Record player

A record player with a turntable mounted for rotation in a substantially fixed horizontal plane on a chassis and a tone arm for reproducing signals recorded on the surface of a record disc which faces upwardly when the disc is rotatably supported on the turntable, is provided with a record turn-over mechanism comprised of a support structure, for example, in the form of lever assemblies, mounted on the chassis for swinging between raised and lowered positions about an axis which extends parallel to a diameter of the turntable and is disposed to one side of the latter, a pair of spaced apart gripping devices directed inwardly towards each other from end portions, respectively, of the support structure and being axially movable between gripping positions at which the gripping devices are engageable with diametrically opposed locations on the periphery of a record disc and released positions, the gripping devices also being turnable relative to the support structure about a common axis parallel with the axis of swinging movement of the support structure, and cams for effecting the swinging movements of the support structure and the axial and turnable movements of the gripping devices through an operating cycle in which the gripping devices are made to engage a record disc on the turntable with the support structure in its lowered position and then the support structure is moved to its raised position for lifting the engaged disc from the turntable, whereupon the gripping devices are turned through 180.degree. for inverting the lifted record disc and the support structure is then returned to its lowered position and the gripping devices are released for freeing the inverted record disc on the turntable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to record players, and more particularly 
is directed to a record player having an improved record turn-over 
mechanism by which a phonograph or other record disc can be turned-over or 
inverted after the playing of one side so as to permit the reproduction or 
playback of signals recorded on both sides or surfaces of the record disc. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Record players of the so called "turn-over" type are already known, for 
example, as disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,601,301, 2,735,683 and 
3,275,327. In the record players disclosed in the first two enumerated 
patents, there is provided a vacuum-grip turntable adapted to grip a 
record disc by vacuum only at the central ungrooved portion of the disc so 
as to expose the playing grooves on both sides of the record. Such 
vacuum-grip turntable is carried by a turntable cradle which is swingable 
between an upright position in which the turntable faces upward, and an 
inverted position in which the turntable faces downward. The record player 
further includes a pivoted record transfer arm carrying a vacuum-grip 
record lifter and being movable between a position extending over a 
platform adapted to receive a supply stack of records and a position 
extending over the turntable in the upright position of the latter. In 
operating the foregoing record player of the turn-over type, the record 
transfer arm initially swings over the platform so that the record lifter 
engages the central portion of the uppermost record in the stack thereon 
and is evacuated to grip the engaged record. The transfer arm then swings 
away from the stack and transfers the gripped record to a centered 
position on the upright turntable. The vacuum grip of the record lifter is 
released and the record is thereupon gripped and rotated by the turntable. 
At the conclusion of the playing of the first side of the record, the 
turntable is inverted to similarly invert the record and the other or 
second side of the record is played or reproduced. At the conclusion of 
the playing of the second side of the record, the vacuum grip of the 
inverted turntable is released, and the record drops therefrom into an 
underlying record receiver. The foregoing record player of the turn-over 
type is disadvantageously complex in that it requires devices for the 
controlled application of vacuum to both the vacuum-grip turntable and the 
vacuum-grip record lifter, and also in that the turntable has to be 
mounted, as in the mentioned swingable cradle, for bodily movements 
between upright and inverted positions. Further, since the turntable 
continuously grips the record at a side of the latter during the playing 
of first one side and then the other side of the record, the turntable can 
only engage the record at the central ungrooved portion of the record so 
as to expose the playing grooves on both sides thereof. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,275,327, there is disclosed an improvement over the 
previously described record player of the turn-over type in which the 
inverted turntable is carried by the transfer arm and serves as both a 
record lifter and a turntable, thereby eliminating the necessity for a 
separate vacuum-grip record lifter. Thus, in the record player of U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,275,327, the transfer arm is in the form of a pivotally mounted 
yoke on which the turntable cradle is, in turn, pivotally mounted. In 
operation of such record player, the yoke and cradle are initially 
positioned to bring the inverted vacuum-grip turntable down on the 
uppermost record in a supply stack, so as to grip such uppermost record. 
The yoke is then swung away from the supply stack to a playing position 
with the turntable remaining inverted, and a turntable drive wheel then 
comes into engagement with the rim of a fly wheel rotatably coupled with 
the turntable so as to drive the latter in the proper direction for 
playing the record. At the conclusion of the playing of the first side of 
the record, the yoke swings to a transition position and the turntable 
cradle is rotated to bring the turntable with the record thereon to an 
upright position, whereupon the yoke is returned to the playing position 
and a second turntable driving wheel moves into engagement with the fly 
wheel for driving the turntable in the proper direction for the playing of 
the second side. 
It will be apparent that the last described record player of the turn-over 
type still necessarily includes a vacuum-grip turntable engageable with 
each record only at the relatively small area of the central ungrooved 
portion of the record so that a major portion of the record remains 
unsupported during the playing or reproducing of the recorded signals. 
Such limited support of the record during the reproducing or playback 
operation and the necessity of bodily moving the turntable for inverting 
the same make it practically impossible to obtain high fidelity sound 
reproduction in that a relatively large degree of wow and flutter are 
encountered. Further, relatively large forces need to be exerted for 
effecting the inverting of the necessarily heavy turntable and associated 
fly wheel so that a complex actuating mechanism is required. 
More recently, it has been proposed to avoid the above-mentioned problems 
by providing a record player of the turn-over type in which the turntable 
need not be inverted, but rather is mounted for rotation in a 
substantially fixed horizontal plane so as to be capable of fully 
supporting the record disc during the playback or reproducing operation 
and further to permit the employment of a secure bearing structure for the 
rotary mounting of the turntable, for example, as disclosed in detail in 
Japanese Patent Application No. 49-63674, filed June 4, 1974, and which 
was laid open for public inspection on Dec. 15, 1975, as Japanese 
Preliminary Publication No. 50-155204. In such record player, the record 
turn-over mechanism includes splayed record gripping arms having end 
portions engageable with opposed peripheral portions of a record disc when 
the arms are flexed toward each other. In addition to being flexibly 
connected for movement toward and away from each other, the record 
gripping arms are mounted for turning about an axis which extends midway 
between the arms in a plane containing the latter, and further the record 
gripping arms are mounted for swinging of the plane containing the arms 
about a horizontal axis which is normal to the mentioned turning axis of 
the arms and disposed to one side of the turntable. In the operation of 
the record player presently being described, at the completion of the 
playing of one side of a record disc on the turntable, the record gripping 
arms are flexed toward each other so as to engage the record disc at its 
periphery, whereupon the arms are swung upwardly about the horizontal axis 
which is to one side of the turntable for lifting the gripped record disc 
from the turntable. Then, the arms and the record disc gripped 
therebetween are turned through 180.degree. about the turning axis midway 
between the arms for inverting the record disc and, thereafter, the arms 
are swung downwardly for returning the inverted disc to the turntable and 
the arms are flexed away from each other for releasing the record disc on 
the turntable and thereby permitting the playing of the other side of the 
disc. 
Although the record player with a turn-over mechanism as disclosed in 
Japanese Patent No. 49-63674 avoids many of the problems associated with 
record players having a vacuum-grip turntable which is inverted for 
turning-over the record disc, as earlier described, the turn-over 
mechanism of the Japanese Patent Application is relatively complex and 
costly and lacking in reliability particularly in respect to the 
structures required to effect the various necessary movements of the 
record gripping arms in the desired timed sequence. 
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a record player 
of the turn-over type which avoids the above-discussed disadvantages of 
the existing record players of that type. 
More specitifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a record 
player of the turn-over type in which the turntable is mounted for 
rotation in a substantially fixed horizontal plane and is capable of fully 
supporting a record disc during playback of signals recorded on either of 
its surfaces, and in which there is provided a record turn-over mechanism 
having a structural arrangement that facilitates its operation and 
contributes to the reliability thereof. 
Another object is to provide a record player with a turn-over mechanism, as 
aforesaid, which is structurally independent of the turntable so that the 
devices provided for inverting a recording disc and thereby permitting the 
playing of both sides thereof do not interfere with the high fidelity 
reproduction of the recorded signals. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a record player of the 
turn-over type having a tone arm position detector to permit operation of 
the record turn-over mechanism only when the tone arm is disposed at its 
rest position, whereby to avoid possible damage to the tone arm by the 
turn-over mechanism and further to ensure that the inverting of a record 
disc by the turn-over mechanism can occur safely without interference from 
the tone arm. 
It is still another object of this invention to provide a record player 
with a turn-over mechanism which is normally operable to engage a record 
disc on the turntable and then lift and invert the record disc prior to 
the return of the latter to the turntable surface, and in which the 
absence of a record disc from the turntable or the incorrect gripping of a 
record disc by the turn-over mechanism is detected at the commencement of 
an operating cycle of the latter so as to abort or prevent continuation of 
such operating cycle. 
A further object is to provide a record player with a turn-over mechanism 
having gripping members which are yieldably urged by respective springs 
into frictional gripping engagement with the edge of a record disc at 
diametrically opposed locations on the latter, whereby to ensure the 
trouble-free gripping of the record disc without damage to the latter. 
A still further object is to provide a record player with a turn-over 
mechanism, as aforesaid, in which an electric motor is operated to drive 
the turn-over mechanism through an operating cycle thereof, and the 
lifting of a record disc from the turntable by the turn-over mechanism in 
the course of such cycle is spring-assisted so that a powerful motor is 
not required to drive the turn-over mechanism and further so that the 
downward or return movement of the record disc onto the turntable 
following the inverting of the disc is damped or cushioned by the spring 
or springs. 
In accordance with an aspect of this invention, in a record player having a 
turntable mounted on the chassis for rotation in a substantially fixed 
horizontal plane, a record turn-over mechanism includes support means 
mounted on the chassis for swinging movenents between raised and lowered 
positions about an axis disposed to one side of the turntable and 
extending substantially parallel to a diameter of the turntable, with end 
portions of the support means, in the lowered position of the latter, 
being disposed adjacent opposite ends of said diameter of the turntable, a 
pair of spaced apart gripping means directed inwardly towards each other 
from the respective end portions of the support means, with at least parts 
of the gripping means being axially movable toward and away from each 
other between gripping positions in which such parts of the gripping means 
are engageable with diametrically opposed locations on the periphery of a 
record disc and released positions in which the distance between the parts 
of the gripping means is larger than the diameter of the record disc for 
releasing the latter therebetween, such gripping means also being turnable 
relative to the support means about a common axis parallel with the axis 
of the swinging movements of the support means, cam means for effecting 
the swinging movements of the support means and the axial and turnable 
movements of the gripping means, and means for driving the cam means 
through an operating cycle in which the gripping means are moved from the 
released positions to their gripping positions with the support means in 
its lowered position for engaging a record disc on the turntable and then 
the support means are moved to the raised position thereof for lifting the 
engaged record disc from the turntable, whereupon the gripping means are 
turned through 180.degree. for inverting the lifted record disc and the 
support means are then returned to the lowered position and the gripping 
means are restored to their released positions for freeing the inverted 
record disc on the turntable. 
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention, 
will be apparent in the following detailed description of illustrative 
embodiments thereof which is to be read in connection with the 
accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, it 
will be seen that a record player 10 to which this invention is applied 
has a turntable 11 mounted on a chassis 12 for rotation about a vertical 
axis, for example, defined by a spindle 13, and which is substantially 
fixed relative to the chassis so that turntable 11 rotates in a 
substantially fixed horizontal plane. A tone arm assembly 14 
conventionally includes an elongated tone arm 15 mounted adjacent one end, 
as by a gimbal 16, on the upper end of a vertical shaft 17 (FIG. 2) which 
is rotatable in suitable bearings carried by chassis 12, and a head shell 
18 extending from the opposite or free end of tone arm 15 to accommodate a 
cartridge (not shown) from which a stylus or needle depends. By reason of 
the briefly described mounting of tone arm assembly 14, tone arm 15 is 
capable of lateral swinging movement about the vertical axis of shaft 17 
across turntable 11 and also is capable of being raised and lowered about 
a horizontal axis defined by gimbal 16 between an elevated rest position 
outside the perimeter of the turntable, as shown on FIG. 1, where tone arm 
15 may be disposed on an arm rest (not shown), and an inner position which 
corresponds to the engagement of the pick-up stylus in the conventional 
final non-recorded groove portion of a record disc R on turntable 11. If 
desired, the record player 10 may further be provided with a suitable 
conventional automatic control mechanism which, upon manual actuation of a 
suitable push-button or the like, is effective to cause lead-in movement 
of tone arm 15 from its rest position to a predetermined set-down position 
of the stylus on the upwardly facing surface of record disc R for 
initiating the playing of the sound or other signals recorded on such 
upwardly facing surface. The conventional automatic control mechanism may 
further be effective, upon the completion of the reproducing or playing of 
the signals recorded on the upwardly facing surface of record disc R, to 
return tone arm 15 to the rest position shown on FIG. 1. 
It will be apparent that, to the extent described above, the record player 
10 may be designed to have features usually associated with the high 
fidelity reproduction of the recorded signals. Thus, for example, 
turntable 11 may have a relatively large mass and be driven to have a 
uniform and precisely controlled rotational speed and to fully support the 
record disc R during each playing operation, and the bearings rotatably 
supporting the turntable may be, in turn, mounted precisely and securely, 
whereby to substantially eliminate wow and flutter from the reproduced or 
played back signals. 
After the completion of the playing of signals recorded on a surface of 
record disc R, the playing of signals recorded on the opposite surface of 
the record disc requires that the latter be lifted from turntable 11 and 
then inverted or turned-over prior to being returned to turntable 11 with 
the surface of the record disc then facing upwardly being the surface 
thereof which faced downwardly and rested on turntable 11 during the 
earlier playing operation. 
In order to effect the foregoing turning-over of the record disc R, the 
record player 10 is shown to further have a mechanism 20 according to this 
invention which generally comprises support means 21, for example, in the 
form of substantially parallel lever assemblies 21A and 21B, mounted on 
chassis 12 for swinging movements between lowered and raised positions 
(FIGS. 3 and 10) about an axis, for example, defined by a shaft 22, which 
is disposed to one side of turntable 11 and extends substantially parallel 
to a diameter of the turntable; a pair of spaced apart gripping means 23A 
and 23B directed inwardly towards each other from end portions of lever 
assemblies 21A and 21B, respectively, and being axially movable toward and 
away from each other and also turnable relative to the respective lever 
assemblies 21A and 21B about a common axis parallel with the shaft 22; cam 
assemblies 24A and 24B for effecting the swinging movements of the support 
means 21 about the axis of shaft 22 and the axial and turnable movements 
of the gripping means 23A and 23B; and means, for example, in the form of 
an electric motor 25, for driving the cam assemblies 24A and 24B through 
an operating cycle. In an initial stage of such operating cycle of record 
turn-over mechanism 20 according to this invention, the gripping means 23A 
and 23B are moved axially toward each other from released positions, in 
which the distance between the gripping means is larger than the diameter 
of record disc R, to gripping positions in which parts of the gripping 
means 23A and 23B are engaged with the periphery of record disc R on 
turntable 11 and diametrically opposed locations, and more precisely at 
the opposite ends of the diameter of record disc R that is parallel with 
the axis of shaft 22. Thus, with support means 21 in its lowered position, 
gripping means 23A and 23B engage the record disc on turntable 11 (FIGS. 8 
and 9) and then the support means 21 are moved to the raised position 
(FIG. 10) for lifting the engaged record disc from turntable 11, whereupon 
the gripping means 23A and 23B are turned through 180.degree. for 
inverting the lifted record disc (FIG. 11). Finally, the support means 21 
are returned to the lowered position and the gripping means 23A and 23B 
are restored to their released positions (FIGS. 12 and 13) for disposing 
the inverted record disc R' on turntable 11. 
The shaft 22 which defines the axis of the swinging movements of support 
means 21 is shown to be suitably journaled in mounting brackets 26A and 
26B secured on a side portion of chassis 12 adjacent the front and back, 
respectively of the latter. A cam shaft 27 is also journaled in brackets 
26A and 26B and extends in spaced parallel relation to shaft 22 at the 
side of the latter facing away from turntable 11. The motor 25 for driving 
record turn-over mechanism 20 is mounted on bracket 26A between shafts 22 
and 27 and a gear 28 is secured on the motor shaft and meshes with gears 
29 and 30 secured on shafts 22 and 27, respectively, in front of bracket 
26A (FIG. 2). Thus, shafts 22 and 27 are driven in the same direction, for 
example, in the clockwise direction as viewed from the front of record 
player 10, in response to operation of motor 25. 
The cam assemblies 24A and 24B are symmetrically similar to each other and 
each includes a cam member 31 secured on the respective end portion of 
shaft 22 for controlling the previously mentioned axial and turning 
movements of the respective gripping means 23A or 23B, and a cam member 32 
secured on the respective end of cam shaft 27 for controlling the swinging 
movements of support means 21 about the axis defined by shaft 22. 
The lever assemblies 21A and 21B of support means 21 are also symmetrically 
similar and each includes a support lever 33, a turn-over control lever 34 
and a gripping control lever 35. Each support lever 33 is pivotally 
mounted adjacent one end on the respective end portion of shaft 22 so as 
to be swingable in a vertical plane between a horizontal lowered position 
(FIGS. 1, 3 and 9) and a raised or upwardly tilted position (FIG. 10). The 
support levers 33 of lever assemblies 21A and 21B are shown to be 
interconnected by a rigid cross member 36 so as to swing as a unit between 
their lowered and raised positions. The support levers 33 of lever 
assemblies 21A and 21B are longitudinally dimensioned so that, in the 
lowered horizontal positions thereof, the free end portions 33a of support 
levers 33 are disposed adjacent opposite ends of the diameter of turntable 
11 to which the axis of shaft 22 is parallel. Each support lever 33 has an 
arm 37 formed integrally therewith and inclined downwardly from the end of 
the respective support lever 33 pivotally mounted on shaft 22. A cam 
follower 38, for example, in the form of a laterally directed pin, extends 
from arm 37 and extends under the adjacent cam member 32 so as to bear 
upwardly against the peripheral surface of the latter. The peripheral 
surface of a cam member 32 forms a radial cam for controlling the swinging 
movements of support means 21 about the axis of shaft 22. It will be 
apparent that the weight of lever assemblies 21A and 21B with or without a 
record disc gripped between gripping means 23A and 23B acts to urge the 
support means 21 to its lowered horizontal position and to maintain 
engagement of cam follower pins 38 with the peripheral surfaces of the 
respective cam members 32. However, the weight of support means 21 is 
partly counterbalanced by means of coil springs 39 (FIGS. 1 and 2) 
connected between cross member 36 and anchoring tabs 12a on chassis 12. 
Springs 39, in yieldably urging support means 21 to swing upwardly, serve 
to minimize the power that needs to be developed by motor 25 for moving 
support means 21 to its raised position by the action of cams 32. 
Furthermore, springs 39 act to damp or cushion the final movement of 
support means 21 from the raised position back to the lowered horizontal 
position. 
As shown particularly on FIGS. 3 and 4, each turn-over control lever 34 has 
a pair of longitudinally elongated slots 40 therein at locations spaced 
apart along lever 34, and headed guide pins 41 extend from the respective 
support lever 33 and are slidably received in slots 40. Thus, each 
turn-over control lever 34 is mounted for longitudinal movement relative 
to the respective support lever 33. As is particularly apparent on FIG. 4, 
the end of each turn-over control lever 34 adjacent shaft 22 has a cam 
follower pin 42 extending laterally therefrom through a slot 43 (shown in 
broken lines) in the respective support lever 33 and being slidably 
engaged in a cam groove 44 which opens axially in a radial surface of the 
adjacent cam member 31. As hereinafter described in detail, cam groove 44 
is at varying radial distances from the axis of shaft 22 so that, in 
response to rotation of cam member 31, turn-over control lever 34 is 
longitudinally moved relative to the respective support lever 33. 
Each gripping control lever 35 is mounted for lateral skewing movement 
relative to the respective support lever 33, for example, by a pivot pin 
45 extending through lever 35 intermediate the ends of the latter. As 
shown particularly on FIG. 4, the end of each gripping control lever 35 
adjacent shaft 22 carries a rotatable cam follower roller 46 which is 
engageable with an axial cam 47 on the adjacent cam member 31. The axial 
cam 47 is shown to be constituted by an annular flange directed axially 
from a radial face of cam member 31 and having an axially facing annular 
end surface at varying axial distances from the radial face of cam member 
31. Thus, as cam member 31 is rotated, the engagement of cam follower 
roller 46 with the axially facing annular surface of axial cam 47 causes 
lateral skewing or rocking movements of the respective gripping control 
lever 35 relative to the respective support lever 33. 
Each of the gripping means 23A and 23B is shown to comprise a cylindrical 
sleeve 48 which is loosely mounted on an axle 49 (FIG. 2) extending 
laterally from free end portion 33a of the respective support lever 33. 
Thus, sleeve 48 is rotatable on axle 49 and also axially movable along the 
latter. The end of sleeve 48 adjacent end portion 33a of the respective 
support lever 33 is of enlarged diameter to define a radial shoulder 50, 
and the circumferential surface of such enlarged diameter end is formed 
with teeth to define a pinion 51 (FIG. 5). As is shown, an end portion of 
each turn-over control lever 34 is in the form of a gear rack 52 meshing 
with the pinion 51 of the respective gripping means 23A or 23B so that 
sleeve 48 is turned or rotated about axle 49 in response to longitudinal 
movement of lever 34 relative to the respective support lever 33. Further, 
as shown, each gripping control lever 35 has a rounded end 53 engageable 
against the radial shoulder 50 for determining the axial positioning of 
sleeve 48. As shown particularly on FIGS. 2 and 8, the enlarged diameter 
end of each sleeve 48 has a counter bore or socket accommodating a helical 
compression spring 54 by which the sleeve 48 is urged axially in a 
direction away from end portion 33a of the respective support lever 33, 
that is, in the direction moving radial shoulder 50 against end portion 53 
of gripping control lever 35 for maintaining contact of cam follower 
roller 46 with cam 47. Each of the gripping means 23A and 23B is completed 
by a collar 55 suitably secured on the end portion of sleeve 48 remote 
from the respective support lever 33 and carrying a frictional gripping 
member 56, for example, in the form of a rubber ring. 
Referring now to FIG. 6 in which cam member 32 is shown in the position 
thereof for the rest condition of the record turn-over mechanism 20, it 
will be seen that cam follower pin 38 is then engaged by a portion 32a of 
the radial cam which is at a relatively small radial distance from the 
axis of shaft 27, and which corresponds to the disposition of the 
respective support lever 33 in its lowered horizontal position, as on 
FIGS. 3 and 9. Considering the cam member 32 to be turned or rotated in 
the clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow a on FIG. 6, cam 
follower pin 38 is, after engagement by cam portion 32a, engaged in order 
by a cam portion 32b of progressively increasing radial distance from the 
axis of shaft 27, a cam portion 32c of uniformly relatively large radial 
distance from the axis of shaft 27, and a cam portion 32d of progressively 
decreasing radial distances from the axis of shaft 27 and which leads back 
to cam portion 32a. Thus, in the course of a full revolution of cam member 
32 from the position shown on FIG. 6, and which corresponds to an 
operating cycle of turn-over mechanism 20, the respective support lever 33 
will be initially maintained at its lowered horizontal position by cam 
portion 32a, and then moved by cam portion 32b to its raised position, as 
on FIG. 10, where it will be maintained for a predetermined interval by 
cam portion 32c, prior to the return of the support lever 33 to its 
lowered horizontal position, as on FIG. 13, by means of cam portion 32d. 
Referring now to FIG. 7 in which cam member 31 is shown in the position 
thereof corresponding to the rest condition of turn-over mechanism 20, it 
will be seen that the cam groove 44 is generally heart-shaped and includes 
cam groove portions 44a-44e which successively engage cam follower pin 42 
during a complete revolution of cam member 31 in the direction of the 
arrow a in the course of an operating cycle of the turn-over mechanism. 
More particularly, the cam groove portion 44a is shown to be at a 
substantially uniform radial distance from shaft 22 and to have an angular 
extent substantially corresponding to the angular extent of cam portion 
32a engaged by cam follower pin 38 in the initial stage of the operating 
cycle. Thus, during the period when each support lever 33 remains in its 
lowered horizontal position in the initial stage of the operating cycle, 
turn-over control lever 34 remains immobile relative to its respective 
support lever 33 and there is no turning of sleeve 48 of the respective 
gripping means. The following cam groove portions 44b and 44c have 
progressively increasing radial distances from the axis of shaft 22 and 
have an angular extent corresponding substantially to the combined angular 
extent of portions 32b and 32c of cam member 32. Thus, each turn-over 
control lever 34 is displaced longitudinally relative to the respective 
support lever 33 so that the engagement of gear rack 52 with pinion 51 
effects turning of sleeve 48 through substantially 180.degree. during the 
stages of the operating cycle when each support lever 33 is being moved 
upwardly to its raised position and then maintained at such raised 
position for the interval or dwell period determined by cam portion 32c. 
The following cam groove portion 44d is seen to be at a substantially 
uniform radial distance from the axis of shaft 22 so that, during the 
engagement of cam groove portion 44d with follower pin 42, turn-over 
control lever 34 remains immobile relative to the respective support lever 
33 and there is no turning of sleeve 48 of the respective gripping means 
23A or 23B. The angular extent of cam groove portion 44d is such as to 
correspond at least to the return or downward movement of each support 
lever 33 from its raised position back to its lowered horizontal position. 
The concluding cam groove portion 44e is shown to have progressively 
decreasing radial distances from the axis of shaft 22 so that, during the 
engagement of cam follower pin 42 by cam groove portion 44e, sleeve 48 of 
the respective gripping means 23A or 23B undergoes a return turning 
movement of 180.degree.. Of course, at the time of such return turning 
movement of each sleeve 48, the axial cam 47 on cam member 31 has been 
effective to release the respective gripping means 23A or 23B from a 
record disc disposed on turntable 11. 
With reference to FIG. 7, it will be seen that the axially facing annular 
surface of axial cam 47 includes axial cam portions 47a, 47b, 47c and 47d 
which respectively have the angular extents indicated at 47'a, 47'b, 47'c 
and 47'd on FIG. 7. As particularly shown on FIG. 4, axial cam portion 47a 
which engages cam follower roller 46 in the rest condition of turn-over 
mechanism 20 is at a relatively large axial distance from the adjacent 
radial face of cam member 31 so that the respective gripping control lever 
35 is skewed relative to the respective support lever 33 in the direction 
causing its end 53 to act outwardly against shoulder 50 on sleeve 48 for 
moving the latter axially away from turntable 11 in opposition to the 
force of the respective spring 54. Thus, in the rest condition of 
turn-over mechanism 20, the rubber rings or frictional members 56 of 
gripping means 23A and 23B are held in released positions (FIG. 2) in 
which the distance between the frictional members 56 is larger than the 
diameter of the record disc R on turntable 11 for releasing the record 
disc therebetween. Immediately upon the commencement of an operating 
cycle, cam follower roller 46 is engaged by axial cam portion 47b which is 
inclined toward the radial face of cam member 31 so that the respective 
gripping control lever 35 no longer prevents spring 54 of the respective 
gripping means 23A or 23B from axially displacing the sleeve 48 in the 
direction for moving the frictional member or rubber ring 56 to its 
gripping position in engagement with the periphery of the record disc R on 
turntable 11. Thereafter, during the phase of the operating cycle 
represented by the relatively large angular extent 47'c of axial cam 
portion 47c, the respective gripping means 23A or 23B is maintained in its 
gripping position due to the uniform relatively small axial distance of 
axial cam portion 47c from the radial face of cam member 31. Finally, the 
axial cam portion 47d is inclined in the direction away from the radial 
face of cam member 31 so that, during the engagement of cam follower 
roller 46 with cam portion 47d, the respective gripping control lever 35 
is skewed in the direction to return the respective gripping means 23A or 
23B to its released position. The angular extent 47'd of axial cam portion 
47d is selected so that the respective gripping means 23A or 23B will be 
moved to its released position prior to the previously described return 
turning of the gripping means resulting from the engagement of cam groove 
portion 44e with cam follower pin 42. During such return turning of the 
gripping means 23A or 23B, the latter is maintained in its released 
position by the engagement of axial cam portion 47a with cam follower 
roller 46. 
As indicated in broken lines at 57 on FIG. 2, a cover 57 may be mounted at 
the inner side of each support lever 33 to cooperate with the latter in 
enclosing the respective turn-over control lever 34 and gripping control 
lever 35. Further, a post 58 (FIG. 3) may extend upwardly from chassis 12 
by an adjustably determined distance to act as a rest for each support 
lever 33 and thereby adjustably determine the lowered position of the 
respective lever assembly 21A or 21B. 
As shown on FIG. 2, an arm 59 extends radially from shaft 17 and is 
suitably rotatably coupled with tone arm 15 to swing with the latter, and 
a normally open switch 60 is mounted below chassis 12 so as to be actuated 
to its closed position by arm 59 only when tone arm 15 is in its rest 
position. Another switch 61 which is normally closed is mounted adjacent 
shaft 22, and a flange 62 is secured on shaft 22 and carries an axially 
extending pin 63 which actuates switch 61 to its open position only when 
shaft 22 is in its initial position, that is, only when cam members 31 and 
32 of cam assemblies 24A and 24B are disposed as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 
for establishing the rest condition of turn-over mechanism 20. However, 
upon the commencement of an operating cycle of such turn-over mechanism, 
the corresponding turning of shaft 22 moves pin 63 away from switch 61 so 
that the latter returns to its normally closed position. Finally, a 
normally closed switch 64 is shown to be mounted on the free end portion 
of support lever 33 of lever assembly 21A. Such switch 64 includes a 
switch actuator 64a extending into the path of movement of shoulder 50 on 
sleeve 48 of gripping means 23A so that switch 64 is opened in response to 
axial movement of sleeve 48 by spring 54 beyond the position in which the 
frictional member 56 would normally grip the edge of a record disc. In 
this connection, it should be noted that the skewed movement of gripping 
control lever 35 permitted by the engagement of control follower roller 46 
with axial cam portion 47c is sufficient to move the end 53 of lever 35 
away from shoulder 50 even when sleeve 48 of gripping means 23A has been 
axially displaced by spring 54 so as to engage frictional member 56 with 
the periphery or edge of record disc R, as shown on FIG. 8. Therefore, if 
a record disc is absent from the turntable 11 at a time when gripping 
control lever 35 is moved to the position shown on FIG. 8, spring 54 is 
effective to move sleeve 48 beyond the position shown on FIG. 8 with the 
result that shoulder 50 acts against switch actuator 64a for opening 
switch 64. 
As shown on FIG. 18, in a circuit for energizing motor 25, the switches 60, 
61 and 64 are connected in series between motor 25 and a suitable power 
source 65, and the energizing circuit further includes a normally open 
switch 66 connected in parallel with switch 61 and being momentarily 
closed, either manually or automatically, for initiating an operating 
cycle of record turn-over mechanism 20. 
The above-described record player 10 according to this invention operates 
as follows: 
Initially, a record disc R is placed on turntable 11 and tone arm 15 is 
either manually or automatically moved from its rest position to a desired 
set-down position on the record disc to commence the playing of the audio 
or other signals recorded on the upwardly facing surface of the record 
disc. For the duration of the playing operation, tone arm 15 is displaced 
from its rest position so that the associated arm 59 does not engage 
switch 60 and the latter is in its normal open position to prevent the 
energizing of motor 25. Thus, during the playing or reproducing of signals 
recorded on record disc R, turn-over mechanism 20 remains in its rest 
position shown on FIGS. 2 and 3 with cam members 31 and 32 being disposed 
as shown on FIGS. 6 and 7. Since an operating cycle of turn-over mechanism 
20 cannot be initiated during a playing operation of record player 10, 
damage to the tone arm assembly 14 or to the mechanism 20 is avoided. 
When the playing of signals recorded on the upwardly facing surface of 
record disc R has been completed, tone arm 15 is conventionally returned 
to its rest position, either automatically or manually, and the drive (not 
shown) for turntable 11 is deenergized. In response to the return of tone 
arm 15 to its rest position, arm 59 actuates switch 60 to its closed 
position. Thereupon, switch 66 can be momentarily closed either by manual 
actuation thereof or automatically in response to return of the tone arm 
to its rest position, with the result that motor 25 is energized to 
commence the operating cycle of turn-over mechanism 20. 
When motor 25 is energized, shafts 22 and 27 are rotated by way of meshing 
gears 28, 29 and 30 so that cam members 31 and 32 are rotated in the 
clockwise direction, that is, in the directions of the arrows a on FIGS. 6 
and 7. As soon as shaft 22 begins to turn from its initial position, pin 
63 disengages switch 61 so that the latter closes and thereby continues 
the energization of motor 25 when the momentarily closed switch 66 returns 
to its normal open condition. 
During the time that cam follower pin 38 continues to be engaged by cam 
portion 32a (FIG. 6) cam follower pin 42 engages cam groove portion 44a 
and cam follower roller 46 is engaged by the inclined or sloping axial cam 
portion 47b. By reason of the foregoing, support lever 33 of each of lever 
assemblies 21A and 21B remains in its lowered horizontal position and the 
respective gripping means 23A or 23B is held against turning, while the 
pressure of the end 53 of gripping control lever 35 axially outward 
against shoulder 50 of the respective sleeve 48 is relaxed to permit 
spring 54 to urge the respective sleeve 48 axially in the inward direction 
for engaging the frictional member 56 against the adjacent edge of record 
disc R. Thus, gripping means 23A and 23B are synchronously moved axially 
toward each other for gripping the periphery or edge of record disc R at 
diametrically opposed locations on the latter. Since a record disc is 
disposed on turntable 11 for engagement at diametrically opposed locations 
by gripping means 23A and 23B, the axial movements of the latter toward 
each other under the influence of the respective springs 54 are limited by 
engagement with the record, and shoulder 50 on sleeve 48 of gripping means 
23A does not come into contact with switch actuator 64a with the result 
that switch 64 remains closed to continue the operation of motor 25. 
In the course of the resulting continued turning of cam members 31 and 32 
of each cam assembly 24A or 24B, cam follower pins 38 and 42 are 
respectively engaged by cam portion 32b and cam groove portion 44b while 
cam follower roller 46 is engaged by axial cam portion 47c. As a result of 
the engagement of cam follower pin 38 by radial cam portion 32b, pin 38 is 
depressed or moved downwardly so that the respective support lever 33 is 
swung upwardly about shaft 22. At the same time, the engagement of cam 
follower pin 42 by cam groove position 44b causes longitudinal movement of 
the respective turn-over control lever 34 relative to support lever 33 so 
that gear rack 52 and pinion 51 cooperate to turn the respective gripping 
means 23A or 23B. During such turning of gripping means 23A or 23B, the 
engagement of cam follower roller 46 by axial cam portion 47c ensures that 
the spring 54 of each gripping means can remain effective to maintain 
gripping engagement of the frictional member 56 with the edge of record 
disc R. Thus, the record disc R is lifted from turntable 11 and, 
simultaneously, the turning-over of the record disc is commenced. 
As the turning of cam members 31 and 32 continues, the respective support 
lever 33 reaches its fully raised position, as on FIG. 10, and is held in 
such fully raised position by the engagement of radial cam portion 32c 
with cam follower pin 38. Simultaneously, cam groove portion 44c engages 
cam follower pin 42 so as to effect further longitudinal movement of 
turn-over control lever 34 relative to support lever 33 for completing the 
turning-over or inverting of the record disc, while axial cam portion 47c 
continues to engage cam follower roller 46 for maintaining the gripping 
action of each of the gripping means 23A and 23B on the record disc. 
After the record disc has been turned through a full 180.degree. relative 
to lever assemblies 21A and 21B, and thus is inverted as at R' on FIG. 11, 
further rotation of cam members 31 and 32 causes radial cam portion 32d to 
engage cam follower pin 38 so that each support lever 33 is swung 
downwardly, while cam groove portion 44d engages cam follower pin 42 to 
prevent turning of the respective gripping means 23A or 23B and axial cam 
portion 47c continues to engage cam follower roller 46 for maintaining the 
respective gripping means 23A or 23B in its gripping position. Thus, the 
inverted record disc R' is returned to the surface of turntable 11. 
After each support lever 33 has returned to its lowered horizontal position 
to dispose the inverted record disc R' on turntable 11, further turning of 
cam members 31 and 32 causes radial cam portion 32a to engage cam follower 
pin 38 for maintaining the respective support lever 33 in its lowered 
horizontal position, while the sloping axial cam portion 47d and then the 
following cam portion 47a engages cam follower roller 46 to cause lateral 
rocking or skewing of the respective gripping control lever 35 in the 
direction to outwardly displace the respective sleeve 48 against the force 
of spring 54 and thereby dispose the respective gripping means 23A or 23B 
in the released position thereof, as shown on FIGS. 12 and 13. 
During the final turning of cam members 31 and 32 for the return thereof to 
their original positions, cam follower pin 38 continues to be engaged by 
radial cam portion 32a and cam follower roller 46 continues to be engaged 
by axial cam portion 47a, while cam follower pin 42 is engaged by cam 
groove portion 44e which thereby effects longitudinal return movement of 
the respective turn-over control lever 34 relative to support lever 33 for 
turning the respective gripping means 23A or 23B to its original position. 
As cam members 31 and 32 return to the positions shown on FIGS. 6 and 7, 
switch actuating pin 63 on shaft 22 again engages switch 61 for opening 
the latter and thereby halting the energizing of motor 25. Thus, the 
operation of motor 25 is halted at the completion of an operating cycle of 
record turn-over mechanism 20. 
After the inverted record disc R' has been placed on turntable 11 and freed 
from turn-over mechanism 20, the tone arm assembly 14 can again be 
conventionally employed to playback or reproduce the sound or other 
signals recorded on the upwardly facing surface of the inverted record 
disc R'. 
It will be noted that the springs 39 connected between crossmember 36 of 
support means 21 and chassis 12 assist in the lifting of the record from 
the turntable so that the motor 25 for effecting the operation of 
turn-over mechanism 20 need not be very powerful. Further, during the 
returning of the inverted record disc R' to the turntable, springs 39 
serve to damp or cushion the return movement of the inverted record disc 
onto the turntable so as to avoid damage to the record disc. 
Further, at any of the times in the operating cycle during which each cam 
follower roller 46 is engaged by the respective axial cam portion 47c, if 
the respective gripping means 23A or 23B fails to grip the edge of a 
record disc which thereby limits the axial movement of the gripping means 
under the influence of its spring 54, the resulting increased axial 
movement of sleeve 48 of gripping means 23A by spring 54 causes shoulder 
50 to engage switch actuator 64a and thereby open switch 64 so as to 
deenergize motor 25. Thus, further operation of turn-over mechanism 20 is 
prevented if no record disc is present on turntable 11, or if, for any 
reason whatsoever, the gripping means 23A and 23B do not properly grip a 
record disc therebetween. 
Referring now to FIGS. 14-17 of the drawings, it will be seen that a record 
player 100 there illustrated to have a record turn-over mechanism 120 
according to another embodiment of this invention is, in many respects, 
similar to the first-described embodiment, and has its several parts which 
correspond to parts of the previously described record player 10 
identified by the same reference numerals. More particularly, the 
turn-over mechanism 120 differs substantially from the 
previously-described mechanism 20 in respect to its support means 121 made 
up of lever assemblies 121A and 121B and the manner in which the support 
levers 33 of such lever assemblies are moved swingably about the axis of 
shaft 22 between the previously described lowered horizontal positions and 
raised positions. 
In the turn-over mechanism 120, the previously-described arms 37 are 
omitted from support levers 33, and cam members 132 of cam assemblies 124A 
and 124B for effecting the swinging movements of support levers 33 about 
the axis of shaft 22 are secured on the shaft 22 adjacent the respective 
cam member 31 which, as in the earlier-described embodiment, is rotatable 
with shaft 22. Further, in turn-over mechanism 120, a shaft 127 which 
replaces the previously-described shaft 27 is no longer rotated in 
response to operation of motor 25, and merely serves to pivotally support, 
at its opposite ends, rocking levers 137 which are included in lever 
assemblies 121A and 121B. Each of the rocking levers 137 carries, 
intermediate its ends, a cam follower pin 138 which rests upon the radial 
cam defined by the peripheral edge surface of the respective cam member 
132. Finally, each of the rocking levers 137, at the end thereof remote 
from shaft 127, carries an inwardly directed lever actuating pin 139 which 
extends under the respective support lever 33 intermediate the ends of the 
latter. Thus, swinging of rocking levers 137 about the axis of shaft 127 
in response to the rotation of cam members 132 with shaft 22 and the 
action of the radial cam surfaces of cam members 132 on cam follower pins 
138 is effective to cause corresponding swinging movements of support 
levers 33 about the axis of shaft 22. 
As shown on FIG. 17 where the cam member 132 of one of the cam assemblies 
124A and 124B is shown in its initial position corresponding to the rest 
condition of turn-over mechanism 120, such cam member 132 has successive 
cam surface portions 132a, 132b, 132c and 132d which, upon turning of cam 
member 132 in the direction of the arrow a, successively engage the 
respective cam follower pin 138. The cam surface portions 132a, 132b, 132c 
and 132d have angular extents that substantially correspond to the angular 
extents of the cam portions 32a, 32b, 32c and 32d, respectively, of cam 
member 32 in the earlier-described embodiment. Further, the cam surface 
portions 132a-132d of cam member 132 have substantially the same angular 
relationships to the various portions of the cam groove 44 and of the 
axial cam 47 on the respective cam member 31 as were described for the cam 
portions 32a-32d in the first-described embodiment. 
More particularly, it will be seen that cam portion 132a is at a relatively 
small constant radial distance from the axis of shaft 22 so that, when the 
respective cam follower pin 138 is engaged by cam surface portion 132a, 
the respective support lever 33 is in its lowered horizontal position. 
Considering the cam member 132 to be turned or rotated in the clockwise 
direction as indicated by the arrow a on FIG. 17, cam follower pin 138 is, 
after engagement by cam portion 132a, engaged in order by cam portion 132b 
of progressively increasing radial distance from the axis of shaft 22, cam 
portion 132c of uniformly large radial distance from the axis of shaft 22, 
and cam portion 132d of progressively decreasing radial distances from the 
axis of shaft 22 and which leads back to cam portion 132a. Thus, in the 
course of a full revolution of each cam member 132 from the position shown 
on FIG. 17, and which corresponds to an operating cycle of turn-over 
mechanism 120, the respective support lever 33 will be initially 
maintained at its lowered horizontal position by cam portion 132a, at 
which time, gripping means 23A and 23B are moved axially to their gripping 
positions to engage record disc R by the action of axial cam 47 of each 
cam member 31 on the respective cam follower roller 46. Thereafter, while 
gripping means 23A and 23B are maintained in their gripping positions, cam 
portion 132b of each cam member 132 will effect movement of the respective 
support lever 33 to its raised position where it will be maintained for a 
predetermined interval by cam portion 132c while cam groove 44 of the 
respective cam member 31 cooperates with cam follower pin 42 to cause 
turning of gripping means 23A and 23B for inverting the record disc 
gripped thereby. Finally, in response to the engagement of cam portion 
132d with cam follower 138, the respective support lever 33 is returned to 
its lowered horizontal position for placing the inverted record disc on 
the turntable 11, whereupon gripping means 23A and 23B are displaced 
axially to their released positions for freeing the inverted record disc 
on the turntable and, finally, the gripping means 23A and 23B are turned 
back to their original positions, all as previously described in 
connection with the operation of turn-over mechanism 20. 
It will be apparent that, in the record turn-over mechanism 120, the 
actuating pin 139 extending from the free end of each rocking lever 137, 
and by which the respective support lever 33 is swung vertically about the 
axis of shaft 22, undergoes a relatively larger vertical displacement than 
the vertical movement of the cam follower pin 138 disposed intermediate 
the ends of the rocking lever 137 and engageable by the periphery of cam 
member 132. Therefore, the cam member 132 may be given relatively smaller 
dimensions than the corresponding cam member 32 in the first-described 
embodiment for effecting a predetermined angular displacement of each of 
the support levers 33 between the lowered horizontal and raised positions 
thereof. By reason of such relatively smaller dimension of each cam member 
132 and the mounting thereof on the same shaft 22 as the respective cam 
member 31, the turn-over mechanism 120 can be made relatively more compact 
than the previously-described mechanism 20. Apart from the foregoing, it 
will be apparent that the mechanism 120 has all of the functional features 
and advantages previously described with reference to the turn-over 
mechanism 20. 
Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described in 
detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be 
understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, 
and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one 
skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the 
invention as defined in the appended claims.