CA1045814A - Manually operated teaching device - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Educational apparatus which comprises a plate divided by a grid of ridges into a number of discrete areas representing possible answer zones. A sheet of paper has corresponding zones on it so that a student can select answers by punching the paper with a stylus. Only certain of the discrete areas on the plate have sufficient depth to allow the stylus to penetrate the paper to a substantial extent. Each of the ridges has a peak and a pair of ramps on opposite sides of the peak to guide the stylus into the recessed areas, thus eliminating non-response space.

Description

~045814 This invention relates to improvements in educational apparatus including test boards of the type where a student receives instantaneous feedback as to the correctness of selected answers.
S My previous Britlsh patent No. 1362734 is directed to manually operated self-instructional and self-testing apparatus utilizing a test board having a flat surface containing holes that may differ in size, shape or depth (or a combination of these variables) in order to give a rapid response feedback when an answer is selected on an instructional sheet by punching an opening through the selected answer zone. However, the construction of such boards inherently produces a significant amount of nonresponse space which, in a grid, is the dead area in a given square that represents neither a correct answer nor an incorrect answer. For structural integrity, an entire square cannot be formed as a hole for receiving the stylus since there must be a well of at least a certain minimum thickness between that hole and a hole in an adjacent square.

2~ For example, assuming a grid in which each square is 4/10 of an inch on a side, a practical limit is a hole 5/16 inch at the maximum transverse dimension (diameter in the case of a circular hole). In the special case where ~quare holes exclusively are employed, it is still required in practice than an internal wall thickness on the order of 1/10 of an inch be left between adjacent holes of the grid.
I have calculated that from approximately thirty percent to fifty percent of the space or working area of ~, prior art test boards comprises nonresponse space in those regions of the board where holes are present to provide a response feedback. This requires that the stylus be accurately placed by the student and can, therefore, be misleading in some instances. The problem is particularly enhanced by the fact that the instructional sheet overlying the surface of the board may not be in perfect register, thus the answer zones on the sheet would not be accurately aligned with the grid. In an aggravated case this can severely mislead the student, who may think that he has made an answer selection which is incorrect and may pass on to the next question, not realizing that a slight movement of the stylus toward the limits of the answer zone would have resulted in penetration through the paper and, therefore, an entirely different response.
According to the invention educational apparatus comprises an instructional sheet having zones thereon for indicating answers selected in response to questions; a plate member provided with a flat surface for receiving said sheet, and having a lattice of intersecting ridges presenting at least a ;
portion of said surface and defining the boundaries of a number of discrete recessed areas representing possible answer selections, said member having relatively deep cavities therein communicating with certain of said areas to represent answer selections of a given type; means on said member for holding said sheet in overlying relationship with said surface supported ;~
on said ridges in a predetermined position where said zones are aligned with corresponding areas in accordance with the answers represented by the said zones; and a stylus for punching B ~ :

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through selected zones into the cavities beneath those zones that correspond to answers of said type, whereby penetration of the stylus provides a response feed back, each of said ridges having a peak and a pair of ramps on opposite sides of said peak for guiding the stylus into the recessed area bounded by a particular ramp at the point at which it is engaged by the stylus, whereby to eliminate nonresponse space.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the test board of the present invention, showing the instructional sheet in place thereon and partially broken away to reveal the underlying lattice of the board; .
Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1 with the instructional .--:
sheet removed, a stylus being shown in phantom lines;
Figure 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2, but showing a modified ridge configuration;
Figure 4 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional :
view in the same plane as Figure 2, showing the ridge configuration on a magnified scale;
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the .
configuration of the modified ridge of Figure 3 on a magnified scale;
. Figure 6 is a fragmentary, vertical-sectional view of two of.the test boards stacked one on top of the other, and illustrating the clearance provided for the paper gripping devices; ~ .
Figure 7 is an enlarged, plan view of one of the corners of ; the test board illustrated in Figure 1, showing the paper gripping device in greater detail;
_ 3 _ ' ' ' Figure 8 is a vertical-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a vertical-sectional view of the device of Figure 7, taken along the longitudinal center line of the holddown lever;
Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 with the locking dog now being shown in its unlocked position releasing the lever for engagement of its gripping end with the paper;
Figure 11 is a fragmentary, vertical-sectional view of a modified form of test board employing an opaque bottom member;
Figure 12 is a fragmen~ary, plan view of another modified form of -test board employing a removable plate element, a portion of the lattice being broken away for clarity; and Figure 13 is a fragmentary, vertical-sectional view of the test board of Figure 12, taken along line 13-13 of Figure 12; , Referring initially to Figures 1-5, the test board comprises a unitary, monolithic plate member 20 of~square configuration as is clear in Figure 1. A rectangular instructional sheet 22 overlies the flat, upper surface 24 of member 20 and may be placed on the surface 24 in any one of four orientations as illustrated by the letters A-A, B-B, C-C and D-D. The sheet 22 illustrated is to be used in the A-A position, thus the two A's at the upper corners of the sheet 22 overlie the A designations (concealed) at the upper edge of the surface 24 as viewed in Figure 1.~ Four paper gripping devices 26 at the four corners of the plate member 20 hold the paper sheet 22 in place, as will be discussed in detail hereinafter.
The plate member 20 is preferably of unitary, plastics construction formed by injection molding. A continuous, peripheral flange 28 enables the member 20 to be placed in a stable position on an underlying supporting sur-face such as a table or desk (not shown), with the lower edge 30 of the flange 28 in engagement with the supporting surface.
In the present invention, possible answer selections are represented by holes in a uniform grid, such grid being in the nature of a lattice of intersecting ridges 32 as may be seen comparing Figure 1 and Figure 2. The -i - 4 -~0458:~4 orthogonally intersecting ridges 32 define the boundaries of a number of discrete, recessed areas 34, some of which communicate with relative deep cavities 36 as is most apparent in Figure 2. Accordingly, the holes in the surface 24 are shallow or deep depending upon the locations of the cavities 36, which correspond to correct answer selections. Note in this respect that the various ridges 32 present the major portion of the surface 24, the peaks of the ridges being in a common plane with the marginal portions of the surface 24 adjacent the peripheral flange 28.
With specific reference to Figure 4, the ridge 32 there illustrated in cross section has a sharp peak 38 and a ramp 40 on each side of the peak 38. Each of the ramps 40 forms an angle of approximately 60 with the plane of the surface 24, the peaks 38 of all the ridges 32 lying in such plane as mentioned above. In the shallow recesses where the cavities 36 are not pro-vided, the plate member 20 presents a base 42 at the bottom of each such recess where the ramps 40 of the surrounding ridge segments 32 terminate.
In those areas of the grid where the bases 42 are replaced by cavities 36, the holes thus formed have a different configuration besides the substantially increased depth. As clearly shown in Figure 2, the four internal wall surfaces 44 of the plate member 20 defining each cavity 36 (the latter have a square cross section) form a substantially sharper angle with the common plane of the bases 42. The anglé formed by each surface 44 and such plane is approximately 75 in contrast to the 60 angle for the ramps 40 discussed above. As is evident, the planes of the surface 24 and the bases 42 are parallel and closely spaced so that the recesses formed by the grid are quite shallow as compared with the correct answer holes formed at the cavities 36.
Figures 3 and 5 illustrate a modified ridge configuration, each of the ridges 32a having a rounded peak 38a flanked by ramps 40a. The ridges 32a with the re rounded peaks 38 are nearly as effective in eliminating nonresponse space ~to be discussed) and in some instances may provide greater comfort in handling the test boards due to the blunter peaks. When it is considered that Figures 4 and 5 are greatly magnified views (a 10458~4 representative length for the sides of each square of the grid is 3/8 inch), then it may be appreciated that the peaks 38 can be made uncomfortably sharp to the touch. Through the use of the greater angle for the internal wall surfaces 44 defining the cavities 36, the size of the squares of the grid is minimized while still providing cavities that are pronounced and deep without also using this same, greater angle for the ramps 40.
A stylus 46 is illustrated in phantom lines in Figure 2 in two representative positions. The lefthand illustration shows the point of the stylus engaging the second ridge 32 from the left seen in cross section, and represents a stylus as might be used by a student at the time just after initial contact with the instructional sheet 22 (not shown). A variety of pointed instruments may be used for the stylus 46, such as a pencil or ball point pen. The only limitations on the stylus configuration is that it should have a relatively sharp point and a sufficiently small diameter that it will be received deeply within any of the cavities 36 should the student punch through the answer sheet 22 at these locations, as also illustrated in Figure 2. In this connection, it should be noted in Figure 1 that the sheet 22 is provided with a number of zones 48 for indicating selected answers, each of the zones 48 being in alignment with an underlying square 20 area 34.
The paper gripping devices 26 are best illustrated in Figures 6 - 10.
Each of the devices 26 is identical in construction, and includes a hold-down lever 50 having a pointed end 52 for engaging and gripping the paper - -sheet 22. The end 52 may be formed with several teeth if desired. The lever 50 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends by a pivot pin 54 carried by a pair of ears 56 projecting upwardly from a retaining strip 58. The ears 56 extend through clearance openings in a peripheral, platform portion of the plate member 20 adjacent the peripheral flange 28, located outside of the lattice structure of the plate member.
A coil spring 60 is disposed between ~he pivot pin 54 and the outer end 62 of the lever 50, and underlies a T-shaped slot 64 in the lever 50.
A locking dog 66 extends through the spring 60 and the slot 64, the lower, .. ., .: . . . - : .
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T-shaped end 68 of the dog 66 being received within a recess in the underside of the platform portion of the plate member 20. The lower end 68 overlies the retaining strip 58, thus the dog 66 cannot be withdrawn vertically but is permitted limited lateral movement within the confines of the spring 60 as seen by a comparison of Figures 9 and 10.
The upper end portion of the dog 66 presents a pair of opposed lugs 70 that engage the lever 50 at the edges of the slot 64 when the lever 50 is latched as illustrated in Figures 1 and 6 - 9. This is the locking position of the dog 66, where it remains until manually advanced a short distance toward the pointed end 52 to align the lugs 70 with the wider portion of the T-shaped slot 64. This is illustrated in Figure 10 where the dog 66 is shown in an unlocked position releasing the lever 50 for movement of its end 52 into gripping engagement with the paper 22 under the action of the spring 60. The dog 66 also forms a guide for the coil spring 60, only a short throw of the dog being required to release the hold-down lever 50.
Although the four gripping devices 26 necessarily project upwardly from the flat upper surface 24 of the plate member 20, a number of the members 20 may be stacked one on top of the other as illustrated in Figure 6 for convenience in storing. This is facilitated by the peripheral flange 28 which provides clearance for the devices on the plate member 28 directly therebeneath. In this connection it should be noted that the flange 28 extends both above and below the plane of the surface 24, and that notches 72 in retaining abutments 74 for the devices 26 permit the lower edge 30 of the flange 28 to directly engage the upper edge of an underlying flange 28 as is clear in Figure 6. The flange 28 extends downwardly from the plane of the surface 24 a sufficient distance to clear the protuberances or bulges 76 on the underside of the plate member 28 at the cavities 36 formed during the molding operation so that, besides permitting stacking, the flange 28 enables the test board to rest evenly and stably on a table or other supporting surface when in use.
An opaque plastics material is preferred for the plate member 20 of the present invention in order to prevent the student from holding the . :

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member ~with the instruction sheet 22 in p:Lace) to the light to distinguish the deep holes representing correct answers, from the shallow holes that represent incorrect answers. Although the plate member 28 is of approximately constant thickness at both the bases 42 and the bulges 76, the irregular configuration would enable a student desiring to cheat to recognize the deep cavities 36 unless the plate material is opaque.
As an alternative, a clear, translucent plastic material may be selected having sufficient transparency to also prevent visual differentiation between the holes of different depths. Such a material with uniform light transmitting properties renders the lattice indistinguishable through the thickness of the overlying paper sheet 22.
Another alternative is illustrated in Figure 11, where it may be seen that a bottom member 78 in the form of a flat,thin plate is mounted beneath the lattice structure of the plate member 20 and secured at its edges to the peripheral flange 28. The bottom member 78 may be any opaque material or may be coated with an opaque paint to positively preclude exposure of the underside of the lattice structure to light. This provides -complete flexibility in the choice of materials for the plate member 20 without regard to the opaqueness (or transparency) thereof.
A modified form of the invention is illustrated conceptually in Figures 12 and 13. The test board 80 is a two-piece member that includes a removable plate element 82 underlying a lattice formed by a uniform grid of intersecting ribs or ridges 84. The principle is the same as in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 - 6, except that the deep cavities are formed by square apertures 86 in the plate element 82 that register with certain of the recessed areas defined by the ridges 84.
The grid structure is supported on a peripheral sidewall 86 integral with a bottom member 90. Thus, each of the apertures 86 in the removable plate element 82 forms a deep cavity in the grid structure due to the vertical space between the bottom member 90 and the plate element 82 provided by the ~-sidewall 88, as is clear in Figure 13. By providing a number of removable plate elements 82, the pattern of the correct answer selections can be changed .. ~
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at will as might be desired by an instructor.
OPERATION
The same principles of instruction and testing apply in the present invention as in the apparatus disclosed in my previous application identified above. Referring to Figures 1 - 5 the instructional sheet 22 is placed on the surface 24 in the proper position, thereby aligning the answer zones 48 with the underlying grid. For example, the sheet 22 may have multiple choice questions thereon where there is only one correct answer to each question. Zones 48 representing incorrect answers are aligned with the shallow recesses presented by underlying bases 42, whereas the zones 48 representing correct answers are aligned with corresponding cavities 36.
With the instructional sheet 22 properly positioned, the dogs 66 of the gripping devices 26 are manually advanced toward the large end of each of the slots 64 to release the hold-down levers 50 for movement to the position illustrated in(Figure 10. The short throw of the dog 66 of each of the devices 26 enables the student to quickly actuate the devices to hold the paper firmly in place. Releasing the paper after testing is also readily accomplished by depressing the outer ends 62 of the levers 50 and moving the dogs 66 back to the slots 64, as illùstrated in Figures 1 and 7 - 9.
Since at least a shallow depression exists in all of the squares of the grid by virtue of the intersecting ridges 32, the student cannot anticipate the correct answer by feeling the surface of the sheet 22. The correctness of the anwer will only be ascertained when the student attempts to penetrate the selected zone 48 with the stylus 46. If the answer is incorrect, then only a mark or s~all hole will be made in the zone 48;
however, if the answer is correct a large hole will be punched as the stylus enters the cavity 36.
The elimination of nonresponse space may best be appreciated from viewing Figure 2 and noting the representative position of the stylus 46 --illustrated with its tip engaging one of the ridges 32. Since the ramps 40 or 40a (Figures 4 and 5) of the ridges 32 or 32a are steeply inclined, a ~-~ .
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-ramp upon engagement by the tip of the stylus 46 will guide the stylus into the adjacent recessed area, either a shallow recess or a deep hole if a cavity 36 is there. Should the tip of the stylus 46 strike the peak 38 of a ridge 32, the pressure applied by the student will ultimately force the stylus 46 one way or the other down one of the ramps40 and thus cause a definite selection to be made.
Accordingly, the penetration of the stylus 46 into the square area 34 of the grid underlying a selected zone 48 will always result in a response feedback to the student since the penetration will either be shallow or deep, ` ~ - `
and both are meaningful. Besides feeling the marked difference in the penetration, the presence of the larger punched openings in the sheet 22 for correct answers reinforces the response and provides a permanent record.

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Claims (9)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Educational apparatus comprising an instructional sheet having zones thereon for indicating answers selected in response to questions; a plate member provided with a flat surface for receiving said sheet, and having a lattice of intersecting ridges presenting at least a portion of said surface and defining the boundaries of a number of discrete recessed areas representing possible answer selections, said member having relatively deep cavities therein communicating with certain of said areas to represent answer selections of a given type; means on said member for holding said sheet in overlying relationship with said surface supported on said ridges in a predetermined position where said zones are aligned with corresponding areas in accordance with the answers represented by said zones;
and a stylus for punching through selected zones into the cavities beneath those zones that correspond to answers of said type, whereby penetration of the stylus provides a response feed back, each of said ridges having a peak and a pair of ramps on opposite sides of said peak for guiding the stylus into the recessed area bounded by a particular ramp at the point at which it is engaged by the stylus, whereby to eliminate nonresponse space.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lattice is uniform, whereby said areas are of the same size.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said member presents a base at each of said areas other than said certain areas, said bases defining the bottoms of the respective recessed areas from which said ridges project.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said bases lie in a plane parallel to and closely spaced from the plane of said surface to provide shallow recesses in said surface presented by said bases.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the opposed ramps of each of said ridges form a predetermined angle with the plane of said surface, and wherein said member has internal wall surfaces defining said cavities and forming an angle with the plane of said bases substantially greater than said predetermined angle.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said member includes a removable plate element underlying said lattice and having apertures therein registering with said certain areas to provide said cavities.

7. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said holding means includes a plurality of holddown devices on said surface for gripping said sheet, and wherein said member has a peripheral flange adapted for engagement with an underlying supporting surface and providing clearance for said devices when stacking a plurality of said members on top of one another.

8. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said holding means includes a device for gripping said sheet, said device including a hold-down lever having a pair of opposed ends, one of said ends being engageable with said sheet, pivot means intermediate the ends of said lever and mounting the latter adjacent said surface, a coil spring between said pivot means and the other of said ends of the lever biasing one end thereof toward said surface, and a shiftable locking dog for said lever extending through said spring to provide a guide therefor, said dog having a short throw within said spring between a locking position engaging said lever and an unlocked position releasing the lever for movement of said one end thereof into engagement with said sheet under the action of said spring.

9. Educational apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3 and in which said plate member has sufficiently uniform light transmitting properties to prevent visual differentiation between said holes of different configurations when viewing said sheet in said position on said surface.