Interactive audio-visual toy

• US 5,944,574 A
• Filed: 07/17/1996
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shoot The Moon Products II LLC
• Original Assignee: Shoot The Moon Products II LLC
• Inventors: Rago, Paul S., Farley, Brian, Small, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carlson, Jeffrey D.
• Application Number:
  US08/682,266
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 446/147, 446/149, 446/151, 446/408, 434/308, 434/309, 434/311
• US Class Current: 446/149
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon

Abstract

An interactive audio-visual toy that includes a base unit that receives removable audio-visual ("AV") cassette. The AV cassette includes a pair of rollers on which a picture scroll is wound. The pictorial scenes of the picture scroll are evident through a transparent viewing window. Moreover, a pre-recorded audio cassette is mounted on its bottom surface. The base unit controls the AV cassette to successively display these pictorial scenes without the use of expensive display hardware and to output audio from the pre-recorded audio cassette tape.

Claims

1. An audio-visual cassette comprising:

a plurality of rollers including a first-roller and a second roller;

a picture scroll including a plurality of pictorial scenes, a first end of said picture scroll being coupled to said first roller and a second end of said picture scroll being coupled to said second roller;

an audio cassette tape including a magnetic tape having pre-recorded audio which is complementary with said plurality of pictorial scenes on said picture scroll, the magnetic tap being rotated during playback, around at least one as of rotation generally orthogonal to the plurality of rollers; and

a removable casing providing a unitary unit that includes (i) the audio cassette tape, (ii) the picture scroll, and (iii) the plurality of rollers, the casing including a transparent viewing window located on a front surface to allow a pictorial scene of the plurality of pictorial scenes to be visible.

2. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 1, wherein said audio cassette tape is permanently attached to a rear surface of the casing.

3. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 1 further including an idle roller operating in combination with said plurality of rollers.

4. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 1, wherein said picture scroll is made of non-translucent material having said plurality of pictorial scenes printed thereon.

5. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 1, wherein said pictorial scene of said plurality of pictorial scenes is displayed in synchronism with playback of a segment of said pre-recorded audio corresponding to said pictorial scene.

6. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 5, wherein said magnetic tape includes a plurality of parallel channels of which at least one channel is used to control playback of said pre-recorded audio and at least one channel contains said pre-recorded audio.

7. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 5, wherein said magnetic tame includes a plurality of parallel channels of which a first channel of said plurality of parallel channels is used to control playback of said pre-recorded audio and to contain said pre-recorded audio.

8. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 5, wherein said magnetic tape includes a plurality of parallel channels of which a first channel of said plurality of parallel channels is selected as a default channel to playback said pre-recorded audio according to a first story line.

9. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 8, wherein a second channel of said plurality of parallel channels is selected as said default channel to playback said pre-recorded audio according to a second story line.

10. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 1, wherein said picture scroll includes codes printed on one of its longitudinal edges, said codes are solely used to control the display of said plurality of pictorial scenes in synchronism with said pre-recorded audio.

11. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 1, wherein said picture scroll includes a translucent material having said plurality of pictorial scenes printed thereon.

13. The base unit according to claim 11, wherein said pictorial drive control mechanism includes

a plurality of drive pins rotatably engaged with the plurality of rollers to index the picture scroll;

a rotating mechanism coupled to said plurality of drive pins, said rotating mechanism being used to rotate said plurality of drive pins; and

a motor coupled to said rotating mechanism, said motor being used to drive said rotating mechanism to rotate said plurality of drive pins to display the pictorial scenes.

14. The base unit according to claim 13, wherein said rotating mechanism includes

a plurality of pulleys coupled to said plurality of drive pins;

and

a belt engaged with said plurality of pulleys, said belt drives said plurality of pulleys to rotate said plurality of drive pins.

15. The base unit according to claim 13, wherein said pictorial drive control mechanism further includes a sensor coupled to said controller, said sensor being mounted within the base unit to monitor a longitudinal edge of the picture scroll and to transmit a control signal to said controller which, in turn, applies power to said motor to advance the picture scroll to display a subsequent pictorial scene.

16. The base unit according to claim 13, wherein said pictorial drive control mechanism further includes a plurality of scene index buttons which, upon being depressed, transmit a control signal to said controller to power said motor to index the picture scroll.

17. The base unit according to claim 16, wherein a first button of said plurality of scene index buttons, upon being depressed, transmits a first control signal to said controller to power said motor to advance said picture scroll and a second button of said plurality of scene index buttons, upon being depressed, transmits a second control signal to said controller to power said motor to rewind said picture scroll.

18. The base unit according to claim 11, wherein said audio cassette drive mechanism includes

a tape drive motor;

a pair of tape drive pins coupled to said tape drive motor, said pair of tape drive pins rotate said take-up reels of the audio cassette tape; and

at least one read tape head to obtain audio information from the audio cassette tape and transfer said audio information to said controller for playback.

19. The interactive toy according to claim 16, wherein said audio-visual cassette further includes

a plurality of rollers substantially contained within said casing, said plurality of rollers includes a first roller coupled to a first end of said picture scroll and a second roller coupled to a second end of said picture scroll;

and

an idle roller positioned adjacent to one of said first roller and second roller, said idle roller removes slack in said picture scroll during operation of the interactive toy.

21. The interactive toy according to claim 19, wherein one scene of said plurality of pictorial scenes of said picture scroll is displayed in synchronism with playback of a segment of said pre-recorded audio corresponding to said pictorial scene provided by said audio cassette tape.

22. The interactive toy according to claim 21, wherein said magnetic tape includes a plurality of parallel channels of which a first channel of said plurality of parallel channels is selected as a default channel to playback said pre-recorded audio according to a first story line.

23. The interactive toy according to claim 22, wherein a second channel of said plurality of parallel channels is selected as said default channel to playback said prerecorded audio according to a second story line.

24. The interactive toy according to claim 23, wherein said base unit includes

a controller;

a pictorial drive control mechanism coupled to said controller;

an audio cassette drive mechanism coupled to said controller, the audio cassette drive mechanism to rotate the at least one drive pin around the axis; and

an audio speaker coupled to said audio cassette drive mechanism, said audio speaker outputs audible sound based on said default channel selected by said audio cassette drive mechanism.

25. The interactive toy according to claim 24, wherein said pictorial drive control mechanism includes a sensor coupled to said controller, said sensor being mounted within the base unit to monitor a longitudinal edge of the picture scroll and to transmit a control signal to said controller which, in turn, controls positioning of the pictorial scene.

12. A base unit, controlling display of pictorial scenes and playback of audio corresponding to the pictorial scenes of a unitary, removable audio-visual cassette including a picture scroll, having a plurality of scones depicted thereon, wound around one of a plurality of rollers, and an audio cassette tape, having a pair of take-up reels, mounted on a rear side of the audio-video cassette, comprising;

a controller;

a pictorial drive control mechanism coupled to said controller, said pictorial drive control mechanism controls the display of the pictorial scenes through rotation of at least one of the plurality of rollers around a first axis;

an audio cassette drive mechanism coupled to said controller, said audio cassette drive mechanism is responsive to control signals from said controller to select a channel from the audio cassette tape to be played and to rotate at least one drive pin about an axis generally orthogonal to said first axis causing rotation of the pair of take-up reels during playback of the audio cassette tape;

an audio speaker coupled to said audio cassette drive mechanism, said audio speaker outputs audible sound based on said channel selected by said audio cassette drive mechanism; and

a housing for said pictorial drive control mechanism, said housing providing a first slot sized for insertion of the audio cassette tape of the audio-visual cassette.

20. An interactive toy comprising:

a base unit; and

a removable audio-visual cassette being inserted into said base unit, said audio-visual cassette including

a plurality of rollers,

a picture scroll coupled to the plurality of rollers and including a plurality of pictorial scenes,

an audio cassette tape including a pair of take-up reels wound with magnetic tape having pre-recorded audio complementary with said plurality of pictorial scenes on said picture scroll, the pair of take-up reels being rotated around an axis orthogonal to the rollers during playback; and

a casing providing a solitary unit that includes (i) the audio cassette tape, (ii) the picture scroll, and (iii) the plurality of rollers, the casing including a transparent viewing window located on a front surface to allow at least one pictorial scene of the plurality of pictorial scenes to be visible.

26. An audio-visual cassette comprising:

a plurality of rollers including a first roller and a second roller, the first roller to rotate around a first axis of rotation;

a picture scroll coupled to the plurality of rollers;

an audio cassette tape including a pair of take-up reels and a magnetic tape having pre-recorded audio, at least one of the take-up reels being rotated, during playback, around a second axis of rotation orthogonal to the first axis; and

a casing providing a unitary unit that includes (i) the audio cassette tape, (ii) the picture scroll, and (iii) the plurality of rollers, the casing including a transparent viewing window located on a front surface to allow a pictorial scene to be visible.

27. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 26, wherein said audio cassette tape is permanently attached to a rear surface of the casing.

28. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 26, wherein said magnetic tape includes a plurality of parallel channels of which a first channel of said plurality of parallel channels is selected as a default channel to playback said pre-recorded audio according to a first story line.

29. The audio-visual cassette according to claim 28, wherein a second channel of said plurality of parallel channels is selected as said default channel to playback said pre-recorded audio according to a second story line.