Patent ID: 6039574
Filing Date: 2000-03-21
Classification: G09B

Abstract:
A child educational entertainment device comprising, in combination:a housing having a planar rectangular front face, a planar rectangular rear face and a thin periphery formed therebetween defined by a short top edge, a short bottom edge and a pair of elongated side edges, the rear face having a battery compartment formed therein with a removable cover for allowing selective access to batteries stored therein, one of the side edges having a port formed therein adjacent to the bottom edge for releasably receiving a first end of an adapter the second end of which has a vehicular cigarette lighter plug mounted thereon for being connected to a cigarette lighter port of a vehicle for receiving power therefrom;a square liquid crystal primary display mounted on the front face of the housing and spaced from the top edge and the bottom edge thereof, the liquid crystal primary display having a light for illuminating the same upon the actuation thereof;a light emitting diode digital display mounted on the front face of the housing adjacent to the top edge thereof for displaying numerals representative of a clock;an actuation toggle switch mounted on the front face of the housing for actuating the device upon the depression thereof;a light actuator button mounted on the front face of the housing for actuating the light of the liquid crystal primary display upon the depression thereof;a pause button mounted on the front face of the housing;a clear button mounted on the front face of the housing;a select button mounted on the front face of the housing;a plurality of direction buttons mounted on the front face of the housing and positioned between the liquid crystal primary display and the bottom edge of the housing;an enter button mounted on the front face of the housing and positioned between the direction buttons;a speaker mounted on the front face of the housing for emitting sound signals upon the receipt thereof; andcontrol means positioned within the housing and connected between the displays, switch, and buttons, the control means, upon the actuation of the device, adapted to prompt a user to enter an amount of time via the direction buttons with the subsequent depression of the enter button whereafter a decrementing timer is displayed on the digital display counting down from the entered amount of time, wherein the control means is reset and again prompt the user to enter the amount of time upon the simultaneous depression of the clear button and the enter button;said control means having a plurality of modes of operation and adapted to switch between each of the modes of operation by the depression of the select button, the modes of operation including:a first mode wherein the control means is adapted to display a matrix on the primary display with a number of columns and rows to define a plurality of spaces, the number of columns equal to a number of hours included with the entered amount of time and each column being representative of one of the hours, the spaces of each of the four rows each representative of a quarter of an hour and having a unique color associated with the row, wherein the spaces of each column are illuminated with the associated color upon the cessation of each quarter of an hour increment as indicated by the decrementing timer depicted on the digital display, wherein the decrementing timer may be paused upon the depression of the pause button and further restarted upon the subsequent depression of the pause button,a second mode wherein the control means is adapted to display a matrix on the primary display with a number of columns and rows to define a plurality of spaces each having a unique alphabetical letter positioned therein, wherein any one of the spaces may be selected via the direction buttons after which the same may be cleared from the primary display upon the depression of the enter button, wherein the control means transmits a sound signal to the speaker when the enter button is depressed,a third mode wherein the control means is adapted to display a matrix on the primary display with a number of columns and rows to define a plurality of spaces each having at least one of a shape and a color positioned therein, wherein any one of the spaces may be selected via the direction buttons after which the same may be cleared from the primary display upon the depression of the enter button, wherein the control means transmits a sound signal to the speaker when the enter button is depressed,a fourth mode wherein the control means is adapted to display a matrix on the primary display with a number of columns and rows to define a plurality of spaces each having unique picture positioned therein, wherein any one of the spaces may be selected via the direction buttons after which the same may be cleared from the primary display upon the depression of the enter button, wherein the control means transmits a sound signal to the speaker when the enter button is depressed, anda fifth mode wherein the control means is adapted to display a matrix on the primary display with a number of columns and rows to define a plurality of spaces each having unique errand positioned therein, wherein any one of the spaces may be selected via the direction buttons after which the same may be cleared from the primary display upon the depression of the enter button, wherein the control means transmits a sound signal to the speaker when the enter button is depressed.