TEACHING MACHINE IN WHICH INSTRUCTION ITEMS ARE PROJECTED BY AN IMAGE PROJECTOR

• US 3,665,615 A
• Filed: 09/04/1970
• Issued: 05/30/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jacques Laplume
• Original Assignee: Jacques Laplume
• Inventors: Laplume, Jacques
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, Wm. H.
• Application Number:
  US05/069,739
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 35/9A,9C
• US Class Current: 434/325
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/06 of the multiple-choice answer-type, i.e. where a given question is provided with a series of answers and a choice has to be made from the answers
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/08 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying further information

Abstract

A strip film, carrying instruction items and questions with response indications thereon, and additionally, coded response code tracks (which are blocked from view of the student) is projected on a screen; the student is provided with a pointer having a photosensitive end, responding to the response items. A movable mask scans across both the response items and the response code track, and electrooptical transducers transmit the pulses upon scanning of a code position on this code track and the pulse from the photosensitive end to a logic circuit, which determines which code track has time-coincidence with the pulse from the photosensitive end. Subsequent indexing of the film to further instruction items (which may be entirely new instruction items or sub-items in further explanation in case the answer was wrong) is then controlled by the logic circuit decoding the coincidence of indication from a particular track and the photosensitive end.

Claims

1. Teaching machine comprising an image projector projecting sequential images of a strip of film on a screen, said film strip carrying instruction items (4) and response items (5-8), at least one response item representing a correct answer, and further carrying at least one response code track (a, b, c, d), said at least one code track having a first optical density, and spots of substantially different optical density placed in coded position on said at least one track at predetermined position on the film, the position of said spots on the film being associated with previously selected response items, the correct answer being represented by a selected spot on a predetermined track, the spot associated with a response item at said predetermined track being positioned on the film in predetermined relation with the correct response item;

a pointer (FIG.

     5) adapted to be manipulated by a student to indicate a selected response item, said pointer having a photosensitive end responsive to light values associated with the response item;

movable masking means (12) movable (50) to scan across at least the response code track and the response items, the mask associating light values of the spot at a predetermined track with the correct response item;

means (32,

     33) starting the scanning of said masking means (12);

at least one optical-electrical transducer means (21-24) located in light-receiving relation with respect to said at least one response code track; and

logic means (FIG.

     6) coupled to said transducer means and to said photosensitive end (29) of the pointer and detecting coincidence bEtween change in light values of the photosensitive end of the pointer and a specific transducer means associated with a specific track upon movement of said mask.

2. Machine according to claim 1 including means indexing the film strip by one or more frames;

a plurality of coded tracks and an associated transducer means being provided;

wherein the logic circuit controls the indexing of the film strip by a predetermined number of frames in dependence on detection of coincidence of change of light value at the photosensitive end of the pointer and at the transducer means associated with the tracks, each track having assigned thereto a predetermined number of frames being indexed.

3. Machine according to claim 2 answer is represented by a spot on a predetermined code track, and a spot at the predetermined track is aligned, on the film, with respect to movement of the mask with a corresponding response item;

wherein the predetermined answer corresponds to the maximum number of frames being indexed.

4. Machine according to claim 2 including circuit means controlled by said photosensitive end of the pointer controlling the indexing of the film in accordance with the number of frames commanded by said logic circuit.

5. Machine according to claim 1 wherein the spot representing the correct answer is a transparent area on an opaque track;

and the transducer means is located to have a pulse transduced therein upon scanning of said transparent area by said masking means.

6. Machine according to claim 1 wherein the response code track is opaque and the correct answer is represented by a transparent spot on the opaque track;

and said response items are represented by bright spots projected on the screen, the photosensitive end being adapted to respond to the bright spots on the screen upon scanning by said masking means.

7. Machine according to claim 1 wherein the response code track is transparent and the correct answer is represented by an opaque spot on the transparent track;

and said response items are represented by bright spots projected on the screen, the photosensitive end being adapted to respond to the bright spots on the screen upon scanning by said masking means.

8. Machine according to claim 1 wherein said mask is an opaque element at least slightly wider than the spots to blank the spots upon scanning of the masking means for short instances of time to provide output pulses to said transducer means, said pulses being applied to said logic means.

9. Machine according to claim 1 wherein said logic means includes a group of AND gates having one input connected to said photosensitive end and another input connected to respective transducer means associated with a respective response code track.

10. Machine according to claim 1 including means indexing the film strip by one or more frames, and wherein the logic means includes a preset counter (42) the output of said counter controlling the number of frames being indexed in accordance with sensed coincidence between the outputs from said photosensitive end and the transducer means, said indexing means stopping the film after a selected number of frames, as determined by the counter, have been indexed.

11. Machine according to claim 1 including means indexing the film strip by one or more frames, wherein the film carries main instruction items and sub-instruction items and the indexing means indexes said film under control of said logic circuit to present a selected sub-instruction item, or the next main instruction item, in accordance with the answer given by the student as indicated by presenting the photosensitive end to a selected response item.

12. Machine according to claim 1 including means indexing the film strip by one or two frames, said film carrying, in alternate sequence, sub-instruction items and main instruction items, the film having a single response code track, the correct answer being indicated by a spot of differential optical transmIssivity in a predetermined position on said code track.

13. Teaching machine comprising an image projector projecting an image having instruction items, response items and at least one response code track thereon, said instruction items and said response items being projected on a screen;

said response items being represented by zones of differential light flux with respect to the surrounding area of the film and said response code track having spots of differential light transmissivity;

first photosensitive means adapted to be placed in light receiving relation with respect to said zones;

second photosensitive means adapted to be placed in light receiving relation with respect to said spots;

movable masking means sequentially masking selected response items and spots; and

a logic circuit means connected to said first photosensitive means and to said second photosensitive means and detecting coincident pulses from said first and said second photosensitive means and controlling subsequent projection of images.

14. Machine according to claim 13 wherein said first photosensitive means is a photosensitive end of a pointer adapted to be placed by a student at a selected zone;

film transport means are provided; and

the number of frames transported by said film transport means is determined by said logic circuit by decoding of detected coincidence of pulses from said photosensitive end and the pulse from said second photosensitive means responsive to light from a particular spot.