Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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INTERACTING TO~C FIGURE FOR COMPUTER USERS
SPECIFICATION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computer
systems and particularly to interactive devices used
in combination therewith.
Background of the Invention
The use of computers to play various types of
games or indulge in other game and amusement
activities has become vary well known and constitutes
a substantial portion of non-commercial use of
computers. Games have been provided which employ
various media for communicating the game to the
computer such as magnetic tape cartridges, CD ROM disk
based games, and more recently developed Internet
download game capabilities. The basic function of
such games is to provide a ready source for the game
operation and rules. The use of Internet capability
to communicate game rules to a particular computer
raises the further potential for interactive games
between remotely located game players. The basic idea
of such games is relatively simple in that the game
rules and game play patterns are imputed to the
computer for processing and for control of game play.
Thereafter, the user participating in the game play
interacts with the computer by providing various
responses and inputs.
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In addition to game play activities based upon
software loaded into the computer by various media,
additional development by computer based games has
been directed toward providing peripheral devices
which communicate with the computer and the user and
which operate in an interactive manner to enhance the
operation of the game play. Examples of such
interactive devices have been found in various
apparatus such as dolls or toy figures which are
coupled to the computer using a hard wired tether or
alternatively using transmission and reception of
radio frequency waves or inferred energy.
While such games utilizing interactive devices
and computer based game play have become highly
evolved and often complex, there remains nonetheless a
continuing need in the art for evermore interesting
and amusing interactive devices such as dolls or toy
figures.
Summary of the Invention
Accordingly, it is a general object of the
present invention to provide an improved interacting
toy figure for computer users. It is a more
particular object of the present invention to provided
an improved interacting toy figure for computer user's
which is substantially more amusing and entertaining
in its operation.
In accordance with the present invention there is
provided an interacting toy figure and computer in
combination, the combination comprising: a computer
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having a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and a
communication port; a toy figure having a body, a pair
of arms, a neck, a head, a mouth and first and second
eyes; a mouth illumination element supported behind
the mouth; first and second pluralities of
illuminatable pupils in the first and second eyes
respectively; motor means within the body for moving
the head and arms; control means within the body for
controlling the motor means and the first and second
pluralities of illuminatable pupils; and a tether
coupling the control means to the communication port.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The features of the present invention, which are
believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity
in the appended claims. The invention, together with
further objects and advantages thereof, may best be
understood by reference to the following description
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
in the several figures of which like reference
numerals identify like elements and in which:
Figure 1 sets forth a perspective view of an
interacting toy figure for computer user's constructed
in accordance with the present invention together with
a typical computer;
Figure 2 sets forth a partially section front
view of the present invention interacting toy figure
for computer user's;
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Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Figure 1 sets forth a front perspective view of
an interacting toy figure constructed in accordance
with the present invention and generally referenced by
numeral 10. Figure 1 also shows a conventional
computer generally referenced by numeral 20 fabricated
in accordance with conventional fabrication techniques
and having a processor unit 21 supporting a CD ROM
drive 22 and a monitor 26. Monitor 26 includes a
display screen 27 upon which images are formed in
accordance with conventional fabrication techniques.
Computer 20 further includes a keyboard 24 and a mouse
25 both operatively couple to processor unit 21 and
both operative to provide user inputs to computer 20.
A CD ROM disk 23 is shown being installed within drive
22. CD ROM disk 23 provides a software input to
computer 20 which includes a set of game and/or
activity rules related to the operation of figure 10.
Figure 10 is preferably formed of a molded
plastic material or the like and defines a body 11
supported upon a base 12. Body 11 further supports a
pair of rotatably mounted arms 13 and 14 together with
an upwardly extending neck 15. A head 16 having a
pair of eyes 17 and 18 is supported upon neck 15. A
mouth 19 is formed upon the frontal portion of head 16
and supports a light emitting diode 35 therein.
In accordance with the present invention, eyes 17
and 18 are fabricated to provide a plurality of
alternatively illuminatable light emitting diode
pupils. In the preferred fabrication of the present
invention, the pupils of eyes 17 and 18 are
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illuminated in pairs (one for each eye) to give the
appearance of having figure 10 looking in a particular
direction. Thus, in the example shown in Figure 1,
pupils 30 and 31 are illuminated giving eyes 17 and 18
5 the appearance of looking directly ahead.
Alternatively, for example, figure 10 may be made to
appear to look downwardly and to its right by
illuminating alternative pupils 32 and 33 shown in
dash-line representation. The complete set of
alternative pupils formed in eyes 17 and 18 is
illustrated in Figure 2 below. However, suffice it to
note here, that selective pupil pairs may be energized
to provide a complete range of eye motion or eye
attention direction.
In further accordance with the present invention,
mouth 19 supports a light emitting diode 35 within
head 16 directly behind mouth 19 which when
illuminated gives an appearance of mouth activity. A
tether 34 is operatively coupled between toy figure 10
and a selected port of processor unit 21 (not shown).
For example, tether 34 may couple to an unused
parallel port or the so-called serial port or game
port (not shown).
In operation, the user installs CD ROM 23 within
drive 22 and thereafter plays various game or
informational activities interacting with computer 20
via keyboard 24 and mouse 25. In accordance with the
present invention, figure 10 is animated periodically
by signals communicated from computer 20 to figure 10
using tether 34. In the example of the present
invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, figure 10 utilizes
mouth illumination as well as selective pupil
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illumination eyes 17 and 18 to facilitate interaction.
Additionally, sounds are produced by figure 10
utilizing conventional sound producing circuitry (seen
in Figure 2). Finally, arms 13 and 14 are pivotally
supported upon body 11 and are rotated in response to
a motor drive unit (seen in Figure 2).
Figure 2 sets forth a partially section front
view of the present invention interacting toy figure.
As described above, figure 10 includes a body 11
supported upon a base 12 and having arms 13 and 14
secured thereto. As is also described above, toy
figure 10 includes a neck 15 supporting a head 16
which in turn includes a mouth 19 and eyes 17 and 18.
A pair of pupils 30 and 31 formed of light emitting
diodes are shown illuminated in eyes 17 and 18.
In further accordance with the present invention,
body 11 defines an interior cavity 42 within which a
sound and controller circuit 43 is supported. Base 12
supports a plurality of batteries such as batteries 40
and 41 which are operatively coupled to sound and
controller circuit 43 by a plurality of wires 47.
Sound and controller circuit 43 is fabricated in
accordance with conventional fabrication techniques
and includes an integrated circuit sound device 45
together with a motor controller 44. Additional
electronic components are shown as part of sound and
controller circuit 43. A speaker 46 is operatively
coupled to sound circuit 45 by a plurality of wires
49.
Arms 13 and 14 are rotatably coupled to body 11
by a pair of shafts 70 and 71 respectively. Shafts 70
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and 71 support respective bevel gears 72 and 73. Neck
15 supports a neck shaft 75 which extends upwardly
through neck 15 and is coupled to head 16. Neck shaft
75 further supports a gear segment 74.
A motor 50 is operatively coupled to controller
circuit 43 by wires 51 and includes an output gear 60.
Output gear 60 engages a gear 61 supported upon a
shaft 62. Shaft 62 further supports bevel gears 63
and 64. Gears 63 and 64 respectively engage gears 72
and 73 of arms 13 and 14.
Head 16 further supports eyes 17 and 18 which as
described above support a plurality of alternative
sets of illuminatable pupils used to simulate movement
or change in direction of gaze on the part of toy
figure 10. In the preferred fabrication of the
present invention, the alternative pupils formed in
eyes 17 and 18 are provided by light emitting diodes.
Similarly, a light emitting diode 35 is supported
behind mouth 19 and when energized gives the
appearance of mouth movement.
Eye 17 supports a plurality of alternative pupils
110 through 121 while eye 18 supports an alternative
set of pupils 90 through 101. Thus, in accordance
with the present invention, eyes 17 and 18 give the
appearance of steering straight ahead by illuminating
pupils 30 and 31 as shown. Alternatively,
illumination of pupils 92 and 121 provides the
appearance of toy figure 10 glancing to the figures
right side. Conversely, illumination of pupils 110
and 111 gives the appearance of glancing to the
figures left side. It will be further noted that
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sequentially illumination of pupils allows the user to
follow the shifting gaze of figure 10. Thus, for
example, sequential illumination of pupils 30, 113 and
114 of eye 17 together with pupils 31, 98 and 99
allows the user to observe a shift to a downward
glance by figure 10. In this manner, substantial
flexibility of apparent eye movement is provided by
simple illumination of selected pairs of the figures
pupils.
In operation, as the user interacts with computer
(seen in Figure 1) signals provided to figure 10
via tether 34 cause energizing motor 50 moving arms 13
and 14 in the manner indicated by arrows 80 and 81.
15 In addition, the engagement of gear 73 with gear
segment 74 produces movement of head 16 about neck 15
in the manner indicated by arrows 82. Thus, toy
figure 10 interactively moves and speaks in response
to signals provided from computer 20 (seen in Figure
20 1) to toy figure 10 via tether 34.
While particular embodiments of the invention
have been shown and described, it will be obvious to
those skilled in the art that changes and
modifications may be made without departing from the
invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim
in the appended claims is to cover all such changes
and modifications as fall within the true spirit and
scope of the invention.
