Patent GB-511840-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to magazine gramophones and the like
IPC: G11B17/16
Filed: 1938-01-20
Abstract: 511,840. Magazine gramophones. GARRARD ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING CO., Ltd., and OFFEN, F. J. Jan. 20, 1938, Nos.1938 and 17915. [Class 40 (ii)] Relates to magazine gramophones of the kind in which each record is delivered from 3, 4 which are adapted to rise and fall, and in their movements co-act with the members 1 and 2 to release the lowest record and place it on the turntable. In the machine shown, the vanes 1 are superposed to form a column, each vane being frictionally mounted on a pillar 15 so that the column may be moved as a whole or each vane may be swung independently. This swinging movement is effected by a sleeve 5 surrounding the pillar 15, which sleeve has a cam surface 7 terminated by a shoulder 9. When the sleeve is partially rotated, the shoulder displaces the lowest vane laterally, to free the edge of the lowest record, and the remainder of the column of vanes, resting on the cam 7, gradually moves down as the sleeve is turned back to normal position, the next lowest vane then dropping into the position previously occupied by the displaced one. When all the records have been discharged from the pile, the vane system may be restored to the position for re-loading with records by raising and rotating the pillar 15 by means of a knob 33 until the vanes engage a stop 11. This stop is provided with notches through which projections 10 on the vanes can pass when the pillar is raised, the projections preventing accidental movement of the vanes during operation of the machine. An overhung guide rod 12, which is slidable in its support 13, centres the records. Fig. 1 shows the normal position of the parts of the mechanism, (one record only being shown), and Fig. 2 shows the position just after the lowest record has been released from the pile. Before this release, the support 3, is moved upwards, by a rack and quadrant 23, 22, Fig. 1, to lift the pile of records from the arm 2, which is then swung outwardly, by means not shown, clear of the records. The support 4 is next moved upwards to a position the underside of a pile held above the turntable by means of a support 2 and by a number of laterally displaceable vanes 1 co-operating therewith and engaging the records peripherally. According to the invention, means for delivering the records singly to the turntable comprises, in addition to the displaceable vanes 1 and the support 2, (which consists of a swinging arm), vertically movable supports lower than that of the support 3, and the bottom vane is displaced, as previously described, to release the lowest record, which is received by the support 4. Fig. 2. The necessary movements of both the support 4 and of the sleeve 5 are effected by a cam 17 operating through mechanism shown in Fig. 1. After release of the lowest record, the arm 2 is returned to its normal supporting position below the pile, and the released record is then lowered by the supports 3, 4 on to the turntable. Modifications of the invention are described, Figs. 3 and 4 (not shown), in which, instead of a single set of record-supporting vanes, two adjacent sets are provided, cooperating to release the records singly by alternating swinging movements, each set in turn moving out of supporting engagement with the pile of records when the other has moved in. In these constructions, various arrangements for producing the necessary step-by-step lowering of the pile of records, are described. The invention is applicable to the machine described in Specification 486,999, in which means are provided for playing both sides of a record and finally removing it from the turntable.