Abstract:
A toy vehicle includes a plug to recognize a keyed accessory of the toy vehicle, circuitry connected to the plug and operable to select a functional feature in response to recognition of the keyed accessory, and a feature generator to produce the selected functional feature.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    This disclosure relates to the keying of toy vehicle accessories.  
           [0002]    Many children and adults enjoy playing with miniaturized vehicles. In order to make miniaturized vehicles more enjoyable, toy designers often endow miniaturized vehicles with functional features. Exemplary functional features include illuminated headlights on miniaturized cars, smoking stacks on miniaturized trains, blazoning sirens on miniaturized fire trucks, and firing cannons on miniaturized military vehicles.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0003]    The range of functional features of a toy vehicle can be expanded by keying toy accessories for recognition by the toy vehicle. When the toy vehicle recognizes the keyed accessory, a selected functional feature may be exhibited.  
           [0004]    In one general aspect, a toy vehicle includes a plug to recognize a keyed accessory attached to the toy vehicle, circuitry connected to the plug and operable to select a functional feature in response to recognition of the keyed accessory, and a feature generator to produce the selected functional feature.  
           [0005]    In another general aspect, a combat toy includes a plug to recognize a keyed weapon, circuitry connected to the plug and operable to select a functional feature in response to recognition of the keyed weapon, and a feature generator to produce the selected functional feature.  
           [0006]    Implementations of the toys may include one or more of the following features. For example, the feature generator may be a speaker and the functional feature may be a sound. The selected functional feature may generally resemble a functional feature of a real accessory of a real vehicle.  
           [0007]    The circuitry may be operable to select a unique functional feature in response to recognition of each keyed accessory by the plug. The plug may be an electronic switch. The toy vehicle may also include a mount to mount the keyed accessory to the toy vehicle. The mount may be shaped to establish an interference fit with the keyed accessory. The mount may include an alignment guide, such as an asymmetric opening in the mount, to ensure alignment of the keyed accessory.  
           [0008]    The toy vehicle may be a toy combat vehicle, such as a toy helicopter, and the keyed accessory may be a keyed weapon, such as a missile or gun. The keyed accessory may be interchangeable with a second keyed accessory for recognition by the plug. The plug may include a pressure responsive surface or multiple pressure responsive surfaces.  
           [0009]    The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a side view of a toy vehicle with a detachable missile.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a side view of the toy vehicle of FIG. 1 after detachment of the missile.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of a plug of the toy vehicle of FIG. 1.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the keyed accessory missile of FIG. 1.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the key of the keyed accessory missile of FIG.  
         [0015]    FIGS.  6 - 9  are side views of various keyed accessory weapons for use with the toy vehicle of FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 10 is a block diagram of internal components of the toy vehicle of FIG. 1.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 11 is a data structure for a sound feature database stored in the toy vehicle of FIG. 1.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another toy vehicle with a plug for recognizing a keyed accessory. 
     
    
       [0019]    Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]    Referring to FIG. 1, a toy vehicle  100  generally resembles a combat helicopter and includes a body casing  105 , a cockpit  110 , and a helicopter blade  115 . Body casing  105  houses various electronic components including a speaker  120  and a button switch  125 . Toy vehicle  100  also carries a detachable missile  125  that is keyed for recognition by electronic components housed by body casing  105 .  
         [0021]    Referring also to FIG. 2, which shows the toy vehicle  100  with the missile detached, a weapon mount  200  extends from the side of body casing  105  to support a key plug  205 . Plug  205  recognizes a key of missile  125  that causes vehicle  100  to play an associated sound using speaker  120  when button  125  is pressed.  
         [0022]    Referring to FIG. 3, plug  205  includes a flat top wall  300 , a bottom wall  305 , and a pair of opposing side walls  310  that together define a key receptacle chamber  315 . Key receptacle chamber  315  opens at a slot  320  in the side of plug  205 . Each side wall  310  includes a positioning groove  325  disposed a distance D below top wall  300  to make slot  320  asymmetric about a centerline C. Bottom wall  305  supports a row of four key switches  330 . Each key switch  330  includes a contact face  335  that is substantially parallel to the top and bottom walls  300  and  305 . Each key switch  330  is displaceable downward to change state upon the application of a force F to contact face  335 .  
         [0023]    Referring to FIG. 4, missile  125  includes a cylindrical body  400  that extends between a tip  405  and an exhaust  410  and is contoured to resemble a missile. Referring also to FIG. 5, missile  125  also includes a key  415  that extends longitudinally from the side of body  400 . Key  415  is dimensioned to establish an interference fit with key receptacle chamber  315  to mount missile  125  to vehicle  100 , as shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0024]    As shown in FIG. 5, key  415  includes a front face  505 , a pair of side faces  510 , a flat face  515 , and a keyed face  520  opposite the flat face  515 . Each side face  510  includes a positioning protuberance  525 . Protuberances  525  are disposed a distance D from flat face  515  and are dimensioned to slidably fit into positioning grooves  325  when properly aligned. Key  415  also includes up to four ridges  530  that extend outward from keyed face  520  to define a pattern that is recognizable by plug  205  of toy vehicle  100 . Each ridge  530  includes a rounded front portion  535  that slopes toward keyed face  520  approaching front face  505 .  
         [0025]    Referring to FIGS.  6 - 9 , other weapons that may be attached to vehicle  100  include a first rifle  600  (FIG. 6), a second rifle  700  (FIG. 7), a speargun  800  (FIG. 8), and a chainsaw  900  (FIG. 9). Each weapon  600 ,  700 ,  800 ,  900  includes a key  415  with up to four ridges  530  that define a pattern recognizable by plug  205  of toy vehicle  100 . Weapons  125 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 , and  900  may be dimensioned for use by an action figure (not shown) that is correspondingly dimensioned to fit in cockpit  110 . Such joint sizing allows a child or other user to flexibly engage in a variety of play activities using toy vehicle  100 .  
         [0026]    Referring to FIG. 10, in addition to supporting speaker  120 , button switch  125 , and key switches  330 , body casing  105  also houses a battery  1000 , a controller  1005 , and a memory  1010 . Battery  1000  supplies power to the components inside body casing  105  and is replaceable upon removal of a face plate (not shown) on body casing  105 . Key switches  330 , button switch  125 , speaker  120 , and memory  1010  are coupled to controller  1005 .  
         [0027]    Referring also to FIG. 11, memory  1010  stores, in a format that is readable by controller  1005 , a sound database  1100  of individually addressable sound feature data records  1105 . Records  1105  each encode sounds generally resembling the sounds associated with a real item. For example, Sound Feature 1 may encode the sounds of a missile launch, flight, and explosion, while Sound Feature 2 may encode the sounds of machine gun fire. Controller  1005  determines the state of key switches  330  to recognize an accessory that has been attached to key receptacle chamber  315 . When button switch  125  is pressed, controller  1005  selects an associated sound feature record  1105  from memory  1010  and controls speaker  120  to generate sound corresponding to a converted version of the sound feature record.  
         [0028]    In use, a child first selects one accessory  125 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 , or  900  and aligns key  415  of the selected weapon with slot  320  in body casing  105 . When key  415  is properly aligned, positioning protuberances  525  smoothly enter positioning grooves  325  as the operator slides key  415  into slot  320 . However, if the selected accessory is misaligned, for example, if key  415  is inverted so that keyed face  520  would abut flat top wall  300  when inserted, positioning protuberances  525  are unable to enter positioning grooves  325  and insertion is prevented. This prevents a young child from inadvertently preventing recognition of key  415  by plug  205  by sliding flat face  515  over contact faces  335 .  
         [0029]    As key  415  slides into slot  320 , one or more rounded front portions  535  of ridges  530  apply a force F to corresponding contact faces  335  to displace one or more key switches  330  downward. This downward displacement changes the state of the corresponding key switches  330  to define a pattern that is detected by controller  1005  to recognize the selected accessory  125 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 , or  900 . When button switch  125  is pressed, controller  1005  selects a sound feature record  1105  corresponding to the pressed switches  330  from memory  1010 , and causes the speaker  120  to play the associated sound. Since accessories are keyed for recognition by plug  205 , the range of sound features can be expanded to include unique or semi-unique sounds for a variety of accessories.  
         [0030]    A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, more than four key switches may be used. The accessories need not be mounted to the vehicle at the plug. For example, non-contact wireless recognition plugs may be used. Functional features other than sounds, or additional sound features, also may be exhibited. For example, vehicle  100  may play rotor sounds when helicopter blade  115  is rotated. Keys  415  may be mounted to accessories  125 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 , or  900  at any relative orientation. Any of a variety of vehicles or action figures may recognize accessories. For example, referring to FIG. 12, an armored vehicle  1200  may include a plug  205 . The number of unique functional features may correspond to the number of unique keys recognizable by the plug. For example, sound database  1100  may include sixteen sound feature data records  1105 . Of these sound feature data records  1105 , fifteen sound feature data records may encode sounds generally resembling the sounds associated with a real item, while the sixteenth sound may indicate the absence of a real item and may be selected by controller  1005  when the plug is empty. There may be more than one accessory for each functional feature. For example, rifles  600  and  700  may be identically keyed and controller  1005  may select the same sound feature data record  1105  when either rifle  600  and  700  is recognized by the plug. Pistols, flamethrowers, and grenade launchers may also serve as accessories.  
         [0031]    Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.