US 6,203,395 B1Granted

Electronic activity center

AssigneeHasbro, Inc.

InventorCraig J. McElhaney

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Abstract

An electronic activity center for infants includes a spring biased kick bar, a cross bar supported above the infant, a plurality of hanging toys suspended from the cross bar, and a rotating “motion” bar with rotating flippers and disks mounted on the cross bar. The kick bar and the hanging toys are connected to an electronic control unit mounted inside the frame of the activity center. The electronic control unit controls output of music and sounds responsive to movement of the kick bar and/or hanging toy. The electronic unit also controls motion the rotating bar responsive to movements of the kick bar and hanging toys. Activation of the music, sounds and rotating bar responsive to movement of the kick bar and/or hanging toys are believed to encourage kicking of the infant's feet and swinging of the infant's arms and thus aid in the development of motor skills.

Claims6

Dependent claims

An electronic activity center for an infant received on its back on a supporting surface comprising:

a. a frame including a base portion receivable on a supporting surface and an upwardly extending support portion;
b. a kick bar on said base portion of said frame, said kick bar being disposed adjacent said supporting surface when said base portion is received thereon so that said kick bar is engageable by the feet of an infant received on its back on said supporting surface adjacent said base portion;
c. an activity bar on said support portion positioned in upwardly spaced relation to said kick bar when said base portion is received on said supporting surface, said activity bar including at least one movable activity element and being at a level spaced above a torso of said infant when said infant is received on its back on said supporting surface with said kick bar positioned for engagement by the feet of said infant;
d. a switch actuated in response to the application of kicking activity to said kick bar;
and
e. an electrically powered activity unit on said activity bar actuated in response to activation of said switch, said activity unit including both visible and audible components wherein upon actuation of said switch said visible component producing a visible repetitive change in the appearance of said activity unit and said audible component producing corresponding audible sound.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.