Patent GB-836099-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to multi-record gramophone apparatus of the prepayment kind
IPC: G07F17/30
Filed: 1958-11-17
Abstract: 836,099. Juke-boxes. ETABLISSEMENTS MARCHANT. Nov. 17, 1958 [Nov. 16, 1957; Dec. 13, 1957], No. 36924/58. Class 40 (2). A juke-box, playing both sides of verticallystacked discs, which are transferred edge-wise, incorporates a memory device for the preselected items. Record selector.-A carriage 200 (Fig. 1) slidable on rails 205, 206, under the action of a reversible motor, carries two contacts 197, 198 associated with actuators 231, 230, respectively, and these are engageable by control strips such a's 12, 13, of which one is shown in Fig. 1 in operative position. These strips are spaced at half the spacing of the stored records, 133, and pairs of them refer to opposite sides of each record. The carriage traverses to and fro, reversing itself by switch means at each end of its travel. Associated switch means renders one or other of the contacts 197, 198 non-functional according to the direction of travel, the other contact acting to stop the carriage in anapproximately correct position for playing the item corresponding to an operative strip 12 or 13 next encountered in the travel of the carriage. A rack 199 secures accurate carriage registration for playing. The strips 12, 13 are carried on a fixed rod 2 (Fig. 5), and are urged into operative position by the hammer 56. This movement causes the cam-portion 17 on the lever to raise the bail-member 3, which in turn actuates a switch to supply current to the carriage motor, which thus continues to operate for as long as any of the levers 12, 13 are in operative position. Memory device.-The levers 12, 13 have notches 14, 15 arranged at two levels and the actuators 230, 231 are correspondingly arranged such that they will respond only to the full width of strips in operative position and not to the notched portions. If a number of the strips are moved into operative position, the carriage will respond to each of the strips of one type in succession, play all the, e.g., " odd " sides selected, reverse itself at the end of its travel and then play all the " even " sides. If further " odd " sides are pre-selected in the meantime, the carriage continues its to-and-fro movement until all the selections have been played, the order of play of the remaining selections depending on the carriage movement. The solenoid-actuated hammer 56 is mounted on a small subsidiary carriage, movable by the user to a position sufficiently opposite a lever such as 12 that the sharp tines 19 of a comb-member 5, acting- on the shaft 55 of the hammer 56 provide accurate selection. Further tines 18 on the comb-member 5 and additional comb-members 7, 9 locate the levers 12, 13. An arrangement (shown generally at 75, Fig. 8, not shown) restores the levers to their inoperative positions as each record is played. The return of the last lever allows the bail 3 to fall, stopping the machine. Record handling.-The record store consists of the rods 125, 126 (Fig. 16) and the members 130, which hold the records in spaced upright alignment. A fork member, 112-113, pivoted on the shaft 238 has on the end of the arm 112, a pin member 114, which acts to rotate the record initially about the rod 125 until it topples into the position 134, guided by the adjacent pair of members 130 and the guide-piece 115 (Fig. 20) on the tip of the arm 113. A conical tailstock member, whose smallest diameter is less than the size of the hole in the record, lifts the record clear of its supports as it presses it against the turntable 127 for playing. A reverse procedure restores the record after playing to its rack. The turntable is arranged to allow access by a two-stylus pick-up to either side of the record, the side to be played depending on the last direction of movement of the carriage. Since the same motor drives both carriage and turntable, the choice of direction of rotation of the turntable is automatic.