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US3765106A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Teaching system

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-07-29
•
Granted: 1973-10-16
•
Expires: 1991-07-29
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Abstract

Abstract A foreign language teaching system includes a lesson cassette unit which audibly reproduces lesson information in the form of correctly pronounced foreign language words to be learned at predetermined spaced-apart intervals of time, and a student repeater cassette unit having a magnetic tape and a recording head which permits a student to pronounce the lesson words after they are rendered audible by the lesson cassette and enables the student to record his voice on the tape. A playback head for the repeater cassette is disposed adjacent the tape spaced therealong from the recording head, and energizes a playback amplifier which in turn drives a speaker to audibly reproduce the student''s voice before the next lesson word is rendered audible by the lesson cassette so that the student can listen to his own pronunciation of the word to be learned. Prior to the reproduction of the next lesson word by the lesson cassette, the preceding lesson word is again reproduced audibly for comparison purposes. The tape is an endless tape, and a permanent magnet disposed adjacent the tape between the recording head and the playback head erases the information from the tape after each word is reproduced by the playback head.

Inventors

  • 👤 D Cornell

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 22:05
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09B; G09B5/00; G09B5/04

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 3
Claim 1
Independent Claim 546 words
In a teaching system for language instruction, a student unit for recording a spoken word and then immediately reproducing that word, comprising: drive roller means including a capstan and a pinch roller for engaging magnetic tape with said capstan, recording head means, reproducing head means, means for energizing said recording head means to record on tape, means for reproducing signals developed by said reproducing head means to reproduce the recorded signals, a cassette type magnetic tape cartridge for disposition in said student unit and including a generally rectangular housing having a front wall, first and second rollers in said housing having axes in spaced parallel relation in a plane in spaced parallel relation to said front wall of said housing, said first and second rollers having peripheral portions in closely spaced relation to said front wall, an endless loop of student magnetic tape entrained on said roller means, said tape containing magnetic material throughout substantially the entire length thereof and including a portion extending from said first roller to said second roller along and in closely spaced relation to the inner surface of said front wall, additional roller means for guiding said tape from said second roller and back to said first roller with all portions of said tape being parallel to said axes throughout the length of said endless loop and with the length of said loop being substantially less than the perimeter of said rectangular housing, said front wall having a first opening for receiving said pinch roller to engage said tape with said capstan for drive of said tape from said first roller to said second roller and thence back around said additional roller means to said first roller, a second opening positioned opposite said recording head means between said first opening and said first roller and a third opening positioned opposite said reproducing head means between said second opening and said first roller, back-up means behind said second opening for engaging the inner surface of said tape for engagement of the outer surface of the tape with said recording head means, additional back-up means behind said third opening for engaging the inner surface of said tape for engagement of the outer surface of said tape with said reproducing head means, and a permanent magnet supported in said housing and engaged with a portion of said tape between said second and third openings, a cartridge of lesson tape having recorded thereon a series of words of lesson information, and a lesson unit for supporting said cartridge of said lesson tape and including reproducing head means for reproducing said series of words, said series of words being recorded on said lesson tape with an effective time interval therebetween at least three times as long as the time required for each portion of said student tape to move through the length of said endless loop thereof, and a second series of words being recorded on said lesson tape respectively identical to the first series of words, the time interval between each of said first series of words and the corresponding identical word of said second series being at least equal to twice as long as the time required for each portion of said student tape to move through the length of said endless loop thereof.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 546 words
In a teaching system for language instruction, a student unit for recording a spoken word and then immediately reproducing that word, comprising: drive roller means including a capstan and a pinch roller for engaging magnetic tape with said capstan, recording head means, reproducing head means, means for energizing said recording head means to record on tape, means for reproducing signals developed by said reproducing head means to reproduce the recorded signals, a cassette type magnetic tape cartridge for disposition in said student unit and including a generally rectangular housing having a front wall, first and second rollers in said housing having axes in spaced parallel relation in a plane in spaced parallel relation to said front wall of said housing, said first and second rollers having peripheral portions in closely spaced relation to said front wall, an endless loop of student magnetic tape entrained on said roller means, said tape containing magnetic material throughout substantially the entire length thereof and including a portion extending from said first roller to said second roller along and in closely spaced relation to the inner surface of said front wall, additional roller means for guiding said tape from said second roller and back to said first roller with all portions of said tape being parallel to said axes throughout the length of said endless loop and with the length of said loop being substantially less than the perimeter of said rectangular housing, said front wall having a first opening for receiving said pinch roller to engage said tape with said capstan for drive of said tape from said first roller to said second roller and thence back around said additional roller means to said first roller, a second opening positioned opposite said recording head means between said first opening and said first roller and a third opening positioned opposite said reproducing head means between said second opening and said first roller, back-up means behind said second opening for engaging the inner surface of said tape for engagement of the outer surface of the tape with said recording head means, additional back-up means behind said third opening for engaging the inner surface of said tape for engagement of the outer surface of said tape with said reproducing head means, and a permanent magnet supported in said housing and engaged with a portion of said tape between said second and third openings, a cartridge of lesson tape having recorded thereon a series of words of lesson information, and a lesson unit for supporting said cartridge of said lesson tape and including reproducing head means for reproducing said series of words, said series of words being recorded on said lesson tape with an effective time interval therebetween at least three times as long as the time required for each portion of said student tape to move through the length of said endless loop thereof, and a second series of words being recorded on said lesson tape respectively identical to the first series of words, the time interval between each of said first series of words and the corresponding identical word of said second series being at least equal to twice as long as the time required for each portion of said student tape to move through the length of said endless loop thereof.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 35 words
In a system as defined in claim 1, the time required for each portion of said student tape to move through the length of said endless loop thereof being on the order of five seconds.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1976-10-15 1977-04-16 1977-10-16 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1980-10-15 1981-04-16 1981-10-16 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1984-10-15 1985-04-16 1985-10-16 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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