US 2013/0075385 A1 · Thermal Eraser For Tactile Drawings

Abstract

A thermal eraser for erasing tactile drawing features from a tactile drawing medium, along with methods of erasing tactile drawing features formed on a tactile drawing medium, are disclosed. The thermal eraser has a heated tip that can be heated to a temperature sufficient to cause the tactile drawing feature to flow back into the surface of the tactile drawing medium. The heated tip has a tip temperature that can be controlled by a temperature-regulating circuit. A set-point temperature can be used to set the tip temperature and maintain the tip temperature. The thermal eraser can be controlled by hand or by an electro-mechanical device such as a tactile printer.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A thermal eraser for erasing a tactile feature from a tactile drawing medium, comprising:

a housing having a tip section and a back section;
a voltage source operably arranged within at least a portion of the back section;
a thermal-tip assembly that resides in the tip section and that is in electrical contact with the voltage source, the thermal-tip assembly having a tip and a heating element;
and
wherein the voltage source provides a current to maintain the tip at a tip temperature sufficient to substantially flatten the tactile feature by the application of heat from the tip to the tactile feature.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Thermal Eraser For Tactile Drawings

Life of this patent

Thermal Eraser For Tactile Drawings

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20