Processor-controlled object

Abstract

Processor-controlled objects, such as inter-communicating processor-controlled blocks, present changeable individual characterizations to a user. The objects comprise a processor, a power source, a communications unit, a response generator and a proximity sensor adapted to sense the close proximity and relative position of similar objects. A user manipulating the objects can cause, over time, designated objects to inherit characterizations and properties from other interacting objects to permit scalability in a set of such objects. Interactions further generate sensory responses in the response generator of a specific object or otherwise in a response generator associated with another similar object based on proximity, relative position and the individual characterization presented on and by those interacting objects at the time of interaction. A set of objects has vastly extended interactive capabilities since each object is capable of dynamically taking on different characterizations arising from a meaningful combination of properties from different conjoined objects.

1 . A processor-controlled object on which is presented a processor-generated, processor-controlled changeable individual characterization represented by display of visual display material, the processor-controlled object configured or arranged:
 to generate and present under powered processor-control first visual display material, the first visual display material having a first changeable individual characterization with a first property;   to sense proximity and relative position of second visual display material generated and presented under processor-control on a second object movable independently of said processor-controlled object, the second object brought into processor-resolvable interacting proximity with said processor-controlled object by manipulation of one or more of said processor-controlled object and the second object, the second visual display material having a processor-controlled second changeable individual characterization independent of the first individual characterization, the second changeable individual characterization having a second property;   in response to processor-resolved interaction between said first and second changeable individual characterizations arising from sensed near proximity and relative position of said processor-controlled object and the second object, to generate a user-perceivable sensory response that is output from a response generator, wherein the user-perceivable sensory response is dependent upon said sensed relative positions of the first visual display material to the second visual display material and is indicative of a contextual relationship that arises between said first property of the first changeable individual characterizations and the second property of the second changeable individual characterizations;   selectively and autonomously to change with time under processor control the first changeable individual characterization with the first property to a third changeable individual characterization with a third property such that the third changeable individual characterization is presented on said processor-controlled object, the third property different to the first property;   to determine new processor-resolvable interactions involving said processor-controlled object now having the third changeable individual characterization and to generate and output corresponding new user-perceivable sensory responses from the response generator to reflect new processor-resolvable interactions exhibiting contextual relationship.   
     
     
         2 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , the processor-controlled object configured or arranged such that the change to the third property and the third changeable individual characterization is dependent upon processor-resolved interaction and contextual relationship determined to arise between the first changeable individual characterization presented and the second changeable individual characterization. 
     
     
         3 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein the change to third property includes an auditory change. 
     
     
         4 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein the change to the third property includes a visual change. 
     
     
         5 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein the user-perceivable sensory response is a phonetic sound produced by combined interaction of said first and second changeable individual characterizations and the contextual relationship arising between the first property and second property. 
     
     
         6 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein generating the user-perceivable sensory response further generates:
 an audible representation of the first changeable individual characterization; and   an audible representation of the second changeable individual characterization.   
     
     
         7 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , the processor-controlled object further configured or arranged:
 under processor-control, selectively to change with time said changeable individual characterizations displayed on said objects based upon:   i) nearby detection and relative position of objects; and   ii) individual characterizations presented by interacting objects at the time of their detection and interaction.   
     
     
         8 . The processor-controlled object according  claim 1 , wherein the user-perceivable sensory response is generated for only meaningful non-random interactions between multiple independent changeable individual characterizations. 
     
     
         9 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein the user-perceivable sensory response generated from the response generator includes an audible response, a visual response or a combination of an audible and visual response. 
     
     
         10 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein the user-perceivable sensory response includes a related visual animation. 
     
     
         11 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein the user-perceivable sensory response includes at least one of:
 a phoneme;   a letter, word, phrase or sentence;   speech relating to mathematical properties of a visually presented number; and   an audio musical response corresponding to a musical symbol.   
     
     
         12 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor-controlled object further configured or arranged:
 to sense interaction and proximity of at least two independent processor-controlled objects each having an independent changeable individual characterization;   to resolve that the at least two independent processor-controlled objects are in line with one another and that an interaction between the changeable individual characterizations of the at least two independent processor-controlled objects reads in a contextually meaningful manner along said line; and   to effect transfer of the changeable individual characterization presented on the least two independent processor-controlled objects to said processor-controlled object when the processor-controlled object is positioned adjacent to one side of said line of said at least two independent processor-controlled objects, such that the third property of the processor-controlled object is changed and the third changeable individual characterization corresponds to the ordered and contextually meaningful combination of said independent changeable individual characterization presented on the at two independent processor-controlled objects in the line.   
     
     
         13 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein the changeable individual characterization are in the form of:
 at least one letter;   a word;   a number;   a mathematical symbol; or   a musical symbol.   
     
     
         14 . The processor-controlled object according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor-controlled object further configured or arranged:
 to present over time a multiplicity of properties for the changeable individual characterizations presented under processor-control.   
     
     
         15 . A processor-controlled object on which is presented a processor-generated, processor-controlled changeable individual characterization represented by display of visual display material, the processor-controlled object configured or arranged:
 to generate and present under powered processor-control first visual display material, the first visual display material having a first changeable individual characterization with a first property;   to sense proximity and relative position of second visual display material generated and presented under processor-control on a second object movable independently of said processor-controlled object, the second object brought into processor-resolvable interacting proximity with said processor-controlled object by manipulation of one or more of said processor-controlled object and the second object, the second visual display material having a processor-controlled second changeable individual characterization independent of the first individual characterization, the second changeable individual characterization having a second property;   to sense proximity and relative position of third visual display material generated and presented under processor-control on a third object movable independently of said processor-controlled object, the third object brought into processor-resolvable interacting proximity with said processor-controlled object by its relative manipulation with respect to the second object, the third visual display material having a processor-controlled third changeable individual characterization independent of the first and second individual characterizations, the third changeable individual characterization having a third property, the second and third properties of the second and third objects interacting with one another when located side-by-side in a line to produce a combination;   under processor control changing the first changeable individual characterization with the first property to a fourth changeable individual characterization with a fourth property such that the fourth changeable individual characterization is presented on said processor-controlled object, the fourth property different to the first property, the fourth individual characterization being the combination inherited from the second and third individual characterizations provided that the in-line side-by-side combination has a contextual relevance that is not random; and   to determine new processor-resolvable interactions involving said processor-controlled object now having the fourth changeable individual characterization and to generate and output audible and/or visual user-perceivable sensory responses from a response generator to reflect contextually relevant processor-resolvable interactions that reflect and/or involve the fourth changeable individual characterization.   
     
     
         16 . The processor-controlled object of  claim 15 , wherein a first line of objects contains only the processor-controlled object and a second line of objects contains the second and third objects but not the processor-controlled object, wherein when the processor determines that:
 i) the first and second lines are interacting; and   ii) the second and third changeable individual characterizations combine to provide a contextually relevant combination that is not random,   the processor is arranged to causes the first changeable individual characterization to the change to the fourth changeable individual characterization by inheriting the contextually relevant combination based on an edge justification determined by the processor-controlled object in the first line relative to the contextually relevant combination in the second line.   
     
     
         17 . The processor-controlled object of  claim 15 , wherein the contextually relevant combination inherited as the fourth changeable individual characterization includes at least the second and third changeable individual characterizations. 
     
     
         18 . The processor-controlled object of  claim 16 , wherein a first line of objects contains only the processor-controlled object and a second line of objects contains at least the second and third objects but not the processor-controlled object, wherein when the processor determines that:
 i) the first and second lines are interacting; and   ii) at least the second and third changeable individual characterizations combine to provide a contextually relevant combination that is not random,   the processor is arranged to causes the first changeable individual characterization to the change to the fourth changeable individual characterization by inheriting the contextually relevant combination based on an edge justification determined by the processor-controlled object in the first line relative to the contextually relevant combination in the second line.   
     
     
         19 . A processor-controlled object on which is presented a processor-generated, processor-controlled changeable individual characterization represented by display of visual display material, the processor-controlled object configured or arranged:
 to generate and present under powered processor-control first visual display material, the first visual display material having a first changeable individual characterization with a first property;   to sense proximity and relative position of second visual display material generated and presented under processor-control on a second object movable independently of said processor-controlled object, the second object brought into processor-resolvable interacting proximity with said processor-controlled object by manipulation of one or more of said processor-controlled object and the second object, the second visual display material having a processor-controlled second changeable individual characterization independent of the first individual characterization, the second changeable individual characterization having a second property;   to sense proximity and relative position of third visual display material generated and presented under processor-control on a third object movable independently of said processor-controlled object, the third object brought into processor-resolvable interacting proximity with said processor-controlled object by its relative manipulation with respect to the second object, the third visual display material having a processor-controlled third changeable individual characterization independent of the first and second individual characterizations, the third changeable individual characterization having a third property, the second and third properties of the second and third objects interacting with one another when located side-by-side in a line to produce a combination;   to sense proximity and relative position of fourth visual display material generated and presented under processor-control on a fourth object movable independently of said processor-controlled object, the fourth object brought into processor-resolvable interacting proximity with said processor-controlled object by its relative manipulation with respect to the second and third object, the fourth visual display material having a processor-controlled fourth changeable individual characterization independent of the first, second and third individual characterizations, the fourth changeable individual characterization having a fourth property, wherein the second, third and fourth properties of the second, third and fourth objects interacting with one another when located side-by-side in a line to produce a combination;   under processor control changing the first changeable individual characterization with the first property to a fifth changeable individual characterization with a fifth property such that the fifth changeable individual characterization is presented on said processor-controlled object, the fifth property different to the first property, the fifth individual characterization being the combination inherited from the second, third and fourth individual characterizations provided that the in-line side-by-side combination has a contextual relevance that is not random; and   to determine new processor-resolvable interactions involving said processor-controlled object now having the fifth changeable individual characterization and to generate and output audible and/or visual user-perceivable sensory responses from a response generator to reflect contextually relevant processor-resolvable interactions that reflect and/or involve the fifth changeable individual characterization.   
     
     
         20 . The processor-controlled object of  claim 19 , wherein a first line of objects contains only the processor-controlled object and a second line of objects contains the second, third and fourth objects but not the processor-controlled object, wherein when the processor determines that:
 i) the first and second lines are interacting; and   ii) the second, third and fourth changeable individual characterizations combine to provide a contextually relevant combination that is not random,   the processor is arranged to causes the first changeable individual characterization to the change to the fifth changeable individual characterization by inheriting the contextually relevant combination based on an edge justification determined by the processor-controlled object in the first line relative to the contextually relevant combination in the second line.   
     
     
         21 . The processor-controlled object of  claim 19 , wherein the contextually relevant combination inherited as the fifth changeable individual characterization includes at least the second, third and fourth changeable individual characterizations.