ALPHANUMERIC TACTILE INFORMATION COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 3,831,296 A
• Filed: 08/02/1972
• Issued: 08/27/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edward D. Hagle
• Original Assignee: Edward D. Hagle
• Inventors: Hagle, Edward D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, Wm. H.
• Application Number:
  US05/277,384
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 35/35A,1,8R,5,6 178/DIG.32 340/407
• US Class Current: 434/112
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/04 Devices for conversing with the deaf-blind

Abstract

A method and system for communicating with the blind and deaf person produces a sequence of electrical impulses corresponding to the characters on a typewriter keyboard. The impulses are employed to selectively actuate corresponding stimulators positioned on a surface areas of the handicapped person'"'"''"'"'s body and arranged generally in the pattern of such keyboard. Each stimulator, upon being actuated, stimulates a portion of such area of skin corresponding to the character of the keyboard. A specific example of apparatus employed in the above method and system includes a typewriter terminal connected to a pair of gloves having a plurality of stimulators embedded therein.

Claims

1. A system for communicating with a person which comprises:

impulse-producing means for producing a selected sequence of impulses each corresponding to an alphanumeric character;

a plurality of stimulator elements actuatable by said impulses, each said stimulator element comprising an impulse-operated mechanical stimulator device;

means for holding said stimulator elements in discrete locations on a surface area of the body of said person with said elements arranged in a predetermined portion in which the discrete body location of each of said stimulator elements represents a single discrete said character;

said impulse-producing means being remote from said stimulator elements; and

means for delivering said sequence of impulses to selected ones of said stimulator elements to selectively actuate each of said stimulator elements by the impulses corresponding to the character represented by the location of such stimultor element.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said producing means is a keyboard having keys arranged in a predetermined pattern and said keyboard includes means for producing said impulses as a result of sequentially striking said keys, said sTimulator elements being arranged on the fingers of said person in a pattern corresponding to said pattern of said keys and in which a stimulator element corresponds to a character on a key of said keyboard and is located on the finger which is employed to strike such key during touch system operation of said keyboard.

3. The system of claim 2 which includes means for multiplex transmission of said impulses from said keyboard to said stimulator elements to transmit all of said impulses from said keyboard through a single communication channel.

4. The system of claim 1 in which said means for holding said stimulator elements is a pair of gloves of flexible material which support each stimulator element.

5. A system according to claim 1 for communication between two persons comprising:

said impulse-producing means including first and second keyboard means operable one by each of said persons for producing a sequence of electrical impulses each corresponding to a character on the keys of a typewriter keyboard;

said mechanical stimulator devices including a first set of electrically actuated stimulator elements each corresponding to one of said characters and with said set being disposed in the general pattern of said typewriter keyboard on a surface area of the body of one of said persons; and

a second set of electrically actuated stimulator elements each corresponding to one of said characters and with said set being disposed in the general pattern of said typewriter keyboard on a surface area of the body of the other of said persons; and

means for delivering the electrical impulses from said first keyboard means and said second keyboard means to said first and second sets of stimulators respectively to selectively actuate in selected sequence the stimulator elements respective corresponding to said electrical impulses.