US 4,751,353 AGranted

Doll or the like with position and motion sensing switch

AssigneeColeco Industries, Inc.

InventorDonald H. Stephens

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Abstract

A device which senses position through a conductive ball which may be seated on one of a plurality of pairs of contacts in a cavity within a housing in accordance with the angular position of the sensor and which also senses motion through movement of the ball making and breaking contacts as the device is subjected to movement.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A sensor for sensing angular positions of an object and motion of the object, comprising a housing member defining an internal cavity;

a conductive ball in said cavity, said ball being generally spherical and having a diameter smaller than the transverse dimensions of said cavity;
a plurality of independent contacts spaced apart in said housing and positioned to define four coordinately related seats within said cavity at a multiplicity of angularly spaced positions about said cavity and each defined by a distinct cooperating pair of said contacts, a first one of said contacts being disposed and configured to cooperate with each of a plurality of other contacts to provide a plurality of distinct cooperating pairs of contacts, a second one of said contacts not comprising one of said distinct cooperating pairs cooperating with still another one of said contacts to provide another distinct cooperating pair of contacts, said distinct cooperating pairs of contacts being spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of said ball to provide said seats for said ball, said ball making an electrical connection between the cooperating pair of contacts upon which said ball is seated in a given angular position of said sensor;
means on said housing extending into said cavity for preventing free rolling movement of said ball from a position seated on a distinct cooperating pair of said contacts unless the angular position of said sensor is changed or said sensor is subjected to motion, said first one of said contacts and said second one of said contacts being adapted to be connected to a first electrical potential, said first one of said contacts and said said second one of said contacts not comprising a cooperating pair of said contacts, said plurality of other and said still another contacts being adapted to be at another electrical potential, whereby, when said sensor is shaken or changed to a different angular position, said ball may make and break the electrical connection between said first one of said contacts or said second one of said contacts and cooperating contact defining a cooperating pair.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A sensor for sensing angular positions of an object and motion of the object, comprising a housing member defining an internal cavity;

a conductive ball in said cavity, said ball being generally spherical and having a diameter smaller than the transverse dimensions of said cavity;
a plurality of independent contacts spaced apart in said housing and positioned to define four coordinately related seats within said cavity at a multiplicity of angularly spaced positions about said cavity and each defined by a distinct cooperating pair of said contacts, a first one of said contacts being disposed and configured to cooperate with each of a plurality of other contacts to provide a plurality of distinct cooperating pairs of contacts, a second one of said contacts not comprising one of said distinct cooperating pairs cooperating with still another one of said contacts to provide another distinct cooperating pair of contacts, said distinct cooperating pairs of contacts being spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of said ball to provide said seats for said ball, said ball making an electrical connection between the cooperating pair of contacts upon which said ball is seated in a given angular position of said sensor;
means on said housing extending into said cavity for preventing free rolling movement of said ball from a position seated on a distinct cooperating pair of said contacts unless the angular position of said sensor is changed or said sensor is subjected to motion, said first one of said contacts and said second one of said contacts being adapted to be connected to a first electrical potential, said first one of said contacts and said said second one of said contacts not comprising a cooperating pair of said contacts, said plurality of other and said still another contacts being adapted to be at another electrical potential, whereby, when said sensor is shaken or changed to a different angular position, said ball may make and break the electrical connection between said first one of said contacts or said second one of said contacts and cooperating contact defining a cooperating pair.