Teaching machine

Claim 2

A teaching machine comprising: recorded sound producing means, said sound producing means including first and second selectively operable sound reproducing transducers; an activity board having an exposed surface defining a plurality of groups of apertures distributed over the board; a probe having an end fitted to the apertures of the activity board; and control means connected between the activity board and the sound reproducing means for controlling the operation of said sound reproducing means, the control means including first actuating means having elements registering with given apertures in each group, the control means further including second actuating means having elements registering with selected apertures in each group other than the given apertures, said first actuating means being responsive through its associated elements to the end of the probe at any one of the given apertures for actuating the first sound reproducing transducer and said second actuating means being responsive through its associated elements to the end of the probe at selected apertures in each group for actuating said second sound reproducing transducer.

Claim 3

The teaching machine of claim 1 wherein: the first and second sound reproducing transducers are magnetic tape heads.

Claim 4

The teaching machine of claim 1 wherein: the reproducing means includes first and second tape players, the first player including the first transducer and the second player including the second transducer.

Claim 5

The teaching machine of claim 1 wherein: the control means is an electrical control means and the actuating means each include a plurality of parallel circuits.

Claim 6

The teaching machine of claim 4 wherein: said actuating means circuits include electrical contacts connected in the plurality of parallel circuits and positioned adjacent the surface of the activity board disposed opposite to the exposed surface.

Claim 7

The teaching machine of claim 5 wherein: the contacts are paired at each given aperture, each pair being spaced and electrically isolated; and the end of the probe fitted to the apertures is electrically conductive and fills the space between the paired contacts when fitted in an activity board aperture.

Claim 8

The teaching machine of claim 1 wherein: an activity sheet is included, the activity sheet being sized to overlay the groups of apertures on the activity board and having groups of apertures through the sheet registering with prescribed board apertures, the prescribed board apertures including one of the given apertures in each group.

Claim 9

The teaching machine of claim 7 wherein: the activity sheet further includes graphic information associated respectively with each group of sheet apertures and additional graphic information associated respectively with each sheet aperture, the additional information associated with the sheet apertures registering with the given board apertures being uniquely associated with the graphic information associated with the corresponding group.

Claim 10

The teaching machine of claim 8 wherein: the sound reproducing means includes a recorded sound carrier, the recorded sounds oN the carrier being uniquely associated with the graphic information in each group of sheet apertures.

Claim 11

The teaching machine of claim 7 wherein: the activity board includes alignment elements having a known positional relationship with the board apertures; and the activity sheet bears a corresponding alignment feature having a known positional relationship with the sheet apertures and mating with the alignment element of the activity board, the positional relationship of the alignment features corresponding to the positional relationship of the alignment elements to register the sheet apertures with the preselected apertures of the board.

Claim 12

The teaching machine of claim 7 wherein: the activity sheet is an expendable activity sheet.

Claim 13

The teaching machine of claim 7 wherein: the prescribed board apertures include only one of the given apertures in each group and a plurality of the selected apertures in each group.

Claim 14

Means for programming apparatus employed for instructional purposes, said instructional apparatus including a flat surface having a plurality of groups of apertures therein and instructional reinforcement means energized in response to the insertion of a probe in a plurality of given apertures of each group less than the total number of apertures in each group, said programming means comprising: a program sheet, said program sheet bearing indicia on at least one surface for subdividing the sheet into discrete regions commensurate with groups of apertures in the surface of the instructional apparatus, said program sheet further including within each region a linearly aligned group of apertures having a coded relationship to the instructional apparatus apertures, each of said program sheet groups consisting of a plurality of apertures which are less in number than the apertures in the corresponding group in the instructional apparatus, with only one of said sheet apertures in each region corresponding to one of the given apertures in each group, said program sheet additionally having means thereon for facilitating positioning thereof on said instructional apparatus flat surface with the apertures in each sheet region in registration with apertures in a corresponding instructional apparatus surface group.

Claim 15

Means for programming apparatus employed for instructional purposes, said instructional apparatus including a flat surface having a plurality of groups of apertures therein and instructional reinforcement means energized in response to the insertion of a probe in a plurality of given apertures of each group less than the total number of apertures in each group, said programming means comprising: a program sheet, said program sheet bearing indicia on at least one surface for subdividing the sheet into discrete regions commensurate with groups of apertures in the surface of the instructional apparatus, said program sheet further including within each region a linearly aligned group of apertures having a coded relationship to the instructional apparatus apertures, each of said program sheet groups consisting of a plurality of apertures which are less in number than the apertures in the corresponding group in the instructional apparatus, with only one of said sheet apertures in each region corresponding to one of the given apertures in each group, said program sheet additionally having means thereon for facilitating positioning thereof on said instructional apparatus flat surface with the apertures in each sheet region in registration with apertures in a corresponding instructional apparatus surface group.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said means for facilitating positioning of the program sheet includes alignment apertures located near adjacent corners of the sheet.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein at least some of said program sheet regions bear graphic information.

Claim 18

A programmable teaching apparatus comprising: an activity board having an exposed flat surface defining a plurality of groups of apertures distributed over the board; a first plurality of normally open electrical circuits, said circuits being connected in parallel and having contacts positioned adjacent to at least two apertures of each of said groups; probe means having an end fitted to the apertures of the activity board, the insertion of said probe means into the apertures having said normally open electrical circuits associated therewith causing the closing of said circuits; sound reproducing means positioned remotely of said activity board, said sound reproducing means including prerecorded instructional information and being energized in response to the closing of any one of said first plurality of electrical circuits; and a program sheet overlay for said activity board, said program sheet bearing indicia on its surface for subdividing the sheet into distinctive regions commensurate with each group of apertures in said activity board, said program sheet including within each region only one aperture in registration with an activity board aperture having one of said electrical circuits associated therewith, said program sheet further including within each region a plurality of additional apertures in registration with activity board apertures which are not associated with said first plurality of electrical circUits, the total number of apertures in each region of said program sheet being less than the number of apertures in the corresponding group in the activity board.

Claim 19

A programmable teaching apparatus comprising: an activity board having an exposed flat surface defining a plurality of groups of apertures distributed over the board; a first plurality of normally open electrical circuits, said circuits being connected in parallel and having contacts positioned adjacent to at least two apertures of each of said groups; probe means having an end fitted to the apertures of the activity board, the insertion of said probe means into the apertures having said normally open electrical circuits associated therewith causing the closing of said circuits; sound reproducing means positioned remotely of said activity board, said sound reproducing means including prerecorded instructional information and being energized in response to the closing of any one of said first plurality of electrical circuits; and a program sheet overlay for said activity board, said program sheet bearing indicia on its surface for subdividing the sheet into distinctive regions commensurate with each group of apertures in said activity board, said program sheet including within each region only one aperture in registration with an activity board aperture having one of said electrical circuits associated therewith, said program sheet further including within each region a plurality of additional apertures in registration with activity board apertures which are not associated with said first plurality of electrical circUits, the total number of apertures in each region of said program sheet being less than the number of apertures in the corresponding group in the activity board.