Finger puppets with sounds

• US 7,029,361 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2003
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Marketing Store Worldwide LP (The HAVI Group LP)
• Original Assignee: The Marketing Store Worldwide LP (The HAVI Group LP)
• Inventors: Gierek, Michael G., Yu, Julie E., Taylor, Kevin L., Tretter, Thomas, Synowic, Ruth E., Seibert, Amy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ricci, John A.
• Application Number:
  US10/659,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20040121702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 446/327, 446/366, 446297-303, 446/175, 446308-309, 446/311, 446/402, 446/26
• US Class Current: 446/327
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/14 into which the fingers of the hand can be inserted, e.g. hand-puppets
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/22 Optical, colour, or shadow toys puzzles with optical elements A63F9/0613; kaleidoscopes G02B27/08
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/26 Magnetic or electric toys electric drives A63H29/22 ; indoor games played with small balls using magnetic power A63F7/0088, A63F7/068

Abstract

A finger puppet toy sits comfortably on a finger of a child, and generates a sound when the finger is tapped against a hard object, such as a desk or a table-top. The sound may be a voice, an animal sound, an animal voice sound, a musical note, or any of the above sounds in the key of a musical note. The head of the puppet toy articulates about a shaft when the child articulates the finger, and the head may thus appear to move while the sound is generated. Multiple toys worn on one or more hands and having different musical notes may be tapped in sequence to play a melody.

Claims

1. A toy for being held on or by a finger, comprising:

a body having a top end and a bottom end defining a vertical axis therebetween;

means for mounting the toy in an upright, vertical orientation on a finger, the means coupled to the body;

a computer chip and a speaker for generating at least one sound, the computer chip and the speaker mounted within the body;

a switch electrically connected to the computer chip, said switch requiring motion along the vertical axis for actuation of the switch; and

a finger tapper mounted on and extending away from the bottom end of the body, said finger tapper movable relative to the body in a direction along the vertical axis for momentary contact with the switch, such that when the finger tapper is depressed, the switch is actuated by the finger tapper to cause the generation of the sound.

2. The toy of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises a front and a back, and the means for mounting comprises a ring assembled between the front and the back, and protruding through the back.

3. The toy of claim 2, wherein the toy further comprises a shaft mounted at the top end of the body and further comprising a head part articulably mounted to the shaft.

4. The toy of claim 3, wherein the motion switch is connected to the head part, and wherein the motion switch is actuated to cause the generation of the sound when the head articulates or when the finger tapper is depressed.

5. The toy of claim 1, wherein the sound lasts about one to three seconds.

6. A plurality of toys according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of toys generates a different sound or the same sound.

7. A plurality of toys according to claim 6, wherein each of the toys has a different sound and the different sounds comprise a tune.

8. A group of at least three toys according to claim 1, wherein each of the toys is different and the group further comprises a theme.

9. A group of eight toys according to claim 1, wherein each of the toys generates a different sound and the eight sounds comprise an octave.

10. The toy of claim 1, further comprising at least one LED connected to the computer chip, wherein the computer chip further comprises a routine for flashing at least one pattern for the at least one LED.

11. A toy for being held on or by a finger, comprising:

a body comprising a front, a back, a top end and a bottom end, the top and bottom ends defining a vertical axis therebetween;

means for mounting the toy on a finger in a vertical orientation;

a computer chip and a speaker for generating at least one sound, the computer chip and the speaker mounted in the body;

a switch electrically connected to the computer chip, said switch mounted on the toy along the vertical axis for actuation of the switch; and

a finger tapper mounted on the bottom end of the body, said finger tapper extending away from the body in a direction along the vertical axis, wherein when the finger tapper is tapped against an object, the switch is actuated to cause the generation of the sound.

12. The toy of claim 11, further comprising a battery operably connected to the computer chip and the speaker.

13. The toy of claim 11, wherein at least the front of the toy is configured in the shape of an animal or a character.

14. The toy of claim 11, wherein the sound is of a type selected from the group consisting of an animal sound, a musical sound, a musical note, a musical animal sound, a voice sound, an animal voice sound, and a musical animal voice sound.

15. The toy of claim 11, further comprising a shaft mounted at the top end of the body and further comprising a head articulably mounted via a shaft to the front and back portions.

16. The toy of claim 15, wherein the switch is an inertia switch and an end of the inertia switch is connected to the head, wherein the inertia switch is actuated to cause the generation of the sound when the head articulates or when the finger tapper is tapped against an object.

17. The toy of claim 11, wherein the means for mounting comprises two rings, a first ring mounted to the head and a second ring mounted between the front and back portions.

18. A toy of claim 11, wherein the switch is selected from the group consisting of a touch switch and an inertia switch.

19. A toy of claim 11, further comprising at least one LED connected to the computer chip, wherein the computer chip further comprises a routine for flashing at least one pattern for the at least one LED.

20. A combination of a plurality of toys according to claim 11, wherein each of the toys generates a different sound and the plurality of sounds comprise a tune.

21. A combination according to claim 11, wherein each of the toys is different and the combination further comprises a theme.

22. A combination of eight toys according to claim 11, wherein each of the toys generates a different sound and the eight sounds comprise an octave.

23. A method of assembling toys for being held on or by a finger in a vertical orientation, the method comprising:

providing a computer chip programmed to generate a sound;

enclosing the computer chip inside a body of a finger puppet;

installing a switch on the body, such that said switch is mounted for requiring motion in a vertical direction for actuation of the switch; and

mounting a finger tapper extending away from the body in the vertical direction near the switch.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising mounting a head articulably to the body.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising mounting at least one finger ring to at least one of the body and the head, wherein the at least one ring protrudes from the rear of the body.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the sound is selected from the group consisting of an animal sound, a musical sound, a musical note, a musical animal sound, a voice sound, an animal voice sound, and a musical animal voice sound.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising installing at least one battery in electrical contact with the computer chip.

28. The method of claim 23, mounting at least one LED onto the body.