Apparatus for wireless transmission of a teaching program in a classroom

• US 4,229,829 A
• Filed: 03/16/1978
• Issued: 10/21/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Demolux GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Demolux GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Grunwald, Peter H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orsino, Jr., Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US05/887,114
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 250/199, 179/82, 179/156 R, 179/167, 179/2 A, 179/1 E, 320/2, 320/3, 320/4, 360/137, 360/69, 35/35 C
• US Class Current: 398/122
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information

Abstract

Apparatus for wireless transmission of a teaching program in a classroom comprises a transmitting unit comprising a casing which houses one or more tape recorders with operating elements, a microphone and a plurality of infrared transmitters. A removable cover which can be hung on the wall has additional infrared transmitters connected by a cable to the transmitting unit. Each student has a head set with an infrared receiver, earphones and a microphone. The transmitting unit is remotely controlled by a portable ultrasonic transmitter. When not in use, the headsets are placed in a cabinet where the batteries of the headset are charged by means of induction coils on the head sets being magnetically coupled with induction coils in the cabinet to which high frequency current is supplied. The students may also have cassette recorders which, when not in use, are placed in charging chambers where power is transmitted from primary windings in the chambers to secondary windings in the cassette recorders to charge the batteries of the recorders.

Claims

1. Apparatus for the wireless transmission of an instruction program in a classroom, comprising

a transmitting unit comprising a portable prismatic carrying case the size and shape of a suitcase adapted to rest on a table or desk in a flat position with one side of said case forming a top panel, at least one recording unit with operating elements, and an infrared transmitter for transmitting a recorded program from said recording unit housed in said case, said transmitter comprising a plurality of infrared transmitting diodes mounted on said top panel of said case and directed in at least two directions, and operating elements and indicating elements for said infrared transmitter and said recording unit mounted on said top panel,

a plurality of receiving units for individual students in the classroom, each of said receiving units comprising a headset comprising earphones connected by a bow, an infrared receiving diode mounted on said bow, a demodulator for signals received by said receiving diode, an amplifier for the demodulated signal and transducers in said earphones to convert an electrical signal output of said amplifier to a sound signal,

each of said receiving unit including an accumulator providing power for electronic circuitry of said receiving unit, said accumulator and electronic circuitry of said receiving unit being housed in said earphones, and built-in means for charging said accumulator, said charging means comprising an induction coil on the bow of said headset with an upwardly facing magnetic core and means for rectifying current induced in said coil and supplying the rectified current to said accumulator to charge it, and

a storage cabinet for said receiving units, said storage cabinet having therein a horizontally extending rail and a plurality of induction coils on said rail with downwardly facing magnetic cores in position to be magnetically coupled with said induction coils of said receiving units when placed in said storage cabinet, said magnetic cores of said headset and said storage cabinet having sufficient magnetic force to suspend said headsets from said induction coils in said storage cabinet by the mutual attraction of said cores, said induction coils of said storage cabinet serving as primary windings to induce current in said induction coils of the receiving units.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, in which a contact switch connecting said accumulator with electronic circuitry of said receiving unit is located on the inner edge of one of said earphones in position to contact the ear or head of a student wearing said headset to operate said switch to connect said circuitry to said accumulator when said headset is in operative position on the head of a student and to disconnect said circuitry from said accumulator when the headset is removed.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 in which said bow of the receiving unit is articulated with a plurality of links connected by at least one hinge joint, and in which a contact switch connecting said accumulator with electronic circuitry of said receiving unit is located at said hinge joint in position to be operated by hinge movement of said joint to connect said circuitry to said accumulator when said bow is expanded by the headset being placed on the head of a student and to disconnect said circuitry from said accumulator when said bow contracts upon the headset being removed.

2. Apparatus for the wireless transmission of an instruction program in a classroom, comprising

a transmitting unit comprising a portable prismatic carrying case the size and shape of a suitcase adapted to rest on a table or desk in a flat position with one side of said case forming a top panel, at least one recording unit with operating elements, and an infrared transmitter for transmitting a recorded program from said recording unit housed in said case, said transmitter comprising a plurality of infrared transmitting diodes mounted on said top panel of said case and directed in at least two directions, and operating elements and indicating elements for said infrared transmitter and said recording unit mounted on said top panel,

a plurality of receiving units for individual students in the classroom, each of said receiving units comprising a headset comprising earphones connected by a bow, an infrared receiving diode mounted on said bow, a demodulator for signals received by said receiving diode, an amplifier for the demodulated signal and transducers in said earphones to convert an electrical signal output of said amplifier to a sound signal,

each of said receiving units including an accumulator providing power for electronic circuitry of said receiving unit, said accumulator and electronic circuitry of said receiving unit being housed in said earphones, and built-in means for charging said accomulator, said charging means comprising an induction coil in said headset and means for rectifying current induced in said coil and supplying the rectified current to said accumulator to charge it, said induction coil being disposed in one of said earphones, and

a storage cabinet having separate compartments for the two earphones of each headset and having an induction coil adjacent each compartment for a headphone in which said induction coil is disposed, said induction coils of said storage cabinet serving as primary windings to induce current in said induction coils in said headphones of said receiving units.

5. Apparatus for the wireless transmission of an instruction program in a classroom, comprising

a transmitting unit comprising a portable prismatic carrying case the size and shape of a suitcase adapted to rest on a table or desk in a flat position with one side of said case forming a top panel, at least one recording unit with operating elements, and an infrared transmitter for transmitting a recorded program from said recording unit housed in said case, said transmitter comprising a plurality of infrared transmitting diodes mounted on said top panel of said case and directed in at least two directions, and operating elements and indicating elements for said infrared transmitter and said recording unit mounted on said top panel,

a plurality of receiving units for individual students in the classroom, each of said receiving units comprising a headset comprising earphones connected by a bow, an infrared receiving diode mounted on said bow, a demodulator for signals received by said receiving diode, an amplifier for the demodulated signal, transducers in said earphones to convert an electrical signal output of said amplifier to a sound signal, and a microphone mounted in position to receive the voice of a student wearing the headset,

a tape recorder for each student and means for selectively connecting said tape recorder with said infrared receiver and with said microphone of said headset, and

a storage cabiment for said students'"'"' tape recorders, each of said tape recorders including an accumulator and means for charging said accumulator, said charging means comprising an induction coil mounted in the rear of said tape recorder and means for rectifying current induced in said coil and supplying the rectified current to said accumulator, and said storage cabinet having compartments to receive said tape recorders, said compartments being inclined downwardly and rearwardly and having induction coils at the lower ends of said compartments in position to be magnetically coupled with said induction coils of said tape recorders when storaged in said cabinet, said induction coils of said storage cabinet serving as primary windings to induce current in said induction coils of said tape recorders.

6. Apparatus for the wireless transmission of an instruction program in a classroom, comprising

a transmitting unit comprising a portable prismatic carrying case the size and shape of a suitcase adapted to rest on a table or desk in a flat position with one side of said case forming a top panel, at least one recording unit with operating elements, and an infrared transmitter for transmitting a recorded program from said recording unit housed in said case, said transmitter comprising a plurality of infrared transmitting diodes mounted on said top panel of said case and directed in at least two directions, and operating elements and indicating elements for said infrared transmitter and said recording unit mounted on said top panel,

a plurality of receiving units for individual students in the classroom, each of said receiving units comprising a headset comprising earphones connected by a bow, an infrared receiving diode mounted on said bow, a demodulator for signals received by said receiving diode, an amplifier for the demodulated signal and transducers in said earphones to convert an electrical signal output of said amplifier to a sound signal, and

a removable cover for said case, said cover having a plurality of infrared transmitting diodes on its inner side, a plug-in cable for connecting said diodes of the cover to said transmitting unit and means for hanging said cover on a wall in position to direct said transmitting diodes of said cover toward students in the classroom, said transmitting diodes inside said cover being arranged in four rows parallel respectively to the four sides of said cover and spaced inwardly from respective sides of said cover.

7. Apparatus for the wireless transmission of an instruction program in a classroom comprising:

a transmitting unit comprising a portable prismatic carrying case the size and shape of a suitcase adapted to rest on a table or desk in flat position with one side of the case forming a top panel, an infrared transmitter housed in said case, a microphone mounted on said top panel of said case, a tape cassette recorder set in said top panel of said case, indicating instruments and control elements arranged on said top panel of said case including control elements for said infrared transmitter, for said tape cassette recorder and for selectively connecting said microphone with said tape cassette recorder and selectively connecting said microphone and said tape cassette recorder with said transmitter, and a plurality of transmitting diodes mounted on said top panel of said case and connected with said infrared transmitter, said diodes being arranged in three rows comprising a middle row extending along a front edge of said top panel parallel to front edge and facing forwardly and two side rows extending along opposite side edges of said top panel respectively and inclined at an obtuse angle of about 100°

to 120°

to said middle row, said transmitting diodes being inclined upwardly so that lower rays of said transmitting diodes are approximately horizontal and upper rays of said transmitting diodes are inclined upwardly at an angle of 30°

to 60°

to the horizontal, and

a plurality of receiving units for individual students in the classroom, each of said receiving units comprising a headset comprising earphones connected by a bow, an infrared receiving diode mounted on said bow, a demodulator for signals received by said receiving diode, an amplifier for the demodulated signal and transducers in said earphones for converting an electrical signal output of said amplifier to a sound signal.