Abstract:
An electronic drawing toy is disclosed for drawing and gaming applications used with a video monitor, wherein a complexity of the toy is minimized to facilitate use by young children.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application 60/647,039, filed Jan. 26, 2005. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates to an electronic device and more particularly to an electronic drawing toy for drawing and gaming applications for use with a video monitor.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Conventional electronic toys are typically not appropriate for young children. Often, many different switches, buttons, knobs, and joysticks have been utilized to provide a user interface for controlling game actions. Thus, the use of the toy is overly complex and difficult for young children.  
         [0004]     Games or activities may require a large number of actions alone or in combinations, and the user may manipulate a number of types of input devices to achieve the actions. Some control actions may require simultaneous manipulation of separate input devices using multiple fingers or both hands of the user. Because of the variety of potential hand and finger motions and the large number of combinations of input device actuations, it may be difficult for the user to remember or correctly utilize them all. An older user has the dexterity and eye-hand coordination necessary to manipulate and control such complex devices. It is typically difficult for young children to operate these complex devices.  
         [0005]     However, young children do possess the intellect and ability necessary for meaningful interaction. The limitations that young children face in respect of these electronic toys are not inherent, but rather imposed by the presently available devices.  
         [0006]     It would be desirable to produce an electronic toy wherein a complexity of the toy is minimized to facilitate use by young children. It would be further desirable to achieve the foregoing in a device that is easy to hold and manipulate and where a cost of producing the device is minimized.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     Concordant and congruous with the present invention, an electronic toy wherein a complexity of the toy is minimized to facilitate use by young children, has surprisingly been discovered.  
         [0008]     In one embodiment, the electronic drawing toy comprises a main body adapted to be connected to a video monitor; a processor disposed in said main body for generating video signals, audio signals, and application data to produce an image on the monitor; a first input device disposed on said main body for controlling movement of a cursor on the video monitor; and a second input device disposed on said main body and positionable in a first position and a second position.  
         [0009]     In another embodiment, the electronic drawing toy comprises a main body adapted to be connected to a video monitor; a processor disposed in said main body for generating video signals, audio signals, and application data to produce an image on the monitor;a first input device disposed on said main body for controlling movement of a cursor on the video monitor; a second input device disposed on said main body and positionable in a first position and a second position; and a switch disposed in said main body for causing the image on the monitor to be erased upon inverting and shaking of the toy by a user.  
         [0010]     In yet another embodiment, the electronic toy comprises a main body adapted to be connected to a video monitor; a processor disposed in said main body for generating video signals, audio signals, and application data to produce an image on the monitor; a first input device disposed on said main body for controlling movement of a cursor on the video monitor, wherein said first input device comprising a four-way operator positioned over a switch pad; a second input device disposed on said main body and positionable in a first position and a second position, wherein said second input device comprising a two-position switch pad; and a switch disposed in said main body for causing the image on the monitor to be erased upon shaking of the toy by a user. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an electronic toy according to an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a schematic drawing showing audio and video electronic components of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5   a  is a schematic drawing of a power switch component of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5   b  is a schematic drawing of a switch pad component of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5   c  is a schematic drawing of a ball switch of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5   d  is a perspective view of the ball switch of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 5   c;    
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a schematic drawing showing a main processor of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  is a schematic drawing showing memory components of the electronic toy illustrated  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 8   a  is a first page of a quick start guide showing various play modes for the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0023]      FIG. 8   b  is a page of a second page of a quick start guide showing various play modes for the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 9  is a main game screen of the electronic toy illustrated  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0025]      FIG. 10   a  is a menu screen for an Connect the Dots Menu of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0026]      FIG. 10   b  is a menu screen for an Objects and Backgrounds Menu of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 10   c  is a menu screen for a Trace a Picture Menu of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0028]      FIG. 10   d  is a menu screen for a Free Draw Menu of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0029]      FIG. 11  is an illustration of cursor movement for the Objects and Backgrounds mode illustrated in  FIG. 10   b  of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0030]      FIG. 12  is an illustration of operation of an option from the Objects and Backgrounds mode of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0031]      FIG. 13  is an illustration of operation of the trace function from the Trace a Picture mode during the drawing phase of the electronic toy illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0032]     The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. It is understood that materials other than those described can be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Commonly owned U.S. patent Ser. No. 11/055,393 is hereby incorporated herein by reference for the purpose of showing and describing operation of a drawing and gaming device.  
         [0033]      FIGS. 1-3  show an electronic drawing toy  10  according to an embodiment of the invention. The toy  10  includes a main body  12  having a front main body portion  14  and a rear main body portion  16 . Disposed in the main body  12  of the toy  10  are a first input device  15  for controlling movement of a cursor (not shown) and a second input device  17  positionable in a first and a second position. The cursor may be a crosshair, arrow, or other cursor configuration, as desired. Furthermore, disposed within the main body is a printed circuit board or PCB  28 . Disposed on the PCB  28  is a main processor  34  as well as other electronic components schematically shown in  FIGS. 4-7 .  
         [0034]     The rear portion  16  of the toy  10  has a removable battery cover  38 . The battery cover  38  covers and protects batteries (not shown) which provide a source of electricity for the toy  10 . It is understood that any conventional source of electricity can be used as desired.  
         [0035]     In the embodiment shown, the front portion  14  and rear portion  16  of the main body  12  are produced from plastic.  
         [0036]     However, it is understood that other conventional materials can be used as desired. Additionally, the front portion  14  and the rear portion  16  are shown as connected by threaded fasteners. However, other joining methods can be used such as gluing, press fitting, and other conventional methods, as desired.  
         [0037]     The first input device  15  provides directional control of the cursor or game object (as shown in  FIG. 11 ) and includes a four-way switch pad  18  which is in communication with contact areas included in the main processor  34  of the toy  10  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The first input device  15  includes a four-way operator  20  that overlays the switch pad  18 . A first cap  22  is disposed on the four-way operator  20  and switch pad  18 . The first cap  22  is adapted to extend through a first aperture  23  formed in the front portion  14  of the main body  12  for manipulation by the user.  FIG. 5   b  shows a schematic drawing of the first input device  15 .  
         [0038]     The second input device  17  provides a selection feature and a draw feature. The second input device  17  includes a two-position switch pad  24  which is in communication with contact areas included in the electronic components of the toy  10  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . A second cap  26  is disposed on the switch pad  24 . The second cap  26  is adapted to extend through a second aperture  27  formed in the front portion  14  of the main body  12  for manipulation by the user.  
         [0039]     Numerous electronic components as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 4 - 7  are disposed on the PCB  28  that is disposed in the main body  12  of the toy  10 . The electronic components include an audio component  29  and a video component  31  shown in  FIG. 4 ; a power switch  30  shown in  FIG. 5   a,  the first input device  15  switch pad  18 , the second input device  17  two-position switch pad  24  shown in  FIG. 5   b,  and a ball switch  32  shown in  FIGS. 5   c  and  5   d;  a main processor  34  as illustrated in  FIG. 6 ; and memory components  36  illustrated in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0040]     It is understood that the electronic components can be disposed on additional PCB&#39;s disposed within the main body  12 , such as the first input device  15  components and second input device  17  components, for example.  
         [0041]     In the embodiment shown, the main processor  34  is an EMG0802 manufactured by ELAN Microelectronics Corporation.  
         [0042]     The main processor  34 , alone or in combination with the other electronic components listed above, performs many of the toy  10  functions such as processing video signals, audio signals, and application data to produce an image on a monitor  40  (shown schematically in  FIG. 2 ), providing memory for storing games, and the like. It is understood that other main processors can be used as desired.  
         [0043]     In operation, the toy  10  is connected to the video monitor  40 . The toy  10  can be connected to the monitor  40  by any conventional method such as composite video connectors, an S-video connection, or component video connectors, for example. When the power switch  30  is placed in the on position, a game screen  41  illustrated in  FIG. 9  is displayed on the monitor  40 .  
         [0044]     As shown in  FIGS. 10   a,    10   b,    10   c,  and  10   d,  an activity or game is selected from the menu  42  represented by a plurality of first icons  43  at the left side of main screen. It is understood that the menu  42  can be positioned elsewhere on the main screen  41  as desired. To select an activity, the first input device  15  is used to position a cursor (not shown) over an icon  43  representing the desired activity to highlight the activity icon  43 . The second input device  17  is then pressed to select the desired activity icon  43 . In the embodiment shown, the activities include Objects and Backgrounds, Connect the Dots, Trace a Picture, and Free Draw. It is understood that other activities can be added as desired.  
         [0045]     As shown in  FIGS. 10   a,    10   b,    10   c,  and  10   d,  once the activity is selected a submenu  44  is caused to appear. A sub-activity may then be selected from the respective submenu  44  using the method described above for selection of the activity.  
         [0046]     As illustrated in  FIG. 10   a,  selection of the Objects and Backgrounds activity generates a submenu  44  and second plurality of icons  45  that allows the user to select a game object  46  (also illustrated in  FIGS. 11 and 12 ) from the group of a snow shovel, a lawn mower, an airplane, a sand tool, a ice scraper, a piece of chalk, and a leaf blower.  
         [0047]     It is understood that other game objects can be used as desired. A particular screen is then generated to permit the user to draw with the selected game object  46 . The cursor then takes the shape of game object  46  selected. For example, in  FIG. 12 , the user manipulates the game object  46 , a snow scraper  48 , to draw on the screen, an iced surface  50 , on the monitor  40 . As the ice scraper  48  is caused to move on the monitor  40  ice scraper  48  draws on the iced surface  50 . Where the ice scraper  48  has used to draw, the iced surface  50  appears to be scraped away, while the area not drawn on appears to remain an iced surface  50 .  
         [0048]     As illustrated in  FIG. 10   b,  selection of the Connect the Dots activity generates a submenu  44  that allows the user to select an image composed of an array of numbered dots to be connected sequentially to form the image from the group of a dinosaur, a cool cat, a fish, a farmer, and a train. It is understood that other images can be used as desired.  
         [0049]     As illustrated in  FIG. 10   c,  selection of the Trace a Picture activity generates a submenu  44  that allows the user to select an image to trace from the group of a horse, a castle, a race car, and a ship. For example, in  FIG. 13 , the user manipulates the cursor to trace over the image, a horse, in attempt to accurately trace over the existing lines of the image to duplicate it. It is understood that other images can be provided to be traced as desired.  
         [0050]     As illustrated in  FIG. 10   d,  selection of the Free Draw activity does not generate a submenu. The Free Draw activity allows the user to draw any desired image on a blank screen.  
         [0051]     It is understood that other sub-activities and images can be added to the submenus  44  as desired.  
         [0052]     Once an activity, and sub-activity if necessary, is selected, the user can proceed to performing the selected activity. For example, in  FIG. 12 , the user manipulates the snow scraper  48  to draw on the iced surface  50  on the monitor  40 . The first input device  15  is used to position the ice scraper  48  as desired. The second input device  17  is then pressed to enter the drawing mode. Then, as the ice scraper  48  is caused to move on the monitor  40 , the ice scraper  48  is caused to draw on the iced surface  50 . To stop drawing, the user simply releases the second input device  17 . The user can then reposition the ice scraper  48  as desired, and begin drawing again by pressing the second input device  17 . The user can navigate from one activity to another using the menu  42  and the submenus  44  as previously described. As illustrated in  FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b,  an exemplary “Quick Start Guide” including sample screen shots and directions of the activities.  
         [0053]     To completely erase an image produced on the video monitor  40 , the user shakes the toy  10  in a back and forth motion to activate the ball switch  32 . When activated, the ball switch causes images displayed on the monitor  40  to be erased. In the embodiment shown, this is accomplished in the programming for the toy  10 . The user can position the toy  10  as desired, such as inverting the toy  10 , for example, prior to and during shaking. The lone act of shaking the toy  10  back and forth to activate the ball switch  32  can erase the image on the video monitor  40 . However, alternative programming for the toy  10  may require the toy  10  to be inverted prior to shaking back and forth before the ball switch  32  is activated to erase the image on the video monitor. The additional act of inverting the toy  10  is a tribute to the traditional method of erasing an image from the screen of an Etch-a-Sketch drawing toy.  
         [0054]     From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.