TACTILE CODE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND BLIND

Abstract: A tactile code for use by visually impaired and blind persons comprising embossed alphabet symbols representing the letters of the conventional Roman alphabet and embossed numeral symbols representing the conventional Arabic numerals. All of the alphabet symbols and the numeral symbols comprise at least a frame, and at least some of the alphabet symbols and numeral symbols also comprise an interior portion surrounded by the frame. The alphabet symbols are divided into four regions, the alphabet symbols in the first and third regions having a circular frame and the alphabet symbols in the second and fourth regions having a square frame. Each of the alphabet symbols embodies at least a physical association with its corresponding capital letter of the Roman alphabet. The numeral symbols all have a diamond frame, and each of the numeral symbols embodies at least a logical or physical asso­ ciation with its corresponding Arabic numeral. Capital letters of the Roman alphabet are represented by alphabet sym­ bols having double frames.

Description: The present invention is directed to the field of tactile codes for the visually impaired and blind, and is more specifically directed to embossed symbols which represent the letters of the alphabet and the Arabic numerals 0-9 which can be traced with the fingertips. The conventional means for conveying written information to visually impaired or blind persons has long been the braille code. Braille is a tactile code in which each of the letters of the conventional Roman alphabet and each of the conventional arabic numerals is represented by a combination of raised dots peculiar to that letter or numeral. The field in which a single letter or numeral is represented is a matrix of six dots, three dots high by two dots wide. The code for the letters A through J are the same codes as for the numerals 1 through 9 and 0, so an extra code is provided to notify the reader that the code immediately following is to be interpreted as a numeral. A second extra code notifies the reader that the code immediately following is to be read as a capital letter. The production of braille text thus is labor intensive and difficult, and learning to read braille text requires significant prowess and tactile acuity. Moreover, because the braille code bears little resemblance to the alphabet with which many who experience a loss of vision are familiar, it is particularly inappropriate for those who lose their sight late in life, when the resources and motivation to learn braille may be inadequate. Modifications and alternatives to braille have been proposed to improve readability. For example, U.S. Patent No. 3,363,339 to Place discloses braille cell structure which uses non-uniform raised dots or embossments in regular braille locations, which enables the reader to identify the cell line or column to which a boss belongs, even when a row or column is blank. U.S. Patent No. 43,197,889 to Micropoulou discloses an alternative tactile code to braille comprising forming the thirteen most frequently used consonants by upsetting from the surface of a sheet, patterns consisting of groups of projections in permutations and combinations of four, the projections being disposed at the corners of a square, while the remaining letters of the alphabet are similarly formed, but by patterns consisting of two groups placed side by side. Numbers are formed by patterns of two such groups, the pattern of the first group of which differs from the pattern of the first group of the two letter groups. However, even these codes bear little resemblance to the conventional Roman alphabet and Arabic numerals, and thus suffer from the same deficiencies as conventional braille. In summary, no simple tactile code exists which bears resemblance to the conventional alphabet and numerals and is therefore appropriate for use by those without the physical resources or motivation to learn braille. It is the solution of these problems to which the present invention is directed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a system of embossed symbols which offers easily learned and readable letters and numbers, building on knowledge and skills which many visually impaired and blind people have already acquired. It is another object of this invention to provide a system of embossed symbols which resemble the letters of the conventional Roman alphabet and the conventional Arabic numerals. The foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved by provision of a tactile code for use by visually impaired and blind persons comprising embossed alphabet symbols representing the letters of the conventional Roman alphabet and embossed numeral symbols representing the conventional Arabic numerals. The alphabet symbols are divided into first, second, third, and fourth groups, the alphabet symbols in the first and third groups being denoted by a circular frame, and the alphabet symbols in the second and fourth groups being surrounded by a square frame. Each alphabet symbol embodies at least a physical association, such as a dominant characteristic, of its corresponding letter of the Roman alphabet. The numeral symbols are all denoted by a diamond frame, and each numeral symbol embodies either a logical or physical association with its corresponding Arabic numeral. In one aspect of the code of the invention, some of the alphabet symbols comprise the entire corresponding conventional letter enclosed within the frame. In another aspect of the code of the invention, the interior portion or the symbol consists of a portion of the corresponding Roman letter. In still another aspect of the code of the invention, the frame alone or in combination with the interior portion of the symbol reproduces the corresponding capital letter of the Roman alphabet. Capital letters of the Roman alphabet are represented by a symbol having a double frame. A better understanding of the disclosed embodiment of the invention will be achieved when the accompanying detailed description is considered in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which like reference numerals are used for the same parts as illustrated in the different figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figures 1(A)-1(Z) are a table showing the symbols in the tactile code of the invention for the letters A-Z; Figures 2(1)-2(0) are a table showing the symbols in the tactile code of the invention for the numerals 1-9 and 0; Figure 3 is a perspective view of symbols of the tactile code of the invention spelling the word "sighted", being read with a fingertip; Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the symbol representing the letter "t"; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4; and Figure 6 is an enlarged plan view of the symbols for the letters "A" and "E". DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, there are shown tables of the tactile code according to my invention. Figures 1(A)-1(Z) are the alphabet symbols representing the letters a-z of the conventional Roman alphabet, while Figures 2(1)-2(0) represent the numerals symbols representing the conventional arabic numerals 1-9 and 0. As shown in Figures 3-6, these symbols are embossed, preferably on a heavy grade of paper. The use of existing embossing techniques is contemplated. If the symbol height is sufficient, the symbols can be traced with the fingertips much more easily than braille dots. Referring now to Figures 1 and 3-6, all of the alphabet symbols comprise at least a frame 20, and all but two of the alphabet symbols (the symbols corresponding to the Roman letters "l" and "o,") also comprise an interior portion 30 surrounded by the frame 20. The alphabet symbols resemble those of the conventional Roman alphabet in that each of the alphabet symbols embodies at least a physical association with its corresponding letter of the Roman alphabet. Specifically, each alphabet symbol reproduces either the entire letter of the Roman alphabet or one of its dominant characteristics, such a tail, bar, or diagonal. In some symbols (those corresponding to the Roman letter "c", "s", "v", and "x", for example), the interior portion of the symbol reproduces the entire corresponding capital letter of the Roman alphabet. In other symbols (those corresponding to the Roman letters "d", "e", "f", "h", "m", "n", "t", and "w", for example) , the interior portion in combination with at least part of the frame reproduces the entire corresponding capital letter of the Roman alphabet. The alphabet symbols can also use a logical association (for example, the alphabet symbol for the Roman letter "i" resembles an eye). The alphabet symbols are divided into first, second, third, and fourth groups, shown in Figures 1(A)-1(D), 1(E)-1 (N), 1(O)-1(S), and 1(T)-1(Z), respectively. These groups correspond to the letters a-d, inclusive, e-n, inclusive, o-s, inclusive, and t-z, inclusive, respectively. The alphabet symbols in the first and third groups have a circular frame and the alphabet symbols in the second and fourth groups have a square frame, so that letters in adjacent groups have differently shaped frames. Thus, when the reader encounters a circle, for example, he or she knows that he or she is dealing with a letter from the first or third group . The frames therefore serve as the primary key to direct the reader to a limited number of candidates, to mace deciphering as swift and as easy as possible. I have reserved the most easily traced symbols for vowels and for frequently used letters. As shown in Figure 6, the capital letters of the Roman alphabet are represented in my code by alphabet symbols having double frames 20 and 20'. Referring now to Figure 2, all of the numeral symbols also comprise a frame, and all but one of the numeral symbols (the numeral symbol corresponding to the Arabic numeral "0") also comprise an interior portion surrounded by the frame. All of the numeral symbols have a diamond frame, and each of the numeral symbols embodies either a logical or physical association or both with its corresponding Arabic numeral. An explanation of the physical and logical associations of each of the alphabet and numeral symbols of the tactile code of the invention is given below: Thus it will be seen that the present invention provides a unique tactile code for use by visually impaired and blind persons.

Claims: A tactile code for use by visually impaired and blind persons comprising embossed alphabet symbols representing the letters of the conventional Roman alphabet, characterised in that: each one of said alphabet symbols comprises at least one embossed frame (20) surrounding it, and at least some of said alphabet symbols also comprise an interior embossed portion (30) surrounded by said frame (20); said alphabet being divided into at least two groups of symbols, said alphabet symbols in adjacent groups of symbols having frames of different shapes, and each said alphabet symbol embodying at least a physical association with its corresponding letter of the Roman alphabet. The tactile code of claim 1, characterised in that the code further comprises embossed numeral symbols representing the conventional Arabic numerals: each of said numeral symbols comprising at least one embossed frame (20) surrounding it and said numerial symbols also comprising an interior embossed portion (30) surrounded by said frame (20); said numeral symbol frame (20) being of a different shape from those of said alphabet symbol frames (20); and each of said numeral symbols embodying at least a logical or physical association with its corresponding Arabic numeral. The tactile code of claim 2, characterised in that said alphabet is divided into first, second, third and fourth groups of symbols, said alphabet symbols in said first and third group of symbols having a circular frame (20) and said alphabet symbol in said second and fourth groups of symbols having a square frame (20), each of said alphabet symbols embodying at least a physical association with its corresponding capital letter of the Roman alphabet; said numeral symbols all having a diamond frame (20). The tactile code of claim 3, characterised in that said first group of symbols consist of the Roman letters a-d, inclusive, said second group of symbols consist of the Roman letters e-n inclusive, said third group of symbols consist of the Roman letters o-s, inclusive, and said forth group of symbols consist of the Roman letters t-z, inclusive. The tactile code of any preceding claim, characterised in that capital letters of the Roman alphabet are represented by said alphabet symbols having double frames (20,20'). The tactile code of any preceding claim, characterised in that said interior embossed portion (30) of at least one of said alphabet symbols reproduces a dominant characteristic of the corresponding letter of the Roman alphabet. The tactile code of any preceding claim, characterised in that said interior embossed portion (30) of at least one of said alphabet symbols reproduces the entire corresponding letter of the Roman alphabet. The tactile code of any preceding claim, characterised in that said interior embossed portion (30 in combination with at least a part of said frame (20) of at least one of said alphabet symbols reproduces the entire corresponding letter of the Roman alphabet. The tactile code of claim 1, characterised in that said at least two groups of symbols have frames (20) which are circles and squares. The tactile code of claim 2, characterised in that said numeral symbols have diamond frames (20).

Inventors: CHEPAITIS, ELIA V.
Applicants: CHEPAITIS, ELIA V.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G09B21
IPC codes: G09B21