Abstract:
A reading focus card that may be used to isolate a block or line of text and act as a concentrator to encourage and promote left to right eye-tracking. The focus card may be used in a variety of ways and may be provided as a kit and assembled by a user. The focus card includes aligned notches and aligned windows in front and rear sheets opening to a left margin of the card. A transparent plastic insert is installed in the windows. Front and rear sheets are held in assembly by an adhesive that allows the sheets to be picked apart multiple times and different inserts installed depending on the individual needs of the user.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a reading focus card to facilitate reading lines of text for persons of all reading ability and age levels. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     A broad population of people of all ages have trouble reading because they cannot focus on a block of text. Readers who have difficulty isolating individual blocks of text in a book, magazine or printed sheet may also have trouble eye-tracking in a steady, left to right motion. Unfortunately with children, attention is often centered on differentiating between causes and types of reading problems, e.g., dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADA) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and treating the child or adolescent with medications, the long term effects of which are not entirely known. Yet the fact is that people with a reading disability may compensate and learn to read well without the need for medical treatment. For some people, an accommodation such as a line-marker card, transparent overlay or “reading ruler” with a colored window help this process. 
     The above-mentioned accommodations (i.e., line-markercards, overlays and reading rulers) help a reader isolate a block of text but they do not promote left to right eye-tracking motion. What is needed is an accommodation that does both and is inexpensive to manufacture such that it can be provided to a user on a trial basis. The addition of color to the isolated block or line of text would also be desirable, but different people are stimulated by different colors or by different colors at different times. It would therefore be desirable if the accommodation permitted a user to experiment with different colors to discover what is best for him or her. 
     Such an accommodation would be particularly useful with children who as yet are undiagnosed with a reading disorder but who are experiencing difficulty reading. If the accommodation “works” for the user, the time and expense in appointment scheduling, testing and evaluation, by either private or special school district personnel may be avoided, as well as the stigma of being diagnosed with a disability and treatment with drugs. If the accommodation “works,” another person is not required for reading success and the accommodation can be used independently by the reader to help build confidence and self-esteem. If the accommodation does not “work” for the user, little is lost. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a focus card that isolates a block or line of text and acts as a concentrator to force left to right eye-tracking motion. It is another object to provide a focus card that can be customized by the user such that the block or line is highlighted in a color that is effective for him or her. Other objects and features of the invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. 
     In accordance with the invention, a reading focus card is provided that may be used in a variety of ways selected by a user. The focus card may be provided as a kit and assembled by the user, giving the user a feeling of choice and control. 
     In major part, the focus card includes a front rectangular sheet, rear rectangular sheet and a transparent plastic insert. The front rectangular sheet has a front side with a tactually pleasing, non-slick surface, an upper and lower edge and right and left edge. There is a notch in the upper edge that extends to the left edge and a rectangular window in the sheet between the upper and lower edge that extends to the left edge. 
     Rear rectangular sheet of material has a rear side with a slick surface, an upper and lower edge and right and left edge. There is a notch in the upper edge and a window in the sheet in registry with the notch and window in the front rectangular sheet. 
     An adhesive is provided between the front and rear rectangular sheets for holding the front and rear rectangular sheets and transparent plastic insert in assembly with the transparent plastic insert positioned between the front and rear rectangular sheets in the windows. The adhesive permits disassembly of the reading focus card multiple times such that a different transparent plastic insert may be inserted between the front and rear rectangular sheets. 
     The invention summarized above comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated by the subjoined claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated, corresponding reference characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a child using a reading focus card in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the focus card prior to assembly; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the focus card after assembly; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates use of a notch opening to the left along the top edge of the focus card as a reading aid; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates use of a bottom edge of the focus card as a reading aid; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates use of a window as a reading aid with columns of numbers; and, 
         FIG. 7  illustrates use of the window opening to the left as a reading aid with a block or line of text. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference character, reference numeral  10  refers to a focus card in accordance with the present invention. Focus card  10  is preferably provided to a user  12  in disassembled form as shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown therein, focus card  10  includes a front rectangular sheet of material  14  and a rear rectangular sheet of material  16  between which is sandwiched a transparent plastic insert  18 . Front sheet  14 , rear sheet  16  and transparent plastic insert  18  are held together in assembled condition as shown in  FIG. 3  by an adhesive  20  applied to either front sheet  14  or rear sheet  16 . 
     Front rectangular sheet of material  14  has a first or front surface  22  with a tactually appealing, non-slick surface and a second or inside surface  24  to which adhesive  20  can adhere. In one form as shown in  FIG. 2 , front sheet  14  may be formed of polyfoam, a craft material commercially available from art stores. Rear rectangular sheet of material  16  may be formed of plastic and has a first or rear surface  26  that is slick such that focus card  10  may easily glide over a sheet of paper and a second or inside surface  28  to which adhesive  20  can adhere. An adhesive  20  may be covered with a peel-off sheet or paper film  30  on second surface  24 ,  28  of front or rear sheet, respectively. 
     With continuing reference to  FIG. 2 , front sheet  14  has an upper  32  and a lower edge  34  and a right  36  and a left edge  38 . A notch  40  is formed in upper edge  32  opening to left edge  38 . A rectangular window  42  is also formed in front sheet  14  between upper and lower edges  32 ,  34 , also opening to left edge  38 . Rear sheet  16  also has a notch  44  and a window  46  in registry with notch  40  and window  42  in front sheet  14  when focus card  10  is assembled as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Transparent plastic insert  18  may be clear or colored such as yellow, green or blue. For some users, the use of color may help them focus on the block or line of text that is to be read. Front sheet  14  may be bland in color such that it does not distract a user and rear sheet  16  may be colored or not. A limited set of inserts  18  may be provided with front sheet  14  and rear sheet  16  as part of a kit such that a user may experiment with different window colors. Too many choices, however, probably should be avoided to avoid frustrating a user. Transparent plastic insert  18  may have magnifying capability and be, for example, a Fresnel lens. 
     As illustrated in the drawings, front and rear sheets  14 ,  16  measure about 5″×7″ in which form focus card  10  may also be used as a bookmark. Aligned notches  40 ,  44  and windows  42 ,  66  may be about 1 cm in height with notches  40 ,  44  being about 6 cm in width and windows  42 ,  46  about 9 cm. Notches  40 ,  44  and windows  42 ,  46  with these dimensions have been found suitable for the font size of the printed text that is typical for a textbook or magazine. The length of notches  40 ,  44  and windows  42 ,  46  permit a user to focus on a group of words, which is necessary for reading comprehension, but not so many words that focus is lost. It will be understood that focus card  10  is not limited to particular dimensions, e.g., 5″×7″, 3″×5″, etc. For instance, the measurements of front and rear sheets  14 ,  16  may vary with the column width of the material being read and the height and width of notches  40 ,  44  and windows  42 ,  46  may vary with the size of the type. 
     An aperture  48  may be provided in front sheet  14  adjacent lower and right edges  34 ,  36  viewed from first or front surface  22  with rear sheet  16  having an aperture  50  adapted to be in registry with aperture  48  when focus card  10  is assembled. Apertures  48 ,  50  may be used for attachment to a ring of a notebook (not shown) to help user  12  to avoid loss or misplacement and keeps focus card  10  always at hand. 
     In use, focus card  10  may help beginning and accomplished readers who have trouble focusing their attention on a line of text and eye-tracking in a left to right motion. Focus card  10  has the potential to accommodate persons with focusing challenges that are optometric and/or neurologic in nature. Focus card  10  is inexpensive to manufacture such that a set of focus cards of different dimensions may be purchased. 
     Focus card  10  may be supplied to user  12  in disassembled form with a set of transparent plastic inserts  18  of different colors (e.g., clear, yellow, green and blue) such that the user may take ownership of the tool by assembling it. Moreover, when focus card  10  is provided as a kit manufacturing costs are minimized and assembly costs saved. If a user&#39;s initial selection for plastic insert  18  is unsatisfactory or becomes unsatisfactory in time, adhesive  20  is selected such that front and rear sheets  14 ,  16  may be picked apart. Insert  18  can then be peeled off and a different insert  18  of another color positioned between windows  42 ,  46 . As aforementioned, the color or lack thereof may be customized by user  12  to what is effective for him or her. There is no complicated testing procedure: The user will know straight away which color “works.” The choice may facilitate success and contribute to the feeling of being empowered to read and learn. 
     Focus card  10  may be used independently by user  12  to build confidence and self-esteem in his or her reading skills. Focus card  10  is versatile in the manner in which it can be used. Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , it is seen that user  12  may use aligned notches  40 ,  44  of focus card  10  to isolate a block or line of text. Other users as shown in  FIG. 5 , may prefer to use aligned lower edge  34  as a reading ruler. Still other users as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  may prefer to use aligned windows  42 ,  46  to isolate a block or line of text or a column of numbers. Users who use focus card  10  in this manner may benefit from using a colored transparent plastic insert  18  as a highlighter. Nor must a user always use focus card  10  in the same manner, further contributing to the feeling of being empowered. Whichever way focus card  10  is used, notches  40 ,  44  and windows  42 ,  46  act as a concentrator to encourage or promote left to right eye-tracking or top to bottom eye-tracking with columns. 
     A child&#39;s academic success is often dependent on his or her ability to attend as independently as possible to tasks, teachers and classroom expectations. In school, focus card  10  can be used for standardized test taking (i.e., helping the student focus on the correct line of “bubbles” on standardized achievement tests, etc.). Aligned apertures  48 ,  50  may be used to attach focus card  10  to a ring of a key chain or a loose leaf binder (not shown). This is an advantage because it is not unusual for a person having trouble reading to also have a propensity for losing things or disorganization. Aligned apertures  48 ,  50  in focus card  10  may help keep the student organized. 
     Focus card  10  may be used independently by a person having difficulty reading. If focus card  10  helps, user  12  may overcome the difficulty without medical or other intervention. On the other hand, if focus card  10  does not help, it may be laid aside without prejudice at a cost that is minuscule compared to what is saved (i.e., testing, drugs, stigma, etc.) for those whom it “works.” 
     In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained. As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.