Method and apparatus for promoting alphabetic and mathematic learning using a computerized educational toy appliance

• US 20040219495A1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1995
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brian I. Marcus, Warren S. Heit
• Original Assignee: Brian I. Marcus, Warren S. Heit
• Inventors: Marcus, Brian I., Heit, Warren S.
• Application Number:
  US10/862,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20040219495A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/156
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/06 and being attachable to, or mounted on, the support
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/16 the elements each bearing a plurality of different symbols, signs, or combinations of symbols and signs, only one symbol, sign, or combination thereof, of each element to be used at a time
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/36 the elements being connectible by corresponding projections and recesses
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 11/00 Teaching hand-writing, shorthand, drawing, or painting
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/00 Teaching reading teaching lip-reading G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/003 electrically operated apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/025 with electrically operated apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 3/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation

Abstract

An electronic educational toy designed to stimulate the development of a child'"'"'s mind, the educational toy providing audio and/or visual prompts to present a problem to the child whose solution is entered by the child manipulating the toy.

Claims

1-3. -3 (canceled)

4. An educational toy for teaching letters and/or spelling to a child comprising:

an object having a plurality of letters thereon, the object capable of being hand manipulated by a child into a plurality of orientations relative to a support structure;

a display screen upon which letters may be temporarily made to appear for viewing by a child;

a speaker for providing audio output;

the display screen capable of displaying a visual prompt including one or more letters and the speaker capable of providing an audio prompt, the visual and audio prompts cooperating to present a problem to the child whose solution is entered by the child manipulating the object, the problem having at least one correct letter response;

a button designed to be actuated by a child after manipulating the object into a desired orientation to indicate the child has completed his/her attempt to respond to the prompt;

a detector capable of detecting the letter selected by the child as a result of the child'"'"'s manipulation of the object; and

audio feedback output via the speaker to the child to indicate to the child whether the letter selected by the child corresponds to a correct response.

5. An educational toy as in claim 4, wherein the processor prompts with different levels of difficulty.

6. An educational toy as in claim 5, wherein the processor generates more difficult questions depending on the user having provided correct previous answers.

7. An educational toy as in claim 4, wherein educational software is capable of being loaded into the toy by the users thereof via a portable memory.

8. An educational toy as in claim 4, wherein the toy prompts the child to try again if the child incorrectly responds to the problem.

9. An educational toy for teaching numbers and/or numerical operations to a child comprising:

an object having a plurality of numbers thereon, the object capable of being hand manipulated by a child into a plurality of rotational orientations relative to a support structure;

a display screen upon which numbers may be temporarily made to appear for viewing by a child;

a speaker for providing audio output;

the display screen capable of displaying a visual prompt including one or more numbers and the speaker capable of providing an audio prompt, the visual and audio prompts cooperating to present a problem to the child whose solution is entered by the child manipulating the object, the problem having at least one correct number response;

a button designed to be actuated by a child after manipulating the object into a desired orientation to indicate the child has completed his/her attempt to respond to the prompt;

a detector capable of detecting the number selected by the child as a result of the child'"'"'s manipulation of the object; and

audio feedback output via the speaker to the child to indicate to the child whether the number selected by the child corresponds to a correct response.

10. An educational toy as in claim 9, wherein the processor prompts with different levels of difficulty.

11. An educational toy as in claim 10, wherein the processor generates more difficult questions depending on the user having provided correct previous answers.

12. An educational toy as in claim 9, wherein educational software is capable of being loaded into the toy by the users thereof via a portable memory.

13. An educational toy as in claim 9, wherein the toy prompts the child to try again if the child incorrectly responds to the problem.

14. A portable memory to add educational software to an electronic educational toy by a user thereof, the portable memory comprising:

a portable memory housing designed to be compatible with and inserted into a portable memory receiving device associated with the electronic toy by the user thereof;

a memory medium contained in the portable memory housing; and

educational software embodied on the memory medium for use with a processor in the educational toy, the computer software having;

data for use by the processor to generate a visual prompt to be temporarily displayed by a display screen and an audio prompt to be output by a speaker, the visual and audio prompts cooperating to present a problem to the child whose solution is entered by the child manipulating an object into one of a plurality of rotational orientations relative to a support structure, the object having a plurality of numbers or letters thereon;

data for use by the processor to determine whether the child'"'"'s cognitive selection as indicated by the child'"'"'s manipulation of the object corresponds to a correct response to the problem; and

data for use by the toy processor to generate audio feedback output via the speaker to the child to indicate to the child whether the child'"'"'s selections corresponds to a correct response, the feedback provided after the child actuates a button after manipulating the object into a desired orientation to indicate the child has completed his/her attempt to respond to the prompt.