Improvements in Phonographs.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1890
Improvements in Phonographs.
I, WILLIAM WHITE JACQUES, of Newton, in the County of Middlesex and State of
Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, Electrician, 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 :-
The invention relates to certain improvements upon phonographs which are
particularly applicable to use in talking dolls, and consists of improvements in the
construction of the devices by which the record cylinder is caused to move back and
forth upon its supporting shaft parallel with the axis thereof, and at the same time
raise the stylus from the record surface while the cylinder is returning to its initial
position.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus viewed from the side upon which the key,
or crank, is inserted to operate it; a portion of the diaphragm frame at the left being
broken out, the better to show the stylus and its connections.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the apparatus viewed from the left side as shown in
figure 1, and with a portion of the record cylinder and its supporting shaft and the
bearing for the shaft in section. The dotted lines show how a balance wheel may be
attached.
Figure 3, is a detail in elevation of the device by which the diaphragm frame is
raised, viewed from the side opposite to the position shown in fig. 1.
Figure 4 is a plan or top view of the device for lifting the diaphragm frame and
the lever for holding it in its elevated position until the record cylinder returns to its
initial position. In this view the diaphragm and frame are removed: a portion of
the frame only being shown in dotted lines.
Figure 5, is a side elovation of a modification of devices for raising the stylus and
feed-block from their normal position; the diaphragm frame and the frame of the
apparatus being in section.
Figure 6, shows the same modified devices viewed from the under side; the
diaphragm and its frame being broken away upon each side.
Similar letters and figures in the several views indicate the same parts of the
apparatus.
A is the frame of the apparatus. B the diaphragm frame, a the diaphragm; C the
record cylinder; D its supporting shaft; E the bearing for the shaft; F is a feed-
block, screw-threaded upon its under side to correspond with the thread upon the
periphery of the hub c of the cylinder; G is the support for the feed-block attached
to the diaphragm of frame at g, and formed in two parts adjustable one upon the
other at by a slot and set screw. The feed-block is prevented from movement in a
direction parallel to the shaft D by a flexible strip of metal H, attached to the
bearing E, at h. The shaft D has no longitudinal movement in its bearing but
the cylinder C, although caused to revolve with the shaft by reason of a spline and
groove, d, e, is free to slide longitudinally upon the shaft, being caused to move to the
left (in fig. 2.), when the feed-block F engages with the thread upon the hub c, and
to the right back to its initial position by means of a spring I, when the feed-block is
raised from the hub. The spring I is held in tension against the record cylinder by
an annular shoulder i, upon the end of the shaft, represented as the head of a screw in
the drawings. In the constructions shown in figures 1 to 4 the diaphragm frame
is hinged at one side as at 2. At the opposite side of the diaphragm frame its range
of movement downward is regulated by an adjusting screw J, and upward by the
spring j. k, is the reproducing stylus, having an arm extending therefrom and pivoted
to the frame B at 3, and immediately over the point of the stylus it is attached to the
diaphragm at 4 (see fig. 1.).

page_text: A shipping arm L, pivoted to the frame A at 5, has a screw 1, working therein by
which the height to which the diaphragm shall be raised is regulated. This shipping
arm is raised by a pin or projection m, upon the side of the cylinder C, and is located
so as to he acted upon thereby when the cylinder has moved upon the shaft a distance
equal to the width of its record surface. By means of the screw Z, when the arm L
is raised, the diaphragm frame B and with it the diaphragm and the stylus are raised.
As soon as the screw J is lifted from its bearing upon the frame A, a spring n, acting
upon one arm of a bell-crank O, pivoted to the frame A at 6, throws the other arm of
the bell-crank beneath the end of the screw J, thereby holding the diaphragm frame
in its raised position. The feed-block F, through the attachment of its support G,
to the frame B, will also be raised with it, the resiliency of the strip H readily
permitting this movement. When the feed-block F is disengaged from the threads
upon the hub c, the spring I forces the cylinder C back to its initial position, and
immediately upon the cylinder being turned as before, (indicated by the arrow
figs. 1 and 4.) a cam projection, p, on the side of the cylinder will strike the inner
end of the bell-crank O (see figure 4.) and pull its other end from beneath the screw J,
thus allowing the screw to fall to its bearing upon the frame A, and at the same time
the diaphragm, its frame, and the stylus k, bringing the point of the latter again in
contact with the record surface, ready to follow the record of sound vibrations
thereon.
M is a key or crank for turning the cylinder by hand, and is inserted in the end of
the shaft D at r. When the apparatus is turned by hand, steadier and more uniform
motion may be obtained by the use of a balance wheel N, upon a shaft P, also carrying
a small pulley R, belted to a larger pulley S, which is made fast to the shaft D. The
balance wheel, its shaft, and the said pulloys by which it is operated are shown in dotted
lines, figures 1 & 2.
A modification of the devices by which the feed-block may be raised and the stylus
may be withdrawn from the record surface while the latter is being returned to its
initial position, is shown in figures 5 and 6, wherein the diaphragm frame is rigidly
held upon the frame of the apparatus by screws 7, 7, and upon the under side of the
diaphragm frame a bar or strip of metal sis pivoted at 8. This bar should, for con-
venience, be long enough to extend beyond the center of the diaphragm and have
the feed-bar support G, attached thereto, which I accomplish by fastening a rod T, to
the bars by a lugt and set-screw 9. To one end of the rod T the support G is
attached; the other end of the rod projects in the opposite direction a sufficient
distance to overlap the arın L, and the screw is arranged thereon in the proper
position to come into contact with the rod T when the arm L is raised by the
pin m, upon the cylinder. The stylus k is arranged as a lever of the first class
with its fulcrum pivoted to the bar s, at 10. The point of the stylus is at one
end of this lever and the opposite end is pivoted at 11 to a rod u, which extends up
through an open space in the bars and is secured to the center of the diaphragm a.
Thus it will be seen that when the record cylinder has traversed its shaft by the
action of the feed-block a sufficient distance to cause the pin m, to strike beneath
the arn: L and raise it; by means of the screw / bearing against the rod T, the
bars will also be raised and with it the feed-block F and the stylus k³, both of which
are attached to the bar s, as described. While the feed-block is raised from contact
with the threads upon the hub of the record cylinder the spring I, will push it along
the shaft back to its initial position ready to again reproduce the sound vibrations
cut upon the record surface. As the cylinder moves, the pin m, will shortly pass
from beneath the arm L and allow it to drop to its normal position, as also the feed
block F and stylus k¹.
The novel features of this invention are in the construction and arrangement of
the parts by which the record cylinder is caused to move longitudinally upon the
shaft and when the entire record surface has passed beneath the stylus have such
parts automatically raised and the cylinder automatically returned to its initial
position. And also during the time that the cylinder is thus returning have the
stylus withdrawn from contact with the record surface.

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. In a phonograph, the combination of a stationary reproducing stylus, a driving
shaft which has a motion of rotation only, and a record cylinder which rotates with
the shaft and slides longitudinally thereon, substantially as described.
2. In a phonograph, the combination of a stationary stylus, a driving shaft which
bas a motion of rotation only, a record cylinder which slides longitudinally thereon
and rotates therewith, and a stationary feed-block which engages with a screw-thread
upon the hub of the cylinder and gives it progressive movement upon the shaft and
is disengaged from said screw-thread to permit the cylinder to return to its initial
position, substantially as described.
3. In a phonograph, the combination with a stationary stylus, and a rotating
driving shaft, of a record cylinder which rotates with the shaft and slides longi-
tudinally thereon, a feed-block which engages with the cylinder and gives it
progressive movement upon the shaft, and a spring which returns the cylinder to its
initial position when the feed-block is disengaged, substantially as described.
4. In a phonograph, having a stationary reproducing stylus, a rotating driving
shaft, and a record cylinder which rotates therewith and slides thereon, the combina-
tion of a feed-block which gives the cylinder progressive movement when engaging
with a screw-thread upon its hub, a spring which returns the cylinder to its initial
position when the feed-block is disengaged, and a shipping arm which raises the
feed-block and stylus during the return of the cylinder, substantially as described.
5. In a phonograph, having a record cylinder with an externally screw-threaded
hub which rotates with its driving shaft and slides longitudinally thereon, the combi-
nation of a feed-block which advances the cylinder when in engagement with its
bub, a spring which returns the cylinder when the feed-block is disengaged therefrom
and a lever which supports the feed-block and stylus and is automatically operated
to raise them from their normal contact with the cylinder and independently of the
movement of the diaphragm during the operation of returning the cylinder to its
initial position, substantially as described.
6. In a phonograph, the combination with a driving shaft which has a motion of
rotation only, and a record cylinder which rotates therewith and slides longitudinally
thereon, of a balance wheel upon an independent shaft which is given motion by
connection with a pulley upon the driving shaft, substantially as described.
Darea the 16th day of December 1889.
ted the 16th day of December 1889.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.