Patent GB-1035665-A (GB)
Title: Educational apparatus
IPC: G09B13/04
Filed: 1963-04-01
Abstract: 1,035,665. Typewriters &c. McGRAWEDISON CO. April 1, 1963 [April 6, 1962], No. 12898/63. Heading B6F. [Also in Division G5] An educational apparatus comprises a poweroperated typewriter with means for pronouncing a character as it is typed as described in Specification 955,541, and in addition, devices whereby a character is first pronounced and all the typewriter keys except that of the character concerned are blocked. The apparatus may repronounce the character after the key is released or continue the pronunciation until the correct key is depressed. Devices are included whereby a typed word or a sentence may be pronounced and explained. The apparatus comprises a keyboard audio machine K shown in Figs. 4F, 4D, including the typewriter and a drum K160 with recordings K159, K213 &c., corresponding to the typewriter keys K178, K260 &c., as in the prior Specification, a word-audio machine W, shown in Fig. 4E, a card-exhibiting machine C, shown in Fig. 4A, and an encoder, shown in Figs. 4B, 4C, for controlling the machines K, W according to information on a card in the machine C. A control switch P10, Fig. 4F, may be set in one of four positions, namely position I in which the typewriter can be operated normally with the ancillary devices inoperative, position II in which the apparatus operates as described in Specification 955,541, position III in which the character read from a card in the machine C is first pronounced and the corresponding key unlocked and the word audio machine brought into operation, and position IV in which the machine operates as in position III but cutting out delays before explanations or pronunciations are given. A card C28, Fig. 17, used in the apparatus has horizontal lines of characters or words or sentences on one face and on the other face has five pre-recorded magnetic tracks for each horizontal line of characters. The first track E31 represents in a six-bit binary code, each character of the line and also spaces between words if words are included. The other tracks W32 bear recordings of explanations of characters, words or sentences, the tracks W32 corresponding to line 1, track E31, being situated below the line 2, track E31, and line 2, tracks W32, being below line 3, track 31, and so on, to provide sufficient space for reading heads E33, Fig. 4B, and W34, Fig. 4E (see also Fig. 8, not shown). A pointer, which may be a perforation C39, Fig. 4A, in a plate C38 mounted in a carriage C40, is moved by a screw C72 rotated by a motor C69 through a one-revolution device C68 operated by an electromagnet C61, step-by-step across a horizontal line of the card C28 to indicate each character in turn if separate characters only are on the card, the word-audio machine being inoperative. At the same time, the head E33 is moved by similar one-revolution devices E62, E77 ... E80, Fig. 4B, along the corresponding track E31. The reading by the head E33 of a six-bit code on the card and representing the character exhibited is caused, through a commutator E91, Fig. 4C, to energize selected encode bit relays E64, six in number and in parallel with the same number of encode audio relays E140. Each relay E140 controls a number of switches 1 ... 30, one 16 ... 18 for each typewriter character, and one for each machine function, i.e. spacing, connection to word-audio machine, control of a slide projector &c. When a character is read, energized relays E140 cause a line such as E141e to be connected so that the drum K160, Fig. 4D, which contains recordings of character and upper and lower case, carriage return and space pronunciations, to be rotated one revolution and a selected reading head, e.g. K158, to be energized to cause a loud-speaker K168 to pronounce a character, as in Specification 955,541. Through the selected line E141, selected solenoids K100 are energized and, as described below, release the typewriter key corresponding to the character &c. Upon depression of that key the machine repronounces the character, the pointer C38 and head E33 are stepped forward and the operations repeated for the next character. Where a succeeding character is of different case from the preceding one, e.g. lower case followed by upper case, the code first sets the machine to pronouce the words " upper case " and release the upper case key without any movement of the pointer. If a key is depressed and released during the first pronunciation, the repronunciation is cut out. The card C28 may display words in which case the pointer comprises a plate with a slot which during its movement gradually exposes the whole line. After the letters of a word have been pronounced as already described, an encode signal on the card operates relays E140 to connect a line E141g to the motor W239 of a screwed driving shaft W237, Fig. 4E, for moving a carriage W236 carrying the reader head W34 so that the latter moves over a word-audio track W32 to play back a statement explaining the word. When the carriage W236 reaches the end of its movement it closes a switch W254 which causes (a) the carriage to be returned by a spring W243 to its starting position and (b) a plate W245 carrying the carriage W236 to be moved upwardly one step so that the head W34 is now level with the next track W32. The operations are repeated for succeeding words. When the head W34 has scanned the last of the four tracks W32, a code signal operates the typewriter carriage return and line spacing. At the same time, the carriages of the pointer and the head E33, are released to snap back to home positions by the action of springs C41, E265 and the word-audio head W34 is brought into register with the first track W32 corresponding to the next line of characters, a carriage C29 carrying the card being moved up one line. The code signal from line E31 may be such that after the pointer is moved to present a new character, a second line E141h is connected to the word audio machine W which is operated to ask the pupil to name the character. The keyboard audio-machine K then pronounces the character, frees the corresponding typewriter key and repronounces the character after the key has been depressed. Since there are four audio tracks W32, there may be four characters in each line on the card. The word-audio machine may be used for explaining sentences in addition to words. If the sentence is confined to a single line on the card C28 it may contain a maximum of three words since the fourth track W32 is used for explaining the sentence, but it may extend over three lines, with four words in the first two lines and three only in the last line. The end of a sentence is signified by a period and two spaces, which are encoded on the track E31. This causes (a) pronunciation of the period, release of the period key and repronunciation of the period upon operation of the key, (b) pronunciation of " space," release of space key and repronunciation of space upon operation of the key, and (c) connections of the word-audio machine through line E141g, to explain the sentence. As the pointer is advanced to the next space interval the carriage-return key is encoded causing the return of all the parts to their initial positions. A three-position switch K156 is provided which may be set so that pronunciation and repronunciation of a character may take place as already described, or the repronunciation may be cut out, or both pronunciations may be cut out. The track E31 may have code signals which connect a line E141i to operate a slide projector 284 and subsequently connect a line E141j to stop the projector. Key selection; locks-The keyboard of the typewriter has the usual ball race for preventing operation of more than one key at a time. Each key lever K104, Fig. 11, has a pin K105 bearing on a looped upper end of a seeker bar K103 which is guided for vertical movement by a recess in a fixed bar K] 06 and is urged clockwise by a spring K108 which biases the lower end of the bar K103 towards six permutation bars K102 corresponding to the six-bit code. Hinged on the bar K106 is a translator bail K109 which is biased away from the seeker bars K103 by a spring K110 but can be moved by a cam K111 on a shaft K112 to hold the all seeker bars K103 away from the permutation bars. Below the lower ends of the seeker bars is a pivotally-mounted blocking bail K114 also controlled by the cam K111. In the positions shown, the seeker bars are free to engage the permutation bars K102 but are blocked against downward movement by the bail K114. Setting of the permutation bars K102 allows the lower end of the seeker bar K103a corresponding to the character exhibited on card C28 to move forwardly beyond the bail K114 so that its key K178 can be depressed. Each permutation bar is urged rightwardly by a spring K118, Fig. 13, but is normally held in its leftward position by a pivoted latch K122 engaging a part K123 of the bar. Each latch K122 can be released by energization of its solenoid K100 (Figs. 4D, 13) and the solenoids K100 are energized or not by the switches of relays E 140 in accordance with the code signals so that they are set to allow the required key to be depressed. Release of the key causes a switch K192 opened by the depressed bar K103, to close and effect rotation of the shaft K112 and cam K111 through 180 degrees by a clutch device K133, K134 controlled by a relay K98 so as to restore the parts to a stand-by condition with all the seeker bars K103 held away from the bars K102 and the bail K114 moved to inoperative position. Another cam K195, Fig. 14, on the shaft operates a member which restores the displaced permutation bars to their initial leftward positions. After an operated key is released, a bail K128, Fig. 15, which locks the whole keyboard as described in Specification 955,541 is operative until repronunciation of a character and encoding of the next character is completed. Keys.-Certain of the keys, i.e. case shift and carriage return,