Patents Assigned to No Tears Learning Inc.
  • Patent number: 11749130
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and related methods of teaching pre-keyboarding and keyboarding on a QWERTY-style keyboard wherein a color-coded row-based metaphorical and visual cuing system is used in a curriculum to make foundational keyboarding skills easy-to-teach and easy-to-learn, including: unilateral hand/finger skills, Home Row hand/finger positions, relational position of symbol location, and the essential keystroke spectrum of Home Row positioning-based finger movements of the left and right hand. The invention provides a dynamic virtual keyboard with colored rows which hexfurcates the QWERTY layout into left- and right-handed row sections, independently toggling the visibility of each in a developmental order to teach keyboarding skills in incremental steps rather than all at once. The invention further provides a dynamic cursor that uses visual indicators that mirror the visual cuing system to reinforce instruction with the dynamic virtual keyboard and aid keyboarding accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: NO TEARS LEARNING, INC.
    Inventors: Janice Z. Olsen, Emily Knapton, Eric Olsen, Robert Walnock, Hank Isaac, Ralph Sklarew
  • Patent number: 10839710
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and related methods of teaching pre-keyboarding and keyboarding on a QWERTY-style keyboard wherein a color-coded row-based metaphorical and visual cuing system is used in a curriculum to make foundational keyboarding skills easy-to-teach and easy-to-learn, including: unilateral hand/finger skills, Home Row hand/finger positions, relational position of symbol location, and the essential keystroke spectrum of Home Row positioning-based finger movements of the left and right hand. The invention provides a dynamic virtual keyboard with colored rows which hexfurcates the QWERTY layout into left- and right-handed row sections, independently toggling the visibility of each in a developmental order to teach keyboarding skills in incremental steps rather than all at once. The invention further provides a dynamic cursor that uses visual indicators that mirror the visual cuing system to reinforce instruction with the dynamic virtual keyboard and aid keyboarding accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: NO TEARS LEARNING, INC.
    Inventors: Janice Z. Olsen, Emily Knapton, Eric Olsen, Robert Walnock, Hank Isaac, Ralph Sklarew
  • Publication number: 20180357919
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and related methods of teaching pre-keyboarding and keyboarding on a QWERTY-style keyboard wherein a color-coded row-based metaphorical and visual cuing system is used in a curriculum to make foundational keyboarding skills easy-to-teach and easy-to-learn, including: unilateral hand/finger skills, Home Row hand/finger positions, relational position of symbol location, and the essential keystroke spectrum of Home Row positioning-based finger movements of the left and right hand. The invention provides a dynamic virtual keyboard with colored rows which hexfurcates the QWERTY layout into left- and right-handed row sections, independently toggling the visibility of each in a developmental order to teach keyboarding skills in incremental steps rather than all at once. The invention further provides a dynamic cursor that uses visual indicators that mirror the visual cuing system to reinforce instruction with the dynamic virtual keyboard and aid keyboarding accuracy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Applicant: NO TEARS LEARNING, INC.
    Inventors: Janice Z. OLSEN, Emily KNAPTON, Eric OLSEN, Robert WALNOCK, Hank ISAAC, Ralph SKLAREW
  • Patent number: 9171480
    Abstract: Disclosed are manipulator devices for use in learning games, and kits utilizing the same. The manipulator devices may be a substantially elongated and flat body formed of flexible material and at least partially stuffed to resemble a bean bag. The body is adapted to be capable of manipulation between an unfolded position and a folded position, where the folded position conceals an identifiable attribute of the device selected from the group consisting of a number or a symbol. The kits may include three or more manipulator devices each having at least two attributes identifiable by children and allowing them to associate the plurality of devices into subsets according to shared types of these attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: NO TEARS LEARNING INC.
    Inventors: Janice Z. Olsen, Emily F. Knapton
  • Patent number: 8133056
    Abstract: A pre-writing teaching aid and method assists beginning writers in creating letters. The teaching aid includes a tray having a recessed area surrounded by a tray frame. A plurality of cards respectively depict alphanumeric characters, where each of the cards includes a start indicator designating a starting point for forming the depicted character. The students use dough having a consistency that is moldable into strips for forming the alphanumeric characters depicted on the cards in the tray. The teaching aid utilizes multi-sensory teaching methods to make it easy and fun for students to form letters and numbers correctly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: No Tears Learning Inc.
    Inventors: Janice Z. Olsen, Emily Knapton
  • Patent number: 7850379
    Abstract: A two-nib crayon includes two crayon halves of different colors, each crayon half including a flat end and a nib end. The flat ends are fused together to form an integrated one-piece structure such that the respective nib ends are disposed in opposing relation. The two-nib crayon makes learning exercises using a color activity more fun.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: No Tears Learning Inc.
    Inventors: Emily Knapton, Janice Z. Olsen