US20110217897A1

US20110217897A1 - Fun meter

Info

Publication number: US20110217897A1
Application number: US12/660,680
Authority: US
Inventors: Jeffrey Sackley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-03-03
Filing date: 2010-03-03
Publication date: 2011-09-08

Abstract

A fun meter is provided with a meter body and a remote hand controller. The meter body has a visible sweep face, a back wall, and a sidewall. The back wall includes a fastener for attaching the back wall to an article of clothing. The sweep face includes a visible indicator region and a visible indicator for indicating a relative position of the indicator along the sweep face. The remote hand controller is electrically connected to the meter body for operation of the visible indicator with a pressure sensitive switch. A direct current circuit includes an adjustable resistance and a voltage source electrically connected to the switch and the visible indicator so that the visible indicator registers a relative position on the indicator region of the sweep face in proportion to operation of the switch by hand.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wearable toys and amusement devices. In particular, it relates to a fun meter which indicates an amusement level experienced by a person in a social environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wearable toys and amusement devices are well known. Such devices typically include sound effects belts, child activity devices, activity belts and harnesses worn by adults for child play, and various types of simulated body carried auto toys. Such devices are also typically designed to also incorporate hand operated levers, dials and cranks which are often coupled with electrical circuitry including lights, sound effects, and dials.
While the foregoing wearable amusement devices offer various kinds of entertainment they are not typically designed to be worn for the amusement of others in a social setting. The foregoing amusement devices also do not provide an indicator of a varying level of social amusement. Thus, it is desirable to provide a provide a wearable amusement device which is entertaining to the wearer and others in a social environment, and which registers one's varying level of amusement when interacting with others in a social setting. The present invention satisfies these needs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wearable amusement device which is entertaining to the wearer and others in a social environment.
It yet another object of the present invention to provide a wearable amusement device which registers one's varying level of amusement when interacting with others in a social setting.
To overcome the problems associated with the prior art methods, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, briefly a fun meter is provided with a meter body and a remote hand held controller. The meter body has a visible sweep face, a back wall, and a sidewall. The back wall includes a fastener for attaching the back wall to an article of clothing. The sweep face includes a visible indicator region and a visible indicator for indicating a relative position of the indicator along the sweep face. The remote hand controller is electrically connected to the meter body for operation of the visible indicator, and has barrel handle housing and a pressure sensitive switch. A direct current circuit includes an adjustable resistance and a voltage source electrically connected to the switch and the visible indicator so that the visible indicator registers a relative position on the indicator region of the sweep face in relation to a duration of time within which the switch is operated by hand.
Additional advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will be obvious from that description or can be learned from practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention can be realized and obtained by the apparatus particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and which constitute a part of the specification, illustrate at least one embodiment of the present invention, and together with the description explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view, with hidden lines, of the present invention showing the remote hand controller electrically connected to the meter body with a cable.

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the present invention showing the remote hand controller and the meter body where the visual indicator is a pointer and four groups of four LED lights together with a range of numerals in the visual indicator region which represent revolutions-per-minute.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, showing the hidden lines illustrating the preferred arrangement of the pointer drive module and the sound circuit speaker in relation to the meter body.

FIG. 4 is an isometric sliced view of the remote hand controller and meter body as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5. Is an isometric view from the back wall of the meter body showing two preferred embodiments for fastening the meter body to an article of clothing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Unless specifically defined otherwise, all technical or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.
Although any of the methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or use of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are now described. Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals represent like features of the invention.
Referring now to the drawing figures, wherein like numerals represent like features of the invention, a fun meter is provided which includes a meter body 10 and hand held remote controller 20 electrically connected to the meter body 10. The meter body 10 has a visible sweep face 19, a back wall 17, and a sidewall 15. In the preferred embodiment, the sweep face 19 is designed with a tachometer theme which registers the level of amusement in revolutions-per-minute. The back wall 17 includes a fastener for attaching the back wall to an article of clothing. The fastener is desirably a clip 14, a hook and loop fastener 140, or magnet (not shown). When including a hook and loop fastener 140 configuration it is desirably in include two or more hook and loop fastener 140 fabric sheets, stacked as a laminate, so that the meter 10 may be fastened to multiple surfaces, or reused over time. The sweep face 19 includes a visible indicator, such as a pointer 12 and/or LED lights 40, 41, 42, and 43, and a visible indicator region, such as the numerical revolutions-per-minute range indicia 11 indicating a relative position of the indicator along the sweep face 19. The sweep face 19 preferably includes other indicia so as to appear as a classic tachometer theme including yellow and red lines, units and/or terms, such as RPM and TAC. The meter body 10 may, but need not, include a cylindrical clip housing 16 in order to attach the remote hand controller 20 to the meter body 10 either for carrying, or when not in use. In addition, for a wired connection the meter body 10 may include a jack 13 for connecting then electric cable 18 between the remote hand controller 20 and the meter body 10. The wired cable 18 may transmit power and a signal input to the meter 10 depending on the overall design features of the fun meter. It is also contemplated herein, that the remote hand controller 20 is electrically connected for operation of the meter 10 in any wireless remote control configuration which is well known in the art. With a wireless connection, for example, one individual may operate another's fun meter in order to further the overall enjoyment experienced by several individuals participating in a social setting, such as a party.
As above, the remote hand controller 20 is connected to the meter body with an electrical cable 18 or wirelessly. The remote hand controller 20 preferably includes a barrel shaped housing 24 and a pressure sensitive thumb switch 22. When configured, as shown in the drawing figures, the wearer, or another, simply grasps the barrel 24 between the palm and fingers, and places the thumb on the switch 22 in order to depress the switch 22 for either a predetermined amount of time or to a predetermined depth depending on the desired operational configuration. In the preferred embodiment, the fun meter is operated by depressing the switch 22 for a predetermined amount of time which translates from a minimum to maximum deflection of the pointer 12 in relation to the visible indicator region of the sweep face 19. The desired amount of time is ruled to be relative to the amount of fun that the wearer, or others, want to indicate on the meter 10 for display in the social setting. As can readily be appreciated, the fun meter, in accordance with the present invention, is useful in conjunction for the creation of a variety of different game rules to be carried out in a variety of different social settings.
The remote hand controller 20 preferably includes a clip 26 extending laterally and downwardly from the barrel 24 portion of the controller 20 for attaching the hand controller 20 to the body of the meter 10. This allows the remote hand controller 20 and meter 10 to be coupled together, as a single unit, either for carrying or storage, when not in use. As illustrated in the drawing figures, the barrel 24 of the remote hand controller 20 is also configured to include a battery 21 compartment having electrical connections for supplying the voltage source, such as a single AA or AAA batteries, to the direct current electric circuit.
The present invention is operated using a direct current circuit in accordance with any design which is well know in the art. The direct current circuit preferably includes an adjustable resistance and the voltage source electrically connected to the switch 22, the pointer drive module 60 for deflecting the pointer drive shaft 62, the LED lights 40-43, 46, 47, and/or sound effects circuits and speakers 50. Thus, the direct current circuit may include a wired, and/or printed, circuit and one or more microprocessors and modules in a variety of different configurations, which are well within the skill in the direct current circuit art, in order to achieve the desired effects and operate the fun meter. It is also well known that an adjustable resistance maybe achieved through the use of various combinations of adjustable resistors, also known as rheostats and potentiometers, in either wired or printed circuit configurations, in order to achieve operate the pointer drive module 60 and shaft 62, sequential LED illumination effects, and/or sound effects. In at least one other embodiment, the pressure sensitive switch 22 may include an adjustable resistor for varying the deflection of the pointer 12 on the sweep face 19 of the meter 10 linearly in proportion to the depth within which the switch 22 is depressed when operated by the thumb. In the preferred embodiment, however, the deflection of the pointer, a sequential illumination of the LED lights, and sound effects are all variably activated depending upon the amount of time that the switch 22 is held down with the thumb.
LED lights 40-43 are preferably arranged circumferentially about the periphery of the sweep face 19, in groups of four, with or without the pointer 12, and the direct current circuit is designed to operate the lights in a sequential illumination dependant upon the time within which the switch button is depressed. In this manner, it is desirable to enable the direct current circuit to operate the LED lights in a clockwise sequence from a minimum time, represented by LEDs 40, through a maximum time, represented by LEDs 43, depending upon the length of time that the switch button is depressed. In the preferred embodiment, the LED lights 40-43 are positioned on the sweep face 19 and arranged in groups of four, with each group illuminating a different color of light. With this example, it is anticipated that the lights would be grouped, from left to right, on the sweep face 19 in colors of green, yellow, orange and red, respectively, with each group of four activated as a group, in sequence, according to the time within which the switch button is depressed.
In yet another embodiment, four additional peripheral LED lights, such as 46, 47 (others hidden from view), are positioned circumferentially about the sidewall 15 of the meter 10 with one each illuminating as a fifth light element representative of a respective group 40-43 along with the respective corresponding color of the group in order to further enhance the visual effects of the fun meter for enjoyment by others at tangential viewing angles to the wearer.
The fun meter also desirably includes a sound effects printed circuit and a speaker 50 electrically connected to the direct current circuit. The sound effects circuit and speaker 50 are electrically connected to the direct current circuit so that they are capable of being actuated to produce an electrical output signal representative of a desired sound effects when activated in relation to the time within which the switch button 22 is depressed. In yet another preferred embodiment, the sound effects generate an engine revving sound, such a drag racer, or a tire screeching sound, both of which either increase in volume and/or speed as the switch button is depressed for longer periods of time.
While the present invention has been described in connection with the embodiments as described and illustrated above, it will be appreciated and understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that certain modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, as broadly described and claimed herein.

Claims

1. A fun meter, comprising

(a) a meter body having a visible sweep face, a back wall, and a sidewall, wherein the back wall includes a fastener for attaching the back wall to an article of clothing, and the sweep face includes a visible indicator and a visible indicator region indicating a relative position of the visible indicator along the sweep face;

(b) a remote hand controller, electrically communicating with the meter body for operation of the visible indicator or visible indicator region, including a barrel housing and a pressure sensitive switch; and

(c) a direct current circuit including an adjustable resistance and a voltage source electrically connected to the switch and the visible indicator so that the visible indicator registers a relative position on the indicator region of the sweep face in proportion to operation of the switch by hand.

2. The fun meter according to claim 1, wherein the sweep face is a tachometer theme, the visible indicator is a pointer, the visible indicator regions is a numerical range of revolutions-per-minute values, and the meter body further includes a pointer drive module electrically connected to direct current circuit so that the pointer is deflected to register the relative position on the sweep face in proportion to operation of the switch by hand.

3. The fun meter according to claim 1, wherein the visible indicator is a plurality of lights which illuminate in a sequence to register the relative position of the sweep face in proportion to operation of the switch by hand.

4. The fun meter according to claim 1, further comprising a sound circuit and speaker electrically connected to the direct current circuit capable of being actuated in proportion to a duration of operation of the switch by hand to produce an electrical output signal representative of a desired sound effects.

5. The fun meter according to claim 1, further comprising a clip attached to the barrel portion of the hand controller and a clip housing connected to the sidewall of the meter body so that the clip is received in the housing for carrying the remote controller on the meter body.

6. The fun meter according to claim 1, wherein the visible indicator is a plurality of peripheral lights electrically connected to the direct current circuit and positioned about the sidewall of the meter body so that the peripheral lights illuminate in sequence in proportion to a duration of operation of the switch by hand.

7. The fun meter according to claim 1, wherein the fastener is a clip.

8. The fun meter according to claim 1, wherein the fastener is a hook and loop fabric.

9. The fun meter according to claim 1, wherein the fastener is a magnet.

10. The fun meter according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable resistance is a function of a duration of operation of the switch by hand.

11. The fun meter according to claim 1, wherein the electrical communication of the remote hand controller is a cable.

12. The fun meter according to claim 1, wherein the electrical communication of the remote hand controller is wireless.

13. The fun meter according to claim 3, wherein the lights are grouped in a color range.

14. The fun meter according to claim 4, wherein the sound effects are an engine theme.

15. The fun meter according to claim 8, wherein the fastener is a plurality of hook and loop fabrics arranged in a stack.