Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 6th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 8th Jan., 1898
I, THEODORE VAN HEEMESTEDE OBELT, of 140 Rokin, Amsterdam, in the Kingdom
of Holland, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my present invention is to construct a Phonograph that, while
possessing every facility for perfectly and accurately recording and reproducing
sound wave vibrations, may be made and sold at a fabulously low price, as com-
pared with the price of those hitherto made and used.
For the purposes of my invention I provide of any kind of wood a preferably
rectangular box or case, upon the top of which I fix a metallic covering plate in
the usual way. To the under surface of the said plate I screw or otherwise fix a
metallic frame, having at each end suitable projections which form bearings for
a shaft or spindle, one end of which protrudes through a hole in the end of the
said case and receives a suitable handle for rotating the same by hand.
Upon the upper surface of the said plate I fix a pair of suitably shaped standards,
connected together at their upper ends by a rod, circular in cross section, and which
has been previously trued in a lathe. In suitable bearings formed in or connected
to the said standards I mount a suitably threaded shaft, parallel with the before
mentioned rod, and, preferably, immediately beneath the said threaded shaft and
parallel therewith 1 mount a suitably shaped wood, vulcanite, bone, metal or other
mandrel, adapted to receive and hold the cylinder upon which a record of sound
vibrations is to be or has been traced, one end of the said mandrel spindle being
borne by one of the before mentioned standards, through which it projects and
carries a suitable sheave or pulley, the opposite end of the said mandrel spindle
being borne by a bearing hinged or otherwise pivotally connected to the said plate,
the removal of which permits the cylinder upon which the record is to be made,
or has been made, to be placed in position upon the said mandrel, a suitable opening
being provided in the before mentioned standard at this end for the passage of the
said cylinder. Upon one end of the said mandrel is mounted a sprocket wheel,
or a wheel having a number of pointed equidistant teeth upon its periphery, and
immediately over this a like but much smaller wheel is mounted upon the before
mentioned threaded shaft, the two said sprocket or pointed tooth wheels being con-
neeted by a belt or strup of suitable material, in which equidistant perforations have
heen made, and with these engage the teeth of both the said sprocket wheels, the
object of this arrangement of the said wheels and band or strap being, that for the
purposes of accuracy, it is a sine qua non that both these wheels must rotate at
a predetermined speed relatively to each without the slightest possibility of slip.
One of the projecting ends of the spindle of the mandrel, carries a grooved
pulley or sheave, which gears by a band or strap with a larger but like pulley or
sheave upon the first named shaft or spindle, within the said wood or other case,
or the said sheaves or pulleys may conveniently be replaced by sprocket wheels
similar to those previously referred to, while the said band or strap may have

page_text: perforations for engaging with the teeth of same. By this means the rotation of the
before mentioned handle would impart motion to the mandrel and the threaded
shaft above, the respective speeds of which would be determined by the size of the
sprocket wheels thereon.
One ond of a suitably shaped arm is provided with an eye with which engages
the before mentioned trued up shaft upon the upper ends the said standards so
that the said arm may freely slide along the said shaft. The free end of the said
arm carries a diaphragm having a recording or reproducing stylus as required,
and in a suitable position upon the said arm is fixed a half or part nut of the same
pitch as the before mentioned threaded shaft, the said arm being so formed that
when thrown over so as to place the stylus in contact with the said cylinder, the
said half or part nut would make contact, with and rest upon the said threaded
shaft and by means of the rotation of the latter as described and the said half or
part nut in connection therewith the said arm would be caused to slido along its
rod, the rate of rotation of the said threaded shaft relatively to the said mandrel
being such that the stylus of the recording diaphragmn would always accurately
follow the path of the record upon the cylinder.
Notwithstanding that my said improved phonograph is arranged to be driven
by hand, I may provide that the said handle be replaced by a pulley, so that the
driving shaft be rotated by mechanical means, in which case, or may be when the
handle is used, I may provide a suitable governor for regulating the speed. For
this purpose I provide upon the before mentioned frame a pair of depending bear-
ings which carry a short shaft, upon which is fixed a pulley receiving motion by
the means of a band or strap from a like but larger pulley upon the driving shaft,
or both the said pulleys may be replaced by sprocket wheels and receive a per-
forated band as previously referred to. Upon one end of the said short shaft is
fixed a ciroular disc, to the periphery of which is fixed the one ends of two or more
plate springs, the opposite ends of which are connected in like manner to a second
disc having a broad flange, and adapted to slide upon the opposite end of the said
shaft. Each of the said plate springs carries a leaden or other weight centrally
of its length, and as the speed of the driving shaft (and consequently the said short
shaft) increases the said plate springs are caused to bow outwardly by the action of
centrifugal force upon the said weights, and such bowing of the springs would
cause the said loose disc and its flange to slide along the said short shaft towards
the said fixed disc, the said weights thus serving as a fly wheel for maintaining a
smooth and even motion, but in order that the speed may not be unduly increased
by the impetus of the said weights, I mount upon a bracket a bell crank lever, one
member of which has connected thereto a rod passing upwardly through a threadedi
hole in the plate of the phonograph, the opposite member of the said bell crank
being provided with a resilient plug adapted to impinge upon the flange of the said
sliding disc when the said rod upon the other member is rotuted by a suitable
finger hold provided thereon.
I, THEODORE VAN HEEMSTEDE OBкLT, of 140 Rokin, Ainsterdam, in the Kingdom
of Holland, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what 50

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement: -
The object of my present invention is to construct a phonograph, that while
possessing every facility for perfectly and accurately recording and reproducing
sound wave vibrations, may be made and sold at a fabulously low price, as com-
pared with that of those hitherto made and used.
In order that the general construction of my improved phonograph, and the
manner of its operation may be fully understood, I have hereunto appended a sheet
of drawings, of which;
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with the case or box upon which the phonograph head
rests (and which contains the mechanism from which the initial motion is produced)
is partly broken away.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.
Figs. 3 and 4 are end elevations of the as viewed from left to right and from
right to left respectively of Fig. 1, while Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the speaker
arm and its connections.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide of any kind of wood, a preferably
rectangular box or case A, upon the top of which I fix a metallic covering plate 1
in the usual way. To the under surface of the said plate B I screw or otherwise
fix a metallic frame C, having at each end suitable projectious a and a¹, which
form bearings for a horizontal shaft or spindle D, one end of which protrudes
through a hole in the end of the case A, and carries a suitable wheel having a
weighted periphery E, and a handle b, when the same is to be rotated by hand.
Upon the upper surface of the plate 13 I fix by any couvenient means, a pair
of suitably shaped standards and F, to the upper end of which I bolt or other-
wise connect a horizontal rod G ciroular in cross section, and which has been
previously trued up in a lathe. In suitable bearings formed in or connected to
the said standards F and F¹, I mount a left hand threaded shaft H, (erroneously
shewn in the drawings as having a right hand thread) parallel with the before
mentioned rod G and immediately beneath the shaft H or preferably so, I mount
a parallel or slightly tapered, wood vulcanite, bone, metal or other mandrel J
adapted to receive and hold, by frictional contact, a wax or other cylinder K,
(shewn by dotted outline in Figs. 1 and 2) upon which a record of sound vibrations
is to be, or has been traced, one end of the spindle c of the said mandrel being
borne by the standard F, through which it projects and carries a suitable sheave
or pulley d, the opposite end of the spindle c being borne by a vertical plate L,
hinged or otherwise pivotally connected at a point e to a pair of pillars and e³,
fixed upon the plate B, the removal of which (as indicated by dotted outline at
Fig. 1) permits the said cylinder K, to be placed in position upon, or removed from,
the mandrel J, a suitable opening e' being provided in the standard F¹ to permit
this, while any convenient form of spring catch may be employed for automatically
locking the plate L, when so raised, us at Figs. 1 and 4.
Upon one end of the mandrel J is mounted a sprocket wheel M, or a wheel
having upon its periphery any number of equidistant teeth or pins f, and im-
mediately over this and fixed upon the end of the said threaded shaft H, is mounted
a like but much smaller wheel N, having upon its periphery equidistant teeth
or pins f, the said wheels M and N being in gear with each other by the means of
an endless belt or strap g of any suitable material, in which equidistant perforations
or holes gare formed, with which engage the pins or teeth and f', which
provides, that perfect accuracy of motion exists between the wheels M and N,
it being a sine qua non that these rotate regularly without the slightest slip
relatively to each other.
As previously stated, one end of the spindle c of the mandrel J, extends through
the beating F, and carries a grooved pulley or sheave d, which gears by a band
or strap h (passing through apertures in the plate B) with a larger but like pulley
or sheave O, upon the shaft or spindle D, or both, the wheels d and 0 may

page_text: conveniently be replaced by wheels similar to those M and N while the band or
strap may be replaced by a perforated band similar to g.
h
From the foregoing, and by reference to the drawings it will be understood, that
the rotation of the handle or wheel E, or its equivalent, in the direction of the
arrow Fig. 4, would impart motion to the mandrel J and the threaded shaft H,
in the same direction, the respective speeds of which would be determined by the
relative sizes of the wheels or sheaves O and d, and the sprocket or sharp toothed
wheels M and N.
One end of a suitably shaped arm P (Fig. 5) is provided with an eye m, with
which engages the shaft G, the said eya being adapted to slide freely upon
without shake or quiver. The free end of P provided with a threaded half or
part nut n of the same pitch as the threaded shaft H, and is pivotally connected
at a point with a speaker arm P, carrying a diaphragm R, having a recording
or reproducing stylus r, as required, and a tubular positions to which a resonator
or hearing tube may be attached in the usual way. The speaker arm P¹, and the
arm Pare preferably counerted by a short length of chain or cord t, and are so
formed respectively, that when thrown over so as to place the stylus in contact
with the cylinder K, the half or part nut would make contact with, and rest
upon, the threaded shaft II by the weight of itself and the arm P, while the
stylus r, would rest upon the surface of the cylinder K by the weight of the
diaphragm and the speaker arm Pl, the chain providing that both P and P
may collectively be thrown over in the opposite direction, so that the stylus r
and the nut are both out of contact with their respective collaborators K and H
The manner of operation is as follows:-
If a sound record is to be traced upon a clean or plain cylinder K the said cylinder
would be placed in position upon the mandrel J and a diaphragm R, carrying
a recording stylus, be placed upon the speaker arm 1", and the eye m of the arm P
be so placed upon the rod G, that the half or part nut rests upon the initial end
of the threaded rod H, and the stylus r upon the cylinder K, substantially as at
Figs. 1, 2 and 5. If then sounds from a voice, brass band, piano or the like are
directed into a resonator placed upon the tabe s, and rotation be imparted to the
wheel E or its equivalent, and consequently the mandrel J and the shaft II, the
compound arm P, P would be caused to travel in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1,
and a record of such sound vibrations would be indented, cut or otherwise traced
in spiral form upon the cylinder K in the usual way, and if now the arms P and P¹
be thrown out of gear, and the recording stylus raud diaphragm R, be replaced
by a reproducing stylus and diaphragm, and both be placed at the initial end of
the cylinder K, with the nut n, in contact with H and the reproducing stylus
with the cylinder K, a repetition of the rotation of the wheel E or its equivalent
would reproduce the sounds so recorded in the usual way.
Notwithstanding that my said improved phonograph is hereinbefore described
and shewn by the drawings as adapted to be rotated by hand I may replace the
wheel by a pulley or sheave, so that the shaft D may be rotated by mechanical
power, in which case I may provide a suitable governor for regulating the speed
of the apparatus. For this purpose I provide upon the frame C, a pair of depend-
ing arms S and S, which form bearings for a short shaft T, upon which is fixed
a pulley receiving motion by the means of a band or strap el, from a like but larger
pulley, mounted upon the driving shaft D, or both and may be replaced
by sprocket wheel or wheels such as M and N, previously mentioned, while the
band may be replaced by a perforated band such as g previously referred to.
Upon the end of the shaft T is fixed a circular disc V to the periphery of which
is connected the one ends of two or more plate springs w, the opposite ends of which
are connected to a second and broader disc adapted to slide upon the shaft T.
Each of the plato springs to carries a leaden or other weight w, centrally of its
length, and as the speed of the shaft D (and consequently the shaft T) increases,
the said springs are caused to bow outwardly by the action of centrifugal
force upon the said weights 10' (as indicated by dotted outline in Fig. 1) and such

page_text: bowing out of these would cause the loose disc V, to slide along the shaft T
towards the fixed disc V (as indicated by the dotted outline of V, in Fig. 1)
the said weights wo', thus serving as a fly-wheel for maintaining a smooth and even
motion to the remaining movable parts, but in order that the speed may not be
unduly increased by the impetus of the said weights to the detriment of the re-
production of the said records. I mount upon a bracket (Fig. 1) a bell crank
fever one member of which has passing upwardly therethrough, and a threaded
hole in the plate B, a threaded rod y, the upper end of which said rod is provided
with a head y', by which it may be rotated, while the opposite member of the
said bell crank is provided with a resilient plug adapted to impinge upon the
face of the disc V, when the other member is raised by the rotation of the rod y.
By the rotation of the rod y in one direction the plug may be brought out of
contact with the disc V, when the speed of the governor would be increased, but
by rotating the rod y in the opposite direction the plug³may be caused to more
or less impinge upon the disc and arrest its progress, after the manner of a brake,
and by a suitable adjustment of the said rod y the desired speed may be attained
and maintained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1st. In a phonograph the combination with a box or case such as A, covered
by a plate such as B with the herein described method and means for conveying
motion from a shaft or spindle contained within the said case, and driven by hand
or other power, causing the rotation of a suitable mandrel, carrying a wax or other
cylinder for receiving and reproducing records of sound vibrations, and the
method and means of conveying motion from the said mandrel to, and for the
rotation of a threaded shaft, in combination with a recording and or reproducing
diaphragm connected to a suitable jointed arm or armis, arranged to slide along
a fixed rod above the said threaded shaft, by the means of a half or part-nut,
connected to the said arm or arms, and adapted to be thrown in and out of gear
with the said rotating threaded shaft, and the stylus of the diaphragm thereon
in and out of gear with the said wax or other cylinder, the whole connected com-
bined and operating, with or without the use of a suitable speed governor, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and shewn by the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 6th dox of December 1897
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
No. 1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.