Patent GB-291480-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in talking machines
IPC: G11B17/16
Filed: 1927-01-18
Abstract: 291,480. Gramophone Co., Ltd., and Buckle, H. L. T. Jan. 18, 1927. Magazine gramophones ;repeating-mechanism; starting and stopping. - Relates to gramophones adapted for continuous sound - reproduction, whether by playing a succession of records automatically taken from a magazine, or by repeated playing of the same record. According to the invention, a single reciprocating member adapted to be driven intermittently from the motor of the machine actuates two separate levers, one a sound-box lifting and lowering lever, the other a lever which swings the tone-arm across the record. In the machine shown, the reciprocating member consists of a plate, the path of which can be varied so as to control the tone-arm in such different ways as may be necessary, and, in addition, so that it may when required, operate mechanism for transferring a record from a magazine or pile to the turntable. The machine shown can be set, according to the position of a lever 74, Figs. 1 and 4, to operate either as a magazine gramophone or for automatic repetition of a single record, or as an ordinary manuallycontrolled machine. The main function of the lever 74, the various positions of which are determined by notches in a catch 167, is to control the path of a plate 6 which is reciprocated by the motor when a clutch is brought into operation, as subsequently described. This control is effected through a roller 40 on the lever 74, which serves as a guide for the plate 6 and, according to the position of the roller, determines the path in which the plate can slide. For " magazine operation," or " repeater action," a single to-and-fro movement of the plate 6 is effected automatically at the end of the playing of a record, and this movement causes (1) the raising of the sound-box : (2) the swinging of the tone-arm outwardly to a position varying in accordance with the setting of the lever 74, and also, in the case of " repeater operation," depending on the size of the record which is being played : (3) in the case of " magazine operation," inward movement of the tone-arm to bring the needle over the starting-point, on the record, the extent of this movement depending on the size of the record about to be played : (4) lowering of the sound-box to deposit the needle on the record : (5) in the " magazine operation," actuation of mechanism for transferring a record from the magazine to the turntable; this action takes place after the automatic removal of the previously-played record, and prior to the inward movement of the tone-arm. During repeater operation, the raising and lowering of the sound-box, both occur during the movement of the plate 6 from left to right. For lifting and lowering the sound-box, the plate 6 is provided with a pivoted forked member 41, Fig. 13, cooperating with a lever 44 which is pivoted on an horizontal axis at 45. This lever is adapted to engage with a post (not shown) depending from an arm 48 which extends from a collar surrounding the tone-arm. A limited amount of play is allowed between the collar and the tonearm, which have common pivots 49. The mechanism whereby the tone-arm is swung outwardly, and drawn in again when necessary, comprises a lever 68, pivoted at. 69, and having a downwardly extending pin 70 engaging in a slot 71 in the plate 6, Fig. 4. The arm 48 connected with the tone-arm has an upward projection 131 which, when the sound-box has been raised, is in the path of the free end of the lever 68 or of a member 138 pivoted thereon. The slot 71 is so shaped that as the plate 6 moves from left to right, the pin 70 is engaged, so as to rotate the lever 68, until the pin passes into the branch 73 of the slot, whereupon the swinging movement of the lever, and the consequent outward movement of the tone-arm ceases. By this arrangement, when the control lever 74 is set in the position shown in Fig. 1, for magazine operation, the maximum outward movement of the tone-arm occurs, but by displacing the plate 6 by means of the lever 74, as shown in Fig. 4, the extent of outward swing of the tone-arm is lessened; this occurs when repetition of a record is required. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the outward movement of the tonearm shall vary in accordance with the size of the record to be replayed. Means provided for this purpose comprise a T-piece 138, pivoted on the lever 68, and coacting with levers 129, 132. When a twelve-inch record is in use, the piece 138 drops down over the lever 68, so as to increase its effective width, but for a ten-inch record the piece 138 is raised by means of the lever 129, pressed upwards by a spring. The lever 129 is controlled as required, by the lever 132, which may be operated by hand, or automatically by the action of a record it is being transferred to the turntable. During magazine operation, the tone-arm is drawn inwards, after being moved outwards to the furthest extent by the lever 68, by means of a hook 189 on the lever. This hook is controlled by a projection and by stops on the lever 129, the stops determining the point (depending on the size of the record in use) at which inward movement of the tone-arm ceases, just before the sound-box is lowered on to the starting-point of the record. The record-storing and transferring mechanism is of the kind described in Specification 289,140, the records being moved from a magazine in which they are arranged in a pile, by an horizontally-swinging arm 95 carrying means for picking up a record and depositing it on the turntable. The arm 95 is swung between the magazine and the turntable by means of a lever 101, engaged 'by a projection 114 on the plate 6. Means are provided for effecting a quickreturn movement of the arm 95 as the plate 6 moves back. The necessary up-and-down movements of the arm 95 are imparted to it by a twopart lever (not shown) projecting under the end of the pillar 96 carrying the arm, and having a roller engaging a box cam on the lower end of a cam-shaft 12. When the machine is set for repeater operation, or to act as an ordinary machine, the lever 74, by means of links 91, 120, 147 rotates the support of the two-part lever, so that the box cam for raising and lowering the arm 95 is no longer operative. At the same time, mechanism which during magazine operation automatically removes a played record from the turntable, is put out of action. This mechanism comprises a vertically-movable post 76, Fig. 6, which when raised engages the underside of the record at a point outside the edge of the turntable, so that the tilted record is then slewed off by the rotating table. The post 76 is raised when necessary by means of a lever 80 acted upon by a cam 88 on the shaft 12. The ejected record slides down a. shoot into a special compartment. The turntable spindle 13 is driven by an electromotor (not shown). connected in a circuit shown diagrammatically in Fig. 24. This includes a main switch C, and switches 152, 157, 161, the purpose of which is described below. On the spindle 13 is fixed a wheel 22, Figs. 1 and 6, adapted to be engaged by a tooth on a clutch lever 17, which is pivoted on a plate 15, loose on the spindle 13. A lever 24, pivoted at 24', is controlled by a spring 25 so that one end 28 normally holds the clutch lever 17 out of engagement with the wheel 22. The plate 15 carries a wheel 14, gearing with a wheel 16 on the cam shaft 12. On this shaft, below the wheel 16, is an eccentric cam (not shown) which, by means of an arm 7 reciprocates the plate 6, when the cam shaft rotates, for the purposes already explained. The machine operates as follows.-For magazine working, the pile of records is placed in the magazine, and the main switch as well as a switch 152 (mentioned below) are closed by hand. The lever 74 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 1, and a rod 163 is then pushed in so as to rock the detent lever 24 about its pivot. This allows the lever 17 to clutch the wheel 22 to the disc 15, and at the same time a switch 161, consisting of blade springs adapted to be pressed together by a stud on the lever 24, is closed. The motor circuit is thus fully closed, and the cam shaft 12 is rotated by the gearing described above. By this means the plate 6 is reciprocated, and the raising, swinging, and lowering of the tone-arm, as well as the movement of the record-transferring arm 95, occur in proper sequence. During the movement of the record from the magazine towards the turntable, it sets the lever 132 in the manner and for the purpose previously described. After completion of one rotation of the cam shaft 12 a pin 30 on the lever 24, which, during the rotation had been engaged within a ring 31, Fig. 6, upstanding from a disc on the cam shaft, passes out into a recess 35. This allows the end 23 of the lever 24 to move again into the path of the clutch lever 17, and thereby declutch the wheel 22, so that the cam shaft stops. The record is then played, and when the end is reached a reverse movement is imparted to the tone-arm, for example by means of an eccentric groove on the record. A projection on the arm 48 moving with the tone-arm, by engagement with a ratchet wheel (not shown) mounted on an arm of the detent 24, thereupon rocks the detent so that the clutch is thrown into action again, and the cycle of automatic operations is repeated. To repeat the playing of any record during magazine operation, the lever 74 is moved to the second notch in the catch 167, whereby the path of the plate 6 is altered, as previously explained. With the plate 6 in the new position, the end 114 of the plate moves clear of the lever 101, and the linkage 91, 120, 147 operates in the manner described above, so that the record-transferring means is rendered inoperative. When the magazine has been emptied, the machine is automatically stopped by the opening of a switch 15, Fig. 1. This comprises two blade springs which are normally in contact, but which are separat