Patent GB-1384698-A (GB)
Title: Toy
IPC: A63H11/04
Filed: 1971-10-14
Abstract: 1384698 Toys C T SIMS-WILLIAMS and A G MOORE 4 Oct 1972 [14 Oct 1971] 47860/71 Heading A6S [Also in Divisions F2 G4 G5 and H2] A toy which may be used for the therapeutic speech training of children suffering from  cerebral palsy comprises a visual display which is operable to adapt different states to produce or simulate movement toward an identifiable objective forming part of the display, means for operating the display and a microphone connected to an electrical circuit to actuate the operating means so as to cause the display to change state and progress towards the objective when an acceptible audible signal is received by the microphone and so as to halt the progress at an intermediate position when the signal ceases or ceases to be acceptable. The display may involve any change which produces, or simulates movement towards the objective and which is discernable by a child using the toy, such as flashing lights, colour changes or mechanical movements. Thus the child is able to associate, for example, a given sound with the resulting display. The acceptability of the signal may be dependent upon its frequency, duration, loudness, &c. In one form, the toy comprises a pillar 12, Fig. I, with a simulated monkey, &c 14 moved up it by an electric motor in the pillar base 10 when a sound of sufficient volume is received by a microphone 26. In one form, the electric motor drives through step-down ratio gearing to one of two pulleys over which runs a cord 16 carrying the monkey 14 up and down the pillar 12: limit switches (S 1 , S 2 ), Figs. 2, 3 (not shown), in the motor circuit are opened when the monkey, &c reaches the top and bottom 'of its pillar. In another form, the monkey 14 is not connected directly to the cord 16, which instead runs inside the pillar and is connected to a trolley carrying magnets (32), Fig. 5 (not shown). Magnets (36, 38) of opposite polarity 'in the body of the monkey are attracted to the magnets (32) on the trolley. In yet another form, an electric motor drives a lead screw (42), Fig. 6 (not shown), extending up through the pillar, which is of plastics, two nuts (44, 46) on the screw lying on opposite sides of a pair of magnets (40). The monkey 14 as before contains magnets (36, 38) of opposite polarity which hold it in the outside of the pillar 12. A switch (58) is actuated by axial movement of the lead screw (42) when the monkey reaches the top and bottom of the pillar to reverse the direction of rotation of the motor. In one form of control circuit the electric motor 18. Fig. 4, is energized from an A.C. source through a transformer T3 and oppositely-directed silicon controlled rectifiers SCR1, SCR2. Movement of the monkey 14 up the pillar 12 is obtained when sound of a sufficient volume is received by the microphone 26 and fed through a pre-amplifier A1, a potentiometer VR2, an amplifier A2 and a coupling transformer T2 to trigger the rectifier SCR1. The switch S1 remains closed until the mounting reaches the top of the pillar. If the sound ceases, a potential develops across points a-b in the circuit, and is applied via a rectifier D1, C2, &c to charge a capacitor Cl, until such time as a transistor TR1 is triggered. The capacitor C1 then discharges and, through a coupling transformer T1, triggers the other silicon controlled rectifier SCR2. A capacitor C3 in a rectifier D2, &c then discharges through the rectifier SCR2 to drive the motor 18 in the reverse direction, so that the monkey climbs down the pillar in a series of jerks. The time taken to recharge the capacitor C1 is adjusted by a potentiometer VR1. The potentiometer VR2 between the pre-amplifier A1 and amplifier A2 adjusts the volume of sound necessary for the microphone 26 to trigger the rectifier SCR1 and drive the monkey up the pillar. In another, simplified form of control circuit, a sound of sufficient volume received by a microphone M, Fig. 7, causes an amplifier A to trigger a silicon controlled rectifier SCR and complete a circuit through a reversing switch S and a centrifugal switch C to the motor. The switch S is reversed automatically when the monkey reaches the top and bottom of the pillar. The centrifugal switch C is driven by the motor and opens when a limiting speed is reached, so that the motor stops until another sound again triggers the rectifier SCR. The toy may embody a counter to record the number of ascents, &c made by the monkey.