A device for matching information fields

Abstract

A device for matching information fields 10 comprises a transparent frame 12 with indentations LN,RN cut into the perimeter of the frame, a removable insert 14 displaying a plurality of information fi

Description

The invention relates to a device for matching information fields. The device may be hand held. A known hand held device comprises a card having questions and answers printed onto, respectively, the left hand side and the right hand side. However, the questions on the left hand side do not correspond to the adjacent answers printed onto the right hand side. The challenge for the user is to match the answers on the right hand side which correspond to the questions on the left hand side. The left hand side and right side have slots into the card associated with each of the questions and answers. The card has a string attached to it. A user should wind the string around the device, in particular winding in such a manner that questions are linked to the corresponding answers. A problem with the known hand held device is that it has limited usage by the same person once the question has linked to the corresponding answer. An aim of the present invention is to provide a device for matching information fields with an improved usability, or at least an alternative usability. According to a first embodiment of the invention there is provided a device for matching information fields in accordance with Claim 1. In that way, the device is easier to operate for a user with motor skills difficulties. Other optional and preferred features of the invention are set out in the dependent claims, and the description, below. According to a second embodiment of the invention there is provided a device for matching information fields in accordance with Claim 6. According to a third embodiment of the invention there is provided a device for matching information fields in accordance with Claim 7. It will be appreciated that the features of an independent claim can be combined in any complimentary manner, with one or more features of another independent claim, and / or one or more dependent claims, and / or with one or more features of the description, where such a combination of features would provide a working embodiment of the invention. Various devices for matching information fields in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a hand held device, showing an insert not installed in a frame. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the hand held device of Figure 1, showing the insert installed in the frame, Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the hand held device of Figure 2, showing the insert installed in the frame, and string wound around the frame, Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a second side of the insert of the device, and Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of a further device, showing a frame rotatably mounted on a support surface. Referring to Figures 1, a hand held device 10 comprises two parts, a frame 12 and a removable insert 14. The insert 14 has a first side 15 and a second side 17. The first side 15 of the insert 14 has information fields on the left hand side and right hand side. The first side 15 of the insert 14 has first left information field LI, second left information field L2, etc, down the left hand side. Eleven left hand information fields LI to Lil are labelled in the drawing. The first side 15 of the insert 14 has first right information field RI, second right information field R2, etc, down the right hand side. Eleven right hand information fields RI to Rll are labelled in the drawing. The frame 12 define a rectangular cuboid cavity 16 for the insert 14. The cavity 16 is sized to received an insert made of a sheet of paper or card or the like. In the embodiment shown, the frame 12 comprises a first part 20, a second part 22, and a U shaped third part 24. The U shaped third part 24 is sandwiched between the first part 20 and the second part 22 to create the aforementioned cavity 16 for the insert 14. In the embodiment shown, the frame 12 is approximately a rectangular cuboid. However, in another embodiment of the invention, not shown for conciseness, the frame 12 may be another shape. The frame 12 has indentations or notches LN1 to LN11 and RN1, RN2, etc. The frame 12 has first left notch LN1, second left notch LN2, etc, down the left hand side. Eleven left hand notches LN1 to LN11 are labelled in the drawing. The frame 12 has first right notch RN1, second right notch RN2, etc, down the left hand side. Eleven right hand notches are shown but only first right notch RN1 and the second right notch RN2 are labelled in the drawing so as to maintain clarity. The notches are conveniently on the longer sides of the frame 12. In other embodiments which are not shown for conciseness, a different number of left notches and right notches may be employed, i.e. a number other than eleven. In other embodiments which are not shown for conciseness, where the frame 12 is a different shape, the notches may be appropriately arranged on the outer perimeter or outer surface of the frame. Alternatively, or additionally, notches may be arranged on an inner perimeter or inner surface of the frame. For example, the frame may be annulus or doughnut shaped and notches may be arranged on the inner edge and the outer edge. The device 10 also comprises a string 18 connected to the frame 12. The string 18 conveniently connected to the upper end of the frame 12 adjacent the opening of the cavity 16. In use, referring to Figure 2, the device 10 is hand held. The frame 12 (or at least the first part 20, and the second part 22) is made of a rigid material, to prevent the frame from buckling under the force of a human grip when it is held in a user’s hand(s) and inadvertently springing out of the user’s hand(s). The insert 14 is placed in the cavity 16. When the insert 14 is installed in the cavity 16 the first side 15 and the second side 17 are visible through the first part 20 and the second part 22 of the frame 12. Moreover, the left hand side information fields Ll-Ll 1, on the first side 15, are adjacent the left hand notches LM-LNI1, and the right hand side information fields Rl-Rll are adjacent the right hand notches RN1-RN11. More specifically, the first left information field LI is adjacent the first left notch LN1, the first right information field RI is adjacent first right notch RN1, the second left information field L2 is adjacent second left notch LN2, the second right information field R2 is adjacent second right notch RN2, and so on. The parts of the first part 20 and the second part 22 of the frame 12 adjacent the cavity are made from transparent material so that information on the insert 14 is visible when the insert is installed in cavity 16 of the frame. In use, on an insert 14, each one of the left information fields LI to LI 1 corresponds with one of the right information fields RI to RI 1. A corresponding left information field (one of LI to Lll) and right information field (one of RI to RI 1) are not necessarily on the same row. For example, the first left information fields LI may correspond with the sixth right information field R6. In one embodiment, the left information field (one of LI to Lll) may be a question and the corresponding right information field (one of RI to RI 1) may be an answer. For example, LI may be “What is the capital of England?” and the sixth right information field R6 may be “London”. In another example, LI may be “What is three times two?” and the sixth right information field R6 may be “Six”. However, a left information field (one of LI to LI 1) and a corresponding right information field (one of RI to Rll) may simply be associated with each other. For example, LI may be “Canals” and the sixth right information field R6 may be “Venice”. Then, referring to Figure 3, in further use, whilst the device 10 is hand held, the string 18 is wound around the frame 12 of the device 10 in such a manner that information fields are (connected by the string and) matched. The frame 12 is rotated clockwise, in the direction of arrows R, so as to wind the string 18 about the frame 12. The lower edge of the frame 12 comprises a slot 30 cut or moulded therein. The slot 30 is slightly smaller than the string diameter. After the user selects the last of the eleven pairs of matching information fields, keeping the free end of the string 18 tight, the free end of the string 18 is pulled into the slot 30. The string 18 is designed to resilient deform to fit in the slot 30. The string 18 is then locked in position with respect to the slot 30. It will be appreciated by the reader that the string 18 should be sufficiently long to allow the string to be wound around all eleven pairs of matching information fields and locked in the slot 30. The pattern of the string 18 in the notches can then be evaluated by the user or a person other than the user to check if the information fields are correctly matched. One or more of the matched information fields given by the user may be wrong. Referring to Figure 4, the second side 17 of the insert 14 has a plurality of lines LR1, LR2, LR3, etc. It will be appreciated by the reader that, in use, the lines “connect” left hand notches and right hand notches, and therefore left hand information and right information. The lines are intended to show the matching information fields on the first side 15 of the insert 14. A user of the device 10 may attempt to match the information fields looking only at the first side 15 (and not the second side 17). Afterwards, the user of the device 10 may look at the second side to check if the string coincides with the lines on the second side 17 of the insert 14. If the string 18 would round the frame 12 coincides with the lines on the second side 17 of the insert 14, the user has correctly matched information fields. Conversely, if the string 18 does not coincide with the lines LR1, LR2, LR3 on the second side 17 of the insert 14, the user has not correctly matched information fields. It will further be appreciated that different inserts 14 can have a different arrangement of matching information fields. The hand held device 10 may be used in education or in a game or a combination. The hand held device 10 is light enough and the frame 12 is dimensioned so that the frame can be held and rotated in one hand as the other hand is used to locate the string 18 into the appropriate notch. However, in practice, the frame 12 can be held and rotated in both hands as one hand is used to partly hold the frame 12 and locate the string into the appropriate notch LN, RN. In another embodiment of the invention, shown in Figure 5, a further device 100 is not hand held. The device 100 comprises some parts that correspond to parts of device 100. Some of the parts are referenced accordingly. The device 100 also comprises a rotational mounting means at the mid-point of the lower edge of the frame 12, which allows the frame to rotate about a vertical axis which passes through the mid-point of the lower edge of the frame and the mid-point of the upper edge of the frame. The rotational mounting means comprise a pin 50 upstanding on a support surface 52, and a bore 54 in the lower edge of the frame 12. Such an arrangement means the user does not have to hold the device 100 and therefore has two hands to operate the device. In use, the frame 12 is rotated clockwise, in the direction of arrows R, so as to wind the string 18 about the frame 12. This operation may enable easier locating of the string 18 in a notch LN, RN than the aforementioned method. In this embodiment, the slot 30 can be located on a side edge so as to not interfere with the rotational mounting means. In this embodiment, lines denoting matching fields should not be provided on the second side 17 of the insert 14, because the user would see them during operation of the device. A shorter side of the (oblong) frame 12 conveniently includes the point of rotation of the 5 frame. That makes it easier to rotate the frame 12 and operate the device. In another embodiment of the invention, not shown for conciseness, the mounting means on the device 100 may be non-rotational.. 10 In another embodiment of the invention, not shown for conciseness, the insert 14 may be blank and made of wipe clean material. In that way, pen markings denoting information fields LI to Lil and RI to Rll and matching lines LR1, LR2, LR3, etc can be removed and the insert can be reused with different information fields and matching lines drawn on. Alternatively, different inserts 14 can be supplied, each one having different information 15 fields and matching lines.

Claims

1. A device for matching information fields, characterised in that the device comprises a transparent frame, and an insert having a plurality of matching information fields thereon, the insert can be removably mounted inside the frame, so that the information fields on the insert are visible through the frame, the frame has indentations, the device is designed so that when the insert is removably mounted inside the frame, indentations are adjacent each information field, the frame has a string or the like attached to it, which permits a user to wind the string around the frame so as to locate the string in the indentations in such a manner that information fields can be matched by the string between indentations.

2. A device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the frame is made of a rigid material, to prevent the frame from buckling under the force of a human grip when it is held in a user’s hand(s) and inadvertently springing out of the user’s hand(s).

3. A device according to any one or more of Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the frame has a slot into which the string or the like can be resiliently deformed so as to “lock” the position of the string or the like (and therefore the information fields that the user has attempted to match).

4. A device according to any one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the frame comprises a mounting means, preferably the mounting means is rotational, preferably the mounting means is arranged at the mid-point of the lower edge of the frame.

5. A device substantially as described herein and / or with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3and / or 4 of the drawings.

6. A device for matching information fields, characterised in that the device comprises a 5 transparent frame, and an insert, the insert can be removably mounted inside the frame, the frame has indentations, the frame has a string or the like attached to it, which permits a user to wind the string around the frame so as to locate the string in the indentations.

7. A device for matching information fields, characterised in that the device comprises a10 transparent frame, the transparent frame comprises an opening for removably mounting an insert inside the frame, in a way that it is visible through the frame, the frame has indentations, the frame has a string or the like attached to it, which permits a user to wind the string around the frame so as to locate the string in the indentations.12

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