IMPROVEMENTS IN EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS
23 to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to educational apparatus and comprises series of questions
and answers, or co-relating matters, and a signal either audible or visual, or both,
whereby a child will be informed when he has found the proper answer given to
any particular question, or one matter having a co-relation with another.
The said apparatus consists of cards or tablets bearing questions or matters, other
cards or tablets bearing answers to said questions or matters having a co-relation
to the matters on the first mentioned cards, and mechanism whereby when a card
or tablet bearing an answer to a question on another card or tablet or a co-relating
matter shall be selected a signal will be given. Preferably the cards or tablets are
detachable so that different sets may be used, and the signalling mechanism will
be electro-magnetic.
....
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS," and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to educational apparatus and comprises a series of
questions and answers or co-relating matters and a signal, either audible or
visual, or both, whereby a child will be informed when he has found the proper
answer given to any particular question or one matter having a co-relation with
another.
The said apparatus consists of cards or tablets bearing questions or matters,
other cards or tablets bearing answers to said questions or matters having a
· co-relation to the matters on the first mentioned cards, and mechanism whereby
when a card or tablet bearing an answer to a question on another card or tablet or
a co-relating matter shall be selected a signal will be given. Preferably the cards
or tablets are detachable, so that different sets may be used, and the signalling
mechanisms will be an electro-magnetic mechanism.
In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a front view of an apparatus
embodying my improvement; Figure 2 is a side view of the same; and Figure 3 is
a back view thereof. Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in
all the figures.
A designates a base piece or body piece which may be made of wood or other
suitable material and of any desirable shape. As here shown it occupies an
upright position although it may be arranged in any convenient position.
At the lower end of the body piece, as here shown, a box B is arranged. It
preferably has a hinged cover. Within it is an electric battery C of any approved
type.
From one pole of the electric battery C a wire D extends along the back of the
body piece A to one end of the helix of an electro-magnet E whereby the clapper of
a bell F may be operated. A wire G extends from the other end of the helix of
the electro magnet E along the back of the body-piece and passes through the
body piece to the front. The portion extending through the body-piece is long
enough to reach to any part of the front of the body piece and at the extreme end
it is provided with a contact piece G¹ here shown as having a ring shaped portion.
The wires D G are covered with any suitable insulating material.
From the other pole of the electric battery C a wire H extends. Beyond the
front of the body-piece this wire H is long enough to reach to any part of the front
of the body-piece. It is shown as provided with a contact piece H³ comprising a
ring shaped portion. The wire H is covered with insulating material of some
suitable kind.
On the front of the body-piece A. are a number of metal pins II' extending
through to the back and connected there by wires I covered with any suitable
insulating material. Cards or tablets J J¹ are hung on the pins I I³. The cards or

page_text: may be removed and replaced by others.
A child takes the wire G_and_places the ring shaped portion of its contact
piece G³ on any of the pins I. He then takes the wire H and places the ring
shaped portion of its contact piece H on the pin I' which is connected by a wire I³
to the pin I with which the wire G has been connected. The child may bang the
contact piece H³ of the wire H on several pins I' in succession before selecting the
proper one. When he selects the proper one he is apprised of it by the ringing of
the bell F, for then the electro-magnet E of the bell will be included in a circuit
with the wires G H.
The bell may be an electro-magnetic bell adapted to ring continuously or
only once.
This apparatus is advantageous in that it informs a child when it has answered
or selected the proper answer to any question and thus supplies the place of
a teacher.
The apparatus may be of any suitable form. A visual signal may be used
instead of an audible signal or a combined audible and visual signal may be
employed.
Of course an apparatus embodying my improvement may be used in the
education of adults as well as children. I consider my invention to involve
any suitable mechanism whereby a signal will be given whenever the proper
answer to a question is selected.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. In an educational apparatus the combination of cards or tablets bearing
questions, or matters, other cards or tablets bearing answers to said questions, or
matters having a co-relation to the matters on the first mentioned cards, and
mechanism whereby, when a card or tablet bearing an answer to a question on
another card or tablet, or a co-relating matter shall be selected, a signal will be
given.
Second. In an educational apparatus the combination of detachable cards or
tablets bearing questions, other detachable cards or tablets bearing answers to said
questions, and mechanism whereby when a card or tablet bearing an answer to a
question on another card or tablet shall be selected a signal will be given.
Third. In an educational apparatus the combination of cards or tablets bearing
questions, other cards or tablets bearing answers to said questions, and an electro-
magnetic signal which will be operated so as to give a signal whenever a card or
tablet bearing an answer to a question on another card or tablet shall be selected.
Fourth. The combination of a body piece, a number of metal pins I I' connected
by wires 1', a number of cards or tablets J J bearing questions and answers, an
electric battery C, a wire D, an electro-magnetic signal, a wire G provided with a
contact piece G¹ and a wire H provided with a contact piece H¹, substantially as
specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.