Method and apparatus for tracking and prompting the recitation of
Contents
1. TABLE 2 LEDs Time Multiplexing Cycle 1 Al 1 Cycle 2 A2 B2 Cycle 3 A3 B3 Cycle 4 A4 B4 Cycle 5 5 Where Ci represents one of through C10 This arrange ment is possible since only one of the LED s in group C is turned on at a time in any of the states as indicated in Table 1 At any given state the LED s are turned on in five consecutive pairs In order to understand this better the following example will help Upon the 69 button press the device is in the following state User Action State Response Press 69 69 Hail Mary x x 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 8 During this state the LED s are turned as follows LEDs Time Multiplexing Cycle 1 Al On B1 On Cycle 2 A2 On B2 On Cycle 3 A3 B3 On Cycle 4 4 4 5 5 The above table is translated as for 2 ms Al and 1 turned on then A2 and B2 are on for the next 2 ms during the 3 cycle only is on during the 4 cycle is on during the 5 cycle C10 and 5 are on Each cycle is 2 ms in duration With the exception of the first 4 4 to 1 states the 5 cycles are repeated continuously in each state During each on of the 5 cycles there can be no more than 2 LEDs of the total of 19 LEDs turned on at the same time However it is possible that no LED is turned on during a cycle or only one LED as in cycle 3 and 4 above Because many varying and differen2. 23 Press 24 Press 25 Press 26 Press 27 Press 28 Press 29 Press 30 Press 31 Press 32 Press 33 Press 34 Press 35 Press 36 Press 37 Press 38 Press 39 Press 40 Press 41 Press 42 Press 43 Press 44 Press 45 Press 46 Press 47 Press 48 Press 49 Press 50 Press 51 Press 52 Press 53 Press 54 Press 55 Press 56 Press 57 Press 58 Press 59 Press 60 Press 61 Press 62 Press 63 Press 64 Press 65 Press 66 Press 67 Press 68 Press 69 Press 70 Press 71 Press 72 2 1 pi Yas 14 s State Response ec Flash on ec Flash on Apostles Creed Our Hail Hail Hail Father Mary Mary Mary 1st Mystery Our Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Father Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Glory Be 2nd Our Mystery Father Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Hail Mary Glory Be 3rd Our Hai Hai Hai Hai Hai Hai Hai Hai Hail Hai Mysrery Father Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Glory Be 4th Our Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Mystery Father Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Glory Be Sth Our Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Mystery
3. Al become lit and Our Father is played This process continues until state 71 according to the Table above Upon the 72 button press the device goes back to the starting initial mode cycling through the sign of the Cross In order to reduce the complexity of the electronic circuit in this device power to the LEDs 01 019 is designed to be turned on in a time multiplexed fashion In this mode of operation the LEDs are never kept on continuously If a group of LEDs is supposed to be lit each LED is turned on current flows through it only for 2 ms in a consecutive order and this cycle repeats itself If the group consists of five LEDs each will be on for 2 ms every 10 ms that is 20 of the time at a rate of 100 times per second In order to get a nominal brightness from these multiplexed LEDs the current flowing through it during the 2 ms on period is increased five fold the nominal current required by the LEDs Typically the small size LEDs are driven by 1 mA in a steady state thus 5 mA of current will be necessary during time multiplexing in order to achieve the steady state factory specified brightness Obviously the power dissi pated in a single LED in either case is the same Because the Talking Rosary Prompter has more than five LEDs total of 19 LEDs the LEDs time multiplexing are designed slightly differently than the previously explained scheme The LEDs are grouped in five pairs as indicated in the following table
4. Father Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Mary Glory Re Hail Res Holy Queen art Al ii i i i AAA AAA i AAA Do Pd dO O e D s a e a a Ca e e e AAA TABLE 1 continued 6 0 Theory of Operation A2 A4 B1 B2 B3 B5 Cl C2 X US 6 540 519 B2 e a S a S a a a a a s s a a a AAA Ca e e e a S a S a e a a a a a a a a s s a a a a s s e s a a a a a a a i a e a a a s s s a a a a a a a a Ca AAA bd ddd ddd C5 C7 C8 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x C10 0 6 540 519 2 7 power uo the 4 LED s Al through 4 continue to blink each for a 1 4 of a second in a sequence forming the sign of the cross This mode corresponds to states 4 through 1 in the Table above Upon the first button press the device gets out of the Cross cycle and goes into state 1 In this state LED Al is lit and the Apostles Creed is played Upon the second button press the device goes into state 2 during which A2 in addition to
5. centrally located sequencing button The device is further distinguishable by a decorative cross serv ing as the power on and reset switch the cross having lights at each point speakers is provided with volume control for use as a group prompt A remote earplug is also provided for personal meditative use Selector switches are provided for versatility in selecting types of prayers Means has been utilized to conserve power consumption to prolong battery life and thereby reduce operating expense It is an object of the disclosed apparatus and method of operation to provide an electronic Rosary apparatus that is compact attractive and easy to use with maximum coverage of the entire range of Rosary prayers By simply prompting the user with an abbreviated portion of the prayer thereby eliciting a response from the user to complete the prayer before continuing stepping through the sequential prayers of the Rosary the user does not lose track of the recited prayers If distracted the user may simply let the device power down at any time then return to the point of inter ruption and resume the prayers However the user may reset the device at any time and restart the sequence It is important to note the use of digitally recorded messages preferable by well known priest and the like Such messages are played back on a high quality internal speaker in a clear recognizable manner or transmitted to a remote speaker such as an earphone It
6. is also important to note the disclosed invention as taught herein is a simplified audio prompter with visual tracking and not simply a prayer counter or apparatus only capable of displaying and or audibly reciting the rosary prayers on demand or as related to imaging BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are given like reference numerals and wherein FIG 1 is an isometric view illustration of the invention worn by a user as a pendant FIG 2 is a rear isometric view of the invention seen in FIG 1 0 6 540 519 2 3 FIG 3 is an enlarged front isometric view of the invention illustrated in FIG 1 FIG 4 is an isometric illustration of the invention shown in FIG 1 held in a user s hand showing activation FIG 5 is an enlarged front isometric view of the invention showing external earphone connection and FIG 6 is an electronic schematic diagram for the inven tion DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The Electronic Rosary prompter 10 as depicted in FIG 1 is basically a hand held apparatus as depicted in FIG 4 However the apparatus may be suspended from a chain 12 and placed about the user s neck thus worn as a decorative pendant As seen in FIG 2 the chin 12 may be attached to th
7. provided for connection of a connector jack plug 52 leading to an earphone However it is anticipated that a remote cordless transceiver may be used in place of the earphone jack plug arrangement The internal electronic circuitry is illustrated in FIG 6 wherein a micro controller 60 controls the LEDs switching and speech messaging process Power from an onboard replaceable 3 volt DC power supply provides power to each of the V nodes in the diagram A one time programmable memory chip 62 is provided and connected to the Micro contoller 60 to handle digitized compressed speech OTP messages thereby allowing clear recognizable speech mes sages by well known orators to be stored for replay on demand It also is possible to provide a means for storing audio directly without any digitization It is further antici pated that the OTP memory could be provided onboard a custom made Micro controller Switching is provided for turning the device on and off at Switch S1 The system remains in a sleep mode until the Switch S1 is actuated In the wake up mode the controller takes up where the sequen tial operation left off or was interrupted before being turned off or allowed to go to sleep to conserve power To reset the system to start afresh the Switch 52 and the momentary switch S3 are closed simultaneously Selection of either an abbreviated message prompt provided when switch S2 is in the open position or the full message when Switch S2 is c
8. remaining portion of the prayer before continuing stepping through the sequential prayers of 56 References Cited the Rosary The apparatus is further distinguishable by a decorative cross serving as the power on and reset switch U S PATENT DOCUMENTS the cross having lights at each point which are sequenced on 3 806 911 A 41974 Pripusich initial activation to make the sign of the cross with lights 4 601 584 7 1986 DeWolf et al 368 327 Speakers are provided having volume controls for use with 5 505 562 A 4 1996 Bosmani group prompting and remote earplugs are provided for personal meditative use FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS EP 0646903 Al 5 1995 21 Claims 3 Drawing Sheets 05 6 540 519 2 Sheet 1 of 3 Apr 1 2003 U S Patent 1 pornos AA FIG i one 05 6 540 519 2 Sheet 2 of 3 Apr 1 2003 U S Patent 10 C 05 6 540 519 2 Sheet 3 of 3 Apr 1 2003 U S Patent ae 19 01JUODOJDIN 1 9 qosads 5 4 140 A 0 6 540 519 2 1 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRACKING AND PROMPTING THE RECITATION OF THE ROSARY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to an electronic apparatus for assisting in the recitation of the Catholic Rosary and more particularly to the vocal prompting of a believer in the recitation of prayers 2 Ge
9. selective means for audibly playing only a portion of each of said prayers thereby prompting a user for the recitation of the remainder of the prayer 8 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 6 wherein said Rosary prompter further comprises a means for selectively electing a specific group of said mysteries to be played 9 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 6 wherein said Rosary prompter further comprises a means for returning to an interrupted sequence at point of int erruption 10 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 9 wherein said Rosary prompter further comprises a sleep mode to conserve power 11 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 10 wherein said Rosary prompter further comprises a remote receiver 12 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 1 wherein said Rosary prompter further comprises a remote speaker 13 An electronic rosary prompter comprising a a circular encasement sized to be hand held having a front and a rear case member interconnected forming a cavity there between each of said case members having a contoured outer surface and a connecting edge said connecting edges when connected defining a seam b a push button centrally located in said front case member operative from said outer surface c a plurality of miniature lights at least partially sur rounding said push button d a switch stem operatively extending from said cavity proximate sai
10. United States Patent US006540519B2 12 10 Patent No US 6 540 519 B2 Wexler 45 Date of Patent Apr 1 2003 54 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PL P 304 461 8 1994 TRACKING AND PROMPTING THE RECITATION OF THE ROSARY cited by examiner 76 Inventor Toby Wexler 303 Paddington Dr Lafayette LA US 70508 Primary Examiner Joe H Cheng Assistant Examiner Kathleen M Christman Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Robert N Montgomery patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 186 days 57 ABSTRACT A hand held apparatus for prompting and or teaching the 21 Appl No 09 767 571 recitation of prayers associated with the Rosary including a highly decorative and compact electronic battery powered 22 Filed Jan 22 2001 instrument that may be worn as decoration and held in the 65 Prior Publication Data user s hand for easy operation the apparatus having audio and prayer tracking capability utilizing a microprocessor for US 2002 0142275 1 Oct 3 2002 controlling a plurality of miniature lights clustered around a 51 G09B 19 00 large centrally located sequencing button in conjunction oA Neer 434 246 With a voice message used to prompt the user by audibly 58 Field of Search 434 235 236 reciting the first portion of a prayer thereby eliciting a 235 123 response by the user for the
11. ayer such as the Hail Mary prayer LED lights are further disclosed for indicating which of the mystery series of prayers is being displayed at any given time A buzzer is also provided for emphasizing the most important parts of the prayers It is also anticipated that a vocal synthesizer may be provided for reciting the messages However the Bosmani disclosure is far from clear about precisely how these features are to be integrated and func tion Other electronic Rosary apparatus have been disclosed in US Pat Nos 4 601 584 and 3 806 911 and Polish patent application number P304 461 Each of the prior art elec tronic Rosaries discloses various means for displaying images verbal prayers and tracking the number of prayers of the Rosary recited However none of the prior electronic Rosary apparatus serves as a prompter by vocally prompting the recitation by reciting a prerecorded first portion of the prayer thereby eliciting a response from the user to com plete the second portion of each prayer required for the Rosary Further since meditation is essential in reciting the Rosary having a large number of people reciting the Rosary simultaneously with buzzers sounding would be distracting to everyone Being required to read a displayed full text of the prayers while viewing displayed images in precise order would be very time consuming and useless for those with visual or reading problems Therefore simply providing an electronic Rosar
12. d seam said switch stem configured in the shape of a cross e a miniature light located at each end of said cross 10 15 25 30 40 45 50 55 10 f a plurality of miniature lights located in a row adjacent said push button g a means for connecting audio transmission between said prompter and a remote earphone h an audio speaker located within said cavity i a volume control means connected to said speaker j a microprocessor having digital recording and playback capability located within said cavity connected to said miniature lights a plurality of switches and said speaker said microprocessor controlling sequencing of said lights and said digital recording and 1 a battery power supply connected to said microproces sor 14 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 13 wherein said push button is a contoured mushroom shape 15 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 13 wherein said miniature lights are LEDs 16 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 15 wherein said LEDs are activated in time multiplexed man ner 17 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 16 wherein no more than two of said LEDs are activated at any given time during the operation of said prompter 18 A method for prompting the recitation of Rosary Prayers comprising the steps of a providing a hand held apparatus having a plurality of LEDs representing a plurality of prayers to be r
13. e apparatus in a fixed manner or made removable with the addition of a snap or hook arrangement if desired The apparatus 10 comprising a case or housing 14 having circular contoured shape including a front case portion 16 and a rear case portion 18 the case portions having coop erative connecting edges which can be separated along the seam line 20 The case has ten lobes 22 divided equally each side of a centerline extending through the chin connection 24 and the cross actuation stem 26 Each lobe 22 of the front case portion 16 includes a red LED light source 23 Each red LED labeled C1 10 in FIG 5 represents one Hail Mary prayer The front case portion 16 also includes a row of five blue or green LEDs 28 representing each of the five stories in each of the three mysteries A switch having large conical or mushroom head operator button 30 is centered in the front case portion 16 for sequentially stepping through the Rosary Each press of the momentary contact button 30 initiates an audible voice message of a portion of the prayer as a prompt signaling a response request of the remaining portion of the prayer from the user prior to the next message Four addi tional LEDs 32 in multiple colors such as amber red green and blue are located at each end of the cross 34 attached to the switch actuator stem 26 These LEDs are indicative of the special prayers such as the Apostles Creed Our Father Glory Be and Hail Holy Queen These LEDs 32 a
14. ecited in the rosary connected to a battery powered micro processor wherein said microprocessor has compressed digital speech recording and playback capability a means for audio projection of recorded messages at least in part and means for selecting specific groups of said recorded messages said microprocessor control ling sequential illumination of said LEDs and digital speech playback in response to user manual manipu lation of a momentary contact switch b activating said apparatus from a sleep mode to active mode c selecting portion of said recorded messages to be played d selecting said specific group of messages to be played and e stepping sequentially though a series of said recorded messages and said LED illuminations by repetitious depression of said momentary contact switch 19 The method according to claim 18 wherein said steps further include an initial step upon activation of sequen tially stepping through a set of four LEDs located on a cross portion thereby making the sign of the cross 20 The method according to claim 18 wherein said steps further include the step of controlling the volume of said messages to be played 21 The method according to claim 18 wherein said steps further include the step of adapting a remote speaker to said apparatus
15. losed Step sequencing of the LEDs and messages is controlled by the momentary push button S3 Selection of the mysteries is achieved with the three position slide switch S4 the G or Glorious position being considered the default position with the J or Joyful and S or Sorrowful positions being alternatively selectable However any of the three positions may be connected as the default position The micro controller outputs signals to the light emitting diode LEDs 01 019 with D1 D4 labeled as 1 4 05 09 labeled as B1 B5 and 019 019 labeled as C1 C10 via transistors 01 019 and current limiting resistors R1 R19 Diodes 012 018 transistors Q12 Q18 and current limiting resistors R12 R1S are indicated by dots but not shown to prevent over reduction of the schematic diagram Current limiting resistors R24 R26 R29 are also provided at each V node in cases where such limiting resistors are not provided internal to the Micro controller A digital to analog D A output is also provided with variable resistance R25 for volume control of the Audio Amplifier U1 and speaker 63 TABLE 1 6 0 Theory of Operation 1 2 A4 B2 B3 B4 BS C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C9 C10 User Action Press 1 Press 2 Press 3 Press 4 Press 5 Press 6 Press 7 Press 8 Press 9 Press 10 Press 11 Press 12 Press 13 Press 14 Press 15 Press 16 Press 17 Press 18 Press 19 Press 20 Press 21 Press 22 Press
16. neral Background The Catholic Rosary is a series of repetitious prayers recited in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary The prayers consist of a series of ten Hail Mary prayers divided by prayers such as the Lord s Prayer and Our Father Medita tion is further focused on the Mysteries of Redemption consisting of three series of five verses regarding Jesus and Mary s Joy Sorrow and Gloria described as being the Joyful Glorious and Sorrowful mysteries It is therefore desirable for the believer to combine both the mental meditation and vocalization when saying the prayers Due to the complexity and number of prayers involved in saying the Rosary various apparatuses have been devised for personal use in keeping track of the prayers recited The most common is the Rosary beads whereby each bead on a string represents a prayer or a number of prayers recited Such Rosary beads have become more elaborate over the centuries but serve essentially the same function today More recently attempts have been made to combine electronic visual imaging in combination with a displayed reading of the Rosary prayers such as that disclosed by Stefano Bos mani in U S Pat No 5 505 622 The apparatus disclosed by Bosmani supposedly provides a means for displaying the Rosary prayers digitally in sequential order on command by pressing a button In one embodiment a second button is provided for actuating a series of LED lights representing a single repetitive pr
17. ontrol a selector switch and a battery power supply each connected to and con trolled by said microprocessor wherein said row of LEDs and said plurality of LEDs are controlled by said Al A2 B1 B2 B3 BS Cl C2 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 0 6 540 519 2 9 microprocessor and represent a prayer to be recited in the recitation of the rosary 2 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of LEDs surrounding said mushroom operator button is indicative of a specific number of repeti tive prayers recited representing a decade 3 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 2 wherein said row of LEDs located adjacent said mushroom operator button represent each of the holy mysteries 4 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 3 wherein the LED located at each end of said cross is indicative of the Apostles Creed Our Father Glory Be and the Hail Holy Queen prayers 5 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 1 wherein said Rosary prompter has means for attaching a chain for suspending said prompter from around the neck of a user 6 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 4 wherein the prayers are digitally prerecorded on the one time programmable memory chip and are audibly played at least in part on sequential command by pressing said push button 7 The electronic Rosary prompter according to claim 6 wherein said Rosary prompter further comprises a
18. re illuminated whenever these special prayers are applicable in the sequence of the rosary as well as upon initial activation of the apparatus whereby the sign of the cross is made by sequencing through these LEDs 32 It should be noted that the front of the case portion 16 may be highly decorated with embossed engravings The rear case portion 18 includes a slide switch 36 for selectively choosing each of the three mysteries Joyful Sorrowful and Glorious a battery compartment 38 a vol ume control wheel 40 and a speaker 42 As seen in FIG 4 the Rosary Prompter is a hand held apparatus that fits in the palm of the hand 44 whereby the apparatus is first activated by pressing and releasing the User Action State Response 4 3 On Power up Ya sec Flash on Ya sec Flash on x 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 4 cross 24 with the thumb 46 A second press of the cross 34 and simultaneous pressing of the center momentary contact push button 30 resets the internal sequencer that keeps track of where the user stopped in the last interrupted prayer As shown in FIG 5 the LED lights are identified herein for operational purposes with the ten red LEDs 23 labeled as C1 10 the five LEDs 28 as seen in FIG 2 representing the five stories of each of the mysteries labeled as 1 5 and the LEDs 32 located on the cross 34 representing the special prayers of the cross labeled as 1 4 A connector socket 50 is
19. t embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught and because many modifications may be made in the embodi ments herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirement of the law it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense What is claimed is 1 An electronic Rosary prompter comprising a circular encasement sized to be hand held said encase ment comprising contoured front and rear case members each having a connecting edge forming a continuous seam for connecting said front and rear case members on to the other thereby defining a cavity there between a microprocessor housed within said cavity a one time programmable memory chip containing digital recorded speech housed within said cavity a momentary contact push button having a mushroom operator button centrally located in said front case member a row of light emitting diodes LEDs located adjacent said mushroom operator button a plurality of LEDs surrounding said mushroom operator button and said row of LEDs a switch stem extending from said cavity for sequentially activating said plurality of LEDs proximate said con necting edge wherein said switch stem is in the shape of a cross having an LED at each end a means for communicating said recorded speech audibly to a remote receiver so as to Prompt a user to recite a praver and an audio speaker a volume c
20. y Prompter having prerecorded prompts though an earphone would be quite beneficial to even the 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 fully initiated Rosary user It would also be beneficial to have an apparatus that could output the prompt verbally in a non synthesized manner and in a clear and recognizable voice over a speaker to lead a group in the Rosary Prayers The user could also utilize such a system by using and earphone for silent prompting without the need to read displayed text or view images Although speakers associated with Rosary apparatus have been anticipated in the prior art no provisions have been provided for their incorporation into such devices nor has the prior art anticipated a means for audibly prompting the user with a truncated portion of the Rosary prayers Therefore a more efficient and useful Rosary apparatus for use in prompting the user in reciting the rosary is taught herein SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention as taught herein provides an improved hand held apparatus for audibly prompting or teaching as well as tracking the recitation of prayers associated with the Rosary The apparatus provides a highly decorative and compact electronic battery powered instrument that may be worn as decoration and held in the user s hand for easy operation The apparatus having audio and prayer tracking capability utilizes a plurality of miniature lights clustered around a large
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