US1436790A - Phonograph - Google Patents

Description

A. K. BOWMAN.

PHONOGRAPH.-

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2. 1921.

1,436,790. Pmnw Nw- 28,1922,

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INVENTOR ,4//0n A. Bowman ATTORNEY Patented tier. 2%, 1922.

ALLAN K. BOWMAN, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PHONOGRAPH.

Application filed June 2, 1921.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ALLAN K. BOWMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident or lVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Phonographs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to phonographs and other talking-machines and it has special reference to the turntables of such machines upon which disc records are placed for reproducing purposes.

In the prior art, considerable difficulty and annoyance has been caused by the necessity of very accurately placing disc records upon the center post that is customarily provided, whereby considerable time has been lost by juggling or exactly positioning the disc.

Furthermore, the customary turntable construction of cloth-covered metal is not such as to bring out or enhance the sound tones,

so that the best quality of music can not be obtained from phonographs as at present constructed.

In addition, considerable difficulty and annoyance has been experienced in the removal of discs after the record has been played, since it is necessary to force ones fingernail or some othertobject between the disc and the cloth-covered table.

One object of my invention is to provide record-centering means for phonographs and the like that is absolutely independent of any necessity for central engagement, such as the usual center post. I employ peripherally located. shoulders, or elevated portions, for enclosing and accurately positioning discs of various sizes. Consequently, a record may be very readily and always accurately slid into its proper depression or seat within the corresponding shoulders. In fact, it is entirely practicable to accurately position a disc upon a turntable constructed in accordance with my present invention without requiring any light or any particular skill.

Another object of my invention is to construct phonograph turntables of such material that suitable resonance or other soundenhancing properties, such as purification and intensification, are inherently provided, to the marked improvement of the general rendition of the record, whereby the enjoyment derived therefrom may be materially increased, since the music tones themselves Serial No. 474,361.

are more clearly brought out and emphasized, whereas the disagreeable scratching sound that occurs in connection with the playing of so many records is reduced to a practicallynegligible value. I find that a turntable constructed of glass, or similar vitreous material, enhances the above requirements and constitutes a most valuable improvement over the present forms of turntables.

Still another object or my invention is to provide means for preventing loose needles, and the like, from being thrown oil the rotatlng turntable into other parts of the machine.

A further object of my invention is to provide suitable finger-receiving openings in connection with the depressions in my turn table that correspond to various sizes of discs, whereby a record of any size may be readily removed without any particular attentlon or exertion upon the part of the operator.

Qther objects of my invention will become evident from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a top-plan view of a phonograph turntable constructed in accordance with my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the reverse or bottom side of the table; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken along the broken lines II-II of Figs. 1 and 2. a

Referring to the figures in detail, the structure here shown comprises a phonograph turntable, preferably integrally constructed o1 glass, or the like, having a plurality of shoulders or elevated portions 1, 1, 2, 3 and 4 located in different planes and at successively greater distances from the center of the turntable. The shoulder or elevated portion also forms the periphery or outer rim of the table.

By means of these shoulders or barriers 1. l 2, 3 and 4-, a series of circular depressions or seats of relatively shallow depth and respectively numbered 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, are provided, being concentrically located and the latter four being preferably of such diameters as to respectively receive and accurately position standard or stock sizes oi record discs, such as 5%", 7", 10 and 12", respectively. However, it will be understood that any other size of disc may be readily taken. care of by suitable design of the turntable.

It will be noted that the central depression or seat 5 forms a continuous circular area in a plane that is located below the next adj acent depression 6 preferably by a distance commensurate with the thickness of the average disc. The annular depression 6 in turn is located below the next annular depression 7, etc, by a corresponding distance, as will be understood.

Extending from the outer edge of the table entirely across the annular depression 9 and into the annular depression 8 to suit-- able or convenient degree, are a plurality of finger-receiving slots or openings 10, which are preferably located substantially 90 apart, for permitting ready removal of the 10 and the 12 discs.

For a similar purpose with respect to the smaller depressions or seats 6 and 7, a plurality of equally-spaced finger-receiving grooves or hollows 11 are provided.

The hollows 11, as best shown in Fig. 3, extend under the edges of the seats 6 and 7, thereby facilitating the removal of the 54; and the 7 records. The hollows 11 are preferably staggered in location with respect to the openings 10, as illustrated.

However, it will be understood that the number and, therefore, the location of the finger-receiving openings 10 and 11 is not material to the present invention and any suitable quantity may be provided, although four is believed to be a suflicient number to permit the easy removal of any size of record without requiring any particular reaching on the part of the operator, no matter in what position the turntable may stop.

The bottom side, (see Fig. 2) of the turntable is provided with a suitable central hub 12 having an appropriate opening or hole 13 for receiving the upper portion of the rotating spindle, which may be secured to the turntable in any convenient manner, as by a key.

A reinforced or thickened portion 14 of the turn-table extends from the hub 12 to points beyond the linger-receiving hollows 11, whereby the necessary strength and resistance is provided in the vicinity of these hollow spaces, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

To maintain a fairly uniform thickness of the turntable, and thus provide the necessary quality of strength without undue weight or bulk, the outer portion of the bottom side of the turntable is stepped, as indicated at 15.

In order to shut out the view of the mechanism beneath the turntable and to permit the more ready placement of the records by accentuating the position of the various shoulders I, 2, 3 and 4C, the bottom side of the turntable is preferably rendered opaque by being sanded, or frosted, as indicated by the corresponding legend in Fig. 2.

The operation of my invention may be described as follows: l/Vhatever size of record is selected, may be easily and quickly slid into the proper position, that is, into engagement with the far side of the corresponding shoulders or barriers 1, 2, 3 or at, and the record then merely dropped into its proper location or seat. Thus the careful positioning or juggling that is necessary in connection with the centerpost of phonographs, as now built, is entirely obviated in my invention. In fact, the record may be readily placed in playing position in a darkened room.

The disc closely adheres to the glass turntable and no chattering or slipping is expert enced. In fact, the provision of an open space, as the depression 5 beneath the 5-3; record, for example, appears to assist in enhancing the quality of the tones, and, at the same time, the vibration of parts apparently causes a magnetic attraction beneath the hard rubber of the record and the glass of the turntable, thus still further acting to prevent any tendency to slip.

Furthermore, the inherent qualities of the glass material are such that the musical sounds are more clearly brought out and purified and intensified, than is the case with the present metallic turntables covered with cloth.

After the record has been played, it may be quickly removed without any annoyance or particular effort by merely sliding a finger into the nearest opening 10 or 11, as the case may be, dependent upon the. size of the record played.

If, for any reason, a needle or the like falls upon the turntable at any time, it will not be thrown 0E the revolving table into other parts of the machine, since the shoulders 2, 3 or 4 will serve to catch the needle and efi'ectively prevent this undesirable feature, which occurs with the Hat turntables now used.

t will thus be seen that I have provided. a turntable for phonographs and the like, whereby a record may be accurately posh tioned with the least possible annoyance and'delay. During the playing of the record, the musical or vocal tones are improved in quality and clearness, and after the record has been played it may be very easily and rapidly removed. Furthermore, loose. needles, and the like, are prevented from being thrown off the turntable into the other parts of the machine, where they might work lI'lJllIY.

Although I have described my invention in its present preferred embodiment, I do not wish to be restricted to the specific structural details, location of parts, or materials set forth, as various modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. it desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A turntable for phonographs and the like having a plurality of functionally inde pendent stationary means for positively centering records.

2. A turntable for phonographs and the like having a plurality of differently-sized circumferentially-located stationary means for positively centering records.

3. A turntable for phonographsand the like having plural stationary means independent of central engagements for respectively alone positioning records of various sizes.

4. A turntable for phonographs and the like having a plurality of shoulders for alone centering records of different sizes.

5. A turntable for phonographs and the like having a plurality of peripherally located integral shoulders respectively of substantially the same size as a plurality of given records.

6. A turntable for phonographs and the like provided With a plurality of rigid circumferential portions for respectively positioning records of different sizes.

7. A turntable for phonographs and the like having a plurality of depressions of difi'erent sizes for respectively closely surrounding and alone centering a plurality of variously-sized records.

8. A turntable for phonographs and the like having a plurality of spaced openings piercing the outer edge perpendicular to the plane of the turntable for permitting easy manual removal of a record.

9. A turntable for phonographs and the like having a plurality of depressions corresponding to differently-sized records, and a plurality of spaced openings extending from the outer edge of the turntable into the smaller depression.

10. A turntable for phonographs and the like having a plurality of concentrically-located depressions in different planes for respectively receiving records of various sizes, and a plurality of openings extending from the inner depression to the outer edge of the turntable to permit insertion of a finger for ready removal of either size of rec- 0rd.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 18th day of May,

ALLAN K. BOWMAN.

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