TOSSABLE HEAD

Abstract

A tossable head advertising system includes a soft or semi soft head shaped object for tossing into a crowd of people. The head includes long hair or a long cord attached to it such that the head may be hurled by the hair or cord into a crowd. The head further includes the face of a famous person and a pre-recorded sound byte within an audio generator that activates on contact. The sound byte is personalized for the famous person.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to advertising systems and, more particularly, to a souvenir toy or game for promoting a public figure or event.

BACKGROUND

It is well known in the field of advertising that souvenirs tend to help promote particular public figures or events. Such souvenirs have included autographed pictures, hats having associated logos, mugs, pens, promotional CD's, figurines resembling the public figure, associated toys, games, etc.

The more closely related a souvenir is to a particular event or public figure, the higher the likelihood of association of that event or public figure in the minds of consumers, fans, or potential fans. Such association has been shown to increase popularity of particular events or public figures. Further, souvenirs designed such that a use is provided independent of the event or public figure may increase advertising potential. For example, a ball with a logo of a particular event may be used to play catch or other such related games. It is a constant goal in the field of advertising to provide souvenirs that will remain useful or entertaining for as long as possible.

It is a further goal in the advertising industry to provide a safe and affective mode for distributing souvenirs of related events or public figures. Current methods of distribution include handing out the souvenirs, mailing the souvenirs to people, or tossing the souvenirs into a crowd. Tossing the souvenirs into a crowd, however, presents the further problem that the souvenir must be designed in such a way as not to injure a member of the crowd, while still providing the desired advertising affect.

The disadvantages associated with current advertising system should make it apparent that a new system for advertising is needed. The new system should provide enjoyment or usefulness, and should be substantially easy to distribute. The present invention is directed to these ends.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a tossable head advertising system includes a soft or semi soft head shaped object for tossing into a crowd of people. The head includes long hair or a long cord attached to it such that the head may be hurled by the hair or cord into a crowd. The head further includes the face of a famous person and a pre-recorded sound byte within an audio generator that activates on contact. The sound byte is personalized for the famous person.

One advantage of the present invention is that it may be easily hurled into a crowd such that likelihood of injury to a member of the crowd is highly unlikely. A further advantage of the present invention is that the novelty of design is such that a direct association may be made between the tossable head and a particular event or public figure.

Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the description that follows, and may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be well understood, there will now be described some embodiments thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a tossable head system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cutaway view of the tossable head in accordance with FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a logic flow diagram of a method for operating the tossable head of FIG. 1 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is illustrated with respect to a tossable head 10 (i.e. advertising system) particularly suited to the advertising field. The present invention is, however, applicable to various other uses that may require person specific systems, as will be understood by one skilled in the art.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a tossable head system 10 for use in advertising, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, is illustrated. The tossable head 10 includes a tossing means 12, such hair or a cord, a recognizable face 14, a impact detection device 16, an audio generator 18, a power supply 20, and a soft or semi soft housing 22.

The housing 22 encloses the impact detection device 16, audio generator 18, and the power supply 20 such that these components are protected from concussion when the tossable head system 10 is thrown. The housing 22 may be made of a foamy material, such as is common in Nerf™ products, cloth, rubber, or any other soft, semi-soft, or hard plastic or foam substance, or any natural stuffing material known in the art. The housing is formed in the general shape of a head, such that features are either molded thereon or coupled thereto so as to form a recognizable face 14 thereon. Extending outwardly from the housing 22 is the tossing apparatus 12 that resembles hair or other such objects or protuberances, such as ears, useful for tossing the tossable head system 10.

The recognizable face 14 is either molded into or coupled to the housing 22 and may be either two-dimensional or three-dimensional. The recognizable face includes an image or features of a public figure, such as a musician, actor, or comedian, or an art type, such as Uncle Sam. The recognizable face 14 may be made of the same material as the housing 22, such as a soft foam material, or ultimately it may be made of a slightly harder material such as a semi-hard plastic. The recognizable face 14 may include an expression that relates to or a signature of the public figure represented thereby.

The tossing apparatus 12 or tossing handle, extending outwardly from the scalp portion 24 of the housing 22, is embodied as either a cord or a grouping of hair that appears to be a head of hair for the tossable head system 10. However, important to note is that the tossing apparatus 12 is embodied as a long grouping of hair 12 designed such that it can be easily grabbed by someone intending to toss the head.

The tossing apparatus 12 is attached to the housing 22 such that centrifugal force applied to the head through a slinging motion applied by someone intending to toss the head does not detach the hair 12 from the housing 22. Such attachment may be achieved through sewing the tossing apparatus 12 to the housing 22, gluing the tossing apparatus 12 to the housing 22 or molding the tossing apparatus 12 directly to the housing 22. As was mentioned, the tossing apparatus may also be a cord extending from a portion of the housing 22, such that the tossable head system 10 may be tossed by force supplied in a centrifugal manner to the cord 12.

The impact detection device 16 (sensor) activates in response to concussion impact caused upon contact of the tossable head system 10 with a person or object, after the tossable head system 10 has been thrown. The impact detection device 16 then sends a signal to, or directly activates the audio generator 18, which generates a pre-recorded audio clip signal specific to the recognizable face 14.

The audio generator 18 is embodied as a typical speaker and sound byte circuit system coupled to an internal portion of the housing 22 and activating in response to detected impact of the tossable head system 10. The audio generator 18 may include one sound byte or audio clip that is related to the recognizable face 14. An example thereof includes a notable surfer face on the tossable head system 10 having an audio clip of “Whoa Dude!” Numerous other audio clips are also embodied herein that are specific to each individual recognizable face 14. Further, the audio generator 18 may include multiple face specific audio clips or sound bytes activating in response to successive impacts of the system 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, a logic flow diagram of a method for operating a tossable head system 10, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, is illustrated. Logic starts in operation block 52 where the power supply 20 provides power to the system 10.

In operation block 54, the head is tossed through, for example, centrifugal force applied to the head by means of the tossing apparatus 12.

In operation block 56, the tossable head impacts a person or object; and the audio generator 18 is activated and an audio clip specific to the recognizable face 14 is activated in operation block 58.

In operation, the tossable head 10 is spun around by the tossing apparatus 12 and thrown through the air, whereby it impacts a person or object. An example thereof is a situation in which the tossable head 10 is thrown into an audience, such as a group of fans of the public figure featured on the recognizable face 14. Upon impact, the sound clip in the audio generator 18 is activated; and an expression relevant to the public figure represented by the recognizable face 14 is generated. The tossable head 10 is reusable, such that they need to be tossed over and over again whereon impact will result in either the same audio clip or a series of audio clips related to the recognizable face 14.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been brought to the art a new and improved advertising system. It is to be understood that the preceding description of the preferred embodiment is merely illustrative of some of the many specific embodiments that represent applications of the principles of the present invention. Numerous other arrangements will be evident to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A tossable head system comprising:

a substantially head-shaped housing comprising a face and a scalp portion;

a tossing apparatus extending from said scalp portion;

an audio generator generating at least one face-specific audio clip in response to an impact of the tossable head system; and

an impact detection device detecting said impact of the tossable head system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said face comprises a two-dimensional or three-dimensional recognizable face of a public figure or otherwise famous person.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a power supply within said housing supplying power to at least one of said impact detection device or said audio generator, wherein said power supply is a battery or potential energy device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said housing comprises at least one of a foam material, a hard plastic material, a soft plastic material, rubber, cloth, an artificial or a natural stuffing material, or any combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said face-specific audio clip is a signature saying or sound representative of said face.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of face-specific audio clips activating successively in response to impacts of the tossable head system following said impact.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said tossing apparatus comprises hair or a hair like material, a cord, or a protuberance such that said housing may be swung in a centrifugal manner relative to said tossing apparatus.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said hair or hair like material is disproportionately long relative to the tossable head.

9. A tossable head system comprising:

a substantially head-shaped housing comprising a recognizable face and a scalp portion, said housing further comprising a material that cushions impact of the tossable head system when the tossable head system is thrown;

a tossing apparatus extending from said scalp portion such that said housing may be swung in a centrifugal manner relative to a portion of said tossing apparatus;

an audio generator generating at least one face-specific audio clip in response to an impact of the tossable head system;

an impact detection device detecting said impact of the tossable head system; and

a power supply within said housing supplying power to at least one of said impact detection device or said audio generator.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said housing comprises at least one of a foam material, a hard plastic material, a soft plastic material, rubber, cloth, an artificial or a natural stuffing material, or any combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said face-specific audio clip is a signature saying or sound representative of said face.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of face-specific audio clips activating successively in response to impacts of the tossable head system following said impact.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said hair or hair like material is disproportionately long relative to the tossable head.

14. An advertising system comprising:

a head-shaped device comprising a recognizable face and an impact absorbing material;

a flexible handle coupled to said head-shaped device having an appearance of hair and extending outwardly from said head-shaped device such that a user may thereby toss the advertising system from momentum generated by slinging said head-shaped device with said flexible handle;

a power supply enclosed within said head-shaped device powering said impact sensor and said audio-clip generator;

an impact sensor enclosed within said head-shaped device; and

an audio clip generator enclosed within said head-shaped device activating in response to signals from said impact sensor and generating an audio clip specific to said recognizable face.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said head-shaped device comprises at least one of a foam material, a hard plastic material, a soft plastic material, rubber, cloth, an artificial or a natural stuffing material, or any combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said flexible handle is disproportionately long relative to said head-shaped device.

17. The system of claim 14 further comprising a plurality of face-specific audio clips activating successively in response to successive impacts of said head-shaped device.