Abstract:
A stuffed toy resembling an animal figure holds a kicking tee. The toy is optionally equipped with an electronic feedback system that senses activity on the tee and responds with feedback for the user.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The invention relates generally to the fields of toys and sporting equipment and in particular to stuffed animals with or without interactive electronic components, and to football kicking tees. 
         [0005]    Stuffed animals and other soft plush toys are well known in the prior art and are common in the toy collections of children and adults alike. Also well-known in the prior art are electronic stuffed toys that produce light or sound upon the activation of one or more controls or sensors; such toys range from the relatively unsophisticated (e.g. toy speaks when a single button is pressed) to the sophisticated (e.g. toy responds to user&#39;s verbal input). 
         [0006]    Similarly, football tees, or devices designed to hold an American football so that it may be kicked are well known in the art, and are available in many designs and constructions for children and adults. 
         [0007]    Unknown in the art, however, are devices that place the football tee inside the arms of a stuffed toy. Also unknown are devices in which the stuffed toy that holds the football tee is capable of electronically sensing the placement and kicking of a football, and of presenting feedback to the sensed activity. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Accordingly, the invention is a stuffed toy that holds a tee, optionally equipped with an electronic feedback system that senses activity on the tee and responds with feedback for the user. 
         [0009]    An object of the invention is to provide the kicker of a football, whether adult or child, with additional pleasure from looking at a stuffed toy and perceiving it to be holding the football for the kicker to kick. 
         [0010]    Another object of the invention, when the invention employs electronic feedback to the user, is to help the user improve his or her kicking skills through pointers that the device provides based on what it senses of the action. 
         [0011]    Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure, particularly pointed out in the written description as well as the provided drawing. 
         [0012]    The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The accompanying drawing is included to provide a further understanding of the invention and is incorporated into and constitutes a part of the specification. It illustrates one embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serves to explain the principles of one embodiment of the invention. In the drawings: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  shows a front view of the first exemplary embodiment of the invention showing the kicking tee  1 , stuffed toy  2 , football  3  and stuffed toy arms  4 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  shows a logical diagram of the electronic components of embodiments employing an electronic feedback system, showing a microprocessor, computer memory, data storage medium, power source, sensors, visual feedback devices, and auditory feedback devices. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    Referring now to the invention in more detail,  FIG. 1  illustrates the first exemplary embodiment of the invention. The invention comprises the combination of a tee ( 1 ) connected and a stuffed toy ( 2 ), connected by any means suitable for withstanding a hard kick. Many suitable stitches, adhesives, and other fasteners are known in the art, and may be of varying effectiveness depending on the materials used in the stuffed toy ( 2 ) and tee ( 1 ). 
         [0017]    The stuffed toy ( 2 ) may be of any material or construction, of which many are known in the art, and its shape may be any animal (as with the stuffed bear shown in the drawing), character, or object. Where the appearance of the stuffed toy ( 2 ) resembles that of a human, non-human animal, or other real or fantastic creature or object having arms or arm-like appendages, the stuffed toy arms ( 4 ) may be positioned to appear as though they are holding the ball ( 3 ) or tee ( 1 ) for the user. The stuffed toy ( 4 ) need not be two in number; embodiment having stuffed toy arms ( 4 ) may have only one arm ( 4 ) or more than two arms ( 4 ). Alternatively, the shape of the stuffed toy ( 2 ) may be abstract, with or without appendages that fulfill the role of the stuffed toy arms ( 4 ). The choice of the shape, size, color, and tone of the stuffed toy ( 2 ) will determine each particular embodiment&#39;s target market. 
         [0018]    The tee ( 1 ) contemplated in preferred embodiments of the invention is one designed to hold an American football ( 3 ), however the tee ( 1 ) may be shaped to hold any type of ball or object that the user might wish to kick or strike so as to send the American football ( 3 ) or other ball or object flying away from the user. Many designs and constructions of tees are known in the art, and any may be employed in the invention. 
         [0019]    Optionally, the invention may include an electronic feedback component, sewn or otherwise internally incorporated into the stuffed toy ( 2 ), comprising a microprocessor, computer memory, digital storage medium, one or more sensors, one or more visual or auditory feedback devices, and a battery or other power source. These components may be either directly or indirectly connected, for example via a main bus, and may be in communication through any of many well-known methods, such as mounting on a printed circuit board or connection by wires. 
         [0020]    The microprocessor, computer memory, and digital storage medium are all well-known in the prior art, and may be of any type suitable for use with each other and with the attached battery in the environment of a stuffed animal. 
         [0021]    The battery or other power may be of any design, and many are known in the prior art. The battery may be replaceable, in which case it must be placed in a housing sewn accessibly into the stuffed toy. Alternatively, the battery may be rechargeable, in which case it must be connected to a power jack sewn accessibly into the outside of the stuffed toy ( 2 ), and suitable for connection to wall power using a common AC/DC converter of appropriate input and output voltage. In yet another alternative, the electronic feedback component may be configured so as to operate exclusively from wall power provided through an AC/DC converter of appropriate input and output voltage. 
         [0022]    The employed sensors are of any type suitable for measuring and producing an electronic signal from whichever aspect of the ball ( 3 )&#39;s motion through the tee ( 1 ) that the designer practicing the invention wishes to measure. Many electronic sensors that measure various relevant quantities are well-known in the prior art. Examples include a pressure switch to detect the presence or absence of a ball ( 3 ) in the tee ( 2 ), a force gauge to detect the force of the user&#39;s kick, and a RADAR or LIDAR sensor to measure the speed of the ball ( 3 ) leaving the tee ( 1 ). Additional sensed quantities are contemplated. 
         [0023]    The employed visual or auditory feedback devices may be of any design suitable for providing the feedback that the designer practicing the invention wishes to provide. In preferred embodiments, visual feedback is provided by LEDs of various sizes, colors, and brightnesses (many LED designs are known in the prior art). In preferred embodiments, auditory feedback is provided by one or more speakers (many speaker designs are known in the prior art). 
         [0024]    Finally, stored on the digital storage medium is a software program, which automatically loads into the computer memory for execution on the microprocessor. The software program comprises the combination of the following functional components, all of which are well-known in the prior art: (I) the ability to receive input based on the signal produced by the sensor or sensors; (II) the ability to send signals to the feedback devices to provide desired feedback; and (III) the ability to retrieve and play back sound recordings and visual sequences from the data storage medium (said sound recordings and visual sequences may be placed on the storage medium at the time of manufacture, or the invention may include functionality to store the user&#39;s own sounds and visual sequences); and (IV) logic (readily programmed by one of ordinary skill in the art) that relates particular sensor input signals to particular output signals, which may represent sounds or visual sequences to be played back, said logic may be calibrated to measurements for good kicking technique or may simply be arbitrary or humorous (for example, a sound clip may be played to poke fun at the user&#39;s performance, regardless of the performance quality), depending on the particular embodiment&#39;s target market. 
         [0025]    While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is presently considered to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should, therefore, not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.