Patent Publication Number: US-5290198-A

Title: Nursing doll with sound means

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a doll. 
     2. Prior Art 
     Conventionally known in the art is a doll having a baby figure where one can give liquid like a milk to its mouth. A problem with the above art is that one loses his/her interest soon in the doll because one could not get reactions from the doll like a real baby, such as wetting its diaper when it is given milk. 
     The object of the present invention is to provide a doll which eliminates this problem. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     To solve the above-mentioned problem, a doll is provided with a sensor which, when an object is inserted into the doll&#39;s mouth from the outside, signals a speaker which emits predetermined words or sounds according to the signal issued from the sensor. 
     As an example, when a nursing bottle is inserted into the doll&#39;s mouth, a signal is outputted from the sensor and a sound emitted from the speaker which mimics sounds normally attendant to the function of drinking. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings, wherein 
     FIG. 1 is a cut-away view taken from the side of a teddy bear doll of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cut-away view of a teddy bear doll of the present invention taken from a front side; 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic of the sensing and speaker apparatus of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 4 is a table of signals inputted into the addressing circuit and outputted to the speaker of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     A mouth 11 of a doll 10 of the present invention is provided and may be opened to insert a top portion 2 of a toy nursing bottle 1. A sensor 12 is provided and senses when the nursing bottle 1 is inserted into the doll. The sensor 12 is positioned at the back of the mouth 11 of the doll 10. 
     The sensor 12 is constructed with a movable portion 13 which when the top portion 2 of the nursing bottle 1 is inserted, is bent along the opening of the mouth 11 and turns in a clockwise manner around a supporting point 13a. A contact point 14 is secured at the end of the movable portion 13 and includes one side which contacts the fixed other side of a contact portion 15. A spring 16 biases the movable portion 13 in a counter-clockwise direction when not acted upon, as is shown in FIG. 1. A guide portion 17 guides the top portion 2 of the inserted nursing bottle 1 within the mouth as the top portion 7 acts upon the movable portion 13. 
     A switch 18 is placed inside of both sides of the doll 10 and is constructed to turn &#34;ON&#34; when one pushes both sides of the doll 10 from the outside. 
     The sensor 12 and the switches 18 are connected to a sound emitting apparatus 20 placed within an abdomen of the doll. 
     FIG. 3 is a view showing a structure of the sound emitting apparatus 20. 
     A time decision circuit 21 decides whether the &#34;ON&#34; signal of the switches 18 is in excess of a predetermined time or not, and outputs a decision signal to a first timer circuit 22 when the &#34;ON&#34; signal is shorter than the predetermined time. The time decision circuit 21 further outputs a decision signal to a second timer circuit 23 when the &#34;ON&#34; signal is longer than the predetermined time. 
     When the first and the second timer circuits 22, 23 receive the decision signal, each outputs an &#34;H&#34; level signal for a period as long as the predetermined time. 
     An addressing circuit 24 indicates the memory range of a memory circuit 25 on the basis of a signal level A 0  from the switches 18, a signal level A 1  from the sensor 12 and a signal level A 2  from the first and second times circuit. 
     At the memory circuit 25, the sound of drinking milk, a voice of joy, a crying voice, and a sound which expresses satisfaction are each memorized within four ranges as voice data. The addressing circuit 24 then indicates the voice data memorized in the memory circuit 25 by the level of the input signals A 0  -A 3  as shown in FIG. 3. 
     An oscillator 26 of a predetermined frequency inputs a signal to a counter 27 to output to the memory circuit 25 in the order of the voice data of the range of the memory circuit 25 indicated by the addressing circuit 24. Further, the counter 27 is reset every time the range of the memory circuit 25 changes. 
     A DA transducer 28 transduces the voice data which is output from the memory circuit 25 to an analog signal. An amplifier 29 emits sound from the speaker 30 by amplifying the signal from the DA transducer 28. Further, the power source of the doll 10 is supplied by a battery (not shown) contained within a battery case 31 which is disposed in a in a lower extremity of the doll 10. 
     The movement of the doll will be explained hereinafter. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, when the nursing bottle 1 is inseted within the mouth 11 of the doll 10, the movable portion 13 of the sensor 12 is pushed by the top portion 2 so that the contact points 14, 15 are closed and switched to an on position, which leads the level of the signal A 1  to an &#34;L&#34; level. 
     Accordingly, addressing circuit 24 indicates to the memory circuit 25 the range of voice data desired. The appropriate sound is then emitted by the speaker 30. 
     Passing the predetermined time of this successive state, the decision signal is output from the time decision circuit to the timer circuit 23 so that the level of the signal A 3  is set to an &#34;H&#34; level as long as the predetermined time, during which one can hear the sound of satisfaction, &#34;Hahh,&#34; for example. 
     When the nursing bottle 1 is detached from the mouth 11 of the doll 10 before the predetermined time passes, the first timer circuit 22 operates to emit a crying voice. 
     Further pushing both sides of the doll 10, causes it to emit a joyful voice. 
     Thus, pushing the nursing bottle into the mouth 11, one can hear the sound as if the doll is really drinking milk, and when the time is not sufficient, it utters a crying voice. To the contrary, when the time is sufficient and the predetermined time passes, it emits a voice of satisfaction, so that one can get a feeling of actually given milk to the doll. 
     In the above-mentioned embodiment, though it explains a case wherein the invention is applied to a teddy bear doll, it can also be applied to other animal-shape dolls or baby-shape dolls. 
     As explained in the case of drinking milk with a nursing bottle in the forementioned embodiment, this may be substituted for eating ice cream or cookies for example. 
     Further, though a mechanical switch is employed as a sensor which works when an object is inserted within a mouth, it may also employ a sensor which cuts off the light once the object is inserted and which senses magnetic forces of a magnet secured to the object. 
     As mentioned above, being made to emit a sound by inserting an object within the mouth, the doll of this invention seems as if it is drinking or is actually eating.