US2975336A - Educational apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1961 H. J. SCHLAFLY EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 4, 1955 INVENTOR Huben` J. Schlofly March 14, 1961 H. J. scHLAl-"LY EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 4, 1955 nin T=T INVENTOR Huber? J. Schlofly BY f 'Mn/t1' ATTOTP? Uld States .Patent 1 Claim. (Cl. 317-137) N.Y., assignor to Teleprompter New York, N.Y., a corporation of New vThis invention relates to educational apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus associable with a script display device which presents to a speaker the material to be ldelivered by him, the apparatus of the invention providing for the actuation by such a Vdevice in chosen sequence of one or more auxiliary electrically controlled displays or cues.l

Thus for example the apparatus of the present invention makes possible, as automatic accompaniments to the presentation to a speaker of the material to be delivered by him on a traveling tape or band, lthe turning on or oft or fading up or down of lights, the starting or stopping of recorded music or other sound effects, the operation of a slide or iilm projector, and the like, at successive phases of the material to be delivered which may be selected and changed at will without rerecording of that material.

The apparatus of the invention is advantageously embodied in a unitary control unit for use as part of a script display system under control of signals originating in Va script display device at switching elements actuated by the passage of the script carrier.

In the accompanying drawings Figs. l-3 illustrate one embodiment `of such a control unit in plan, front elevation, and rear elevation views respectively;

Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram of the control unit of Figs. 1-3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation View of a script display device incorporating switching elements for cooperation with the apparatus of Figs. l-4; and

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating one configuration of the control unit of Figs. 1-4 `for a typical operation.

As illustrated in Figs. 1-3 the control unit comprises a chassis 2 surmounted by a terminal board 4 on which interconnections between the various elements of the control unit are made by means of patch cords, as will be presently described. As indicated in Fig. 2 the board 4 is spaced from the chassis by means of spacers 6, and the space between the chassis and terminal board is employed to position certain of the relays and other electrical components of the control unit. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings,.particularly as Vseen in Fig. 2, a

'plurality of grid controlled gas rectifier Ktubes 8 are provided, one for each of the separate display control or cueing circuits of the control unit. The tube 10 seen in Fig. 2 is a thermal time delay relay connected in the common plate supply of the tubes 8. The unit includes a plurality of output circuits to which connection of external loads in the form of cue or display devices can be made at connectors 12 seen in the rear elevational View of Fig. 3. The interrelation of these output circuits with the remainder of the apparatus is controlled by patch cords and by a plurality of three-position toggle switches 14 seen in Fig. 2, one such switch being associated with each output circuit. Power for the operation of the control unit and optionally of the load circuits controlled thereby is supplied at a power cord 16 (Fig. 3), and a multiterminal connector 18 connects the control unit via a plug and `cable 19 with the device, Itypically a script display device, from which signals for operation of the control unit are taken. The control unit may be provided with a push button switch 15 which when pressed cancels energization of all cue circuit control relays of the unit and with an indicator light 17 which indicates operation of time delay relay 10 and consequent application of plate voltage to the tubes 8. A switch 5 controls the application of power from cord 16 to the control unit.

in Fig. 5 there is shown a front elevational view, partly broken away, of a script display device modified in accordance with the present invention for actuation of the control unit of Figs. 1-3. This device may be of the general type shown in my copending application Serial No. 220,506, now Patent No. 2,765,552. It includes a housing 20 within which a script carrier 22, in the form of a strip-like sheet of paper or the like, is advanced from supply to take-up rolls within the housing by remotely controlled apparatus not forming part of the present invention. An aperture 24 in the housing 20 `discloses a portion of the sheet 22 for observation by the performer or speaker whose script is presented to him by the unit of Fig. 5, a marker 26 being advantageously provided to indicate the line of script instantaneously intended to be read from the unit. Adjacent one edge of the aperture 24 or elsewhere within the housing adjacent the portion ofthe strip 22 between the supply and take-up rolls there is provided a support in the form of a bar 28 extending crosswise of the sheet 22. The bar 28 supports one or more sets 3l) of contacts for the supply of signals to the control unit of Figs. l3.

In Fig. 5 two such sets are shown, identified generally at 30 and 30. Advantageously, each set includes three brushes, which may for example take the form of phosphor bronze springs mounted on bar 28 to bear against the sheet 22. Brushes 32 and 34 are connected together to a circuit common to the similarly located brushes 32 and 34 of the other sets of contacts, this circuit being most conveniently provided by the chassis of the script display unit of Fig. 5 which is connected via cable 19 to the chassis of the control unit of Fig. l and optionally to a building ground through one of the power cables which supplies the complete system. `In each set of contacts 30 a middle brush 36 .is insulated from ground and from the other brushes 32 and 34 and leads through a separate conductor of the cable 19 to a terminal in connector 18 of the control unit. This terminal thus serves as a signal input terminal to the control unit for o ne set of contacts 3G. In Fig. 4 the signal input terminals associated with contacts 39 and 30 are identified at 38 and 38 respectively.

The middle brush 36 in each set is short-circuited to its associated brushes 32 and 34 by a conductive discontinuity in the insulating paper sheet 22, applied at a desired time phase of the intelligence written or printed onto the sheet 22. For this purpose use is advantageously made of conductive strips 23, for example of aluminum foil backed with adhesive material which permits their afiixation to the sheet. In Fig. 5 two such strips are shown, one just about to pass under the brushes of the contact set 30 with the upward motion of the sheet. Another such strip identified at 23 is located transversely of the sheet for actuation of the contacts 30 and is positioned lengthwise of the Sheet at the lower edgeof the aperture 24.

While two grounded brushes 32 and 34 may be provided to give some tolerance on the transverse location of the strips 23, one is of course suliicient, it being only necessary that for each of the control relays of the control unit presently to be described there be provided a switch for actuation by discontinuities in the script sheet.

Referring now to Fig. 4, the control unit includes a plurality of cue circuit control relays 40, advantageously the contacts of any one of the relays 4G.

one for each of the sets of cueing contacts Sti in the script display unit of Fig. 5. Each of these relays is controlled in operation by one of the tubes S. One such combination of a relay 40 and tube S is indicated at the dash-line box 42 in Fig. 4; The embodiment of Figs. 1-3 includes six such combinations; the others are omitted from Fig. 4 for clarity. In addition the control unit includes a plurality of output circuits, one of which is indicated at the dashed-line box 44. Each of the output circuits may be associated via patch cords with Output circuits may be provided in the same number as cue circuit control relays. `Often however a plurality of such relays are required to provide the desired form of control for one output circuit, and it may therefore be sufiicient to provide a smaller number of output circuits than control relays. The embodiment of Figs. 1-3 includes four output circuits 44.

The power cord 16 of Fig. 3 is indicated in Fig. 4 as connecting through the ori-off switch 5 to the primary winding of a transformer 46. The unit may advantageously be designed for connection of cord 16 to an ordinary ll() volt A.C. lighting circuit. Transformer 46 is a step-down transformer providing across its secondary a voltage suitable for energization in parallel of the filaments in the switch tubes 8. In addition the secondary of transformer 46 energizes a rectifier 48 for the development of a negative grid bias voltage which maintains the switch tubes in non-conducting condition except as a cueing signal is applied to the grids thereof by grounding thereof, as will be presently explained. A iilter condenser 50 is provided to filter the bias voltage developed by rectitier 48.

Plate voltage for the switch tubes is derived from the power circuit of cord 16 by a second transformer 52. In the embodiment indicated this is a step-up transformer identical with transformer 46 but connected in the opposite direction to develop across its secondary substantially the same voltage as that of the lighting circuit in the power cord 16. The isolation thus obtained permits one terminal of the secondary of transformer 52 to be grounded to chassis 2. rl'he other terminal leads through the normally closed contact 53 of a relay 54 and through the normally closed contacts of push button release switch to the thermal delay relay 10 and thence in parallel through each of the circuits 42 to ground via the coils 41 of the output circuit control relays 40 and the plate-to-cathode conduction paths of tubes 8.

The coil of time delay relay 10 is connected across the primary of transformer 46 in order to be energized by closing of the on-oi switch 5. Its function is to prevent the application of plate voltage to the switch tubes until the filaments thereof are properly heated.

The grid circuit of each of the tubes 8 includes resistors and 11 in series leading to the source of negative bias voltage formed by rectifier 48, and the junction of these two resistors leads to a signal input terminal in connector 13, e.g. terminal 38. The junction is also taken to an alternative signal input terminal at a jack on the terminal board 4.

The contacts on each of the relays 4@ are arranged in the form of two double pole double throw switches, with a common terminal and a normally open and a normally closed terminal for each. These terminals are brought out to jacks on the terminal board, for interconnection via patch cords with the output circuits and with the power circuit of cord 16. In Fig. l there are shown on the board six rectangles 43, each enclosing the jacks pertaining to one of the relay combinations 42. The jacks of the relay common terminals are designated C1 and C2, those of the normally open terminals N01 and NO2 `and those of the normally closed terminals NC, and NC. Each array 43 also includes a jack G connecting into the grid circuit of the associated switch tube t5 at the junction of resistors 9 and 11, and two jacks C+ and C-. .These connect with opposite ends of the actuating coil 41 of the associated relay 40, across which is connected a capacitor 45 to insure energizatiou of the relay so long as the grid of its associated tube is unbiased, in spite of the intermittent conduction in that tube due to the A.C. value of the plate voltage applied thereto. Jacks C+ and C- are provided to permit the insertion of additional capacity in parallel with capacitor 4:3', if a delayed release of the relay should be desired. iacks G permit unbiasing of the tubes 8 by signals derived otherwise than via cable 19 and connector 18.

The board also includes four rectangular arrays 47 of three jacks each, one array for each of the output circuits 44 of Fig. 4. in each vrectangle 47 a jack F connects, advantageously via a fuse 55 (Fig. 4) to one terminal in an output connector 12. The other jacks A and M connect to two poles of one of the. switches 14, whose blade is connected to the other terminal of the connector 12 in question. Provision of the switches 14 and of the extra jack M makes it possible to patch around a relay 40 to provide a substitute circuit in the event of failure of that relay or of its tube 3.

The board is also provided with a series of jacks GR all grounded, with two series of jacks P1 and P2 connected to the two sides of the power line 16, and with one or more groups of jacks T connected together but insulated from all other elements of the circuit, for convenience in patching.

With this apparatus one or more auxiliary devices may be arranged to be operated automatically by signals supplied to the control unit at any desired phases of a process, such as the passage of a script sheet from the supply to the take-up rolls in the device of Fig. 5. The relay S4 of Fig. 4 may be provided to disable the control unit under specified conditions, such as rewinding of the script sheet, and the push button 15 permits local and temporary disablement of the control unit at the will of the operator.

The operation of the control unit will now be described by reference to Fig. 6 which illustrates the control of a simple cueing function from the script display device of Fig. 5. Let it be assumed that a particular passage in the script on strip 22. an auxiliary light such as a spot light for example is to be lighted and to be maintained lighted until a specified subsequent passage is reached. For this purpose a conducting strip 23 is applied to the script sheet 22 of the display unit of Fig. 5 in position to pass under one set of cueing contacts 30 when the first passage of text is opposite the reading marker 2.6. When the strip 23 passes under its contacts 30, the insulated contact 36 of that set is grounded. This applies ground potential to the junction of resistors 9 and 11 on the relay combination associated with the set of cueing contacts in question. The signal so generated is cmployed to light the spot light, and a similar signal gener-l ated at another set of contacts 30 by the passage of a second strip 23 at an appropriate subsequent time is used to turn the spot light off.

These signals are utilized by the control unit of Figs. 1-4 with the connection illustrated in Fig. 6. The spot light to be controlled, indicated at 60, is connected to one of the output connectors 12, and the jack F of the output circuit 44 to which that connector belongs is patched to one side of the power line 16 by means of a one-conductor patch cord 62. The opposite side of the line 16 is patched by means of a cord 64 to a common terminal jack C1 of one output circuit control relay, selected as the one whose associated switch tube 8 will be unbiased upon short-circuiting of the contacts 30 in the display unit of Fig. 5 by the first strip 23, which is to turn the spot light on. The jack N01 of that relay is patched by a cord 66 to jack A of the output circuit into which spot light 60 is connected. Withinthe control unit jack A is permanently connected to one pole of the switch 14 belonging to this output circuit, and this switch 14 when in a normal or automatic position connects, again within the control unit, this pole to the terminal of the output connector opposite that which is connected to jack F.

This much provides `for energization of the light 60 when the tirst strip 23 shorts the contacts 30 of Fig. 5 in its path, but without more light 6i) lwould be extinguished as soon as this strip passed from beneath those contacts. To provide a holding circuit, jack NO2 of therrelay actuated `by this first strip 23 is patched by a cord 68 to its jack G, and jack C2 of the same relay is patched -by cord 70 to jack C1 of a second control circuit relay, selected as` the one which will be energized by the second strip 23 in `the script display unit of Fig. 5 intended to turn |the spot light olf. Jack NCl of this second relay is patched by a cord 72 to ground at a jack GR. Accordingly, when the first relay 40 is energized, its jack G is grounded through a normally closed contact NC1 of the second relay so that the irst relay is held energized. When the spot light is to be turned olf, the second conducting -strip 23 energizes the second relay. This breaks the holding circuit between C1 and ground of the second relay, and light 60` is extinguished.

In the event of malfunctioning of the relays or either of them, the light 60 can-be manually controlled by the switch 14 of the output circuit into which the spot light is connected, with the help` of a jumper Afrom jack M of that output circuit to the side of the power line 16 opposite that to which jack F is connected. For this reason the switches 14 may be referred to as automatiomanual switches. They are normally left in their automatic positions which connect jacks A to the output connectors 12.

Obviously the spot light or other auxiliary device can be equally well energized from an external source of power, subject to the same control operations by the unit of Figs. 1-4. In the example illustrated in Fig. 6,

by patching cord 64 directly from C1 to F and by inserting a power source in series with one side of the line leading from connector 12 to the light 60, such an external power source may be utilized in place of the line 16.

While the invention has been described herein in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is not limited to the details of the structure shown and described. The invention itself is set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

A script display and auxiliary circuit control system comprising a script carrier of laminar form having a script thereon, means to advance the carrier from supply to take-up means past a display station, a plurality of switches arranged adjacent said station transversely of the direction of motion of said carrier relative to said station in position to be actuated individually upon passage thereat of discontinuities in said carrier occupying positions ranged transversely of said direction of motion, a plurality of grid controlled gas rectifers, means to bias said rectiers to cut-off, said rectifiers having their cathodes connected together, a connection between the grid of each of said rectiers and a separate one of said switches adapted to unbias such rectifier upon actuation of such switch, a plurality of relays each having its actuating coil in series with the plate-cathode circuit of one of said rectiliers, each of said relays having two pairs of normally closed contacts and two pairs of normally open contacts, one contact of each normally closed pair being in common with one contact of each normally open pair, a source of alternating current voltage, means to apply an alternating current voltage from said source to the series combination of each of said rectiers and associated relay coil, means connecting one terminal of said source with one olf the common contacts on one of said relays, means connecting the other terminal of said source through a load device to the normally open contact associated with said one common Contact, means `connecting the other common contact of said one relay to a common contact of another of said relays, means connecting the normally open contact of the other normally open contact pair of said one relay to the grid of the grid controlled rectifier in series with the coil of said one relay, and means connecting the normally closed contact associated with said common contact of said other relay to the cathodes of said rectiers.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,725,644 Knby Aug. 20, 1929 1,872,372 Wensley Aug. 16, 1932 2,124,410 Cockrell July 19, 1938 2,178,112 Barker Oct. 31, 1939 2,186,964 Foster Jan. 16, 1940 2,431,429 Sepavich Nov. 25, 1947 2,477,511 Comb July 26, 1949 2,573,405 Clark Oct. 30, 1951 2,576,903 lmrn Nov. 27, 1951 2,592,522 Florez Apr. 15, 1952 2,608,609 Fitch Aug. 26, 1952 2,625,591 George Ian. 13, 1953 2,659,533 Quinby Nov. 17, 1953 2,708,254 MacCaulay May 10, 1955 2,763,819 Bradshaw Sept. 18, 1956 2,768,333 Dobbratz Oct. 23, 1956 2,802,155 Marsden Aug. 6, 1957

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