Year: 1898

page_text: I, EUGÈNE PARISSE, of 49, Rue Fontaine au Roi, Paris, in the Republic of
France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 for its object an improved phonograph intended to render
as perfect as possible the recording and reproduction of sounds.
The well known imperfections of Edison's phonograph, and of the ones derived
from it may be attributed in a large measure to the use of a single plate or
diaphragm, which is called upon to vibrate under the influence of very dissimilar
sounds and noises, but a plate or a given body can only produce certain sounds
without alteration appreciable to the ear. A noise composed of discordant sounds
is only partially reproduced by a single plate, as the latter only vibrates for sounds
which are suited to it. In the same way the particular tone (timbre) of an
instrument or the human voice is not reproduced without alteration in every
case by a single plate.
These considerations have led me to design a phonograph, the receiver of which
is composed of several diaphragms selected in such a way that one of them at
least shall vibrate for a given sound. A noise composed of different sounds
would be analysed and decomposed into its elements by the whole of the vibrating
plates, each one of them registering the sounds which are peculiar to it. It
would be the same for a musical note reproduced by the human voice or an instru-
ment having a special tone (timbre). The auxiliary notes forming this tone
(timbre) would be analysed and recorded by certain of the vibrating plates.
Each of said vibrating diaphragms or plates actuates directly or indirectly
a stylus as in the ordinary phonograph, in order to reproduce impressions on the
cylinder or a plate as usual. The spirals however traced round the cylinders,
or the wavy course traced round the plate, has as many parallel lines as the
apparatus has different diaphragms or plates each provided with its stylus.
Suppose, for instance, that the receiver has seven diaphragms or plates corre-
sponding by their nature and dimensions to the seven notes of the scale, the spiral
inscribed on the cylinder will comprise seven lines, and the plate, if it is a question

page_text: of a plate, will present seven distinct lines. It would be the same for the number
of threads of the screw intended to displace the receiving cylinder in an axial
direction in case the displacing organ is a screw.
The translating movement must be arranged in such a way that the lines traced
can not intersect one another.
The application of my invention to a phonograph comprising a special selection
of plates or vibrating diaphragms which are prepared and tested in advance and
which may differ by their form, size and thickness and by the manner of mounting
them in the support and also by the nature of the material of which they are
constituted. These plates are fixed in the ordinary manner, or in any other
suitable manner, either in the same plane or grouped according to variable figures
as desired, or in different planes. The number of them will vary according to
the more or less perfect effects which it is desired to obtain.
A receiver on this system constitutes therefore a veritable analyser of the
sounds or noises and is capable of registering them or registering the elements
of them with great fidelity, enabling them to be produced with a perfect clearness
by synthesising them. For the re-production of the sounds or noises recorded,
the same receiver may be employed or a receiver arranged on the same principles.
In both cases the sounds or noises are synthesised with a fidelity which will
depend on the number and choice of the plates or diaphragms employed.
In order to produce a less costly apparatus, it might be arranged with several
vibrating plates without the latter being differentiated by special selection. In
case they should be identical the apparatus would then have the advantage, over
the ordinary apparatuses at present employed, of reproducing sounds with a
much greater intensity, and as the unselected plates would be rarely identical,
a more favourable reproduction of the sounds would be the result in any case.
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
1 claim is:-
An improved phonograph, essentially characterised by the application to the
receiver and transmitter of such instruments, of several plates or vibrating dia-
phragms, the number of which may be varied as desired, each of said plates or
diaphragms being capable of being composed as regards form, material, size and
thickness to vibrate in unison with given sounds, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.