Interactive Hi-Tech doll

Abstract

A high-tech doll produces human-like expressions, recognizes words, and is able to carry on a conversation with a living person, as example, addresses time based subjects, such as the food to eat at various times of the day, and expresses attitudes, emulating a living child. A child player acquires an emotional bond to the doll whilst the doll appears to bond to the child. The doll exhibits facial expressions produced concurrently with spoken words or separately to provide body language, representing emotions, such as happiness, sadness, grief, surprise, delight, curiosity, and so on, reinforcing the emulation of a living child. Additional features add to the play.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This non-provisional application for patent is related to an earlier-filed provisional application for patent of the inventors, Ser. No. 60 / 748,391, filed Dec. 7, 2005, entitled Interactive Hi-Tech Doll, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Applicant claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and 35 U.S.C. 120 based on the foregoing provisional application.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to high-tech dolls and, more particularly, to an interactive talking doll that in both speech and facial expression simulates the attitude and conversational capability of a very young child, chews food, asks questions, understands answers, sings songs, plays games and, all in all, is a great companion for a young child. BACKGROUND [0003] One plaything that's endured over the years is the doll. Typically, a young girl's parents will at some time purchase a doll as a gift for their da...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023] Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a interactive high-tech doll that is able to preoccupy the interest of a young child.

[0027] In accordance with the foregoing objects and advantages, a high-tech doll according to the present invention produces human-like expressions, recognizes words, is able to play games, carry on a conversation, and express attitudes, emulating a living child. The seeming magic of the doll appearing to actually respond emotionally to what a child says or does not say, or to what a child does or does not do when the doll verbally prompts the child, a child acquires an emotional bond to the doll. The doll is capable of bonding to the child and, conversely, the child is able to bond to the doll. The doll recognizes what the child says in response to prompts from the doll and is capable of carrying on a limited conversation with the child. In so doing, the doll exhibits facial expressions, produced by facial animators in synchronism with spoken words or separately, to effectively provide visible facial body language, representing any of happiness, sadness or grief, surprise, delight, curiosity, and so on to reinforce the emulation of a living child. The doll recognizes the voice of the child at particular points in the doll's programming.

[0030] Further in accordance with another aspect to the invention various simulated food accessories may be inserted in the mouth of the doll, the doll recognizes the food and the doll simulates chewing that food. The food accessories contain RFID tags, electronically identifying the respective articles, while the doll includes RFID sensors, controlled by the controller of the doll, that reads the RFID tags carried by the simulated food products that are inserted into the mouth of the doll. That RFID tag reading is transparent to the child. The doll may then broadcast spoken words indicative of knowledge of the particular simulated food product, further adding to the illusion of reality.

Problems solved by technology

However, the robot head is unable (e.g. unequipped) to talk or carry on a conversation with a living person, as it's only auditory communication is babbles of no known human language.

The demonstrated robot head is physically and electronically incomplete, is obviously unsuited as a plaything (and likely will never be a plaything).

Nor would it be affordable as a consumer product intended for use by a child.

Additionally, no character doll is known that actually emulates the emotional bonding of the character doll to a child, emulating actual emotional attachment to the owner, player and / or child and a need for that person.

Using electrical resistors to simulate feeding an animatronic doll with a mouth that is undergoing the motion of chewing is quite difficult because of the need for the physical contact of the metal contact points connected to the resistor in the food accessory play piece and the two metal sensors in the mouth, when the mouth is moving.

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