Wireless toy systems and methods for interactive entertainment
First Claim
1. A stuffed toy for playing a wireless interactive game, said stuffed toy comprising:
- a fabric material defining an outer skin or covering of said stuffed toy;
a stuffing material disposed within said outer skin or covering;
a passive radiofrequency identification (“
RFID”
) tag hermetically sealed within a plastic support structure and affixed to or disposed within said outer skin or covering in such a manner that it cannot be easily removed from the stuffed toy and does not expose any sharp surfaces that could otherwise poke or puncture said outer skin or covering;
said RFID tag comprising;
i) a microprocessor, ii) a unique identifier configured to uniquely identify said stuffed toy within said wireless interactive game, iii) non-volatile programmable memory configured to store game-relevant information, and iv) a transceiver and associated antenna configured to provide two-way wireless communications with a compatible RFID reader via inductive coupling; and
wherein said game-relevant information comprises at least;
i) a first selection of information comprising one or more traits, powers or skills associated with said stuffed toy, ii) a second selection of information comprising progress information relevant to said wireless interactive game, and iii) a third selection of information configured to be selected by a game participant.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A playmate toy or similar children'"'"'s toy is provided having associated wireless, batteryless ID tag that can be read from and/or written to using a radio-frequency communication protocol. The tag is mounted internally within a cavity of the toy and thereby provides wireless communication of stored information without requiring removal and reinsertion of the tag. In this manner, a stuffed animal or other toy can be quickly and easily identified non-invasively, without damaging the toy. Additional information (e.g., unique personality traits, special powers, skill levels, etc.) can also be stored on the ID tag, thus providing further personality enhancement, input/output programming, simulated intelligence and/or interactive gaming possibilities.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A stuffed toy for playing a wireless interactive game, said stuffed toy comprising:
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a fabric material defining an outer skin or covering of said stuffed toy; a stuffing material disposed within said outer skin or covering; a passive radiofrequency identification (“
RFID”
) tag hermetically sealed within a plastic support structure and affixed to or disposed within said outer skin or covering in such a manner that it cannot be easily removed from the stuffed toy and does not expose any sharp surfaces that could otherwise poke or puncture said outer skin or covering;said RFID tag comprising;
i) a microprocessor, ii) a unique identifier configured to uniquely identify said stuffed toy within said wireless interactive game, iii) non-volatile programmable memory configured to store game-relevant information, and iv) a transceiver and associated antenna configured to provide two-way wireless communications with a compatible RFID reader via inductive coupling; andwherein said game-relevant information comprises at least;
i) a first selection of information comprising one or more traits, powers or skills associated with said stuffed toy, ii) a second selection of information comprising progress information relevant to said wireless interactive game, and iii) a third selection of information configured to be selected by a game participant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A playmate toy for playing a wireless interactive game, said playmate toy comprising:
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a body in the form of a doll, an action figure, or a stuffed character, said body comprising a first material defining an outer skin of said playmate toy and a second material substantially filling an inner cavity of said body defined by said outer skin; a support structure disposed within said inner cavity, said support structure formed from a third material comprising a molded plastic substrate; a radiofrequency identification (“
RFID”
) tag affixed to or embedded in said support structure in such a manner that said RFID tag cannot be easily removed from said playmate toy and does not expose any sharp surfaces that could poke or puncture said outer skin;said RFID tag comprising;
i) a microprocessor, ii) a unique identifier configured to uniquely identify said playmate toy within said wireless interactive game, iii) non-volatile programmable memory configured to store game-relevant information, a iv) a transceiver configured to provide two-way wireless communications with a compatible RFID reader device, and v) a spiral-wound antenna electrically coupled to said transceiver and configured to be energized by inductive coupling with said compatible RFID reader device for powering said RFID tag; andwherein said game-relevant information comprises;
i) a first selection of information comprising one or more powers or abilities associated with said playmate toy, ii) a second selection of information comprising progress information relevant to said wireless interactive game, and iii) a third selection of information comprising a personalized name of said playmate toy. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A stuffed character toy for playing an interactive game, said stuffed character toy comprising:
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a body representing a character from said interactive game, said body comprising a first material defining an outer skin of said stuffed character toy and a second material defining an inner filling or stuffing of said stuffed character toy; a passive radiofrequency identification (“
RFID”
) tag affixed to or disposed within said body in such a manner that it cannot be easily removed from said body and does not expose sharp edges that could otherwise poke or puncture said outer skin;said RFID tag comprising;
i) a microprocessor, ii) a unique identifier configured to uniquely identify said stuffed character toy within said interactive game, iii) non-volatile programmable memory configured to store game-relevant information, and iv) a transceiver and associated antenna configured to provide two-way wireless communications with a compatible RFID reader via inductive coupling; andwherein said game-relevant information comprises;
i) a first selection of information comprising one or more traits, powers or skills associated with said stuffed character toy, ii) a second selection of information comprising progress information relevant to said interactive game, and iii) a third selection of information configured to be selected by a game participant. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification