COLOR CHANGING THREE-DIMENSIONAL TOY USING IRIDESCENT MANIPULATION

Abstract

A system enables the creation of a three-dimensional craft toy that uses translucent pegs inserted into a body containing a color-changing light matrix. The light matrix manipulates the iridescence of the pegs, dynamically altering their colors based on interactions with light, sound, motion, or other inputs, fostering interactive and imaginative play.

Claims

1. A toy comprising: a three-dimensional body having a plurality of holes; a plurality of translucent pegs, each peg comprising: a shaft configured to be inserted into one of the holes in the body, and a head extending from the shaft, the head being visible when the shaft is inserted into the hole, wherein the pegs are made of a translucent material that allows light to pass through; and a light matrix positioned within the three-dimensional body, the light matrix comprising: a plurality of light sources oriented to illuminate the plurality of holes inside the three-dimensional body, and a control circuit configured to activate and adjust a color of light emitted from each of the plurality of light sources; wherein light emitted by the light matrix where activated interacts with the translucent pegs to produce a combined color effect visible at the head of each peg, the combined color effect comprising a combination of the color of the emitted light and the color of the peg.

2. The toy of claim 1, wherein the shaft of each translucent peg is tapered from a tip to a base, the base being adjacent to the head when the peg is inserted into one of the holes.

3. The toy of claim 1, wherein the head of each translucent peg is shaped as a predefined design selected from a group consisting of geometric shapes, letters, numbers, and animal figures.

4. The toy of claim 1, wherein the translucent pegs are made of a material selected from a group consisting of plastic, rubber, and silicone.

5. The toy of claim 1, wherein the light matrix further comprises a sound-activated control mechanism configured to adjust the color of light emitted by the plurality of light sources in response to sound.

6. The toy of claim 1, wherein the light matrix further comprises a motion-activated control mechanism configured to adjust the color of light emitted by the plurality of light sources in response to motion.

7. The toy of claim 1, wherein the light matrix is positioned at a base of the three-dimensional body to lower the center of gravity of the toy and improve its stability.

8. The toy of claim 1, wherein the light matrix includes a remote-control interface for activating and adjusting the color of light emitted by the plurality of light sources.

9. The toy of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional body is formed of a material that is opaque except for regions surrounding the holes, which are translucent or transparent.

10. The toy of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to emit light in a predefined sequence to create dynamic color patterns visible at the heads of the translucent pegs.

11. The toy of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources comprises color-changing LEDs capable of emitting light in a range of colors.

12. The toy of claim 1, wherein the combined color effect visible at the head of each peg changes in response to an external user input via a control interface.

13. The toy of claim 1, wherein the light matrix is powered by a rechargeable battery positioned within the three-dimensional body.

14. The toy of claim 1, wherein the translucent pegs are configured to be removably and interchangeably inserted into the holes.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 is a side view of a translucent peg, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

[0008] FIG. 2 shows a three-dimensional body of a toy, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

[0009] FIG. 3 shows the three-dimensional body of the toy with a set of translucent pegs inserted therein, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

[0010] FIG. 4 shows the three-dimensional body of the toy with the translucent pegs inserted and a light matrix turned on, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

[0011] The figures depict various embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] FIG. 1 is a side view of a translucent peg 100, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. The translucent peg 100 includes a head 120 and a shaft 110. In one embodiment, the shaft 110 of the translucent peg 100 is slightly tapered from its tip a base where the shaft 110 meets the head 120 of the translucent peg 100. This tapering enables the shaft 110 to be more easily placed in a hole that is about the same diameter as its widest portion at the base, while also able to sit firmly when inserted up to its base.

[0013] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the head 120 of the translucent peg 100 has a generic shape, but it can be formed in any desired shape to be aesthetically pleasing or otherwise operate as discussed herein. The translucent peg 100 may be made of plastic, rubber, silicone, or any other suitable material that provides translucent properties allowing light to pass through with some amount of scattering. The translucent peg 100 may possess multiple versions of color. Embodiments of the toy described herein include multiple pegs 100, which may include sets of pegs 100 having different colors.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows a three-dimensional body 200 of a toy, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. As illustrated, body 200 is a generically shaped three-dimensional structure having multiple holes 210 throughout the body 200. The holes 210 may be completely or partially through the body 200. In a case where the holes 210 are partially through the body 200, the portion of the body 200 at the hole 210 is transparent or translucent to enable light to pass therethrough. In one or more embodiments, however, the other portions of the body 200 are not transparent or translucent, or at least are significantly less transparent than the pegs 100.

[0015] The toy further includes a light matrix 220 fixed inside the body 200. The light matrix 220 is oriented to shine light (when turned on) towards each of the holes 210 in the body 200. As illustrated, the light matrix 220 is fixed near a base of the body 200 where the body 200 rests on a surface. This moves the weight of the toy lower such that the weight of the light matrix 220 helps to stabilize the body 200 and prevent it from tipping over. However, the light matrix 220 can be fixed to the inside surface of the body 200 in other locations thereof, for example, to enable it to shine light directly at the holes 210, which may not be possible from a base of the body 200.

[0016] The light matrix 220 includes a control circuit and power supply. In one or more embodiments, the light matrix 220 comprises a color changing light matrix, which may be manually controlled or controlled by sound, motion, vibration remote, or any other suitable method or combinations thereof.

[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates the three-dimensional body 200 of the toy with a set of translucent pegs 100 inserted in the holes 210 of the body 200. As illustrated, the translucent pegs 100 are inserted through holes 210 from the outside to the inner structure of the three-dimensional body 200, with direct access to the light matrix 220.

[0018] FIG. 4 shows the three-dimensional body 200 of the toy with the translucent pegs 100 inserted and the light matrix 220 turned on, with the light 400 illuminating a portion of the shafts of the pegs 100. By activating the light matrix 220, the colors of the heads 120 of the pegs 100 can be manipulated by shining an appropriate color of light 400 to the shaft 110 of each peg. The resulting head color achieved may be a combination of the color of light 400 that illuminates the peg's shaft 110 and the color of the peg 100 itself.

[0019] In one example, a specific translucent peg 100 may have may possess the color blue in its native (i.e., unilluminated) state. When light matrix 220 is activated with a color spectrum of yellow light 400, which illuminates the peg 100, the peg's color may change from blue to green. This may be repeated for each peg 100 inserted into the body 200, through a multitude of arrangements and different colors of light 400 indexing different pegs 100. For example, other blue pegs 100 may be illuminated by the light matrix 220 with green light 400 and translucent peg 100, causing those translucent pegs 100 to become a shade of teal.

[0020] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure. Specifically, other variations may be included in providing a method of connecting the inflatable body to the base as well as arrangements of the drive units.

[0021] Moreover, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.