Toy and companion avatar on portable electronic device

Abstract

A toy and software application accessory extends the distinguishing play experience of a particular toy to a digital play experience on personal digital assistant, personal navigation device, or other electronic device like an iPod or iphone with an accelerometer, speaker, and a touch-sensitive display screen. The software application accessory creates a digital play experience or video game on the electronic device that presents avatars, dialog, and backgrounds that convincingly accessorize the physical toy. Wireless connectivity to a PC and the Internet allows the toy or the electronic device to download updates, modifications, and enhancements to its basic program. New personalities can be downloaded that change the toy play experience, and extend the play life of the toy by introducing new and creative play experiences. A personality accessory kit includes the new personalities, clothes, props, and other matching accessories.

1 . A companion play apparatus, comprising:
 a toy with a personality expressed by its appearance, movements, reactions to stimulus, and speech;   a matching software application accessory for extending a distinguishing play experience of the toy to a digital play experience on a personal electronic device with an accelerometer, speaker, and a touch-sensitive display screen, wherein a digital play experience or video game presents avatars, dialog, and backgrounds that accessorize the toy on the electronic device;   wireless connectivity providing for the toy and/or the electronic device to download updates, modifications, and enhancements to a basic program;   wherein, other personalities can be downloaded to change toy play experience, and to extend the play life of the toy by generating different play experiences.   
     
     
         2 . The companion play apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a personality accessory kit that includes a new personality, clothes, props, and other matching accessories to augment the toy and said digital play experience.   
     
     
         3 . The companion play apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 wireless connectivity providing for the toy and/or the electronic device to interactively play with other users having similar toys.   
     
     
         4 . The companion play apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an applications program for instilling a personality in said toy or avatar by steering inputs from said sensors, accelerometer measurements, and other sensing devices to execute particular scripts characteristic in their output controls to recognizable personalities.   
     
     
         5 . A method for extending the play experience of a toy to a digital play experience on a personal electronics device, comprising:
 displaying an avatar of said toy on said personal electronics device;   animating said avatar to respond to touch screen inputs and accelerometer measurements taken within said personal electronics device.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 animating said avatar to respond to touch sensors and accelerometer measurements taken within said toy.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 instilling a personality in said toy or avatar by steering inputs from said sensors, accelerometer measurements, and other sensing devices to execute particular scripts characteristic in their output controls to selected personalities.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 speaking words or sounding music through a speaker that depend on which touch sensors and accelerometer measurements taken within said toy or personal electronics device were processed.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 moving the body limbs of said toy with motors or the cartoon limbs of said avatar in animation that depend on which touch sensors and accelerometer measurements taken within said toy or personal electronics device were processed.   
     
     
         10 . A software application accessory for extending the play experience of a toy to a digital play experience on a personal electronics device with a touch screen, speaker, and accelerometer, comprising:
 a personality module for downloading as executable computer program code to a personal electronics device; and   a set of scripts included in the personality module that direct how an avatar animated on said touch screen should specifically respond to particular touch screen inputs and said accelerometer, and what sounds should be output to said speaker;   wherein, said avatar, a dialog, and an environment produced on said personal electronics device display a characteristic tie to said toy by mirroring said toy.   
     
     
         11 . The software application accessory of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a program in a memory for animating said avatar to respond to touch sensors and accelerometer measurements taken within said toy.   
     
     
         12 . The software application accessory of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a program in a memory for instilling a personality in said toy or avatar by steering inputs from said sensors, accelerometer measurements, and other sensing devices to execute particular scripts characteristic in their output controls to selected personalities.   
     
     
         13 . The software application accessory of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a program in a memory for speaking words or sounding music through a speaker that depend on which touch sensors and accelerometer measurements taken within said toy or personal electronics device were processed.   
     
     
         14 . The software application accessory of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a program in a memory for moving the body limbs of said toy with motors or the cartoon limbs of said avatar in animation that depend on which touch sensors and accelerometer measurements taken within said toy or personal electronics device were processed.