Patent GB-362331-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in talking machines
IPC: G11B17/02
Filed: 1931-07-01
Abstract: 362,331. Magazine gramophones. RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA, 570, Lexington Avenue, New York, U.S.A. July 1, 1931, No. 19033. Convention date, Aug. 15, 1930. [Class 40 (ii).] An automatic magazine gramophone is provided with a record magazine which is itself made movable towards and away from a position over the turntable, during which movement the played record is transferred from the turntable to the magazine and the next record to be played is discharged on to the turntable. A magazine 11 is swung on a post 16 secured to the motor board 14 and is movable to and from a position coaxial with the turntable 10. Means for transferring a played record from the turntable to the magazine comprise arms 17, 18 carried on shafts 19, 20 which are vertically slidable through bushings to form record elevators, the records being of greater diameter than the turntable. The shafts 19, 20 are raised by cam-operated levers 25, Fig. 12, and the arms 17, 18 are rotated to and from position beneath a record by movement of a rack-bar 30, Fig. 2, which coacts with ratchet wheels 24 encircling the shafts 19, 20. Means for delivering a record from the magazine to the turntable comprises a finger 31 pivoted to a bracket 32 and normally held with its free end yieldably elevated into the path of the lowermost record in the magazine by a spring 33, Fig. 13. The finger 31 is provided with a central depressed portion 36 adapted to extend under and in contact with the record to be dislodged and side portions 37 turned slightly upwardly. The magazine is reciprocated through the action of a control lever 42 pivoted to the motor board by a screw bolt 43, Fig. 2, and connected to the magazine by links 44, 45 and a spring 46. The rack-bar 30 is in turn actuated by movement of the lever 42 through a lever arm 49 which has a flared sector portion 51 with an arcuate slot 52 in which moves a lug 53 on the lever 42. Thus angular movement of the lever 42 in different directions effects movement of the magazine in two directions and will cause delayed movements of the arms 17, 18, whereby the arms are disengaged from beneath a record supported thereby or are positioned beneath a record on the turntable. This record transfer mechanism is actuated by control mechanism set into operation automatically at the end of playing of each record. A cam shaft 56, Fig. 12, has cams 57 secured thereto for operating the levers 25. A drum cam 59 is also secured to the shaft 56 to actuate the control lever 42 through a lever 60, Fig. 16. The shaft 56 is rotated from the driving motor 13 through a shaft 66, Fig. 12, driven from a hollow shaft 71 loosely mounted on the motor shaft 67, a clutch mechanism being provided to effect a driving connection between shafts 67, 71. The clutch mechanism depends for its operation upon a reverse movement of the tone-arm which occurs at the end of playing of a record. A disc 75 loose on the shaft 67 is in driving connection with the hollow shaft 71 through gearing 76, 77, 78, Fig. 13. Driving connection between disc 75 and shaft 67 is obtained by a clutch crescent 79, Fig. 12, pivoted to the disc 75 and having a lug 80 urged by a spring 82 to engage in one of the notches of a spider 81 secured to the shaft 67 but held out of engagement therewith during playing by a dog 83 forming one arm of a lever 84. The other arm 87 of the lever 84 is provided with a member 88 which coacts with a pawl 89 pivotally supported by an arm 90 attached to the tone-arm 73. The member 88 has end surfaces 91, 92 inclined to an intermediate surface 93. While the machine is playing the pawl drags on the surface 93 at an angle to the arm 90 but upon reversal of the direction of movement of the tone-arm the pawl 89 straightens into alignment with the arm 90 to exert a pressure on the member 88 which is depressed to disengage the dog 83 from the crescent 79 so that shaft 71 and cam shaft 56 are rotated. Rotation of a cam wheel 100 on the shaft 71 actuates a lever 98, Fig. 13, carrying a pin 97 which engages with an extension 96 on the tone-arm 73 so that the latter is raised about its hinges 95 whereupon the tone-arm moves under gravity to a position clear of the turntable. In order that the clutch mechanism shall remain operative throughout the record transfer cycle, an arm 102, Fig. 13, is provided on one arm of the lever 84 which arm is actuated by the cam wheel 100 to maintain the dog 83 out of engagement with the crescent 79..The movement of the tone-arm may be limited by contact of the arm 90 with one arm 106 of a lever 107 pivoted at 108 and maintained in position by a spring 110, Fig. 13. The lever 107 also functions to return the tone-arm 73 to correct playing position by movement from the dotted to the full line position of Fig. 13. This movement is effected from the elevator shaft 19. A pinion 116 is keyed on the shaft 19 which, through gears 116, 117 moves the arm 106 towards the turntable simultaneously with movement of the arm 17. In operation, the drum cam 59 operates the control lever 42 to swing the magazine over the turntable immediately the played record has been raised above the plane of the magazine by the elevation of the arms 17, 18. The lever 42 then continues further to advance causing operation of lever 49, so rotating the arms 17, 18 to allow the played record to drop into the magazine. Subsequently, the lever 25 recedes to lower the shafts 19, 20 and the magazine begins its return movement whereupon the lowermost record is engaged by the finger 31 protruding through a cutaway portion 38, Fig. 11, in the magazine wall and is dislodged from supporting flanges 40, 41 through a cutaway portion 39 into playing position on the turntable.