Electronic interactive play environment for toy characters

In a electronic toy containing a programmed digital micro-controller and an electronic clock for normally tracking the time of day and a display for displaying the time of day supplied by said electronic clock, said programmed digital micro-controller being programmed to run selected time based routines at certain hours of the day and to periodically check said clock device to determine the time of day, said programmed digital micro-controller being programmed to run over the course of said day and initiate and display selected time based activities at preselected hours during a day to simulate an activity normally occurring at those preselected hours, each of said time based activities requiring a respective defined interval of said real time to complete;

• the improvement therein wherein said electronic clock includes:
• a first time-keeping mode in which to record the progress of real time;
• and
• a second time-keeping mode in which to record the progress of an artificial time, said artificial time advancing at a rate at least twice as fast as said real time;
• and
• user operated mode switch means for permitting a user to change said electronic clock's time-keeping mode.

A child's playset, comprising:

• a plurality of toy characters, each of said plurality of toy characters being visually distinguishable from one another and configured to represent any of a person and animal;
• said toy characters including:
• a plurality of person characters for simulating humans;
• and a plurality of article characters for simulating foodstuffs consumed by humans;
• each of said toy characters includes an identifying marker, said identifying marker containing an indicium unique to the respective toy character, whereby said toy figures may also be distinguished from one another by an associated indicium;
• each said identifying marker comprising an electrical resistance and a pair of electrical contacts, said electrical resistance being in series circuit between said electrical contacts, and wherein said indicium comprises the resistance value of said electrical resistance, and wherein said resistance value of each of said identifying markers is distinct from one another;
• a character environment for receiving said toy characters therein;
• said character environment comprising a simulated house to provide simulated living quarters for said toy characters, said house containing a plurality of compartments simulating rooms, said rooms comprising at least a simulated kitchen, a simulated family room, a simulated bathroom and at least one simulated bedroom;
• and a plurality of simulated furniture, simulated utilities and simulated appliances disposed about said simulated rooms;
• a plurality momentary operate switches, said switches being distributed about said environment and associated with respective ones of said home appliances and utilities;
• said character environment further including:
• a plurality of locations distributed within said rooms for receiving toy characters, whereby a toy character may be positioned at any one of said plurality of locations if said location is unoccupied;
• a plurality of indicium sensors, said indicium sensors being distributed at said plurality of locations for receiving indicium information from said toy characters, each said indicium sensor comprising:
• a socket for mating engagement with said electrical plug, a pair of electrical contacts in said socket for respective connection with said electrical contacts in said plug;
• a loudspeaker;
• and
• an electronic controller, said electronic controller comprising a programmed digital microcontroller, said digital microcontroller including a microprocessor and a memory;
• said electronic controller being coupled to said plurality of indicium sensors for receiving indicium information and identifying a toy character installed in a respective indicium sensor by determining the resistance value associated with the respective toy character;
• said electronic controller including:
• a store of virtual beings, said virtual beings being defined by audio elements characterizing intelligence and personality, said audio elements comprising verbal statements stored in digital electronic form, and each said virtual being being associated with a respective one of said plurality of toy characters;
• digital-to-analog conversion means for converting verbal statements in digital electronic form to analog electronic form for application to said loudspeaker, whereby said loudspeaker acoustically reproduces said verbal statements;
• a store of indicium correlation information, correlating indicium information for each of said plurality of toy characters with respective ones of said plurality of virtual beings;
• a sound effects store containing a plurality of sound effects, each of said plurality of sound effects being associated with a respective one of said house appliances;
• said electronic controller for selecting from said store and audibly displaying through said loudspeaker, audible elements of the respective virtual being associated with said toy characters, responsive to the presence of said toy characters in respective ones of said plurality of locations and for selecting from said store and audibly displaying through said loudspeaker a plurality of sound effects for simulating operation of various home appliances and utilities;
• said electronic controller, responsive to momentary operation of a respective one of said plurality of momentary operate switches for selecting and audibly displaying, through said loudspeaker, the one of said plurality of sound effects associated with said respective one of said plurality of momentary operate switches
• said electronic controller further including:
• a programmable electronic clock calendar for keeping track of time of day and date;
• a visual display;
• means for coupling electronic clock calendar to said visual display for displaying at least the time of day;
• a clock setting program for setting said electronic clock calendar to a time of day and date, said program including:
• cuing means for querying a player for the time of day and date;
• a data entry device for enabling a player to enter data into said electronic controller;
• said clock setting program, responsive to data entered by operation of said data entry device in response to a query, for setting said clock calendar.