Place and find toy

• US 6,527,611 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2001
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles A. Cummings
• Original Assignee: Charles A. Cummings
• Inventors: Cummings, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks, Derris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cegielnik, Urszula M
• Application Number:
  US09/783,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20020111115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 446/175, 446/397, 446/353, 446/352, 446/330, 446/298, 446/299, 446/301, 446/300, 446/302, 446/303, 446/297
• 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

Abstract

The place and find toy, generally a doll or stuffed animal, has a circuit with a programmable computer controlled voice synthesizer. The circuit of the toy, when activated by an on-switch, synthesizes a first series of phrases to encourage a human player to find it. When the toy is subsequently found and moved, a motion activated switch causes the synthesizer to stop the first series of phrases and start a second series of phrases. The second series of phrases thanks and/or praises the player who finds the toy. The circuit then turns off the toy until the cycle is restarted by activating the on-switch. Optionally, a programmed delay time causes a delay from when the on-switch is activated until the motion activated switch is enabled.

Claims

1. An interactive toy for interactive hide and seek game playing with a player, the interactive toy comprising:

a programmable voice synthesizer chip means for periodically with a first time delay voicing phrases for encouraging the player to find the interactive toy;

a compression switch means for turning on the programmable voice synthesizer chip means to initiate the interactive hide and seek game playing; and

a motion activated switch means for signaling the programmable voice synthesizer chip means to stop periodically voicing the phrases for encouraging the player to find the interactive toy, to voice phrases for thanking and praising the player, and to turn off the interactive toy after voicing the phrases for thanking and praising the player.

2. The interactive toy of claim 1, further comprising:

a programmable voice synthesizer chip means for making operable the motion activated switch means at a second time delay after the programmable voice synthesizer chip is turned on.

3. The interactive toy of claim 1, further comprising:

a programmable voice synthesizer chip means for automatically turning off the interactive toy if the motion activated switch means has not signaled the programmable voice synthesizer chip means after a third time delay after the programmable voice synthesizer chip is turned on.

4. The interactive toy of claim 3, wherein:

the third time delay is an integer multiple of the first time delay, such that the third time delay can be specified as a count of the number of periodic voicings of the phrases for encouraging the player to find the interactive toy.

5. The interactive toy of claim 1, wherein:

the second time delay is equal to the first time delay.

6. The interactive toy of claim 1, wherein:

the first time delay is thirty seconds.

7. The interactive toy of claim 1, further comprising:

a body in the form of a stuffed animal or doll having at least one arm wherein the compression switch means is in an outer end of the arm.

8. The interactive toy of claim 1, wherein:

when the programmable voice synthesizer chip means is turned on to initiate the interactive hide and seek game playing, the programmable voice synthesizer chip means immediately voices phrases for encouraging the player to find the interactive toy.

9. The interactive toy of claim 1, wherein:

the programmable voice synthesizer chip means consists of a single integrated circuit chip.

10. A method for an interactive toy to conduct a hide and seek game with a child, the method comprising the steps of:

in response to the child compressing the interactive toy, turning on the interactive toy;

immediately after turning on the interactive toy, conducting the hide and seek game by periodically, with a first time delay, voicing phrases for encouraging the child to find the interactive toy;

in response to the child moving the interactive toy, stopping periodically voicing phrases for encouraging the child to find the interactive toy, and starting voicing phrases for thanking and praising the child; and

after voicing a predetermined sequence of phrases for thanking and praising the child, turning off the interactive toy, thereby ending the hide and seek game.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

making the response to the child moving the interactive toy operable at a second time delay after the interactive toy is turned on.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

automatically turning off the interactive toy if the child does not move the interactive toy within a third time delay after the interactive toy is turned on.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the third time delay is an integer multiple of the first time delay, such that the third time delay can be specified as a count of the number of periodic voicings of the phrases for encouraging the player to find the interactive toy.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the second time delay is equal to the first time delay.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the first time delay is thirty seconds.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

providing the interactive toy with a body in the form of a stuffed animal or doll having at least one arm; and

positioning compression sensing means in an outer end of the arm.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

in response to turning on the interactive toy, immediately voicing phrases for encouraging the player to find the interactive toy.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

turning off the interactive toy immediately after voicing a predetermined sequence of phrases for thanking and praising the child.

19. A method for a toy to conduct an interactive game with a player, the method comprising the steps of:

in response to the player compressing the interactive toy, turning on the toy to immediately begin conducting the interactive game;

voicing first phrases periodically with a first time delay;

in response to the player moving the toy, stopping voicing first phrases periodically and starting voicing second phrases; and

after voicing a predetermined sequence of second phrases, turning off the toy, thereby ending the interactive game.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

automatically turning off the toy if the player does not move the toy within a third time delay after the toy is turned on.