Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Lexical education, instruction, practice and/or drilling typically involves the use of vocabulary cards. Vocabulary cards are often similar to playing cards, that is, they are flat, only slightly flexible pieces of paper or thin paperboard, often rectangular in shape. Typically a word among those being learned is displayed on one side of the vocabulary card, and on the opposite side is displayed (1) its meaning and/or translation, (2) its pronunciation guides or symbols, and/or possibly (3) other assistive information, such as a drawing depicting the word, use examples, variant spellings, the word&#39;s part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun and the like), other functional designations and the like. A student drills and/or tests his or her ability to identify the words on a group or battery of cards one at a time, flipping the card over to check his or her answer or to determine the correct answer. 
     Vocabulary cards are an educational aid of the generic type commonly referred to as flash cards. Flash cards are or can be used in many educational fields. Their use is well known in the teaching of mathematics, and are or can be used for history (for example, events versus their dates or principal participants), geography (for example, states versus their capital cities), science (for example, elements versus periodic table information) and so forth. The potential uses of flash cards is virtually unlimited. They can be used as an aid to mastering almost any educative and/or instructive field that requires the acquiring of new information and/or knowledge. 
     The study of a language foreign to a person&#39;s native language normally requires the mastery (through memorization or other learning techniques) of hundreds or thousands of words. Conventional reading and/or vocabulary lessons for school children might also require the drilling of hundreds of words. In either situation, words that have been studied once normally must be reviewed periodically. When flash cards are used, the cards requiring periodic review can quickly become so numerous that their management is unwieldy and cumbersome. There are too many cards for a complete review in a single time period, and a systematic review during multiple time periods approaches being impossible without an effective organization of the cards. Further, if the organization task is time-consuming, or even just boring, the learning process is negatively impacted. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a flash card management apparatus having a progression of compartments that govern or direct which cards are reviewed at a given drill session. When the progression is ordered by card capacities, a given card will come up for review possibly at each drill session for the first few sessions, and then come up for review with ever decreasing frequency thereafter. The use of the management apparatus will assure that each card will be not only periodically reviewed, but also reviewed a fixed number of times before it is put on the side. No matter how numerous the cards, their management is not unwieldy or cumbersome. When there are too many flash cards for a complete review in a single time period, the present invention&#39;s management apparatus permits a systematic review during multiple time periods. Further, when the management apparatus is used, the organization of the cards is not time-consuming, nor particularly boring. 
     The present invention also provides a learning drill session method that employs the management apparatus. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flash card management apparatus of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a partial flow diagram of the management of a set of flash cards over the first eight drill sessions using the management apparatus of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a flash card management apparatus of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of a first partition component of the flash card management apparatus of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the partition component of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged, side view of a second partition component of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the partition component of FIG. 6, taken along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 6; and 
     FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In FIG. 1 there is shown a flash card management apparatus  10  of the present invention with some components removed for clarity of description. The management apparatus has plurality of flash card compartments, namely compartments  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30 . As ordered or arranged in this embodiment, five of these ten flash card compartments, namely compartment  12  through compartment  18 , are aligned side by side at the front of the management side behind the front alignment of compartments. All of the compartments, except compartment  12  and compartment  14 , are provided with a first and a second partition  60 ,  62  (shown respectively only in compartment  26  and compartment  30 ), which will be discussed in detail below. 
     When taken from right to left and front alignment before the rear alignment, the compartments form (with one exception) an arrangement of progressively longer compartments. For instance, compartment  30  is longer than compartment  28 , which is longer than compartment  26 , and so forth. The exception is that compartment  12  and compartment  14  are each of substantially the same length (which feature is discussed below). The compartments are of substantially the same height and width, forming a vertical profile or configuration suited to holding, storing and/or accommodating flash cards in an “on end” or upright position. Each compartments is of sufficient length to hold more than one flash card, and most are designed to hold many cards. When flash cards of substantially uniform thickness are used, the longer a compartment, the more cards it can hold. In actuality, the flash cards in each compartment of the management apparatus  10  as shown will be held between the first and second partitions  60 ,  62  (except compartment  12  and compartment  14 ). Partitions  60 ,  62  define the effective lengths, or maximum effective lengths, of each compartment, but for simplicity of explanation the compartments of FIG. 1 will be described first substantially without reference to the partitions  60 ,  62  and without the flash cards being shown. The management apparatus  10  thus includes a series of flash card compartments arranged by progressively higher flash card capacities. When the flash cards that are placed into (or stored in) a compartment reach the capacity of that compartment, some of the flash cards will be pushed onto the foot or retainer component  80  of the second partition  62  (or hoisting partition) for removal from the compartment as described later below. The second or hoisting partition  62  and its immediately surrounding area can be considered an “outlet” of the compartment as described later below. 
     In simple exemplitive overview, the flash cards that will be reviewed during a drilling session will be the cards removed from any of the compartments via their hoisting partitions  62 , plus the cards already in compartments  14  and  12 . In addition to such reviews, a new group or set of cards will be studied for the first time. For example, assuming that (a) there are some flash cards in all compartments up to at least 30, (b) there are flash cards ready to be removed via the hoisting partition  62  in compartment  16  through compartment  28  (which, as seen from this example, is a condition that will be seen if there are some flash cards in compartment  30  but not enough to reach its capacity), and (c) the number of flash cards that are newly introduced at a drill session are the same number of cards that are set for removal from any of the compartments. The student starts the review drill using the flash cards that are removed from compartment  28 . When these flash cards are drilled, they are placed into the compartment of sequential greater length, which is compartment  30 . The flash cards are placed in compartment  30  at the end of the line of cards opposite the outlet of compartment  30 . (The cards are put into compartment  30  adjacent its first partition  60  which is discussed below.) Then the flash cards that are removed from compartment  26  are drilled and returned to the management apparatus  10 , placing them in compartment  28 . In the same manner, the flash cards that are removed from compartment  24  are drilled and returned to the management apparatus  10 , placing them in compartment  26 , and so forth until the flash cards in compartment  16  that are removed are drilled and placed into compartment  18 . Then all of the cards in compartment  14  are drilled and placed into compartment  16 . All of the cards in compartment  12  are drilled, and placed into compartment  14 . New cards are then studied, and placed into compartment  12 . In this exemplitive use of the management apparatus  10 , all of the flash cards in a set of new cards are studied at one drill session and then reviewed at each of the next two drill sessions when they are respectively the flash cards of compartment  12  and compartment  14 . If the capacities of compartment  16  and compartment  18  are respectively twice and thrice that of compartment  12  or compartment  14 , they will be reviewed twice more during the next five drill sessions. This sequence is shown in FIG. 2, which is a partial flow diagram  40  of the management of a set of flash cards over the first eight drill sessions. In FIG. 2 the location stations are aligned vertically on the left and the operation stations are aligned vertically on the right. At the first drill session, this hypothetical set of flash cards is introduced for the first time. The introduction of these flash cards during the first drill session is shown at location station  42 , and the operation thereon, namely being studied, is shown at operation station  43 . At the second and third drill sessions, these flash cards are taken out of compartment  12  and compartment  14  respectively, as indicated at location station  44  and location station  46 , and reviewed as indicated at operation station  45  and operation station  47  respectively. At the next two drill session, which are the fourth and fifth drill sessions, these flash cards are not reviewed, but instead remain in compartment  16  as indicated at location station  48  because they are behind other flash cards that entered the sequence earlier. At the sixth drill session these flash cards are in the position of being removed from compartment  16 , and thus are taken from compartment  16  as indicated at location station  50  and reviewed as indicated at operation station  51 . Over the next three drill sessions, namely the seventh, eighth and ninth drill sessions, these flash cards are not reviewed, but instead remain in compartment  18  as indicated at operation station  52  because they are behind other flash cards in compartment  18  that entered the sequence earlier. At the tenth drill session these flash cards are in the position of being removed from compartment  18 , and thus are taken from compartment  18  as indicated at location station  54  and reviewed as indicated at operation station  55 . These flash cards then are placed into compartment  20 , behind the flash cards already in compartment  20 , and so the succession continues. 
     Since there are ten compartments comprising the management apparatus  10 , each flash card introduced will be studied once and then reviewed ten times before being removed from the sequence. As a card progresses through the compartments of the management apparatus  10 , the time delay between reviews increases. 
     It will also be seen from this example that there will be an incipient period before a steady state is reached. The incipient period begins with no cards in any of the compartments at the very first drill session. At this very first drill session a group of new cards are studied and no cards are reviewed. Using the flow diagram of FIG. 2 as a guide, it is seen that at the beginning of the incipient period, there will be no cards waiting for review in compartment  12  until drill session two, and therefore the review of cards from compartment  12  begins on drill session two. Similarly, there will be no cards waiting for review in compartment  14  until drill session three, and therefore the review of cards from compartment  14  begins on drill session three. Similarly, if compartment  16  has a capacity for three sets of cards, the review of cards from compartment  16  only begins on drill session six because the cards placed into compartment  16  after drill session three are not removed for review during either drill session four or five. And so forth. 
     Compartment  12  and compartment  14  are referred to hereinafter as the inaugural compartments of management apparatus  10 . They hold only a single set of flash cards and all the flash cards in compartments  12  and  14  are reviewed and moved on to the next compartment at each drill session. Compartment  12  holds the flash cards that were studied for the first time at the prior drill session. Compartment  14  hold the flash cards that were studied for the first time two drill sessions earlier and then were reviewed at the prior drill session. 
     Compartments  16  through  30  are referred to hereinafter as the postliminary compartments. Each will hold more flash cards than are in a set of new cards studied for the first time at a drill session. At any given drill session for a given postliminary compartment, there will be (a) either no cards reviewed from that compartment or (b) only a portion of the flash cards in that compartment will be reviewed. 
     The number flash cards that are removed from a compartment will be the number of cards at the outlet of the compartment, on the foot  80  of the hoisting partition  62 , which are about the same number of cards that were added after being taken from the adjacent compartment and reviewed. There is no precondition of uniformity between the number of cards added and the number of cards pushed to the outlet during the incipient period. During the steady state period, however, if there is no modification of the compartment&#39;s length, such a uniformity will have substantially developed. Such a uniformity, that is, the number of cards that are removed substantially equaling the number of cards added (presuming reasonable uniformity in card thickness) is referred to as the in-out uniformity (“IOU”). In a full steady state condition, each compartment of the management apparatus has reached an IOU state. If the same number of new flash cards are selected at every drill session, then there will be cards to review from every compartment at every drill session. If however the number of new cards introduced into the drill sessions is not constant, the full steady state is not reached, or if it had been reached it is then broken, and instead a partial or near steady state develops. 
     If the frequency of reviewing a card is to progressively decrease, each compartment must be shorter than the compartments beyond it in the sequence. 
     In preferred embodiment the length of each of the postliminary compartments in the sequence is approximately “x+y”, wherein x is the length of the immediately adjacent prior postliminary compartment in the sequence and y is a constant. The first postliminary compartment in the sequence therefor, applying this formula, is “y”, or in the alternative the sequence can start using a compartment length outside of this formula. The lengths of the compartments and the proportions between them can, however, be selected to provide any desired frequency pattern among the possible patterns provided by the management apparatus and its adjustability as to compartment length, for a given thickness of flash cards. In addition, the number times a card is reviewed can be decreased by eliminating one or more of the compartments from the sequence. 
     Regarding the first partitions  60 , reference is made also to FIG.  4  and FIG.  5 . Each of the first or length-regulating partitions  60  as shown particularly in FIG.  4  and FIG. 5, is substantially rectangular and is formed with an upper pair of oppositely and horizontally-extending protrusions  64  and a lower pair of downward extending protrusions  66 . A leaf spring  68  is mounted on the front side of the length-regulating partition  60 . The spring  68  has a manual pull  70  that projects through the length-regulating partition  60 . The spring pull  70  is thus operable from the back side of the first partition  60  opposite the spring  68 . Each of the postliminary compartments has at least one upper and one lower pair of notches  72 . The four notches  72  receive the complementary four protrusions  64 , 66  of a first partition  60 . When a first partition  60  is set within a compartment, with its protrusions  64 ,  66  seated within the notches  72 , the partition  60  is held at that position within the given compartment, and its position determines the effective length, or more aptly the maximum effective length, of the compartment. In preferred embodiment, a compartment has a plurality of four-notch sets that are positioned at intervals along its overall length, so that the effective length can be modified if desired by removal of the first partition  60  and its replacement at a different four-notch set. The combination of protrusions and notches are positioners and an adjustable first partition  60  is a compartment length regulator. Shorter postliminary compartments will decrease the time interval between reviews of a given flash card, and longer postliminary compartments will increase the time interval between reviews of a given flash card, presuming substantially the same number of new cards are introduced into the sequence at the drill sessions. 
     To add a set of flash cards to a given compartment, the leaf spring  68  of its first partition  60  is pulled back into close proximity to the partition  60 , using the spring pull  70 , and the flash cards are slid into the opened space. The pull  70  is released and the flash cards are moved or pressed forward. 
     Referring now also to FIG.  6  and FIG. 7, there is shown a second partition  62  with four internal spiral springs  76  pressing four detent balls  78  outwardly of the partition&#39;s sides in alternating directions. Each of the detent balls  78  provide a slight degree of frictional contact with the inner sides of a compartment, and therefore provide a degree of detaining force that is readily overcome by pressure, such as the pressure of the build up of flash cards and the release of the spring pull  70  on the first partition  60 . Each of the spiral springs  76  are mounted in substantially horizontally oriented apertures  77  and the springs  76  bear against set screws  79  at their ends opposite the detent balls  78 . The detent balls  78  cannot move past the mouths of their respective apertures  77  in conventional fashion. The second partition  62  is substantially free to slide along the compartment as the flash cards build up behind it. The second partitions  62  will slide along their respective compartment until they abut the front walls thereof, and at that position the second partitions  62  are positioned for removal of flash cards. 
     The second or hoisting partition  62  has a foot member  80  that stabilizes the partition  62  in a upright position. The foot member  80  projects inward, towards the first partition  60 . The foot member  80  is substantially centered relative the main body of the hoisting partition  62 , and does not extend the entire width of the partition  62 . When the partition  62  is set within a postliminary compartment, the foot member  80  rides in a guideway  82  formed in the bottom of the compartments. The guideway  82  as shown in FIG. 1 is formed by a pair of shoulders  84  forming a trough region  86  between them. (The flat-bottomed first partitions  60  thus actually sit on these shoulders  84  and the notches  66 ,  67  are formed in the shoulders  84 .) The flash cards in the postliminary compartments will sit on the shoulders  84 , and some will ride over (or overlie) the foot member  80  at least when the capacity of a given compartment is reached. The cards that overlie the foot member  80  when the respective second partition  62  has been pushed against the front wall of the respective compartment are the cards  88  at the compartment&#39;s outlet. The cards  88  at the outlet are removed by pulling the hoisting partition  62  upward, partially but not completely out of the compartment. As the second partition is raised, the foot member  80  rises out of the guideway  82  to the level of the other cards in the compartment and bears against that line of cards, preventing them from filling the gap left when the cards  88  overlying the foot member  80  are manually grasped and removed from the compartment. When the second or hoisting partition  62  is then lowered back into place, the foot member  80  returns to the trough  86  of the guideway  82 , and the line of cards that remain in the compartment are then free to start filling in the gap left by the cards  88  that were removed. 
     Partition tabs or handles  90  project forward from the tops of the second partitions  62 . These tabs or handles  90  provide a convenient finger hold for lifting the second or hoisting partitions  62  when cards are removed. 
     The flash card management apparatus  10  comprises a plurality of flash card compartments which each have a flash card retention capacity, namely the room or space to hold or accommodate a certain maximum number of flash cards. The actual value of such retention capacity in terms of the number of cards retained will of course depend not only on the available space but also the thickness of the cards. The concept of maximum retention capacity relates to the postliminary compartments  16  through  30 , and not absolutely to the inaugural compartments  12 ,  14 . The inaugural compartments  12 ,  14  do of course have a holding capacity, that is the maximum number of cards that can be inserted and stored within between drill sessions. The retention capacities of the postliminary type of compartments such as compartments  16  through  30 , must of course be capacities for more than one flash card, while the holding capacities of any inaugural type of compartment, such as compartments  12 ,  14 , must be capacities for at least one card. As shown in FIG. 1, the holding capacities of the inaugural compartments  12 ,  14  are each from about five to about thirty cards, and the retention capacities of the postliminary compartments ranges from about ten to about one hundred twenty cards for the lowest retention capacity compartment  16 , to from about eighty to about one thousand sixty cards for the highest retention capacity compartment  30 . The postliminary compartments  16  through  30  each are open, or one can say convertible to being open, for the intake of flash cards approaching or reaching their flash card retention capacity at an intake zone, that is in the area of the first partitions  60  whereat the leaf springs  68  in their normally released positions occupy the spaces immediately in front of, or ahead of, the partitions  60 , and these spaces are open or available for the intake or receipt of additional flash cards when the springs  68  are pulled back against the partitions  60 . When the springs  68  are released when the capacity of the compartment is reached or approached, some of the cards are being pushed to the outlet. An intake zone thus can be considered as including a spring  68  and a means to recoil the spring  68 , which as shown is the spring pull  70 . 
     For practical reasons, namely to keep the flash cards in a upright position, the second partition  62  should be maintained in a position as close to the first partition  60  as possible, and allowed to slide farther apart only as additional flash cards are added. 
     The postliminary compartments  16  through  30  each have a flash card outlet zone for the removal of flash cards, namely the second partitions  62  and the space immediately above the foot member  80  of the second or hoisting partition. Cards are preferably not removed from the outlet zone until the second partition is moved forward, away from the first partition  60  to the fullest extent possible, which will occur at or about the full capacity condition. 
     The postliminary compartments  16  through  30  thus can be said to each have a flash card maximal retention capacity, which is approximately the maximum number of cards that can be fitted in between the intake zone and the outlet zone, and a mutable retention capacity which is the maximum number of cards that can be fitted in between the first and second partitions  60 ,  62  (which of course depends on the space between). The maximal retention capacities of these compartments for a given thickness of flash cards would be the capacity between the intake zone and the outlet zone excluding cards that are removable at the outlet, measured with the leaf springs  68  in their released positions. All of the compartments  12  through  30  are ordered in a progression according to flash card capacities, with the inaugural compartments  12 ,  14  being of course of substantially the same holding capacities, and the postliminary compartments  16  though  30  being in a progression according to retention capacities. The flash card management apparatus  10  thus has postliminary compartments having different retention capacities, and at least one (two shown) inaugural compartment open to the manual insertion and removal of flash cards. The inaugural compartments  12 ,  14  each have a flash card holding capacity that is less than any of the retention capacities of the postliminary compartments  16  through  30 . 
     In FIG. 3 there is shown another embodiment of a flash card management apparatus  110  of the present invention. The management apparatus has plurality of flash card compartments, namely compartments  112 ,  114 ,  116 ,  118 ,  120 ,  122 ,  124 ,  126 ,  128  and  130 . As arranged in this embodiment, two of the ten compartments, namely compartment  112  and  114 , face forward, each fronting a stacked series of four compartments. In more detail, compartment  112  is disposed in front of a vertical stack of compartments, which are from top to bottom are compartment  118 , compartment  122 , compartment  126  and compartment  130 . Similarly, compartment  114  is disposed in front of a vertical stack of compartments, which are from top to bottom are compartment  116 , compartment  120 , compartment  124  and compartment  128 . The lengths of the compartments  116  through  130  increases with alternately (side-to-side) and from top to bottom. The sequence follows the designation numbers, namely compartment  116  on the left side, and then to compartment  118  on the right side, and then to compartment  120  on the left side, and so forth. In this order, the compartments  116  to  130  form an arrangement of progressively longer compartments and thus compartments of progressively larger capacities for flash cards. Compartment  112  and compartment  114  are of substantially the same capacities. Compartment  112  and compartment  114  are the inaugural compartments of management apparatus  110 . Compartments  116  through  130  are the postliminary compartments. Each of the postliminary compartments of the management apparatus  110  of FIG. 3 also should be equipped with first and the second partitions  160 ,  162  substantially like the partitions  60 ,  62  described above for FIG. 1, except appropriately modified as to configuration and dimensions. The cards are inserted and removed from the open sides of the compartments. The use and structure of the management apparatus  110  otherwise is substantially the same as management apparatus  10  described above, and the details are not repeated here. 
     The present invention also is a learning drill session method using (A) the flash card management apparatus and (B) a batch of flash cards. Referring now to the flow diagram  208  of FIG. 8, using a flash card management apparatus with a plurality of postliminary compartments (as shown, nine postliminary compartment stations, namely compartment stations  216 ,  218 ,  220 ,  224 ,  226 ,  228 ,  230 , and  232 ) and optionally at least one inaugural compartment (as shown, two inaugural compartment stations, namely compartment stations  212 ,  214 ), an embodiment of the method is illustrated. The various compartment stations are arranged in flow diagram  208  according to their ordered progression by compartment capacities. Inaugural compartment stations  212  and  214  have the same capacities, and only in such an instance is their placement in the ordered progression arbitrary. The capacities of the postliminary compartments are illustrated in FIG. 8 by the sections of the station, each section representing a capacity for five cards. The first section of each postliminary compartment station, namely the leftmost section designated by the letter “a” represents the respective intake zone, and the last section of each postliminary compartment station, namely the right-most section designated by the letters “b”, “d”, “f” and so forth, represent the respective outlet zone. The inaugural compartments shown at stations  212  and  214  have a capacity for more than five cards, but in use only five cards are stored therein at a given time. In this example each set of new cards will be a five-card set. 
     The following definitions apply to the short-forms used below. The p x  postliminary compartment is, in a given step 2 sequence, the highest capacity postliminary compartment within the ordered progression (i) in which there are cards at the outlet zone and (ii) from which cards have not already been removed pursuant to a sub-step  2   a.  The p x+1  postliminary compartment is the postliminary compartment of next highest capacity in the ordered progression. The p n  postliminary compartment is the first postliminary compartment in the ordered progression (which of course will be the postliminary compartment of the lowest capacity). The i x  inaugural compartment is the highest inaugural compartment within the ordered progression from which no cards have been yet removed in the given step 2 sequence. The i x−+1  inaugural compartment is the next higher inaugural compartment in the ordered progression. 
     The method comprises the steps of: 
     (step 1) Select and study a set of cards from the batch of flash cards at new-card station  210 , which is shown in FIG. 8 as the movement of cards between the batch of cards station  210  and the study station  211 . Then place the set in the lowest compartment of the ordered progression. If there were no inaugural compartment stations, the lowest compartment would be the postliminary compartment at station  216 . The theoretical transfer of cards from the study station  211  to the postliminary compartment station  216  is shown by dotted line. For this dotted line route to the lowest postliminary compartment, the set is placed adjacent the first partition of and behind any cards already within the lowest postliminary compartment, which is shown in FIG. 8 by the routing of the set to the first section, section “a” of station  216 . In actuality, since two inaugural compartment stations are present, the set is routed to station  212 , the station for the lowest inaugural compartment in the progression. 
     Referring to the set of cards studied and stored in step 1 as set-1, FIG. 8 can be used to follow set-1 through multiple drill sessions, each drill session comprising steps 1 and 2, in a hypothetical in which the above step 1 was the very beginning of the incipient period. Set-1 moves through the compartment stations from station  212  to station  214 , then to section “a” of station  216 , then to section “b” of station  216 , then to section “a” of station  218 , and so forth, each move occurring in successive drill sessions. Set-1 is studied at the first drill session, reviewed at the second and third drill sessions at stations  212  and  214  respectively, and then again at the fourth drill session (when removed from section “b” of station  216 ) and the eighth drill session (when removed from section “d” of station  218 ) and the fourteenth drill session (when removed from section “f” of station  220 ) and so forth. Also seen is that at the fourteenth drill session, sets of cards are removed for review at station  220 ,  218 ,  216 ,  214  and  212 , but none from the compartment stations above station  220  in the ordered progression. 
     (step 2) The presumption is that a steady state has not been reached, and instead there have been only three sets of cards that previously have been removed from station  228  and placed into station  230 . A portion of the cards within the compartments are reviewed by the following sub-steps. 
     (sub-step 2a ) Cards are removed from the outlet zone of the p x  postliminary compartment. The p x  postliminary compartment is defined as being, in a given step 2 sequence, the highest capacity postliminary compartment within the ordered progression (i) in which there are cards at the outlet zone and (ii) from which cards have not already been removed pursuant to a sub-step 2a, which in this example would be station  228  which has a set of cards in its right-most or last section “n”. 
     (sub-step 2b) The cards removed from section “n” of station  228  are reviewed (which is not shown as a separate station in FIG.  8 ). 
     (sub-step 2c) The cards removed from section “n” of station  228  in sub-step 2a and the reviewed in sub-step 2b, are placed in the p x+1  postliminary compartment. The p x+1  postliminary compartment is the next highest compartment in the ordered progression, which is the compartment at station  230 . The reviewed cards are placed adjacent the first partition of the p x+1  postliminary compartment as represented by section “a” at station  230  and behind any cards already within the p x+1  postliminary compartment. If there were no p x+1  postliminary compartment, for instance if the reviewed cards had come from station  232 , then the cards would be set aside represented at station  234 . 
     (sub-step 2d) Sub-steps 2a through 2c are then repeated on cards in turn from the outlet zone of the next p x  postliminary compartments until there is no p x  postliminary compartment. Again, the p x  postliminary compartment is defined as being, in a given step 2 sequence, the highest capacity postliminary compartment within the ordered progression (i) in which there are cards at the outlet zone and (ii) from which cards have not already been removed pursuant to a sub-step 2a. Since cards have been removed from compartment station  228  pursuant to a sub-step 2a, the next P x  postliminary compartment station is station  226 . Station  228  is no longer a p x  postliminary compartment in this step 2 sequence, and stations  218  through  224  are not yet, but will become, p x  postliminary compartment stations. Therefore sub-steps 2a through 2c are performed with the p x  postliminary compartment of station  226 . Then pursuant to this sub-step 2d in like manner sub-steps 2a through 2c will be performed with the p x  postliminary compartment at station  224 , and then station  222 , station  220 , station  218  and finally station  216 . After sub-steps 2a through 2c are performed with the Px postliminary compartment at station  216 , no further compartment can meet the definition of a p x  postliminary compartment in this step 2 sequence. (sub-step 2e) Then cards are removed from the i x  inaugural compartment of the ordered progression. The i x  inaugural compartment is the highest inaugural compartment within the ordered progression from which no cards have been yet removed in the given step 2 sequence, which is the compartment of station  214 . Therefore at station  214  all the cards are removed, reviewed and then placed in the p n  postliminary compartment, which is defined as the first postliminary compartment in the ordered progression, and which here is the compartment at station  216 . 
     (sub-step 2f) Then the cards in the i x  inaugural compartment of the ordered progression, are removed, reviewed and placed in the i x 30 1  inaugural compartment. The i x  inaugural compartment is the highest inaugural compartment within the ordered progression from which no cards have been yet removed in the given step 2 sequence, which here is the compartment at station  212 . The i x+1  inaugural compartment is the next highest inaugural compartment in the ordered progression, which is the compartment at station  214 . 
     (sub-step 2g) If there was one or more inaugural compartments lower than the compartment at station  212  then the highest would be, for purposes of this sub-step, the next i x  inaugural compartments upon which sub-step 2f is performed, and so forth until no inaugural compartment meets the definition of an i x  inaugural compartment in this step 2 sequence. 
     It is seen from the above that step 1 and step 2 in combination constitute a single drill session, and that such combination of steps is repeated for each drill session. 
     As illustrated in this embodiment of the method, in any given drill session the student can study new cards (step 1) first, or last, or even in between the various sub-steps of the review (step 2). It would generally be impractical, however, but not impossible, to vary the sequence of the review sub-steps (sub-steps 2a through 2g). In the review sub-steps the group of cards removed from one compartment will always be transferred to the next highest compartment of the ordered progression according to length, or in other words, according to card capacity. 
     When the flash card management apparatus includes a leaf spring mounted on the first partition, movable from a normal released orientation to a retracted orientation, which projects forward from the first partition when in its the released orientation, and lies in substantially co-planar alignment with the first partition when in its the retracted orientation, sub-step 2c further includes the maneuver of moving the spring leaf to its the retracted orientation whereby space is provided to place the reviewed cards adjacent the first partition of the p x+1  postliminary compartment and behind any cards already within the p x+1  postliminary compartment. 
     When the flash card management apparatus includes a bottom guideway in at least one of the postliminary compartments and a foot member attached to at least one of the second partitions, wherein the foot member is normally positioned within the bottom guideway and runs along the guideway upon the translation of the second partition, and wherein guideway is open for a substantially vertical lifting of the foot member out of the guideway, sub-step 2a further includes the maneuvers of raising the second partition together with the cards on the foot member partially out of the p x  postliminary compartment and manually removing the cards on the foot member whereby the cards are removed from the outlet zone of the p x  postliminary compartment. In the illustration above using FIG. 8, where each set of new cards contains “n” number of cards, and the capacities of each postliminary compartment are multiples of “n”, the foot member should hold about “n” number of cards, so that about the same number of cards are removed as are added in each implementation of sub-step 2a. There need not be absolute IOU uniformity, and as can be readily envisioned, there probably will not be absolute IOU uniformity. 
     When the position of the first partition of at least one of the postliminary compartments is adjustable from a first position to at least a second position, the method further may include the step 3 of adjusting the first partition of at least one of the postliminary compartments between the first position and the second position. 
     The method is particularly advantageous when the flash cards are vocabulary flash cards. 
     A management apparatus of the present invention has a plurality of postliminary compartments. In preferred embodiment a management apparatus of the present invention has from about four to about sixteen postliminary compartments, and more preferably from about six to about twelve postliminary compartments. In most preferred embodiment, a management apparatus of the present invention has about eight postliminary compartments. 
     In preferred embodiment, a management apparatus of the present invention has a plurality of inaugural compartments, and in more preferred embodiment from about 1 to about four inaugural compartments. In most preferred embodiments a management apparatus has two inaugural compartments. 
     It is well within the skill of a person in the technical field, upon becoming conversant with, or otherwise having knowledge of, the present invention, to select suitable combinations of compartments and settings and the like in view of the type of management apparatus being designed and/or constructed. 
     The above described embodiments are exemplitive, and the terminology is employed for illustration purposes and not limitation purposes. The present invention is not limited to the combinations and subcombinations illustrated herein.

Technology Category: 7