RESPONSE SYSTEM WITH COMMON CIRCUITRY FOR MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS

• US 3,694,935 A
• Filed: 08/10/1970
• Issued: 10/03/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Link Flight Simulation Corporation Kirkwood Industrial Park Binghamton NY 13902-1237
• Original Assignee: Bernard Mortimer Segal, David Friedman
• Inventors: Friedman, David, Segal, Bernard Mortimer
• Primary Examiner(s): Michell, Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wolff, J. H.
• Application Number:
  US05/062,280
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 35/9,48
• US Class Current: 434/336
• 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

An improved response and scoring system for use in teaching and testing apparatus which permits reducing the number of wires between a student'"'"''"'"'s responder station and an instructor'"'"''"'"'s console, provides simultaneous correct answer reinforcement on an individual or class basis, allows selective transfer of student response data to the common computational circuitry in a simple manner, and allows selected groups of student responses to be displayed on the instructor'"'"''"'"'s console.

Claims

1. Educational teaching apparatus comprising:

a. a plurality of student response devices each having two or more manually operable single pole, two terminal, momentary switches and a visual indicator associated with each switch;

b. a central control unit;

c. a single input wire to said central control unit from each of said response devices connected in common to one terminal of all of said switches;

d. a single output wire from said control unit to each of said response devices connected in common to all of said visual indicators;

e. a number of signal wires equal to the number of said switches on each response device, each of said signal wires corresponding to a particular one of said switches and each of said signal wires connected to the remaining terminal of said switch and its associated indicator lamp in all of said responders;

f. first means associated with said central control unit providing, at high frequency, voltage pulses sequentially to each of said signal wires in a manner such that only one of said signal wires has a voltage on it at one time;

g. second means associated with said central control unit for preselecting one of said switches of each response device as the proper one to be actuated in response to preselected stimuli; and

h. third means responsive to said second means and providing, after operation of any of said responder switches, outputs on said single output wires associated with said responders in which said switches were operated at the same time as said first means is providing an output to the signal wire connected to the indicators corresponding to said proper switch, thereby indicating to the student which switch was the proper one to be actuated.

2. Educational teaching apparatus comprising:

a. a plurality of student response devices each having two or more manually operable single pole, two terminal, momentary switches and a visual indicator associated with each switch;

b. a central control unit;

c. a single input wire to said central control unit from each of said response devices connected in common to one terminal of all of said switches;

d. a single output wire from said control unit to each of said response devices connected in common to all of said visual indicators;

e. a number of signal wires equal to the number of said switches on each response device, each of said signal wires corresponding to a particular one of said switches and each of said signal wires connected to the remaining terminal of said switch and its associate indicator lamp in all of said responders;

f. signal generation means providing, at high frequency, voltage pulses sequentially to each of said signal wires in a manner such that only one of said signal wires has a voltage on it at one time; and

g. a plurality of means equal in number to said plurality of responders having as inputs said single input wires, and responsive to operation of any of said switches on their associated responders and providing an output signal on said single output wires at the same time as said first means is providing an output on the one of said number of signal wires to the indicators corresponding to the one of said switches which has been operated, thereby indicating to the student which switch has been selected.

3. Educational teaching apparatus comprising:

a. a plurality of student response devices each having two or more manually operable single pole, two terminal, momentary switches and a visual indicator associated with each switch;

b. a central control unit;

c. a single input wire to said central control unit from each of said response devices connected in common to one terminal of all of said switches;

d. a single output wire from said control unit to each of said response devices connected in common to all of said visual indicators;

e. a number of signal wires equal to the number Of said switches on each response device, each of said signal wires corresponding to a particular one of said switches and each of said signal wires connected to the remaining terminal of said switch and its associated indicator lamp in all of said responders. f. first means associated with said central control unit providing, at high frequency, voltage pulses sequentially to each of said signal wires in a manner such that only one of said signal wires has a voltage on it at one time;

g. second means associated with said central control unit for preselecting one of said switches of each response device as the proper one to be actuated in response to preselected stimuli;

h. third means responsive to said second means and providing, after operation of any of said responder switches, outputs on said single output wires associated with said responders in which said switches were operated at the same time as said first means is providing an output to the signal wire connected to the indicators corresponding to said proper switch, thereby indicating to the student which switch was the proper one to be actuated; and

i. a plurality of means equal in number to said plurality of responders having as inputs said single input wires, and responsive to operation of any of said switches on their associated responders and providing an output signal on said single output wires at the same time as said first means is providing an output on the one of said number of signal wires to the indicators corresponding to the one of said switches which has been operated, thereby indicating to the student which switch has been selected.

4. The invention according to claim 3 wherein said central control unit contains groups of individual indicator means corresponding to the indicators of each of said response devices, said number of signal wires is connected to one side the corresponding ones of said individual indicator means and a second single output wire from said plurality of means and said third means is provided to the other side of all individual indicators in its associated group.

5. The invention according to claim 3 wherein said second means comprises a multiposition switch corresponding to the switch positions on said response devices.

6. The invention according to claim 3 wherein said plurality of means comprises electrical gating and latching means, one set of said gating and latching means being provided for each of said response devices, each of said sets containing a number of electrical latches equal to the number of manually operable switches on said student response devices, and each latch corresponding to a given one of said switches.

7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said signal wires are also connected to said plurality of means.

8. The invention according to claim 7 wherein actuation of one of said switches causes a latch in said gating and latching means to latch and to place an output pulse on said single output wire at the same time as a voltage pulse appears on the signal wire means of said first means connected to the indicator lamps in the switch position corresponding to the switch actuated.

9. The invention according to claim 6 and further including an Or gate having as inputs the output of said fourth means and the output of said third means and having an output connected to said single output wire.

10. The invention according to claim 9 where said third means comprises:

a. correct answer input means providing an output signal appearing at the same time said first means is providing an output to the indicator corresponding to the switch preselected by said second means; and

b. correct answer gating means connected to said correct answer input means providing an output to said Or gate.

11. The invention according to claim 10 wherein the output of said fourth means causes said indicators to appear to be on constantly and the output of said third means causes said indicators to appear to flash.

12. The inventiOn according to claim 10 wherein said correct answer gating means is responsive to an instructor controlled enabling means whereby said correct answer gating means will have an output only when an output from said enabling means is present.

13. The invention according to claim 12 wherein an absence of an output from said enabling means permits a change of output of said fourth means in response to a new switch operation and wherein the presence of said command disables a change of output of said fourth means.

14. The invention according to claim 13 wherein changes in output of said fourth means are accomplished by shift register means connected to each set of gating and latching means said shift register means advancing each time a latch is set and resetting all latches in a set of gating and latching means when a second latch is set, said reset lasting for only one cycle of voltage pulses from said first means allowing the second latch to set during the next cycle of voltage pulses said pulses being at a frequency such that the student cannot remove his finger in the time required for two cycles.

15. The invention according to claim 14 wherein said enabling means comprises mode selection means connected to the correct answer gating means allowing, in one mode, said gating means to be enabled as soon as the student makes a selection and latches one of the latches in the set of gating and latching means corresponding to his response device in which case the shift register means is disabled after one selection, and, in the other mode, not enabling the correct answer gating means until the instructor commands it enabled thus allowing response selections to be changes for a period of time selected by the instructor.