Color Changing Three-Dimensional Toy Using Iridescent Manipulation

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/624,413, filed Jan. 24, 2024, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Crafting products have been a popular category in both children's toys and adult DIY (do-it-yourself) markets for decades. These products come in various forms, including gel-based slime, paint-by-number kits, knitting sets, peg boards, clay, and more. For example, peg boards allow users to create glowing images by arranging colored pegs on a flat surface. However, such products are typically static and one-dimensional, which can lead to a loss of engagement over time. Consequently, there is a long-standing need for a crafting product that is interactive, stimulates long-term creativity and imagination, and remains affordable for consumers.

To address these problems, one or more embodiments relate to a color-changing toy that integrates interactive and creative features to offer an engaging experience for users. The toy comprises a three-dimensional body featuring a plurality of holes designed to accommodate translucent pegs. Each peg includes a tapered shaft for easy insertion and a head that remains visible when inserted. The peg heads may take on various predefined shapes, such as geometric designs, letters, numbers, or animal figures. These pegs may be constructed from translucent materials, including plastic, rubber, or silicone.

In certain embodiments, the toy includes a light matrix housed within the three-dimensional body. The light matrix may incorporate multiple light sources arranged to illuminate the holes from within the body. These light sources may offer color-changing functionality and can be controlled by a circuit configured to activate and adjust the color of emitted light. Additional optional features of the light matrix may include sound-activated or motion-activated controls, allowing the light matrix to respond dynamically to external stimuli. A remote-control interface may also be included to enable convenient activation and adjustment of the light sources.

In one or more embodiments, the light matrix is positioned at the base of the body to lower the toy's center of gravity and enhance its stability. The body itself may be primarily opaque, except for translucent or transparent regions surrounding the holes to facilitate light interaction with the pegs. The control circuit may be designed to create predefined dynamic lighting sequences, enabling users to produce visually appealing patterns. For added convenience, the light matrix may be powered by a rechargeable battery.

When activated, the light matrix emits light that interacts with the translucent pegs to create a combined color effect visible at the peg heads. This effect arises from the interplay between the emitted light's color and the inherent color of the pegs. The translucent pegs are also designed to be removable and interchangeable, providing users with additional opportunities for creative expression and interaction.

The figures depict various embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.

is a side view of a translucent peg, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. The translucent pegincludes a headand a shaft. In one embodiment, the shaftof the translucent pegis slightly tapered from its tip a base where the shaftmeets the headof the translucent peg. This tapering enables the shaftto be more easily placed in a hole that is about the same diameter as its widest portion at the base, while also able to sit firmly when inserted up to its base.

As illustrated in, the headof the translucent peghas a generic shape, but it can be formed in any desired shape to be aesthetically pleasing or otherwise operate as discussed herein. The translucent pegmay be made of plastic, rubber, silicone, or any other suitable material that provides translucent properties allowing light to pass through with some amount of scattering. The translucent pegmay possess multiple versions of color. Embodiments of the toy described herein include multiple pegs, which may include sets of pegshaving different colors.

shows a three-dimensional bodyof a toy, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. As illustrated, bodyis a generically shaped three-dimensional structure having multiple holesthroughout the body. The holesmay be completely or partially through the body. In a case where the holesare partially through the body, the portion of the bodyat the holeis transparent or translucent to enable light to pass therethrough. In one or more embodiments, however, the other portions of the bodyare not transparent or translucent, or at least are significantly less transparent than the pegs.

The toy further includes a light matrixfixed inside the body. The light matrixis oriented to shine light (when turned on) towards each of the holesin the body. As illustrated, the light matrixis fixed near a base of the bodywhere the bodyrests on a surface. This moves the weight of the toy lower such that the weight of the light matrixhelps to stabilize the bodyand prevent it from tipping over. However, the light matrixcan be fixed to the inside surface of the bodyin other locations thereof, for example, to enable it to shine light directly at the holes, which may not be possible from a base of the body.

The light matrixincludes a control circuit and power supply. In one or more embodiments, the light matrixcomprises a color changing light matrix, which may be manually controlled or controlled by sound, motion, vibration remote, or any other suitable method or combinations thereof.

illustrates the three-dimensional bodyof the toy with a set of translucent pegsinserted in the holesof the body. As illustrated, the translucent pegsare inserted through holesfrom the outside to the inner structure of the three-dimensional body, with direct access to the light matrix.

shows the three-dimensional bodyof the toy with the translucent pegsinserted and the light matrixturned on, with the lightilluminating a portion of the shafts of the pegs. By activating the light matrix, the colors of the headsof the pegscan be manipulated by shining an appropriate color of lightto the shaftof each peg. The resulting head color achieved may be a combination of the color of lightthat illuminates the peg's shaftand the color of the pegitself.

In one example, a specific translucent pegmay have may possess the color blue in its native (i.e., unilluminated) state. When light matrixis activated with a color spectrum of yellow light, which illuminates the peg, the peg's color may change from blue to green. This may be repeated for each peginserted into the body, through a multitude of arrangements and different colors of lightindexing different pegs. For example, other blue pegsmay be illuminated by the light matrixwith green lightand translucent peg, causing those translucent pegsto become a shade of teal.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure. Specifically, other variations may be included in providing a method of connecting the inflatable body to the base as well as arrangements of the drive units.

Moreover, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.