US2800728A - Educational appliance - Google Patents

Description

| BERGMAN EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE July 30, 1957 Filed July 19, 1955 B a F9 9 W. 6. Q 3 2 a I in 3 I We 3 3 MM B4 3 I m 117 5 u 1 a 9 m 6 mm 8 .w m 7 U Q. 6v 6 w d 6 6 25 3 6 W 2 w Um 9 Q N. Rm Y 06 E mm m 9 W8 0 o S m 5 2 0 D2 4 a w v fi 2 6 x .1 4 D 5 Mu 4F z L. a. G I w II 5m 24%.... ll TL 5%, Mu MU B, :8" a Wk/ w Jr" v 1 2. n s 4 M 1 .m... m fix 2 4 3" m 2 -I B vM y J6 United States Patent EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE Louis Bergman, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application July 19, 1955, Serial No. 522,976

2 Claims. (Cl. 35-75) This invention relates to educational devices-more particularly to a pre-school game-board calculating device.

It is primarily within the contemplation of this invention to enable a child to perform simple examples in addition and subtraction, by the manipulation of movable pieces operable within the range of his facilities. And in the accomplishment of this objective, it is my further object to provide both interest and amusement for the child.

It is another object of my invention to provide movable pieces with upright walls adapted to contain identifying symbols or figures and that can readily be grasped, and further to provide track means that will permit easy sliding movements.

A further object of this invention is the provision of novel retractable panels constituting part of the track structure, whereby selected movable pieces can be lifted out of the tracks and placed elsewhere, if desired, or slidably moved within the tracks.

It is within my contemplation to provide a simple and readily constructed device having the features hereinabove mentioned.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention, the movable pieces represented by dot-dash lines showing them in difierent positions on the tracks.

Pig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1 with the top panels shown in their lifted or retracted positions, to permit the withdrawal and repositioning of intermediate pieces.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section of Fig. 2 taken along line 4-4.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section of Fig. 2 taken along line 5--5.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section of Fig. 2 taken along line 6-6.

In the preferred form of my invention illustrated, the box 9 supports upon the floor 10 thereof the board member 11 having therein the tracks generally designated 12, comprising the three slotted track sections 13, 14 and 15, these being preferably parallel, and being jointed together, at one end, by the curved end track sections 16 and 17 merging at the juncture 18 at the adjacent end of said track 14. At the opposite ends of said track sections are the respective end walls 19, 20 and 21 serving as stop walls for the adjacent movable slide pieces generally designated 22. The said slide pieces, in the form shown, each comprises an upright wall 23 extending upwardly from the medial portion of base 24, the base being proportioned to be slidably accommodated within the lower enlarged recessed portion 25 of the track structure 12, and the upright wall 23 being proportioned to extend through and above the upper slotted portion 26 of said track structure, for easy grasping. The said slide Patented July 30, 1957 pieces are thus slidably movable along said tracks to predetermined and selected positions, as will more clearly hereinafter appear.

Adjacent one of said track sections, preferably the intermediate track section 14, and on the upper face of the board member 11, are the numbers 1 to 10, each of these numbers occupying a portion of a width W, exactly equal to the maximum overall width W1 of the slide pieces 22said pieces all being of equal overall widths. The portion 27 containing the number 1 is contiguous in position to the stop 20 or left end wall of said intermediate track section 14, that is, the outer margin 28 of portion 27 is in lateral alignment with said stop wall 20. Hence, when a plurality of movable pieces 22 are operatively disposed within track section 14 with the end piece 29 in abutment with stop wall 20, and with all said pieces in end to end engagement, as shown in Fig. 1, each of said pieces will be in registry with a portion containing one of said numbers.

In the particular form of my device illustrated, the board 11 is folded over into two layers, the upper layer 30 and the lower layer 31 being joined at the fold edge 32. The said upper layer 30contains the two adjacent parallel panels 33 and 34, spaced apart to provide the upper slotted portion 26a of the track section 14. Flanking said panels are the marginal sections 35 and 36, respectively, these being spaced from their respective panels to provide the upper slotted portions 26b and 26c of said track sections 13 and 15, respectively. At the right end of said upper layer 30 is the end section 37, with curved portions 38 and 39 shaped and proportioned to correspond to the adjacent curved ends 40 and 41 of said panels 33 and 34, respectively, and spaced from said curved ends to form the upper slotted portions 26d and 26e of said track sections 16 and 17. The said end section 37 also contains the substantially V-shaped juncture portion 42 at said track juncture 18. Opposite the said end section 37 is the end section 43 to which the panels 33 and 34 are joined, said panels being flexible to permit them to be bent back, as shown in Figure 3.

The said lower layer 31 comprises the bottom panels 44 and 45, the marginal sections 46 and 47 and the left end section 48. Said bottom panels underlie the respective upper panels 33 and 34, and are narrower and shorter than said upper panels, thereby providing the said lower recessed portions 25a, 25b and 25c of the track structure 12. As will be seen from Fig. 6, the thickness of the bottom layer 31 is greater than that of the base 24 of the slide piece 22, thereby permitting said base relative freedom of sliding movement upon floor 11.

In the structure illustrated, the slide piece 22 consists of two layers of material, such as cardboard, folded and formed so as to produce a double-layered wall 23 and double-layered base 24.

' There are two sets of said slide pieces 22preferably ten in each set. In the drawings the two sets are distinguished in that pieces 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 and 59 are shaded, whereas the pieces 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 and 29 are unshaded. For play ap peal the walls 23 of the pieces contain a figure of a cats head thereon, in the particular form of my invention illustrated.

The starting move is to align all the pieces of one group in one outside track section and all the pieces of the other group in the other outside track section. Thus, the white or unshaded pieces 60 to 68 and 29 are placed in track section 13, and the shaded pieces 50 to 59 in track section 15. To perform an addition-say four white cats plus three black (shaded) catsfour white pieces such as 29, 66, 67 and 68, are slidably moved along track sections 13 and 16 into intermediate track 14-the first piece 29 being moved into abutment with 3 the stop wall 20. Then three black pieces, such as 57, 58 and 59, are slidably moved, in similar manner, into intermediate track section 14. When all pieces in track section 14 are pushed into mutual engagement, as tillustrated in Fig. '1, the last of the pieces, 5 7, is in registry with the number 7which is the desiredsum.

A subtraction can be performed by first positioning a given number of pieces in the intermediate track 14, and then removing the number of pieces to be subtracted from said track to the outside tracks. Thus, if two are to be substracted from seven, two of the pieces 57 and 58 of Fig. 1, can be removed, whereupon the last piece 59 in the row, being opposite the number 5, will indicate that as the sought-after difierence.

When intermediate pieces are to be removed, or moved directly from one track section to another without sliding, the upper panels 33' nad 34, or either of them, can be retracted in the manner illustrated in'Fig. .3. In this embodiment, the width D of each of the lower recessed portions 25a, 25b and 25c of'the track structure is no less than the length L of the base 24 of the slide pieces 22. Hence, when said upper panels 33 and 34 are retracted as illustrated, any piece can be removed by lifting it straight up, in the direction of arrow B, without disturbing the other pieces; and it can obviously be positioned wherever desired. This arrangement also facilitates the original positioning of the pieces, and enables the device to be readily disassembled, if desired.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by way of example and in preferred manner; but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or manner of practicing same, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an educational appliance, a board member comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, said upper layer having two adjacent substantially parallel panels spaced apart to provide an intermediate slotted track section, two opposite marginal portions flanking said respective panels and in spaced relation thereto to provide two flanking slotted track sections, and an end portion in spaced relation to the adjacent ends of said panels to provide end track sections, said end track sections connecting said intermediate section with said flanking sections, said board member having adjacent and extending along said intermediate track section a plurality of adjacent numbered portions of equal width, a plurality of slide pieces of equal width slidably movable along said track sections, said slide pieces and said numbered portions being of the same widths, said two panels being connected to said board only at the side thereof opposite said end track sections, whereby said panels can be raised above the plane of said board.

2. In an educational appliance, a board member comprising an upper layer and a lower layer; said upper layer having two adjacent substantially parallel panels spaced apart to provide an intermediate slotted track section, two opposite marginal portions flanking said respective panels and in spaced relation thereto to provide two flanking slotted track sections, and an end portion in spaced relation to the adjacent ends of said panels to provide end track sections, said end track sections connecting said intermediate section with said flanking sections; said lower layer having two bottom panels underlying the two said respective panels of said upper layer, the bottom panels being narrower and shorter than the upper panels, whereby recessed portions are provided below said track sections; said board member having adjacent and extending along said intermediate track section a plurality of adjacent numbered portions of equal width, a plurality of slide pieces of equal width each having a base proportioned for slidable movement within said recessed portions, and an upright wall extending up from said base and proportioned to extend through said slotted track sections, said panels being of flexible material and connected to said board only at the side there of opposite said end track sections, whereby said panels can be raised above the plane of said board.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 336,266 Smith Feb. 16, 1886 448,019 Garben Mar. 10, 1891 1,466,501 Gamble Aug. 28, 1923

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