Educational device

2,189,902

Feb. 13, 1940.

E. F. HISER

EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Original Filed Aug. 25, 1937

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Patented Feb. 13, 1940

2,189,902

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,189,902 EDUCATIONAL DEVICE

Ernest F. Hiser, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application August 25, 1937, Serial No. 160,900 Renewed October 2, 1939

Claims. (Cl. 35—74)

This invention relates to educational devices somewhat in the nature of spelling boards and has for its object to provide such a device which is simple in construction and more efficient in 5 operation than those heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel details of construction and. combinations of parts as will be disclosed more fully hereinafter and. particularly 10 pointed out in the claims.

Referring to. the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views— Fig. 1 is an elevational or plan view of a device IS made in accordance with this invention; , : Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device taken as bn the line 2—2 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional 20 view taken as on the line 3—3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

This, device comprises a box-like structure having a bottom wall I and side walls such as. 2, the bottom wall having, suitably secured thereto 25 at its center a circular disk 3. At the center of said disk there is provided a pivot pin 4 extending, upwardly therefrom and having loosely mounted thereabout a circular, plate 5, the disk 3 serving as a spacer between said plate and the 30 bottom wall f. Said plate is provided with a circular row of finger holes 6 by means of which the plate 5 may be rotated about the pivot 4, the diameter of the spacer disk 3 being such that : the circumferential edge of said disk is disposed 35 between said pivot and the finger holes.

. A cover I is provided for the box-like structure and. secured to the sides 2 thereof, said cover having a generally circular central opening 8 the diameter of which is such that , the row of finger 40 holes 6 is closely adjacent but uncovered by the circumferential edge: thereof, there, being a tab portion 9 pointed to simulate an arrowhead extending inwardly of the opening. 8. for a purpose presently to appear.

Adjacent one side of the box, and formed in the cover 7, is a window or sight opening 10 extending radially, or in a direction from the opening 8 to the side of the box, and -this window has associated therewith a plurality of covers, 30, blinds, or doors, there being three shown in the drawing and identified by the numerals (I, 12 and 03, each being hinged as at 14 to the cover Ί, .and each having a pull tab such as 15 by means of which the door may be turned about its. hinge.

qft Ihese,,doors' fit each, other closely, as-well.as the window 9, to normally and completely hide the area of the rotatable plate 5 beneath said window, but when a door is lifted a portion of said plate is made-readily visible.

The top surface of the cover 7 is divided as by 5 the lines 16 and 17 into one area, and further divided as by similar lines 18 and 19 into another area, and again by the lines 2 0 and 21 into a third area, each area disposed substantially radially of the cover for convenience. Within each area 10 there is printed or otherwise depicted a plurality of pictorial objects of any suitable classification or the depictions may be of heterogeneous objects as desired, and the objects of one area will be different from the objects in any Other area. Fur- IS ther, mathematical equations to be solved may also be printed in these areas.

The space between these areas and the central opening 8 of the cover 7 is marked off into a plurality of divisions which are substantially rec- 20 tangles placed one after the other and containing the successive letters of the alphabet, each division or rectangle being of an extent commensurate with the center-to-center equal spacing of the finger holes 6, so that the finger holes. 25 will register with, the letter rectangles. These rectangles, or some of them, may also contain the ten digits from 1 to 0 and also may include the plus, minus, times and equal marks: to be found in simple mathematical equations, as well 30 as a question mark, all as will be clear from the showing in Fig. 1. The sides of the tab 9 are preferably made concave in the circular path of the finger holes to provide an abutment for the finger when the plate. 5 is rotated. 35

The exposed surface of the plate 5 near the center thereof has a pointer printed thereon (which may be suitably marked as by the word “start”) as indicated at 22, the point of this pointer adapted to register as shown in the draw- 40 ing with the arrowhead point of the tab 9 in order to place the plate 5 in correct starting position with reference to associated parts of the device when the device is to be used. The printed arrow such as 23 is provided on this 45 exposed area of the plate 5 to indicate the direction of rotation to be given said plate.

The upper surface of the plate 5 between its edge and the row of finger holes is provided with . one circular area 11 whose width radially of said 50 plate is such as to register with the exposed portion of the window 10 when the door f i thereof is raised, and this area has printed thereon in circumferential spaced relation duplications of the objects depicted in the area lying between the 55

2,189,902 lines 16 and 17 of the cover 7, the spacing of such duplications being commensurate with the spacing of the finger holes. Similarly there is provided another circular area 12' on the surface of 5 the plate 5 whose position and width radially of said plate is such as to register with the exposed portion of the window I &amp; when the door: 12 thereof is raised, and this area has printed thereon in similar spaced relation duplications of the ob10 jects depicted in the area lying between the lines and 19 of the cover 7. There is a third circular area 13' of the plate 5 whose position and width radially of said plate is such as to register with the exposed portion of the window 10 when 15 the door 13 thereof is raised, and this area has printed thereon in similar spaced relation duplications of the objects depicted in the area lying between the lines 20 and 21 of the cover 7. In Fig. 1 the area on the cover 7 between the lines 20 16 and 17 has been pictorially identified as at 24 by the numeral 1 within a circle, and this same mark of identification is imprinted on the door 11. In a similar manner the other two areas of the cover 7 have been pictorially identified re25 spectively by the numerals 2 and 3, each within a circle, and these same marks of identification have been imprinted respectively on the doors 12 and 13.

With the foregoing description, the use and 30 operation of this device will now be set forth.

The plate 5 is rotated until the starting pointer 22 thereon is in point registration with the arrowhead point of the tab 9 of the cover 7. Then one: of the objects is selected in one of the areas 35 of said cover, such as the horse for example shown in the area identified by the numeral 1 within a circle. The name of this object is then spelled by placing a finger in the finger hole registering with the letter H rectangle and rotating 40 the plate 5 by bringing the finger down against the tab 9 in the rotational direction of the arrow 23. The finger is then removed and placed in the finger hole of plate 5 now registering with the letter O rectangle and the plate again rotated 45 in the same direction until, the finger comes to rest against said tab; in similar manner the finger hole registering with the R letter rectangle is brought around until the finger therein is stopped by said tab, after which the finger hole 53 registering with S is brought around to said tab, and finally the finger hole opposite E is brought down against said tab. If the spelling of “horse” has been done properly, that is if this word has been spelled properly by thus “dialing” the plate 55 5, the corresponding picture of a horse and the printed word “horse” will be visible when the door ί I is raised, since this door is identified with the depictions on the plate 5 of all of the objects in the corresponding area of the cover 7. On GO the other hand if some other picture appears in this window opening then the operator will know he has made a mistake in the selection of the proper letters in the name of the object. In other words, proper dialing of the actual letters 65 in a word will always result in the bringing to view of the picture corresponding to that word and thereby “check” the manual operation. It is of course possible that an incorrect spelling may produce the same resulting check, as for 70 example sequentially dialing the letters h-r-o-s-e instead of h-o-r-s-e but this fallacy in spelling may be considered negligible for two reasons, first the operator must know or have a fairly . definite idea of the proper letters in the word, 73· and second the picture brought to view at the conclusion of the operations will “check” such operations and have associated therewith the word in its proper spelling.

Mathematical problems may be “dialed” in a similar manner. In other words the problem 5 2+2=? in the same cover area will be dialed by using successively the finger holes opposite to or registering with the letter rectangle containing 2, the plus sign, 2, the equal sign, and then the question mark sign, whereupon when the 10 door I! is raised there will appear the numeral 4 constituting and proving the answer.

Thus it will be seen that by this invention there is provided a game board or spelling board which may have wide and varied possibilities, and 15 adaptabilities to both young and old people. The specific objects and equations particularly illustrated in Fig. 1 are elementary in character and therefore more suitable for children, but it is within the scope of this invention to provide a ²⁰device wherein all of the objects in one area may comprise various flowers, while all of the objects in another area may be animals, and the device may be further modified by requiring the spelling of the botanical or zoological name of the ²³flower and the animal instead of spelling its common name so that this device would be quite useful to one learning botany or zoology. In addition the depictions may include portraits or caricatures of well known individuals, historical 30 buildings which are well known, important edifices, and so on. Further modifications should be apparent but only one more will be specifically mentioned namely, the requirement for the object to be spelled in the French language, for ex- ³³ample, wherefore this device may find extreme usefulness to a student of that language in making him proficient in his vocabulary.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrange- 4Ό. ments of parts within the scope of this invention and therefore it is desired not to be limited to the exact foregoing description except as may be demanded by the claims.