Improvements in Phonographs.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Apr., 1897-Accepted, 1-th June, 1897
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Improvements in Phonographs.
I, JOHN LIDDLE, of 154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Patent Agent, 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 :-
My invention rolates to a phonograph and more particularly to the mechanism for
moving the phonograph cylinder and the diaphragm relatively, my object being to
simplify and cheapen the construction of the mechanism and furthermore to provide a
construction wherein the wax cylinder may be more roadily placed in position and
removed than has been possiblo in construction heretofore employed.
A further object is to provide mechanism for releasing the travelling parts from the
driving-scrow and for raising the phonograph needle from engagement with the wax
oylinder when it is desired to move the parts back to their initial positions after the
operation of the phonograph.
In phonographs as usually constructed heretofore the wax cylinder has been
mounted to rotato, while the diaphragm carrying the needle adapted to engage the
surface of the wax cylinder has been mounted upon a carriage adapted to be moved
forward by means of a rotating screw. It is usual to rotate the cylinder one hundred
times while the needle is travelling through a distance of an inch along the cylinder,
and for this purpose it has been customary to provide a rotating screw having one
hundred threads to the inch for imparting the desired movement to the diaphragm-
needle.
In the phonograph of my invention the diaphragm needle is mounted stationarily,
while the phonograph-cylinder is adapted to be moved longitudiually, the cylinder
being mounted upon a carriage adapted to be advanced by means of a rotating screw.
Upon the end of the shaft carrying the scrow is provided a gear-wheel which meshes
with a pinion carried upon the shaft of the cylinder, the ratio of the gear-wheels as
preferably employed being four to one, whereby the cylinder makes four revolutions
to each revolution of the screw. The screw may thus be provided with twenty-five
threads to the inch to secure the same results as have been secured with a screw having
one hundred threads to the inch, as in constructions heretofore employed; that is, as
thus constructed a relative movement of one inch between the cylinder and the
diaphragm needle results while the cylinder is rotating one hundred times. I am
tbus enabled to greatly cheapen the cost of an accurately-threaded screw with one
hundred threads to the inch is quite exponsive, while a screw with but twenty-five
threads to the inch can be made of the necessary accuracy quite cheaply.
The phonograph-cylinder is made hollow and is adapted to be clamped between two
face-plates carried upon the travelling carriage, whereby the cylinder may be readily
placed in position or removed.
A lever is provided upon the travelling carriage carrying the wax cylinder, which,
when rocked, is adapted to disengage the carringe from the driving screw and to lift
the diaphragm-needle ont of engagement with the surface of the cylinder, whereby the
parts may be moved to their initial positions after the operation of the phonograph.

page_text: .
have mustrated my invention in connection with the accompanying drawings,
which―
Figure 1 is a view in elevation, partially in section, of the phonograph embodying
my invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 2 Fig. 1.
Figure 3 is a detail view showing the means for fastening in position one of the
adjustable standards carried upon the travelling carriage.
Figure 4 is a detail of the parallel rod-movement employed for raising the arm that
carries the needle.
Figure 5 is a plane view of the phonograph.
Like letters refer to like parts in the several figures.
The threaded shaft a is mounted to rotate in bearings a' a', carried upon the frame
of the machine, and a driving-wheel a² is mounted upon the serow-shaft a, whereby
the shaft may be rotated. Upon the end of the shatt a is mounted a gear-wheel 6,
meshing with the pinion, carried upon the shaft c, journalled at one ond in a
bearing, curried upon the frame of the machine, and at the other end journalled in
a bearing, carried upon the travelling carriage d. The carringe d is mounted upon
the ways ad, the way d boing V-shaped and moving in engagement with the
V-shaped groove or channel provided on the earringe, the right line travel of the
carriage being thus insured. The way has a plane surface and is not V-shaped,
the necessity of accurately aligning the two way being thus avoided. Upon the
carriage d is carried a half-nut e, adapted to engage the shaft a to movo the
carriage longitudinally as the shaft rotates. The half-nut e is carried upon a shank e',
moving longitudinally within a bearing provided upon the carriage d, whereby the
half nut may be moved out of engagement with the screw-shaft. For this purpose
a pine carried upon the shank e engages a slot f¹ provided in the lever, pivoted
at to the carriage, the rocking of the lever thus serving to raise the nut e out
of engagement with the scrow-shaft. The end of the lever is adapted to rest
beneath a bar 9 extending parallel to the carriage and mounted upon links 9' 9',
pivoted to the side of the carriage. When the lever is rocked and the end thereof
raised, the bar g is engaged and moved upward into engagement with the extension
carried upon the arm pivoted at A' and carrying upon its end the phonograph-
diaphragm. The rocking of the lever f thus rocks the arm upon its pivot and
moves the needle carried upon the diaphragm out of engagement with the wax
cylinder. The single lever thus serves to disengage the sliding carriage from the
driving-screw and to move the needle out of engagement with the cylinder,
whereby the carriage may be returned to its initial position.
Upon the shaft c and rotating within the standard d' is a sleeve k, splined to
the shaft by means of a pin engaging the slot e' in the shaft c. The sleeve
thus rotates with the shaft, while the sleeve may move longitudinally relatively to
the shaft. Upon the sleeve is carried the face-plate 4, between which and a
similar face-plate the wax cylinder m is adapted to be held. The face-plate /¹
is carried upon a plunger 1, adapted to move within a bore provided in the standard d'
carried upon the carriage d. The plunger is limited in longitudinal movement
by pin The plunger has a cone bearing against a piston pressed outward
by a spring to thus impart to the face-plate a yielding outward movement to
maintain the wax cylinder firmly in position between the two face-plates.
The standard di carries a horizontal extension adapted to move in a slot
provided in the carriage. A screw d' provided with a handle d' passes through the
extension and engages a threaded hole provided in the block which when the
handle is swung upon its pivot is clamped against the under face of the carriage
to lock the standard in an adjusted position. The wax cylinder m is made hollow,
and its onds rest upon the cylindrical extensions of the face-plates the ends of the
cylinder being beveled and adapted to be engaged by the projections ***
provided upon the faco-piates. When it is desired to place the oylinder in position,
the handle is swung to unlock the standard ', after which the standard may
be moved to the right to permit the placing of the wax cylinder in position

page_text: between the two face-plates. The standard may be thon moved to the loft
and clamped in position to thus secure the wax cylinder in position between,
the face-plates. The face-plates are preferably cut away at several points,
as shown in Fig. 2, to permit the insertion of the finger to grasp the interior
of the wax cylinder as the same is being placed in position. As the shaft a rotates.
the carriage is moved to the left, the end of the shaft c projecting into the interior
of the wax cylinder as the carriage advances. When as constructed in practiso, the
screw is provided with twenty-five throads to the inch, the carriage movos to the loft
through the distance of an inch while the cylinder is rotating one hundred times, and
the same result is thus produced as results from the constructions heretofore..
employed, wherein a screw having one hundred threads to the inch was employed..
Instead of providing twenty-five threads to the inch it is evident that any other
number may be provided and any preferred ratio between the gear-wheels band b
may be adopted, but I find the relations above mentioned to give very desirable.
results. When the phonograph-cylinder has moved to the left to its extremo position,
the lever may be rocked to release the carriage from the driving scrow and to move
the diaphragm needle out of engagement with the wax cylinder and the carriage may
then be moved by hand back to its initial position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I.
claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :-
--
1. In a phonograph the combination with a travelling carriage of ways whereon,
the said carriage rests permitting the movement theroof only in a plane parallel with
the avis of the phonograph, a phonograph-cylinder rotatably mounted upon the said
earringe a non-travelling diaphragm-needle engaging said cylinder, a driving shaft for
rotating the cylinder a threaded shaft or screw ineshing gear-wheels connecting the
Baid driving shaft and screw adapted to rotate the latter at a lower rate of specil, a.
threaded nut or other part carried upon the travelling carriage normally engaging
the said screw and imparting to the said carriage a lateral movement directly
proportional to the rate of rotation of the said phonograph cylinder substantially as.
described.
2. In a phonograph the combination with a travelling carriage of a hollow
phonograph cylinder mounted thereon, a non-travelling diaphragm needle engaging
said phonograph cylinder, a driving shaft for rotating said cylinder having one
end journaled in a stationary bearing and the other end moveable longitudinally in a
bearing carried upon said carriage the end of the said shuft projecting into the
interior of said hollow cylinder as the carriage advances, a threaded shaft or screw
mounted in stationary bearings reducing gears between the said driving shaft and
said screw to cause the shaft to rotate at a higher rate than the screw a nut or part
carried upon the carriage as the screw rotates and means for moving the diaphragm
need lo out of engagement with the cylinder and for moving the nut out of engage-
ment with the screw; substantially as described.
3. In a phonograph the combination with a carriage of a pair of face-plates
mounted upon said carriage a phonograph cylinder adapted to be held between said
plates a driving screw for moving said carriage and a driving shaft splined to
one of said face-plates and geared to said driving screw; substantially as described.
4. In a phonograph the combination with a travelling carriage of a pair of face-
plates journaled to rotate in standards carried upon said carriage oue of said face-
plates being yieldingly pressed toward the other, a phonograph cylinder adapted to
bo held between said plates a rotating screw for driving said carriage and a driving
shaft geared to said driving screw and splined to ono of said faco-plates; substantially
as described.
5. In a phonograph the combination with a travelling carriage of a pair of face-
plates journaled in standards carried upon said carriage one of said standards being
adjustably movable toward and from the other phonograph cylinder adapted to be held

page_text: for driving said oarriage and a driving shaft geared to said scrow and splined to one
of said face-platos; substantially as described.
6. In a phonograph the combination with a travelling carriage of a phonograph
cylinder adapted to be supported thereby, a driving scrow, a nut carried upon the
carriage and adapted to engage said driving sorew, a lever adapted when rocked to
disengage said nut from said driving screw and means operated by the rocking of
said lever for raising the diaphragm needle from engagement with the phonograph
cylindor substantially as described.
;
7. In a phonograph the combination with the carriage d of the driving screw a the
nut e carried upon said carriage and a lapted to engage said screw pivotted lever f
connected with said nut e pivotted arm carrying the phonograph diaphragm and the
bar g linked to the carriage and adapted when raised by the end of the pivotted
lever to engage and rock the arm k to move the diaphragm needle out of engagement
with the phonograph cylinder; substantially as described.
8. In a phonograph the combination with the carriage d carrying the standards d' d²
of the surface plate mounted in said standard d and having a yielding longitudinal
movement theroin said standard being adjustably moveable toward and from the
standard d' the face-plate mounted in the standard d' the shaft c splined to said
face-plate driving-screw a and gears bb' connecting screw a and shaft c.
9. In a phonograph, the combination with two face-plates between which the hollow
phonograph-cylinder is adapted to be held of openings in ono or both of said face-
plates to permit the insertion of the finger to facilitate the placing of the phonograph-
cylinder in position; substantially as described.
D
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154 St. Vincent Stroot, Glasgow, Applicant's Patent Agents.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Patent Agents.