Abstract:
A novelty device assembly is provided. The novelty device includes an audio signal generator and a book. The audio signal generator is capable of being removably secured to the novelty device. The audio signal generator includes a memory to store data and a speaker to provide an audible signal. The book is separate from the audio signal generator and includes a plurality of pages having discrete printed information. Each page contains a contact capable of being detected by the audio signal generator. The pointer retrieves data from the memory corresponding to the selected page and converts it into an audible signal.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of talking novelty devices or toys. More specifically, the present invention relates to a toy with a talking pointer and book. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Talking books are known, and are a popular item for children, especially young children who are learning or have just learned to read. Typically, a talking book has an integral sound source for producing sounds when actuated by the reader. Such sound sources may be mechanical, such as a bellows actuated reed or whistle, or may be electronic, in which sounds are stored digitally and reproduced electronically. The sound source, whatever its structure, is usually keyed to the story in the book so that the sounds produced bear some relationship to the content of the story. This sound source is not only keyed to the story, it has been previously incorporated into the book so as to become a permanent part of the book. While these books are enjoyable and educational for the child, they are limited in that they are unable to provide a more active role for the child to play when reading the book or having the book read to him or her. 
     A child&#39;s interest and imagination are enhanced when the child is able to take a more active role in reading or listening to a book. To provide a more enjoyable and more educational reading experience, it is desired to provide a novelty item or toy such as a stuffed bear or doll, a book, and a sound source that can be separated, on occasion, from the novelty item or toy. The sound source preferably produces realistic sounds, such as sounds of human speech. This gives a reading novelty item a greater play value and greater educational value. By permitting the sound source to be removed from the novelty item, the reader, particularly a young child, can more actively and more realistically act out the story along with the characters in the book. This gives the child a greater feeling of participation in the reading process, and stimulates the child&#39;s interest in reading. 
     Prior attempts to provide this type of experience to a child reader have been made but have fallen short. Therefore, there is a need for an improved novelty item which provides the required activity for a user. This novelty item must be capable of easily being used in a number of ways while being capable of being constructed in a cost-efficient manner. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to novelty device that gives a user, such as a child, a greater feeling of participation in the reading process, and stimulates the child&#39;s interest in reading 
     A novelty device assembly for audibly providing the text of a written work is provided. The novelty device includes an audio signal generator and a book. The audio signal generator is capable of being removably secured to the novelty device. The audio signal generator includes a memory to store data and a speaker to provide an audible signal. The book is separate from the audio signal generator and includes a plurality of pages having discrete printed information. Each page contains a contact capable of being detected by the audio signal generator. The pointer retrieves data from the memory corresponding to the selected page and converts it into an audible signal. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a novelty device assembly for audibly providing the text of a written work is provided. The assembly includes a pointer capable of being removably secured to the novelty device. The pointer further includes an audio signal generator having a memory to store data and a speaker to provide an audible signal. The book is separate from the pointer. The book includes a plurality of pages having discrete printed information. Each page contains a contact capable of being detected by the audio signal generator. The audio signal generator retrieves data from the memory corresponding to the selected page and converts the data into an audible signal. 
     According to yet another aspect of the invention, a novelty device assembly for audibly providing the text of a written work is provided. The assembly includes a novelty device, a pointer and a book. The pointer is capable of being removably secured to the novelty device and includes an audio signal generator having a memory to store data and a speaker to provide an audible signal. The book is separate from the audio signal generator. The book includes a plurality of pages having different printed information with each page containing a different contact capable of being detected by the pointer. The pointer is capable of retrieving data from the memory corresponding to the selected page and converting the data into an audible signal. 
     The present invention together with attendant objects and advantages, will be best understood with reference to the detailed description below in connection with attached drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the novelty assembly of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pointer as illustrated in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating the pointer and a contact on the book. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a novelty assembly illustrating another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of novelty assembly  10  incorporating a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The novelty assembly  10  includes a stuffed animal such as the bear  12 , a pointer  14  and the book  16 . While a bear  12  is illustrated in FIG. 1, other novelty devices or toys such as a doll as illustrated in FIG. 4 or other animal characters such as a turtle may also be used with the present invention. The present invention may also be used with various licensed characters. The bear  12  includes a body or torso  20 , a head  22 , two arms (right and left)  24 ,  26  and two legs  28 ,  30 . In the present embodiment, the left arm  26  of the bear  12  holds the pointer  14 . The pointer  14  is sized so as to be secured within the paw  31  of the bear. Alternatively, the pointer  14  could be secured to the paw  31  using velcro or other suitable securing methods. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, an enlarged view of the pointer  14  is illustrated. The pointer  14  includes an outer surface  40 . On the end  42 , a contact point  44  is located. A middle portion  45  of the pointer  14  includes a door  46  covering a compartment for a power supply such as a three volt battery. The other end  50  includes a speaker  56  capable of generating an audible signal. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, a circuit diagram  100  for a preferred embodiment, of the audible signal generator portion of the pointer  14  is illustrated. The circuit  100 , the book resistor  106 , and contact unit  104  control the audible signal generated from the pointer  14 . The contact point  44  of the pointer  14  has a contact unit  104 . The contact unit  104  is for use with a contact or book resistor  106  on the book  16 . Preferably, the pointer  14  includes a power source  108 , e.g., a three volt battery, and a switch  110  which can be opened when the pointer  14  is not in use to prevent an unnecessary drain of the power source  108 . The circuit  100  is a normally opened circuit which becomes closed when switch  110  is closed and the contact unit  104  of the pointer  14  touches the book resistor  106  of the book  16 . 
     To obtain a specific message corresponding to a certain page of the book  16 , an impedance of book resistor  106  varies, for example, from one thousand to one million ohms. When the contact point  44  of the pointer  14  touches the book resistor  106  it electrically connects to an oscillator  112  to cause the oscillator  112  to produce an output waveform at a certain frequency depending on a value of the book resistor  106 . An exemplary oscillator is Model number MT-TK11 manufactured by HHC located in Taiwan. 
     Thereafter, the output waveform of the oscillator  112  is fed via a diode  116  to an input port of a voice chip  114 . An exemplary diode is Model number IN4148 manufactured by Phillips located in Hong Kong, and exemplary voice chips are micro controller unit (MCU) Model numbers SN67003, SN67060, and SN68063 manufactured by Sonix located in Taiwan. The voice chip  114  counts the number of pulses of the input waveform that occur within a predetermined time period, e.g., three milliseconds. To accommodate the counting of pulse signals, the voice chip  114  includes an oscillator which is powered by the power source  108  via a first resistor  118 . Thereafter, to determine the specified message, the voice chip  114  compares the counted number of pulses to, for example, an internal lookup table. The lookup table includes information corresponding to the printed subject matter found in the book  16 . According to the lookup table, a sound output corresponding to the specified message is read out of a read only memory (ROM) of the voice chip, for example. 
     The sound output passes through an amplifier circuit which includes a second resistor  120  connected from the sound output of the voice chip  114  to a base of a transistor  122 , and a third resistor  124  connected from the base of the transistor  122  to ground. An exemplary transistor is Model number 8050 manufactured by Samsung located in South Korea; however, equivalent transistors can be used. A collector of the transistor  122  connects to a speaker  56  which connects to a capacitor  128  and the power source  108  in shunt. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that resistance and capacitance values shown in FIG. 3 are for exemplary purposes only, and that other values may be used to operate the circuit  100 . 
     FIG. 4 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the novelty assembly  200  of the present invention. The novelty assembly  200  operates in essentially the same way as does the embodiment  10  of FIG. 1, with the exception that the doll  202  is used in place of the bear  12 . The pointer  214  and the book  216  are constructed as described above. 
     With reference to FIG. 1, in use, an adult or a child could depress the bear&#39;s paw  30  and the pointer  14  against the book resistor  106 . The pointer  14  will detect the value of the resistor  106  and generate an audible signal that corresponds with the discrete printed subject matter on the selected page of the book  16 . A user could then depress the bear&#39;s paw  31  and the pointer  14  against the bood resistor  106  found on another page of the book  16 . As a result, a second audible signal is generated that corresponds with the text of the next selected page. Alternatively, the user could remove the pointer  14  from the bear&#39;s paw  31  and using their hand depress it against the bood resistor  106  on another page thereby generating an audible signal that corresponds with the printed subject matter of the selected page. 
     The embodiments described above and shown herein are illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description and attached drawings. The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the novelty device can include bears, dolls and other figures as recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art. Also, the specific circuitry used to generate an audible signal could include a wide variety of known constructions without departing from the claimed invention. Accordingly, these and any other changes which come within the scope of the claims are intended to be embraced herein.