U.S. patent application number 14/526486 was filed with the patent office on 2015-05-28 for toy projector.
The applicant listed for this patent is Francisco Vizcarra. Invention is credited to Francisco Vizcarra.
Application Number | 20150147932 14/526486 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53183038 |
Filed Date | 2015-05-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150147932 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vizcarra; Francisco |
May 28, 2015 |
Toy Projector
Abstract
A toy projector. The present projector is a plush toy animal
having an animal-like or fanciful appearance. The toy comprises a
projector, one or more speakers, and the necessary electronic
components for operating the projector and the speakers to play
image, audio, and/or video content as desired by the user. The
electronic components comprise a power source, one or more
processors, a memory, and a logic that allows the present invention
to play image, audio, and/or video content encoded in data files
provided either wirelessly or via a physical computer readable
medium. Furthermore, the head and body portions are pivotably
connected together, which allows users to adjust the surface
against which the images are projected without forcing the user to
move the entire toy.
Inventors: |
Vizcarra; Francisco;
(Roseville, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Vizcarra; Francisco |
Roseville |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
53183038 |
Appl. No.: |
14/526486 |
Filed: |
October 28, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61896483 |
Oct 28, 2013 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
446/72 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03B 31/00 20130101;
A63H 3/003 20130101; A63H 33/22 20130101; G03B 21/145 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/72 |
International
Class: |
A63H 3/00 20060101
A63H003/00; A63H 33/22 20060101 A63H033/22 |
Claims
1. A toy projector, comprising: a body and a head; a projector and
one or more speakers disposed on said toy projector; an input
adapted to accept data files; a microcomputer comprising one or
more processors, a memory, and a logic adapted to execute said data
files and transmit image, video, and audio content encoded within
said data files to said projector and said one or more speakers;
user controls disposed on said toy projector, said user controls
adapted to control playback of said image, video, and audio
content; a power source; wherein the projector is adapted to
display said image and video content; wherein said one or more
speakers are adapted to play said audio content.
2. The toy projector of claim 1, wherein said head and said body
are connected via a pivotable connection.
3. The toy projector of claim 2, wherein said pivotable connection
is both horizontally and vertically adjustable.
4. The toy projector of claim 1, wherein said toy projector is
composed of plush material.
5. The toy projector of claim 1, wherein said projector is disposed
on said head.
6. The toy projector of claim 1, wherein said one or more speakers
are disposed on said body.
7. The toy projector of claim 1, wherein said input comprises a
device for accepting a physical computer readable medium.
8. The toy projector of claim 1, wherein said input comprises a
wireless transceiver for wirelessly accepting data files.
9. The toy projector of claim 1, wherein said power source
comprises a rechargeable battery.
10. The toy projector of claim 9, further comprising a recharging
port disposed on said toy projector.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/896,483 filed on Oct. 28, 2013. The above
identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference
in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to projectors. More
specifically, the present invention relates to projectors that are
adapted for use by children in that they capture the interest of
children and are simple to use.
[0004] Keeping children entertained is a constant struggle faced by
parents and other guardians. Children generally thrive when
participating in interactive activities and playing with
interactive toys, but sometimes lose focus when taking part in
passive activities. Movies are occasionally sufficient to hold a
young child's focus for a period of time, but alone they may not
entertain a child long enough to provide the parent or guardian
with a sufficient amount of time to complete chores or complete
other tasks. Therefore, there is a need in the prior art for an
interactive, entertaining media-playing device that is adapted to
grab and maintain children's interest that provides a fun and
entertaining housing for the media-playing electronic components,
that is customizable, and that comprises a simple and intuitive
interface that is easy for children to use.
[0005] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0006] Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to
toy projectors and various types of stuffed or plush animals. These
include devices that have been patented and published in patent
application publications. These devices generally relate to stuffed
animals having integral video display devices or projectors having
a child-friendly design or appearance. The following is a list of
devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are
herein described for the purposes of highlighting and
differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and
further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
[0007] Various types of video projector devices are known in the
prior art; however, these devices are not child-friendly because
they are difficult to use, boring to interact with, and/or not
customizable. Conversely, the present invention comprises an
entertaining plush body housing the projector and various other
electronic components that captures the interest of young children.
Furthermore, the ability to easily adjust the direction of the
projector allows children to have fun watching movies against their
bedroom wall, ceiling, or any other such surface. Finally, the
simple controls of the present invention disposed directly on the
exterior surface of the plush toy itself are simply and intuitive
to use for most children.
[0008] Furthermore, plush toys having various means for display
video are also known in the prior art; however, these devices do
not comprise a projector and instead generally comprise an integral
video display screen. The projector of the present invention is an
advantageous design because it allows children to watch movies
against any surface they wish and does not have a screen that can
easily be broken by children unaware of the fragility of such
screens. Furthermore, the integral screen disposed on the exterior
of these devices make the plush animals not as comfortable to hold
and play with.
[0009] The present toy projector substantially diverges in design
elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there
is a need in the art for an improvement to existing stuff or plush
animals having electronic video and/or audio display means. In this
regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these
needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known
types of plush toys now present in the prior art, the present
invention provides a new plush toy adapted to display video content
wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for
providing an entertaining, interactive video and audio display
device intended for use by young children.
[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a new and improved toy projector device that has all of the
advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
[0012] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
toy projector device that is a plush or stuffed animal.
[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy
projector device in which the angle or position of the projector is
adjustable.
[0014] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
toy projector comprising detachable and/or interchangeable
components, allowing children to customize the appearance of the
present invention.
[0015] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
toy projector that is adapted to play all types of image, audio,
and video content.
[0016] Still yet another object of the present invention is to
provide a toy projector comprising a rechargeable battery.
[0017] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
toy projector having a control scheme that is intuitive for young
children.
[0018] Yet Another object of the present invention is to provide a
toy projector that may be readily fabricated from materials that
permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.
[0019] Other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] Although the characteristic features of this invention will
be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and
manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood
after a review of the following description, taken in connection
with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are
provided throughout.
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the front portion of the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the back portion of the
present invention.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows a diagram of the electronic components of the
present invention.
[0024] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the present invention in
use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like
reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like
or similar elements of the toy projector. For the purposes of
presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention,
the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for displaying
movies from a computer readable medium, such as a MiniDVD disc. The
figures are intended for representative purposes only and should
not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
[0026] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there are shown perspective
views of the front and back portions of the present invention. The
present invention is a toy 51 comprising a body 11 and a head 12
that is pivotably attached thereto. The toy 51 is preferably
constructed from plush material or other suitably soft material
that makes the present invention pleasing to children. Furthermore,
the depicted embodiment of the present invention has the appearance
of a fanciful, animal-like creature; however, no claim is made as
to a specific design of the present invention as the present
invention make take a variety of animal-like or fanciful forms.
Embodiments of the present invention further comprise a variety of
additional features such as detachable wings, as shown, and other
accessories that allow users to freely customize the appearance of
the present invention.
[0027] The present invention further comprises a projector 13
disposed on the head 12, a speaker 15 disposed on the body 11, and
the necessary electronic components disposed within the interior of
the toy 51 to operate the projector 13 and speaker 15 components of
the present invention. The projector 13 and the speaker 15 are
preferably arranged such that they are roughly aligned with each
other so that, when playing video content, the audio is emitted in
the same direction of the video. The projector 13 and the speaker
15 may be used independently, as when displaying pictures or
playing music, or may be used together, as when playing a video.
The present invention is discussed as used to play video media;
however, the present invention is adapted for use with video,
picture/image, or music file formats.
[0028] The present invention further comprises at least one power
source 16 and a microcomputer 17 embedded within the toy 51. The
power source 16 comprises a replaceable battery, a rechargeable
battery, or a power cord for connecting the present invention to an
electrical wall outlet. The present invention further comprises a
port 22 adapted to accept a charging cord for embodiments of the
present invention utilizing a rechargeable battery as the power
source 16. The microcomputer 17 comprises the necessary components
to read, store, display, play, and/or otherwise make use of a
computer readable medium 61 inserted into the present invention via
a media input 14 disposed on the exterior of the toy 51. The
electronic components of the microcomputer 17 are powered via the
power source 16 and are adapted to operate the projector 13 and
speaker 15 components of the present invention to play the media
files contained on the computer readable medium 61. As used herein,
"computer-readable medium" excludes any transitory signals, but
includes any non-transitory data storage circuitry, e.g., buffers,
cache, and queues, within transceivers of transitory signals. In
the depicted embodiment of the present invention, the media input
14 comprises a MiniDVD-reader; however, the media input 14
comprises any device known in the prior art for accepting any type
of computer readable medium 61. In an alternative embodiment of the
present invention, the media input 14 is a wireless transceiver
adapted to accept files transmitted to the present invention via
any type of wireless connection, such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, and the
like.
[0029] The present invention is adapted to make use of all types of
media data files adapted to encode video, picture, and audio
content. These data file types comprise mpeg, mov, wmv, rm, m4a,
wma, mp3, jpeg, gif, and all other such file formats. The provided
list is only exemplary and is not intended to be exhaustive. When
received by the media input 14, the microcomputer 17 reads the data
files, recognizes the given file format type, and initiates the
appropriate media playback. In some embodiments of the present
invention, the media playback is initiated automatically; in other
embodiments of the present invention, the user must initiate media
playback via the user controls 21.
[0030] The present invention further comprises user controls 21
disposed on the exterior portion of the toy 51. The user controls
21 comprise an on/off button and a variety of buttons adapted to
control video, picture, or audio playback, including stop, pause,
fast forward, rewind, next selection and/or chapter, previous
selection and/or chapter, and other such buttons. The user controls
21 are adapted to be intuitive for young children to use, therefore
the types of buttons utilizes by the user controls 21 are selected
from those with which children would be familiar and they are
located on the exterior of the toy 51 in an easily accessible
location.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a diagram of the
electronic components of the present invention. The electronic
components of the present invention comprise the user controls 21
disposed on the exterior of the toy 51 with which the user can
control the operation of the power source 16 and the microcomputer
17. In embodiments of the present invention wherein the power
source 16 comprises a rechargeable battery, the present invention
further comprises a port 22 that is adapted to accept a cord for
recharging the battery. In embodiments of the present invention
wherein the power source 16 is of a non-rechargeable variety, e.g.
a power cord that is adapted to be connected to an electrical wall
outlet or a replaceable battery, then the toy 51 lacks the
recharging port 22.
[0032] The microcomputer 17 comprises one or more processors, a
memory, an operating system, a logic, and any other electronic
components necessary to read a computer readable medium and execute
the instructions encoded thereon to display a combination of
picture, audio, and/or video files via the projector 13 and speaker
15 disposed on the toy 51 for the enjoyment of the user. As used
herein, "logic" refers to (i) logic implemented as computer
instructions and/or data within one or more computer processes
and/or (ii) logic implemented in electronic circuitry. The data
files are provided to the microcomputer 17 via a media input 14,
which comprises a device for physically accepting a computer
readable medium, such as a MiniDVD drive, or a device for
wirelessly accepting the data files via a wireless data connection.
The various electronic components of the present invention are
electrically connected together and powered via the power source 16
in any manner known in the prior art.
[0033] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a perspective view
of the present invention in use. The present invention is adapted
to project video or photographic content from the projector 13 onto
a surface 71, such as a wall, in order to provide an image 72 that
is viewable by a user. Furthermore, the present invention is
additionally adapted to play audio content from the speaker 15
either alone or in combination with the video or photographic
content from the projector 13. The pivotable connection between the
head 12 and body 11 portions of the present invention allows the
user to adjust the direction in which the video or image content is
projected, thereby allowing the user to place the toy 51 at a
desired location and adjust the viewing angle of the projected
image 71 without having to adjust the positioning of the entire toy
51. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
pivotable connection between the body 11 and the head 11 provides
both a horizontally-adjustable and vertically-adjustable
connection. Such a design is especially advantageous for young
children because it allows them to project the video or picture
content onto a wall, the ceiling, or whatever other surface 71 that
they desire. This makes watching movies even more enjoyable for
them because it provides the children with a means to watch movies
and other video content in a way that other electronic devices do
not allow.
[0034] It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has
been shown and described in what is considered to be the most
practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however,
that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and
that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the
art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be
realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts
of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape,
form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are
deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and
all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings
and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed
by the present invention.
[0035] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only
of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous
modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in
the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact
construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly,
all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to,
falling within the scope of the invention.
* * * * *