Hand-held puppet with pseudo-voice generation
AssigneeAxlon, Incorporated
InventorRonald E. Milner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hand-held puppet of the type configured to represent a living being, and having hand-controllable moving parts to simulate some form of animation, is provided with sound-generating apparatus operable in response to the hand-controlled animation simulation. The sound-generating apparatus includes a sensor that produces a signal in response to animation-producing movement of the hand-controllable parts, a circuit for producing a tone having a pseudo-randomly varying audio frequency, and a modulator that modulates the sensor-produced signal with the varying frequency tone to produce a sound signal that, when applied to a speaker mechanism, provides sound coordinated to hand-controlled animation of the puppet.
Claims20
In a hand-operated puppet of the type having a hand-movable part to simulate animation, sound-generating apparatus coordinated for operation with said animation to produce an audio signal capable of being converted to sound by transducer means mounted in the puppet, the sound-generating apparatus comprising:
- sensor means mounted in association with the hand-movable part to produce a first signal having an amplitude that is varied by movement of the hand-movable part;
- generating means for producing a tone signal;
- and
- modulator means coupled to receive and combine the first and the tone signals, producing therefrom the audio signal.
In a hand puppet of the type including hand-operable means for simulating animation, a sound generator mounted in association with the hand-operable means to produce an audio signal from which sound can be produced in response to and coordinated with the animation, the sound generator comprising:
- sensor means coupled to produce an amplitude signal in response to said animation, the amplitude signal having an amplitude that varies with movement of the hand-operable means;
- circuit means operable to produce a tone signal;
- modulator means coupled to the sensor means and to the circuit means to produce the audio signal by modulating the amplitude signal with the tone signal.
A method of producing a voice-like sound in response to hand-operable generation of animation of a hand-operated apparatus configured to represent at least a portion of a creature, the method comprising the steps of:
- producing an amplitude signal in response to, and having an amplitude that is varied by, the hand-operable generation of animation of the creature portion;
- providing a tone signal;
- modulating the amplitude signal with the tone signal to produce an audio signal;
- and
- converting the electrical audio signal to sound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.