Abstract:
This invention is directed to an interactive toy in which a user operates an instrument in association with the toy and one or more corresponding images show up on a display.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/002,652, filed 9 Nov. 2007. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention is directed to an interactive toy in which a user operates an instrument in association with the toy resulting in one or more corresponding images generated on a display. 
         [0004]    2. Discussion of Related Art 
         [0005]    The present invention relates to a toy for the simulation of adult occupations including, veterinarians, doctors and mechanics. Known toys of this type generally include nonfunctional accessories for make believe play. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A general object of the invention is to provide a toy in which a user can simulate the activities of various occupations, for example, a doctor, a veterinarian or an auto mechanic. This invention preferably includes a plaything, such as a doll, an action figure, a stuffed animal or a toy car, which can respond to and interact with an instrument and/or a main station/platform. For example, the user could simulate the activity of a veterinarian and the associated plaything would be a stuffed animal. The user may place the stuffed animal on the platform and utilize an x-ray instrument by placing the x-ray instrument over or in association with the plaything. 
         [0007]    According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, one or more sensors in the x-ray instrument and/or the platform communicate with one or more nodes within the stuffed animal to display a simulated medical image of the stuffed animal, for instance, paw bones when the user places the x-ray instrument over a paw of the stuffed animal or a skull image when the user places the x-ray instrument over a head the stuffed animal. Similarly, the user could pick up a stethoscope instrument and place it over a heart of the stuffed animal to hear a heartbeat on speakers while viewing a heartbeat image on a display. 
         [0008]    Preferably, the platform and instruments cooperate with multiple playthings which provide unique, corresponding images and sounds on the display. The user may thereby simulate the activity of a veterinarian with multiple patients including, a cat patient, a dog patient, a bird patient and/or any other suitable veterinarian patient. 
         [0009]    Further, the invention will ideally allow for the plaything to go through cycles of good and bad health or repair so that the user can “nurse” or maintain the plaything back to health or operation. 
         [0010]    According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device may grow and adapt with the user by providing increasingly complex imagination scenarios as the user ages. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    These and other features of this invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawing, wherein: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a toy according to one embodiment of this invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0013]    The present invention will now be described with reference to representative  FIG. 1  which, in general, relates to an interactive toy that permits a user to interact with a plaything for example with one or more instruments. In a preferred embodiment, the interactive toy provides a simulated veterinarian scenario and would preferably include a veterinarian station with one or more examining instruments and a plaything “patient,” such as a stuffed animal, so that a user may “examine” the patient with the instruments and obtain resulting interactions on a display. However, it is understood that the present invention may be adapted to provide various imaginative scenarios including doctor/patient, mechanic/automobile, scientist/insect, etc. 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates a toy  100 . The toy  100  preferably includes a platform  110 , an instrument  130 , a display  140  and a plaything  150 . The platform  110  preferably includes a central processing unit (CPU)  112 , a memory  114 , an audio source, such as a speaker  116 , a platform sensor  118 , at least one selector  120  and a power supply  122 . The plaything  150  preferably includes at least one node  152  and preferably a plurality of nodes  152 . As used throughout the specification and claims a “node” is an object or device that provides data to be read or detected by one or more platform sensors  118  and the instrument  130 . Additionally, the selector  120  may include one or more push-buttons, dials, and/or touch screens. 
         [0015]    In a preferred embodiment of the toy  100 , the CPU  112  is electrically connected to the data storage medium  114 , the speaker  116 , the memory  118 , the selector  120 , the power supply  122 , the instrument  130  and the display  140 . In an alternative embodiment, the instrument  130  is in wireless communication with the CPU  112 . The node  152  is in wireless communication with the platform sensor  118  and in wireless communication with the instrument  130 . 
         [0016]    In a preferred embodiment, the power supply  122  is a battery. In an alternative embodiment, the power supply  122  is replaced by a power cord which may be plugged into a standard AC wall outlet. 
         [0017]    In a preferred embodiment, the node  152  is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the instrument  130  is able to receive radio frequencies. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the platform sensor  118  is also able to receive radio frequencies. As a result, the node  152  communicates with one or more of the instrument  130  and the platform sensor  118 . 
         [0018]    In another embodiment, the node  152  includes magnetically encoded data and the instrument  130  is able to detect and read the magnetically encoded data. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the platform sensor  118  is also able to detect and read the magnetically encoded data. As a result, the node  152  communicates with one or more of the instrument  130  and the platform sensor  118 . 
         [0019]    In operation, the plaything  150  is placed on the platform  110 . The proximity of the node  152  and the platform sensor  118  causes a signal to be sent to the CPU  112 . This signal permits the CPU  112  to identify the type of plaything  150  that is positioned on the platform. The CPU  112  in turn sends a signal to the display  140  and/or the speaker  116 . The user may then select a mode of operation with the selector  120 . For example, the user may select an “x-ray” mode. Then the user may maneuver the appropriate x-ray tool instrument  130  to x-ray their “patient” plaything  150 . The invention may include a plurality of instruments  130 . For example, an x-ray tool for x-rays, a stethoscope tool for listening to sounds within the patient and other instruments suitable for use in connection with the plaything  150 . In an alternative embodiment, the toy  100  may not include the selector  120  and instead the mode of operation may be selected by the type of instrument  130  that is chosen by the user. 
         [0020]    Further, the instrument  130  can be positioned near the node  152 . The instrument  130  will detect the node  152  that it is near to and communicate that information to the CPU  112 . The CPU  112  in turn will send the appropriate animation to be shown on the display  140  and/or the appropriate audio to be emitted from the speakers  116 . 
         [0021]    In the veterinarian scenario, the instrument  130  can be designed to provide a variety of functions including x-raying, listening to sounds within the patient, and taking temperature. For example, in the veterinarian embodiment, the instrument  130  may be utilized for x-raying and when the instrument  130  is placed over the node  152  of a foot of the stuffed animal an image of foot bones is displayed on the display  140 . As the device is moved up the stuffed animal, the display  140  will generate an image of an ankle bone, a knee, a thigh bone, a hip bone and so on. In another example for the veterinarian embodiment, the instrument  130  could be a stethoscope tool and when the instrument is placed over a heart of the stuffed animal the node  152  would interact with the instrument  130  and send a signal to the CPU  112 . The CPU  112  would transmit animation and/or sound to the display  140  and the speaker  116  so that the user could view a heart monitor on the display  140  and hear heartbeats on the speaker  116 . In still another example, the instrument  130  may be a thermometer which the user can insert into a mouth of the stuffed animal. The instrument  130  would interact with the node  152  and send a signal to the CPU  112 . The CPU  112  would transmit animation and/or sound to the display  140  and the speaker  116  so that the user could view a temperature gauge on the display  140  and hear sounds on the speakers  116 . 
         [0022]    Similarly, in the mechanic scenario, the instrument  130  can be designed to provide a variety of functions including, a tool for measuring battery voltage (a voltmeter), a tool for draining fluids from the toy car, a tool for supplying fluids to the toy car and a tool for checking exhaust. For example, the voltmeter tool may only react when it is near the node  152  that is located at a battery. When the instrument  130  is placed near the node  152  of the battery, animation representing the voltage of the car may be shown on the display  140 . In another example, when the instrument  130  is placed near the node  152  of an oil drain plug, animation and/or sound representing draining oil may be shown on the display  140  and/or emitted from the speaker  116 . 
         [0023]    In an alternative embodiment, the location of the instrument  130  with respect to the plaything  150  can be determined by the CPU  112  by triangulation of the instrument  130  and the various nodes  152  located within the plaything  150 . This embodiment provides for images to be displayed on the display  140  when the instrument is between two nodes  152 . 
         [0024]    In another alternative embodiment, the display  140  may be omitted and replaced, for example, with an output cable for connecting the platform to a television or monitor, allowing the television to replace the display. The output cable may also include an output plug. Possible types of output plug may include, but not limited to, an RCA plug and a co-axial cable. Additionally, it is understood that in an alternative embodiment the memory  114 , the speaker  116 , the platform sensor  118 , and the selector  120  may be omitted. 
         [0025]    It will be appreciated that details of the foregoing embodiments, given for purposes of illustration, are not to be construed as limiting the scope of this invention. Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention, which is defined in the following claims and all equivalents thereto. Further, it is recognized that many embodiments may be conceived that do not achieve all of the advantages of some embodiments, particularly of the preferred embodiments, yet the absence of a particular advantage shall not be construed to necessarily mean that such an embodiment is outside the scope of the present invention.