US2022627A

US2022627A - Educational device

Info

Publication number: US2022627A
Application number: US709152A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest C Whitney
Original assignee: STOCKTON PROFILE GAGE CORP
Current assignee: STOCKTON PROFILE GAGE Corp
Priority date: 1934-01-31
Filing date: 1934-01-31
Publication date: 1935-11-26
Anticipated expiration: 1952-11-26

Description

Nov. 26,1935. E. c. WHITNEY EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Filed Jan. 51, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- PUZZLE L A N O T A C U D E THREE Ll TLE PIGS l-rllulll lllllllllllllll M) VENTO R.

Now 26, 1935.

E." c; WHITNEY EDUCATIONAL DEVI CE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1934 VAV/Ak 'ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Application January 31, 1934, Serial No. 709,152

2 Claims.

This invention relates to educational devices of the character which require, in their use, some degree of thought or ingenuity and which, consequently, may have, or may be made to have, some of the characteristics of puzzles. It aims to devise an article of this general character which can be used advantageously in teaching small children to read, spell, or make sentences, and which may also, if desired, be combined with a puzzle, picture, or illustration of some suitable character.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a device constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the device illustrating one of its uses;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the face of the device opposite to that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal, sectional view of the device; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the slides or elements and the bar on which the slides are mounted.

The article shown in the drawings comprises a series of slides 2, each slotted longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 5, and all mounted on a bar 3 which extends transversely through the slots in the slides at right angles to them. The slides' 2 may be of any suitable construction. For example, they may consist of wood bars of square form in cross-section, or they may be made of various other materials, such as vulcanite, the nature of the materials and the dimensions of the parts being determined by the requirements of individual cases. Preferably the bar 3 is made of metal, such as brass, aluminum, or the like, and it has a head i, also of metal, riveted to it at one end and serving to back up the slide at one end of the entire series. At its opposite end the bar 3 carries a clamp which, in the particular form shown, consists of a metal bar 5 of channel section provided with a hole through which projects a reduced threaded stem 6, Fig. 5, at the end of the bar 3. A nut I threaded on this stem cooperates with the bar 5 to crowd all of the slides longitudinally of the bar 3 and against the head 4, thus clamping them all against sliding movement relatively to each other. Normally, however, or, in other words, when the clamp is loosened, the slides may be moved freely in their lengthwise directions on the bar 3 into any desired relationship to each other within their dimensional limits. The bar 3 holds the slides at all times in substantially a common plane. In order to prevent the clamping bar 5 from swinging 5 out or this plane, it is provided at its opposite ends with pins 23-43 which project into the slot in the slide immediately beside it, and therefore serve to hold the bar in the same plane with the slide. 1

The subject matter printed, stamped, or otherwise applied to the device necessarily will vary widely with the age, development and ability of the pupils, or other persons for whom the device is intended, and with the subject to be taught, or the information to be imparted. In the particular article shown, the faces of the slides at one side of the device bear letters which, by moving he slides, can be brought into alinement to spell words. While a few letters only have been shown on these slides in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be understood that usually all of the spaces will be filled with letters, so arranged that predetermined sentences suited to the ability of the child can be made by him by properly adjusting the slides. In some cases each slide may bear all of the letters in the alphabet so that the child can make his own words and sentences.

The opposite face of the device may bear similar characteristics or symbols, or fingers relating to some phase of the study of arithmetic, or any other desired subject matter. For example, in teaching small children to read, this side of the article may contain a picture or drawing illustrating some of the words on the opposite side of the device. A small part only of such illustration will be found on any individual slide, and its elements may be so distributed that it will be necessary for the child to use some degree of ingenuity in adjusting the slides to bring these various elements into their cooperative or matched relationship to make the picture. The puzzle may be made more difiicult by mixing up the slides and having the child re-arrange them properly on the bar 3 and adjust them to produce the illustration.

The invention thus provides an article which adds variety and interest to the present methods of teaching reading, spelling, sentence structure, and the like. As above stated, the nature of the subject matter printed on the slides necessarily will vary widely, those shown being merely illustrative. Essentially the same construction can also be used in making puzzles not intended primarily to have educational value, but chiefly detrative matter.

signed for amusement, and these puzzles may consist chiefly of words or sentences, or of illus- Also, in teaching reading it is sometimes desirable to make the slides wider and to use words instead of letters on them, as in the construction shown, thus enabling the teacher to instruct the child in making sentences. While, therefore, I have herein shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this disclosure has been made rather by way of explanation than limitation and that the invention may be embodied in a great variety of other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. In an educational device, the combination of a series of slides, means for holding said slides side by side in parallel relationship to each other and supporting them for sliding movement independently of each other longitudinally of themselves, said slides being slotted longitudinally, a fiat sided bar projecting through the slots in said slides and serving to support them for longitudi movement on said bar, a head at one end of said bar, and means at the opposite end of said bar for forcing all of said slides toward said head and clamping them against movement relatively to each other, said means being operable to re- 5 lease said slides when desired. a

2. In an educational device, the combination of a series of slides, means for supporting said slides side by side in parallel relationship to each other and supporting them for sliding movement 10 independently of each other longitudinally of themselves, said slides having elements of a picture on the surfaces thereof at one side of said device and arranged tobe brought into cooperative relationship to each other by proper 15 adjustment of the slides, and also having letters of the alphabet on the surfaces thereof at the opposite side of said device, said letters being adapted to be brought into such relationship to each other as to form words relating to the pic- 20 ture on the opposite side, and a screw threaded member cooperating with said supporting means to lock said slides together to hold them in their different adjusted relationships.

ERNEST o. WHITNEY.