DOLL WITH PERSONALIZED FEATURES

Abstract

A doll capable of personalization to the likeness of an individual. The doll's appearance may be made so as to appear to be like a particular individual. Accessories for the doll may be further be personalized. The doll's voice and audio content may further be personalized.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a doll. In particular, the present invention may be directed to a doll having personalized features.

2. Description of the Related Technology

Dolls are used by children for play and emotional security. Typically, dolls are static in appearance and with the sounds that they make.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,841 to Becker et al., a doll is described that enables a person to customize a doll's features by placing a picture on the face of the doll using hook and loop tape, magnetic material or adhesive strips. The usage of a voice recording mechanism is contemplated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,841, however the reference provides no detail as to the particulars of the recording device.

There is a need in the field to enable further personalization of a doll via the usage of more customizable recording features and accessories for the doll in order to enhance the experience of the child who uses the doll.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is a doll having the likeness of an individual.

Another object of the present invention is a doll storing audio files of the individual whose likeness the doll has.

Still yet another object of the present invention is a method of recording audio files and storing them on the doll.

An aspect of the present invention may be a personalized doll comprising: a body, a head connected to the body, wherein the head comprises a likeness of an individual; a wig removably connected to the head via attachment means; a recording unit located within the body, wherein the recording unit is operably connected to a microphone and a speaker; wherein the recording unit stores audio files of the voice of the individual.

Another aspect of the present invention may be a method for playing an audio file on a personalized doll comprising: recording an audio file at a computer; storing the audio file on a recording unit; wherein the recording unit is located in a body of a doll, wherein the doll further comprises; a head connected the body, wherein the head comprises a likeness of an individual; wherein the audio file is the voice of the individual; and playing the audio file.

These and various other advantages and features of novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of an exemplary doll made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the doll shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the system employed in the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows the graphical user interface employed in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the method employed in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views, and referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, FIG. 1 shows a front view of an exemplary doll 10 made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the doll 10 shown in FIG. 1.

The doll 10 is intended to be personalized to the likeness of a certain individual. By “likeness” it is meant that the overall appearance, features and characteristics of an individual are intended to be captured in the appearance of the doll 10. The doll 10 is primarily intended for a child who is separated from a loved one. However, it should be understood that the doll 10 may be employed by any individual or individuals to represent a loved one. The doll 10 is good for children or individuals who suffer from separation anxiety in school or a day care environment, as well as for those whose parent is away for extended periods of time because of work, military service, etc. The doll 10 may further be employed by close relatives or friends who cannot be with a child or individual as often as he or she would like.

The doll 10 may either be male or female. The doll 10 comprises head 12, body 14, arms 6, legs 7, feet 8 and hands 9. The doll 10 is designed to be fully customizable and has the capability to appear to be any age. The face of the doll 10 may be a molded representation, or the best computer likeness of various ethnicities such as caucasians, blacks, Indian, Native American/Eskimo, East Asian Pacific Islander, etc. Other groups may be added based on the demographics of a particular area.

In the preferred embodiment of the doll 10, when the doll 10 comes out of the packaging the head 12 of the doll 10 will be bald. The body 14 of the doll 10 is intended to be soft and capable of being dressed. It should be understood that although the doll 10 is described herein as being soft or bald, this is merely a preferred embodiment and it is possible to fabricate the doll 10 with a predetermined head of hair or a hard plastic body 14.

Wigs 16 may be provided in order to customize the doll 10. There will be various wigs 16 that may be affixed to the head 12 of the doll 10. The wigs 16 may be available in various colors, for example blonde, brown, red, gray, white. The wigs 16 may also come in various textures such as kinky, curly, and straight. Furthermore, the wigs 16 may come in various different styles and lengths. The wigs 16 are designed to be removable. Wigs 16 may be exchanged for different wigs 16 as the need arrives. The wigs 16 may be attached and removed using an attachment means such as hook and loop tape, an adhesive, a snap, etc. The removability of the wig 16 allows for alterations of the hair of the person for which the doll 10 is a representation. The removability of the wig 16 also provides a means for aging the doll 10.

Facial accessories 18 may also be applied to the doll 10. Such facial accessories may be, beards, mustaches, sideburns, moles, etc. The facial accessories 18 are also designed to be removable. The facial accessories 18 may be removable in the same fashion as the wigs 16 or use an alternative attachment means.

The doll 10 may have a large assortment of uniforms and outfits available. There may be military garb for those children whose parents are away from home, serving in the armed forces. There may also be uniforms for doctors, nurses, construction workers, ministers, police officers, etc. Clothing may also be varied and include work clothing, dress up clothing and sleepwear. Sports clothing depicting various teams may also be available. The clothing is designed to added and removed easily.

Additionally, there may be personal accessories 22. The personal accessories 22 available for the doll 10 may include eyeglasses, watches, purses, hats, necklaces, wheelchairs, etc. Other items such as earrings and makeup may be available. Furthermore, there should be an array of items to go with various occupations. Some examples are stethoscopes, tools, lunchboxes, badges, and computers. There may be sports items such as bats, balls, hockey sticks, tennis rackets and golf bags. Periodically, additional items may be added, based on the season or a particular occasion. These may include Halloween costumes, Santa outfits, wedding outfits, birthday cakes, balloons, party hats, and grocery carts with various food items.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the sound system 20 employed in the present invention. Components of the sound system 20 are located in the doll 10. The sound system 20 may speak to the child in the voice and language of the loved one. The sound system 20 may have the capacity to record and play daily, short-term messages for the child, as well as the capacity to record, store, organize and play longer audio files 41 in the voice and language of the adult.

The doll 10 has the recording unit 21, in the preferred embodiment, located in and accessible from the rear body portion 27 of the doll 10. The control functions of the sound unit 20 may be accessible from the front body portion 24. The recording unit 21 stores the audio files and provides the ability to reproduce the audio files. Operably connected to the recording unit 21 is a speaker 25 located proximate to the mouth 13 on the head 12 of the doll 10 so as to provide the impression that the doll 10 is speaking.

A microphone 17 may be located near the head 12 of the doll 10 in order to record audio directly to the doll 10. It should be understood that the microphone 17 may be located elsewhere on the doll 10.

The doll 10 may also have a play/off button 26 located on the front body portion 24 or hand 11 of the doll 10. Preferably the play/off button 26 may be easily operated by a child.

The rear body portion 27 houses the recording unit 21, such as an MP3 player, or similar device, which can be easily removed and reinserted by the adult via access door 29, but not by a child. The control buttons should also be easily accessible by an adult. The recording unit 21 will have the capacity to download audio files from a home computer or wirelessly via a wi/fi component 23. The recording unit 21 may be blue tooth-enabled. The recording unit 21 also has space for numerous recordings. The microphone 17, speaker 25, and the play/off button 26 should all be operably interconnected to the recording unit 21.

Sound files may be added to a sound unit 20 in two ways. The parent can record directly into the microphone 17. This is ideal for recording reassuring messages such as “Mommy loves you, Honey,” or “I'll be picking you up soon.” The child can play these messages over and over by simply pressing the hand 9 of the doll 10, or wherever the location of the play/off button 26 is located. The playing of the message will be helpful in alleviating the separation anxiety that the child may be experiencing. The messages may be changed periodically.

The person recording the message can also record directly onto a computer 40 via a microphone on the computer 40. If the person whose likeness the doll 10 is located away from where the doll 10 is, that person may make recordings and transmit them to the home computer 40. The audio file 41 may then be transferred to the recording unit 21 either wirelessly or via a cable.

FIG. 4 shows the graphical user interface (GUI) 45 located on the computer 40 that displays the audio files 41. The audio files 41 may be arranged in a playlist 42, such as “bedtime.” The recorded audio files 41 may be organized and arranged by type 44 and according to the age level 43 of the child who owns the doll 10. Some examples of type 44 are story and song. Some examples of age level 43 are child, child-young adult, infant-child and young adult-teen. The organization is necessary since some audio files 41 may not be appropriate for younger children. Also, as the child grows, the audio files 41 may become more complex. For example, if the adult uses the doll 10 to read storybooks to a child, the stories will advance in length and depth. Eventually, the recordings may be chapters of a longer book. These sound files can then be added to the recording unit 21.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the method employed in the present invention for playing an audio file 41 on the doll 10. In step 102, an audio file 41 is recorded. The audio file 41 may be recorded via a microphone 17 directly at the doll 10 or the audio file 41 may be recorded externally and stored on a computer 40. In step 104 the audio file 41 may be arranged in a playlist 42. In step 106 the audio file 41 may be loaded on the recording unit 21 located in the doll 10. In the event that the audio file 41 was recorded directly on the recording unit 21 this step need not be taken. In step 108 the play/off button 26 is pressed in order to start and stop reproduction of the audio file 41. In step 110, the audio file 41 replayed.

In use, the doll 10 may be taken by the child when he or she is going to be away from a parent. The parent may create a playlist 42 for the babysitter or day care provider who will be able to select an audio file 41 for use in different activities. When the child is going to bed, for example, the audio file 41 selected may be one of the child's mother singing a lullaby or the child's father reading a bedtime story or saying a prayer.

Audio files 41 may also be selected when the child cannot be tended to directly by an adult. The doll 10 can read a story to the child in his or her mother's voice. The doll 10 may sing a lullaby at naptime.

If the doll 10 is the likeness of someone other than a parent, the parent can cuddle with the child and the doll 10 as “grandma” reads a book or “Daddy” describes what he is doing at work. This is especially useful if the adult is away in the military, on a trip, or lives elsewhere and cannot see the child often.

The things that the parent or relative can choose to record as audio files 41 may be: lullabies, books being read, songs, nursery rhymes, prayers, words of wisdom, words of assurance, stories created by the teller. If the relative is away in the military, on a trip or living elsewhere, they may create audio files 41 describing what is going on in their life or what their location is like. The content of the audio files 41 may describe life in another state or country, they may describe its geography, places of interest, unusual customs, etc. The parent or relative might also send photos of souvenirs, shells, rock collections etc., along with audio files 41 describing the photos. In some instances physical items may be sent in other ways.

Another usage of the doll 10 is to record the family's history and heritage. As such, the doll 10 may be used as an audio family album told in the voice and having the visual image of the parent, grandparent or other relative sharing their memories. The audio files 41 may have recorded thereon family stories that have been passed down through the ages. Audio files 41 may also describe family events that are occurring, such as weddings, births, parties, etc. If used in this manner, the doll 10 may itself become a family heirloom.

Whenever possible, the doll 10 may be used as a teaching device. If the recorder is bilingual, then the doll 10 may be also. The doll 10 may be used to teach the child short phrases, singing or reading in the native tongue. Additionally, if the recorder is a bird watcher he or she may send pictures with descriptions or even record the sounds of the birds.

The doll 10 as described above is a generic doll in that the face is the best molded representation of a particular ethnic group and the child uses his imagination to “see” the relative in the doll. However, the doll 10 may be a made-to-order doll that is created from pictures of the individual, should they be available.

In addition, all stores may not be able to carry all dolls and all wigs, clothes and other paraphernalia. All items should be able to be ordered online or via mail.

While doll 10 may be given to a child, it should be noted that the child may give a doll 10 to a parent, relative or friend who cannot visit that often. Grandparents may be in another state. Parents may get divorced or have to take long business trips. In this case, the doll 10 may represent the child. New hair and outfits could be sent. Recordings of the child's voice could be e-mailed or left as a telephone message and recorded onto the doll. Thus the adult could “see” and “hear” the child grow from infancy into adulthood. Additionally, a parent may also like to have a doll 10 made of his or her own child. Both parent and child would be delighted to hear messages recorded when the child was younger.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A personalized doll comprising:

a body,

a head connected to the body, wherein the head comprises a likeness of an individual;

a wig removably connected to the head via attachment means;

a recording unit located within the body, wherein the recording unit is operably connected to a microphone and a speaker; wherein the recording unit stores audio files of the voice of the individual.

2. The doll of claim 1, further comprising a wifi component located within the body.

3. The doll of claim 2, further comprising a playlist of audio files stored on the recording unit.

4. The doll of claim 3, wherein the audio file is selected from a group consisting of a story book, a lullaby and a personal family story.

5. The doll of claim 1, where each audio file is classified with age appropriateness.

6. The doll of claim 1, further comprising removable facial features attached via attachment means.

7. The doll of claim 1, wherein the recording unit is adapted to interface with a computer.

8. The doll of claim 1, further comprising a hand, wherein a play/stop button is located in the hand.

9. The doll of claim 1, wherein the microphone is located on the body and the speaker is located on the head.

10. The doll of claim 1, wherein the attachment means are selected from the group consisting of hook and loop tape, an adhesive and a snap.

11. A method for playing an audio file on a personalized doll comprising:

recording an audio file at a computer;

storing the audio file on a recording unit; wherein the recording unit is located in a body of a doll, wherein the doll further comprises;

a head connected the body, wherein the head comprises a likeness of an individual;

wherein the audio file is the voice of the individual; and

playing the audio file.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising a wifi component located within the body.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a playlist of audio files stored on the recording unit.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the audio file comprises a recording selected from a group consisting of a story book, a lullaby and a personal family story.

15. The method of claim 11, where the audio file is classified according to age appropriateness.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the head comprises removable facial features attached via attachment means to the head.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the head comprises a wig removably connected to the head via attachment means.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the attachment means are selected from the group consisting of hook and loop tape, an adhesive and a snap.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the doll further comprises a hand, wherein a play/stop button is located in the hand.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein a microphone is located on the body and a speaker is located on the head.