Controlled reading device

• US 3,905,695 A
• Filed: 03/01/1973
• Issued: 09/16/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stanford E. Taylor
• Original Assignee: Stanford E. Taylor
• Inventors: Taylor, Stanford E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haroian, Harry N.
• Application Number:
  US05/337,151
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 353/111,108,25-27,15-19,120,122,43,95 35/35B 40/106.1
• US Class Current: 353/111
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/001 Slide projectors
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/04 for increasing the rate of reading; Reading rate control

Abstract

A controlled reading method and apparatus useful in improving a person'"'"''"'"'s ability to view and to comprehend reading material in line by line sequence wherein each line is unveiled and occluded to view in segments in the direction of reading from the beginning of the line to the end of the line with the beginning and central segments being scanned and occluded at controlled rates of speed which may be related to the person'"'"''"'"'s reading ability and with the beginning segment being unveiled at a relatively more rapid rate and the terminal segment being occluded at a relatively more rapid rate whereby the transition from the end of each line to the beginning of the succeeding line is more rapid and a relatively greater length of reading material is more rapidly exposed at the beginning of the next line to facilitate recognition. The unveiling scanning and occluding of the segments of the line may be accomplished by means of a movable mask or shutter with an aperture shiftable with respect to each line so as to scan the line from beginning to end with the said aperture being in the form of an elongated or helical slot arranged at an angle with respect to the length axis of the line to be scanned with the initial portion of the slot being disposed in a downward direction and the terminal portion in an upward direction with respect to the axis of the line and with the leading and trailing edges of the central segment of the slot and the trailing edge of the initial segment of the slot being disposed at relatively greater angles to said length axis of the line than the remaining edges of the slot and with the trailing edge of the terminal segment and the leading edge of the initial segment of the slot being disposed at a relatively lesser angle to the length axis of the line. The lines of reading material may be formed on a film strip mounted on a stick slide having ratchet-like notches formed along the sides of the slide and advanced line by line by means of mechanism actuated by operation of the shutter. Various controls are provided whereby the reading range can be varied, the film stopped at any line, moved backwards to repeat a line, or advanced manually, or lines of material can be projected tachistoscopically.

Claims

1. A reversible slide stick for use with a film projector of the type having a gravity feed for the slide stick and having a pawl mechanism in the projector for releasing the film strip for gravity feed so as to project successive lines of visual material on the film strip, said slide stick comprising:

an elongated member having successive lines of visual material displayed thereon for projection through said projector and a pair of spaced rows or ratchet teeth extending lengthwise of said member with each row being adjacent a longitudinal edge of the member and being in synchronized relationship with respect to lines of visual material and for releasable engagement by the pawl mechanism of the projector; and

the teeth extending out of the plane of the member containing the visual material displayed thereon and one row pointing downward to form a shoulder in one direction for engagement with the pawl mechanism and to permit free movement in the other direction and the other row of teeth pointing downward in the opposite direction tO the first row of teeth to thereby permit reversibility of the member in use with the projector.

2. A reversible slide stick for use with a film projector of the type having a gravity feed for the slide stick and having a pawl mechanism in the projector for releasing the film strip for gravity feed so as to project successive lines of visual material on the film strip, said slide stick comprising:

an elongated member having first and second successive lines of visual material displayed thereon in parallel columns for projection through said projector with said columns being in relatively inverted relationship with respect to each other and first and second rows of ratchet teeth extending lengthwise of said member in association with said first and second columns of visual material and also in inverted relationship with respect to each other and in synchronized relationship with respect to the lines of visual material in said columns and adapted for releasable engagement by the pawl mechanism of the projector; and

the rows of ratchet teeth being spaced with each row being adjacent a longitudinal edge of the member and the teeth extending out of the plant of the member containing the visual material displayed thereon and one row pointing downward to form a shoulder in one direction for engagement with the pawl mechanism and to permit free movement in the other direction and the other row of teeth pointing downward in the opposite direction to the first row of teeth to thereby permit reversibility of the member in use with the projector.

3. An improved projector for use with a reversible slide stick of the type having visual material displayed thereon in successive lines and having a pair of spaced rows of ratchet teeth extending longitudinally of the slide stick with each row being adjacent a longitudinal edge of the slide stick, said projector comprising:

a lens mechanism, a source of light, a vertical opening for receiving a slide stick in alignment with the lens mechanism and a pawl feed mechanism having operating means for engaging the successive ratchet teeth on a slide stick to alternately retain the slide stick and to release it for substantially vertically downward gravity feed; and

the teeth extending out of the plane of the member containing the visual material displayed thereon and one row pointing downward to form a shoulder in one direction for engagement with the pawl mechanism and to permit free movement in the other direction and the other row of teeth pointing downward in the opposite direction to the first row of teeth to thereby permit reversibility of the member in use with the projector.

4. In a projector of the type having a lens system and a source of light, the improvement which comprises:

an elongated reversible slide stick having visual material displayed thereon in successive lines and a pair of spaced rows of ratchet teeth extending longitudinally thereof with each row being adjacent a longitudinal edge of the slide stick receiving aperture in said projector with the slide stick disposed therein in alignment with the lens system, a pawl mechanism for engaging successive ratchet teeth on the slide stick and means for operating the pawl mechanism so as to alternately engage successive ratchet teeth to retain the slide stick in position with successive lines of visual material in alignment with the lens system and for releasing the ratchet teeth so that the slide stick feeds vertically downwardly under gravity; and

the teeth extending out of the plane of the slide stick containing the visual material displayed thereon and one row pointing downward to form a shoulder in one direction for engagement with the pawl mechanism and to permit free movement in the other direction and the other row of teeth pointing downward in the opposite direction to the first row of teeth to thereby permit reversibility of the member in use with the projector.