Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The invention relates to an apparatus for
entertainment and for education and more particularly an
apparatus which can serve for the teaching of languages.
More precisely, the apparatus for entertainment
and for education according to the invention is of the
type comprising:
- means of reading a program~e, the functioning
of which is controlled by means of control (loading,
starting up, stopping etc.), which means of reading are
connected to audio means of sound reprocluction,
- means of storage of information entered by the
user of the machine,
- means of rereading the information entered by
the user, which are connected to audio means of sound
reproduction.
Among these known apparatuses, essentially two
types of them can be considered.
According to the first type of known apparatus,
the apparatus contains in a memory a certain number of
questions, relating for example to geography, -to history
or to any other field. When the question programme runs,
the user has to answer the questions and, according to
whether these answers are correct or not, the apparatus
records a score for example and possibly corrects
incorrect answers.
According to the second type of known apparatus,
it is generally a matter of a language laboratory, the
apparatus comprisi.ng means of recording, on a magnetic
tape for example, a programme, for example typical
sentences reco~ded by a teacher, means o recording on
another tape the answers of the student to the questions
posed or the simple repetition of the sentence recorded
by the teacher, and means which allow the typical
sentence recorded by the teacher and the sentence as the
student has repeat~d it ~o be played back and compared.
All these operations take place necessarily via running
of the magnetic tape or tapes of a tape recorder with a
number of tracks and a number of heads and rewinding of
the variou~ tapes for reverse and playback. Such devices
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are described in particular in patents US-A-4 380 438 and
US-A-3 323 230.
These apparatuses have the ~isadvantage o:E being
very complicated and relatively fragile, taking into
account the complexity of the mechanisms and the frequent
running back and rerunning of the tapes, to which they
are subjected. Moreover, their management and their
utilisation are not the most convenient.
The object of the invention is to resolve these
difficulties.
To this end, the apparatus according to the
invention, of the general type indicated abo~e, is
characterised for its part in that the means of reading
the programme comprise delayed automatic triggering means
. which control the storage in a memory of digital type of
parcels of information of the programme read
sequentially, part after part, and in that ~he apparatus
comprise~ at least one memory of digital type, which is
capable of storing a sequence of information entered by
the user, as well as means con~rolled by the user for the
rereading, sound reproduction and clearing of information
stored in said digital memories.
It can be undexstood that with such a funda~
mentally new arrangement of the functions of recording,
of rereading and of clearing, an apparatus is obtained
which is much more practical, economical and reliable to
usa and whl~h also allows considerable flexibility of
use.
The invention will emerge more clearly with the
aid o~ the description following, which is carried out
with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus
designed according to the invention,
- Figure 2 shows like Figure 1 the diagram of an
3S apparatus modified according to an alternative,
- Figure 3 is a block diayram describing the
essential functions of initialisation of the appara~us by
sound message~ ~"bleeps"~ stored in the proyramme.
Reference will firs-t be made to Fi~ure l which
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corresponds to an embodiment of the apparatus.
According to the embodiment illustrated in this
figure, the programme recorded, for example a language
teaching programme, is recorded on a ma~netic tape which
can be a conventional tape cassette which is capable of
being read by a cassette player l comprising the usual
control functions such as illustrated by the keys 2
marked ~'play" for transport, ~REW~ for rewind, ~FF~ for
fast forward and "STOP EJECT~ for stopping the apparatus
and ejection of the cassette. It is understood, howe~er,
that the programme recorded can be so by any other means
than that of a magnetic tape cassette, this programme
being capable of being carried by a conventional record,
a compact disc for reading by laser beam or any other
means of storage allowing reading and processing of the
stored information.
Accordingto the example illustrated, the means 1
of reading the programme are connected through an
amplifier 4 to means of sound reproduction such as a
loudspeaker 3 or a socket 19 for headphones.
The output of the amplifier 4 is also connected
to a first digital recording storage memory 5 and to a
second digital recording storage memory 6, the function
of which will be described below. These two memories 5,
6 can moreo~er advantageously be constituted by the two
parts of one and the same memory.
The amplifier 4 is also conn~cted to means such
as a microphone 7 which allvws the input into the memory
6, as will emerge below, of information entered by the
user.
The apparatus moreover comprises a control unit
8 for the functioning of the player 1 and of the first
and second memories 5, 6, this control unit comprising a
microprocessor unit 9 of conventional type, connected to
control members which are constituted for example by a
keyboard which is indicated generally by 10.
The control unit 8 is also connected to means of
display 11 o information relating to the functioning o~
the apparatu~ and to the running of the programme.
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The composition of the control keyboard 10 will
now be described more specifically. This keyboard
comprises a key 12 marked "PAUSE" which makes it possible
to stop the cassette player at the end of reading of a
parcel of information of the programme.
This ]cey~card ~lso comprises a key indic~ted b~
13 and marked ~TEACHER~ which makes it possible to order
rereading of the programme parcel stored in the memory 5,
this parcel corresponding to the typical sent0nce from
the language programme, if it is a programme relating to
the teaching of languages, pronounced by the teacher.
The key 14 marked ~RECORD~ for recording makes it
possible for the user, when he presses this key down, to
record hLmself via the microphone 7 into the storage
memory 6.
The key 15 marked "STUDENT", when operated, makes
it possible for the user to playback the information
which he has just recorded via the microphone 7 into the
storage memory 6.
In the example illustrated, a key 16 marked
"CLEAR" for clearing has also been provided, which when
operated makes it possible to clear the information
stored by the user in the memory 6.
The key 12 marked "PAUSE" also makes it possible,
when reoperated after a first operation which has ordered
the stopping of the running of the tape, to make the
apparatu~ start again with a new section and reading of
a new parcel of information.
At 17, the signs + and - indicate -two keys which
allow the ad~ustment of the ~ound level.
Lastly, at 18, four keys numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 are
indicated, which correspond in the example illus~rated to
four parallel tracks of the tape~ assuming that the tape
recorder comprises four parallel reading tracks, certain
of which can if required be read simultaneously or on the
contrary separately, according to whether for example the
teaching progr~mme can take place over backgxound noise
or without background noise.
To complete the description of the diagram in
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Figure 1, a battery supply for the apparatus has been
illustrated at 20 and a mains supply at 21.
The functioning of the apparatu~; is as follows.
Assuminy that the apparat:us has been
reinitialised, that is to say set in the zero state, and
the tape of the programme is at its begirlning, it is only
necessary for the user to press the "PLAY" key of the
tape player and to select the track or tracks 1, 2, 3 or
4 of the progxamme which he wishes to follow.
10~tarting up of the programme wil:L be explained by
referring also to Figure 3.
When the tape starts to run, a special sound
bleep is detected on the tape.
This bleep sets to zero the digital memories 5
and 6.
Subsequently, the tape of -the programme chosen
runs automatically for a certain time, for example eight
seconds, corresponding to the parcel of information of
the programme which is to be studied and which is stored
20in the digital recording memory 5. Once this operation
has been carried out, the apparatus stops automatically.
As of this moment, the user can for example press
the recording key 14 "RECORD" and record via the micro-
phone 7 the parcel of information which has just been
25stored in the memory 5 and which, sLmultaneously with
this storing, has been reproduced and which the user has
been able to hear either via the output of the
loudspeakar 3 or via the headphones 19 if headphones have
been connected.
30After this recording, the user can play himself
hack, that i~ to say listen to the recording which has
~ust been stored in the digital memory 6 by pressing the
key 15 marked "STUDENT". .
He can then press the key 13 marked "TEACHER" in
35order to ~y way of comparison listen to the same parcel
read by the teacher, which has been storad in the memory
5. If he is not satisfied with his recording, he presses
tha key 16 "CLEAR", clearing the information contained in
the memo~y 6, and can restart the operation of recording,
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listening/comparing as many times as he wishes.
In order to continue the teaching programme, that
is to say when he wishes to pass on to the next parcel of
information of the programme, the user presses the
"PAUS2~ key 12 which restarts the tape of the player 1.
By this operation, a return is made to the
situation already described, in which the cassette player
restarts, sends a bleep which resets the memories to zero
as illustrated in Figure 3, before recording the new
parcel of information, for example of eight seconds, of
the programme in the memory 5, after which the appara~us
stops, leaving it up to the user to carry out at will
recordings, readings, rereadings, rerecordings etc. :Eor
as long as the user considers that these various
operations are useful.
Ad~antageously, the apparatus comprises in the
microprocessor 9 which controls it, a delay which auto-
matically triggers the reading of a new parcel of the
programme after a given time lapse, for example of
fifteen seconds, if in the meantime the user has not
acted on one of the functions: recording (key 14),
rereading of the teacher (key 13) or of the student (key
15) or clearing (key 16).
Moreover, it can advantageously be envisaged
that, after recording of a parcel of information, renewed
operation of the ~PAUSE~ key 12 orders the ad~ance of the
programme to a new parcel, for example if the user wishes
to pas~ rapidly over certain sequences of the teaching in
order to study some other later sequence in greater
depth.
In the alternative embodiment illustrated in
Figure 2, in which the same elements as those illustrated
in Fi~ure 1, have been indicated by the same numbers
increased by one hundred units, the essential difference
lies in the keys for control r for recording 114 in the
direction of the memory 106 ~memory of the student~, the
apparatus comprising no actual clear key like the key 16
of the.apparatus illustrated in Figure 1.
Given that the other components of the apparatus
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are identical, the circuit in Figure 2 will not be
described again, but only the functioning of this
apparatus will be described quickly.
Starting up the apparatus is carried out in the
same manner as described previously after loading of the
player 101, rewinding to its start of the cassette loaded
with the programme, pressing down the PLAY~ key 102 and
selection of the tracks 1 and/or 2 and/o:r 3 and/or 4 118
on the panel 110.
Starting up the apparatus, its reinitialisation
and the recording of the first parcel of the programme is
carried out according to the diagram already described in
Figure 3. Simultaneously with this loading into the
memory 105 of the corresponding parcel of the programme,
the apparatus delivers via the audio means which it
comprises, lou~speaker 103 or headphones 119, the audible
sequence of the corresponding parcel, for example a
typical sentence pronounced by the teacher.
The user can then, by pressing the key 114
"RECORD", record by means of the microphone 107 his
version of the same sentence or the answer to the
question posed. Recording is carried out as long as the
u~er keeps his finger on the key 114 and as long as the
memory 116 is not full. The memory 106 can for example be
designed to store twenty-four seconds of information. The
means 111 of display indicate the recording time
remaining free in the memory 106. When the user ends his
action on the key 114, the apparatus stops.
If the u~er presses the key 113 of the teacher,
he can play back the parcel o~ the programme which has
been stored in the memory 105.
If the user presse~ the key 115 of the student,
he brings about the playback of the message which he
recorded via the microphone into the memory 106. If he is
not satisfied with his recording, he can rerecord his
answer by again pressing the "RECO~D" key 114, bringing
the recording back to zerol this operation simultaneously
clearing the recording previously recorded into the
memory 106.
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If the user operates the "PAUSE" key 112, he
orders the apparatus to pass to the next sequence of
teaching of the programme.
If the user no longer acts on the keys, after a
certain time, for example fifteen seconds, the apparatus
automatically triggers the running of a new ~arcel of the
programme, starting from the reinitialisation diagram
illustrated in Figure 3.
The invention is of course in no way limited to
the embodiments illustrated and described, which have
only been indicated by way of example.
In particular, it is very clear that var:ious
alternatives can be applied, in particular as far as the
organisation of the various keys for control is
lS concerned, for recording of the teacher and of the
student, for rereading, reinitiali.sation and restarting.
Similarly, instead of using a multitrack magnetic
tape cassette player, use can be made of other means of
recording, in particular of the compact disc type,
single-track player type etc.
Finally, although the invention has been
described more particularly with reference to the
teaching of lan~uages, since the apparatus lends itself
particularly well to a system of dialogue between the
~5 user who can record himself and compare his version with
the version of the teachex, the apparatus can also be
used for other purposes, in particular for the teaching
of all sorts of techniques and in particular all musical
or vocal techniques.
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