GB2260439A

GB2260439A - Speed-reading training unit

Info

Publication number: GB2260439A
Application number: GB9121612A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Meng-Shih Wang
Original assignee: WANG MENG SHIH
Current assignee: WANG MENG SHIH
Priority date: 1991-10-11
Filing date: 1991-10-11
Publication date: 1993-04-14
Also published as: GB9121612D0

Abstract

A speed-reading training unit comprises a top cover 30 having a side card slot 301 for inserting training cards 31 thereinto, a top manual control slot 302, a digit window 303, and an exercise material window 304; an inner card (40 Figure 2) positioned below the top cover 30, having a push rod 401 extending upwards through the control slot 302, a flashing window (402) and a rectangular opening (403); and a speed-adjustment mechanism 404 provided below the top cover at one corner to be controlled by a knob 32 on the top cover 30. When a training card 31 is inserted into the card slot 301, the push rod 401 is depressed, and the push-button 50 is pressed, so that the inner card (40) may be shifted rapidly upwards and downwards. By focussing on words on the training card 31 flashing over the exercise material window 304, a user may enhance his/her speed-reading ability. Speed of movement of inner card (40) is determined by the tension in spring (42) which may be varied by rotation of pear-shaped member (41) attached to one end of the spring. Turning of knob 32 will cause simultaneous rotation of member (41). <IMAGE>

Description

SPEED-READING TRAINING UNIT The present invention relates to a speedreading training unit, and particularly to a speedreading training unit with which a user may be trained to enhance his/her speed-reading ability simply by pressing down a button to shift a card quickly while focussing his/her attention on words flashing in a display window.

The modern society is one in which efficiency and speed are required, and therefore the ability to read quickly is highly desirable, especially for students, teachers and editors. An ability to read quickly may be an important factor in achieving an ideal future career.

However, there are a lot of disadvantages with the speed-reading training units commonly used in the United States and European countries. Such disadvantages include: (1) A size which is too big to carry conveniently; (2) The slots for pushing in cards and indicating digital numbers are formed to the left of the fixing plate, which thus is suitable only for speed-reading cards in English and is invalid for Chinese speed reading training; (3) The tension mechanism consists of a rubber band which is subject to elastic fatigue and subject to variations of temperature, and therefore lacks accuracy in the control and adjustment of speed;; (4) The tension and elasticity of a rubber band is low and therefore cannot meet the requirements of Chinese speed-reading training in which the speed has to be rapid because the Chinese characters are shorter and clearer than English words; and (5) The speed adjusting means lacks a projecting knob or the like and is therefore inconvenient to adjust, control, push, shift, or turn, which results in poor accuracy of adjustment of the unit and has an adverse influence on the user's interest in improving his/her reading speed.

It is an object of the invention to provide a speed-reading training unit which overcomes the abovementioned disadvantages.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a speed-reading training unit in which the tension mechanism comprises a spring that has a better recovery speed than an elastic band and gives the unit one hundred per cent accuracy of speed adjustment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a speed-reading training unit which is small in size, good-looking in appearance, and convenient to carry.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a speed-reading training unit which is suitable for either English or Chinese speedreading training.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a speed-reading training unit comprising a top cover having a side card slot for the insertion of training cards therein; a control slot, a digit window and an exercise material window in the top cover; an inner card below the top cover; a push rod extending upwards from the inner card through the control slot; a flashing window and a rectangular slot in the inner card; and a speed-adjustment mechanism below the top cover controlled by a knob on the top cover.

There is also provided a speed-reading training unit comprising: a top cover having a card slot at one side allowing a training card with words to be inserted therein, a control slot for manually controlling an inner card, a digit window, and an exercise material window; an inner card having a push rod rooted at a position corresponding to said control slot in said top cover and extending upwards through said control slot, a flashing window,a rectangular opening, and a latching head provided near said push rod;; a speed-adjustment mechanism comprising a pear-shaped member with a central hole, a locating member at the forward end of said pear-shaped member, and a tension spring fixed to the underside of said top cover, said pear-shaped member being connected to a knob above said top cover through a hole in said top cover, said tension spring having one end connected to said inner card and the other end to said pear-shaped member, said central hole in said pear-shaped member having an indentation in its periphery to receive a lug on a shaft of said knob so that said pear-shaped member turns when said knob is turned; a fixing plate for fixing to the back of said inner card, having an elongate slot and a digit hole corresponding to said flashing window and said rectangular opening of said inner card respectively; and a bottom cover arranged to be fixed to the bottom of said top cover.

The present invention will be better understood by referring to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, wherein; Fig. 1 is a three-dimensional perspective view of the unit of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded three-dimensional perspective view of the speed-reading training unit according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional, elevational view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is the rear view of the top cover of the unit of the present invention showing the tension mechanism thereof relative to the inner card when the unit is not in use; and Fig. 5 is the rear view of the top cover of the unit of the present invention showing the tension mechanism thereof relative to the inner card when the unit is in use, i.e. when the push rod on the inner card is pressed down.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the speed-reading training unit 20 of the present invention mainly comprises a top cover 30, an inner card 40, a control button assembly 50, a fixing plate 60, and a bottom cover 70. The top cover 30 has a card slot 301 formed in one side allowing a training card 31 having words in different languages arranged thereon according to a special design for training purposes to be inserted thereinto; a control slot 302 formed near the top centre allowing a manually operated push rod 401 to project therethrough; a digit window 303 formed at a position substantially opposite the control slot 302; an exercise material window 304 formed between the control slot 302 and the digit window 303 extending in a direction parallel to the card slot 301; a first through hole 305 formed at one corner to the right of the control slot 302 allowing a knob 32 with a shaft 321 to extend therethrough; and a second through hole 308 at another corner to the left of the control slot 302 allowing the control button 50 to extend therethrough.

The inner card 40 is provided below the top cover 30 and has a flashing window 402 and a rectangular opening 403 formed at positions corresponding to the exercise material window 304 and the digit window 303 in the top cover 30, respectively.

The push rod 401 is rooted at one end of the inner card 40 so that it just extends through the control slot 302 of the top cover 30.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, a speed-adjustment mechanism 404 consisting of a generally pear-shaped member 41, a locating member 413, and a tension spring 42 is provided beneath the first through hole 305 and is fixed thereto with a screw 34 by upward screwing of the screw 34 through a washer 33, a central hole 411 of the pear-shaped member 41, and the shaft 321 of the knob 32. A side lug 322 is provided on the shaft 321 to just engage with an indentation 412 formed in the periphery of the central hole 411 so that turning of the knob 32 will cause the pear-shaped member 41 to rotate simultaneously. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a plurality of protuberances 306 are formed on the underside surface of the top cover 30, allowing the locating member 413 to locate between any two protuberances 306 when the pear-shaped member 41 is rotated.

The tension spring 42 is fixed to a side hole 414 in the pear-shaped member 41 at one end and to a fixing hole 44 formed in the inner card 40 at the other end. When the tension spring 42 is stretched so that it is nearly linear the speed of words flashing over is set to 1/50 second. That is, when the pear-shaped member 41 is moved to the left as shown in Fig. 4, the speed-reading training unit 20 will have the highest word flashing speed, and when the pear-shaped member 41 is moved to the right, the unit will have the lowest word flashing speed. Stop members 33, 33' are separately provided on the top cover 30 at two sides of the pear-shaped member 41 as the high and low limits between which the pear-shaped member 41 is turned.

On the surface of the top cover 30 around the knob 32, marks 307 for indicating reading speed, such as 1/25 sec., 1/50 sec., 1/100 sec., etc., are provided so that users can adjust their training speed to faster marks.

As shown in Fig. 3, the inner card 40 has a latching head 406 formed on its rear side at the lefthand end in such a manner that an inclined bottom face 405 of the latching head 406 contacts an inclined front face 55 of a receiving head 54 of a driving member 53 which is made of elastic material and is fixedly connected to the underside of the top cover 30 just below the second through hole 308 to contact a larger lower portion 52 of the push-button 50 inserted into the hole 308. When the push rod 401 is pushed downwards, the latching head 406 slides downwards following the contact of the inclined faces 405 and 55 and therefore engages with the receiving head 54. When a smaller upper portion 51 of the push-button 50 is depressed, the receiving head 54 is forced to decline backwards and the latching head 406 is detached from the receiving head 54 and slides back upwards again.

The fixing plate 60 is fixed to the back of the inner card 40 and has an elongate slot 61 and a digit hole 62 formed at positions corresponding to the flashing window 402 and the rectangular opening 403 of the inner card 40 respectively. The fixing plate 60 is used to limit the inner card 40 between the top cover 30 and the fixing plate 60 with a proper clearance when the inner card 40 is moved upwards and downwards.

Moreover, a guiding member 63 is provided at one side below the top cover 30 to touch the inner card 40 so that a press member 64 fixed on the guiding member 63 can guide the inner card 40 when it is shifting upwards and downwards.

The bottom cover 70 is fixed to the bottom of the top cover 30 by screwing screws 71 through holes 72 in the bottom cover 70 and holes 309 at the underside of the top cover 30.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A speed-reading training unit comprising a top cover having a side card slot for the insertion of training cards therein; a control slot, a digit window and an exercise material window in the top cover; an inner card below the top cover; a push rod extending upwards from the inner card through the control slot; a flashing window and a rectangular slot in the inner card; and a speed-adjustment mechanism below the top cover controlled by a knob on the top cover.

2. A speed-reading training unit comprising: a top cover having a card slot at one side allowing a training card with words to be inserted therein, a control slot for manually controlling an inner card, a digit window, and an exercise material window; an inner card having a push rod rooted at a position corresponding to said control slot in said top cover and extending upwards through said control slot, a flashing window, a rectangular opening, and a latching head provided near said push rod;; a speed-adjustment mechanism comprising a pear-shaped member with a central hole, a locating member at the forward end of said pear-shaped member, and a tension spring fixed to the underside of said top cover, said pear-shaped member being connected to a knob above said top cover through a hole in said top cover, said tension spring having one end connected to said inner card and the other end to said pear-shaped member, said central hole in said pear-shaped member having an indentation in its periphery to receive a lug on a shaft of said knob so that said pear-shaped member turns when said knob is turned; a fixing plate for fixing to the back of said inner card, having an elongate slot and a digit hole corresponding to said flashing window and said rectangular opening of said inner card respectively; and a bottom cover arranged to be fixed to the bottom of said top cover.

3. A speed-reading training unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said top cover has a receiving head formed on its back at a position near said latching head of said inner card, said receiving head having an inclined front and contacting a push-button extending through and down into said top cover.

4. A speed-reading training unit as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein said top cover has a plurality of protuberances formed on its back allowing said locating member in front of said pear-shaped member to locate between any two of said protuberances for selecting a certain speed.

5. A speed-reading training unit as claimed in claim 4, in which said top cover has two stop members provided at two sides of said pear-shaped member so that movement of said pear-shaped member is limited to movement between said two stop members.

6. A speed-reading training unit, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.