Wireless musical figurines

• US 8,444,452 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hallmark Cards Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hallmark Cards Incorporated
• Inventors: Dang, Phu, Ng, Ka Wai
• Primary Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US12/911,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20110059677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 446/397, 446/491, 846/00, 846/09
• US Class Current: 446/397
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 13/02 imitating natural actions, e.g. catching a mouse by a cat, the kicking of an animal
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10

Abstract

A method, system, and medium are provided for a wireless musical figurine belonging to a set of wireless musical figurines that play audio files in coordination with one another. One system of the musical figurine includes a wireless transceiver utilized to communicate with one or more musical figurines. The musical figurine also includes a set of master audio files of a first quality level, and a set of slave audio files of a second quality level. An audio player plays an audio file from the set of master audio files or the set of slave audio files. A master audio file is played when the musical figurine is initiated in accordance with a user indication, and a slave audio file is played when the musical figurine is initiated by another musical figurine. The musical figurine may also have movement capabilities which may be coordinated with the playing of an audio file to present a dancing figurine.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of coordinating audio presentations of a set of wireless musical figurines, the method comprising:

identifying a lapse of a predetermined time interval;

upon the lapse of the predetermined time interval, automatically initiating a first audio presentation of a master audio file performed by a musical figurine, wherein a first portion of the master audio file is performed as a solo; and

during the first audio presentation of the first portion of the master audio file, initiating a second audio presentation of a slave audio file performed by a slave musical figurine that is remote from the musical figurine, the second audio presentation beginning at a second portion of the master audio file and corresponding with the master audio file.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the master audio file comprises a waveform audio file format.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the slave audio file comprises a musical instrument digital interface format.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the slave audio file is automatically initiated using one-way communication provided by the master device directed to the slave device.

5. The media of claim 1 further comprising selecting the master audio file for the first audio presentation.

6. The media of claim 1 further comprising selecting the slave audio file for the second audio presentation.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein initiating the second audio presentation comprises communicating a join-in signal to the slave device.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the master audio file and the slave audio file include different musical instrument pieces for the same song.

9. The media of claim 1, further comprising waiting another lapse of the predetermined time period upon completion of the first audio presentation of the master audio file.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of coordinating audio presentations of a set of wireless musical figurines, the method comprising:

identifying a lapse of a predetermined time interval;

upon the lapse of the predetermined time interval, initiating a first audio presentation of a master audio file performed by a musical figurine, wherein a first portion of the master audio file is performed as a solo; and

during the first audio presentation of the first portion of the master audio file, initiating a second audio presentation of a slave audio file performed by a slave musical figurine that is remote from the musical figurine, the second audio presentation beginning at a second portion of the master audio file and corresponding with the master audio file, wherein communication between the musical figurine and the slave musical figurine comprises only one-way communication during a performance cycle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the master audio file comprises a first file format of a first quality level, and the slave audio file comprises a second file format of a second quality level that is different from the first quality level.

12. A method of coordinating audio presentations of a set of wireless musical figurines, the method comprising:

identifying, at a musical figurine, a lapse of a predetermined time interval;

upon the lapse of the predetermined time interval, the musical figurine automatically initiating a first audio presentation of a master audio file performed by the musical figurine, wherein a first portion of the master audio file is performed as a solo; and

during the first audio presentation of the first portion of the master audio file, a slave musical figurine initiating a second audio presentation of a slave audio file performed by the slave musical figurine that is remote from the musical figurine, the second audio presentation beginning at a second portion of the master audio file and corresponding with the master audio file.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the master audio file comprises a waveform audio file format.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the slave audio file comprises a musical instrument digital interface format.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the slave audio file is automatically initiated using one-way communication provided by the master device directed to the slave device.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising selecting the master audio file for the first audio presentation.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising selecting the slave audio file for the second audio presentation.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein initiating the second audio presentation comprises communicating a join-in signal to the slave device.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the master audio file and the slave audio file include different musical instrument pieces for the same song.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising waiting another lapse of the predetermined time period upon completion of the first audio presentation of the master audio file.