Instructional apparatus for displaying a changeable still sequence and incrementally advancing a pattern thereon

Claim 2

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of responses comprising: a display screen for initially displaying to a student the entirety of a sequence of instruction and means for maintaining display of said sequence in perceptible form throughout a period of teaching said sequence, said sequence comprising a multiplicity of perceptible characters, each of said characters being indicative of a specific student response to be solicited at respective points in time occurring at varying time intervals throughout the period of maintenance of display of said sequence, said display screen including means energizable to individually emphasize each said character, means for activating said energizable means in sequence as each specific response is individually solicited, means for cumulatively retaining at least some of said emphasizing means in said energized state, release means for sAid retaining means effective to deactivate the said cumulatively retained emphasis means, means independent of student response to control said activating means, said retaining means, and said release means, said independent means including means for establishing said sequential activations at said points of time whereby said intervals vary between individual activations throughout said sequence in accordance with the nature and relationship of the individual characters, and reset means triggerable at the end of said sequence of response for activating said release means.

Claim 3

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of responses comprising the apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said multiplicity of characters includes identifiable groups of characters within said multiplicity and said apparatus includes means for triggering said release means at the end of each said identifiable.

Claim 4

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of group responses comprising the apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein successive ones of said groups of characters are separated by spaces, said apparatus further including means effective after completion of the sequential activation of emphasizing means within a group for inhibiting activation of emphasizing means associated with the succeeding space.

Claim 5

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of responses as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sequential activation establishing means comprises a prerecorded program.

Claim 6

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of responses as set forth in claim 1 including means to change said sequence being displayed, said means being activated by said reset means.

Claim 7

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of responses as set forth in claim 5 wherein said means for displaying comprises a projector of optical images and said means to change said sequence comprises advance means for said images.

Claim 8

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of responses comprising: a display screen for initially displaying to a student the entirety of a sequence of instruction and means for maintaining display of said sequence in perceptible form throughout the teaching of said sequence, said sequence comprising a multiplicity of perceptible characters, each of said characters being indicative of a specific student response to be solicited at a point in time during retention of display of said sequence, said display screen including means energizable to individually emphasize each said character comprising a segmentalized line of illuminable light transmitting material mounted on said screen, the segments thereof abutting one another, being separated by an indiscernibly thin light barrier, and being individually energizable, means for activating said energizable segments in sequence as each specific response is individually solicited, means for cumulatively retaining at least some of said emphasizing means in said energized state whereby activation of adjoining segments causes the illumination thereof to blend together to optically present a single line in which individual segments are indistinguishable and in which said sequential activation and cumulative retention causes said line to appear to incrementally grow in length, release means for said retaining means effective to deactivate the said cumulatively retained emphasis means, and reset means triggerable at the end of said teaching sequence for activating said release means.

Claim 9

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of responses comprising: a display screen for initially displaying to a student the entirety of a sequence of instruction and means for maintaining display of said sequence in perceptible form throughout the teaching of said sequence, said sequence comprising a multiplicity of perceptible characters, each of said characters being indicative of a specific student response to be solicited at a point in time during retention of display of said sequence, said display screen including means energizable to individually emphasize each said character comprising a segmentalized line of illuminable light transmitting material mounted on said screen, the segments thereof abutting one another, being separated by an indiscernibly thin light barrier, and being individually energizable, means for activating said energizable segments in sequence as each specific response is individually solicited, means for cumulatively retaining at least some of said emphasizing means in said energized state whereby activation of adjoining segments causes the illumination thereof to blend together to optically present a single line in which individual segments are indistinguishable and in which said sequential activation and cumulative retention causes said line to appear to incrementally grow in length, release means for said retaining means effective to deactivate the said cumulatively retained emphasis means, and reset means triggerable at the end of said teaching sequence for activating said release means.

Claim 10

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of responses comprising the apparatus set forth in claim 7 wherein said screen is a rear projection screen and segmentalized line is mounted on the rear thereof.

Claim 11

Apparatus for preparing a prerecorded program for use in the apparatus of claim 4, said program preparation apparatus comprising a console including character keys, a space bar, and a carriage return actuator all arranged in standard typewriter keyboard layout, A. a record media and a means for recording control signals thereon in response to the manipulAtion of said keys, space bar, and carriage return at a desired typewriting speed incorporating variations in the time intervals between character key manipulations which are independent of ultimate student response and are in accordance with the nature and relationship of the individual characters, B. said console including a. a plurality of parallel connected switching devices operatively coupled to respective ones of said character keys and b. switching means operatively coupled to said space bar, c. switching means operatively coupled to said carriage return actuator C. first, second, and third cueing signal generators, D. means including said switching devices for applying an output of said first cueing signal generator to said record media upon manipulation of one of said character keys, E. means including said switching means for applying an output of said second cueing signal generator to said record media upon manipulation of said space bar, and F. means including said switching means for applying of said third cueing signal generator to said record media upon manipulation of said carriage return actuator.

Claim 12

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of individual physical responses which are conceptually divided into identifiable groups, said apparatus comprising: a display screen for initially displaying to a student the entirety of a sequence of instruction and means for maintaining display of said sequence in perceptible form throughout the teaching of said sequence, said sequence comprising a multiplicity of perceptible characters, each of said characters being indicative of physical responses to be solicited of said student, said sequence including identifiable groups of various numbers of said characters making up words and identifiable subgroups making up syllables, said display screen including energizable means for individually emphasizing each said character, means for simultaneously activating said emphasizing means associated with all characters within respective ones of said identifiable subgroups at respective points in time during maintenance of display of said sequence, means for retaining the activated emphasizing means in said activated state, release means for said retaining means effective to deactivate said retained emphasis means, control means independent of student response for progressively energizing said activating means of said subgroups as each group of responses is solicited at respective points in time occurring at intervals which vary in accordance with the number, nature, and relationship of the characters making up said subgroup and for triggering said release means to deactivate the emphasizing means of an entire group only after all subgroups of said entire group have been activated and retained, and means for changing said sequence.

Claim 13

Apparatus for teaching a sequence of individual physical responses which are conceptually divided into identifiable groups, said apparatus comprising: a display screen for initially displaying to a student the entirety of a sequence of instruction and means for maintaining display of said sequence in perceptible form throughout the teaching of said sequence, said sequence comprising a multiplicity of perceptible characters, each of said characters being indicative of physical responses to be solicited of said student, said sequence including identifiable groups of various numbers of said characters making up words and identifiable subgroups making up syllables, said display screen including energizable means for individually emphasizing each said character, means for simultaneously activating said emphasizing means associated with all characters within respective ones of said identifiable subgroups at respective points in time during maintenance of display of said sequence, means for retaining the activated emphasizing means in said activated state, release means for said retaining means effective to deactivate said retained emphasis means, control means independent of student response for progressively energizing said activating means of said subgroups as each group of responses is solicited at respective points in time occurring at intervals which vary in accordance with the number, nature, and relationship of the characters making up said subgroup and for triggering said release means to deactivate the emphasizing means of an entire group only after all subgroups of said entire group have been activated and retained, and means for changing said sequence.