Electronic drawing device

An interactive drawing device providing audible stimuli for providing drawing and coloring entertainment comprising:

• at least one drawing instrument;
• a drawing instrument detector for indicating the identity of the drawing instrument;
• a pressure sensitive drawing tablet that is responsive to pressure contact from the drawing instrument;
• at least one drawing sheet having an identifier for uniquely identifying the drawing sheet;
• a computer adapted to monitor the drawing instrument detector, the drawing tablet, and the drawing sheet identifier, said computer being electrically connected to an audible device, wherein the computer controls the output of the audible device based upon the state of the drawing instrument detector, the drawing tablet, and the drawing sheet identifier.

An interactive drawing device for use with at least one drawing instrument and having an audible output for encouraging drawing and coloring activity, the drawing device comprising:

• a pressure sensitive drawing surface;
• at least one drawing sheet, the drawing sheet encoded for unique identification;
• an encoder that generates an output signal indicative of the identity of the drawing sheet;
• an audible device;
• and
• an electronic computer in electrical communication with the drawing surface, the encoder, and the audible device, the computer being programmed to control the audible device so as to vary its output in response the combination of pressure applied to the drawing surface and the output signal of the encoder.

A drawing device comprising:

• a housing;
• a plurality of instrument holders disposed in the housing;
• a plurality of drawing instruments, each of the instruments being associated with one of the instrument holders, and each of the instruments having an associated color;
• an instrument detector associated with the plurality of instrument holders to detect the removal of the drawing instruments from the instrument holders, the instrument detector generating a predetermined instrument signal indicating which of the plurality of drawing instruments has been removed from its respective holder;
• sound sourcing means for producing a plurality of sound signals;
• processing means coupled to the instrument detector and to the sound sourcing means for receiving the predetermined instrument signal from the instrument detector and for selecting a sound signal from the sound sourcing means which corresponds to the predetermined instrument signal;
• and,
• sound generating means for converting the sound signal selected by the processing means to an audible sound, wherein the sound signal selected by the processing means corresponds to the drawing instrument removed from its respective holder.

An interactive drawing device for use with a drawing instrument, the interactive drawing device comprising:

• a housing;
• a pressure sensitive drawing tablet disposed in the housing and having a drawing surface, the drawing surface including a matrix of switches, the switches being resiliently closeable such that pressure exerted by a drawing instrument against the drawing surface will close adjacent ones of the switches which will re-open when the pressure exerted by the drawing instrument is removed, the switches of the matrix being electrically connected in parallel such that closing any one switch in the matrix is electrically the same as closing any other switch in the matrix, wherein closing any switch in the matrix generates an electrical pulse such that translating a drawing instrument across the drawing surface will generate a plurality of electrical pulses having a frequency proportional to the velocity of the drawing instrument;
• a sound generating computer electrically connected to the matrix of switches for receiving the electrical pulses generated by the pressure exerted by the drawing instrument on the drawing surface of the pressure sensitive tablet and for generating output signals corresponding to sounds in response thereto;
• and
• an audible device connected to the sound generating computer for receiving the output signals and for converting the output signals into an audible output having a tempo corresponding to the frequency of the electrical pulses generated by the matrix of switches.