Annunciating predictor entertainment device

A self-contained fortune telling entertainment device includes an electronic library of human speech and sound effects, to be selected and enunciated in apparent response to a user's question. User intent to use the device is detected, whereupon a pre-answer initiation mode is entered during which sound effects and/or speech is selected from the library and enunciated. After this period ends, a circuit then selects at least one sound, e.g., sound effect and/or vocalized speech, from the library for enunciation as the answer to a user's question, propounded before or during the pre-answer period. Selection of an answer or response may be random, quasi-random, or other, and may be influenced by detected ambient or environment conditions, and may be influenced by at least one user control. LEDs may be activated while the device is in use to provide visual as well as audible entertainment. The device may be handholdable in size, and can function without reliance upon ambient light.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention relates generally to entertainment devices including
 hand-holdable entertainment devices, and more particularly to such devices
 that purport to predict the future and answer user's questions.
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 Humans have long sought to learn what the future may hold for them. Over
 the millennia methods and devices for predicting the future have ranged
 from shaman reading the entrails of animals, to astrologers, and
 phrenologists. In more modern time, fortune telling has assumed a role
 that is more entertaining than serious.
 A very popular fortune telling entertainment device is the so-called "Magic
 Eight Ball" product. This device typically is sized and shaped to look
 like a pool eightball. The device is hollow, filled with a liquid and has
 a transparent window at the bottom or base of the device. Within the
 device is a multi-surfaced float with different "answers" printed on the
 different surfaces. The number of answers is limited by the number of
 surfaces on the float, and is typically less than perhaps a dozen or so.
 In practice, a user might ask the device a question, for example, will this
 application result in a patent. The user then shakes and inverts the
 device. Eventually the float rises and presses a surface (with an answer)
 against the window, which is now facing upward. The "answer" might be
 "yes", or "not obvious", or some other saying.
 Since the device preferably is hand-holdable, the sphere portion of the
 ball is typically a few inches (perhaps 5-6 cm) in diameter. This
 dimension more or less dictates a maximum size for the float, and thus a
 maximum number of float surfaces. While creating more surfaces or facets
 on the float can allow for more answers, the size of the font with which
 the answers are printed or stamped into the float surfaces decreases. This
 in turn makes it harder to read smaller and smaller answers from a device
 that tries to provide a greater number of answers. Often the type with
 which the answer is printed is font size 10 or so. Further, such devices
 can be difficult to read under the best of circumstances, especially by
 elderly people or others with diminished eye sight.
 The different "answers" of course appear more or less randomly, which
 promotes enjoyment, especially when the "answer" is incongruous to the
 question. However, for spectators observing an individual using the
 device, their enjoyment will be somewhat delayed because only one person
 at a time can read the answer. Often the person holding the device will
 see the answer and, if it is not too embarrassing, will then read it
 aloud, whereupon the spectators can join in the fun.
 However due to the relatively small number of answers, the entertainment
 value of such devices can soon wear off. Unfortunately typically there is
 no way to open the device and change floats to change the collection of
 potential answers. The device is sealed at the time of manufacture.
 Another deficiency is that small children may be precluded from enjoying
 the device unless their hands are big enough to hold the device, and
 unless they can read. Further, the relatively heavy device is fragile and
 can break, if dropped, with resultant leakage of fluid over the floor or
 carpet area. Finally, the device provides only one the of entertainment
 stimulation, namely visual for the user close enough to the window to read
 an answer.
 There have been attempts in the art to modernize entertainment devices that
 purport to predict the future. U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,623 to Cardillo (1988)
 describes a crystal ball toy comprising a light-permeable sphere,
 apparently a clear plastic ball, mounted on a base. The device appears to
 have required reasonably strong ambient light to operate. A light sensor
 within the device sensed when ambient light was interrupted by a user's
 hand casting a shadow on the light-permeable sphere. Such a
 double-interruption of ambient light randomly caused annunciation of one
 of some twenty-eight stored voice responses. Applicants believe the
 Cardillo device was sold commercially as part of a board or card game. The
 device was not especially robust, appears to have required ambient light
 for operation, and seems not to have met with great commercial success.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,277 to Young (1996) used a form factor similar to
 Cardillo's, e.g., a somewhat fragile appearing sphere mounted to a base.
 Cardillo disposed two electrical contacts on the surface of the sphere,
 which when touched by a user's hand would complete an electrical circuit,
 causing the sphere to emit light and a simulated voice message. Whether
 Young's device would operate reliably when the two electrical contacts
 eventually tarnished is not known.
 In short, there is a need for a robust entertainment fortune telling device
 that can provide longer entertainment value than prior art devices.
 Preferably such device should provide a relatively large number of
 responses, perhaps a hundred or more, and should annunciate such responses
 audibly, so that all may instantaneously share in the response. To further
 augment the entertainment value, such device should emit unusual and
 entertaining sounds in an initiation period before the answer is
 annunciated, and preferably also provide visual entertainment. Such device
 should optimally provide an ability to alter the library of answers,
 including the ability to permit a user to record his or her own answers.
 The device should optionally allow answers to be annunciated in the user's
 voice or a humorous variation thereof. Finally, such device should be
 relatively lightweight and inexpensive to produce, should not require
 ambient light to function, and should be useable even by children and
 elderly persons without undue fear of breakage.
 The present invention provides such a device.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The invention is a fortune telling device that in apparent response to a
 question, audibly annunciates an answer and/or sound effect selected from
 a variety of answers and sound effects. The device preferably is
 hand-holdable and includes a spherical shaped housing having a flattened
 bottom portion, a rather robust configuration. Alternatively, the device
 may be figure-shaped to look like a genie, or other character, or may be
 configured as a mirror or picture, handholdable or suitable for hanging on
 a wall. Preferably housed within the device are at least one mechanism
 that senses user intent to use the device, electronic circuitry, a
 battery, a sound transducer such as a speaker, and light sources such as
 LEDs.
 Even before a user "asks" the device a question by touching the device or
 speaking aloud, a sense mechanism detects user intent, and starts a
 pre-answer initiating activity that can produce pre-answer sounds,
 annunciated words, and a light display. The user's intent to use the
 device may be sensed with a mechanism that may include any or all of a
 motion switch that detects user shaking or movement of the device, a
 strain unit that detects user contact (rubbing, perhaps) with the device,
 a proximity detector that detects closeness of a user, and a sound
 detector that detects a user's approach or words.
 The output from the sense mechanism(s) actives electronic circuitry that
 optionally selects and annunciates (or plays) at least one of a repertoire
 of stored several pre-answer or initiation-period sounds. These sounds may
 include recorded speech, e.g., "uh, oh", "what now?", and the like, and/or
 may include sound effects including motion sounds such as "liquid
 swishing", "churning broken glass", "whirling" sounds, "cow bells",
 "oog-gaa" car horn sounds, etc. that can accompany physical movement of
 the device as detected by the sense mechanism. Such motion sounds
 preferably can change in intensity and/or pitch and/or message in
 proportion to strength and duration of detected device motion.
 Pre-answer annunciated speech may include selections such as "hurry up, you
 are making me dizzy", and can include selections influenced by detected
 user intent activity. Thus, a device shaken overly vigorously or long
 might evoke a response such as "Enough already; ask your question!". The
 pre-answer period may be accompanied by a visual display from light
 sources within or on the device housing, preferably LEDs. An optional
 eccentrically mounted weight is mounted to rotate within the housing as
 the device is moved, to further promote the sensation of on-going activity
 within the device. A device housed in a genie-like figure or in a mirror
 configuration might provide a pre-answer initiation period sound inquiring
 "what would you like to know, master?" or "what beauty approaches me
 now?".
 In the preferred embodiment, the pre-answer initiation period requires a
 predetermined number of detected user intent actions within a
 predetermined period, e.g., three shakings of the device within say four
 seconds, after which a selected answer or response (perhaps a sound
 effect) is annunciated. In other embodiments, a user can address the
 device with specific recognizable sounds or words to initiate the
 pre-answer period, e.g., for a device that is not hand-holdable.
 Within the device electronic circuitry, which may be implemented with a
 microcontroller, includes a selector circuit and a library of answers and
 responses, among other circuits. The selector circuit preferably makes at
 least a pseudo-random selection from the library of an answer or response
 to be annunciated. If the library of answers is sufficiently large, it can
 suffice for the circuit to simply select and provide answers sequentially,
 or periodically sequentially.
 In another embodiment, the selector circuit carries out a randomizer
 section, by outputting a random number that points to one or more storage
 locations within the memory, at which sound effects and/or human speech
 are stored. The library preferably stores over a hundred answers, some of
 which may be pre-answer words and sound effects, and some or all of the
 stored answers may be user-provided answers. The answer, sound effect(s)
 and/or stored human speech, is then annunciated by other circuitry and
 heard through the transducer by the user and by spectators in the general
 area. If a true randomizer circuit is used, the circuit may be programmed
 to reject an answer that has been recently selected, to avoid annunciating
 the same response or answer too frequently, thus boring the user.
 Randomness of the selector circuit may be intentionally altered by the
 nature of the detected initiation activity, e.g., hard shaking might be
 interpreted as preceding a serious question or as indicating the present
 user is a male. The answer could then be selected from a portion of the
 library known to hold responses suitable for such assumptions.
 Annunciated answers need not be limited to merely "yes" and "no" but can
 include a wide repertoire of sayings, often recorded in a humorous or
 sarcastic voice, for example "Oh sure" or "Give me a break" and/or sound
 effects. If desired, the voices of movie or TV personalities may be used
 to create the library of responses. Some of the responses may include or
 be solely non-verbal sound effects, e.g., a "choking" sound, a "hysterical
 laughter" sound, a "crying" or "sobbing" sound. More than one answer may
 be annunciated responsive to a single question, producing a Greek-chorus
 like response, or several answers can be annunciated one immediately after
 the other to provide a longer response. Optionally the selector circuit
 can provide a linkage between subsequent answers, for example following up
 a previous response of "No", with a response to a subsequent question of
 "No, again".
 If desired, a "cheat" switch can be activated by a user to select a
 randomly selected or at least a pseudo-randomly selected response or
 answer that may be customized, for example, between a first characteristic
 and a second characteristic, e.g., a male rather than a female user, or
 vice versa. The device may include at least one environment sensor to
 detect and input data to influence answer selection to make the device
 appear more intelligent. For example, providing the device with an ambient
 light light sensor can cause the device to provide an answer such as "it
 is too dark in here for me to see you" if in fact the ambient light is
 dim, or "it is too bright in here" if the ambient light is bright. A
 humidity and/or temperature sensor may be used to augment an answer with
 "it seems like rain" (if appropriate) or "that question is as hot as
 today's weather" (if appropriate). Indeed a transducer sensor may be used
 with software to guess the sex or age of the user from voice
 characteristics and to help select a suitable answer for that gender or
 age.
 Optionally the electronics may provide a solid state recorder permitting
 the user to pre-record some or all of the answers, which answers will be
 played back (when randomly selected) in his or her own voice. Optionally
 the internal circuitry can record the user's voice when posing a question
 and then synthesize the selected response using the user's voice or a
 comically altered version of the user's voice.
 In all, the devices provides a combination of audible and visual
 entertainment that is shared simultaneously by user and audience alike.
 Unlike prior art devices, the invention may be thus enjoyed even in the
 absence of strong ambient light. After a response or answer has completed,
 the device turns itself off, to await a next detected user intent action.
 Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the
 following description in which the preferred embodiments have been set
 forth in detail, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 FIGS. 1A and 1B depict preferred embodiments of the present invention 10 as
 including a generally spherical housing 20 whose bottom region is
 preferably sufficiently flat to sit stably atop a surface 30, for example
 a table. Housing 20 preferably is made from a light weight plastic such as
 ABS material. For the embodiments of FIGS. 1A and lB, a typical housing
 diameter may be perhaps 6 cm to 11 cm, although other materials, housing
 shapes, and dimensions could be used. This configuration is sufficiently
 robust to permit the device to fall to the floor from a height of a meter
 or so without damage. Indeed, the robustness of the device permits its use
 in a "hot potato" or "musical chairs" type game in which the device is
 tossed from person to person until the device utters an answer. The person
 holding the device when the answer is annunciated is a loser (or perhaps a
 winner, depending upon game rules) and leaves the group, which continues
 to toss the device until ultimately a single person is left.
 FIG. 1C depicts an alternative embodiment in which device 10 is figure
 shaped with a height that may vary from perhaps 10 cm to a meter or more,
 or indeed be human sized. Housing 20 may have a recognizable shape, a
 genie from a storybook or cartoon, a famous statue, etc. A genie-shaped
 device, such as indicated generally in FIG. 1C, might preface answers with
 a user-intent period sound selection such as "what is your command,
 master".
 FIG. 1D depicts a planar embodiment implementation in which the invention
 is housed behind a mirror or framed picture that may be handheld, or wall
 mounted with apparatus 12. User intent or pre-answer initiation for a wall
 hung device may be sensed with sound or infrared rather than with direct
 touching.
 In the various housing, a region of housing 20 may include an access hatch
 or door 70 to provide user-access to battery B1 disposed within housing
 20. In a preferred spherical embodiment, the device can be unscrewed into
 two halves to access B1. In the preferred embodiment, B1 comprise four
 series-connected AA batteries, although other battery types may instead be
 used. Alternatively, a wall adaptor AC:DC converter may used with DC
 operating potential being coupled to device 10 through a suitable input
 jack. Hatch 70 may also provide access to user controls that need not be
 frequently adjusted, for example a volume control, a sensor sensitivity
 control, a microphone control, etc. Of course housing configurations
 beside what is shown in FIGS. 1A-1D may instead be used.
 The various embodiments include at least one sense mechanism 40, an
 electronic circuit 50 that may in fact be implemented with a
 microcontroller (perhaps an 8-bit digital voice microcontroller with 1 MB
 ROM with off-chip RAM), at least one transducer such as a speaker (SPKR),
 a microphone (MIC), a light source such as one or more light emitters,
 preferably light emitting diodes (LEDs), and an optional environment
 sensor 62. As described later herein, circuit 50 preferably includes at
 least a selector circuit and a library of responses and answers. A battery
 unit B1 preferably is disposed within housing 20 to power circuit 50 and
 the associated components. Housing 20 preferably also includes at least
 one user-operable control, e.g. S1, and at least one jack, e.g. J1.
 Without limitation, sensing mechanisms 40 may include any or all of a
 motion sensing switch 40-2, a strain detector 40-4, a proximity detector
 40-6 (e.g., infrared red including PIR and/or motion sensing), and an
 ambient sound detector 40-8. The function of these pre-answer initiation
 period sensing mechanisms is to detect a user's intent to use the device,
 typically manifest by the user's holding or shaking the device, or
 approaching the device, or making noise or other sounds in the vicinity of
 the device.
 Without limitation, environment sensor 62 may include any or all of a
 humidity, temperature, light/darkness, and voice detector-recognition
 sensors. A humidity and/or temperature sensor, for example, can be used to
 sense air pressure, humidity, temperature in the environment surrounding
 device 10, and to permit selection of a response that mentions such
 detected environment. Thus, if sensor 62 detects that the environment is
 hot and dry, a response to a question might include the words "it is too
 hot and dry to answer you accurately, but the answer is . . . " where ". .
 . " is a response (a vocalized answer or a sound effect) selected from the
 library. Sensor 62 may also (or instead) sense ambient light, to select
 answers or responses appropriate to day or evening, e.g., "it is too early
 in the day to tell for sure, but . . . " where ". . . " is a separately
 selected response or answer. Sensor 62 may include voice recognition
 software executed by circuit 50 that can detect the age (young versus old)
 and perhaps sex (male versus female) of the user. Based upon such voice
 recognition, an answer or response appropriate to such a user can be
 selected from among the library of stored answers and responses.
 A passive movement enhancing mechanism such as a weight 52 that is mounted
 eccentrically, off-center, upon a spin axis 54 may be included. Thus, when
 device 10 is lifted and moved, weight 52 will contribute to the sensation
 of activity within the device. If desired weight 52 may be associated with
 a spring mechanism that winds or unwinds relative to axis 52 to further
 enhance such sensation of internal activity, and more than one weight-axis
 combination may be provided, preferably with different spin axes.
 When the invention is activated, which is to say when user intent to use
 the device is detected by a sensor 40 and/or 62, preferably light emitting
 diodes ("LEDs") will be visible on or within the wall of housing 10, in
 addition to the selection and generation of a pre-answer sound effect
 and/or verbal utterance. A sound emitting transducer such as a speaker
 ("SPKR") is disposed within housing 20, which may therefore include a
 perforated or baffled region 60 to permit emitted sound to be heard by a
 user and spectators near the device. In FIG. 1A, device 10 is shown
 annunciating the answer "Get a life", ostensibly in response to a question
 posed by a user, although the answer could instead have been a recorded
 sound effect, e.g., a cow "moo-ing", an "oooga horn", a railroad train
 "chooga-chooga", a "whooshing", a "whirling" sound among many other stored
 or generatable sounds. Indeed, an answer may comprise annunciated words
 and one or more sound effects, preferably accompanied by a light display
 using LEDs or the like.
 As will be described, one or more of the LEDs can also be activated,
 sequentially and/or simultaneously, to provide an entertaining light show,
 during detection of user-intent, and during the annunciated "answer" or
 response. Thus, it will be appreciated that device 10 can provide both
 audible and visual entertainment that can be enjoyed by more than one
 person simultaneously.
 FIG. 2 is a block diagram of circuitry 50. Circuit 50 preferably includes a
 selector unit 80, a timer circuit 90, an electronic library of recorded
 sounds 100, an audio amplifier 110, a LED driver 120 (if device 10
 includes LEDs), and optionally a solid state recorder 130 that may be
 digital or analog. If desired a user-control may be provided to control
 the amplitude of the output from amplifier 110, and thus the volume of the
 speaker annunciated answers.
 In practice, a user intending to use the device can approach device 10 and
 initiate the pre-answer period. As noted, detection of user intent and
 onset of the pre-answer initiation period can be accomplished using a
 variety of sensing methods ranging, without limitation, from PIR to voice
 detection and recognition, to strain detection, to detection of mechanical
 vibration.
 Preferably circuit 50 defines the pre-answer user intent period as the
 duration of a given number of identifiable user activities, e.g., three
 separate vibrations or shakings of device 10, within a given time period,
 e.g., about four seconds, although other parameter values may be used.
 Typically during or immediately after this preanswer period, the user will
 annunciate a question to be "answered" by the device.
 As noted, one or more mechanisms 40-2, 40-4, 40-6, 40-8 (or other sensor
 mechanism types) sense this user intent or pre-answer initiation period
 activity and cause activation of circuit 50. For example, in response to
 vibration or shaking, motion switch 40-2 closes at least intermittently,
 which provides at least a pulse of voltage from B1 to a timer circuit 90.
 The intermittent pulse also causes an electronic switch 140 (e.g., a MOS
 FET) to be closed by timer 90, which now receives operating potential
 independently of the state of the motion switch or other sensing
 mechanism. Of course other circuit configurations may instead be used.
 A motion switch sense mechanism 40-2 may be implemented in many ways. For
 example, a multiple leaf type switch may be used where motion vibrates at
 least one leaf into electrical contact with an adjacent switch pole. If
 desired, a conductive pendulum may be suspended through a conductive
 eyelet or loop such that in a rest position the pendulum does not contact
 the loop. However if the device is moved, such vibration will cause the
 pendulum to swing slightly, making electrical contact with the surrounding
 loop. A motion switch may be constructed using dual concentric contacts,
 such that mild vibration may be distinguished from heavy shaking. The
 outputs from such a motion switch may advantageously be used to command
 "mild motion" type pre-answer sounds as contrasted with "heavy motion"
 type pre-answer sounds. "Heavy motion" might include annunciated sound
 effects such as horses "clopping", loud "whirring" noises and the like.
 Indeed, heavy motion sounds might included annunciated speech such as
 "enough already, I'm getting dizzy".
 One or more strain gage sense mechanisms 40-4 may be mounted on or in the
 wall of housing 20. When a user contacts (touches, rubs, or holds, etc.)
 device 10, the resultant physical contact will produce mechanical strain
 in housing 20, which strain is detected by strain gage(s) 40-4. Stress
 gages 40-4 then perform the functions described above for motion detector
 40-2.
 If desired, initiation can be sensed with a proximity switch 40-6 that may
 be implemented using capacitive coupling, IR detection, PIR, RF doppler,
 among other techniques. As a user approaches device 10, proximity switch
 40-6 detects the approach and performs the functions above-noted for the
 motion switch.
 It may also be useful to provide a sound sense mechanism 40-8 that can
 perform the role of motion switch 40-2 but in response to ambient sound.
 Ambient sound could include footsteps or speech made while approaching the
 device, and indeed could include speech recognition sensing such that the
 voice of a given user (perhaps the owner of the device) might be
 recognized by voice patterns using electronics within device 10. A sound
 detecting sense mechanism is especially useful if device 10 is too large
 or too heavy to be handheld, for example a large figurine such as shown in
 FIG. 1C, or a wall hanging device such as shown in FIG. 1D. A device
 housed within say a book on a bookshelf might also include sound
 detection.
 A combination of proximity and motion detection permits enhancing the sound
 effect(s) emitted during the pre-answer initiation period. For example,
 when proximity is detected, device 10 could be caused to annunciate one or
 more sound effects such as "whooshing", "oh, oh!", a "cow bell",
 "knocking", "oogah horn", "rattle", "sandpaper". If desired,
 motion-specific sounds could be provided during user-vibration of the
 device, as detected by an appropriate sense mechanism. In the preferred
 embodiment, the various user intention sensors do not rely upon the
 presence of strong ambient light, in contrast to some prior art devices.
 Thus while a preferred embodiment may provide an environment sensor 62
 that includes an ambient light sensor, such light sensing preferably is
 used to augment selection of an appropriate and entertaining answer rather
 than to signal user intent to use the device.
 In the above example, responding to motion and/or strain and/or proximity
 detection, electronic switch 140 will latch closed until such time as it
 is permitted to open in response to a signal denoting the end of an
 annunciated answer or response and any accompanying light display.
 As shown further in FIG. 2, initial pulse(s) from the motion (or other)
 switch may be coupled to a selector circuit 80 that is used to select an
 answer or response from library 100. If selector 80 functions as a
 randomizer, its output will be a digital value that is randomly selected.
 In the preferred embodiment, randomizer circuit 80 includes a
 pseudo-random number generator that has a different seeding with each
 activation. Preferably a record of recent history of answer selections
 made by circuit 80 is maintained to reject for annunciation a selected
 answer that was very recently selected. The recent history can include
 several past selections to reduce the likelihood of users or spectators
 becoming bored with the device due to repetitive answers. If a proposed
 selected answer is found in the recent history record, another answer is
 selected instead and annunciated.
 In the preferred embodiment, the randomizer output is used as a pointer to
 a location or locations within memory 100, from which location a stored
 answer or response is selected for annunciation. The dynamic range of the
 digital output is scaled such that a quantized random value will define
 one of a plurality of storage addresses in a library 100. Other
 randomizing function implementations may be used, however.
 Library 100 holds preferably one hundred or more different sound effects
 and vocalized speech answers. If desired, library 100 may be thought of as
 including library contents L1 and L2, where for example L1 represents a
 library of a dozen or more sound effects selectable during the device
 pre-answer initiation stage and possibly during answer period as well. In
 the preferred embodiment, library 100 is a microcontroller embedded with
 memory that may be internal or external, for example, a removable flash
 memory card. Other implementations are of course possible, including
 implementing substantially all of circuit 50 as a microcontroller.
 Understandably if library 100 hold a hundred or so answers or responses,
 selector circuit 80 need not be a true randomizer. Indeed, if memory 100
 is sufficiently large, e.g., more than a few dozen answers, circuit 80
 could simply step sequentially through the various responses stored in the
 memory. Thus on one round of device use circuit 80 might select response
 number 1 from memory, on the next round of use response number 2 might be
 selected, on the next round of use response number 3, etc. Alternatively,
 circuit 80 might perform a quasi-random selection function by periodically
 sequencing through the library, e.g., selecting stored response number 1
 on round one of device use, response number 3 on the next round of use,
 then response number 5, and until reaching the end of the library,
 whereupon response number 2 then response number 4 then response number 6,
 etc. would be selected in turn, and so forth. The term quasi-random shall
 be understood to include such sequential and periodic sequential
 selection. A function of selector 80 is to avoid selecting the same answer
 or response too frequently to the exclusion of other answers and
 responses, so that the user will not become bored with the device.
 As suggested by FIG. 2, the randomness or quasi-randomness of an answer or
 response to be selected by circuit 80 may be altered by the physical
 nature of the detected user intent. Thus, a relatively violent shaking of
 device 10 might be used to electronically steer circuit 80 towards
 selecting more "masculine" responses from the library. Those skilled in
 the relevant art will recognize that different categories may be assigned
 to different sound effects and speech stored in library 100, which
 categories may be used in such steered selection.
 During the initiation period during which a user shakes device 10 or
 otherwise signals user intent, a selected sound (be it a sound effect or
 vocalized speech) from L1 in library 100 will be amplified by an amplifier
 110 and annunciated through a transducer such as a loudspeaker ("SPKR").
 As noted, the sound effects may include a "whooshing" sound, or a
 "whirling water" sound, or a "breaking glass" sound. If desired, the
 motion switch could be augmented by a strain type transducer such that
 excessive shaking motion could dictate one of a select few stored library
 sounds would be played, regardless of the randomizer output. Such few
 sounds might include "ouch!", "stop it, you're killing me!", an explosion,
 or other entertaining sounds indicating excessive force.
 Timer 90 or other circuitry can permit the shaking-type sound to be played
 via the speaker for a second or two (or longer if the shaking continues
 longer). If desired, the shaking-type sound could be followed by a
 suspense type sound, e.g., a "whirling sound" evocative of a spinning
 roulette wheel, etc., after which the selected "answer" is annunciated.
 The answer, the phrase "get a life" in FIG. 1A, or "be serious" in FIG.
 1B, or "even a genie cannot tell" in FIG. 1C, or "unfortunately, you are
 not the fairest in the land" is then amplified and played through the
 speaker.
 Preferably shaking and motion-type sounds played during the pre-answer
 initiation period are synchronized with any detected vibration. Thus rapid
 shaking might produce rapid choruses of broken glass sounds, and so forth.
 Preferably circuit 50 recognizes a certain number of user-initiated
 events, e.g., vibrations occurring within a certain time period, after
 which a selected answer or response is annunciated, preferably accompanied
 by a light display from LEDs. In the preferred embodiment, end of the
 user-intent period can be defined as detection of a third shaking or other
 user-caused event occurring within given time period, e.g., perhaps four
 seconds.
 In contrast to prior art Magic Eight Ball type devices, the "answer" is
 heard and thus is immediately known to all persons within earshot, not
 just to the user. This enhances the entertainment value, especially where
 a user dissatisfied with a Magic Eight Ball visual answer might not
 announce the answer and simply re-shake the Magic Eight Ball.
 To further augment the entertainment value, circuitry 50 preferably
 includes a LED driver 120 whose output activates one or more LEDs. As
 noted, the LED activation can be sequential, parallel, or a combination of
 each, and can comprise analog and/or digital drive including duty cycle
 drive variation. In the preferred embodiment blue, red, and yellow LEDs
 may be activated so as to produce an interesting change or burst of
 colors, varying color patterns including pure colors. These display
 variations may be coupled to responses, answers, and/or detected user
 intent activity, to augment aural entertainment with visual entertainment.
 For example, shaking the device can instantly cause changes in LED color
 and/or intensity proportional to magnitude and/or duration of the shaking
 or other detected use intent action. Circuit details for activating LEDs
 in sequence or otherwise are well known to those skilled in the relevant
 art and are not given here.
 If desired, certain answers in the L2 portion of library 100 could be
 categorized according to characteristics, e.g., "happy answers", "sad
 answers", "neutral answers". If the randomizer selects, for example, a
 "happy answer", circuitry 50 could recognize this fact by the circuit 80
 selected answer address and could command activation of an appropriate LED
 or LED pattern. For example, if multicolored LEDs are used, perhaps green
 and red LEDs would be activated for a happy answer, perhaps blue LEDs for
 a sad answer. As noted, not all of the answers need be audible speech, and
 some answers may be sound effects.
 An LED display could occur from the start of the user-intent period through
 the end of the answer annunciation, or some shorter period of time. After
 the answer has been annunciated, the audio and visual display are
 terminated, and circuit 50 is decoupled from B1. B1 will remain decoupled
 from circuit 50 until the next initiation of a user-activity, thus
 extending the life of battery B1.
 In a preferred embodiment, one or more of the answers stored in L2 in
 library 100 may be recorded by entertainment celebrities, whose voices
 will be instantly recognized by most listeners. Funny answers might be
 recorded by comedians, tragic answers by tragedians, and so forth.
 Although the answers are preferably totally randomly selected by randomizer
 80, if desired a "cheat" function could be implemented with a
 user-operable control S1 to at least determine which of at least two
 characteristics the randomly selected answer shall exhibit. For example,
 answers suitable to a male interrogator might be stored in a certain block
 of addresses within library 100, whereas answer suitable to a female
 interrogator might be stored in another block. A male user wanting "male"
 appropriate answers might push or otherwise activate switch S1, whereas a
 female user might not activate S1 (or vice versa). The randomizer would
 then be forced to randomly select an answer, but from the male appropriate
 block of addresses or from the female appropriate block of addressed.
 Some answers might be termed "happy" answers, e.g., "fortune lies ahead",
 whereas others might be "sad" or "disappointing" answers, e.g., "get a
 life". Switch S1 or a second switch could be incorporated to command at
 least the mood of the answer, although the answer would still be randomly
 selected, albeit from the S1 (or other switch) selected mood of answers.
 If desired, a specific answer might be given more than one address within
 memory 100, to permit a variable weighting and to save memory space. Thus,
 "fortune lies ahead" might be indexable both as a "happy" answer and as a
 "serious" answer. With a preferably random frequency of occurrence,
 multiple answers might be given simultaneously, in a Greek chorus fashion,
 or given serially, e.g., "Yes . . . the answer is certainly true", where
 "yes" and "the answer is certainly true" are two separately stored phrases
 that need not be given together.
 On preferably random occasion, one answer might be logically linked to a
 preceding answer, to add to the amusement value of the device, in
 anticipation that a subsequent question is related to a previous answer.
 Such linkage alters the randomness decision of unit 80, but can produce
 entertaining results. For example if a previous response was "No", the
 subsequent response might be "I thought I just replied no". Implementing
 this function may be carried out by categorizing classes of stored
 answers, e.g., negative answers, positive answers, ambiguous answers. In
 the case of an ambiguous first answer such as "who ordered a pizza?", a
 next linked answer might be "did someone say pizza??" Category flags
 (e.g., yes, no, ambiguous) representing the last few responses may be
 stored (e.g., in memory associated with 100) and if a reinforcing type
 answer is now desired, selector 80 can select, randomly, quasi-randomly,
 or otherwise, from locations in library 100 whereat groups of such
 categorized responses are to be found.
 As noted, randomness of unit 80 can also be intentionally altered by the
 sensed magnitude of the initiation activity associated with user intent.
 Thus, hard shaking might be interpreted as suggesting that a rather
 serious question is about to be propounded, or that the present user is a
 male. An answer or response may then be selected by circuit 80 from a
 portion of library 100 known to contain answers or responses suitable for
 such assumptions. Further, an answer or response may also be influenced by
 environmental factors as detected by sensor 62, described earlier herein.
 Circuitry 50 may also include a solid state recorder 130 whose audio input
 may be provided via a jack J1 or perhaps via a dual function transducer
 SPKR. Alternatively, a separate audio input transducer such as an electret
 microphone could be included in the device housing for optimal voice
 detection. Recorder 130, which could be digital or analog, can permit a
 user to record his or her own voice or perhaps voices of friends reading
 answers into a portion of library 100 or into a user writable library also
 within circuitry 50. A device 10 intended for use by children might have
 answers appropriate for children recorded by parents or older siblings.
 At least a portion of library 100 may be implemented as removable memory.
 This feature permits providing different libraries of answers and
 responses simply by removing one memory unit and replacing with another.
 One such memory unit may store answers and responses appropriate for
 children, another for adults, perhaps a third would have answers in a
 foreign language being studied by a user, and so forth. Compact memory
 units are readily available in PCMCIA and other form factors with which to
 implement this feature.
 Circuitry 50 can also use the just-recorded voice of the user, e.g., while
 posing a question, as a voice with which a selected answer may be
 annunciated. If desired, the user's voice may be altered to produce a
 humorous, often cartoon-type voice characteristic. Such altering is
 readily accomplished, for example, by varying the frequency of clock
 pulses to the associated voice synthesizer circuitry, e.g., which
 circuitry may be associated with unit 130 in FIG. 2.
 Specific details for the various circuits referred to herein have not been
 provided as those skilled in the art will readily understand from FIG. 2
 how the present invention may be implemented.
 As was noted, prior art devices provided visual-only entertainment from a
 very limited selection of answers that can only be enjoyed by a single
 user, until the answer was read aloud or the device passed around so
 others with good enough eyesight could also read the answers. By contrast,
 the present invention provides both audible and visual entertainment, and
 the number of audible responses is limited solely by the storage contents
 of library (or libraries) 100. The number of storable responses may
 readily exceed one hundred using conventional off-the-shelf solid state
 library storage integrated circuits. The present invention is physically
 robust and its audible and visual entertainment may be shared
 simultaneously by user and audience alike, without reliance upon strong
 ambient light.
 Modifications and variations may be made to the disclosed embodiments
 without departing from the subject and spirit of the invention as defined
 by the following claims. For example, annuniciated sounds could be
 augmented by including transducers that emit their own sound, e.g., a
 siren module, a whistle module, etc.