Patent GB-1189781-A (GB)
Title: Sound Reproducing Mechanism.
IPC: A63H3/28
Filed: 1968-01-03
Abstract: 1,189,781. Talking doll. M. I. GLASS [trading as MARVIN GLASS & ASSOCIATES]. 3 Jan., 1968 [16 Jan., 1967], No. 374/68. Heading A6S. [Also in Division G5] A sound-reproducing mechanism comprises a turntable having mounted upon it a record having a plurality of separate sound sequences, a stylus mounted for movement relative to the record, indexing means operable to position the stylus selectively on the record to reproduce any of the sound sequences, drive mechanism for rotating the turntable and record, and a plurality of manually-operable means connected with the indexing means, the indexing means including: (a) a plurality of relatively-movable control elements each connected with one of the manually-operable means and operative in response to movement thereof to position the stylus to reproduce a predetermined message, and (b) parts co-oparable with the control elements to render ineffective the remainder of the control elements after one such element has been moved to position the stylus. The invention embodied as a toy gramophone assembly in a doll, consists, briefly, of the following parts: (a) the gramophone; (b) a control system responsive to movements of parts or attachments of the doll, and incorporating a switch for the turntable drive motor and a member for effecting non-transducing traverse of the tone arm; and (c) a mechanism for raising and lowering the tone arm and incorporating a holding switch for the drive. The gramophone consists of a turntable 34, Fig. 4 with a record 32 secured, preferably permanently, thereto, and driven via belt 78 by a motor 36 powered by a battery 84. A tone arm 38, Figs. 4 and 12, with stylus 44 is mounted for horizontal movement about a shaft 58, and is pivotable in a vertical plane about the apex rib 40 of an acoustical conical speaker 42. The record preferably has a continuous groove bearing a plurality of messages separated by blank groove portions, The control system includes five blades 122 to 128, Fig. 3, each slidable upwards (as seen in Fig. 3) by movement of one part of the doll's anatomy. If the doll is squeezed so that a flap 177, Figs. 4 and 7, is pressed inwards, an integral bracket 172 is rotated against the resistance of an integral spring 176, Fig. 7, and thereby pulls blade 126 upwards by means of a wire 170. As seen in Fig. 9, the blade movement is to the right, to the position shown partly in dotted lines. By this action the blade 126 makes contact with, and turns to the vertical, a metal switch blade 116 against the resistance, of a leaf spring 149. Rotation of switch blade 126 opens a transverse passageway 153, Fig. 9, which enables a spring 150, Fig. 12, to move a non-metallic slidable switch element 114, Fig. 12, bearing a metal contact 155, to the left until it abuts against blade 126. When the flap 177 is released, a spring 132, Fig. 9, forces blade 126 to the left again slightly until it is stopped by engagement of lug 159 with element 114. In this position spring 149 is pressing switch blade 116 against the back of contact 155, thus completing a gramophone-driving circuit as follows: battery terminal clip 92, wire 96, Fig. 4, plate 52, Figs. 4 and 9, leaf spring 149, contacts 116 and 155, wire 160, Fig. 12, motor 36, Fig. 4, wire 94, and battery terminal clip 90. At the same time. switch element 114, Fig. 12, has pulled tone arm 38 inwards (still in the raised position, however), until the stylus 44 is above the start of an appropriate message on record 32. The rotation of turntable 34, thus initiated, serves to rotate, through a pinion 216, Fig. 4, on the turntable shaft 62, a toothed gear 112 having a pant-circular cam 74 on its underside, Figs. 4 and 3, and a short cam 110 on its upper side, Figs. 4 and 3. The rotation of gear 112 serves, first, to release a flexible switch contact 104 from cam 110, so that a holding switch constituted by contact 104 and a further contact 106, Figs. 3 and 4, is closed, and second, to force downwards a ''lifter'' 66, Fig. 4, by engagement of cam 74 with the end 76 of the lifter; a cross piece 68 on the lifter thereby permits tone arm 38 to be tilted downwards, about rib 40 as fulcrum, by a spring 60 on shaft 58. Stylus 44 then makes contact with record 32, as seen in Fig. 12, and playback begins. At the end of the message, cam 74 is disengaged from end 76 of lifter 66, whereupon a tension spring 70, Fig. 4, raises lifter 66 and, with it, tone arm 38. During continued rotation of gear 112, a lus 218 on its underside, Fig. 12, strikes a vertical projection 220 on switch element 114, thereby moving it back to the starting position; element 114, in turn, moves tone arm 38 (now in its raised position) back to the edge of the record. Switch 155, 116 is now open, and continued rotation of gear 112 moves cam 110 under contact 104, thus opening the holding switch and stopping the motor. During this sequence the remaining control blades 122, 124, 128, 130 are rendered ineffective by provision of the following features: element 114, Fig. 12, in its operative position abuts the particular blade, 126, which has been moved by flap 177, and cannot therefore move further to the left either to make contact with blades 122, 124 or to shift tone arm 38 over the wrong message; also, element 114 is held in the position of Fig. 12 by the spring 132 of slide 126 until it is retracted by lug 218; finally, the element 114 has an elongated portion 157 which prevents longitudinal movement of the remaining blades 128, 130. Other doll features are associated with the control system as follows. The right leg 24, Fig. 3, incorporates a pin 136 engageable with a bracket 134 on the end of blade 122; the right arm 22 incorporates a pin 166 linked to (blade 124; tilting of the head 26, Fig. 4, sideways (only) moves blade 128; and withdrawal of a catapult 28, Fig. 4, from a rear pocket serves to rotate a link 210 which operates on blade 130. The record, as an alternative, may have two or more concentric grooves, each having a series of separate but related messages; the placement of the stylus 44 by the indexing means would then result in a random reproduction of one such message.