Audio animation system

• US 8,753,166 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ENTT Limited
• Original Assignee: ENTT Limited
• Inventors: Binyamin, Moshe
• Primary Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US12/642,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20100099327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 446/175
• US Class Current: 446/175
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles

Abstract

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a system for rendering audio animation, the system comprising: two or more non-biotic figures; an audio player, having two or more audio sources correspondingly to the two or more non-biotic figures, for simultaneously playing the audio signals associated with the two or more non-biotic figures; and two or more speaker units corresponding to the two or more audio sources. The system may further comprise means for wireless transmission of the audio signal of at least one of the audio sources to a remote speaker unit thereof. The means for wireless transmission may comprise a wireless transmission unit deployed at the audio player, and a wireless receiving unit deployed at the speaker unit. The non-biotic figure may be a two-dimensional, three-dimensional figure, and so on.

Claims

1. An audio animation system, comprising:

two or more three-dimensional non-biotic figures having circuitry, the circuitry of each of the non-biotic figures at least including either a radio frequency receiver or a radio frequency transmitter,

at least a first non-biotic figure of the two or more non-biotic figures having the radio frequency transmitter and at least a second non-biotic figure of the two or more non-biotic figures having the radio frequency receiver, the radio frequency receiver for receiving a radio frequency audio signal transmitted by the radio frequency transmitter, and the radio frequency transmitter configured to broadcast radio frequency audio signals to be received by the radio frequency receiver,

the circuitry of the first non-biotic figure having an amplifier for amplifying said signal, the circuitry of each of the non-biotic figures having a speaker unit for playing said audio signal, the two or more non-biotic figures situated close enough to one another to be seen by a child as interacting with one another in a conversation,

the first non-biotic figure, whose circuitry includes the radio frequency transmitter configured to broadcast radio frequency audio signals, having an audio player, the audio player having two or more audio channels including one audio channel corresponding to the first non-biotic figure of said two or more non-biotic figures and a second audio channel corresponding to the second non-biotic figure of said two or more non-biotic figures, the audio player for simultaneously playing the radio frequency audio signals of said two or more audio channels associated with said two or more non-biotic figures, the audio channels providing synchronized audio content configured to present to a child a conversation between the two or more non-biotic figures such that the first audio channel corresponds to a part in the conversation spoken by one of said two or more non-biotic figures and such that the second audio channel corresponds to a part in the conversation spoken by the second of said two or more non-biotic figures,

the at least two non-biotic figures and the audio player all situated close enough to one another to transmit between them radio frequency signals; and

two or more speaker units of the two or more non-biotic figures corresponding to said two or more audio channels, including a first speaker playing an output of the first audio channel and a second speaker playing an output of the second audio channel.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of said speaker units is deployed closer to the non-biotic figure associated with said speaker unit than to any other of said non-biotic figures, for associating an audio signal with the non-biotic figure thereof.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said audio player is an MP3 player.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein broadcasting of the radio frequency audio signals by said audio player to at least the second of said two or more non-biotic figures is wireless between the audio player and the at least the second two or more non-biotic figure.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said audio player is selected from a group comprising:

a computer, a DVD, an MP3 player, a cassette player.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising circuitry for wireless transmission of the audio signal of at least one of said audio channels to the speaker units thereof.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said circuitry comprises:

a wireless transmission unit deployed at said audio player, and wireless receiving units deployed at the speaker units thereof.

8. A system according to claim 6, further comprising interaction means with a user thereof.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein each of said non-biotic figures further comprises means for moving one or more organs of said non-biotic figure.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein said system is configured so that a child listening to the non-biotic figures can select and vary audio content.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein said two or more audio channels are of a stereophonic device.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the content of said two or more audio channels is provided without use of a cable and without passing through a network.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the content of said two or more audio channels is provided through wireless transmission.

14. A system according to claim 13, further comprising means for selecting the content to be provided.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein the content of said two or more audio channels is provided by a memory card.

16. A system according to claim 1, wherein the audio player has a wired connection to the first speaker of the first non-biotic figure of the two or more non-biotic figures for broadcasting the first audio channel and the audio player is connected to a transmitter that broadcasts the second audio channel wirelessly to the second non-biotic figure of the two or more non-biotic figures.

17. A method for rendering sound animation, the method comprising:

providing two or more three-dimensional non-biotic figures having circuitry, the circuitry of each of the non-biotic figures at least including either a radio frequency receiver or a radio frequency transmitter, at least a first non-biotic figure of the two or more non-biotic figures having the radio frequency transmitter and at least a second non-biotic figure of the two or more non-biotic figures having the radio frequency receiver, the radio frequency receiver for receiving a radio frequency audio signal transmitted by a radio frequency transmitter and the radio frequency transmitter configured to broadcast radio frequency audio signals to be received by the radio frequency receiver, the circuitry of the first non-biotic figure having an amplifier for amplifying said signal, the circuitry of each of the non-biotic figures having a speaker unit for playing said audio signal, the two or more non-biotic figures situated close enough to one another to be seen by a child as interacting with one another in a conversation;

providing the first non-biotic figure with an audio player, whose circuitry includes the radio frequency transmitter for transmitting radio frequency audio signals

situating the at least two non-biotic figures and the audio player all close enough to one another to transmit between them radio frequency signals;

providing the audio player with two or more audio channels, the audio player having one audio channel corresponding to the first non-biotic figure of said two or more non-biotic figures and a second audio channel corresponding to the second non-biotic figure of said two or more non-biotic figures, the audio player for simultaneously playing the radio frequency audio signals of said two or more audio channels associated with said two or more non-biotic figures, the audio channels providing synchronized audio content configured to present to a child a conversation between the two or more non-biotic figures such that the first audio channel corresponds to a part in the conversation spoken by one of said two or more non-biotic figures and such that the second audio channel corresponds to a part in the conversation spoken by the second of said two or more non-biotic figures; and

playing simultaneously the audio signal of said two or more audio channels through speaker units of said two or more non-biotic figures so as to present a conversation between the two or more non-biotic figures such that a first speaker plays an output of the first audio channel and a second speaker plays an output of the second audio channel.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of providing means for connecting at least one of said speaker units by wireless connection to the audio channel source thereof.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein said audio player is selected from a group comprising:

a computer, a DVD, an MP3 player, a cassette player, a TV.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein the audio player is an MP3 player.

21. A method according to claim 17, each of said speaker units is deployed closer to the non-biotic figure thereof than to any other of said non-biotic figures.

22. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of adapting said playing according to the input signal provided by a user thereof.

23. A method according to claim 17, wherein said input signal is provided by interaction means.