US293731A - James e - Google Patents

Description

UNiT'ED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

' JAMES E. HAMILTON, OF TWO RIVERS, WVISOONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HAMIL- TON 85 KATZ, OF SAME PLACE.

IIINTERCHANGEABLE CHART-FRAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,731, dated February 19, 18 84.

Application filed November flfi, 18 83. (No model.)

To all whom it imry concern:

attached to said bottom bar.

it is allowed to settle down.

Be it known that I, JAMES E. HAMILTON, of Two Rivers, in the county of Manitowoc, and in the State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interchangeable Chart-Frames for Teachers Use; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

. My invention relates to interchangeable chart-frames for teachers use, and will be fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front perspective view of my interchangeable chart-frame. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through center of same, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 shows a modification of the frame, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of Fig. 3.

A A indicate the sides of the'frame, which may be made in any form and of any material desired, and may be suitably supported on its own pedestal, or hung on a wall, or'placed in whatever position found convenient.

B is the top cross-bar, and B the bottom bar, and a suitable box, 0, or'drawer may be Parallel to said cross-bars B B, and fastened to the-sides A at any distance from each other as will answer the purpose, are the block-bearing slats D D D. These slats have a groove, a, in their upper edge, and a groove, a, in their lower edge. This last groove a is given double the depth of groove a. The space left between the slats is filled by the letter or picture blocks E E E, which are made of any suitable material and of a length equal to the distance between the bottom of the groove a of a slat and of the groove a of the next slat, minus half the depth of the groove a, and the upper and lower edges of the letter blocks are slightly beveled on their rear face, to enable them to fit loosely in said grooves a and a. To set theletter-blocks E E E in place between the slats D D, the upper edge of a block is first inserted in the lower groove, a, and pressed upward to the bottom of said groove, as shown at m, Fig. 2, the lower edge of the block being then pressed backward against the upper edge of the lower adjoining slat, in the shallow groove a of which The flanges b,

formed by the grooves a and a on the rear of the slats, are extended up or down sufficiently to act as guides to direct the letter-blocks into said grooves.

Instead of the grooved slats D D. above described, I may use to support the letter-blocks E E a series of wires, D D, stretched across theframe and fastened therein in any suitable manner. This modification is shown in Fig, 3. In this case the letter-blocksE E are provided with the grooves a a and a front extended flange, 12, corresponding to the grooves stand a and the rear extended flange, b, of the slats D.

The letter-blocks D D, which may carry either letters, figures, or pictures thereon, printed, stenciled, embossed, or drawn, plain or in colors, are-kept in properly divided and labeled compartments of a box, 0, or drawer attached to or separate from the chart-frame.

"Each of said blocks necessary to form thesentence or combination of pictures or characters desired is taken out of its compartment and inserted, in turn, between'the slats D D or the wires D D. If any part ofthe sentence or combination of figures thus formed has to be changed, the letter-blocks forming said part are taken out of the frame and replaced in their respective compartments, and other blocks are inserted in their place in the frame to form the new word or the new combination of characters. This can be renewed as often as desired, thus giving to the teacher a practical and convenient means to almost infinitely vary his chart-lessons. In the system of charts already in use ,in schools, there are features which present difficulties fully overcome by the introduction of my interchangeable chartframe. By daily seeing and reading from a chart, the wording or combination of which is fixed or not changeable, the scholar learns the chart by heart, without learning to spell the words, so that the teacher finds great difficulty in bringing his pupils to recognize a given character in any position or combination differing from that of the chart. The difficulty must be overcome by the use of the blackboard, and as this is a means the majority of teachers are not very familiar with, it follows that inmost cases the obstacle remains.

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of word-charts at his disposition and still, in a number of instances, subjects will present themselves which will oblige him to use the blackboard. In both cases the use of my interchangeable chart-frame does away with the difficulty.

Though my frame is especially adapted to teachers use, my invention applies as well to other purposes, such as sign-boards for stores, restaurants, theaters, &c. It may be used, also, as a toy or game for childrens or adults use.

I am aware that heretofore chart-frames have been constructed adapted for use with interchangeable letter, figure, or symbol blocks, and provided with transverse supports for retaining said blocks in position in such manner that they may be removed therefrom, either all together or independently, and such, therefore, I do not broadly claim as of my invention; but, so far as I am aware, I am the first to provide the contiguous edges of each block and its supports, above and below, with horizontal grooves of unequal depth, in conjunction with front and rear flanges or surfaces on either side of said grooves, and also of unequal depth or height, and formed either in and on the transverse supports, or in and on the blocks themselves, as preferred, whereby my blocks can be independently added to or taken from the frame in the manner described, and when in position held by means of said contiguous edges, flanges, and grooves.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an interchangeable chart-frame, the

combination of the side bars, AA, and top and bottom bars, 13 B, forming a skeleton frame, with'the transverse supports D and the letter or symbol blocks E E, the contiguous surfaces of the parts D and E being held together by means of horizontal grooves in one of them receivingthe edges of the other, both above and below, and each alternate groove being of different depth from the groove immediately above and the groove immediately below it, whereby every block E shall be firmly held at its upper and lower edge, and yet be capable of re-' moval, interchange, or replacement without disturbing the block on either side of it, substantially as set forth.

2. In an interchangeable chart-frame, the combination of the skeleton frame A A B B, the base 0, forming part of the frame, and divided into compartments to retain the letterblocks, the transverse supports D, and the blocks E E, substantially as set forth.

3. In an interchangeable chart-frame, the combination of the skeleton frame A A B B and the transverse supports D, having rear extended flanges, b, of greater height or depth than theirfront flanges, and having between said front and rear flanges the shallow grooves a and the deeper grooves a, with the letter or symbol blocks E E, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Two Rivers, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Viscousin, in the presence of two witnesses.

' JAMES E. HAMILTON.

\Vitnesses:

B. F. Rioirrnn, L. MANN.

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