System and Method for Character Based Power Source
The power source of a toy is disguised as a character or other aspect of the toy itself such that the character appears to operate the toy. Batteries are wrapped in a thin material with graphical artwork disposed thereon. The graphical artwork may disguise the power source (e.g., a battery) as toy characters, a fuel tank, or the like. Corresponding battery operated toys are designed such that the location of one or more batteries used to operate the toy is where a character would naturally sit when operating the toy such as a cockpit. Batteries can be skinned individually or in groups to accommodate the needs of individual toys and various sizes of characters, teams, or toy components.
The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/866,526 filed on 20 Nov. 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to battery operated consumer toy products and more specifically relates to the use of one or more character identities on an integrated power source that is used to operate a toy.
2. Related Art
Designs of conventional battery operated products and particularly consumer toy products are constrained because they are required to provide a hidden internal compartment where the power source is located that is used to operate the toy. What the industry needs is a system and method that overcomes the design constraints found in the conventional systems as described above.
SUMMARYAccordingly, systems and methods are provided that disguise the power source as a character or other aspect of the toy itself such that the power source character appears to operate the toy. In one embodiment, batteries are wrapped in a thin material that provides a canvas for graphical artwork. Images of toy characters are placed on the thin material such that when the material is wrapped around a battery, the battery takes on the likeness of the character.
Battery operated toys are designed such that the location of one or more batteries is where a character operator of the battery operated toy would naturally be situated, for example, a cockpit. Thus, when the batteries are installed in the toy, the toy appears to have a pilot, driver, or other type of operator. Indeed, the character becomes the source of power that makes the toy work. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:
In the illustrated embodiment, the batteries 10 and 20 are wrapped in material that has artwork disposed thereon. As can be seen, these “skins” are designed to disguise the battery as a toy character. Any of a variety of characters may be used including famous toy characters and newly created characters. Other non character objects such as fuel tanks and the like may also be used.
Advantageously, kids today are savvy consumers and they generally know what a standard battery looks like and know that it operates as the power source for battery operated toys. Accordingly, kids will understand that when the character skinned battery is installed in the toy that the character becomes the source of the power that makes the toy work. Additionally, the substantial weight of a battery provides the character with the feeling of inherent value beyond the operational function of a battery that makes the toy work. Furthermore, when the battery is depleted of its power supply capability, the depleted battery retains value as a collectable character that can continue to be played with.
Notably, any battery powered toy or other electronic device can be designed to receive a character based power source. For example, remote control vehicles, flash lights, radios, electric toothbrushes, cameras, robotic toys, calculators, personal gaming devices, cell phones, personal digital assistants, etc.
In an alternative embodiment, the electronic device that receives the skinned battery can be a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a personal gaming device, or other consumer electronic device that operates on batteries or some other portable power source. Advantageously, the graphics on the skin can be customized with a photograph or other type of personalized image that may be provided by the consumer when ordering or purchasing the battery or other power source.
While the particular system and method herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above described objects of this invention, it is to be understood that the description and drawings presented herein represent exemplary embodiments of the invention and are therefore representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present invention. It is further understood that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments that may become obvious to those skilled in the art and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly not limited.
Claims
1. An electronic device assembly, comprising:
- an electronic device having an outer body and electronic components which operate in connection with the device;
- the outer body having a power source compartment which receives at least one power source which is electrically coupled to the electronic components;
- at least one power source seated in the compartment;
- the power source having an outer surface and an outer skin with a decorative graphical image disposed thereon which covers and conceals at least a portion of the outer surface of the power source; and
- the outer body having an opening which exposes the power source compartment, whereby at least part of the decorative image on the outer skin of the power source is exposed to a user of the electronic device through the opening.
2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the power source comprises a battery having positive and negative poles, the power source compartment has contacts which engage the positive and negative poles when the battery is seated in the compartment, and the outer skin substantially covers the entire outer surface of the battery apart from the poles.
3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the decorative graphical image is a representation of a toy character.
4. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a window mounted in the opening, where in the window comprises a translucent material.
5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the sheet of translucent material comprises a door for access to the power source compartment.
6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of toys, cell phones, personal digital assistants, personal gaming devices, flashlights, remote control vehicles, radios, electric toothbrushes, electronic media players, cameras, and calculators.
7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the power source compartment has seats which receive at least two power sources, each power source having an outer skin with a decorative graphical image thereon which conceals at least a portion of the outer surface of the power source, and the opening exposes at least part of the outer skin of each power source.
8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the outer skins of the two power sources have graphical images representing different characters.
9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the power source compartment has seats which receive a plurality of power sources and the outer skin having a decorative graphical image thereon is wrapped over the plurality of power sources to hold the power sources together, wherein the exposed part of the decorative graphical image extends over portions of each of the plurality of power sources.
10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer body is designed as a toy to be operated by a toy character and having a cockpit for a toy character, the power source compartment comprising the cockpit and the decorative indicia on the outer skin representing at least one toy character which appears to operate the toy.
11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a battery charger.
12. A battery disguising system, comprising:
- at least one battery having an outer battery case with positive and negative poles and an outer peripheral surface; and
- an outer skin wrapped around a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the battery case excluding the positive and negative poles, the skin having a decorative, pictorial image disposed thereon which conceals the underlying battery case surface, the image representing an object or character, whereby the wrapped battery simulates the object or character.
13. The system of claim 12, comprising at least two batteries, the outer skin being wrapped around both of the batteries and holding them together.
14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a battery charger which has a compartment which receives the at least one battery for recharging, the compartment having an opening which exposes at least part of the image on the outer skin as the battery is charged.
15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a battery operated device having a compartment which receives the battery to provide power to the device, the compartment having an opening which exposes at least part of the image on the outer skin as the device is used.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the image represents at least one toy character and the battery operated device comprises a battery operated toy which appears to be operated by the toy character.
17. A method of disguising a power source in an electronic device, comprising:
- wrapping at least part of the outer surface of at least one battery in an outer skin having a decorative graphical image disposed thereon which conceals the underlying surface portion of the battery; and
- placing the at least one battery in a battery compartment of an electronically operated device with at least part of the outer skin exposed through an opening of the compartment when the device is used.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising wrapping a second battery in a second outer skin having a decorative graphical image thereon and placing the second battery in the battery compartment, with the opening revealing at least part of the graphical images on both outer skins, the graphical images on the two skins being different.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising removing the battery from the compartment and placing end caps over opposite ends of the battery, the end caps having graphical images representing a continuation of the graphical image on the skin.
20. The method of claim 17, further comprising selecting a skin from a plurality of skins carrying different graphical images prior to wrapping the skin around the battery.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 20, 2007
Publication Date: May 22, 2008
Inventor: Kenneth Stetter (Lake Forest, CA)
Application Number: 11/943,485