Improvements in Graphophones.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Graphophones.
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 com-
municated to me from abroad by the American Graphophone Company, a Cor-
poration of West Virginia, having its principal office at 919, Pennsylvania Avenue,
Washington, in the District of Columbia, United States of America) and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement -
This invention relates to graphophones and has for its objects to provide a
graphophone which is simple, and strong in construction, cheaply built, and
which has its parts so arranged as to avoid jars and vibrations which interfere
with the effective reproductions of the recorded_sounds. A further object is to
provide a carriage for the sound convever and reproducer, which will move
smoothly and easily, and which is provided with means whereby the sound con
vever, with the reproducer supported thereby, can be readily attached to, and
detached from, the carriage, and a novel and efficient means for simultaneously
lifting the nut in the carriage from the feed screw, and raising the reproducer
from off the tablet.
A graphophone constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in
the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 an end elevation of the machine;
and
Figure 3 is a detail side elevation, partly in section, of the reproducer carriage;
Figure 4 is an end elevation shewing the mounting which is preferred for the
sound conveying horn
A is a bed plate near to one end of which two similar upright frame plates A¹
A are secured and near the other end is secured a single frame plate A³. The
said frame plates are held together by tie-rods B, 131, and between the plates A' A³
is a spring barrel G having its shaft journalled in the said plates, the screw
shaft C being journalled in the top of the plates A¹ A³ and passes loosely through
the plate A. At the rear side of the apparatus a tubular distance piece is fitted
between the plates A¹ A³ through which plates and distance piece is passed one
end of the shaft of the mandrel M the said tubular distance piece providing a
long bearing for the mandrel shaft which is not supported at any other part. The
mandrel is secured to the shaft entirely outside of the bearings of the latter, and
a pulley m is fixed on the shaft of the mandrel. D is a governor whose shaft is
journalled in the plate As and a plate a on the bed plate A. Wis the winding
ker for the spring barrel G and ¹, tc are respectively the usual pawl and ratchet.
operating in connection therewith. Attached to the shaft of the spring barrel G
is a large toothed wheel 1, which may be, and preferably is, formed on the spring
barrel itself This toothed wheel 1 engages with a pinion 2 on a shaft which also
carries a toothed wheel 3 that engages with a pinion 4 on the screw shaft C, to

page_text: This
drive it. The wheel 3 also engages a pinion 5 on a shaft which also carries a
wheel 6 gearing with a pinion 7 fast on a shaft carrving a pulley m² over which
passes a belt m³ to a pulley m¹ on the mandrel shaft. It will be seen that thus
the mandrel is driven by a train of gearing wholly independent of the screw
shaft C instead of driving the latter from the mandrel shaft as heretofore
is of importance as it prevents the transmission to the screw shaft and reproducer
of jars and vibrations incident to the gearing for driving the mandrel which
latter is relieved from such jars and vibrations by the interposition of the belt m³.
On the shaft carrying the pulley m² is a large toothed wheel 8 engaging with a
pinion 9 on the governor shaft whereby the latter is driven at high speed. This
governor is of a well known type by which the speed of the machine is adjustably
controlled whilst in motion, and which may also be utilized to start and stop the
machine by shifting a lever so as to throw the friction pad 2 of the brake on
the governor, away from, or forcibly in contact with, the disc d
On the rod Bis al freely sliding sleeve S. having a reduced por-
tion & forming a shoulders, and H, II, are upright plates, having
openings through which the reduced portion of the sleeve S is
passed, with a spacing tube between the plates. This combination con-
stitutes the carriage for the reproducer One of the plates II abuts against
the shoulders and a screw nut F is threaded on the reduced portions so as to
hold the plates H, H, in place. A tube I, for supporting the reproducer and the
sound conveying horn, or tube (not shewn) is pivoted between the plates H, H,
and in the end of this tube the coupling piece, or socket, attachment, K is hung
on a horizontal axis, the reproducer being connected to the coupling piece, or
socket attachment, in the usual way, so as to afford the necessary lateral play:
vertical play being secured by reason of the horizontal pivot of the coupling piece.
A projecting arm L extends under the coupling-piece K and is secured thereto
in any suitable way, preferably by being formed in one with a ring surround-
ing the coupling as shewn. A goose-neck N is pivoted at n to swing in a vertical
plane between the plates H, H, with its nose above, the end of the arm L. and
with its tail extending above, and past, the screw shaft C. and terminating imme-
diately above the rod B. A trigger P, having a handle h is hung to turn on the
spacing tube This trigger P has a cam surface 71 formed thereon, which cam,
at the inner end of the trigger, terminates in a recess, or seat, 72. Immediately
over the screw shaft C, the goose-neck has formed. thereon a partial nut n¹, and.
when the handle h of the trigger P is elevated, the nut n¹ engages the screw C.
and the nose of the goose-neck is elevated, permitting the reproducer to rest down
on the tablet as shown in Figure 2. For the purpose of insuring this position.
of the goose-neck, when released by the trigger, a spring n² is interposed between
the top of the goose-neck and the bottom of tube I Upon depressing the handle
of the trigger P the cam pl wipes the tail of the goose-neck thereby elevating
the tail and depressing the nose thereof This throws the nut n' out of engage-
ment with the screw shaft C and, by pushing on the arm L, elevates the coupling
piece K and the reproducer as shewn in Figure 3. The parts are retained in this
position by the engagement of the tail of the goose-neck in the recess, or seat, n
The opposite ends of the plates H H to those carrying the trigger P are brought
together and a U shaped recess formed therein to receive the rod B₁ and on the
lower projecting arm o of the U shaped recess is mounted an anti-friction roller O,
having a concave periphery to engage the rod B₁ so as to ease the friction due
to the weight of the horn, or listening tube
In Figures 1, 2 and 3 the tube I for attaching the horn is shewn but it is pre-
ferred to dispense with the tube and detachably mount the horn itself between
the plates HH as in a saddle, and pivot the coupling piece K directly in the
mouth of the horn, as is clearly shewn in Figure 4 This simplifies the construc-
tion and provides a very light and effective carriage for the horn and the repro-
ducer. A graphophone as thus constructed is composed of few parts, is easily
manipulated, and can be operated with great accuracy and steadiness.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a graphophone the combination of a bed-plate, two upright frame plates
secured thereto, a motor spring between the said plates with its shaft journalled
therein, a feed-screw journalled in one of the said plates and in a third plate, a
carriage actuated by the said screw, a saddle on the said carriage, a horn detach-
ably supported in the said saddle, a recorder, or reproducer, supported in the
mouth of the said horn, suitable gearing between the motor shaft and the man-
drel shaft, and between the former and the feed screw, substantially as herein-
before described.
2. In a graphophone the combination of a mandrel, or tablet support, with a
carriage, a saddle thereon, a horn seated in the said saddle, a recorder, or repro-
ducer, supported by the said horn and means for giving the said carriage trans-
latory motion relatively to the tablet, substantially as hereinhefore described.
3 In a graphophone the combination of a spring, a mandrel, a feed screw and
gearing from the spring barrel to the mandrel and screw, with a carriage moving
on a track, or way, on one side of the said screw and having anti-frictional bear-
ing on a guide rail on the opposite side of the said screw, a sound conveyer on the
said carriage and supporting a recorder, or reproducer, a pivoted lever on the
said carriage, a partial nut on the said lever, and means for elevating and depres-
sing the said lever, substantially as herein before described.
4 The combination with the carriage, and means for moving it of a saddle on
the said carriage, a horn provided at its small end with a socket attachment for
the recorder, or reproducer, and means for attaching the said horn to the said
saddle. substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The combination with the feed-screw, of the carriage. the sound convever
supported thereby, the nut for engagement with the said screw moveably sup-
ported by the said carriage, the socket swivelled in the end of the said sound
convever and connections between the socket and nut, whereby, upon the move-
ment of the latter, into and out of engagement with the feed-screw the socket is
tilted substantially as herein before described
6 The combination with the feed-screw, of the carriage, the sound convever
supported thereby, the nut for engaging the said screw. a lever pivoted on the
said carriage and connected with the said nut, the socket swivelled in the end
of the said sound conveyor, and an arm on the said socket engaging the said lever
substantially as herein before described
7 In a graphophone the general combination of parts substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 31st day of January 1899
JOHNSONS & WILCOX.
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.