Customizable wireless education or occupational therapy tool having a switch unit and a transmitter unit

• US 20070154870A1
• Filed: 01/03/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yandi Ongkojoyo
• Original Assignee: Yandi Ongkojoyo
• Inventors: Ongkojoyo, Yandi
• Granted Patent: US 9,685,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/36 the elements being connectible by corresponding projections and recesses
• 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

Abstract

A wireless computer-aided occupational therapy and education tool for young children or children with developmental delays. The tool comprises a wireless input device and preferably a covering. The wireless input device of the tool comprises a switch, a transmitter, and identification code. The covering can be made in various shapes, sizes, and colors. The wireless input device is removably attachable to the covering.

Claims

1. A computer-aided occupational therapy and education tool comprising a customizable wireless input device and a receiver device for receiving data from said wireless input device, wherein:

(a) The wireless input device comprises;

A casing

Means for altering the appearance of the casing

Operated means disposed on the surface of said casing

A transmitter unit for communicating with the receiver device

Means for assigning identification to the wireless input device

Means for displaying the identification of the wireless input device

(b) The receiver device comprises

A receiver unit for communicating with the wireless input device

A processor

Means for connecting said receiver device to a computer

Whereby said computer-aided occupational therapy and education tool can be safely used to rehabilitate or teach young children or children with developmental delays comprising autism spectrum disorders or mental retardation and said education or occupational therapy may comprise Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) method.

2. The wireless input device of claim 1 wherein said operated means is adapted to be operable by applying operating means on the casing or directly on the operated means.

3. The tool of claim 1 wherein said means for altering the appearance of the casing is a mechanism for removably attaching one or more sheets, whereby one of the sheets has indicia on it.

4. The receiver device of claim 1 further comprising means for assigning identification to the receiver device and means for displaying the identification.

5. The wireless input device of claim 1 further comprising a processor.

6. The wireless input device of claim 1 further comprising a receiver unit, while the receiver device of claim 1 further comprising a transmitter unit.

7. The wireless input device of claim 6 wherein said means for altering the appearance of the casing is a graphic display, such as an LCD display, an OLED display, a LED display, or an e-Paper.

8. The wireless input device of claim 1 wherein said operated means is a touch sensor disposed on the upper surface of the casing.

9. The wireless input device of claim 1 wherein said operated means is one or more switches disposed on the lower surface of the casing.

10. The wireless input device of claim 1 further comprising urging means to urge the casing of the wireless input device upward.

11. The wireless input device of claim 1 further comprising means for communicating with a computer system through direct connection or wire whereby the main use of the direct connection is for programming or altering the identification of the wireless input device.

12. A computer-aided occupational therapy and education tool comprising a wireless input device, a covering, and a receiver device for receiving data from said input device, wherein:

(a) The wireless input device comprises;

A casing adapted to be removably attached to the lower surface of the covering

Operated means disposed on the surface of said casing wherein operated means is adapted to be operable by applying operating means on the casing or directly on the operated means.

A transmitter unit

Means for assigning identification to the wireless input device

Means for displaying the identification of the wireless input device Whereby;

Said wireless input device can be customized by attaching it to a different covering that can be used in a manual therapy session.

(b) The covering comprises;

A surface adapted to be removably attached to the wireless input device.

Means for relaying operating means applied on the covering to the wireless input device.

Whereby said covering is adapted to cover at least the upper surface of the wireless input device and preferably comes in various materials, textures, sizes, shapes, and colors, and can also be used in a manual therapy session without any wireless input devices attached to it.

(c) The receiver device comprises

A receiver unit for communicating with the wireless input device

A processor

Means for connecting said receiver device to a computer

Whereby said computer-aided occupational therapy and education tool can be safely used to rehabilitate or teach young children or children with developmental delays comprising autism spectrum disorders or mental retardation and said education or occupational therapy may comprise Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) method.

13. The wireless input device of claim 12 wherein means for assigning identification is an identification code stored in a memory.

14. The tool of claim 12 wherein said means for displaying the identification of the wireless input device is a display embedded on the wireless input device, the receiver device, the covering, or a computer system.

15. The tool of claim 12 wherein said wireless input device further comprises a processor whereby:

(a) The processor controls the data transmitted by said wireless input device.

(b) The processor checks (by pooling method or interrupt) and responses to the operating applied directly or indirectly to the operated means.

(c) The processor controls the modification of said identification code.

16. The tool of claim 12 wherein the identification of said wireless input device is a composite identification comprising a device-identification and a system-identification.

17. The tool of claim 16 further comprising means for assigning and displaying a system identification code to the receiver device.

18. The tool of claim 12 wherein said Means for assigning identification is one or more switches.

19. The tool of claim 12 wherein said wireless input device further comprising a receiver unit and said receiver device further comprising a transmitter unit.

20. The tool of claim 19 wherein said wireless input device further comprising means to selectively pass on data or control commands received from a computer to the covering.

21. The tool of claim 19 wherein said tool comprising means to alter the identification code of said wireless input device from an external device comprising a computer system.

22. The tool of claim 19 wherein the wireless input device and the covering further comprising means for providing output to a user whereby said output comprises light, sound, visual data, or movements.

23. The tool of claim 22 further comprising means for removably attaching said means for providing output.

24. The covering of claim 12 wherein said covering is adapted to be removably attachable to another covering.

25. The tool of claim 12 wherein said covering is made from a resilient material.

26. The tool of claim 12 wherein the surface of said covering is textured whereby said textured surface provides tactile input to a user and may comprise Braille characters.

27. The tool of claim 12 wherein said wireless input device and said covering don'"'"'t present a choking hazard.

28. The tool of claim 12 wherein said operated means is a touch-activated sensor.

29. The tool of claim 28 wherein said covering is conductive.

30. The tool of claim 12 wherein said operated means is a switch unit.

31. The tool of claim 30 wherein said switch unit is disposed on the bottom side of the casing of the wireless input device, facing downwardly.

32. The tool of claim 30 wherein said switch unit is a plurality of switches.

33. The tool of claim 32 wherein said plurality of switches are normally close switches connected in parallel manner or normally open switches connected in serial manner.

34. The tool of claim 30 further comprising an urging means to urge the wireless input device and the covering upward or said covering in a direction leaving the casing of said wireless input device.

35. The tool of claim 34 further comprising means for removably attaching said urging means to said tool.

36. The tool of claim 34 further comprising means for adjusting the urge of said urging means.

37. The tool of claim 34 wherein said urging means is a plurality of coil springs.

38. The tool of claim 34 wherein said urging means is a plurality of cups made from a resilient material.

39. The tool of claim 12 further comprising means for securing said tool to a surface whereby said surface is adequately even, which may comprise the surface of the top side of a table, floor, or a base plate specifically designed and manufactured for this purpose.

40. The tool of claim 39 wherein means for securing is one or more suction cups disposed on the bottom side of the tool.

41. The tool of claim 39 wherein means for securing is one or more magnets disposed on the bottom side of the tool.

42. The wireless input device of claim 12 further comprising means for altering the appearance of said casing.

43. The covering of claim 12 further comprising means for altering the appearance of said covering.

44. The covering of claim 43 wherein said means for altering the appearance is one or more stickers disposed on the surface of said covering.

45. The covering of claim 43 wherein said means for altering the appearance is a graphic display such as an LCD display, an OLED display, a LED display, or an e-Paper.

46. The covering of claim 43 wherein said means for altering the appearance is a means for removably attaching one or more sheets on the surface of said covering whereby there are preferably one laminated sheet with indicia or two sheets, one with indicia and one made from a transparent or semi-transparent material for protecting the first sheet.

47. The tool of claim 12 wherein the receiver unit of said receiver device is a radio frequency receiver and the transmitter unit of said wireless input device is a radio frequency transmitter.

48. The tool of claim 12 wherein the receiver unit of said receiver device is an infrared receiver and the transmitter unit of said wireless input device is an infrared transmitter.

49. The tool of claim 12 wherein the receiver unit and the transmitter unit of said receiver device, and the transmitter unit and the receiver unit of said wireless input device conform to a widely accepted wireless communication standard comprising Bluetooth.

50. The tool of claim 12 wherein said means for connecting said receiver device to a computer is a standard device interface whereby the device interface may comprise a USB, Firewire, serial, or Parallel interface.

51. The tool of claim 12 wherein said casing can be attached with more than one wireless input devices.

52. The wireless input device of claim 12 further comprising means for communicating with a computer system through direct connection or wire whereby the main use of the direct connection is for programming or altering the identification of the wireless input device.