US2867051A - Self-prompter - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 6, 1959 D, J TAYLOR 2,867,051

' SELF-PROMPTER Filed April 28, 1958 r 7 I g I I f 5 Fl 2 5/ 2 g II/15711111110111!!! TWTTI L 7 I I I III/III, I/

' INVENTOR.

Donald J. Taylor BY Ail" SELF-PROMPTER Donald J. Taylor, Mill Valley, Calif.

Application April 28, 1958, Serial No. 731,258

1 Claim. (Cl. 40-78) This invention relates to improvements in self-prompters and has particular reference to a device adapted to be held in the hand of a public speaker or the like and may be so manipulated that indicia-bearing cards may be advanced from one compartment to the other so that they may be quickly read as notes for the speaker.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a device of this character which is economical to manufacture, one which is neat in appearance, and which will not detract from the speakers appearance.

A further object is to produce a device which will hold a plurality of cards in such a position that they can be individually exposed for the purpose of reading them.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numbers are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my device as the same would appear when held in the hand;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on a slightly enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detailed view of a modified form of card-feeding device.

Public speakers, lecturers and the like often make notes on cards which they hold in their hands, which cards may become misplaced or out of order, thus tending to confuse the speaker and causing delay in finding the right cards.

Applicant has therefore devised a holder for such cards, wherein a plurality of cards having notes thereon will be held in one portion of the holder have a transparent tats Patent 0 'ice cover. Then these cards are fed one at a time so that the next card will be exposed for reading.

In the accompanying drawings wherein for the pur pose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a container having a hinged top 6 formed of transparent material. Within the container 5 is formed an inclined shelf 7 upon which a plurality of cards A are positioned.

Overlying the upper end of the cards is a shaft 8 having thumb wheels 9 at opposite ends thereof, through the medium of which the shaft 8 may be rotated, this shaft is mounted in slot 14 in order that the shaft will move by gravity in a downward direction toward the top card.

Mounted upon the shaft are a pair of flexible wipers as shown at 11 and 12, which wipers have fingers adapted to engage the upper surface of the card and to slide it to the position B.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of wiper having elongated fingers 13 which give more contact with the surface of the card than the type shown in Fig. 2.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a device of the character described, a receptacle having a transparent cover, an inclined card-supporting surface formed in said receptacle substantially halfway of its length and adapted to support cards thereon, means for feeding one of said cards from its stacked position to the opposite end of said receptacle, said means including a shaft extending across the said receptacle and mounted in slots formed in the side of said receptacle, and flexible wipers carried by said shaft and adapted to engage the topmost portion of said stack, and means for rotating said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,526 Underhill Aug. 20, 1889 535,635 Stone Mar. 12, 1895 1,218,277 Knauf Mar. 6, 1917 2,644,259 Beadle July 7, 1953

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