A DOLL CAPABLE OF SIMULATING EATING AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of children's dolls particularly educational dolls. More specifically, the present invention pertains to an eating doll responding in accordance to the nutritional characteristics of simulated food inserted into it.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Juvenile obesity is a prevalent problem in the early 21 ^st century, particularly when compared with children of the 20th century. Many reasons are suggested, but the main reasons are unhealthy food and decrease in children's exercise.

Much researches show that the majority of obese children grow up to be obese adults. Obese adults suffer much more in the fields of sports, general health such as higher blood pressure, general comforts such as entering small cars and the life expectancy of that population is lower than that of the thin population.

The evolution of trade in the modern world results in a much larger variety of products than the years ago. That variety includes food, especially sweets. Generally, children like new experiences, and this case experiences refer to flavors, represented by new sweets.

Additionally, the development of electronic entertainment, mainly television and the Internet, keep children at home for long hours, rather than exercising outside burning the calories of the abovementioned sweets. Moreover, increasing journey times and professional pressure to stay long hours at work have reduced the time available for parents to spend with their children, educating them generally, and specifically in the field of nutrition.

There are many eating dolls, some respond to actions such as beatings. These dolls may be referred to as educational dolls.

Hong Kong patent 36,496 discloses baby actions such as feeding; moving etc. the baby is capable of deformations but not related to any educational aspect, or any nutritional aspect.

England patent 2,400,484 presents changes in the user's weight comprising a doll body and a plurality of discrete pieces each less than the size of the torso and representative of a particular weight increment. The pieces represent weight gain or loss as pieces are added or removed. A display means may also enable visualization of the weight change. This doll is concerned with the nutritional state of the user, but is not an eating doll.

US patent application 2004,229,696 describes a toy or game play apparatus or method involving a powered host such as a doll or a tablet that operates interactively in a mode of play with one or more non-powered play objects. The host has a preprogrammed microcontroller and a RFID reader/interrogator circuit. Each play object has a RFID tag IC. Each tag IC has a memory holding digital data that includes at least ID information different from that of the other play objects. When the host and a play object are positioned so as to afford RF communication between them, the host can send power to energize the tag IC of the play object. This causes the tag IC to transmit data including at least its ID information back to the host. The host recognizes that transmitted data and makes a presentation.

All of the above result in many hours of education, where the adult population and the parents are not always capable of supplying that amount of hours. An accessible doll may provide some of the educational input, since children need that time to be occupied anyway; the present invention provides value to the time even when the child is alone.

A simple cost effective nutrition educational device is hence still along felt need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The first object of the present invention is by discloses doll capable of simulating eating with a response mechanism in accordance to the characteristics of the Food Imagining Object (FIO) inserted by the user into the doll, comprising at least one sensor identifying said objects, a processor receiving data from said sensor and activating a response mechanism in accordance to said data, at least one inlet simulating the mouth of the doll, at least one outlet removing said FIOs from the doll, and at least one volume for storing said objects inside the doll. The doll is characterized by one or more of the following entities, selected from a group comprising human, animals, mobile dolls, articulate dolls or any other. The doll is at least

partially made of plastic, polymeric materials, composite materials, of glass, wood, metal ware, leather, fabric, rubber, or any combination thereof. Said doll is at least partly covered by some means of clothing and has the ability to move at least one part independently. Moreover, there can be more than one doll, wherein at least one doll is fed by another, and responds the same way as it was fed by the user.

The doll may include a switch, indicating the purpose of educating the user in terms of nutrition, selected from a group comprising low fat food, healthy food, vegetarian food, kosher food, nutrition characteristics and values, ingredients or any combination thereof. It also senses the behavior of the user and on the basis of said behavior persuades the user to exercise while it simulates loss of weight while exercising. The doll is capable of persuading the user into eating healthy or low fat food, into exercise when the doll recognizes minor movement of the user. The doll is deformable such that arms, shoulders, legs and chest can grow as a result of exercising, and any organs can grow or become smaller in accordance to the characteristics of the FlO.

The doll may respond vocally to FIOs, using means such as speaker, air bags or at least one spring between two or more objects inside the doll causing said objects to crush and thus produce noise. Said vocal response is by means of speech, laughter, shout, scream, yell or any combination thereof.

Said response can be by means of maneuver of at least part of one or more organs of the doll. The response to FIOs can also be by means of sweat flowing on the doll or by one or more lights illuminating the doll with different colors. The doll can respond by means of releasing an odor, or by means of changing the texture of the doll, Said response to FIOs is the doll shaking, vibrating, oscillating, maneuvering, rotating, falling, rising up, clapping, stamping, kicking, beating or any combination thereof. The response to FIOs can be the production of static electricity surrounding the doll.

The FIOs are at least partially made of plastic, polymeric materials, composite materials, glass, wood, metal ware, leather, fabric, rubber, or any combination thereof. FIOs with certain nutrition characteristics can not be inserted into the doll, because of size, shape, transmission from the FIO to the sensor that prevent opening of the lips, or any combination thereof. The food modeled by said FIOs is represented on one or more sidewalls of the FIOs or represented by a three-

dimensional shape, and surrounded by any transparent material.

The doll can perform activities such as walking, running, swimming, exercising or any combination thereof and simulate the losing of weight either during or after the activity.

The method of responding to the FIOs comprising inserting a FlO into an inlet sensing the same by a means of at least one processor, processing transmission from the sensor regarding the object that was inserted into the doll, deriving a plurality of characteristics from said transmissions in accordance to the food modeled by the FIO and performing actions according to said characteristics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be implemented in practice, a plurality of embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which figure 1 is a schematic section of the sensors system and the pharynx of the doll, including the mouth cage; figure 2 is a schematic section view electrical systems, including the microprocessor; figure 3 presents the movement of the growing stomach, which represents a common response to the Food Imagining Object (FIO); figure 4 generally presents the operating options of the doll and its responses; and, figure 5 illustrates a virtual character (a computer-based doll) and various locations in this character whereat physical activity and healthy nutrition are apparent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description is provided, alongside all chapters of the present invention, so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make use of said invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out this invention. Various modifications, however, will remain apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present

invention have been defined specifically to provide an eating doll responding to FlOs, in accordance to the food nutrition characteristics.

The essence of the invention is assimilating the importance of nutrition for children. Children can play with or without adults and learn what is good for their body and what is bad, and know many characteristics of many kinds of food just from watching the doll's responses.

The term 'doll' refers hereinafter to any doll or robot with artificial intelligence (AI) that simulates eating and has a response mechanism in accordance to the characteristics of the FIO inserted by the user into the doll. The term 'doll' also refers to a virtual doll or computer-based character.

The term 'stomach' refers hereinafter to a volume inside the doll, which may be deformable.

The term 'sensor' refers hereinafter to any device that responds to any stimulus provided by the FIOs and may send data to the processor. The term 'sensor' relates to both virtual senor or counter and to physical sensor.

The term 'processor' refers hereinafter to any processor or microprocessor that connects with at least one sensor and determines the response in accordance to the data received from the sensor. The processor is also connected to the response mechanism, such as the deformable stomach, speaker, or any other.

The term 'FIO' refers hereinafter to any object that models food in any form. The food can be represented on any sidewall of the FIO, or be surrounded by the FIO in case the FIO's material is transparent. Said FIOs communicates with said sensor in any abovementioned means. Said communication effects directly on the doll's response. The term 'FIO' also refers hereinafter to any virtual and computer-based food intake, adapted to the virtual nutrition of virtual-dolls.

The term 'Artificial intelligence' (AI) intelligence exhibited by any manufactured (i.e. artificial) system. Said doll has AI and uses it in order to response to the user's actions verbally or other. For example, if the doll performs image processing and notice that the user doesn't exercise, the doll can encourage the user to exercise.

The present invention relates to an eating doll with educational abilities. The doll responds in accordance to the nutrition characteristics of the food inserted into the doll by the user, usually a

child. A response mechanism illustrates a real body reaction to many kinds of food. For example, if the FIO represents any vegetable, the body reacts positively, and the doll's reaction is also positive in many ways, further detailed.

The doll can be made of plastic, glass, fabric or any other material suitable for the actions and reactions described here. The doll may include at least one operating switch, connected to electricity, to the internet, or any other technology, powered by solar energy, batteries, electricity or other. It may be covered, at least partly, by some means of clothing. It may also contain one or more lights in one or more colors indicating in case of low battery or as means of response. The doll may be characterized as human or animal, it may be mobile, and has the ability to cause independent movement of at least one part of the doll.

The doll may have artificial intelligence qualities. In other words, it is capable of watching the user and performing image processing. Said processing enables the doll to act in accordance to the user reactions. For example, the doll can see that no movement is done by the user while the user should exercise along with the doll, so the doll can talk to the user and persuade him to exercise. The doll can also see what the user eats, and responds in accordance. Said processing is also effective for vocal response from the user. In case the user says something that opposes exercising or eating healthy food, the doll explains the importance of exercising, nutrition or any other.

The doll may also exercise using any device. It may use a treadmill in order to show the user the importance of exercising, and lose weight while doing it, in a way that influences the user to exercise. It can lift weights and have deformation mechanism to enlarge the doll's arms, to convince the user to exercise.

FIOs can be in any shape, as long as the user is capable of inserting said FIO into the doll's mouth. FIOs can be coin or card shaped or cube shaped or any three-dimensional shape. The food modeled by the FIO can be represented on one of the side walls of said FIO, or have a three-dimensional shape surrounded by any transparent material. FIOs may be incapable of entering the doll's mouth in case the food modeled by said FIO has nutrition characteristics that oppose the educational purpose. Said prevention from entering the doll's mouth can be achieved by closing the mouth lips, or by special design for FIOs that cannot enter said mouth because of

the special size or shape of the FIO.

FIOs are preferably divided to many groups according to nutritional characteristics. The educational issue discussed may be healthy food, low fat food, learning to distinguish if the food is kosher or not, if the major food group is fat, carbohydrate, proteins or any other, if the food belongs to a group comprising fruits and vegetables or do not belong to said group. All these possible divisions are needed to teach users, mainly children, value of smart nutrition.

Each FIO connects with sensors placed inside the doll. There must be some data placed or hidden in the FIO, which are preferably read by the sensors in order to determine the doll's response. There may be data regarding the sum of calories per gram in the food modeled by the FIO, binary data regarding whether said food has higher or lower nutrition values than any deterministic threshold, any data regarding partitioning food into groups such as vegetables, meat and deserts and any other data about the food modeled by the FIO that can be used in the response.

The sensors send the data to the processor, which determines the doll's response according to said data. The response is the reaction of the doll to the FIO inserted into it regarding the nutrition characteristics. Said sensors receive data regarding many parameters. Said data may distinguish between foods in terms of low fat food or fat food, in term of kosher or not kosher, term of color of foods, nutrition characteristics, the food's ingredients or any combination thereof.

There can be many vocal responses, such as "happy voice" for good FIO and "sad voice" for bad FIO. "Happy voice" can be children laughter, a high frequency tone or any other voice describing happy children, whereas "sad voice" is children crying, screaming or any other voice describing sad children. Another vocal response is words describing happy children or sad children, according to the FIO's type. All the vocal responses are possible using a speaker placed inside said doll, powered by one or more batteries or by any other supply of electricity. Said amplifier uses a database with many possible responses, where the process of choosing the right response from said database is performed by the processor.

Another set of responses is movement responses. In case of a bad FIO, the doll can fall apart, the doll's lips can curl down to illustrate sadness, shake its body or any other movement describing

sad children. In case of good FIO, the doll can smile, raise its hands, and shake its head or any other movement describing happy children.

The response can also be sweating of the doll in at least one part, static electricity surrounding the doll for a predetermined period of time, releasing hot or cold air, releasing any kind of odor, or any other way.

The preferred response is deformation of the doll. In case of bad FlO the doll becomes bigger and in case of good FIO the doll becomes smaller. The deformation can be applied all over the doll's body, or can be applied to one or more regions, or only a part of it, that grow or become smaller in accordance to food. Said deformation mostly relates to the stomach, the buttocks or the thighs, in case the deformation is caused by fat food, or the arms, chest and shoulders in case the deformation is caused by exercising. Said deformation can be produced using pumps filling the doll with air, using any kind of a flexible spring or a pressure mechanism placed inside or outside said stomach, enlarging the stomach when stretched. A screw engine is another option for reformatting the doll, since the screw can be more prominent to enlarge the doll, or less prominent so it becomes smaller.

The doll's lips are an important mechanism of the doll. Said lips are used as the inlet, into which FIOs are inserted. When the lips are closed, FIOs cannot be inserted to the doll, and the whole process of responding will not be performed. A switch, placed inside the doll, connected to at least one sensor, determines whether to open or to close the lips, according to some conditions. For example, if the stomach is in full volume, a sensor send that state to the processor, which sends an order to the switch, preventing any entering of bad FIOs, so the user must insert a good FIO to continue playing. Said switch controls said lips by means of electro-magnet or engine or any other technology.

Reference is made now to Fig. 1, schematically describing the sensors system and the mouth cage inside the head of the doll. The sensors connect with the FIO, and send data to the processor, that determines the response. The connection between said sensor and said FIO can be done in means of RF, Bluetooth, magnetic transmission or any other technology, and the data transmitted from the FIO to the sensor relates to the field of nutrition. In other words, the data may be the amount of calories per gram in the food modeled by the FIO, binary data concerning

whether said food is 'good food' or 'bad food', if it's liquid food or solid or any other data. The mouth is in fact the opening in which the FIOs are inserted through into the doll. The lips (6) are the barrier in front of the mouth, and are capable of preventing any object from being inserted to the doll. The switch (2) determines whether to open or close said lips by an electro-magnet or engine (7) in accordance of received data from one of the sensors; radio frequency (RF) or electronic code sensor for sensing the FIO's type (3), weight or barcode sensor for sensing the FIO's type (4), paramagnetic or bluetooth sensor for sensing the FIO's type (5), food identifying sensor placed in the eye (1) and proximity sensor (8) sensing the number of FIOs and the state or volume of the stomach. A main connector (10) connects all of the above.

Reference is made now to Fig. 2, showing the electrical system of the doll, including the processor. The sensors (1, 3, 4, 5 and 8) and the main connector (10) are described in figure 1 description. The power supplied to the system may be issued from one or more batteries placed in the battery house (21), from electricity in case the doll is connected to it; An amplifier (22) enables the doll the possibility of vocal response, in accordance to the FIOs. A switch placed inside the stomach of the doll (23) enables cage (25) to free FIOs out of the doll. The deformation of the stomach is possible using a thread engine (24).

Reference is made now to Fig. 3, presenting the movement of the growing stomach (23), which represents a common response to FIOs. The doll may grow or become smaller in accordance to the FIOs nutrition values. In case of 'good FIO' the stomach may become smaller or remain the same size, depend on its initial state. If said stomach is already in minimal size, it will stay in the same size. In case of 'bad FIO' the stomach may become bigger or remain the same size, depend on its initial state. If said stomach is already in maximal size, it will stay in the same size. The deformation may be done by an engine (24) placed inside the stomach, pushing or pulling back the stomach from the inside, depending on the action. Said deformation can also be performed using small air bags when the processor has the ability to control air inserted into or ejected out of said stomach.

In case of 'good FIO' said engine pull back said stomach so said stomach becomes smaller, and In case of 'bad FIO' said engine pushes the stomach so said stomach becomes bigger.

Virtual dolls and Virtual Olympic Games

It is in the scope of the invention wherein a virtual game is disclosed. The game is aimed to educate and to direct the player (child, toddlers etc),, how to maintain a good health and good physical condition, by acquiring healthy habits, especially to eat healthy food and to practice physical exercises on a daily basis.

Those educational and good habits are acquired by playing with a virtual character (i.e., a virtual doll) in a computer-based and computer-oriented game, e.g., via the internet network, in communities, in duals, in a wired communication etc.

It is in also in the scope of the invention wherein the player/players control the character on several game-fields, such as workout schedule, diet etc.

The virtual character according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by various parameters, some are provided in a non-limiting manner:

1. Looks: The player can choose a character or built it. He/she can choose the gender of the character, its look and weight, clothing etc. This game will connect with the internet so the player can download pictures or personal pictures for the character.

2. Clip: In the beginning of the game, a short clip is possibly presented, and demonstrates an optimal nutrition and physical activity for the selected character.

3. Physical fitness: Each character is dynamic virtual person: it has abilities which the player can develop. For example: as much as the character will workout (e.g., by playing or by working out), and keep of a healthy nutrition, it will be healthier, and will look in a better shape.

The fitness category may comprise of activities characteristics, such as speed, power, weight and flexibility. The game is adapted to measure the health condition of the character, and e.g., and fir it to a scale of 1 to 100, while 100 it is the healthiest condition, and I is the poorer unhealthy condition. As much the character will do exercise thus it will be healthier and much more flexible and vice versa. Similarly, the health condition may affect the physical fitness in a scale of e.g., 1 to 10. The physical fitness of the character may be on a daily basses.

4. Diet: The diet category is a very important parameter. As much as the player will feed the character healthy food, thus the healthier the character will be and vice versa. Another point is to feed the character on stabilities hours, in order to educate the player the meaning of eating in stable hours.

5. Health: The condition of the character health is affected the physical condition and the abilities of doing workout.

6. Energy: According to another embodiment, a processor or a virtual counter in connection with the character (i.e., the 'physical' doll or the virtual doll, respectively) is adapted to measure and control the quantity of the energy attributed with the character. The quantity of the energy is a function from several parameters, such as its diet, physical health and physical fitness. The quantity of the energy is also a function of its physical Fitness. Each and every activity of the character required a predetermined measure of energy. Resting and eating activities are also coupled with the character everyday activities.

7. Cleanliness: The cleanness condition of the character affects its medical and mental condition.

8. Joy and happiness: the mental condition of the character is important factor, e.g., its good mental feeling is a starting point for other activities,

According to one embodiment of the invention, the game comprises, inter alia, contest in several sports, (e.g., like an Olympic contest) wherein the character is playing basketball, volleyball, football, swimming, athletic sports, martial arts etc. Winning characters wins a prize and may earn more points. According to yet another embodiment, the physical and mental condition of the character appears in its general outlook: fat, slim, happy, sick etc.

Another object of eth invention is thus to disclose a virtual doll (computer-based character) as defined for example in any of the above, capable of simulating eating and physical practicing with a virtual response mechanism in accordance to the characteristics of FIOs inserted by the user into the doll. The virtual doll comprising inter alia at least one virtual sensing mechanism identifying said FIOs; and a processor receiving data from said sensing mechanism and activating a virtual response mechanism in accordance to said data; wherein the appearance of said virtual doll is a function of parameters selected from a group consisting of the quantity and type of FIOs, physical condition and practicing, mental conditions, pre-selected parameters determined by the user, environment conditions or any combination thereof. A virtual sport game comprising contest between one or more virtual dolls is also disclosed. This virtual sport game is provided for example, in a communication media selected from a group consisting of one or more computers, networked computers, over the internet, in cellular

telephones or in any combination thereof.

Reference is now made to figure 5, schematically illustrating various possible body locations (locations 1 to 23) in the aforesaid virtual character, whereat physical activity combined with health nutrition (i.e., 'good ¹ FIO) is important.