Other

Design Lab, LLC

Hasbro, Inc.

The Ohio Art Company

Stephen Schwartz Design

Schwartz; Stephen

Schwartz; Stephen A.

Schwartz, Stephen R.

Stephen R Schwartz

Ralph A Beckman

Henry D Sharpe, Iii

John H Osmand

John F Murphy

Kipp Bradford

Thomas P Hamilton

Howard S Kamentsky

Barbara P Jenkins

Michael Gorker

James E Watson

Larry E Miller

Roseann Radosovitch

Damian Kulash

Bryan Thurston

Michael Kent

Brian R Jones

Ming K Wong

A method and system is described to improve the reproduction of sound of an acoustic musical instrument. According to one embodiment, a first microphone is placed at a proximate location to the musical instrument to pick up the sound of the musical instrument. The sound as picked up by the first microphone is compared to a reference sound of the instrument (e.g., the sound of the instrument as perceived at a normal listening position). Based on this comparison, a tailor-made equalizer is designed to compensate for the differences between the sounds as picked up by the first microphone and the reference sounds of the musical instrument. Accordingly, using the tailor-made equalizer allows the reproduction of sound from the first microphone to have a quality similar to that of the reference sound of the musical instrument. In an implementation of the above system, a filter arrangement is provided having a low-pass and a high-pass filter that allows separate control of the frequency and/or gain for each filter.

Microphone-tailored equalizing system

A method and apparatus are described which reduce the presence of an unwanted signal. According to one embodiment, a first signal is provided from a desired location that includes an unwanted signal while a second signal is provided from an alternate location (e.g., one where the unwanted signal is less of a proportion of the total signal). The first and alternate signals are provided to respective signal processors. A level for a selected frequency band of the first and alternate signals is adjusted so that an increase in one results in a decrease in the other. Doing so allows the frequncy band that includes the unwanted signal to be reduced in the desired first signal and filled in with a similar frequency band from the alternate signal.

Complementary-pair equalizer

Embodiments of a method and apparatus are described which provide for a consistent, continuous and/or repeating signal. Such a repeating signal may be used to set the controls for a processor. For example, an embodiment of a preview sampler described herein allows a user to repeatedly output a data segment into a processor so that the processor can be adjusted to achieve a desired effect. Such a method and apparatus provides improved results when compared to an individual attempting to repeatedly generate a data signal (e.g., a note or chord on a musical instrument).

Sampling tuning system including replay of a selected data stream

Pet toy

By taking advantage of the ability to control the phase relationship between a processor's output (or portions of a processor's output) and the phase of the pre-processed signal (in a particular frequency range or ranges, a controlled accentuation or enhancement of the processor's effect can be realized. In one embodiment this is achieved by providing a gain control circuit that receives and selectively amplifies the input signal prior to it being summed with the processor's output.

Controlled phase-canceling circuits/systems

A toy figure has a movable mouth coupled to an actuator in the belly area. A speech generator stores sound elements for an entire song, verse, or nursery rhyme. The speech generator is provided with a first track of sequenced sound elements (singing version) that form a song when sequentially generated, and a related second track of a like number of sequenced sound elements (humming version). Sound elements from the first and second tracks are interchangeable at any given point during sequential output thereof. A switch located in the mouth is connected to the speech generator to provide input as to the mouth position, i.e. open or closed. Squeezing the belly of the figure opens the mouth, changing the state of the switch and initiating an output sequence from the speech generator. When the mouth is open, the child is able to easily control the mouth position by varying the pressure on the belly actuator. The speech generator checks the state of the mouth switch at given intervals. If the speech generator senses that the mouth is closed, the speech generator switches tracks to begin output of the next corresponding &ldquo;bumming&rdquo; segment of the song. The speech generator continues to check the state of the switch, and if the switch is then reopened, the toy begins to sing again at the same point within the sequenced output.

Method of generating dual track sounds for an electronic toy

A method and apparatus for level compensation is presented to compensate for signal level changes made by a signal processor. The original, unprocessed input signal and the output signal from the signal processor (e.g., an equalizer) are provided to a comparison unit which determines a difference in signal level between the two signals. The output of the comparison unit is provided to a level compensator along with the output signal from the signal processor. The level compensator then modifies the signal level of this output signal (e.g., matches it to the original, unprocessed input signal).

Method and apparatus for performing level compensation for an input signal

A toy figure has a movable mouth coupled to an actuator in the belly area. A speech generator stores sound elements for an entire song, verse, or nursery rhyme. The speech generator is provided with a first track of sequenced sound elements (singing version) that form a song when sequentially generated, and a related second track of a like number of sequenced sound elements (humming version). Sound elements from the first and second tracks are interchangeable at any given point during sequential output thereof A switch located in the mouth is connected to the speech generator to provide input as to the mouth position, i.e. open or closed. Squeezing the belly of the figure opens the mouth, changing the state of the switch and initiating an output sequence from the speech generator. When the mouth is open, the child is able to easily control the mouth position by varying the pressure on the belly actuator. The speech generator checks the state of the mouth switch at given intervals. If the speech generator senses that the mouth is closed, the speech generator switches tracks to begin output of the next corresponding &ldquo;humming&rdquo; segment of the song. The speech generator continues to check the state of the switch, and if the switch is then reopened, the toy begins to sing again at the same point within the sequenced output.

Electronic toy and method of generating dual track sounds for the same

A multimedia enhancement for an amusement device includes a sound synthesizer for creating a user perceptible signal, such as an audio signal, in response to selective actuation of the controls of the amusement device. The amusement device includes a screen for displaying a viewer perceptible image and a pair of rotary control knobs operatively associated with rotary switches and a selectably actuable on-off switch to provide amusing sounds and feedback indicative of the operator's use of the control knobs. The sound synthesizer is programmed to also create one of a series of sounds from a plurality of families of sounds in a predetermined sequence in response to actuation of the control elements by the user or randomly.

Drawing device with multimedia enhancement

Toy pony

Remote control sound toy

A toy vehicle includes a sound generating mechanism for generating realistic vehicle engine sound and a smoke generating mechanism for generating simulated smoke vapors. The sound generating mechanism and the smoke generating mechanism are simultaneously actuatable by moving an accessory, such as a spoiler, on a cab portion of the vehicle.

Toy vehicle

A random play indicator includes a base portion having a light station thereon, a light source in the base portion for illuminating the light station, a manually rotatable randomizer wheel including a plurality of different colored light segments, and a diffuser dome. The randomizer wheel is rotatably mounted on the base portion so that sequential different colored segments thereof sequentially pass over-the light station as the randomizer wheel is rotated, and the diffuser dome is mounted on the base portion over the randomizer wheel for diffusing light passing through the segment of the randomizer wheel aligned with the light station at any given time.

Growing community of inventors

Providence, RI, United States of America

Stephen R Schwartz