Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02298287 2000-02-08
CLOTHING FOR INTERACTIVE DRESS-UP TOY
This invention relates to clothing to be placed on interactive dress-up toys
comprising
removable clothing, sensor means to detect the specific item of clothing worn
by the
toy, and communication means to communicate to the user the status of clothing
worn by the toy or missing from the toy.
Toys and dolls are often sold separately from sets of clothing and accessories
intended
to be used with such dolls or toys. It is important to create a code so that
different
sets of clothing may be recognized by a single doll or toy. The doll or toy is
pre-programmed to recognize a variety of clothing, regardless of the
particular
clothing with which the doll is sold.
Summary of the Invention
In the doll of the preferred embodiment, several light sources and sensors are
mounted at or below the surface of the doll or toy. In order to be able to
code the
articles of clothing, the intention is to have a signal reflected only from
specific areas
of the clothing. It is important to have a sensor which is sensitive enough to
ensure
that a signal will be created when clothing is put in place. High sensitivity,
however,
may make the sensor subject to unwanted signals.
A doll's clothing is typically made of cloth. Black cloth is generally non-
reflective to
light, such as infrared light, while white cloth is generally reflective.
Nonetheless,
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different materials exhibit different reflectivities depending upon factors
such as their
colour, physical construction (including the density ofthe weave), chemical
structure,
cleaning agents used on the material, and wear (for example, crushing of the
material
in use or storage). Under certain circumstances, even black material may
reflect
infrared signals. Thus, errors in recognition ofthe particular clothing worn
by the doll
can arise. It is important to improve the reliability of the system comprising
the doll
or toy and the clothing by clearly differentiating reflective areas from non-
reflective
areas of the clothing. To achieve this differentiation, one can use special
areas of
reflective material and/or material which is a good reflector of the
particular light
source chosen, and special non-reflective areas and/or material which is a
very good
non-reflector.
Non-reflective areas may be composed of black felt sewn or glued to the inside
of the
doll's clothing, for example, felt has been found to be a good choice since it
is dense
and is unlikely to permit stray signals to pass through it. Other embodiments
are also
possible; for example, a black pigment printed onto the inside of the clothing
or onto
a patch fastened to the clothing may be very effective. By the same token, a
reflective
area may be comprised of white felt. Felt is a very good material to choose
since it
is dense and reflective when coloured white.
Accordingly, in a major aspect, the invention comprises clothing for an
interactive
dress-up toy comprising: removable clothing; sensor means adapted to detect a
form
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of electromagnetic energy, and adapted to detect the specific item of clothing
worn
by the toy; and communication means to communicate to the user the status of
the
clothing worn by or missing from the toy; wherein the material of the clothing
is
selected to be reflective or non-reflective of the form of energy to be
detected by the
sensor means.
In further aspects of the invention:
(a) specific areas of the clothing are adapted to be reflective or
non-reflective of said energy oppositely to the reflectivity or
non-reflectivity of said material of the clothing;
(b) said specific areas of the clothing comprise a layer of a second
material sewn or adhered to the surface of the material of the clothing;
(c) the second material is non-reflective and coloured black;
(d) the second material is reflective and coloured white;
(e) the specific areas of the clothing comprise a layer of pigment printed
on the surface of the material of the clothing;
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(fj the layer of pigment is non-reflective and coloured black;
(g) the layer of pigment is reflective and coloured white;
(h) the second material comprises felt.
The invention will be more clearly illustrated by the appended drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention is illustrated by the following drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic view of a doll or toy with an array of sensors.
Figure 2 is a schematic view of an item of clothing comprising an inner
surface of one
material and an area of another substance or material, the surface and area
being
oppositely reflective or non-reflective.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Referring to Figure 1, a schematic representation of a doll or toy (1) is
illustrated.
Situated at various points around the surface of the doll or toy are a series
of sensors
(3). The sensors comprise pairs of a light source a light sensor. These pairs
of
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elements are aligned so that when clothing is present on the doll or toy, the
light
source is configured to create a beam of light which will be reflected from
the inside
surface of the clothing to the sensor. The light source can be any sort of
suitable
electromagnetic radiation. Infrared radiation has been found to be
particularly
suitable.
Refernng to Figure 2, an article of clothing (5), such as a jacket, comprises
an inner
surface (7) which is either a lining or the same material which also comprises
the outer
surface of the garment. This material may be chosen to be either reflective or
non-
reflective, depending upon the protocol chosen for reading a signal. Most
preferably,
the surface (7) will be non-reflective so that the lack of a signal will not
be seen as an
important event by the pre-programmed doll or toy. An area (9) is designed to
be
highly reflective. Alternatively, this area can be non-reflective. The area
(9) can
comprise a patch sewn or glued to the inner surface (7), or pigment printed on
surface
(7).
By creating an array of reflective and non-reflective areas, the series of
sensors can
be coded to recognize different items of clothing (5) which will each have a
unique
pattern of reflective and non-reflective areas.
