Apparatus and method of teaching children the alphabet, numbers and the like

Claim 1

A TEACHING DEVICE COMPRISING PARALLEL EXTENDING SOUND TRACKS TO EMIT THE SOUNDS IMPRESSED THEREON, A MASTER KEYBOARD HAVING KEYS THEREON IMPRESSED WITH VARIOUS INDICIA TO BE MATCHED, A SELECTOR KEYBOARD HAVING KEYS THEREON IMPRESSED WITH CORRESPONDING INDICIA, A PARALLEL SOUND REPRODUCING CIRCUIT FOR EACH INDICIA WITH EACH PARALLEL CIRCUIT INCLUDING A SWITCH LATCHED CLOSED BY A MASTER KEY AND A SWITCH IN SERIES CIRCUIT THEREWITH LATCHED CLOSED BY A SELECTOR KEY WITH INDICIA IN CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE INDICIA OF SAID MASTER KEY, AND A LIGHT IN SERIES WITH SAID LATCHED SWITCHES AND ADJACENT THE PUNCHED MASTER KEY TO DESIGNATE IT AS THAT MASTER KEY TO BE MATCHED, A FIRST MEANS CONDITIONED FOR THE REPRODUCTION OF A CORRESPONDING SOUND TRACK BY THE CLOSING OF ANY SELECTOR KEY SWITCH TO MATCH A PREVIOUSLY CLOSED MASTER KEY SWITCH, MEANS IN SERIES WITH SAID SOUND REPRODUCTING CIRCUITS TO AMPLIFY SAID REPRODUCED SOUND, A DRIVE CIRCUIT IN PARALLEL WITH SAID SOUND REPRODUCING CIRCUITS AND COMPRISING THEREIN A VARIABLE SPEED TIME LAPSE MOTOR INCLUDING AN ADJUSTABLE SPEED REDUCTION MEANS AND MEANS DRIVEN THEREBY TO COOPERATE WITH SAID FIRST MEANS TO SELECTIVELY REPRODUCE SAID SOUND TRACKS, A CONTROL SWITCH TO BE OPENED TO BREAK SAID DRIVE CIRCUIT, A LIGHT TO INDICATE SAID DRIVE CIRCUIT IS CLOSED, AND A MAGNETIC SWITCH HELD CLOSED WHEN SAID CONTROL SWITCH IS CLOSED AND OPENABLE WHEN SAID CONTROL SWITCH IS OPENED, TIME LAPSE CIRCUIT MEANS IN PARALLEL WITH SAID SOUND REPRODUCING CIRCUITS AND SAID DRIVE CIRCUIT AND INCLUDING IN SERIES THEREIN LATCH SWITCH MEANS ACTUATED BY THE CLOSING OF SAID MATCHING SELECTOR KEY SWITCH AS AFORESAID TO CLOSE SAID TIME LAPSE CIRCUIT MEANS, MEANS TO ENCLUTCH SAID MOTOR TO ADJUSTABLE TIME LAPSE MEANS INCLUDED BY SAID MOTOR WHEREBY SAID TIME LAPSE MEANS RUNS FOR A PREDETERMINED TIME LAPSE CYCLE CORRESPONDING TO THE PERIOD OF REPRODUCTION OF A SOUND TRACK, A LIGHT TO INDICATE THE OCCURRING OF A TIME LAPSE CYCLE, AND A TIME LAPSE SWITCH ACTUATED BY SAID TIME LAPSE MEANS TO BREAK SAID TIME LAPSE CIRCUIT AT THE END OF TIME LAPSE CYCLE, RESTORATION CIRCUIT MEANS IN PARALLEL WITH SAID TIME LAPSE CIRCUIT AND CLOSED BY SAID TIME LATCH SWITCH AT THE END OF TIME LAPSE CYCLE, SAID RESTORATION CIRCUIT INCLUDING IN SERIES THEREIN MEANS TO BREAK THE REPRODUCTION CIRCUITS COMPRISING MEANS TO UNLATCH THE LAST MASTER KEY PUNCHED AND MEANS TO UNLATCH THE MATCHING SELECTOR KEY PUNCHED CORRESPONDING TO THE PUNCHED MASTER KEY, AND A DOUBLE ACTING, DELAYED ACTION SOLENOID OPERABLE A PREDETERMINED TIME INTERVAL AFTER SAID RESTORATION CIRCUIT IS CLOSED TO OPEN SAID CONTROL SWITCH AND THEREAFTER TO CLOSE IT, SAID MAGNETIC SWITCH BEING DE-MAGNETIZED UPON THE OPENING OF SAID CONTROL SWITCH TO BE RETURNED TO NORMAL OPEN POSITION.