Voice-responsive doll eye mechanism

Abstract

A doll eye mechanism responsive to the voice and designed as a replaceable unit provided in a toy or doll to simulate communication with a child. When the child speaks to the doll, the mechanism provides eye rotation, to simulate a human response. The mechanism comprises control circuitry which receives the voice as an input to a microphone, and converts this into a drive signal which powers a transmission designed as a motor and gears to provide rotation. The voice-responsive mechanism provides a metaphor for the natural mechanism of the brain which makes communication possible. The human eye, the organ of sight, receives the information (the child's voice) through the cornea (microphone) and passes on the message (via the control system) to the rear lobe of the brain (transmission mechanism) which coordinates the movement of the two eyes (two axes of motor). For example, a stuffed toy dog may be designed with the inventive mechanism and when the child calls the dog by its name, the dog responds by moving its eyes. The louder the child speaks to the dog, the faster the eye movement. The voice stimulus/repeated eye response from the toy represents, in effect, "communication" between the child and the toy dog. The inventive voice-responsive mechanism may be provided in many toys and doll designs, including toy cars, stuffed animals, etc. Each item is designed with facial features, "humanizing" it to simulate communication via the eye expression. The facial features encourage voice communication, and as a result, simplified electronics sensitive to the voice frequency are usable for voice-responsive operation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.