Patent ID: 7214066
Filing Date: 2007-05-08
Classification: G09B

Abstract:
1. A portable memory to add educational software to an electronic educational toy by a user thereof, wherein the educational toy includes a housing having a contact-sensitive display screen on which the user may make an input to the toy by causing contact with the display screen and a button apparatus not associated with a keyboard or numeric keypad through which the user may make an input to the toy by actuating a button, and the educational toy includes a first input mode of operation and a second input mode of operation, the first input mode being where inputs to the toy are triggered off of the user causing contact with the contact-sensitive display screen and the second input mode being where inputs to the toy are triggered off of actuation of the button, the educational software designed to teach letters of an alphabet, the portable memory comprising: a portable memory housing designed to be compatible with and inserted into a portable memory receiving device associated with the electronic toy by the user thereof; a memory medium contained in the portable memory housing; and computer software embodied on the memory medium for use with a toy processor in the educational toy, the computer software having: an instruction or indication to the toy to indicate whether it is operating using the first input mode where inputs to the toy are triggered off of the user causing contact with the contact-sensitive display screen or the second input mode where inputs to the toy are triggered off of actuation of the button; data for use by the toy processor to generate a plurality of questions or instructions output via a speaker, the question or instruction presenting a problem about a letter of an alphabet and designed to encourage the user to make a cognitive selection relating to a letter; data for use by the toy processor to determine whether the information the processor receives indicative of the user's cognitive selection triggered off of the user causing contact with the contact-sensitive display screen when the toy employs the first input mode and triggered off of the user actuating the button when the toy employs the second input mode corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction; data for use by the toy processor to generate a first audio feedback response output by the speaker, the first audio feedback response indicating that the selection by the user corresponds to a correct response to the question or instruction; and data for use by the toy processor to generate a second audio feedback response output by the speaker, the second audio feedback response indicating that the selection by the user is something other than a correct response to the question or instruction.