Educational audio playback device including hidden graphical images located below pivoting button elements

• US 6,029,042 A
• Filed: 03/29/1999
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leah Yaron-Moallim
• Original Assignee: Leah Yaron-Moallim
• Inventors: Yaron-Moallim, Leah
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Bena B.
• Application Number:
  US09/277,826
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 434/238, 434/308, 434/309, 434/318, 434/320, 446/141, 446/142, 496/309, 496/310, 496/311, 496/312, 496/408
• US Class Current: 434/309
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/3016 Telephones
• 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

Abstract

A novel educational audio playback device is disclosed which, in the preferred embodiment, is in the shape of a simulated telephone. On the body of the apparatus are a plurality of buttons, each of the buttons having a hinged cover mounted thereon. These hinged covers have indicia on their front, this indicia, in the preferred embodiment, being letters of an alphabet. Upon the user opening the hinged cover, a simulated sound of a telephone ringing is generated and the associated button is exposed. On each of the buttons is a symbol or picture that is representative of a character, object or thing that is related to the letter of the alphabet on the hinged cover. The letter "H", for example, could contain a picture of a nursery rhyme figure, such as Humpty Dumpty. Upon the user depressing the associated button, an index is generated that tells a circuit or microprocessor where on the internal sound storage portion of the device is to be found the appropriate sound segment. In the proposed circumstance, a voice would introduce itself as Humpty Dumpty, would note that Humpty Dumpty begins with the letter H, and would, perhaps, recite some or all of the nursery rhyme. The two-step process involved assists in the user remembering the relationship between the letter indicia, and the symbol or character associate with it. Various alphabets could be displayed, with an appropriate symbology and various types of sound storage devices, such as Compacts Discs, audio tape, RAM or ROM could be used, and additionally the unit could simply be used as an audio playback device.

Claims

1. An educational learning system comprising:

a main body, said main body including a plurality of buttons, each said button including a hinged cover associated therewith, each said hinged cover including a sensor switch with means to sense whether each said hinged cover is in an open or a closed position, and where each said button further includes an activation switch with signal generation means to generate a unique specific signal for each said button when one said button is manually engaged;

alert sound means, said alert sound means including a speaker, said speaker emitting a predetermined alert sound when any of said sensor switches of any of said hinged covers senses that any of said hinged covers in an open position;

a signal processing means, where said signal processing means generates an index for an audio playback device, said index determined by each unique specific signal from each of said plurality of buttons when one said button is manually engaged; and

where

said audio playback device plays a predetermined audio segment depending on said generated index.

2. The educational learning system according to claim 1 wherein said audio playback device is a compact disc player containing a compact disc and said generated index refers to a specific track on said compact disc.

3. The educational learning system according to claim 2, wherein said hinged cover includes unique indicia on its outer surface and where said associated button of each said hinged cover includes a unique symbol relating to said unique indicia.

4. The educational learning system according to claim 2, wherein said main body of said system is simulative of a telephone and includes a handset, said handset including a mouthpiece portion and an earpiece portion, and where said predetermined audio segment is played through a second speaker in said earpiece portion.

5. The educational learning system according to claim 4, wherein said predetermined alert sound is indicative of the ringing of a telephone.

6. The educational learning system according to claim 5, wherein alert sound means speaker is located exteriorly of said main body.

7. The educational learning system according to claim 5, wherein alert sound means speaker is said earpiece portion speaker.

8. The educational learning system according to claim 1 wherein said audio playback device is an audio tape player containing a audio tape disc and said generated index refers to a specific location on said audio tape.

9. The educational learning system according to claim 8, wherein said hinged cover includes unique indicia on its outer surface and where said associated button of each said hinged cover includes a unique symbol relating to said unique indicia.

10. The educational learning system according to claim 8, wherein said main body of said system is simulative of a telephone and includes a handset, said handset including a mouthpiece portion and an earpiece portion, and where said predetermined audio segment is played through a second speaker in said earpiece portion.

11. The educational learning system according to claim 10, wherein said predetermined alert sound is indicative of the ringing of a telephone.

12. The educational learning system according to claim 11, wherein alert sound means speaker is located exteriorly of said main body.

13. The educational learning system according to claim 11, wherein alert sound means speaker is said earpiece portion speaker.

14. The educational learning system according to claim 1 wherein said audio playback device has a programmable electronic memory and said generated index refers to a specific location in memory.

15. The educational learning system according to claim 14, wherein said hinged cover includes unique indicia on its outer surface and where said associated button of each said hinged cover includes a unique symbol relating to said unique indicia.

16. The educational learning system according to claim 14, wherein said main body of said system is simulative of a telephone and includes a handset, said handset including a mouthpiece portion and an earpiece portion, and where said predetermined audio segment is played through a second speaker in said earpiece portion.

17. The educational learning system according to claim 16, wherein said predetermined alert sound is indicative of the ringing of a telephone.

18. The educational learning system according to claim 17, wherein alert sound means speaker is located exteriorly of said main body.

19. The educational learning system according to claim 17, wherein alert sound means speaker is said earpiece portion speaker.

20. The educational learning system according to claim 3 wherein said symbol is chosen to be a children'"'"'s character.