Abstract:
A doll that can be personalized to display a familiar image and/or play a recorded sound comprises a body, a head and a digital display in the head.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a doll generally, and more particularly to a doll that can be personalized to display a familiar image and/or play a recorded sound. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Ask any parent of a young child about their bedtime routine and many if not most will tell you that the child wants the parent to stay with them as they try to fall asleep. To avoid tears and tantrums, parents wind up sitting on the edge of the bed, resting next to their child until he/she falls asleep, even lying on the floor. This obviously is not the right solution for several reasons—the child does not learn proper sleep habits and the parent gets incredibly frustrated because so much time is wasted getting the child to bed each night. 
         [0003]    In addition to bedtime, a child experiences separation anxiety at other times, such as during the first day of school or camp, when dropped off at daycare, or when the parents go on vacation without the child. When separation anxiety is high, children often find comfort in holding or snuggling a security item, such as a security blanket, pillow, favorite doll, stuffed animal or the like. These items tend to have a special meaning to the child that allows the child to better cope with difficult situations. 
         [0004]    The basic problem with a security item, such as a blanket or a favorite stuffed animal, is that it lacks a visual connection with the child&#39;s parent. Children rarely find comfort in viewing a parent&#39;s picture in a frame, not only because frames tend to be out of reach, but because there is not much a child can do with a frame other than to break it. Kid-friendly photo albums are used more as learning aids than comfort aids, and children rarely seek out photo albums in times of need. In addition, children tend to cuddle up with security items in bed, which would be difficult to do with a picture frame or a photo album. 
         [0005]    There is a need, therefore, for a security item, such as a doll, that creates an actual connection or association between a child and a parent, for example, and that is capable of being cuddled and treated like a security item that would normally be taken to bed or the like. Such a connection or association is preferably in the form of an audio and/or visual experience that sounds and/or looks like the parent, for example, and that allows a child to fondly remember the parent during times when the parent is physically unavailable to the child. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A doll is provided in one embodiment that can be personalized to display a familiar image, such as a child&#39;s mother or father or both, and/or play a recorded sound, such as “Good Night” or “I Love You” or the like. The doll comprises a body, a head and a digital display in the head for displaying recorded images, moving images, cartoons, videos, etc. Speakers are provided for playing sound, such as music, recorded messages, etc. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a front view of one embodiment of a personalizable doll of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a rear view of the doll of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates the connection of the doll of  FIG. 1  to an external memory device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0010]    This disclosure describes the best mode or modes of practicing the invention as presently contemplated. This description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but provides an example of the invention presented solely for illustrative purposes by reference to the accompanying drawings to advise one of ordinary skill in the art of the advantages and construction of the invention. In the various views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar parts. 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a front view and  FIG. 2  is a rear view of one embodiment of a personalizable doll  10  preferably having the likeness of a person, the doll  10  further comprising a body  20  and a head  30  preferably in the general shape of a human, and a digital display  40  in the head  30  for displaying images (not shown) thereon. As described herein, the term “images” shall mean still images such as digital photographs, or moving images such as video, movies, cartoons, and the like, or a combination. The digital display  40  is preferably a liquid crystal display (LCD), which has the advantage of being clear and lightweight, although other types of displays are contemplated. The body  20  is preferably a soft body that is lightweight and easily transportable for carrying and cuddling by a child (not shown). A portable power source such as a battery (not shown) is preferably provided in a child-resistant casing to power the electronic elements described herein. 
         [0012]    The doll  10  of the present embodiment preferably has the likeness of a human person to closely simulate a traditional looking doll. However, it will be appreciated that the doll of the present invention does not need to have a human form, but can have another form that should bring comfort to a child, whether such form is based on a fictional or non-fictional entity. For example, the doll could have the form of an animal, a popular television or movie character, or a popular book character. Similarly, images could be displayed on the digital display that are consistent with the doll form, such as, for example, images of the Sesame Street® characters if the doll is in the form of the character Elmo for example. For purposes of the present discussion, the doll will be described herein in the general shape of a human. 
         [0013]    Returning to  FIGS. 1-2 , the digital display  40  can display images from various sources, one being an internal memory  50 , such as an internal random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory such as flash memory, on which is stored at least one image or video (not shown). The internal memory  50  may be pre-loaded with a plurality of stock-type pictures at the point of manufacture, such as a happy face and a sad face, for example, so that the doll  10  is usable right out of the package. Alternatively, or in addition, a port  60  may be provided for connection to an external memory device  70  such as a computer as shown in  FIG. 3 , which has images stored thereon. Such connection may be wired via a transfer cable  75 , or wireless using infrared, radio such as Bluetooth®, or other similar communications, or all of the above. For example, the port  60  could be a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port that receives a flash drive  90  on which is loaded a plurality of images. The doll  10  could also be fitted with a communications device (not shown) to allow wireless communications with any external compatible device including, for example, interfacing with the Internet, to enable a user to send pictures directly from a web site, for example, to the internal memory  50  in the doll  10 . A controller  80  is preferably used to control the peripheral devices such as the internal memory  50 , digital display  40 , and the external interface connections such as wired or wireless ports and the various inputs and outputs discussed below. The controller  80  may include its own memory for driver programs and may have an interface for program changes or updates. 
         [0014]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the doll  10  could also be provided with an input  100 , such as a card slot, for receiving an insertable external memory device  110 , such as a digital memory stick, which could be pre-inserted at the point of manufacture and available to the user at the point of purchase. In other words, the doll  10  could be vended with simply an input  100  for receipt of a user&#39;s preexisting memory device, or the doll  10  could be vended complete with an inserted external memory device  110  on which the user could load images and the like. In another example, an input  102  could receive a disc-based insertable device  120 , such as a compact disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD), on which is stored images or video or both. In this scenario, the child could view pictures and/or watch a movie on the display  40 . 
         [0015]    One non-limiting example of a control panel  130  controlled by the controller  80  for controlling the display of images and the like is illustrated in  FIG. 2 , which shows a play button  140  for scrolling the images in a predetermined order, a stop button  150  for halting the scrolling on the displayed image, an increment button  160  for advancing one image, a decrement button  170  for going back one image, and a random button  180  for playing the images in a random order. A scale  190  may be provided to vary the scrolling speed, which may include, for example, 1-minute, 2-minute, 5-minute and 10-minute increments as shown. 
         [0016]    The doll  10  may operate in a variety of ways. For example, right out of the package the display  40  may show an image that was pre-loaded on the internal memory  50 . If more than one image was pre-loaded, then multiple images will start scrolling automatically or upon pressing the play button  140 . The stop button  150  may be used to stop the scrolling and select only a single image for display. Once an external memory device is inserted into the input  100 ,  102 , the external memory device may override the internal memory  50  and result in the display  40  pulling images from the external memory device rather than the internal memory  50 . Of course, the control panel  130  can include a switch (not shown) for toggling between the internal and external memories as desired. 
         [0017]    The doll  10  may include power-saving features to reduce power consumption and prolong the enjoyment of the doll  10 . For example, the doll  10  may be fitted with a motion sensor (not shown) that causes the display  40  to dim or turn off after a certain period of inactivity, such as after the child carries the doll  10  to the bed and falls asleep. Another example is a gradual prolonging of the scrolling period with inactivity. The doll  10  may also include security features that prevent a child from accessing the control area such as, but not limited to, a child-resistant removable cover (not shown) that it secured over the inputs, outputs and control buttons shown in  FIG. 2 . Other safety features are contemplated. 
         [0018]    In addition to viewing images on the display  40 , the doll  10  is preferably provided with at least one audio output device  200  in the form of a speaker for playing at least one audio item (not shown) stored on a memory. While  FIG. 1  illustrates the output in the hands  25  of the body  20 , it will be appreciated that other locations are contemplated. For example, the speaker could be in the head  30  adjacent the display  40 . The audio item could be pre-recorded and stored on the internal memory  50  or an external memory device, or both, and can comprise recorded messages, songs, music or a combination of the same. Alternatively or in addition, the parent, for example, can record an audio item, such as “I Love You” or “Good Night,” using a microphone  210  and a record button  220 , and enable the child to play the same by pressing a play button  230  shown for example in  FIG. 1  on the thumbs directly adjacent the speakers  200 . 
         [0019]    The doll of the present invention could be marketed in a variety of different ways. For example, the doll  10  could be part of a series of “My Family” dolls, where a child could have a soft doll whose face would be of his/her mom or dad, or brother or sister, or grandparent, or all of the above as the case may be. In addition to daily bedtime usage, the doll would be perfect for the first day of school or camp when separation anxiety is also high. Or, if mom and dad want to go on vacation without the child, again, it would be the next best thing while they are away. The child could also benefit from the audio capabilities so that the parent could record “I love you” etc. to comfort the child. 
         [0020]    The doll of the present invention could also be marketed as a fictional character such as Blue from Blue&#39;s Clues®. Where the doll is representative of a particular show or event, the images and/or audio could be consistent with such show or event. For example, if a child enjoys watching the Blue&#39;s Clues® television program, the parent can insert a memory stick  110  with Blue&#39;s Clues® images and audio provided thereon. Similarly, the parent could insert a DVD  120  of a Blue&#39;s Clues® show into the input  102  and allow the child to watch a program on the display  40 . 
         [0021]    While the present invention has been described at some length and with some particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, it is not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars or embodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed with references to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore, to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoing describes the invention in terms of embodiments foreseen by the inventor for which an enabling description was available, notwithstanding that insubstantial modifications of the invention, not presently foreseen, may nonetheless represent equivalents thereto.