Improvements in Devices or Apparatus for Duplicating Graphophone Records.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices or Apparatus for Duplicating
Graphophone Records.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON, of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been
communicated to me from abroad by The American Graphophone Company a
corporation organized and existing under the Laws of the State of West Virginia,
having its principal place of business in Washington D.C. United States of
America) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has reference to devices or apparatus for duplicating graphophonic
records.
In such apparatus, as heretofore constructed, the reproducing and recording
styles have usually been carried by separate levers connected by suitable inter-
mediate links, diaphragms, and attachments, the pressure requisite to cut the
duplicate record being transmitted through the pivot points of the levers by
suitable weights or other equivalent means. Such devices not only require very
painstaking adjustment, but owing to their delicacy of structure are very susceptible
to injury.
The object of the present invention is to provide a greatly simplified construction
of a substantial character, but which will duplicate records with greater precision
than will the duplicating devices heretofore in use. In accordance with this
invention the reproducing and recording styles are rigidly connected, both being
carried by a lever to which vibratory movements are imparted by the master
record and whereby the reproducing style is caused to cut in a blank a duplicate
corresponding to the master record. This lever is pivoted to an arm which is
arranged (at an inclination or otherwise) so that the weight thereof falls upon the
point of the pivot to hold the styles in contact with their respective cylinders.
The said arm (which may be called the "presser arm") is pivoted at one end to
swing therefrom and is also swivelled, permitting movement about a longitudinal
axis. The pressure exerted by the presser arm, may and is preferably counteracted
to some extent by a weight operating from the pivot point of said arm, thus
permitting the latter to be made much heavier and more substantial, and giving it
greater inertia than would otherwise be permissible, with a device of this general
construction. As the blank cylinder revolves against the cutting point of
the recorder a groove is cut in its surface exactly corresponding to that of the
master record, the reproducing point following and accurately transmitting to the
recorder, the movements due to variations in the depth of cut of the master
record. The recording point is in the line of the axis on which the presser arm is
swivelled longitudinally, so that the reproducing point can find its adjustment
accurately without disturbing the position of the recorder.
Details of arrangement and what is considered the best embodiment of the
present invention in an operative machine will be clearly understood by reference
to the acccompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1, is a cross-section of an apparatus embodying this said invention.
Figure 2. is an elevation partly in section. and

page_text: Figure 3, is a view similar to Figure 1, illustrating another form of apparatus
embodying this invention.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, Y represents a travelling supporting arm, engaging
at one end with a feed screw W, and sliding on a rail V at its other end. M is the
master record cylinder and N is the blank cylinder for receiving the duplicate, the
said cylinders being horizontally arranged parallel to each other, and being carried
by suitable mandrels connected with, and driven at the same speed by, suitable
mechanism, in any well known or suitable manner. Z is a lever carrying the
reproducing point R and the recording point S. This lever is pivoted at Q to
the presser arm X arranged at an inclination and swivelled upon the pins u u
projecting into sockets in a block U turning about a longitudinal axis. The
block U carries a weighted arm E, to counteract to some extent the pressure
exerted by the arm X upon the points R and S, and is pivoted at T to a bifurcated
bracket t depending from the arm Y. The presser arm X is thus pivoted at T to
swing in a plane at right angles to the axis of the record cylinders, and on the
points u to oscillate slightly on an axis tangent to the cylinder N.
To state with geometrical precision that relation and arrangement of the parts
which has, in actual practice, been found to produce the best results, but to which the
invention is not limited, it is preferable to place the pivot point Q of lever Z at
the point of intersection of two corresponding tangent lines I-J and G-H the
said point of intersection being near a horizontal line A-B projected through the
axes O and P of the cylinders M and N, while the recording and reproducing
points S and R bear against the cylinders at the respective tangent points of the
said lines I-J and G-H. The swivel pins u u are also in the tangent line 1-J
in which the recording point is situated, so that the oscillating movement. of the
presser arm X is about the line I-J as an axis. Consequently the reproducing
point R can find a lateral adjustment without affecting the position of the
recording point S. The pivot points T and Q, and the swivel points u u are all
in one line with the recording point S, the object of this disposition being to
prevent distortion.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that the weight of the
presser arm X, swinging from the pivot point T and acting upon the fulcrum Q
of the lever Z supplies the pressure in the direction of the line C-D, for
holding the points R and S in contact with the cylinders M and N, which pressure
it is found desirable for the reasons indicated, to counteract to some extent by the
weight E. Thus, as the cylinders rotate, in the direction of the arrows, the
variations in depth of the master record cause the point R to move in the direction
of the radial line L-K of cylinder M vibrating the lever Z on the pivot and
in turn imparting movements to the point S in the direction of the radial line E-F
of the cylinder N and thereby causing it to cut a record in the blank N exactly
corresponding to the master record.
Referring now to Figure 3, the lever, or support, Z for the recording and
reproducing point is, as before, pivoted at Q to a presser arm X', the point Q
being at the intersection of the two tangent lines I-J, and G-H drawn from the
respective points of contact of the recorder and reproducer with the cylinders M, N.
The presser arm X is depressed by the counterweight E', adjustable on the
lever E. In order to secure parallelism of movement of the presser arm X it is
made part of a pantagraph system, the parallel arm X being swivelled at points u u
in the bracket t, so as to permit a slight oscillation as in the arrangement shewn in
Figures 1 and 2. This axis of oscillation is in a line which intersects the recording
point S. The operation of the apparatus shewn in Figure 3, is substantially the
same as that already described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
The disposition and arrangement of the several parts have been described with
minuteness of detail, for the purpose of exhibiting the invention in the best
practical forms known to me, but it will be obvious to skilled mechanics that
these details may be varied within wide limits without departing from the spirit of
the invention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. A device for duplicating graphophone records comprising in combination, a.
lever mounted to vibrate between a master record and a blank, a reproducing style
and a recording style carried by the said lever, and means for applying pressure
to the lever, whereby the said styles are respectively maintained in contact with.
the master record and the blank, substantially as herein before described.
2. A graphophonic duplicating apparatus comprising in combination, a support
mounted to vibrate between a master record and a blank, a reproducing style and a
recording style secured rigidly to the said support and a pivoted pressure arm
carrying the fulcrum of the support and holding the styles with yielding pressure
respectively in contact with the master record and the blank substantially as.
herein before described.
3. In a graphophonic duplicating device, the combination with a suitable support,
of a lever carrying the reproducing and recording styles, the said lever being
mounted so as to have a vibratory movement between a master record and a blank
and an oscillatory movement on an axis intersecting the point of the recording style,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. In a graphophonic duplicating device, the combination with a supporting arm,.
of a lever carrying the reproducing and recording styles and mounted to vibrate
between the master record and the blank, a pressure arm pivotally supported from
the said supporting arm, carrying the fulcrum of the said lever, and swivelled
to oscillate slightly about a longitudinal axis substantially as hereinbefore
described.
5. A graphophonic duplicating apparatus comprising in combination a lever
carrying the reproducing and recording styles, and mounted to vibrate between
the master record and the blank, and a pivotally supported weighted arm carrying
the fulcrum of the lever and swivelled to oscillate about a longitudinal axis passing
through the recording style and the fulcrum of the lever, substantially as herein-
before described.
6. In a graphophonic duplicating apparatus, the combination of a lever carrying
the reproducing and the recording styles and mounted to vibrate between the
master record and the blank, a pivoted weighted arm carrying the fulcrum of the
said lever and means for partially counteracting the weight of the said arm
substantially as herein before described.
7. In a graphophonic duplicating apparatus, the combination with a supporting
arm, of a pivoted lever carrying the reproducing and recording styles and mounted
to vibrate between the master record and the blank, a block pivotally connected to
the said supporting arm, a weighted pressure arm swivelled to the said block and
carrying the pivot of the lever, and a weighted arm on the block acting to partially
counteract the pressure of the arm, substantially as hereinbefore described.
8. In a graphophonic duplicating apparatus, the combination of the weighted
pressure arm, a lever fulcrumed thereon between the master record and the blank,
a reproducing point and a recording point pressed by the weight of the said arm
into contact with the said master record and blank, respectively, the fulcrum of the
said lever being at the intersection of tangent lines drawn respectively from the
points of the recorder and reproducer, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated the 12th day of May 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.