|
PatentVote.com: Vote on your favourite invention!
|
|
 |
Title: Methods and apparatus for interactive communications
Claims: Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: 1. A learning machine, comprising a first sound recording on which a lecture is recorded, a second sound recording on which a set of answers to questions that may be raised by the lecture is recorded, means for selectively reproducing the lecture and answers from the records in any desired sequence, and a map on which there is perceptibly recorded an outline of the lecture, a set of questions to which the answers have been recorded, and, for each such question, indicia indicating a primary relevance to a particular topic of the lecture and indicia enabling the user to locate the answer on said second record, said questions and said outline being simultaneously perceptible so that the possible relevance of all questions is suggested whether or not the lecture topic of primary relevance is then being reproduced. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising indicia on said second sound recording correlated with said indicia on said map. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which said answers are recorded on said second sound recording in spaced sequential regions, and in which said indicia on said second sound recording is located in the spaces between said regions. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, in which said recorded lectures and answers comprise sound sequences accompanied by graphic displays, and in which said reproducing means comprises sound reproducing means for reproducing said sound sequences and a graphic recorder for reproducing said graphic displays. 5. In combination, a tape recorder, at least one cassette of magnetic tape on which there is a recorded lecture adapted to be reproduced on said recorder, at least a second cassette of magnetic tape on which a series of answers to predetermined questions are recorded in a series of spaced sequential regions, said tape in said second cassette being visually marked in the spaces between said regions to facilitate the location of an answer in said series, and a lecture map bearing simultaneously visible indicia identifying points in said lecture, indicia associating questions each answerable by an answer in said series with said points, and indicia associating each such question with the visual marking on said second tape to facilitate the location of the answer to the associated question. 6. In combination, a tape recorder adapted to reproduce signals recorded on at least two tracks on a tape, a graphic recorder adapted to respond to applied position signals to produce a graphic display, at least one tape having first and second tracks, a lecture recorded on said first track, at least one set of position signals representing a graphic display to accompany a portion of said lecture recorded on said second track adjacent the region on said first track on which said portion is recorded, at least a second tape and a third tape each having at least one track on which at least the answer to one question that may be raised by said lecture is recorded, a map bearing simultaneously visible indicia associating various points in said lecture with the questions to which said answers have been recorded and associating said questions with the particular one of said second tape and said third tape on which the corresponding answer is recorded, and means operatively connecting said tape recorder to said graphic recorder for applying position signals reproduced from a tape to said graphic recorder. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, in which there is a second track on said second tape on which there is recorded at least one set of position signals representing a graphic display to accompany a portion of at least one answer on said second tape, said position signals being recorded on said second tape adjacent the region on said first track on which said portion of said answer is recorded. 8. The apparatus of claim 6, in which a pilot signal at constant frequency is recorded on said second track simultaneously with said series of position signals, and in which said means operatively connecting said tape recorder to said graphic recorder comprises means controlled by said pilot signal and said series of position signals for compensating said position signals to reduce the effects of wow and flutter on the graphic display produced by the graphic recorder. 9. An interactive learning system, comprising reproducing means for reproducing signals recorded on a record, at least a first record on which a lecture is recorded, at least a second and a third record on each of which at least one answer to a question that may be raised by said lecture is recorded, identifying means on said second and said third records to identify the answers so that they can be selectively located and reproduced by said reproducing means, a lecture map on which an outline of points in said lecture is perceptibly recorded, those questions answered on said second and said third records being perceptibly recorded on said map in association with those recorded points on said map most relevant to each question, and means perceptibly recorded on said map adjacent each recorded question for locating the associated answer by reference to said identifying means on said second and said third records. 10. A learning system, comprising a tape recorder for reproducing at least two independent signals from a record, a graphic recorder responsive to an applied series of position signals to produce a graphic display, means for applying one of said signals from said tape recorder to said graphic recorder, a loudspeaker, means for applying the other of said signals from said tape recorder to said loudspeaker, at least a first record on which two independent signals are recorded, one of said signals on said first record comprising a lecture adapted to be reproduced by said loudspeaker and the other of said signals on said first record comprising at least one series corresponding to a graphic display accompanying a portion of said lecture and recorded on said first record in a location adjacent said portion of said lecture, at least a second and a third record on each of which two independent signals are recorded, one of said signals on each of said second and third records corresponding to an answer to a question that may be raised by said lecture and adapted to be reproduced by said loudspeaker and the other of said signals on each of said second and said third records comprising at least one series corresponding to a graphic display accompanying said answer and recorded on each of said second and said third records adjacent that answer, and means for associating the question to which the answers on said second and said third records are responsive with the one of said second and said third records on which the associated answers appear. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, in which said means for applying said signal to said graphic recorder comprises means for compensating the applied signal for frequency deviations occurring during the recording and reproducing process. 12. An interactive learning system, comprising a console, a cassette tape recorder mounted on said console, said tape recorder being of the type which will accept a tape cassette and selectively play the tape, stop the tape, move the tape backwards and forwards to locate a desired place on the tape, and eject the cassette without changing the position of the tape in the cassette, at least a first tape cassette on which is recorded a lecture, at least a second tape cassette on which there is recorded a spaced series of answers to questions that may occur to a listener to the lecture, means perceptibly coding said second cassette to facilitate the location of individual ones of said answers, and a lecture map on which there is perceptibly recorded an outline of points in the lecture, questions to which answers have been recorded, means associating the questions with the points of the lecture to which they are most relevant, and means associating each question with the perceptible coding on said second cassette to permit the location of the answer to each question for selective playback, all of said questions being simultaneously displayed to allow an association with any question at any time during the playing of the lecture recorded on said first tape cassette, whereby a user can listen to a portion of said lecture, interrupt the lecture to refer to the answer to a desired question, the selection of the question to be answered being guided but not forced by the indicia on said lecture map under the influence of the portion of the lecture tape being played, and then resume the lecture without losing the place at which it was interrupted. 13. An interactive learning system which answers questions raised by a student in connection with a lecture, said system comprising a record sheet, upon one side of which are perceptibly recorded: an outline of the lecture; groupings of written questions which the system is prepared to answer, the groupings each being connected by a line to the item in the outline corresponding to the part of the lecture in connection with which the questions in the grouping arise, the questions in each grouping being ordered in the order in which they tend to arise to a person listening to the related section of the lecture; and the questions bearing indicia for use in accessing the desired answer; a first audio record on which said lecture is recorded; a second audio record on which answers to said questions are recorded; and means for selectively audibly reproducing said lecture and answers from the records. 14. An interactive communication system with which an individual may approximate a learning conversation between himself and an expert person, the system comprising an audio lecture recording made by the expert person and focused on a specific topic; an audio answer recording comprising answers recorded by the expert to questions arising from the lecture recording; a map showing simultaneously the locations of lecture material, questions answered in the answer recordings, the locations in the answer recording of those answers, and indicating a direct relationship between each question and the most relevant portion of the lecture; and means for audibly reproducing and accessing selected portions of the lecture recording and selected answers. 15. An interactive learning system, comprising a receptacle, means forming a series of containers in said receptacle, a first set of records in one set of said containers, a second set of records in a second set of said containers, a lecture recorded on the records of said first set, a set of answers to questions that may be raised by said lecture recorded on the records of said second set, means for selectively reproducing the lecture and answers from said records in any desired sequence, and a map on one side of which there is perceptibly inscribed an outline of topics of the lecture, a set of questions to which the answers have been recorded, and, for each such question, indicia indicating a primary relevance to a particular topic of said lecture and indicia enabling the user to locate the answer on one of said second set of records. 16. In an interactive communication system, a first cassette comprising a housing, a strip of recording tape mounted in said housing for movement over a range of positions relative to a playback station in said housing, at least two recorded sound signals on said tape in spaced locations, means perceptibly coding the spaces between said locations to facilitate the location of each of said signals for selective playback, said signals comprising answers to a set of questions relevant to a lecture, and further comprising a second cassette, said second cassette comprising a second housing, a second strip of recording tape mounted in said second housing for movement over a range of positions relative to a playback station in said second housing, a recorded signal on said tape corresponding to said lecture, means for selectively reproducing said lecture and answers from said records, and a map on which there is inscribed for simultaneous display an outline of topics of the lecture, indicia identifying the set of questions to which answers are recorded on said first recited cassette, and, for each such question, indicia indicating a primary relevance to a particular topic in the lecture and indicia enabling the user to locate the answer on said tape in said first recited cassette. Other info: Inventors: Wilson, Stewart W. (Concord, MA, US) Application Number: 294487 Filing Date: 1972-10-02 Publication_date: 1976-03-09 Assignee: Polaroid Corporation (Cambridge, MA) Primary Class(es): 434/308 434/319 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Other References: land, E.H., and Wilson, S.W.; "Education And The Need To Know"; Technology Review; Alumni Association of M.I.T., Jan. 1967, pp. 29-36. "Patentability-Utility"; U.S. Department of Commerce, Patent Office Academy; 1966; Section 7B1, pp. 1-4. "Methods for Teaching Military Instructors"; U.S. Army Engineer School; 1958; Section I.G. 003-1, pp. 11,13. | |