US4378215A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Educational device especially for the blind and the blind-deaf
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1981-06-11
•
Granted: 1983-03-29
•
Expires: 2001-06-11
Abstract
Abstract An educational device for teaching or self-teaching the manual alphabet of the deaf to anyone, especially to the blind and/or deaf and for communicating among such persons is disclosed. A plurality of three-dimensional, actual size cast or molded figures of the human hand mounted on a base and each formed in a respective letter of the manual alphabet comprise an instructional kit for teaching the manual alphabet. Each hand figure is provided thereon with embossments of the Braille character and, preferably, the English alphabet letter corresponding to the manual alphabet letter represented by such figure. Another embodiment comprises statues or figures of human beings depicted in various poses communicating with each other by sign language with Braille characters and English alphabet letters affixed on the pedestal of the statues.
Inventors
- 👤 William B. Sparks
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 19:33
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09B; G09B21/00; G09B21/001; G09B21/003; G09B21/04; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24628; Y10T428/24736
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
46 words
An educational device, especially for teaching the manual alphabet to the blind and the blind-deaf, comprising a three-dimensional figure representing a human hand positioned to form a given letter of the manual alphabet, said figure including means displaying a Braille character corresponding to said given letter.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
46 words
An educational device, especially for teaching the manual alphabet to the blind and the blind-deaf, comprising a three-dimensional figure representing a human hand positioned to form a given letter of the manual alphabet, said figure including means displaying a Braille character corresponding to said given letter.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
An educational device according to claim 1, including a plurality of said three-dimensional figures, said figures forming different letters of the manual alphabet, each figure including means displaying the Braille character corresponding to the manual alphabet letter represented thereby.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
An educational device according to claim 1, wherein said human hand figure includes a wrist portion and a base, said human hand figure being mounted on said base at the wrist portion thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
An educational device according to claim 3, wherein said Braille character displaying means comprises an embossment located on the wrist portion or the base of said figure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
An educational device according to claim 3, including means on said figure displaying the English alphabet letter corresponding to said manual alphabet letter and said Braille character.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
An educational device according to claim 5, wherein said means displaying the English alphabet letter comprises an embossment of said letter on the base of said figure.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
An educational device according to claims 1 or 2, wherein each figure is molded from a synthetic plastic material.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
65 words
An educational device, especially for teaching and communicating to the blind and the blind-deaf, comprising a three-dimensional figure representing at least one human being, at least one hand of said human figure being formed in a position of a manual language representation of a letter, word, or words and means on said figure displaying a Braille character or characters corresponding to said manual language representation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
65 words
An educational device, especially for teaching and communicating to the blind and the blind-deaf, comprising a three-dimensional figure representing at least one human being, at least one hand of said human figure being formed in a position of a manual language representation of a letter, word, or words and means on said figure displaying a Braille character or characters corresponding to said manual language representation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
An educational device according to claim 8, including means on said figure displaying an English letter, word or words corresponding to said manual language representation and said Braille character or characters.
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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) | 1986-03-28 | 1986-09-27 | 1987-03-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-03-28 | 1990-09-27 | 1991-03-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-03-28 | 1994-09-27 | 1995-03-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |