Tower-type speaker cabinet with pivoted plural speaker subassembly

A tower-type speaker cabinet assembly for plural speakers of a high fidelity audio system, including a vertically elongated tower cabinet having a pair of front wall segments adjacent the uppermost and lowermost ends of the tower speaker cabinet and an intermediate forwardly opening cavity extending between the upper and lower front wall segments, a pair of vertically spaced large subwoofer speakers in the respective upper and lower front wall segments with associated inner cabinets forming sound boxes therefor, and a swivelled movable center subcabinet spanning the vertical distance between said front wall segments, having a woofer, a mid-bass speaker and a pair of tweeters carried by a front wall portion of the center subcabinet in vertical alignment. The subcabinet has a range of swivel movement horizontally through predetermined angles about a vertical axis located a short distance rearwardly from the front wall of the swivelled subcabinet. Shock absorber strips are provided between the inner cabinets and the outer cabinet for minimizing vibration transfer therebetween.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates in general to loud speaker systems for high 
fidelity audio systems, and more particularly to tower-type assemblies for 
plural speakers high fidelity acoustical audio systems for music and other 
sound reproduction. 
Heretofore, plural speaker units involving a woofer and one or more 
tweeters and/or mid-range and high range audio reproduction have been 
provided for high fidelity audio loud speaker systems, but such units 
customarily involved fixed speaker units and in most cases involved a 
single woofer for the low or base range and two tweeter and/or midrange 
units to cover the higher frequencies. More recently, tower-type plural 
speaker assemblies have been provided, and some cases employing up to five 
speakers, to more thoroughly cover the audio spectrum and obtain more 
faithful sound reproduction, but such units have still provided fixed 
support systems for the loud speakers in the tower cabinets and change of 
the direction of the predominant sound propagation from the speakers 
requires positioning of the heavy, large cabinet housing all of the 
speakers included in the tower-type cabinet and does not permit change of 
direction of a subgroup of the speakers relative to the cabinet and the 
rest of the speakers therein. 
An object of the present invention is the provision of a novel tower-type 
loud speaker cabinet and plural speaker assembly wherein large subwoofer 
speakers are fixedly mounted by vibration-transfer-minimizing shock 
absorbing systems in upper and lower portions of the cabinet and the 
central portion of a cabinet including a plurality of midrange and tweeter 
type speakers is movably supported by a swivel system permitting a range 
of pivotal angular movement of the swiveled center cabinet subassembly for 
optimum imaging and dispersion. Thus the mid and high frequency drivers 
can be aimed from their own swivel mounted cabinet. Double cabinets are 
provided to eliminate troublesome resonant and each woofer is housed in 
its own cabinet, enclosed by another cabinet but acoustically isolated 
form it to minimize transmission of vibration to the outer cabinet. In the 
preferred embodiment, separate preamplifiers are provided for each of the 
speaker units. 
Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention will 
become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in 
conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred 
embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate 
corresponding parts throughout the several figures, the tower speaker 
assembly of the present invention is indicated generally by the reference 
character 10 and comprises a vertically elongated outer cabinet 11, which 
forms the main large cabinet of the tower speaker assembly, having a rear 
wall 12 and opposite left and right side walls 13, 14 which extend the 
full height of the tower, and upper and lower front wall segments 15, 16. 
Top wall 17 and bottom wall 18 lie in parallel horizontal planes, and 
together with the upper front wall segment 15 and lower front wall segment 
16, and the adjacent side and end wall portions, form top and bottom 
cabinet housing portions for two subwoofer drivers or speakers, indicated 
at 19, 20, which in the illustrated embodiment are 10 inch extended long 
throw woven carbon fiber subwoofers. Each includes the usual speaker cone, 
indicated generally at 21a, and an associated magnet and voice coil 
assembly, indicated at 21d, to provide high rigidity and stability 
qualities. 
As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the subwoofers 19 and 20 are mounted in 
separate housings, forming inner cabinets or speakers boxes, indicated at 
22 and 23, which are of substantially L-shaped configuration in side 
elevation, forming an inner cabinet isolated from the outer cabinet 11 by 
foam rubber strips 24 acting a shock absorbers to prevent vibration 
transfer. The upper subwoofer box or inner cabinet includes a top wall 
25a, rear wall 25b, side walls 25c, and two bottom wall sections 25d and 
25e connected by a transition vertical wall portion 25f, providing an 
inverted L-shaped box configuration, completed by a front wall section 25g 
having an opening 25h therein receiving the speaker cone portion of the 
upper subwoofer 19. Similarly, the lower speaker box 23 for the subwoofer 
20 includes a bottom wall 26a, rear wall 26b, side walls 26c, top wall 
sections 26d and 26e connected by a vertical transition wall portion 26f, 
defining the L-shaped lower subwoofer box 23, completed by the front wall 
26g having the opening 26h therein for the lower subwoofer speaker cone 
20. 
As shown in greater detail in FIG. 6 in the sectioned portion of the lower 
subwoofer 20 and its associated box 23, a wooden annular mounting collar 
formation 27 projects forwardly from the front wall 26g in surrounding 
relation to the opening 26a, and the rim portion of the speaker cone 21a 
of the subwoofer 20 overlies the forwardmost end of the mounting collar 
formation 27 and is secured thereto by a ring 28 and bolts 29. A sponge 
gasket 30 is interposed between the metallic ring 29 and the surrounding 
wall portion 16 of the outer cabinet 11, and a rubber gasket 31 outwardly 
surrounds the wooden mounting collar formation 27 and extends between the 
latter and the confronting portion of the speaker-receiving opening in the 
outer cabinet front wall 16. These are provided to also act as shock 
absorbers to prevent vibration transfer. The upper subwoofer 19 is 
similarly mounted in the opening 25h of its associated inner cabinet or 
housing 22, and the front walls 15, 16 and subwoofers 19, 20 are both 
covered by speaker cloth covers 32, 33. 
In the preferred embodiment, the main speaker cabinet forming the outer 
cabinet 11 is constructed of one inch thick high density particle board, 
provided with oil rubbed walnut veneer to provide an attractive surface. 
By mounting the subwoofers in separate housings, which are also made of 
one inch thick particle board, placed inside the main cabinet and isolated 
by mounting them on mechanical sponge rubber, cabinet resonance is 
virtually eliminated, as vibrations in the subwoofer housing transmit 
little energy through the rubber mounting to the main outer cabinet 11. 
The center portion of the tower speaker cabinet structure between the upper 
and lower subwoofers 19, 20 and their associated housings, is arranged to 
provide a swivelled center cabinet section 35 received within a forwardly 
opening well defined by upper and lower horizontal partition sections 36, 
36a and a rear wall portion 36b. The center cabinet 35 in the illustrated 
embodiment houses four speakers that range from upper bass to the tweeter 
range, including an 8 inch carbon fiber cone woofer 37, a 6 inch carbon 
fiber mid-bass 61/2 inch coupler or speaker 38, a diamond-coated polyamide 
dome midrange speaker 39, for example, a 50 mm dome speaker, whose 
response is in the range 750 hz to 8 HKZ, and a diamond-coated polyamide 
tweeter 40, for example a 25 mm dome tweeter, having a response in the 
range 3.5 KHZ to 22 KHZ. These speakers are all mounted in appropriate 
openings in the front wall 35a of the center cabinet 35, with the midrange 
speakers mounted at a height for best listening in setting positions. The 
cabinet additionally includes top and bottom wall members 41, 42, rear 
wall section 43, and side wall sections 44, made for example high density 
fiber board. 
Since the main cabinet 11 is physically large and heavy, the center cabinet 
35 is made so as to be rotatable approximately plus or minus 15.degree., 
enabling the main cabinet to remain stationary while the center cabinet 35 
is easily rotated for best "image" sound and sound stage focusing 
capability. Rotatable support assemblies are provided at the top and 
bottom wall portions 41 and 42 of the center cabinet 35, as best 
illustrated in FIG. 6, indicated generally by the reference character 45 
and comprising a turning shaft 46 having a flange portion 46a fixed by 
screws to the adjacent portions of the center cabinet wall members 41 or 
42 on which they are mounted, with the cylindrical body portion 46b of the 
turning shaft extending through and protruding beyond an opening therefor 
in the associated upper or lower center cabinet wall member. A companion 
generally cup-shaped bushing member 47 having a cylindrical well portion 
47a is sized to receive a spacer 48 and a protruding end portion of the 
turning shaft 46 therein. The cup-shaped well portion 47a of the bushing 
47 is recessed in a circular opening in the wall member 36 or 37 defining 
the upper or lower end of the well for the center cabinet 35 and a 
circular flange portion 47b of the bushing is similarly fixed by screws on 
the associated wall portion 36 or 37. 
As will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, a center portion of the tower cabinet 11 
located rearwardly of the well defined by the wall portions 36, 36a and 
36b provides a space 50 for amplifiers 51 for each of the speakers, and 
amplifier controls are provided at a control panel 52 carried by the 
center cabinet 35 in the lower portion thereof for control and adjustment 
of the amplifiers. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6, a speaker cloth 
covering 53 also covers the major portion of the front of the center 
cabinet 35a in forwardly covering relation to the speakers 37, 38, 39 and 
40.