The present invention relates to the general field of children's toys of the type having sensor activated behavior.
The typical type of toy with which the invention is specifically concerned is a doll that reacts to certain stimuli with an activated behavior, such as crying or making some other sound, waving a hand, or dancing. Although the description that follows is directed to a talking doll, the invention is not limited to this particular form of implementation.
To elicit the behavior from such dolls, an activation step is required. For instance, dolls having a pull string which, when pulled, causes a doll to speak simple preprogrammed words are well known. Additionally, toggle switches, buttons, loud noises and points on a doll responsive to pressure are also known to activate speech and motion in toys.
Light can also trigger detectors to activate a toy or other device. For example, photosensors can detect darkness and, in response, turn on a light. Typically such devices monitor the amount of ambient light received by the photosensor, and when the amount of light received drops below a pre-established threshold, the light is turned on.
Such photosensors have been incorporated into dolls to elicit a response when the level of ambient light changes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,627 describes a doll that has a photosensor located in each of the doll's eyes so that if either sensor is first exposed to ambient light, then deactivated by blocking the ambient light, such as by placing the doll's or the user's hand over at least one of the doll's eyes, a specific behavior, such as speech, is activated.
While conventional sensors can be used to elicit behavior from a toy such as a doll, such toys do not respond in an identical matter in both light and dark conditions while also allowing the toy to respond to changes in ambient light unrelated to use of the doll. Since ease of use is a primary goal, a toy such as a doll whose behavior can be activated in both light and dark conditions is desirable.