WO2000065594A1

WO2000065594A1 - Voice recording/playing ball-shaped device

Info

Publication number: WO2000065594A1
Application number: PCT/KR2000/000397
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bong Chul Yang
Original assignee: Bong Chul Yang
Priority date: 1999-04-27
Filing date: 2000-04-26
Publication date: 2000-11-02
Also published as: AU4435200A; WO2000065594A8; KR20000020078U

Abstract

A voice recording/playing ball-shaped device is disclosed, in which the body is shaped like a ball, and the surface of the spherical body is covered with pentagonal or hexagonal patterns. The device includes a number of switches such as recording, play, repeat and the like, while a part for carrying out recording, play or the like is installed within the spherical body. The device of the present invention may be used as a toy, or as an advertisement souvenir, or as a message transferring souvenir. The voice recording/playing ball-shaped device includes a plurality of push switches (12), (14) and (16) installed under the patterns (18) of the spherical body (10) of the device, contacts of each of the switches (12), (14) and (16) being contacted upon pressing a relevant region.

Description

VOICE RECORDING/PLAYING BALL SHAPED DEVICE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a voice recording/playing ball -shaped device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a voice recording /playing ball shaped device, in which the body is shaped like a ball, and the surface of the spherical body is covered with pentagonal or hexagonal patterns. The device includes a number of switches such as recording, play, repeat and the like, while a part for carrying out recording, play or the like is installed within the spherical body. The device of the present invention may be used as a toy, or as an advertisement souvenir, or as a message transferring souvenir.

Background Art

Recently, owing to the proliferations of the designs, various fancy products are manufactured and sold. One of such fancy products is the soccer ball- shaped (or volley ball shaped or base ball shaped) products, and these products are widely commercialized. However, in most of them, a simple ball is mounted upon a pad, or a ball is coupled to a key strap so as to make it portable. Thus they have non particular function, but simply please the visual sense.

Particularly, more sophisticated products should be desirably developed and commercialized, so that the advertizing effect can be enhanced, so that children may use the products with pleasant feelings, and so that they can be sold as one of world cup souvenirs. Disclosure of the Invention

The present invention is intended to cater to the above described present situation.

Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a voice recording/playing ball-shaped device, in which the surface of the spherical body is covered with pentagonal or hexagonal patterns like the soccer ball or the volley ball, further various switches such as recording, play, repeat and the like are provided under the patterns of the spherical body, and functional components for recording, play and the like are installed within the spherical body.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a voice recording/playing ball-shaped device which can be used as a toy, or as an advertizing souvenir, or as a message transferring souvenir.

In achieving the above objects, the voice recording/playing ball -shaped device according to the present invention includes: a plurality of push switches installed under patterns of a spherical body of the device, contacts of each of the switches being contacted upon pressing a relevant one of the patterns; and a voice recording/ playing part installed within the spherical body, for carrying out functions such as recording, play and repeat upon pressing the push switches.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above objects and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail the preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the constitution of the voice recording /playing part according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation of the device according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing one of the switches which are installed under the pattern sheet of the device according to the present invention.

Embodiment

The voice recording/ playing ball-shaped device according to the present invention has the shape of a soccer ball, a baseball ball, volley ball or other spherical forms. There are formed pentagonal or hexagonal patterns on the surface of the spherical body. Further, there are installed various push switches to carry out a recording, a play or a repeat. That is, in the present invention, push switches 12, 14 and 16 are installed under patterns 18 of the outer layer of a spherical body 10, in such a manner that the switches can be turned on by pushing the relevant patterns.

Further, there is installed a voice recording /playing part within the spherical body 10, so that it can be activated by turning on the relevant switch.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the device according to the present invention.

As shown in this drawing, the soccer ball 10 is secured upon a supporting pad 20. Further, under the pentagonal or hexagonal patterns 18, there are installed a plurality of switches 12, 14 and 16. In actual, the switches 12, 14 and 16 cannot be observed because they are hidden under the outer layer of the patterns 18.

Instead, logos or characters arc printed on the relevant patterns 18, and thus, the positions where the switches 12, 14 and

16 are disposed can be recognized. In FIG. 1, a soccer ball is illustrated as an example, but other balls such as a volleyball ball, baseball ball or other balls may be adopted.

The switches 12, 14 and 16 are installed under the outer leather which constitute the patterns 18. Therefore, if the user presses a particular pattern 18 on which a particular function has been marked, then the relevant switches is turned on, so that the particular function can be carried out. Referring to FIG. 4, the structures of the switches 12, 14 and 16 are as follows. That is, the push switch 12 is installed immediately under an outer leather layer 10a of the soccer ball 10. The switches 12 includes upper and lower terminals 12a and 12b which are separated from each other by a gap. A lead wire extends from each of the terminals 12a and 12b. The lead wires are connected as shown in FIG. 2. Within the soccer ball 10, there is installed a voice recording /playing part. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the constitution of the voice recording /playing part according to the present invention.

As shown in this drawing, the voice recording /playing part according to the present invention includes: a microcontroller

30 with a control program loaded therein; a memory 40 for recording voice signals; a voice amplifying section 50 and a speaker 70 for amplifying the stored voices of the memory section 10 and for outputting the amplified voices; another voice amplifying section 60 for amplifying tiny signals of a mike 80 to supply the amplified signals to the microcontroller 30; and a key pad section 90 including switches 12, 14 and 16 for carrying out particular functions such as recording, play and repeat.

The microcontroller 30 is one-chip microcontroller, and controls the voice amplifying section 60 in accordance with the signals which arc incoming from the key pad section 90. Thus the voices which are incoming from the mike 80 is recorded, or the voice signals which have been amplified by the voice amplifying section 50 are outputted through the speaker 70. The memory section 40 stores the signals which have been converted from analogue signals to digital signals by the microcontroller 30. Further, the memory section 40 outputs the stored signals at a request from the microcontroller 30. These outputted signals are digital signals, and are converted to analogue signals by the microcontroller 30 to be outputted through the speaker 70.

The key pad section 90 includes a plurality of switches 12, 14 and 16. In accordance with the pressing of one of the switches 12, 14 and 16, the relevant electrical signals are generated to be inputted into the microcontroller 30. The key pad section 90 is a key matrix, and the switches of the key pad 90 are same as the switches of FIG. 1.

Now the voice recording /playing ball -shaped device according to the present invention will be described as to its operations.

The device of the present invention serves as a toy of children, or as a decoration upon a table, and waits for an inputting of a command. If a particular pattern 18 is pressed, the relevant switch 12, 14 or 16 which lies under the particular pattern 18 is made pressed, thereby generating electrical signals. If the generated signals are the recording command signals, then the microcontroller 30 makes the voice amplifying section 60 sufficiently amplify the signals which are incoming from the mike 80. Then the signals go through an analogue /digital conversion procedure to be stored into the memory section

40. Simultaneously with the storing, the microcontroller 30 records the address of the stored memory section into its own memory. Then the microcontroller 30 resets the voice recording /playing part, and waits for a next command. During the waiting, if a play command is inputted, the microcontroller 30 read out the relevant voice signals from the memory section 40, to carry out an analogue digital conversion and to output the converted signals to the voice amplifying section 50. That is, the signals arc sufficiently amplified by the voice amplifying section 50, and then, are outputted through the speaker

70.

The mike 80 and the speaker 70 which receives and outputs the voices are all installed within the soccer ball 10, and therefore, the outputted voices are blocked from being propagated outward because of the outer leather layer of the ball 10. In order to prevent this phenomenon, a plurality of holes arc formed through the spherical layer of the ball 10, so that voices can be easily inputted and outputted. Besides the voice recording/playing functions, switches for other functions such as a voice playing/repeating function can be added.

In the device of the present invention, a curiosity can be induced in children who are learning talks, and therefore, this device is effective in concentrating the attentions of the children, so that they can learn the language fast. Therefore, the device of the present invention may be called a useful toy. In another use of the device of the present invention, the device of the present invention can be an advertizing souvenir, or a presentable souvenir. That is, an unerasable advertizing expression may be recorded, and if this is done, then the user has to hear the advertizing expression at each time of the use, with the result that a nice advertizing effect is reaped. Or an expression related to the 2002 world cup games can be recorded in Korean, English, Japanese or other languages. Such a recording can be realized by modifying the program of the microcontroller. In still another use of the device of the present invention, a simple message can be left in the device at the absence of the possessor.

Claims

Claims •"

1. A voice recording/ playing ball-shaped device, comprising: a plurality of push switches installed under patterns of a spherical body of the device, contacts of each of said switches being contacted upon pressing a relevant one of said patterns; and a voice recording/ playing part installed within said spherical body, for carrying out functions such as recording, play and repeat upon pressing said push switches.