Patents Assigned to Shoot The Moon Products, Inc.
  • Patent number: 6040870
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for encoding secondary signals, such as audio signals, within a television signal in a manner such that the signal may be either recorded on a video cassette or broadcast. The audio samples are encoded only on selected lines of each video frame which do not interfere with dedicated broadcast and cable lines and are not affected by head switching of a video cassette recorder. The audio samples are encoded only within an overscan portion of the selected lines such that the encoded samples do not interfere with other portions of the video signal. However, by encoding the samples within the overscan portion, the samples do not affect the displayed image. The secondary audio signal is sampled during equally spaced intervals throughout the video frame, then compressed and encoded only within selected horizontal lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Shoot the Moon Products, Inc.
    Inventor: David Small
  • Patent number: 5944574
    Abstract: An interactive audio-visual toy that includes a base unit that receives removable audio-visual ("AV") cassette. The AV cassette includes a pair of rollers on which a picture scroll is wound. The pictorial scenes of the picture scroll are evident through a transparent viewing window. Moreover, a pre-recorded audio cassette is mounted on its bottom surface. The base unit controls the AV cassette to successively display these pictorial scenes without the use of expensive display hardware and to output audio from the pre-recorded audio cassette tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Shoot the Moon Products, Inc.
    Inventors: David Small, Paul S. Rago, Brian Farley
  • Patent number: 5820439
    Abstract: Gyro stabilized remote controlled toy motorcycle having good stability and controllability without using ground contacting auxiliary wheels or the like. The motorcycle comprises a chassis supporting a fixed angle rear wheel drive and associated motor and a castered front wheel. A gyro wheel having an axis nominally parallel to the axis of the rear wheel is mounted in a gimbal with a vertical axis in the forward part of the chassis and connected to the front wheel fork and post to turn the front wheel responsive to the rotation of the gimbal relative to the chassis. The chassis further includes a radio receiver, battery power and a steering device, such as a motor and slip clutch for torquing the gyro wheel gimbal. To turn in a first direction the gyro gimbal is torqued in the opposite direction, initially causing the front wheel to also turn in the opposite direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: Shoot the Moon Products, Inc.
    Inventor: James M. Hair, III
  • Patent number: 5808689
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for encoding secondary signals, such as audio signals, within a television signal in a manner such that the signal may be either recorded on a video cassette or broadcast. The audio samples are encoded only on selected lines of each video frame which do not interfere with dedicated broadcast and cable lines and are not affected by head switching of a video cassette recorder. The audio samples are encoded only within an overscan portion of the selected lines such that the encoded samples do not interfere with other portions of the video signal. However, by encoding the samples within the overscan portion, the samples do not affect the displayed image. The secondary audio signal is sampled during equally spaced intervals throughout the video frame, then compressed and encoded only within selected horizontal lines. During decoding, the audio samples are decompressed and played back at the original sampling rate to provide audio playback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Shoot The Moon Products, Inc.
    Inventor: David Small