US2724911A - Tachistoscope - Google Patents

Description

D. O. SCHUMAN TACHISTOSCOPE Nov. 29, 1955 Filed May 7, 1954 JNVENTOR.

BY didfiaiwrag ATTORNEYS United States Patent() TACHISTOSCOPE Donald 0. Schuman, South Bend, Ind.

Application May 7, 1954, Serial No. 428,165

2 Claims. (Cl. 3535) This invention relates to a tachistoscope and has for its primary object to train the vision of a person to rapidly recognize symbols, indices and the like.

Another object is to expose symbols, indices and the like to vision for a limited time only so that a person may be trained to recognize various symbols, indices and the like in a minimum of time.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its fea tures an upwardly extending stand having a window opening therethrough intermediate its upper and lower ends, means carried by the stand and extending outwardly from one side thereof for supporting a card adjacent the window, indices carried by the card and visible through the window, a shutter carried by the stand for movement downwardly across the window, and said shutter having a window opening therethrough for registration with the window in the stand and momentary exposition of the indices on the card.

Other features include guide channels carried by the stand and extending upwardly along opposite side edges thereof, a shutter mounted in the guide channels to descend under the force of gravity from an elevated position in which the indices are obscured to a lowered position in which the indices are obscured, and said shutter having a window extending therethrough intermediate the ends thereof through which the indices are momentarily visible during the descent of the shutter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a tachistoscope embodying the features of this invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the tachistoscope with the shutter removed;

Figure 3 is a front view of the shutter;

Figure 4 is a rear view of the tachistoscope;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the tachistoscope;

Figure 6 is a view showing the shutter in closed position; and

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, showing the shutter window in registration with the window in the stand.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a stand designated generally 10 comprises a base 12 carrying at one end an upwardly and rearwardly inclined plate 14 having a window 16 opening therethrough intermediate the ends thereof. Carried by the plate and extending outwardly from the one side thereof are opposed channels 18 which lie adjacent opposite side edges of the plate, as will be readily understood upon reference to Figure 2.

Carried by the plate and extending outwardly therefrom on the side thereof remote from the channels 18 is a shelf 20 carrying along its marginal edges upwardly extending walls 22 which define with the self 20 a pocket 24 for the reception of cards 26 which are supported on the shelf 20 in a position so that a face of one card in the stack of cards is visible through the window 16.

Mounted for sliding movement under the influence of gravity in the channels 18 is a shutter designated generally 28 which comprises a body 30 of relatively stifl sheet material having a window 32 extending therethrough substantially midway between opposite ends thereof to define adjacent opposite ends a lower panel 34 and an upper panel 36. The panels 34 and 36 are of substantially equal area and of sufiicient area to obscure the window 16 in the plate 14, while the window 32 in the shutter 28 is of an area substantially equal to the area of the window 16. It will thus be seen that with the shutter supported, as illustrated in Figure 1, in the channels 18, the index on the card 26 adjacent the plate 14 will be obscured from view by the panel 34. Upon releasing the panel 34, the shutter 28 will fall by gravity through the channels 18 so that the window 32 will momentarily register with the window 16 to render visible to an observer the index on the face of the card adjacent the plate 14. And as the shutter 28 descends, the'panel 36 will obscure the window 16 so that the observer will get but a momentary glimpse of the index or symbol on-the card which is visible through the window 16.- By thus employing the cards 26 hearing different symbols on opposite faces, it is obvious that a multiplicity of symbols or indices may be employed for training the observer in the rapid recognition of the symbols or indices.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A tachistoscopic device comprising a stand including a base having a flat underside lying in a horizontal plane for disposition of the base stationarily upon a supporting surface, a flat plate rigid with and extending upwardly from the base, said plate being formed with a window opening intermediate opposite ends thereof, a shelf rigid with and projecting outwardly from the plate adjacent the bottom edge of the window opening, said shelf lying in a plane normal to the plane of the plate, a wall rigid with the shelf and projecting upwardly therefrom in a plane parallel to and spaced from the plane of the plate, and a pair of guide ribs formed upon the opposite face of the plate and projecting outwardly therefrom, said ribs being disposed at opposite sides of the window opening and extending substantially the full length of the plate, the ribs being formed over their full lengths with longitudinal guide grooves facing toward one another; a shutter formed as a sheet of stiff material having intermediate its ends a sight opening substantially equal in area and outer configuration to said window opening, the portions of the shutter above and below the sight opening constituting upper and lower panels and being imperforate and of an area at least as great as the window opening so as to overlie the window opening in different selected positions of the shutter, the shutter being slidably engaged at opposite sides thereof in said grooves and being sufliciently loose in the grooves to permit free gravitation of the shutter from an upper position in which the lower panel overlies the window opening to a lower position in which the upper panel overlies the window opening, said shutter in the lower position thereof having its bottom edge flush with the underside of the base for halting the gravitational movement ofthe shutter by the supporting surface with the upper surface of the panel overlying the window opening; and a plurality of cards bearing indices visible through the window opening when, during the gravitational movement of the shutter, the sight opening thereof momentarily registers with the window opening, said cards being supported in planes parallel to the plane of the plate by engagement of the Patented Nov. 29, 1955.-

cards between the first named face of the plate and said W811; v 2. A tachistoscopic device comprising a stand including a base having a flat underside lying in a horizontal plane for disposition of the base stationarily upon a supporting surface, a fiat plate rigid with and extending upwardly' from the base said plate being, formed with a window opening intermediate opposite ends: thereof, a shelf rigid with and projecting outwardly from the plate adjacent the bottom edge of the window opening, said shelf lying in a plane normal to the plane of the plate, a wall rigid with the shelf and'projecting' upwardly therefrom in a plane parallel to and spaced from the plane of the plate, and a pair of guide ribs formed upon: the opposite facev of the plate and projecting outwardly therefrom, said ribs being disposed: at opposite sidesof the window opening and extending substantially the: full length of? theplate, the ribs being formed. over their full lengths with longitudinal! guide grooves facing toward one another; a shutter formed as a sheet of stiff material having intermediate its ends a sight opening substantially equal in area and outer configuration to said window opening,.the portions of the shutter above and below the sight opening constituting upper andlower panels and being imperforate and of an area at least as great as the window opening so as to overlie the window opening in different selected positions of the shutter, the shutter being slidably engaged at opposite sides thereof in said grooves and being suifi'ci'ently loose in the grooves to permit free gravitation of the shutter from an upper position in which the lower panel overlies the window opening to a lower position in which the upper panel overlies the window opening, said shutter in the lower position thereof having its bottom edge flush with the underside of the base for halting the gravitational movement of the shutter by the supporting surface with the upper surface of the panel overlying the window opening; and a plurality of cards bearingindices visible through the window opening when, during the gravitational movement of the shutter, the sight opening thereof momentarily registers with the window opening, said cards being supported in planes parallel to the plane of the plate by engagement of the cards between the first named face of the plate and said wall, said plate, ribs, wall and. shutterbeing inclined from the vertical.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,647,329 Bloch et al. Aug. 4, 1953

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