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.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 26, 2012
Date of Patent:
August 2, 2016
Assignees:
University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, National Federation For The Blind
Inventors:
Michael Rosen, Michael Coleman, Joshua Coffee, William David Banks, Kristin Leigh Funabashi, Rebecca Risko, Akie Hashimoto, Keegan Jennings Brown, Katherine Accomando