US 9,403,401 B2Granted

Thermal eraser for tactile drawings

AssigneesUniversity of Vermont and State Agricultural College, National Federation For The Blind

InventorsMichael Rosen, Michael Coleman, Joshua Coffee, William David Banks, Kristin Leigh Funabashi, Rebecca Risko, Akie Hashimoto, Keegan Jennings Brown, Katherine Accomando

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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.

Claims19

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;
and
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,
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;
the thermal-tip assembly includes a temperature-regulating circuit configured to control a flow of current from the voltage source to the heating element;
the tip is defined by a thermally conductive cap sized to contain the heating element and the temperature-regulating circuit;
and
the temperature-regulating circuit includes a temperature sensor that senses the tip temperature, wherein the temperature sensor:
resides within the cap;
measures a temperature within the cap and proximate the tip;
and
provides an indication of the measured temperature to the temperature-regulating circuit such that the temperature-regulating circuit causes the heating element to heat the cap to a temperature in excess of 135° F.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/685,002Filed 26 Nov 2012 · continuation
Priority: 3 May 2011
Published: US 2013/0075385 A128 Mar 2013
Granted: 2 Aug 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

B43L 19/00
Erasers, rubbers, or erasing devices
B43L 19/0043
Erasers, rubbers, or erasing devices; Holders therefor: erasing by electronic or electrolytic means
B43L
Articles for writing or drawing upon