Patent GB-573179-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to talking machines
IPC: G11B17/02
Filed: 1943-03-30
Abstract: 573,179. Automatic gramophones. PAILLARD & CIE SOC. ANON, E. March 30, 1943, No. 5094. Convention date, Nov. 6, 1942. [Class 40 (ii)] An automatic gramophone is provided with two interlocked manually-controlled members 70, 117, Fig. 2, for determining the manner of operation of the gramophone, one member 117 is capable of occupying three positions A, B, C corresponding respectively to automatic recordchanging, single-disc playing, and stopping, the stopping position being between the two others ; and the other member 70 is capable of at least two positions, one for starting the machine and the other for normal playing with recordchanging. In the arrangement shown, the recordchanging and pick-up repositioning devices are operated and controlled by a cam device 10, which is driven for one revolution by a pinion 13, Fig. 1, through a clutch 15. This clutch is clutched in when the pick-up reaches the end of a record by the co-operation of a finger 2 on the turntable spindle 1 with a lever 3 pivoted at 4 and frictionally coupled to the pick-up arm, and the clutch is opened by the cam device at the end of its revolution. All these devices are substantially as described in Specification 544,545. The starting position of the pick-up is adjusted to the diameter of the disc by means of a feeler 60, Fig. 2, which detects this diameter and through linkwork 61, (i2 determines which of two pins 63, 68 shall co-operate with the cam device 10 to position the pick-up ; this position control is substantially as described in Specification 573,178. The starting and stopping of the machine is performed by a brake pad 90 and a switch 91, which are controlled by manually-controlled members 70, 117 and by various of the automatic devices to cause the machine to stop when the supply of records is exhausted and to ensure the correct timing of the stopping operation. The switch 91 is controlled by the lever 84 which carries the brake pad 90. The lever 84 is pivoted at 21 on a stationary part, and is urged clockwise by a spring 86. A lug 83 on the lever 84 normally bears against the end 82 of a catch lever 80, which is pivoted at 81 on a stationary part and is adapted to be moved anticlockwise by the record-changing mechanism when the last disc of the pile has fallen. The other end of the lever 84 has a nose 87 co-operating with the mechanism controlling the clutch 15, and a pin 96 in engagement with a slot 95 in a threearmed lever 94, 104, 92 pivoted at 93 on a stationary part and operating as described below. The record-changing mechanism is operated by an eccentric pin 50 on the cam device 10 in engagement with a slot 51 in a lever 52 pivoted at 53 on a stationary part. The slot 51 is also engaged by another pin 55 on a floating lever 54 pivoted at 113a to an arm on one of the pillars 59 supporting the pile of records to be played. A long slot at the end of the lever 54 is engaged by a pin on the manuallycontrolled lever 70, which can be set to three different stable positions I, II, III to set the lever 54 in three corresponding different positions. In position I, pin 55 is in slot 51 and a record-changing operation is performed by each rotation of the cam device 10. In position II, pin 55 is out of slot 51 but in the path of a cam face 69 on lever 52, the record-changing mechanism is not operated by the first rotation of the cam device 10, but during this rotation the cam face 69 wedges the pin 55 back into the slot 51 so that the next rotation of the cam device operates the record-changing mechanism. The setting of the manually-controlled lever 70 to the position II therefore causes a disc to be repeated once, after which the machine resumes automatic record-changing. In position III, the pin 55 is out of the slot 51 and also out of the path of cam face 69 and lies in a groove of lever 52 concentric with its pivot 53, recordchanging is permanently suspended, allowing record on turntable to be repeated an indefinite number of times. This record-changing and repeat mechanism is as described in Specifications 544,546 and 568,206. In the present arrangement, pins 73, 74 are provided on the lever 54 to engage shoulders 72, 74a to prevent any longitudinal movement of the lever 54 when this is set for continuous repetition by the placing of lever 70 in position III. In addition, a catch lever 113 is pivoted on the pivot 113a of the lever 54 and is urged clockwise by a spring 114, the clockwise movement being limited by a lug 115 on the catch lever 113 bearing against the edge of the lever 54. When the lever 70 is moved to position II or III, the lever 54 turns sufficiently to bring a shoulder 116 on the catch lever 113 against the lug 83 of the lever 84, so that the machine cannot be stopped automatically when it is set for repetition play. According to the present invention the manually-controlled lever 70 is associated with another manually -controlled lever 117, and these two levers are made partly interdependent by an intermediate lever 144. The lever 70 in addition to the three positions I, II, III mentioned above has a fourth position IV to which it is moved for starting the machine. The lever 70 cannot, however, remain in this position, and when manually-released is moved back by a spring to position I for normal record-changing. The movement of the lever 70 to position IV causes a pin 98 on this lever to push a rod 99 to the left against the action of a spring 100. The end 110 of the rod 99 deflects a toggle device 105, 106, bringing the lever 3 into the path of the finger 2 to initiate the clutching in of the clutch 15 at the same time, a shoulder 103 on the rod 99 turns the three-armed lever 104, 92, 94 clockwise. The arm 92 releases the lever 33 of the mechanism controlling the clutch 15, and the arm 94 turns the lever 84 counterclockwise, thereby withdrawing the brake pad 90 and closing the switch 91, which sets the machine in operation. The second manually-controlled lever 117 can be set in three positions A, C, B, counterclockwise from A to C and B, and clockwise from B to C and A. When the lever 117 is in position A, as shown in Fig. 2, the other manually-controlled lever 70 is free and can be set to any of its positions to determine the modes of operation of the gramophone as described above. If the lever 117 is turned from position A to position C, a rod 118 hinged to the lever 117 and guided by a pin-and-slot 119, 120, is pushed to the left, and the end 121 of this rod deflects the toggle 105, 106. At the same time a pin 122 on the rod 118 in engagement with a slot 123 at one end of a lever 124 turns this lever clockwise about its pivot 125, and the other end of the lever 124 bears on a stud 126 on the lever 80 and on a stud 127 on the catch lever 113 if this lever is in locking engagement with the lug 83, and these levers 80 and 113 are turned counterclockwise, thereby releasing the lever 84. The lever 84, being thus released at both ends 87 and 83, is turned counterclockwise by its spring 86 to apply the brake pad 90 and open the switch 91 to stop the machine. This counterclockwise movement of the lever 84 is, however, prevented while the cam device 10 is in operation. Forthispurpose, a lever 129 is pivoted at 130 on a stationary part, one end 129a of the lever bears on a cam face 128, and the other end of the lever has a stud 92<1> against the arm 92 of the three-armed lever 104, 94, 92. While the cam device 10 is running the end 129a of the lever 129 rides on the raised part of the cam and locks the three-armed lever 92, 104, 94 in position. When the cam device is in its position of rest. the' end 129a falls into a notch 128a of the cam under the influence of a spring 131, and the lever 84 is then free to move to stop the machine. To restart the machine, lever 70 is moved to position IV to operate rod 99 as described above. At the same time pin 148 on lever 70 engages shoulder 146 on lever 144 and turns this lever counterclockwise about its pivot 145 ; and another shoulder 147 on lever 144 engages a pin 161 on lever 117 and turns this lever from position C to position A. If the lever 117 is moved to position B, a pin 132 on the lever 117 bears against one end of a lever 133 and turns this lever clockwise about a pivot 134, so that the other end of the lever 133 comes opposite a pin 97 on the lever 33 of the clutch mechanism and prevents a clutching operation. At the same time, the rod 118 is partly retracted and its end 121 releases the toggle 105, 106, which resumes its straight formation, but the lever 124 is still deflected sufficiently to deflect the levers 80 and 113, so that at the end of a record, when the automatic controls operate and the end 87 of the lever 84 is thereby released, the lever 84 is turned by its spring to stop the machine. The machine has to be started for each disc by the movement of the lever 70 to position IV. The movement of the lever 117 to position B also causes a pin 160 thereon to turn a lever 136 clockwise about its pivot 137 on the rod 99, so that when the lever 70 is moved to position IV and moves the rod 99 to the left, the raised end of the lever 136 strikes a pin 139 on a lever 140 and turns the lever 140 clockwise about its pivot 141. The other end of the lever 140 has a slot 142 in engagement with a pin 37 on a lever 38 pivoted at 39, so that the lever 38 is turned counterclockwise. This lever acts on the face 6 of the plate 7 of the pick-up mounting and swings the pick-up back to starting position as described in Specification 544,545.