TACTILE RESPONSE TEACHING SYSTEM

• US 3,704,337 A
• Filed: 04/07/1969
• Issued: 11/28/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John C. Sims Jr, Lloyd D. Brace Jr
• Original Assignee: John C. Sims Jr, Lloyd D. Brace Jr
• Inventors: Sims, John C. Jr., Brace, Lloyd D. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, Wm. H.
• Application Number:
  US04/813,930
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 35/9,35.3,8A
• US Class Current: 434/312
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• 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 teaching system for supplying visual and audible teaching information to a student in a teaching sequence determined by the tactile response of the student to the audible information, comprising a machine actuable to sequentially feed a sequence of cards from a supply station to a viewing station and then back to the supply station. The cards bear printed visible choice fields on one side, and, on the opposite side, printed circuits and recorded audible sound tracks. There is a platen on the machine adapted to cooperate with printed circuits on a card in viewing position. Interposed between the card and the platen is a compressible mask operable by a student'"'"''"'"'s finger touching a choice point on the choice field to deform and permit a connection between a selected choice point on the card and the platen. There is programmable apparatus in the machine for reproducing audible tracks on a card in viewing position in a sequence determined by a program established by the printed circuits on the card in position.

Claims

1. A teaching machine comprising a set of teaching cards each including directly sensible information on one surface thereof, means for individually inserting said cards into sensing position, tactile response means positioned with respect to a card in said sensing position such that depressing specific portions of the sensible information on said card results in said machine producing a further sensible response, and wherein said card includes thereon a series of audio tracks and wherein the machine includes transducer means actuable to convert said audio tracks into audible signals, said tactile response means producing actuating signals to said transducer determining which of said audio tracks are used to produce the audible signals.

2. A teaching machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said transducer means includes a plurality of sensing heads positioned to underlie specific ones of said audio tracks when one of said cards is in the sensing position and bi-directional driving means for driving said sensing heads along the audio tracks in either direction.

3. A teaching machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for individually inserting said cards into a sensing position comprises, a tray for holding a vertical stack of said teaching cards, a transport mechanism for inserting the bottom one from said stack into said sensing position upon receipt of an actuating signal of a first type and for removing a card from said sensing position and placing it on the top of said stack in response to an actuating signal of a second type, said tray being pivoted such that, upon receipt of an actuating signal of said second type, the end of said tray nearest to said sensing position is vertically displaced downwardly to enable the card being returned from said sensing position to be placed on top of said stack.

4. A teaching machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said teaching card is held in said sensing position in a vertically movable frame, said vertically movable frame having a first, upper position in which said transducer means are brought into operative contact with said audio tracks and said tactile response means are brought into operative contact with a surface of said teaching cards and a second, lower position which allows free movement of selected ones of said teaching cards from said set into the said sensing position and from said sensing position into said set.

5. A teaching machine comprising a set of flexible cards carrying visual information on one surface thereof, a first set of spaced electrical contacts on the opposite surface thereof underlying said visual information, a plurality of audio tracks on one of said surfaces, and a second set of electrical contacts selectively connected electrically to specific ones of said first set, means for storing a plurality of said cards and for transporting said cards in an ordered sequence one at a time to a viewing position, audio transducing means positioned to operatively engage said audio tracks when a card is in the viewing position circuit means within said machine including electrical contacts underlying said viewing position such that manual depression of specific portions of the visual information carrying areas of said card in viewing position provides circuit closures to control the sequencing of selection of audio tracks to be converted to audible signals and to control the removal from and insertion into the viewing position of said cards.

6. A teaching card comprising, a sheet of flexible material, a set of reproducible audio tracks recorded on said sheet in a first region thereof, a set of spaced electrical contacts printed on a second region of said sheet, a visual choice field graphically divided into a set of choice regions printed on a first side of said sheet in a third region thereof, a set of choice point contacts printed on a second side of said sheet opposite said first side, each choice point contact being located opposite a different one of said choice regions, and, a set of conductors printed on said sheet and interconnecting said choice point contacts and a set of said spaced electrical contacts to form a card carried teaching machine programming and control circuit.

7. A teaching machine comprising, means for moving a stack of teaching cards sequentially into and out of position at a viewing station, programmable audio reproducing means for reproducing audible information recorded on said cards, said programmable reproducing means comprising a first set of machine contacts adapted to register with a first portion of a card at said viewing station and a second spaced set of contact points forming an array positioned to register with a second portion of a card at said viewing station, a set of flexible teaching cards adapted to be mounted on said machine for manipulation thereby, each card having audio information recorded thereon and comprising on one side a visual choice field inscribed on and occupying an area adapted to overly said second portion and divided into a plurality of choice regions, and on the opposite side of the card, a set of choice point contacts each in a different one of said choice regions and adapted to engage a different one of the contact points in said array, a resilient insulating mask overlying said array for resiliently spacing a teaching card at said viewing position from said array, apertures formed in said mask exposing the contact points in said array, whereby selecting a choice point region on a card in viewing position by manually depressing the selected region will connect a choice point contact on said card opposite the selected choice point region to a mating contact point in said array, a second set of spaced terminal contacts formed on each card in position to engage said first set of machine contacts, and electrical connections on each card between the choice point contacts and selected ones of said set of terminal contacts to form a complete card determined manually sequenced program for the teaching machine when a card is in said viewing position.

8. A teaching machine in accordance with claim 7 wherein said card includes a number of discrete audio tracks and wherein said machine includes audio transducer means for sensing the signals on said tracks and converting said signals to audible signals, the sequence of playing of said audio tracks being controlled by said card determined manually sequenced program.

9. A teaching machine in accordance with claim 8 wherein manual depression of selected choice regions on said card connecting particular ones of said choice point contacts to particular ones of the contacts in said array, acts to operate a motor driving said audio transducer means to pass along said discrete audio tracks, the particular contacts connected determining which track is converted to audible signals.

10. A teaching machine in accordance with claim 9 and including a response signal light, said light being lit only when said audio means has completed its pass along said tracks thereby indicating that said machine is in condition for another manual selection.

11. A card for the presentation of information comprising a card member having, on a first side a first generalized area in which there is inscribed a visual choice field graphically divided into a set of choice regions, a set of choice point contacts formed on said card member opposite said first side, each opposite a different choice region bearing visual information, at least one reproducible sound track disposed in a second generalized area on said card and having audio information recorded on said track related to the visual information in said first generalized area, printed circuits disposed in a third generalized area on said card, and connections between said choice point contacts and said printed circuits defining a logical relationship between said visual information and said reproducible audio information.

12. The card of claim 11 wherein said choice field is subdivided into a rectangular grid array of sub-areas respectively bearing different visual information.

13. A teaching machine comprising, sound reproducing means operable in a set of reproducing modes to produce for each mode a specific audible message, an electrically conducting platen, a first set of spaced electrical contacts, means controlled by a predetermined set of electrical connections between said platen and ones of said first contacts for activating said sound reproducing means in particular ones of its several modes, a resilient mask on said platen formed with apertures exposing a spaced set of points on said platen, and a set of flexible teaching cards each inscribed on one side with a visible choice field graphically divided into a set of choice regions and formed on the other side with choice point contacts each adapted to engage said platen at a different point when the card is placed on the platen and the associated choice region is depressed, said card having a plurality of audio tracks on one of said surfaces having audio messages to be reproduced by said sound reproducing means, a second set of spaced contacts on said card adapted to engage said first set of contacts, and printed circuit connections on each card between said choice print contacts and said second set of contacts to form a student actuated program for the teaching machine when the card is placed on the platen.

14. A teaching machine for use with a set of flexible teaching cards having on one surface visible choice fields divided into a set of choice regions and on thE opposite surface a set of electrical contacts, said card also having audible information recorded on one of said surfaces, said machine comprising, means for moving individual ones of said set of said teaching cards sequentially into and out of position at a viewing station, programmable reproducing means comprising a first set of electrical contacts positioned to register with a first portion of a card at said viewing station and a second spaced set of electrical contacts forming an array positioned to register with a second portion of a card at said viewing station and an audio read out element positioned to be in operative contact with the audible information recorded on said teaching cards when said cards are in position at said viewing station.

15. A machine in accordance with claim 14 and including circuit means responsive to the closure of contact points from said second set of spaced contacts and electrical contacts on a card in said viewing position to control the programmable audio reproducing means.