Abstract:
An art training device. A graphics scroll presents various images suitable for tracing or copying, or blank spaces for freehand drawing, as it is wound or unwound on spindles. A transparent drawing sheet is mounted lust above the scroll for the user to practice on.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     There are numerous techniques for teaching art and drawing. A couple of features that might be desirable in a training device for children or aspiring artists or draftsmen might be: 1. a large inventory of sample drawings or pictures readily available to copy or trace, and 2. a practice surface that is easily erasable and can be used for either tracing and copying of practice samples or freehand drawing. The present invention provides these features.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     An transparent or translucent drawing sheet, preferably erasable, is mounted just over a scroll upon which are reproduced practice figures or graphics of various sorts for practice in tracing or copying on the erasable drawing sheet above the scroll. Blank areas on the scroll provide opportunity for freehand drawing on the drawing sheet above the scroll. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0003]      FIG. 1  shows the art training device in perspective showing the top and front.  
         [0004]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the invention taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1  showing the inner workings.  
         [0005]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the invention taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0006]      FIG. 4  shows a method of attaching a removable graphics scroll to a spindle.  
         [0007]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of another type of spindle. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , graphics scroll  1  has printed upon it various graphics such as picture  2  suitable for training persons in art by tracing or copying such pictures on a transparent or translucent sheet  3  mounted on frame  4  just above the scroll.  FIG. 3  shows this also, where  3  represents a transparent or translucent drawing sheet mounted above scroll  1 , and  3 ′ the moved position if the top of the device is opened. Areas of the scroll may also be left blank for practicing freehand drawing or copying.  
         [0009]     When the present invention is used with small children, it is advisable to keep their fingers out of the innards for safety and security by having the frame  4  completely enclosing the working parts, and all panels, including drawing sheet  3  and panels  7  and  8 , fixed or locked in a childproof manner. In  FIG. 1  this is achieved by affixing the unified top of the device, including panels  7  and  8  and drawing sheet  3 , to the frame at one end with hinges  9  and  10  and at the other end with lock  11  or some sort of childproof locking mechanism. An alternative construction could have panels  7  and  8  used for scroll access, lockable for use with small children. An additional safety feature would be knobs having sufficient bulk to be nonswallowable.  
         [0010]     Knobs  5  and  6  wind the scroll one way or the other to expose additional graphics or blank spaces. In  FIG. 2  it can be seen how knobs  5  and  6  turn scroll spindles  15  and  16  to wind and unwind the scroll. The spindles are mounted in frame  4  so that the section of scroll stretched between the spindles exposes a graphic for copying or tracing, or a blank area, or both. For smooth bidirectional scrolling with either knob and to prevent “bunching up” of the scroll, it is desirable that either knob turn both spindles simultaneously. In  FIG. 2  this is accomplished by connecting the spindles by a chain  20  that is driven by sprockets, such as  21  of  FIG. 4  or  47  of  FIG. 5 , that are mounted to the spindle ends and turn with them. Other means such as pulleys and a belt or a gear train could be used. This system works well with scrolls that are not overly long. If extremely long scrolls are used such that there is sometimes a considerable difference in diameter between the part of the scroll rolled on one spindle compared to the diameter of the scroll portion on the other spindle, then the scroll spindles must revolve at different speeds to prevent undue slackening or tightening of the paper web, and the chain  20  can be eliminated between spindles.  
         [0011]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , graphics scroll  1  is sandwiched between drawing sheet  3  and support plate  17 . Sheet  3  can be any sort of transparent or translucent drawing substrate through which the graphics on the scroll can be seen-glass, plastic, tracing paper. For economy it is desirable that an easily erasable combination of drawing sheet and artist media be employed, such as dry erase markers on plastic or glass. Polypropylene has been found to work well with dry erase markers. Optionally for use with a semi-transparent drawing material such as tracing paper, lights such as  18  could be used in conjunction with a transparent support sheet  17  for more clearly delineating the graphic to be traced.  
         [0012]     To offer a greater variety of graphics figures for practice, scroll  1  could be removable from its spindles so that it could be exchanged with other scrolls.  FIG. 4  shows a preferred method of attaching a removable graphics scroll  1  to the spindles. Spindle  15  has a cutout portion  30  in which is affixed hook  31 . Attached to scroll  1  is a tab  32  a portion  33  of which defines a hole that engages the hook  31 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  shows alternative possible constructions of the spindle and drive mechanism.  40  is a cardboard tube to which a graphics scroll is attached. There are tight-fitting plugs  41  and  50  at either end of the tube. The stopper rim portion  42  of plug  41  abuts against the end of the cardboard tube when the plug is inserted. The cardboard tube and two plugs make up a removable spindle. The spindles of  FIGS. 4 and 5  can be used in any combination—two of either type or one of each.  
         [0014]     Plug  41  is connected to knob shaft  45  by a disengageable male-female coupling made up of a female coupling portion  43  of Plug  41  that is engaged by the male part of the coupling  44  located at the end of the knob shaft  45 , which is turned by knob  46 , as is also sprocket  47  that is used to turn the other spindle by means of a chain. Various types of coupling can be used—square drive, star drive, splined shaft, for example. In this embodiment, sprocket  47  is recessed into the frame  4 , or even totally enclosed. This is advantageous to keep children&#39;s fingers or debris out of the chain drive. Optionally, knob shaft  45  might have a centering flange  48 , that is tapered or convex in the direction of a mating portion of plug  41 , for accurate centering of the cardboard tube for smooth scrolling.  
         [0015]     On the other side of the tube, plug  50  has an axial spring-loaded shaft  51  that engages and turns in a bearing  52  insert or portion of frame  4 . There is enough play between plug  50  and frame  4  so that if tube  40  is moved to the right, the male-female coupling at the left end of the tube is decoupled and the tube can be removed and replaced with a new tube with a different scroll. Needless to say, spring-loaded shaft  51  can be reversed; that is, the cup bearing made part of the plug and shaft  51  part of the frame.