the letter, word, number or picture by causing contact with the work platform,the occurrence of contact on the work platform in response to the question or instruction indicating the cognitive selection by the child of the letter, word, number or picture corresponding to the question or instruction,the processor enclosed within the toy housing capable of;
a) executing educational software, b) receiving information from the sensing system corresponding to the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform and, c) using the information from the sensing system to determine whether the child'"'"'s cognitive selection of the letter, word, number or picture as indicated by the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction,a first audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the first audio feedback response indicating that the letter, word, number or picture selected by the child corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction, anda second audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the second audio feedback response indicating that the selection by the child is something other than a correct response to the question or instruction.
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Abstract
An electronic educational toy having a housing for teaching letters, words, numbers or pictures comprising a toy housing supporting a substantially planar work platform on which a child can make selections by causing contact with the work platform and enclosing a speaker, a processor, and a sensing system sensing occurrences of contact caused by the child across the surface of the work platform.
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Citations
53 Claims
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1. An electronic educational toy having a housing for teaching letters, words, numbers or pictures, comprising:
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a toy housing supporting a planar work platform on which a child can make selections by causing contact across the planar surface of the work platform and, the toy housing enclosing; a speaker, a processor, and at least a portion of a sensing system capable of distinguishing between two or more co-existing child-caused contacts with the work platform, wherein the sensing system comprises a grid of wires, wires of the grid being sequentially energized so that contact caused by the child generates a variation in one or more of the wires of the grid from which the location of contact on the work platform can be determined; a first learning mode wherein the child explores letters, words, numbers or pictures by causing contact with the work platform without there being an incorrect selection, or indication of an incorrect selection, of a letter, word, number or picture and the toy provides audio feedback to the child when such contact corresponds to the selection of a letter, word, number or picture, the audio feedback relating to the selected letter, word, number or picture; and a second learning mode including; a plurality of audio prompts output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, a prompt including a question or instruction having at least one correct response, the question or instruction designed to encourage a child to make a cognitive selection of a letter, word, number or picture and indicate the cognitive selection of the letter, word, number or picture by causing contact with the work platform, the occurrence of contact on the work platform in response to the question or instruction indicating the cognitive selection by the child of the letter, word, number or picture corresponding to the question or instruction, the processor enclosed within the toy housing capable of;
a) executing educational software, b) receiving information from the sensing system corresponding to the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform and, c) using the information from the sensing system to determine whether the child'"'"'s cognitive selection of the letter, word, number or picture as indicated by the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction,a first audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the first audio feedback response indicating that the letter, word, number or picture selected by the child corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction, and a second audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the second audio feedback response indicating that the selection by the child is something other than a correct response to the question or instruction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An electronic educational toy having a housing for teaching letters, words, numbers and pictures, comprising:
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a toy housing supporting a planar work platform on which a child can make selections by causing contact across the planar surface of the work platform, the toy housing enclosing; a speaker, a processor, and at least a portion of a sensing system comprising a grid of wires, the sensing system sensing the location of a first contact caused by the child on the planar surface of the work platform and, while the first contact is maintained in position to be sensed by the sensing system, sensing the location of a second contact caused by the child on the planar surface of the work platform; a first learning mode wherein the child explores letters, words, numbers or pictures by causing contact with the work platform without there being an incorrect selection, or indication of an incorrect selection, of a letter, word, number or picture and the toy provides audio feedback to the child when such contact corresponds to the selection of a letter, word, number or picture, the audio feedback relating to the selected letter, word, number or picture; and a second learning mode including; a plurality of audio prompts output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, a prompt including a question or instruction having at least one correct response, the question or instruction designed to encourage a child to make a cognitive selection of a letter, word, number or picture and indicate the cognitive selection of the letter, word, number or picture by causing contact with the work platform, the occurrence of contact on the work platform in response to the question or instruction indicating the cognitive selection by the child of the letter, word, number or picture corresponding to the question or instruction, the processor enclosed within the toy housing capable of;
a) executing educational software, b) receiving information from the sensing system corresponding to the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform and, c) using the information from the sensing system to determine whether the child'"'"'s cognitive selection of the letter, word, number or picture as indicated by the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction,a first audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the first audio feedback response indicating that the letter, word, number or picture selected by the child corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction, and a second audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the second audio feedback response indicating that the selection by the child is something other than a correct response to the question or instruction. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An electronic educational toy having a housing for teaching letters, words, numbers or pictures, comprising:
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a toy housing supporting a planar work platform on which a child can make selections by causing contact across the planar surface of the work platform, the toy housing enclosing; a speaker, a processor, and at least a portion of a sensing system designed to sense lateral movement of a child-caused contact across the face of the work platform while the contact is maintained with the work platform; a plurality of age-specific educational software wherein different software has been written for the toy for children of different educational levels and ages; the electronic educational toy having a movement tracking capability wherein in response to an audio prompt a child causes contact with the work platform to laterally move across the face of the work platform while the contact is maintained with the work platform and the processor detects the path of the contact as it moves laterally across the face of the work platform; and a learning mode including; a plurality of audio prompts output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, a prompt including a question or instruction having at least one correct response, the question or instruction designed to encourage a child to make a cognitive selection of a letter, word, number or picture and indicate the cognitive selection of the letter, word, number or picture by causing contact with the work platform, the occurrence of contact on the work platform in response to the question or instruction indicating the cognitive selection by the child of the letter, word, number or picture corresponding to the question or instruction, the processor enclosed within the toy housing capable of;
a) executing the plurality of educational software, b) receiving information from the corresponding to the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform and, c) using the information from the sensing system to determine whether the child'"'"'s cognitive selection of the letter, word, number or picture as indicated by the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction,a first audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the first audio feedback response indicating that the letter, word, number or picture selected by the child corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction, and a second audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the second audio feedback response indicating that the selection by the child is something other than a correct response to the question or instruction. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An electronic educational toy having a housing for teaching letters, words, numbers or pictures, comprising:
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a toy housing supporting a planar work platform on which a child can make selections by causing contact across the planar surface of the work platform, the toy housing enclosing; a speaker, a processor, and at least a portion of a sensing system, the sensing system receiving input from the child by sensing occurrences of contact caused by the child across the planar surface of the work platform; a plurality of age-specific educational software wherein different software has been written for the toy for children of different educational levels and ages; a plurality of images generated on the work platform to the child to facilitate interaction between the child and the educational software, wherein the images presented on the work platform are changed from time to time, the processor being aware of the change of images without the child having to assist in advising the toy that the presented images have been changed; and a learning mode including; a plurality of audio prompts output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, a prompt including a question or instruction having at least one correct response, the question or instruction designed to encourage a child to make a cognitive selection of a letter, word, number or picture and indicate the cognitive selection of the letter, word, number or picture by causing contact with the work platform, the occurrence of contact on the work platform in response to the question or instruction indicating the cognitive selection by the child of the letter, word, number or picture corresponding to the question or instruction, the processor enclosed within the toy housing capable of;
a) executing the plurality of educational software, b) receiving information from the sensing system corresponding to the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform and, c) using the information from the sensing system to determine whether the child'"'"'s cognitive selection of letter, word, number or picture as indicated by the occurrence of contact by the child on the work platform corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction,a first audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the first audio feedback response indicating that the letter, word, number or picture selected by the child corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction, and a second audio feedback response output by the speaker enclosed within the toy housing, the second audio feedback response indicating that the selection by the child is something other than a correct response to the question or instruction. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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Specification