Patent Publication Number: US-6220916-B1

Title: Toy band with pre-recorded message

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a toy band that can be attached to one&#39;s wrist, forearm, or other part of the body and dynamically deployed through the spring action of the band, and specifically to a dynamic band that includes a pre-recorded message that is played upon impact with a part of the body as the wrist band is dynamically employed. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The use of a metal spring band as a wrist band is known in the prior art. Typically, a bistable spring with a fabric or plastic housing that is sized in length to surround the wrist of a wearer has been used as a novelty toy. The bistable spring wrist band has essentially two different physical states or possible positions. One position is elongated and somewhat rigid with the metal spring portion including an arcuate cross-section that houses potential energy that maintains the elongated spring in its semi-rigid position or at least fixed position. The bistable spring wrist band can also be deployed in a second position by impact along the arcuate mid-portion and its mid-section causing the entire spring body to coil up which if done correctly will wrap itself dynamically around the limb of the operator. Such wrist bands have been commercially sold under the Trademark SLAP WRAP™. 
     The present invention is an improvement over the initial SLAP WRAP™ in that it provides for a more interactive relationship when the operator engages the toy wrist band of the present invention around the wrist, forearm, or other appropriate object. With the present invention, when the toy band is deployed on the wrist through dynamic action, the wearer or operator will also receive a pre-recorded audio message. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A toy band that can be dynamically deployed through dynamic wrapping action around a human&#39;s wrist or limb, or other appropriately-shaped object while at the same time broadcasting a pre-recorded message during the dynamic wrapping action. The band comprises a bistable metal spring band sized in length to fit comfortably around the limb of a human being, or around an suitably-shaped object, a fabric coating disposed upon each side of said spring band, and an audio broadcast unit removably attached to said band, said audio impact unit including a speaker, a battery, a pre-recorded audio message residing on a read-only memory chip, and a physical impact switch that activates the battery to provide power to the speaker and the memory chip allowing the pre-recorded message to be broadcast upon activation of the impact switch. The audio broadcast unit may be removed from the bistable band and attached to a belt, body part, or other attachable object for use independently of the bistable band. 
     The speaker, the battery, and the read-only memory chip containing the pre-recorded audio message are miniaturized and may be mounted in a small housing that includes a fastener having a slotted portion that slides onto the spring band itself. The audio housing would then be mounted approximately along the center of the spring band and cannot come loose. Alternatively, a securing device can secure the audio housing to the band without inhibiting the sensitivity of the impact switch. 
     The impact switch is positioned along the bottom of the housing and on the side of the housing facing the coiled center direction of the spring. Thus, when the band is dynamically deployed by releasing the spring tension upon impact with the wearer&#39;s wrist, for example, causing the spring to coil, at that same moment, the impact switch will strike the wrist causing the pre-recorded message to be broadcast from the speaker. 
     Thus, when the toy is actually used, a double result from the spring action is encountered. The wearer will get the message broadcast that has been pre-recorded at substantially the same time that the entire wrist band becomes coiled around the wrist, forearm, or other object. 
     The length of the message can be as desired and may be a short phrase or any type of sound, the purpose of which is to provide a toy or novelty to the wearer. The sound could be broadcast for up to three or four seconds, or as desired. 
     A design covers the top portion of the audio housing, facing the operator. The design corresponds to the design on the fabric of the band as well as the pre-recorded audio message that is played upon deployment of the invention. 
     The impact switch may be a pair of spring mounted contacts that are normally kept apart by the metal spring action of the contact holders whereupon the striking of the band upon the impact area would force one of the contacts to engage the other contact and a momentary closure of the switch is sufficient to cause the audio pre-recorded message to be broadcast even when the impact switch is released once the band is stabilized around the impact area. Thus, in one embodiment, the impact switch is important in that it is momentary and requires only a single momentary contact of the two switch elements to turn on the speaker system. 
     It is an object of this invention to provide an improved novelty toy and wrist band that provides for a dynamic roll-up action as the band is engaged around one&#39;s wrist. 
     It is yet another object of this invention is to provide for a dynamically deployed wrist band that upon deployment upon the user&#39;s wrist will broadcast a pre-recorded audio message. 
     It is yet still another object of this invention is to provide a small lightweight wrist band that can be coiled around, for example, one&#39;s wrist, while providing a momentary impact switch that turns on a pre-recorded audio message that is broadcast just after impact as the band deployed on someone&#39;s wrist. 
     It is yet another object of this invention is to provide a dynamically deployable toy band that can engage a human limb or a narrow cylindrically-shaped object. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide a dynamically deployable toy band that upon coiling around a human limb or a cylindrical object emits light through an LED display as well as audio messages. upon impact of the band upon a human limb or a cylindrical object. 
     It is still yet another object of this invention to provide a dynamically deployable band that acts as a wrist band for a watch to be used by those who cannot secure a watchband around their wrist, such as people with an arthritic condition. 
     In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a bottom perspective view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 shows a top perspective view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the audio message broadcast unit utilizing the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 shows a top perspective view of the audio broadcast unit used in the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 shows a side elevational view of the present invention in a coiled position. 
     FIG. 6 shows a circuit diagram of the audio message broadcast unit utilizing the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 shows an exploded side view of the audio message broadcast unit of the present invention with the deployable band portion inserted therein. 
     FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the PCB receiver disk with a plurality of battery holders affixed thereto. 
     FIG. 9 shows a side cut-away view of the audio message broadcast unit and deployable band of the present invention. 
    
    
     PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings in particular, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the present invention generally at  10  comprised of an elongated bistable metal spring band  12  which is sized in length to fit around and overlap a wrist, forearm or other body part of a human being and includes an arcuate portion  12 A in one position that acts to retain potential energy for dynamically deploying the spring body  12 . The band  10  may be covered with a fabric or plastic coating  14  to cover the bare metal or metal appearance of the spring band  12 . The spring band  12  is known as a bistable spring that has two positions of operations, or two states of being. The first state is that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 where it is elongated and substantially rigid. 
     In its elongated position, the spring band  12  may be six to ten inches long, and preferably about 9 inches long. Preferably, the width of the band is approximately 0.975 inches. Preferably, the arcuate portion  12   a  of the spring band  12  has a radius of approximately 1.195 inches. 
     Once the band is dynamically deployed by striking the middle of it against an object such as your wrist or forearm, the entire metal band  12  will coil (as shown in FIG. 5) around the wrist, forearm or other body part of the user. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spring band  12  also includes a housing  16 . An impact switch  18 , as seen in block diagram form in FIG. 3, and in conventional form in FIGS. 7 and 9, is enclosed within housing  16 , and is activated upon the striking of the housing  16  against an impact area. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, housing  16  contains a slot  16 A which traverses housing  16  at its approximate mid-point although the actual location of the housing  16  along the band  12  may vary. The housing  16  will be positioned such that the spring band  12  can be inserted through slot  16 A. The arcuate shape of the spring band  12  provides a natural securing feature which secures spring band  12  to the housing  16  without the need for any additional securing devices. In an alternate embodiment, securing devices may be included to secure the housing to the band. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, a block circuit diagram is shown that shows speaker  20  connected electrically to a memory-storage device  19 , such as a read-only memory (ROM), having a pre-recorded audio message which itself is electrically attached to the impact switch  18  all of which are attached to batteries  22 . Deployment of impact switch  18 , which is a momentary switch, once closed, will provide power from the batteries  22  to memory device  19  and to speaker  20  causing the pre-recorded message to be broadcast from speaker  20 . 
     In an alternate embodiment, deployment of the impact switch  18  would close a circuit, which would, in turn, cause the pre-recorded message to play and cause flashing lights to appear on a display situated upon dome  23 . 
     FIG. 5 depicts the present invention after the spring band  12  has been dynamically deployed and is in a coiled position. This is also the second state of existence for the spring band  12  and the bistable spring in its coiled state. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the diameter of the spring band  12  in its coiled configuration is approximately 1.225-1.250 inches, although this may vary slightly depending upon the initial strength of the spring and the number of times the spring has been deployed. Bear in mind that these dimensions define the diameter of the spring band when it is not wrapped around an object. Of course, if the band is coiled around a wrist, forearm or other cylindrical limb or object, the diameter of the band will be conform to the diameter and shape of the object it is coiled around. 
     FIG. 6 shows an electrical circuit diagram represented by the block diagram of FIG. 3, indicating the ROM with a pre-recorded audio message  19  stored therein, switch  18 , power supply  22  and the speaker  20 . 
     The internal features of the audio broadcast unit  25  will now be described in detail. Referring to FIG. 7, the components of the unit  25  can be seen. Decorative dome  23  resides on the outer surface of housing  16 . In the preferred embodiment, housing  16  has a plurality of sound notches  16 B situated on the outer periphery of housing  16  to allow for audio signals to emit from the speaker  20  situated within the housing-dome assembly. In an alternate embodiment, as seen in FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. 2, sound holes  23 C are situated on the dome  23 . 
     Dome  23  may comprise a decorative design  23 B upon its outer surface, as can be seen by the star in FIGS. 2 and 5. This design corresponds with the audio message or sounds emanating from the speaker  20 . For example, a picture of a motorcycle may be the design on dome  23 . A corresponding pre-recorded audio message, such as the sound of screeching tires, would then be stored in a ROM chip  19 . Preferably, the pre-recorded message or sounds do not exceed 78 decibels, conforming with safety standards. Many other design-audio message combinations are available. 
     Immediately below dome  23  resides housing  16 . Housing  16  includes a speaker  20 , a chip  19  having a read-only memory device with a pre-recorded audio message, and one or more batteries  22 . A momentary impact switch  18  will activate the batteries  22  which provides power to the ROM chip  19  and speaker  20  causing the message recorded on the read-only memory to be broadcast from speaker  20 . 
     Speaker  20  can be seen in FIG. 7 as residing directly below and within dome  23 , to be situated within housing  16 . Preferably, the speaker has a diameter of approximately 29 mm. Opposing ribs  29 A and  29 B secure speaker  20  and assure that sound exits through sound notches  16 B, or sound holes  23 B, in the alternate embodiment. Chip  19  comprised of a Read-Only-Memory (ROM) device is affixed to a printed circuit board (PCB)  24  which resides immediately beneath speaker  20 . The PCB and speaker  20  are enclosed within housing  16 . 
     An impact switch  18  is affixed to the PCB  24  and comes into contact with speaker  20  when the impact switch receives an impact. Any conventional switch common in the industry may be used such as a barrel-spring momentary contact switch, an inertia switch, or a conventional momentary contact switch. One or more batteries  22 , are situated on the reverse side of PCB  24 . These batteries are electrically connected to speaker  20 , impact switch  18  and chip  19  and provide the power to audio broadcast unit  25 . Finally, band  12 , in its non-deployed state, resides within lower section  28  of housing  16 . 
     FIG. 8 shows PCB receiver disc  26 . FIG. 8 shows how a plurality of walled battery holders  27  are aligned to receive the batteries  22  situated on the underside of PCB  24 . The battery holders  27  serve to protect batteries  20  and maintain and align the position of PCB  24  within housing  16 . 
     Referring to FIG. 9, spring band  12  maintaining its arcuate configuration appears in a bottom portion  28  of housing  16 . 
     FIG. 9 shows the audio broadcast unit  25  in a side, cut-away view, with the various internal components, described above, visible. Dome  23  comprises the top portion of the audio broadcast unit  25 . In an alternate configuration, notches  16 B are formed around the periphery of housing  16  in order to allow the sound to leave speaker  20 . Speaker  20  resides immediately below dome  23 , and in close proximity to impact switch  18 , residing on PCB  24 , while band  12  in an uncoiled state, rests within recess  16 A, between lower section  28  and housing  16 . As an alternate embodiment, impact switch  18  need not reside on the top side of PCB  24 , but can be placed underneath PCB  24 , or even on the outside of housing  16 . However, the advantage of having the impact switch within the housing  16  is to protect the switch from damage. 
     To use the invention in its preferred embodiment, the user would start with the wrist band in the position shown in FIG.  1 . The user would grasp one end of the band and mechanically and dynamically strike the entire band including the audio housing unit against the wrist, the forearm, or other part of the body of the person to whom the band will be attached, which could also be the operator. 
     Alternatively, the band could be wrapped around any appropriately-shaped object like the arm or leg of a chair. Once the band strikes the wrist or forearm portion, or other body part, the wrist band will coil up and the impact switch will close causing a pre-recorded message to be broadcast and/or flashing lights to appear, at the same time. At this point, the band will be coiled, as in FIG. 5, around the user&#39;s wrist, forearm, body part, or suitably-shaped object. To remove the wrist band and to return the wrist band to the elongated rigid state shown in FIG. 1, the user would simply manually pull apart and separate both ends, and snap the spring back to its original state until the band is positioned in the elongated rigid position. The audio broadcast unit can also be easily separated from the bistable spring and actuated independently from the spring upon the striking of the audio broadcast unit upon any object in order to activate the pre-recorded audio message stored therein. 
     The audio message may contain music, words, or a variety of sounds as desired and are known in the art. The music or sounds emitted by the present invention may be activated by means other than by the procedure described above. For example, the user, after the band has coiled around his or her wrist, can clap their hands, thereby activating the audio message. If the band is placed in the user&#39;s pocket, the user can slap his pocket which would also activate the audio message or flashing lights without activating the coiling of the spring. 
     The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.