Abstract:
A method and apparatus is put forth in this unique invention that together transform readily available consumer eReaders, such as various models of Amazon Kindles and the Barnes and Nobel Nook, into repurposed digital learning devices which can then also serve as digital writing platforms for children and others to write on digital workbooks and other learning content of the inventor&#39;s design, covered in previous patent applications, as appended hereto. The various embodiments of Space Cases, Writing Shields and the Micro Eraser device described herein provide a new family of tutoring apparatuses, along with a unique set of learning methodologies that result in transforming standard off-the-shelf eInk-based eReaders, into low-cost and effective 21 st  century digital learning tools for our young children to use before, during and after school, as well as at home or while traveling, to enhance and to improve their learning experience and their mastery of the learning content presented by using handwriting in digital form.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation-in-part of the following pending US applications, and incorporates by reference hereinto the entirety of such applications: Application Serial Number: (Number Unknown), filed 7 Jan. 2011, and titled: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRONIC WORKBOOKS, FLASHCARDS AND OTHER DIGITAL LEARNING CONTENT AND SOFTWARE FOR USE WITH A VARIETY OF BOTH CUSTOM AND OFF THE SHELF EINK EREADERS, IPADS AND ANDROID-TYPE TABLETS, Attorney Docket No, 0255 MH-43347; which is a CIP of Ser. No. 11/894,203, filed 20 Aug. 2007, and titled: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRONIC WORKBOOK/TEXTBOOK WITH DIGITAL CONTENT FOR STUDENT&#39;S ACCELERATED LEARNING, SELF-TUTORING AND SELF-ASSESSMENT, Attorney Docket No: 0255 MH-43110; and Ser. No. 11/888,824, filed 2 Aug. 2007, titled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STUDENTS&#39; ACCELERATED LEARNING, SELF-ASSESSMENT AND SELF-TUTORING OF STUDY MATERIALS AND OTHER INFORMATION, Attorney Docket No. 0255 MH-43099. 
         [0002]    Further, this application claims benefit of the following U.S. provisional applications, and incorporates by reference hereinto the entirety thereof: Application No. 61/400,342, filed 26 Jul. 2010, titled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NOVEL EMBODIMENTS OF ELECTRONIC WORKBOOK/TEXTBOOKS AND DIGITAL LEARNING CONTENT AND SOFTWARE FOR USE WITH A VARIETY OF OFF THE SHELF EINK EREADERS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH A DIGITAL STYLUS FOR WRITING, Attorney Docket No. 0255 MH-43359P; and Application No. 61/400,342, filed 27 Aug. 2010, titled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NOVEL EMBODIMENTS FACILITATING THE USE OF A VARIETY OF OFF THE SHELF EINK EREADERS, INCLUDING THE AMAZON KINDLE2, KINDLE 3, KINDLE DX AND THE APPLE IPAD AS WRITING DEVICES FOR USE WITH DIGITAL LEARNING CONTENT, Attorney Docket No. 0255 MH-43360. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0004]    The method and apparatus of the present invention relates to devices which assist children in learning through writing by hand with a dry erase marker on commercially available eReaders and is applicable primarily for young children (PreK through 6 th  Grade) but also may apply to older students, as in those attending middle school through high school and is further applicable to adults for university-level study, as well as vocational and business training applications through a variety of learning and tutoring applications. 
         [0005]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0006]    It seems almost trite to say that the United State&#39;s public schools are in trouble. Students are not learning effectively, high school student dropout rates are increasing and budgets are tight and getting tighter. There is a growing shortage of qualified and effective teachers. The use of new technology that is used directly by the student to enhance his or her learning experience and mastery of the learning content has not kept up with technological advances of the consumer, business, healthcare and industry. As a result, our students are working with antiquated technology still, not the least of which are ink on paper printed workbooks and textbooks, a sixteenth century technology that our children still lug back and forth to school by the tons every single school day. 
         [0007]    Moreover a growing body of medical and scientific evidence now shows that it is critically important for children, particularly from the ages of PreK to about the 6 th  grade (the on-set of puberty for most children) to write by hand in order to acquire proper visual motor integration, grasp, retain and express concepts, as well as to further proper physical brain and neural development. In the words of one writer “Writing by hand makes Kids Smarter”. 
         [0008]    In the words of another article on the subject entitled “How handwriting trains the brain”, children, particularly younger children are texting, using a mouse or a touch screen computer, typing on a keyboard or doing just about anything except writing with a writing instrument on a paper or other writing surface. Many schools have simply abandoned handwriting, or pay scant attention to it, as there have been few learning digital devices that employ handwriting as the means of interacting with the learning content . . . few as in virtually none. 
         [0009]    The inventor has developed and filed numerous patent applications for a methodology and various forms of apparatus using eInk type and other devices designed specifically for student&#39;s use. The inventor is working to develop those new devices and productize them over the next few years. However, the explosion over the past few years of commercially available eInk based eReaders designed for adult consumers presents an opportunity for innovative repurposing of these devices which will result in low-cost digital learning platforms that can be used by public school students today. This repurposing through the present invention, apparatus and methods set forth in this application results in such devices currently on the market as just eReaders to be “used” (or even “reused”, if they have been abandoned or discarded) as electronic workbooks and textbooks. To coin a new phrase, the present invention transforms eReaders into eWriters. 
         [0010]    There have been an estimated 15 million Amazon Kindle eReaders sold over the past few years and more than a 10 million Barnes and Noble Nook eReader. The current “market price” for the currently marketed six-inch display screen Kindle device is $114, down more than 400% from its original price of over $400 just a few years ago. Likewise, the Barnes and Noble Original Nook device is priced at less than $150. Thus the price point for all eReaders is dropping rapidly as competition heats up, manufacturing quantities scale up and market demand increases from an ever-growing eReader savvy consumer marketplace. 
         [0011]    While there is perhaps nothing particularly “novel” about a “case” that holds and protects the display screen and, if applicable, the keyboard, of an eReader when not in use, much as a book jacket does a paperback book, there is no device which has been developed that will not only protect the eReader with small children using it, but additionally makes it possible for the child to write on the screen and store all the implements required for doing so, namely a micro eraser and dry erase marker. 
         [0012]    For example, there are hundreds of “plain” protective cases that are simply covers designed to protect the surface area, keyboard and display screen of the eReader. These may also be not so plain “designer series”, which in some instances cost more than the eReaders itself. Other “covers” also incorporate such helpful items as a “reading light” or fold in such a manner to serve as an easel for more comfortable reading on a flat surface, such as a table. 
         [0013]    Then there are also actual “cases” some of which are little more than clear plastic bags which provide a level of water proofing, or at least “splash proofing” and protection from dust or sand (such as on a beach or by a swimming pool or the ocean). An ultra embodiment of this type case is the KlearKase, which is made of translucent polycarbonate plastic, this being a plastic that can be used in some forms of “body armor”. It provides the ultimate in “hazard protection”, but again, costs about half the retail price of the actual Kindle eReader itself. 
         [0014]    Previous patent applications by this inventor referenced above include novel inventions, apparatus and methods resulting in a new generation of workbooks and learning content. This inventor&#39;s designs provide unique solutions in both analog and digital form that provides a quick and easy methodology for students to be self-tutored using the devices and then “self-assess” (check their own answers themselves that they handwrote in the various workbook designs) quickly and easily. All the learning content developed by the inventor is self-paced, employs guilt-free repetition that facilitates mastery of the material to be learned, in a scaffolding, step by step process. 
         [0015]    This inventor&#39;s first embodiment of such a device that would facilitate children&#39;s being able to write on a commercially available eReader device and the inventor&#39;s novel digital learning content was the “Space Capsule”, as described in inventor&#39;s utility patent filed in January 2011. This was a relatively large footprint device that stored an eraser and the dry erase marker outside of the case by using Velcro attached to both the Space Case device as well as to the eraser and marker. The manufacture of this device was labor intensive, with regard to the application of Velcro, not only to the marker and eraser, but also to the closing mechanism to hold the eReader in the device, so that it could be written on. 
         [0016]    The new embodiments of the preferred inventions set forth in this patent application provide additional solutions seeking to achieve those results using mass-produced consumer eReader products in concert with and corresponding to the functionalities and methodologies of the inventor&#39;s digital learning system. The result is a low-cost, new generation of learning devices and learning content available for student use today and in the coming years, even as the inventor&#39;s newer custom devices go into production. The new devices, namely the “Space Case”, “Micro Eraser” and “Writing Shields” are extremely low-cost to manufacture, which is critically important because of the declining prices in eReaders and to achieve critical mass in the marketplace. 
         [0017]    In the case of a $180 designer cover for a $114 Kindle, one has what we call a Texas “a $10 horse with a $20 saddle”. There is likewise a relationship of the price for a Space Case or Writing Shield to the retail price of its intended eReader, particularly when “repurposing” abandoned or discarded eReaders, which may have little “commercial” value, but which could become badly needed digital learning platforms, if only a Space Case or Writing Shield could be provided for use with it. The target retail price for the Space Case is $19.85 (including the Micro Eraser) and the target retail price for the writing shields is $4.95 (also including the Micro Eraser). A used, discarded and “obsolete” older Kindle may only be worth less than $50, if anything at all. The goal is to transform millions of otherwise under-used or not-used eReaders into low-cost, portable digital reading and writing platforms for millions of younger children. 
         [0018]    Unlike any other eReader cover or case, the Space Case embodiment of the present invention provides storage for a dry erase marker and a micro eraser. Further, it provides a clear acrylic panel securely positioned over the eReaders eInk display screen to facilitate writing on the inventor&#39;s or other digital workbook content displayed on the eReader&#39;s screen. 
         [0019]    The Space Case also features a closeable plastic latch, in place of the Velcro latching on the inventor&#39;s earlier Space Capsule device, to open or secure the cover. It also has cut-outs in the cover to facilitate the user accessing controls on the eReader. Like the Space Capsule before it, the Space Case features over-molded (heat bonded, rather than glued on) traction feet on the bottom side of the device to provide a non-skid writing platform when placed on a desk or table. 
         [0020]    The Space Case also features a label insert cavity on the top cover to provide for private labeling, which could be the company logo and information of a manufacturer or distributor, or even the name and colors of the child&#39;s school. Because the device is manufactured using an injection molding process, it can employ strong plastic materials, is low-cost (less than $5 manufacturing cost per unit) can be easily manufactured by the tens of thousands and can be “shot” in a variety of “cool kid colors” plastics, attracting children to use the “cool digital learning device” to write on using the inventor&#39;s equally cool digital learning content. 
         [0021]    Further, there is a unique embodiment of a micro eraser, which is uniquely fashioned to be manufactured using an injection mold process. While most small plastic erasers for children have a “handle” (a T shaped area running down the middle of the eraser) or are made out of simple wood and are flat and solid, the embodiment of the present invention&#39;s micro eraser is unique in its shape, its ability to be easily used by small hands, its low profile (reducing the height of the Space Case for a given eReader) and its low cost by using this manufacturing process, reducing costs to just pennies per micro eraser. 
         [0022]    There is also an embodiment of the present invention set forth in this application for a Writing Shield, comprised of a clear-thin sheet clear sheet of acrylic or lexan (polycarbonate) plastic, which provides an extremely low-cost and portable method (i.e. easily fits in a shirt pocket or purse) facilitating children&#39;s writing on digital workbook content also using standard eReaders such as the Kindle or Nook. Unlike “screen shields” which are common extremely thin sheets of clear plastic with an adhesive backing, meant to adhere to the eReader&#39;s display screen until is the clear plastic wears out, and then be replaced by another “screen shield” (usually sold three to a pack, for just such occasions), the Writing Shield has no adhesive backing. 
         [0023]    The Writing Shield features a “finger notch” along any one of the four sides of the device. With the finger notch, the user can simply use the tip of one finger to facilitate its extraction from laying on top the eReader&#39;s display screen, as it is secured only laterally by the inset area surrounded by the eReader&#39;s display screen frame. Another method of removing the Writing Shield is simply to invert the eReader holding it in one hand and catch the Writing Shield in the palm of the other hand. If that is the preferred method of removal, then the finger notch is not necessary, and would reduce production costs slightly, depending on the manufacturing method. However, with the finger notch, there&#39;s one less chance of the eReader being dropped by small hands and damaged, while inverting it to remove the Writing Shield. 
         [0024]    The Writing Shield can be manufactured out of 1/32″ clear acrylic plastic using high-speed, compute driven CNC rotary router cutting tool, or from 1/64″ clear lexan, die cutting (stamping them out) from sheets of that clear plastic material. In either case the finished Writing Shields are silk screened with company information, logo after being cut and shaped. 
         [0025]    Because the Writing Shield is designed to be written on by a child or other person using a dry erase marker and those markings must be removed by use of a micro eraser, which is felt (or other material) backed, the Writing Shield is simply removed after use by turning the eReader upside down (it fits loosely in the screen display frame), and the eReader is used parallel to the writing surface such as a desk or table. Then the Writing Shield can be easily cleaned with just water or a micro cleaning cloth and stored until time for its next use. 
         [0026]    Finally, there is a further embodiment of the Writing Shield that is superior to the first two embodiments, while also costing more to set up to produce because it requires the manufacturing of an injection mold. It features a much more “finished” look, is stronger, and is produced at a fraction of the per-unit cost of either the router-cut clear acrylic panel or the die-cut lexan-polycarbonate devices. This embodiment has two component parts: the injection molded “frame” which features a “finger lift” incorporated into it which replaces the “finger notch” in the other two Writing Shield embodiments, and a 1/32″ cut-sheet clear acrylic panel, which is inserted into and sonic welded to the frame. Using simple cut-sheets of acrylic, which cost a fraction of CNC router-cut formed panels, is the major reason for the dramatic cost-savings of this manufacturing process over the prior two embodiments of the present invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0027]    In accordance with the present invention, a method and apparatus is provided that allows marking to be made by a user responding to digital pages of learning content in the form of eBooks. The pages of the digital workbook are displayed on the commercially available eReader, which is encapsulated in a device called a “Space Case” which includes a clear plastic panel covering said eReader, allowing the user to respond to the digital learning content by handwriting or drawing the user&#39;s responses with a dry erase marker onto the clear plastic panel, and erasing the markings with a novel and unique “Micro Eraser” when through with a given page&#39;s interactions. The Space Case also features traction feet which provide lateral stability while writing on a flat surface. The dry erase marker and Micro Eraser are stored inside the Space Case device when not in use. An even simpler device is also provided in accordance with the present invention in the form of various embodiments called “Writing Shields”, which also facilitate writing on commercially available eReaders with a dry erase marker, but which do not encapsulate the eReader, but rather are simply placed directly on the eReader&#39;s screen display, and then removed when the user has completed writing on the digital workbooks. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0028]    The novel characteristics of the invention are set for the appended claims. The invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by references to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
           [0029]    For the purposes of this description, the Amazon Kindle LG (“LG” standing for “latest generation), also referred to by some as the Kindle  3 , and now, by Amazon simply as “the Kindle” references the now current version of the Amazon Kindle, released in August 2010. The “Older Kindle”, previously referred to by Amazon as the Kindle  2 , is the immediate predecessor to the now current Kindle LG. 
           [0030]      FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of the front view of an exemplary device (empty) for use with an Amazon Kindle LG eInk-based eReader (hereafter referred to simply as “the Kindle LG”) in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0031]      FIG. 2  is a pictorial representation of the top side, top perspective and side views of an exemplary device (empty) for use with the Kindle LG in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 3  is a pictorial representation of the bottom side and bottom perspective views of an exemplary device for use with the Kindle LG in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 4  is a pictorial representation of a frontal-perspective view of an exemplary device with the cover open, showing the requisite components required to write on the Kindle LG when it is placed in the Space Case, namely the Kindle LG, the eraser and the dry erase marker stored in their proper “wells” within the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 5  is a pictorial representation of a top perspective view of an exemplary device showing the various components required to write on the Kindle LG removed from the Space Case, showing the storage wells of the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0035]      FIG. 6  is a pictorial representation of a front view of an exemplary device showing the Kindle LG placed inside the device such that it can be written on using the dry erase marker and eraser provided with the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0036]      FIG. 7  is a pictorial representation of the top view of an exemplary device, called a Space Case designed and configured to facilitate the use of the Older Kindle as a writing device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0037]      FIG. 8  is a pictorial representation of top, bottom and side views of the Space Case with the Older Kindle in place inside of it in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0038]      FIG. 9  is a pictorial representation of the Space Case with the cover open showing the components stored in their respective wells in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0039]      FIG. 10  is a pictorial representation of the Space Case for the Barnes and Nobel Nook eReader, showing the Nook in place in side of it in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0040]      FIG. 11  is a pictorial representation of top and bottom perspective views of the Space Case for the Nook, with the Nook in place inside of it in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0041]      FIG. 12  is a pictorial representation of the top view of the Space Case for the Nook with the cover open showing the writing components and the Nook eReader outside of the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0042]      FIG. 13  is a pictorial representation of the top view of the Space Case for the Nook with the cover opened and with the writing objects and the Nook in place inside in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0043]      FIG. 14  is a pictorial representation of the top and bottom perspective views of the Space Case for the Amazon Kindle DX in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0044]      FIG. 15  is a pictorial representation of the Space Case for the Kindle DX with the cover open and the writing objects and the Kindle DX in their respective storage wells in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0045]      FIG. 16  is a pictorial representation of the Space Case for the Kindle DX with the cover open and the writing objects and the Kindle DX removed from the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0046]      FIG. 17  is a pictorial representation showing top, bottom, side and perspective views of the injection-molded Space Case Eraser in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0047]      FIG. 18  is a pictorial representation of the Writing Shield with the Finger Notch located on one of the shorter ends of the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0048]      FIG. 19  is a pictorial representation of the Writing Shield being inserted onto the display screens of an Older Kindle, a Kindle LG and a Nook eReader in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0049]      FIG. 20  is a pictorial representation of an alternative placement of the Finger Notch on a Writing Shield for a Kindle LG, Older Kindle or Nook in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0050]      FIG. 21  is a pictorial representation showing front, back and side cut-away views of another embodiment of the present invention, manufacturing Writing Shields by way, of using an injection-molded Frame and inserting lower-cost cut-sheet clear Acrylic panels in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0051]      FIG. 22  is a pictorial representation showing the insertion of the cut-sheet clear Acrylic panel into the back of the Writing Shield and sonic welding (or gluing) it to the Frame in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0052]    The present invention is a method and apparatus which includes a device, called a “Space Case” which encapsulates a commercially available, mass-produced eReader, such the Amazon Kindle and allow it to be used as a platform for using digital workbooks, upon which a student can read, handwrite exercises, do practice work and then answer questions in handwritten form and check those answers immediately using this inventor&#39;s learning content and tutoring methodologies. This approach is in no way limited to Amazon Kindles and Barnes and Noble Nook eReaders but can and will be used with a virtually unlimited variety of other such eReader devices. 
         [0053]    In this embodiment, the inventor&#39;s devices feature a clear acrylic panel positioned over the eReader&#39;s eInk display, such that the student can write over the display using a dry erase marker. The inventor&#39;s device for eReaders also may selectively cover certain control buttons on the eReader, such as the keyboard or menu buttons that are not needed by the child or student when using digital work books. Such buttons may also cause confusion for the student if inadvertently pressed, such as bringing up selection options not normally used by them and or might allow the student to purchase eBooks on-line. Such features such as browsing the Internet or purchasing new books on-line are then made un-available to the student, at least as long as the eReader remains inside the inventor&#39;s Space Case device. 
         [0054]    The present invention also includes a novel dry erase micro eraser, which is designed specifically to be manufactured using commercial injection molding processes, and features an extremely low profile, so as to take the least amount of space in the Space Case. It also features a label insert cavity for low-cost customization of durable multi-color silkscreened acrylic labels and can have any number of eraser materials adhered to the erasing surface, from felt to micro-fiber materials. 
         [0055]    In the final instance, the device assumes use of a removable rigid clear acrylic panel or one that is made of flexible latex plastic, called a Writing Shield, which in either case would be placed directly on top of the eReader&#39;s eInk display screen while said eReader is laying flat on a writing surface such as a table or desk or even in a child&#39;s lap. A finger notch in one of the four sides supports lifting the device off the eReaders screen display without having to invert the eReader. This device can be cut from ridged 1/32″ clear acrylic plastic using a CNC router, or die cut from 1/64″ flexible lexan plastic. 
         [0056]    Or in a third and most preferred embodiment of the Writing Shield invention, one can use cut-sheet clear acrylic 1/32″ plastic which is then sonic welded into an injection molded frame. The frame provides the exact fit into the eReader screen display area (bordered by the eReader&#39;s screen display cavity) and providing a smoother, more finished, with more rounded edges and a more consistent and exact fit onto the eReader&#39;s display screen. Cutting the clear acrylic into right angle panels (a fraction of the cost of CNC routing) need not be to the same exacting tolerances as the “un-framed” versions of the device, and hence the cost is significantly less in manufacturing this version. Also the injection molded frames can be “shot” in a variety of color plastic and silkscreened with logos, and other company or school information, as required. 
         [0057]    The novel features believed to be characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims The invention itself, as well as the preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         [0058]      FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of the front view  110  of an exemplary device (empty) for use with an Amazon Kindle LG eInk-based eReader (hereafter referred to simply as “the Kindle LG”) in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  100 . Pictured is the clear acrylic panel  120  that is used to cover the eReader&#39;s display screen and to facilitate writing on the digital workbooks using a dry erase marker and eraser, as shown in views in later figures in this document. The Space Case cover is hinged  150  and is secured when in closed position by use of a latch  130  thus holding the eReader and the writing components in-placed when taken on the road by the parent or child. The cover of the Space Case is configured with cut-out holes that provide access the control buttons on the eReader, such as for the previous and next buttons  160  the controller, back and home buttons of the eReader  140  and one that allows the Amazon logo to show through and be visible to the user of the device  180 . The cover also includes a label insert cavity  170 , which makes it easy to customize the cover with durable silk-screened labels. Such labels might show the logo of the distributor of the device, or even the school mascot and colors of the students using the device. 
         [0059]      FIG. 2  is a pictorial representation of the top side, top perspective and side views  210  of an exemplary device (empty) for use with the Kindle LG in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  200 . Shown is a latch-side view  230  displaying the latch assembly  240  as well as a side view of the traction feet  250  that are located on the bottom of the device. Also shown is a side view  260  showing the hinge assembly  270 . A top latch-side perspective view  280  further shows the design and layout of the Space Case for the Kindle LG. 
         [0060]      FIG. 3  is a pictorial representation of the bottom side and bottom side perspective views  310  of an exemplary device for use with the Kindle LG in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  300 . Shown are the traction feet  320  which are over-molded as part of the actual case itself with a heat bonding process instead of gluing, sonic welding or other manufacturing process for safety and durability. Also shown in the bottom side perspective view  330  is the raised seating cavity  360  on the back side of the device for seating the Kindle at the appropriate height in relation to the clear acrylic panel. This view also gives another depiction of the traction feet  340  and  350  as well as another view of the latch. 
         [0061]      FIG. 4  is a pictorial representation of a frontal-perspective view  410  of an exemplary device with the cover open, showing the requisite components required to write on the Kindle LG when it is placed in the Space Case, namely the Kindle LG, the eraser and the dry erase marker stored in their proper “wells” within the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  400 . Shown are the dry erase marker in its storage well  440  the micro eraser in its eraser well  430  the Kindle LG eReader  422  in place inside of the Kindle well  425 . Unique features of the cover include the Kindle Keyboard Inset  470  which provides a space between the surface of the Kindle and the cover, such that pressure is not applied to the Kindle&#39;s keyboard  460 , thus causing unintended response from the Kindle, such as giving it a command. Cut-outs in the cover also allow the Kindle controller, home and back buttons  450  to be accessible when the cover is closed and for the Kindle logo  420  to be visible through the cover when the cover is closed and secured with the latch  480 . 
         [0062]      FIG. 5  is a pictorial representation of a top perspective view  510  of an exemplary device showing the various components required to write on the Kindle LG removed from the Space Case, showing the storage wells of the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  500 . In this view the cover  580  is also open but the Kindle  560  has been removed along with the other components stored in the device to facilitate writing, namely the dry erase marker  540 , which was removed from the dry erase marker well  550  and the micro eraser  520  which has been removed from the eraser well  530 . With the Kindle removed from the device, the spacer insert  595  is now visible, as it is used to put the Kindle in the proper position relative to the cover  580  when it is closed and secured with the latch  590 . 
         [0063]      FIG. 6  is a pictorial representation of a front view  610  of an exemplary device showing the Kindle LG placed inside the device such that it can be written on using the dry erase marker and eraser provided with the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  600 . The cover is shown closed and secured using the latch  620 . Shown are the label insert cavity  625  into which may be easily inserted custom labels which may be easily mass produced in color multiple up, cut and inserted into each device, which is far less expensive than silk-screening individual devices. Also shown is the Amazon.Kindle logo that is on the Kindle showing through the cut out on the cover  635 . The controller, home and back buttons  640  and the page forward and page back (“Prev” and “Next) buttons  630  likewise not only show through on the Kindle but can be fully utilized by the user to advance the page displayed, load the next workbook or return to the main menu. The child or other user writes on the clear acrylic panel covering the Kindle display screen  650  using a dry erase marker as depicted in earlier figures. 
         [0064]      FIG. 7  is a pictorial representation of the top view  710  of an exemplary device, called a Space Case designed and configured to facilitate the use of the Older Kindle as a writing device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  700 . This shows the configuration and arrangement of the cover to facilitate the placement of the buttons peculiar to the Older Kindle but the basics of the hinges  780 , latch  720  and clear acrylic panel  760  remain virtually identical in all the embodiments of the Space Board. The cut-outs in the cover for the Older Kindle logo  750 , the home button  720  which is located away from the 5 way controller switch  730  and the positioning of the Prev and Next buttons  740  are all positioned specifically to accommodate their unique positions relative to the Older Kinder, versus the newer Kindle LG 
         [0065]      FIG. 8  is a pictorial representation of top, bottom and side views  810  of the Space Case with the Older Kindle in place inside of it in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  800 . Again, except for the button and logo placement as shown on the top view  820  this embodiment of the invention is essentially the same as that for the Kindle LG including the latch side view  870  and the hinge side view  860  showing the traction feet  855  and from the bottom side view  830  showing the positioning of the traction feet  840  as well. 
         [0066]      FIG. 9  is a pictorial representation of the Space Case for the Older Kindle with the cover open showing the components stored in their respective wells in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  900 . The placement of the eraser and the eraser well  920  is essentially the same as for the Kindle LG, as are the well for the dry erase marker  930  and the Older Kindle&#39;s well  940 . 
         [0067]      FIG. 10  is a pictorial representation of the Space Case for the Barnes and Nobel Nook eReader, showing the Nook in place in side of the Space Case  1010  in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1000 . Again, it resembles the two embodiments for the Kindle in that it features the same relative latch  1020  hinge  1040  label insert  1030  cavity and clear acrylic panel  1050  covering the Nook&#39;s eInk screen display. There are some significant differences, however. While there is a cut-out for the Nook logo at the top of the device  1070  as was provided for on the Kindle versions, the Nook also has a Barnes and Noble logo located at the bottom of the device and so the cover of this Space Board version has a cut-out in the cover for it, as well  1060 . And while it has similar cut-outs in the cover for the page forward and page back buttons of the Nook  1030  in this particular embodiment there are no cut-outs in the cover for the Nook&#39;s other control buttons, because it doesn&#39;t have any other ones. It has a touch-screen control panel, and any extraneous “touches” will through the Nook into different unwanted modes when the child is writing, so they are not exposed to extraneous “touches”. 
         [0068]      FIG. 11  is a pictorial representation of top and bottom perspective views of the Space Case for the Nook, with the Nook in place inside of it in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1100 . Again, except for the treatment of the extra logo at the bottom of the cover and the other “missing” control buttons, the top view  1120  perspective and bottom view  1130  perspectives demonstrate the essential similarity of the Nook Space Board to those designed for the two Kindles, including the label insert  1170 , the clear acrylic panel over the Nook&#39;s display screen  1180 , the latch used to secure the cover  1160 , the hinges  1140  and the traction feet  1150  located on the bottom of the device. 
         [0069]      FIG. 12  is a pictorial representation of the top view of the Space Case for the Nook  1210  with the cover open showing the writing components and the Nook eReader outside of the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1200 . The arrangement of the components stored inside the case is again very similar to that of the Kindles, with the exception of there being no need for the keyboard insert inside the cover, as there is no physical keyboard, but rather only a “virtual” one displayed on the control screen at the bottom of the Nook  1260 . Otherwise, the cover  1280  and latch  1290  are used to secure the components inside the device when the eraser  1220  is placed in the eraser well  1230 , the dry erase marker  1240  is placed in the dry erase marker well  1275  and the Nook  1260  is placed in the Nook well  1270 . 
         [0070]      FIG. 13  is a pictorial representation of the top view of the Space Case for the Nook  1310  with the cover opened and with the writing objects and the Nook in place inside in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1300 . Again, the similarity to the Space Case for the Kindles is depicted, with the latch  1380  and cover  1370  used to close and secure the erase in its well  1330 , the dry erase marker in its well  1340 , the Nook in its well  1320 . Another similarity is the Nook logo at the top of the device  1325  having a cut out, however the cover cut-out for the logo at the bottom of the Nook eReader  1350  is unique to this version of Space Case for esthetic and marketing considerations only, and has no functional value. 
         [0071]      FIG. 14  is a pictorial representation of the top and bottom perspective views  1410  of the Space Case for the Amazon Kindle DX in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1400 . This is the largest Kindle device and requires the addition of and a second latch  1440  to properly secure the eReader into the device when the cover is closed. The top perspective view  1470  shows the changed placement of the Label insert cavity  1430  along the long-end of the device and the clear acrylic panel  1420  is positioned over the Kindle DX&#39;s larger screen display. The bottom perspective view  1480  shows few changes to the configuration of the device on that end, as the hinges  1460  and traction feet  1450  are simply further apart than on the smaller Space Case devices. A cut-out (not shown) in the cover would allow the Kindle DX logo to show through the cover, as in all the other Space Case devices. 
         [0072]      FIG. 15  is a pictorial representation of the Space Case for the Kindle DX with the cover open  1510  and the writing objects and the Kindle DX in their respective storage wells in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1500 . This perspective view shows the rearrangement and repositioning of the eraser well  1550 , the dry erase marker well  1570  and the Kindle DX well  1560  to each other to accommodate the unique size and other characteristics of the Kindle DX. Also shown are the cover  1540  with the twin latch assembly  1520  and the clear acrylic panel  1530  which will position over the Kindle DX&#39;s screen display (not shown). 
         [0073]      FIG. 16  is a pictorial representation of the Space Case for the Kindle DX with the cover open  1610  and the writing objects and the Kindle DX removed from the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1600 . This perspective view shows the rearrangement and repositioning of the various “wells” more clearly with all the objects removed from the device. The eraser well  1650 , the dry erase marker well  1680  and the Kindle DX well  1695  are more clearly seen than in the previous figure, with the erase  1650 , the dry erase marker  1670  and he Kindle DX removed from the device. Also shown are the cover  1640  with the twin latch assembly  1620  and the clear acrylic panel  1630  which will position over the Kindle DX&#39;s screen display (not shown). 
         [0074]      FIG. 17  is a pictorial representation showing top, bottom, side and perspective views of the injection-molded Space Case Eraser in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1700 . The top perspective view  1770  shows the unique label insert cavity  1710  into which durable multi-color custom acrylic labels may be inserted and adhered (glued). This is further shown in the eraser top view  1730 , with the raised sides depicted on the side view  1740  and the end view  1750 . The eraser material  1720  such as felt of micro fiber material is die-cut to size with adhesive backing and adhered to the erase bottom  1760 . 
         [0075]      FIG. 18  is a pictorial representation of the Writing Shield with the Finger Notch located on one of the shorter ends of the device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1800 . The Writing Shield in this embodiment can either be either made of clear acrylic and CNC router precision cut for its unique shape and size or be made out of clear lexan polycarbonate plastic and die cut to achieve its unique size and shape. The perspective view  1810  shows the finger notch  1830  in this version positioned along the top shorter end of the device, with the top and bottom short ends with the silk-screened logo and other company information  1840 . Likewise the front view  1820  (top view if laying flat on a surface, such as the eInk display screen) shows the full size and shape of the finger notch  1835  and better shows the logo area silk-screened along the narrow ends of the device  1845 . The side view  1830  shows the thin profile of the clear plastic sheet. 
         [0076]      FIG. 19  is a pictorial representation of the Writing Shield being inserted onto the display screens of an Older Kindle, a Kindle LG and a Nook eReader in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  1900 . The Writing Shield is placed above the eReader display panel and simply inserted into the screen area cavity that surrounds the display screen of the Older Kindle eReader  1920 , the Nook eReader  1940  or for the Kindle LG eReader  1960 . The Writing Shield is shown positioned in place on the Nook eReader  1940  and the Kindle LG eReader, over the screen display  1970 . Note that in a larger sized embodiment, the Writing Shield may be configured for the Kindle DX or other large format eReaders, as well. 
         [0077]      FIG. 20  is a pictorial representation showing the front view  2010  of an optional placement of the finger notch  2020  and silk-screened label  2030  in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  2000 . The clear plastic panel component of the Writing Shield in this configuration may likewise be comprised of either clear acrylic or lexan plastic material  2040 . 
         [0078]      FIG. 21  is a pictorial representation showing front, back and side cut-away views  2110  of another embodiment of the present invention, manufacturing Writing Shields by way of using an injection-molded frame and inserting lower-cost cut-sheet clear Acrylic panels in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  2100 . This embodiment is comprised first of all of an injection-molded frame, the front view  2120  depicts the finger lift  2130  which replaces the finger notch of the other Writing Shield embodiments and the placement of the silkscreened logo and other company information  2140 . The finger lift cut-away front view  2180  and side view of the finger lift and frame shows that the finger lift  2190  is a hollow raised area protruding from the frame into which one may insert a finger tip or nail and lift the frame from its seating on an eReader screen display, in place of using the finger notch for the same purpose. The finger lift  2198  is further shown in a side cut-away view  2195  to show its relationship to the frame  2199  and the stop  2197  located underneath the surface of the frame. The stop facilitates the proper lateral positioning of the clear acrylic panel as will be shown in the drawing that follows this figure. The back view of frame  2150  and the cut-away side view of the frame  2160  show the structure and relationship of the outside edge  2155 , the stop  2165  and the inside edge  2175  of the frame. 
         [0079]      FIG. 22  is a pictorial representation showing the insertion of the cut-sheet clear acrylic panel into the back of the Writing Shield and sonic welding (or gluing) it to the frame  2210  in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention  2200 . The cut-sheet clear acrylic panel  2240  is inserted  2225  into the back side of the frame  2220 . The cut-away side view of the frame  2260  shows the cut-sheet clear acrylic panel  2270  positioned on the inside edge of the frame  2275  resting next to the stop  2265  where it is then sonic welded  2280  (or glued) in position to the frame. The outside edge of the frame  2255  is shown for reference only. As stated previously in this document, the advantages of this embodiment are both esthetic and economic. The injection molded frame has a more polished and finished look and can be produced in a wide variety of “kid-colors” and the costs of cutting the clear acrylic panels rather than CNC routing them is a savings of a factor of many times the cost of the plastic panel itself. 
         [0080]    Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments as well as alternative embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments that fall within the scope of the invention.