US 5,438,154 AGranted

Holiday action and musical display

AssigneeM. H. Segan Limited Partnership

InventorsMarc H. Segan, Michael R. Newsome, Gary Strauss

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Abstract

A holiday action and musical display (10) comprising a plurality of separate display units (40, 42, 44, 46) electrically connected to a central control unit (12). Each display unit contains a figurine (147) resembling a character representation which is capable of being moved from a first position where the figurine is partially blocked from a user's view, to a second position where the figurine is visible to a user. The central control unit accesses several pluralities of stored sounds and phrases which are stored in electronic memory (305), with the sounds of each plurality having a common timbre distinct from the timbres of the other pluralities of sounds, and with each timbre being associated with a particular character representation. The accessed sounds are played on a speaker (12) and the central control unit synchronizes the movements of the figurines with the accessed sounds so that the figurines appear to be jointly singing one of a plurality of stored melodies.

Claims31

Dependent claims

An ornamental musical action display comprising:

(A) a control unit including;
(1) a control circuit for generating first and second control signals;
(2) sound generating means electrically connected to said control circuit for generating sound in response to said first control signal, said sound generating means comprising
(a) a speaker;
(b) a first plurality of stored electrical signals corresponding to a first plurality of sounds in a plurality of pitches, wherein a majority of said first plurality of sounds have a first timbre;
(c) a second plurality of stored electrical signals corresponding to a second plurality of sounds in a plurality of pitches, wherein a majority of said second plurality of sounds have a second timbre;
(d) means for accessing said stored first and second pluralities of electrical signals for output to said speaker in a predetermined sequence for generating a melody;
(B)a first housing;
(C) a first member connected to said first housing and comprising a representation of a first character associated with said first timbre;
(D) a first moving means movable between first and second positions for at least partially blocking and unblocking an observer's view of said first member, respectively;
(E) a second housing;
(F) a second member connected to said second housing and comprising a representation of a second character associated with said second timbre;
(G) a second moving means movable between first and second positions for at least partially blocking and unblocking the observer's view of said second member, respectively;
and
(H) drive means coupled to said first and second moving means and responsive to said second control signal for driving said first and second moving means between said first and second positions, said second control signal being timed relative to said first control signal for generating said first and second pluralities of sounds in coordination with movement of said first and second moving means, respectively, between their respective first and second positions.

12 more elements

An ornamental musical action display comprising:

(A) a control unit including;
(1) a control circuit for generating first and second control signals;
(2) sound generating means electrically connected to said control circuit for generating sound in response to said first control signal, said sound generating means comprising
(a) a speaker;
(b) a first plurality of electrical signals corresponding to a first plurality of sounds in a plurality of pitches, wherein a majority of said first plurality of sounds have a first timbre;
(c) a second plurality of electrical signals corresponding to a second plurality of sounds in a plurality of pitches, wherein a majority of said second plurality of sounds have a second timbre;
(d) means for storing said first and second pluralities of electrical signals;
(e) means for accessing said storing means for outputting said first and second pluralities of electrical signals to said speaker in a predetermined sequence for generating a melody;
(B) a first housing;
(C) a first member movably connected to said first housing and comprising a representation of a first character associated with said first timbre;
(D) A first pendulum pivotally secured to said first housing for swinging movement relative thereto;
(E) a first bi-directional driving means coupled to said first member and said first pendulum and responsive to said control signal for moving said first pendulum in a repetitive swinging motion and said first member to an extended position when said drive means is operated in one direction and for moving said first pendulum in said repetitive swinging motion and said first member from said extended position to a retracted position when said drive means is operated in the other direction;
(F) a second housing;
(G) a second member movably connected to said second housing and comprising a representation of a second character associated with said second timbre;
(H) a second pendulum pivotally secured to said second housing for swinging movement relative thereto;
and
(I) a second bi-directional driving means coupled to said second member and said second pendulum and responsive to said control signal for moving said second pendulum in a repetitive swinging motion and said second member to an extended position when said second drive means is operated in one direction and for moving said second pendulum in said repetitive motion and said second member from said extended position to a retracted position when said second drive means is operated in the other direction.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.