Patent GB-191212167-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Automatic Phonographs.
Inventor: SCOTT HARRY TYRRELL
Filed: 1912-05-22
Granted: 1913-01-30
Abstract: 12,167. Scott, H. T., and Patterson, L. J. May 27, 1911, [Convention date]. Multiple machines; feed-motions; driving and stopping.-An automatic multiple phonograph with record cylinders arranged vertically on a table, has its records raised and fed downwardly past a fixed reproducer by a sliding and rotating mandrel which in its lowest position rotates the table to bring the next record into position. Figs 3 and 4 are sectional elevations viewed from opposite sides. Fig. 6 is an horizontal section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line 7-7 on Fig. 4. The upper compartment of the case 20 carries the records 23 on annular shelves 40 in pockets 39 on the table 38, the reproducing-mechanism 24<a>, and the trumpet ; the lower compartment carries the operating-mechanism. The mandrel shaft 43 has a screw groove 60 and a keyway 46 engaging a feather on a fly-wheel 48, and also an annular groove 47 wherein engages a segmental lug 74 attached to a sleeve 71 and feed-nut 75. The sleeve 71 slides on a guide-rod 70, and is attached to a pulley 84 running on a guide-rod 80 connected to the guiderod 70. A spring 83 between an extension 82 on the guide-rod 70 and the frame 30 tends to pull the lug 74 and feed-nut 75 into engagement with the mandrel shaft 43 and feed-shaft 76 respectively. The general operation is as follows:-When the mandrel shaft 43 is ro-' tated by an electric motor 50, through a belt 49, one of two pins 124, on a rod 123 carried by a vertical shaft 121 rotated by gears from the mandrel shaft, engages with an arm 125, and, by means of a ratchet gear 141 on the recordtable shaft 37, moves the table 38 into its next position. The arm 125 is formed with a projection 125<a> which engages a pivoted lever 170 as the table is coming into position, thus causing the other end of lever 170 to pull out a sliding rod 172, Figs. 3 and 13, thereby allowing a spring-pressed plunger 175 to engage with the screw groove 60 and raise the mandrel shaft. When the end of the screw groove reaches the plunger 175, the latter is pressed out by the shallowing of the groove 60 till the rod 172 again holds the plunger 175 out of action. The segmental lug 74 on the sleeve 71 then drops into the annular groove 47, and the feed-nut 75 engages the feed-shaft 76. The lower end of the record 23 is then opposite the reproducer 24<a>. The mandrel and record 23 are now fed downwardly w i t h the sleeve 71, the beginning of the downward movement freeing a finger 112 on the trip-shaft 90 from the sleeve 71, thus allowing a spring to rotate the reproducer shaft 137 and move the reproducer into engagement with the record. The reproduction continues until the feednut 75 engages with the member 105 of the trip mechanism, Fig. 8, depressing a leaf spring catch 98 and allowing a spring- pressed rod 95 to lock the sleeve 93 by means of a cam 92 to the feed-screw 76, so that the cam 92 moves the arm 91 on the trip-shaft 90, which rotates the shaft 90 as shown in Fig. 7, whereby the linked levers 100, 101, and 81 disengage the feed-nut 75 from the feed-screw 76, and the lug 74 from the groove 47 in the mandrel-shaft 43, and also swings the reproducer clear of the record. Sleeve 71 being released is raised by a wire coiled on a spring-operated reel 110 and once again holds the trip finger 112 and the trip shaft 90 as shown in Fig. 6, thus keeping the reproducer from the record. The mandrel shaft 43 now falls as fast as allowed by a ratchet mechanism 160 controlling a cord 162 passing round pulleys 161 on the mandrel shaft. As it moves down, the record 23 is left in the pocket 39. When the mandrel shaft 43 reaches its lowest position, it raises the countershaft 121 by the pivoted bar 129, thus operating the ratchet 141 to turn the record table into the next position, whereon the whole operation is repeated with the next record and so on successively. For manually controlling the machine, a rod 200 enters the bearing 120 above the countershaft 121 to prevent that shaft from being raised to move the record table into the next position. A switch 201, Fig. 6, controls the motor 50, and when the rod 200 is pushed in the motor circuit is broken. To prevent the motor being stopped in the middle of a reproduction, the contact 202, Fig. 4, of a second switch, in multiple with switch 20, is mounted on lever 129 and arranged to be held open as long as the mandrel shaft is raised. For repeating a record, another control rod 205 engages a pin 206 on a pawl 140 and prevents it from turning the ratchet-wheel 141 to bring the next record into position. For discontinuing the play of any record, a third control rod 210 engages an arm 211 on the trip shaft 90, which first disengages the reproducer and then the feed-nut 75 and lug 74 from mandrel shaft 43, thus allowing the sleeve 71 to rise and the mandrel shaft to drop, and replace the record on the table. The record table is removably held in its various positions by a spring-pressed ball entering suitable depressions in the table. The flywheel 48 is secured to the mandrel shaft 43 by an annular ring having projections entering the groove 46 and a radial arm engaging a peripheral pin on the flywheel. In a modified mechanism for lowering the mandrel shaft the lower end of the shaft has screw threads 43<a>, Fig. 17, of V-section with square surfaces on their lower sides. A spring cushioned detent 261 hung from the frame 30 enters the threads and prevents the shaft 43<a> lowering quicker than its rotary motion permits. But when the shaft is rotating and is stationary longitudinally, or is moving upwardly, or is moving downwardly more slowly than normal, then the threads will appear to move upwardly under the end of the detent and the latter will merely be raised on the inclined surfaces of the threads and drop over the square surfaces. When the shaft is released it will drop until the detent catches in the thread portion immediately above, and the shaft will screw itself down to its lowermost position.