6380results about "Toys" patented technology

Interactive electronic book operating systems and methods for displaying and allowing customization of content of scientific, engineering and other technical and professional digital books. The systems and methods allow for a single screen for displaying digital books covering scientific and technical topics having a classical look and feel on operating platforms(such as portable laptops, desktops, and small handheld displays) that are capable of running the Java Virtual Machine. The display screen can include icon toolbars about the screen and/or directly on the screen to manipulate the pages and content of the digital book. The icons can allow for forward and backward page turning, generating of dynamic indexing and tables of contents, bookmarking, color themes, floating pages, highlighting, adding sticky notes, hiding selected content on the pages, quizzing the reader, lecturing the reader, tutoring the reader, showing the reader additional designs and practical relevance, and allowing the instructor to generate uniform seed numbers for problems and designs and/or allowing the instructor to generate random seed values for problems and designs.

The present invention is a robotics construction kit that serves as a platform for children to engage in problem-solving and innovative thinking in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. By designing and building robotics constructions from an apparently simple set of blocks that encapsulate the kinetic, electronic, and software elements of robots, children and others can encounter, explore, and experiment with basic principles of science and computation. Unlike existing robotics construction kits for education, the present invention embodies computation in every element, which affords understanding systems of distributed computation, rather than systems of top-down control.

A color laser engraving method engraves a document including a surface layer and one or more sub-layers. The sub-layer includes different colors and orientations of ink. A laser provides openings in the surface layer—to expose color ink in the sub-layer—to create color images and/or text. The different orientations of the colored inks include, e.g., circular, linear and overlapped groupings of ink. A sub-layer preferably includes many repeated instances of the grouping. A digital watermark is embedded in a document via transfer of the digital watermark in an embedded image or text, or by pre-embedding the document via altering intensity of colored inks on the original document card stock. A digital watermark can be carried via modulation with a pseudo-random noise sequence.

In a redeemable coupon there is a housing, a motion detector coupled to the housing, wherein the motion detector detects an amount of motion of the coupon, and an indicator coupled to the motion detector, wherein the indicator is activated by the motion detector upon detecting the amount of motion. Additionally, in a method of providing an incentive for a user to exercise, providing the user with a coupon to be coupled to the user, monitoring the motion of the user with a motion sensor included in the coupon, and activating the coupon when the motion sensor has detected a predetermined amount of motion such that the coupon becomes redeemable by the user.

System and method for automatic computer aided optical recognition of toys, for example, construction toy elements, recognition of those elements on digital images and associating the elements with existing information is presented. The method and system may recognize toy elements of various sizes invariant of toy element distance from the image acquiring device for example camera, invariant of rotation of the toy element, invariant of angle of the camera, invariant of background, invariant of illumination and without the need of predefined region where a toy element should be placed. The system and method may detect more than one toy element on the image and identify them. The system is configured to learn to recognize and detect any number of various toy elements by training a deep convolutional neural network.

A low cost, high speed, high resolution laser printer method and apparatus for re-writable media is presented. A method for finishing of printed sheets into booklets is described. Novel mechanical operations permit the manufacture of a very low-cost, off-line booklet maker for use with desktop laser and ink jet printers. The technology can scale to medium-speed, in-line booklet manufacture. The method is novel because most of the finishing operations are performed on a sheet-by-sheet basis using precision paper positioning and a transverse tool carrier that cuts, scores, folds, punches, and staples the sheets. To form a finished saddle-stitched booklet, each sheet is cut to length determined by its sequence in the booklet and paper thickness, scored, punched (if required), folded, accumulated in a stack, and stapled. The sheet-wise method allows finishing operations to be done with low-cost tools and low actuation forces.

The present invention generally relates to a mechanical structure having electronic circuits that easily and quickly connect together. The mechanical structures may be building blocks which are stackable and reusable. The building blocks may be removably held together by, for example, gravity and/or friction. The building blocks have electronic circuits which may have numerous uses, including, but not limited to educational, industrial and entertainment uses. More specifically, a building block of the present invention may be insert on, and secured to, a second building block. The building blocks may be identical or may have different features which accomplish varying desired functions. For example, a building block of the present invention may have a light and/or sound feature. In addition, the circuitry of the building blocks of the present invention has unique electronic paths which prevent electronic shorts across a power source. More specifically, the electronic paths of the building blocks have diagonal spacing which may not be shorted as a result of the mechanical limitations in stacking the building blocks

A method of manipulating a three-dimensional virtual building block model by means of two-dimensional cursor movements, the virtual building block model including a plurality of virtual building blocks each including a number of connection elements for connecting the virtual building block with another virtual building block according to a set of connection rules, the method comprising positioning by means of cursor movements in a computer display area representing a two-dimensional projection of said model, a two-dimensional projection of a first virtual building block to be connected to the structure, resulting in a two-dimensional position; determining, from the two-dimensional position, a number of three-dimensional candidate positions of the first virtual building block in the three-dimensional coordinate system; selecting one of said candidate positions based on the connection rules and a predetermined set of position rating rules; and connecting the first building block to said structure at the selected candidate position.

In an assembly of modules with magnetic anchorage for the construction of grid structures, one or more elements for stabilization of the grid structure are inserted in the form of panels (6, 12, 6″) which can be removably slotted in corresponding polygonal areas circumscribed by the modules of the grid structure.

A linkage system which offers high rigidity and good assemblability and producibility, and enables parts such as rotary transmission components and actuators to be readily installed. A linkage system includes an input member disposed on an input side, an output member disposed on an output side, and three or more link mechanisms, each link mechanism consisting of end links rotatably coupled to the input member and the output member, respectively, a center link rotatably coupled to the end links on the input side and the output side, and four revolute joints by which the end links are rotatably coupled to the input and output members, and to the center link. The link mechanism being geometrically identical with respect to a center cross-sectional plane relative on the input and output sides. Each of the revolute joints of the link mechanism includes bearings that support at both ends of the revolute joint.

System and method for additional amusement, entertaining and surprising visual or audible reward provided upon completing the reconstructing of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle pieces include conductive pads connected by a conductor such as a wire, a metallic strip or a conductive paint, so that upon assembling the puzzle, the pads are in contact to form a continuous conductive path. The frame or the puzzle pieces include a battery (or an AC adapter) and a visual or audible signaling device operating upon sensing the continuity of the conductive path. Each of the puzzle pieces may include three or more conductive pads, allowing for the forming two or more isolated or connected distinct conductive paths. The conductive path can further affect a time measurement and its related display for timing the puzzle solving.

The invention relates to an improved geometric construction toy for building geometrical sculptures and consists of a multiplicity of magnetizable bodies and a multiplicity of construction members. The construction members have a plurality of connecting arms that have a first cantilevered end and a second portion that is integral with a hub portion and a permanent magnet in the first end for magnetically coupling with a magnetizable body. The hub portion has a geometrical center and the connecting arms have an axis of symmetry that passes through the geometrical center where the axes of symmetry are in the same plane and where the peripheral surface of a connecting arm intermediate the first end and second portion is symmetrical to the axis of symmetry in planes orthogonal to the axis.

The present invention provides an electronic mail communication method via a stuffed toy. At a mail center, a mail address for an owner of a stuffed toy is acquired together with ID code assigned to the stuffed toy, and data related to the ID code is transmitted as an electronic mail to the owner. The electronic mail is based on a conversational text including characters, signs, graphics, voices, or sounds, and the owner can enjoy communications with the stuffed toy by overlapping the images provided through the communications with an image of the stuffed toy at the owner's hand.

A method and apparatus for controlling emission of fragrances into a given area such as a room or a region of a yard; and more particularly the creation of a desired atmosphere within the given area. In addition, the invention involves a volatile substance dispensing device (200) having mounted therein a plurality of reservoirs (31) storing a volatile substance, and a plurality of atomizer assemblies (34) for emitting volatile substances communicated thereto by the reservoirs (31). Preferably, a microcontroller (50) controls the emission of the volatile substances in accordance with preferred programs.

A building block toy set has first and second blocks each having a first connection device at the upper end and a second connection device at the lower end which is releasably mateable with the first connection device on the other block, whereby the first block is connectable on top of the second block in a first configuration and the second block is connectable on top of the first block in a second configuration. Each first connection device has an actuator formation on the first connection device and at least the second block is a smart block having a sensor assembly associated with the second connection device which is activated by the actuator formation when the second block is interconnected with the first block in the second configuration. A processing unit is mounted in the smart block and associated with the sensor assembly to produce a sensory output signal when the sensor assembly is activated.