Audience response system

Claim 2

An audience response system comprising first and second groups of visual indicators, each indicator in one group being paired with an indicator in the other group, a plurality of switches, each for distribution to and use by a different member of an audience and each corresponding to a different pair of said indicators and having first and second positions, said switches each being manually operable to activate one indicator of a corresponding pair while in the first position and to activate the other indicator of the pair while in the second position, a plurality of timers, each coupled to a different one of said switches for activation while the corresponding switch is in the first position to thereby indicate the duration that the corresponding switch is in the first position, an additional timer, and an additional switch coupled to said additional timer and said plurality of timers for deactivating the plurality of timers and activating the additional timer when the additional switch is in a first position, and for deactivating the additional timer when the additional switch is in a second position.

Claim 3

A system in claim 1 wherein the visual indicators are lamps and wherein the lamps in the first group are of one color and the lamps in the second group are of a different color.

Claim 4

A system as in claim 1 further comprising an additional visual indicator which is activated while said additional switch is in the first position.

Claim 5

A system as in claim 1 further comprising a meter for registering, at any given time, an indication of the percentage of said plurality of switches which are in the first position at that time.

Claim 6

A system as in claim 4 further comprising a selection switch for coupling said meter to selected ones of said plurality of switches, and means for biasing said meter to register an indication of the precentage of switches, of the total of those coupled to the meter, which are in the first position.

Claim 7

An audience response system comprising a plurality of pairs of visual indicators, a first indicator of each pair grouped with the other indicators and a second indicator of each pair grouped with the other second indicators, said first group of indicators being spatially separated from said second group of indicators a plurality of manually operable two-position switches for distribution to and use by members of an audience, each switch coupled to a different pair of indicators for selectively activating the first indicator of the pair when the switch is operated to a first position and for activating the second indicator of the pair when the switch is operated to a second position, means for providing, at any given time, an indication of the proportion of said plurality of switches which are at that time activating the corresponding said particular indicators, a selection switch coupling said indication providing means to selected ones of said plurality of switches, and means for biasing said indication providing means to indicate the proportion of switches, of those coupled to the indication providing means, which are activating the corresponding said particular indicators.

Claim 8

An audience response system comprising a plurality of pairs of visual indicators, a first indicator of each pair grouped with the other indicators and a second indicator of each pair grouped with the other second indicators, said first group of indicators being spatially separated from said second group of indicators a plurality of manually operable two-position switches for distribution to and use by members of an audience, each switch coupled to a different pair of indicators for selectively activating the first indicator of the pair when the switch is operated to a first position and for activating the second indicator of the pair when the switch is operated to a second position, means for providing, at any given time, an indication of the proportion of said plurality of switches which are at that time activating the corresponding said particular indicators, a selection switch coupling said indication providing means to selected ones of said plurality of switches, and means for biasing said indication providing means to indicate the proportion of switches, of those coupled to the indication providing means, which are activating the corresponding said particular indicators.

Claim 9

A system as in claim 6 further comprising a plurality of timers, each coupled to a switch for activation when the switch is in the first position to thereby register the time during which the switch is in the first position, an additional timer, and an additional switch operable to a first position to activate said additional timer and deactivate said plurality of timers to thereby register the time during which said plurality of timers are deactivated, and operable to a second position to deactivate said additional timer and activate the ones of said plurality of timers whose corresponding switches of said plurality of switches are in the first position.