Abstract:
An educational and entertaining device stimulates learning, creativity, imagination, and artistic interpretation. The principal elements in the device are flexible magnetic character pieces and geometrically shaped metallic chips which, when magnetized, form solid replicas in the shape of the flexible magnetic character pieces. The invention is activated by placing a preformed, flexible magnetic alphabet letter, numeral, animal or other character piece on an image board located in a bottom half of the device. Alternatively, separate magnetic character pieces may also be placed on the image board to form a series of artistic impressions. Once the device is closed and secured, the user shakes the device, thus causing the geometrically shaped metallic chips to form an impressionistic picture. All of the alphabet letters, numerals, animals, and other artistic shapes may be created by repeating the process with different flexible magnetic character pieces.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to education and, in particular, to an educational aid with substituable magnetic items for teaching children to recognize characters. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Teaching children, particularly of pre-school age, is a difficult and demanding job for many reasons, including the fact that they have a short attention span. Accordingly, it is often necessary for teachers and day-care counselors to resort to various &#34;gimmicks&#34; to capture and retain the attention of children. One such gimmick is the appearance of &#34;magic&#34; tricks using magnets and the like. 
     An educational aid using magnets is exemplified by the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,477 which issued to Weinstein on May 16, 1972. However, the educational aid of Weinstein is complicated and difficult for a child to use. 
     Toys using magnets were developed earlier and were simpler to use. However, they had limited educational value. Such magnetic toys are typified by the device disclosed in Italian Pat. No. 644,912 which issued to Pollato on Sept. 10, 1962, and in U.S. Pat. No. 417,931 which issued to Miatt on Dec. 24, 1889. 
     Therefore, it remains a problem to develop an attention-getting device of some educational value for children who can be easily taught either by a teacher, by a day-care counselor, or by the children themselves. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a primary object of the present invention to have an educational aid for use in teaching children, both at the pre-school and the early school-age levels, to recognize the letters of the alphabet, mathematical numerals, a variety of animals, and other common objects. 
     It is another object of the invention to develop an educational aid that is portable, easy to operate, and fun to use. 
     It is a further object of the invention to have a simply constructed educational aid that stimulates the artistic imagination of the children being taught as images are being formed and dissolved by metallic chips moved by magnets confined within a frame. 
     Essentially, the invention may be summarized as an educational aid in the shape of a picture frame having a plurality of substitutable magnetic items. The frame is hinged and may be opened so that one or more magnetic items may be placed in a holding space. When the frame is closed and latched shut, a selected item is retained behind an opaque protective sheet. Metallic chips or powder are confined in the frame in front of the protective sheet, but behind a transparent front film cover. When the metallic chips are swirled around by a teacher or a day-care counselor, they are held in positions predetermined by the selected magnetic items behind the protective sheet. When the teacher or day-care counselor holds up the image formed in the picture frame, the children are asked if they recognize the image, which may be of a letter, a number, an animal, or the like. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become more readily understood from an examination of the following brief description of the drawings and the subsequent detailed description of the two preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment in an opened position. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment in a closed position. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first embodiment in use. 
     FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 in FIG. 5. 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In FIG. 1, there is illustrated an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the educational aid in its entirety. From left to right, there is shown a first or top part 10 of a frame, a clear plastic film 12, a plurality of magnetizable metallic chips 14, a colored paper sheet 16, a protective plastic sheet 18, a substitutable magnetic item 20 which in this case is the capital letter &#34;A&#34;, a backing plate or board 22, and a second or bottom part 24 of the frame. 
     On the first part 10 of the frame, there is a pair of hinges 26 on one side and a VELCRO strip 28 on the other side thereof. The hinges 26 are fastened to one side of the second part 24 of the frame. Likewise, the strip 28 is fastened to the other side of the second part 24 of the frame by a patch 30 of VELCRO material. 
     In regard to the magnetic item 20, it is preformed by either cutting or stamping a flexible thin sheet of magnetic plastic into the desired shape of either one of the 26 letters of the alphabet or one of the ten arabic numerals. These 36 characters are supplied with each educational aid to make a standard kit. Furthermore, other magnetic items 20, preformed in the shape of well-known domestic animals and common household objects, may also be supplied with each educational aid in a larger kit, depending upon the age group of the children to be taught. 
     In FIG. 2, the first part 10 of the frame has been joined to the second part 24 by fastening the pair of hinges 26 along one side of the two parts 10 and 24 of the frame. The educational aid is shown in its open position with the flat magnetic item 20 resting in place on the backing plate or board 22. The protective plastic sheet 18 is shown on the underside of the first part 10 of the frame. The strip 28 with hooks extending therefrom is secured on the side opposite from the hinges 26 and is ready to engage the patch 30 on the same side of the second part 24 of the frame. 
     In FIG. 3, all elements shown in FIG. 1 have been collapsed together and the open educational aid seen in FIG. 2 has been closed and fastened shut by the strip 28 which extends across the sides of both the first part 10 and the second part 24 of the frame. Through the clear plastic film 12 which serves as a front cover, the metallic chips 14 are visible and confined thereunder on a top surface of the colored paper sheet 16 that serves as a background. Underneath the colored paper sheet 16, there is concealed the protective plastic sheet 18 (not shown in FIG. 3, but see FIG. 2) and the magnetic item 20 illustrated in phantom lines only. 
     In FIG. 4, the educational aid closed by the hinges 26 is shown to be shaken and tilted. These movements are indicated by the directional arrows and the phantom lines for the first part or the top half 10 and the second part or the bottom half 24 of the frame. As the frame is shaken and tilted by either the teacher or the day-care counselor or the child, the metallic chips 14 move in a first enclosed space defined by inner sides 10A and 10B (see FIG. 6) of the first part 10 of the frame, the clear stiff plastic film 12 which serves as a front cover, and the colored paper sheet 16 which serves as a bottom for the holding area or the first space. 
     The metallic chips 14 may be cut into different geometrical shapes, such as triangles, diamonds, and the like, so as to add unique highlights to the image formed whenever either natural sunlight or artificial light is reflected therefrom. 
     In FIG. 5, the plurality of metallic chips 14 has been captured and assembled under the front plastic film 12 and on top of the bottom colored paper sheet 16 by a strong magnetic field emitted by the concealed item 20 that is retained between the protective plastic sheet 18 (not shown in FIG. 5, but see FIG. 2) and the backing plate or board 22 (also not shown in FIG. 5, but likewise see FIG. 2). 
     As shown in FIG. 6, because the distance in a second space between the protective plastic sheet 18 and the backing plate or board 22 is slightly less than the thickness of each magnetic item 20, pressure sufficient to retain the selected magnetic item 20 is exerted by the hinges 26, in conjunction with the strip 28 and the patch 30, when the first part 10 and the second part 24 of the frame are closed tightly together. 
     In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, the holding area for the plurality of metallic chips 14 is also seen as defined by inner sides 10A and 10B of the first part 10 of a wooden frame, the front plastic film 12, and the colored paper sheet 16. 
     The protective plastic sheet 18 that underlays the colored paper sheet 16 has been included in FIG. 6 and can be viewed by a child looking in the direction of an arrow C. 
     A modification of the first embodiment in FIG. 6 would be that the colored paper sheet 16 is deliberately omitted. However, this modification is not acceptable because the advantage of having selectable background colors is lost by omitting the colored paper sheet 16. 
     In FIG. 7, a second embodiment of the educational aid is illustrated. There are some refinements in this second embodiment. First, the first part or top half 10 and the second part or bottom half 24 of the frame are both made of lightweight plastic. Second, the strip 28 and the patch 30 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6 are replaced by a metallic hook 38 and a first screw 40. Generally, the strip 28 of FIG. 6 and the hook 38 of FIG. 7 serve as latches while the patch 30 of FIG. 6 and the screw 40 of FIG. 7 serve as keepers. A second screw 42 fastens the hook 38 to the first part 10 of the frame. 
     As shown in FIG. 7, the first part 10 and the second part 24 of the frame are fastened together at one side by hinges 26, in a manner identical to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6. 
     Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the child views the educational aid in the direction of the arrow C and sees the front plastic film 12 and the plurality of metallic chips 14 confined therebehind in the first space defined by the film 12, the inner sides 10A and 10B of the first part 10 of the frame, and the colored paper sheet 16. The child would not see the protective plastic sheet 18 behind the colored paper sheet 16 in the second embodiment of FIG. 7. The magnetic item 20 is concealed from the child&#39;s view behind the opaque plastic sheet 18, but the presence of the item 20 is known from the magnetic field emitted thereby and the effect of this magnetic field on the plurality of metallic chips 14. 
     Another modification in the second embodiment of FIG. 7 is that the backing plate or board 22 is replaced by an indented backing section 24B which is formed by molding a plastic backing plate with the second part 24 of the frame into a unitized construction. 
     There are other modifications which may be made. For example, the thin stiff plastic film 12 on the front of the educational aid may be replaced by a clear rigid glass plate. However, this particular modification is not preferred because of the danger of injury to the child in the event that the educational aid is dropped and the glass plate breaks. 
     An example of another modification is that magnetizable powder may be substituted for the plurality of metallic chips 14. However, this modification is also not preferred because the powder is dirty and messy. Furthermore, the powder is lost over time as the educational aid is repeatedly used and reused. The preferred metallic chips 14 are neither dirty nor messy and are more likely to be found in the event of spillage from the educational aid. 
     In review, the invention and its operation may be described as follows. The frame of the educational aid is composed of two separate parts, i.e., the first part 10 and the second part 24, fastened together by the hinges 26 along one side thereof. The hinges 26 facilitate separation of the two parts 10 and 24 by allowing a user to lift the frame at the unhinged opposite side, when in an unlatched condition, to reveal the existence of the top half 10 and the bottom half 24, as best shown in FIG. 2. 
     The two parts comprising the frame have been discussed as the top half 10 and the bottom half 24 while the educational aid has been described as it would be used in a horizontally oriented position with the hinges 26 along the vertical side thereof. See FIGS. 1 and 5-7. 
     However, it should be understood that the two parts comprising the frame may also be discussed as the front half 10 and the rear half 24 while the educational aid may be described as it would be used in an upright or a vertically oriented position with the hinges 26 along either the top edge or the bottom edge of the frame. Each part 10 and 24 of the frame has a different function and is complete within itself, i.e., each may be manufactured separately. 
     The first part 10 of the frame contains the clear plastic safety film 12 that permits both the child and the teacher to view the image formed thereunder by the plurality of metallic chips 14 which may have different geometrical shapes that are assembled by the magnetic field emanating from a selected underlying item 20. The colored paper sheet 16 serves as a background on which the metallic chips 14 move. The plastic sheet 18 provides a protective backing for the colored paper sheet 16 against damage while assisting in the retention of the magnetic item 20 when the two parts 10 and 24 of the frame are closed tightly together. The first part 10 of the frame, the plastic film 12, the plurality of metallic chips 14, the colored paper sheet 16, and the protective plastic sheet 18 are preassembled together and sealed as a single unit which requires no further adjustments, alterations, or preparations by either the teacher, the day-care counselor, or the child. 
     The second part 24 of the frame contains a flat and smooth but hard backing plate or board 22 upon which one of a plurality of magnetic items 20 is selected and placed. If a backing plate is used, the plate may be either metal or plastic. However, if the board 22 seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6 is used, then the board 22 is made of wood. Similar to the first part 10 of the frame and its associated elements, the second part 24 of the frame is assembled together with its sole associated element, i.e., the backing plate or board 22, so that the second part 24 of the frame and the board 22 are completely self-contained as a second unit of the educational aid. 
     As in the case of the first unit comprising the top half 10 of the frame and its associated elements, the bottom half 24 of the frame and the backing plate or board 22 are preassembled and sealed as a single second unit which requires no further adjustments, alterations, or preparations by either the teacher, the day-care counselor, or the child. 
     In order to operate this invention, the user takes the closed educational aid shown in FIG. 3, unfastens the strip 28 from the patch 30 (not seen) on one side edge of the frame, and separates the top half 10 from the bottom half 24 by swinging the top half 10 around the hinges 26 so that the educational aid is in the open condition illustrated in FIG. 2. Next, the user selects one of the preformed flat magnetic items 20, which may be either a letter, a numeral, an animal, or another object, and places the item 20 on the top surface of the backing plate or board 22. Then, the top half 10 is swung about the hinges 26 until the protective plastic sheet 18 presses against the magnetic item 20. Thereafter, the user attaches the strip 28 to the patch 30 in order to fasten the top half 10 securely to the bottom half 24 of the frame with the magnetic item 20 firmly retained by friction between the first unit and the second unit. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the user either tilts the educational aid from side to side or moves the aid in a circular motion so that the metallic chips 14 are swirled and marshalled by the magnetic field emanating from the item 20 concealed beneath the colored paper sheet 16 until an image is formed under the plastic film 12 in the shape of the concealed item 20. Finally, either the teacher asks the school-age children or the day-care counselor asks the preschool children the name of the image formed. 
     After the children make a correct identification, the user may repeat the procedure by separating the strip 28 from the patch 30, opening up the educational aid by swinging the first part 10 about the second part 24, and secretly replacing the first selected magnetic item 20 with a different item 20. After closing the educational aid and fastening the first part 10 to the second part 24, the user again shakes the aid, as shown in FIG. 4, and asks the children to identify the second image formed by the plurality of metallic chips 14 acting under the influence of the magnetic field emanating from the second concealed item 20. 
     This educational aid can be used effectively by either the teacher or the day-care counselor for instructing groups of children or by the child for self-instruction. When used by the child, the ability to recognize characters is enhanced in two ways: first, by selecting and handling the magnetic items 20; and second, by observing the swirling metallic chips 14 as they are arranged by the strong magnetic field into an image predetermined by the form of the selected item 20. 
     The foregoing two preferred embodiments are considered illustrative only. Numerous other modifications will readily occur to those persons skilled in making teacher&#39;s aids after reading this specification. Consequently, the disclosed invention is not limited by the exact construction and operation shown and described above but rather is defined by the claims below.