Amusement devices: toys – Having light-or sound-responsive switch or control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-28
2003-12-09
Harrison, Jessica (Department: 3714)
Amusement devices: toys
Having light-or sound-responsive switch or control
C446S091000, C446S118000, C446S484000, C434S128000, C434S365000, C273S237000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06659836
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a figure data input device, and more particularly to an educational figure data input device used in simulation learning for social education on surrounding environments that change in response to placement of figure pieces.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Today's educational input device comprises: a plurality of types of small pieces replicating environmental factors, such as a factory, a tree, and a house; a large board provided with section forming planes each partitioned vertically and horizontally from the others, so that only one piece can be placed on each of these sections; a plurality of types of cards with descriptions of environmental simulation data printed on them; and a personal computer that displays environmental simulation data outputted as a change in surrounding environments in response to input of the descriptions on these cards.
The educational input device is used, for example, by a small group of children as if they were playing a game. More specifically, children draw a card in turn, and place a piece on the board as per the description on the card. Meanwhile, they manually input the descriptions on the cards, the types and a total number of the pieces placed on the board into the personal computer, whereupon the personal computer displays on its screen a gradual change in response to the input, thereby assisting the children to learn how environments change.
However, manipulation of the foregoing educational input device is tedious and time-consuming, because children have to manually input data related to the placement of each piece on the board to the personal computer. Also, the latency for an image to be displayed on the screen reduces learning efficiency. Moreover, children may make mistakes while inputting data, thereby reducing the reliability of the output. In view of the foregoing, there has been an increasing need to develop an educational input device for realizing prompt and accurate simulation learning.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a figure data input device for realizing prompt and accurate simulation learning by automatically reading out identification data and location data of a figure piece when the figure piece is placed on a mounting board.
With the above and other objects in view, the present invention provides a figure data input device including: a figure piece composed of a figure portion replicating the outward appearance of an object and a storage unit for storing the type of figure portion; a mounting board provided with a plurality of sectional mounting planes in such a manner that only one figure piece can be placed on each of the plurality of sectional mounting planes; and a reading device, incorporated into the mounting board, for reading out the type identifying data stored in the storage unit of a figure piece placed on the mounting board.
According to the present invention, the type identifying data stored in the storage unit of a figure piece is read out by the reading device when the user places the figure piece on one of the sectional mounting planes of the mounting board. Also, the location data of the figure piece is detected from the reading position of the reading device.
Thus, the user can obtain both the type identifying data and location data of a figure piece simultaneously by merely placing the figure piece on the mounting board. For this reason, if the data is transmitted to a linked machine, such as a personal computer, an environmental change in response to the user's placement is displayed on the display screen when the user places the figure piece on the mounting board, thereby realizing prompt and accurate simulation learning that responds to the user's placement.
In particular, because the reading action starts automatically when the user places the figure piece on the mounting board, not only can the user omit manually inputting the type identifying data and location data, but also the latency for the input data to be outputted to the monitor can be eliminated, thereby making it possible to enhance learning efficiency.
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Hashizume Hiromichi
Jinushi Motonobu
Kusunoki Fusako
Sugimoto Masanori
Yamasaki Kazushi
Dickstein , Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky, LLP
Harrison Jessica
Omron Corporation
Rada, II Alex F. R. P.
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