Big Mac Talking Button Cover

The Big Mac talking button is a piece of assistive technology most often used by children with difficulty speaking. These buttons can be programed to record anyone's voice saying a short sentence. The problem is that these buttons are quite expensive being several hundred dollars each. And children will often see them as a sort of toy, throwing them around and possibly stepping on them. This invention is supposed to be a protective cover that will add some time to all of these button's lifespans.

Foam board. Needle and thread, medium weight cloth, hot glue, paper, pencil/pen, small precise knife, stuffing, buttons

Take a piece of paper or a digital sketching surface and draw the parts. Use this to list dimensions and final materials. This will serve as a sort of plan for you going forwards. I personally suggest using graph paper for easier measuring, and a mechanical pencil for removable but precise lines.

Draw onto the foam board the outline of the shapes. It helps to use pencil so you can erase any lines that are not needed. Make sure to indent the foamboard so it is easier to cut later.

Cut out the shapes with a small sharp knife. X-act knifes or any sort of razor blade work well. Make sure to cut out the pieces a little wider than they need to be because you can always trim them.

First glue on the long rectangular shapes upright around the disk shape. Add the small triangles to their bases, making sure they line up with both the rectangles and the base circle. Then glue the ring to all the rectangles. Making a top along the sides.

First crumple scrap paper and press it flat to the bottom, and around the triangular supports. Then glue the stuffed ring around the inside, make sure to connect it to every triangle, and rectangle.

Stitch the cloth pieces together. The long rectangular piece is stitched length wise along the edge of the first circular piece. Then the buttons are sewn onto the long side piece, and the buttonholes are cut onto the top piece. Then the top piece is sewn onto the side halfway around the back.

Place the stuffed ring inside of the foamboard frame. Then take the outer cover, now in the form of a bag and pull it around the frame. Put your talking button pressable side up in the middle and button down the top flap of the cloth cover.

The button placed inside of the case should already be programed to say whatever is needed. Now the user just has to press on the middle of the top until they touch and press the button.