US2305086A - Reproducer arm actuator - Google Patents

Description

Dec- 15, 1942 A. R. JOHNSON 2,305,685

REPRODUCER ARM AGTUATOR Filed Aug. 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

Dec. 15, 1942. lA, R, JcHNgoN 2,305,086

REPRODUCER ARM ACTUATOR Filed Aug. 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 50 8^ yIllu s3 33 .Ill

INVENTOR.

v NDREw R. J HNso/v.v BY (1 ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 15, 1942 RPRODUCER ARM ACTUATOR Andrew R.. Johnson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Informat Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation 0f Illinois Application August 6, 1941, Serial No. l105,613

7 Claims.

This invention relates to record reproducers and more particularly to controls and actuators therefor, although certain features thereof may be employed with equal advantage for other purposes.

It contemplates more especially a reproducer control of simple and inexpensive construction that will mechanically eiect engagement and disengagement of a reproducer needle relative to the recordings on a record irrespective of the experience or care exercised by the operator.

Recordings of records are extensively used for entertainment and advertising purposes and reproducers are no w produced and sold on a volume basis for both home and commercial use. In the commercial eld, reproducers are utilized to a great extent for advertising purposes. This entails the provision of instrumentalities for enabling the reproduction of recordings at the will of the public who are invited to operate mechanical reproducers for information and advertising purposes. normally accompanied with a large depreciation in records and reproducing instrumentalities owing to the haphazard operation or indifference exercised by the public.

In order to provide reproduction facilities for the public, instrumentalities for this purpose must be injury and trouble free so that operation at the hands of inexperienced or indifferent members of the public, cannot result in improper actuation. To this end, it has been found desirable to provide simple and inexpensive reproducer actuators that mechanically effect engagement and disengagement of the recordings with the reproducer needle in a mechanically perfect manner through an accessible control that will effect the desired operation without variation.

Mechanical operation of the reproducer arm and the recording actuating needle or stylus, is mechanically effected and the attendant merely placed these instrumentalities into operation through actuation of a control. This eliminates any possible defective engagement or disengagement that would cause injury to the record or the reproducer or .both so that trouble-free operation over an extended period of time without entailing any appreciable supervision or replacement is accomplished.

One object of the present invention is to simf plify the construction and improve the operation of devices of the character mentioned.

Another object is to provide an improved mechanical control and actuator for a reproducer to mechanically effect engagement and disen- This eld of record reproduction isp ings thereon.

Still a further object is to provide actuating instrumentalities involving a manual control in combination with camming means to effect engagement and disengagement between a reproducer and recordings on a record.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front View in elevation of a repro-l t along line V-V of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line VI--VI of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along line VII-VII of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken substantially along line VIII-VIII of Figure 4.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along line IX-IX of Figure 3.

Figure 10 is a sectional View taken substantially along line X-X of Figure 3.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a tubular camming sleeve comprising an element of the actuator control shown in the preceding gures.

Figure 12 is a perspectve view of a cam follower for the cam shown in Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line XIII- XIII of Figure 4.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line XIV-XIV of Figure 3.

The structure selected for illustration cornprises any suitable cabinet i having a speaker opening II therein.V The cabinet l0 is closed on all sides except the rear through which the instrumentalities are accessible for placement in the chambered interior I2 or replacement for servicing or maintenance. A chassis comprising a base plate I3 conforms to the bottom I4 of the chambered interior I2 of the cabinet I0 to serve as a support for the instrumentalities to be hereinafter described, The base plate I3 has a plurality of standards I5 extending upwardly therefrom to support a plate Iii.

The plate I3 has a bearing bracket E1 attached to the underside thereof for attachment of a vertical motor I8 that is suspended therefrom so that its shaft I3 is jcurnalled for rotation therein and through the supporting plate I6. The upper projecting portion of the vertical armature shaft I3 has a circular record supporting disc 2li connected fc-r rotation therewith responsive to the energization of the electric motor I8 through a cord extension I8.having a piug (not shown) serving as a complement of a standard electric light socket.

The top surface of the record supporting disc 2i) is suitably lined with felt or other soft material to support a record 2i thereon for rotation owing to the frictional retention thereof without marring on the suitably lined top surface of the rotating disc 25. A loud speaker 22 of any suitable or standard construction is mounted behind the screened opening II in the cabinet I5 to direct the sound reproduction therethrough and emanation into the room wherein the cabinet I0 is positioned.

A reproducer 23 of any suitable or standard construction is pivotally mounted for Vertical movement on a transverse pin 2d proximate to the rear end thereof. A counterweight 23 is detachably secured to the rear end of the reproducer 23 by means of a threaded stud 23 (Figure 3) so that the weight of the forward portion thereof will normally gravitate the reproducer 23 in a clockwise direction (viewed from Figure 8). The reproducer 23 is also pivotally mounted for horizontal movement so that the reproducing needle or stylus 25 proximate to the forward end 23 thereof will be in confronting er operative connection with the record 2i to traverse the recordings thereon in light frictional engagement therewith,

A set screw 21 preferably extends through the forward end 23 of the reproducer 23 to enable the removal of the reproducing needle or stylus 25 as well as effect its retention for operative frictional engagement with the recordings on the record 2 i It is to be noted'that the detachable counterweightA 23 enables the balancing-of the reproducer 23 to establish light or almost floating en'- gagement between the stylus 25 and the recordings on the record 2i. The detachable counterweight 23 enables the desired counter-balancing effect within a wide range depending upon the requirements of any particular installation or type of reproducer 23.

The pin 2d serving as a vertical pivotal mount `of the reproducer 23, is carried by the upper extremity 28 of a post 23 that is telescopically mounted for reciprocation and rotation in a tubular upper portion 3i) of a post 3i. The solid post portion 3| terminates in a lower reduced extension 32 that is tted in a correspondingly apertured plate 33. A set screw 34 projects through the bottom of the plate 33 to engage an angular shoulder 35 dened by the reduced lower post extremity 32 (Figure 7). The plate 33 is fixed to another plate 34' comprising a part of the plate i3 (Figure 3).

So that the reproducer 23 may be lowered or elevated for engagement or disengagement between its stylus 25 and the recordings on the record 2i, a bell crank lever 36 is pivoted as at 3l intermediate its arms 38 and 39. To this end, a pin i2 is carried between radially extending furcations 4l (Figure 8) comprising a part of a collar d2 which is pressed onto the upper tubular portion 30 of the post 3i to pivotally support the crank lever 36 therebetween. The crank lever arm 33 terminates in a rounded extremity i3 to engage a plate f3 extending transversely through correspondingly sized notches i5 provided in the lower edges i6-dl (Figures 8 and i0) of the reproducer 23.

As shown, the lever `arm engaging plate 45 has an inclined slot i8 (Figure 10) therein so that registry will be effected with the lever arm engaging extremity 43 when the reproducer 23 is in its extreme initial position of rotation at the terminus of the recording on the record 2|, this position of registry corresponding to the extreme pivotal horizontal displacement of the reproducer 23 in its starting position. As a result, the inclined slot I8 will serve as an indexing expedient for the reprcducer 23. The plate It is adjustably retained in the slot 25 by a threaded stud 48 which projects through the reproducer 23 for threaded engagement therewith. This permits the plate d to be raised or lowered within the limit of the slot i5 to control the extent of coaction with the camming edge 43 of the bell crank lever arm 39.

In order to control the vertical and horizontal .movement of the reproducer 23 responsive to manual actuation, a tubular cam or sleeve 49 is telescoped over the upper tubular portion 30 of the post 3I for slidable movement relative thereto. It should be noted that the tubular cam or sleeve 49 is vertically supported by a coil spring 55 that envelops the lower solid portion of the post 3|. The coil spring 50 is supported on the plate 33 serving as a base for the post 3l, and the spring 5l] in turn supports the tubular cam or sleeve 49 so that it will be normally urged upwardly.

The tubular cam or sleeve 49 is provided, in this instance, with a substantially U-shaped cutout 5I in the wall thereof to accommodate a transversely extending tubular pin 52 which receives an annular enlarged portion 53 and a pin detent 5d that extends radially through the post 28 and through a radial aperture 55 in the upper tubular portion 35 of the post 3! (Figure 5) The pin detent 5d normally projects into an inclined slot 53 (Figures 5 and ll) provided in the tubular cam or sleeve 49.

The pin detent 5d is normally urged outwardly from the center of the post 28, and to return the reproducer 23 is in registry with the inclined camming slot 56 by virtue of a coil spring 51 that is conned within the transverse tubular pin 52 (Figure 5). The spring 5l is retained in the tubular transverse pin 52 by a rod 58 which diametrically extends through the free extremity thereof. The other end of the spring 5l engages the enlarged shoulder 53 of the pin detent 54 to normally urge the latter outwardly. The pin detent 54 is retained against rotary movement within the tubular pin 52 by means of a radially projecting stud 59 that is anchored in the enlarged annular shoulder 53 (Figure 12) to register with a correspondingly sized elongated slot 60 provided in the tubular pin 52 to prevent relative rotation therebetween and serve as a limit for the reciprocally mounted pin detent 54 there- 1n.

The pin detent 54 has a longitudinal ridge 6l provided thereon, it being formed by converging at sides 62-63 (Figure 12) milled or otherwise formed on the pin detent 54 to provide a proper camming edge in cooperation with the tapered longitudinal edge 64 of the inclined slot 56 provided in the tubular cam 49. Another pin 65 projects laterally from the lower portion of the post 29 at substantially right angles to the pin detent 54 and in the plane thereof to register with a vertical slot 66 provided in the tubular cam 49.

It should be noted that the lower arm 36 of the bell crank lever 36 cooperates with the tubular cam 49 so that the top rounded peripheral edge 61 thereof will ride below the bell crank lever 36 with its lower arm 33 displaced in a counterclockwise direction (viewed from Figure 8) responsive to the upward vertical movement of the tubular cam 49. The bell crank lever arm 39 is correspondingly displaced to elevate the reproducer 23 from engagement with the recordings on the record 2 l. This normally takes place through the influence of the spring 59 that elevates the tubular cam 49 unless the latter is depressed downwardly responsive to a mechanical actuator which will be presently described.

The mechanical actuator comprises, in this instance, a button 68 secured to the extremity of the elongated rod 69 that projects through a somewhat larger aperture 16 in the front face board 1| of the cabinet l0. A circular plate 12 having an axial bore 13 therethrough to reciprocally receive the actuator rod 69, is secured to the inner surface of the cabinet face board 1l so that the bore 13 thereof is in axial alignment with the opening 19 in the baseboard 1| of the cabinet lll. Suitable fasteners such as a plurality of screws 14 are utilized to attach the circular plate 12 to the inner surface of the face board 1| in order ito serve as a reciprocal guide for the actuator rod 69.

The actuator rod 69 terminates inwardly in a furcated collar member .15 to receive therebetween an arm 15 of a bell crank lever 11. A pivot 18 projects through the furcated collar 15 to pivotally connect the bell crank lever arm 16 therewith. The bell crank lever 11 has an angularly offset arm 19 extending therefrom so that a substantially U-shaped slot 89 in the extremity thereof will register with a transverse pin 8| anchored in the tubular cam or sleeve 49 (Figure 6). The transverse pin 8l preferably is in press-fitted engagement with a somewhat smaller aperture 82 provided in the tubular cam or sleeve 49 to rigidly project into the U-shaped slot, 80 in the extremity of the crank lever arm 19. The crank lever 11 is pivotally supported intermediate its arms 16-19 by a post 83 having a reduced upper furcated extremity 34 through which the crank lever 11 extends.

A pivot pin 85 extends through the furcated extremity 84 to engage the crank lever 11 in order to effect its pivotal support relative to the base plate 33 wherein the supporting post 83 is anchored. As a result, inward displacement of the actuator rod `69 responsive to nger depression of the knob 68 will pivot the bell crank lever 11 in a clockwise direction (viewed from Figure 4) to eifect the descent of the tubular cam 49 against the urge of the spring 50. This will cause the bell crank lever 36 to ride off of the tubular cam 49 and permit the reproducer 23 to gravitate downwardly toward the record 2l in a clockwise direction (viewed from Figures 3 and 8) so that the stylus 25 will lightly engage the recordings on the record 2l at the outer starting convolution thereof proximate to the periphery thereof.

'Ihe reproducer 23 will follow the convolute recordings on the record 2l and thus horizontally pivot about its post 29 which will rotate therewith in a counterclockwise direction (viewed from Figure 14) relative to the tubular cam 49. This pivotal movement proceeds until the inward traverse of the reproducer 23 and its stylus 25 reaches the terminus of the recordings proximate to the axis of the record 2i. This will cause the pin detent 54 to recede within its tubular sleeve 52 against the urge of the spring 51 owing to the camming of the detent edge 6l with the tapered surface 64 of the inclined slot 56.

The post pin 65 rides the vertical tubular cam slot 66 during this operation and relative movenient of the coacting elements to. preclude rotation of the tubular cam 49 and its inner post 3i) relative to the reproducer supporting post 29. The angular openings 5I and 5| in the tubular cam 49 and the post 30 (Figures 5 and 14) provide for the rotary movement of the detent spring confining spring 52 with the reproducer supporting post 29.

Coincident with the arrival of the reproducer 23 and the stylus 25 at the terminus of the convolutions of the records 2l, the pin detent 54 will reach the top edge 61 of the tubular cam 49 at its juncture with the inclined slot 56, and then the tubular cam supporting spring 50 will become operative to raise the tubular cam 49 which will effect the displacement of the pin detent 54 along the inclined cam slot 56 and thus return the reproducer 23 and the stylus 25 to its initial elevated inoperative position.

It should be observed that as the tubular cam 49 is elevated, the arm 38 of the bell crank lever 3-5 again rides thereover to raise the reproducer 23 so that its stylus 25 will be disengaged from the recordings on the record 2| just prior to the return pivotal movement of the reproducer 23 occasioned by the urge of the pin detent 54 and the inclined slot 56. During this return movement of the reproducer 23, the pin detent 54 is free to move outwardly under the urge of its spring 51 to project within the inclined slot 56 to accomplish the return movement simultaneous with the vertical displacement of the tubular cam 49 under the urge of its supporting spring 50.

The electric motor I8 is energized simultaneous with the descent of the tubular cam 49 which is eifectecl by the depression of the manual control knobs 68. To this end, the chassis I3 curves upwardly as at 86 to support an electric switch casing 81. The electric switch casing 81 covers confronting terminals which are actuated by a contact button 88 projecting therefrom in the path of a fiat spring 89 that is anchored at one extremity 9D to the switch casing 81. As shown, the flat spring switch actuator 89 projects beyond the contact button 88 to extend into the path of the crank lever arm 19.

Consequently, the depression of the manual control knob 68 displaces the bell crank lever 'Il in a clockwise direction (viewed from Figure 4) to simultaneously depress the flat spring switch 39 and correspondingly eifect the descent of the contact switch button 88 to close the circuit to the motor I8 through the lead wires I8 that places the switch 8l in series with the motor i3. Coincident with the elevated displacement of the tubular cam 49 responsive to its supporting spring i?, the flat spring 89 will recede to its original position and permit the switch contact button 38 to move to its inoperative position to break the circuit to the motor I8.

It should be appreciated, therefore, that the motor iS is energized and de-energized simultaneously with the actuation of the control button 68 and the return of the reproducer 23 to its initial inoperative position, respectively. With the arrangement of parts above described, the chassis i3 supports all of the operating instrumentalities so that the entire unit can be removed for replacement or repair depending upon the dictates of commercial practice or the requirements of operation over an extended period.

Then, too, the reproducer 23 and stylus 25 is placed in operative engagement with the record 2i through the mechanical instrumentalities responsive to the actuation of the control button 68 that merely initiates rather than determines the extent 4of contact or engagement between the reproducer stylus 25 and the recordings on the record 2l. Consequently, the degree of engagement will be determined by the counterbalanced reproducer 23 which can be controlled within a fine degree of operative Contact to either establish light or oating engagement without impairment to the record 2l irrespective of the number of times the control button is :actuated.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention herein specically described without departing from the invention or sacricing any of the advantages or features thereof, and nothing herein shall be construed as limitations of the invention, its concept or structural embodiment as to the whole or any part thereof except as dened in the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In a record reproducer mount, the combination with a rotatively mounted supporting member, of a reproducer pivotally connected to said supporting member for free vertical mov-ement toward and from a record, a spring impelled member carried by said rotatively mounted support, a tubular camming member associated with Said rotatively mounted support for reciprocable association therewith, there being an inclined slot in said tubular camming meniber to cooperate with said spring impelled member to horizontally rotate said reproducer supporting member to effect its return to an initial position after being displaced for a predetermined horizontal extent along a record groove, spring means for normally urging said camming member upwardly along said support, and means for displacing said camming member downwardly against the urge of said last named spring means,

2. In a record reproducer mount, the combination with a rotatively mounted supporting member, of a reproducer pivotally connected to 'said supporting member for free vertical movement toward and from a record, a spring impelled member carried by said rotatively mounted support, a tubular camming member associated with said rotatively mounted support, spring means for supporting said tubular camming member relative to said reproducer support for reciprocable association therewith to cooperate with said spring impelled member to horizontally rotate said reproducer supporting member to effect its return to an initial position after being displaced for a predetermined horizontal extent, and a cam follower lever interposed between said reproducer and said tubular camming member for controlling the vertical position of said reproducer.

3. In a record reproducer mount, the combination with a rotatively mounted supporting member, of a reproducer pivotally connected to said supporting member for free vertical movement toward and from a record, a spring impelled member carried by said rotatively mounted support, a tubular camming member associated with said rotatively mounted support, spring means for supporting said tubular camming member relative t0 said reproducer support for reciprocable association therewith, there being an inclined slot in said tubular camming member to cooperate with said spring impelled member to horizontally rotate said reproducer supporting member to effect its return to an initial position after being displaced for a predetermined horizontal extent, and a cam follower lever interposed between said reproducer and said tubular camming member for controlling the vertical position of said reproducer.

4. In a record reproducer mount, the combination with a rotatively mounted supporting member, of a reproducer pivotallyfconnected to said supporting member for free vertical movement toward and from a record, a spring impelled member carried by said rotatively mounted support, a tubular camming member associated with said rotatively mounted support, spring means for supporting said tubular member relative to said reproducer support for reciprocable association therewith, there being an inclined slot in said tubular camming member to cooperate with said spring impelled member to horizontally rotate said reproducer supporting member to effect its return to an initial position after being dis-placed for a predetermined horizontal extent, a telescopic mount for said rotary reproducer support, means to prevent relative rotation between said telescopic mount and said tubular camming member, and means for manually displacing said camming member against the urge of said spring means to lower said reproducer to playing position.

5. In a record reproducer mount, the combination with a rotatively mounted supporting member, of a reproducer pivotally connected to said supporting member for free vertical movement toward and from a record, a spring impelled member carried by said rotatively mounted support, a tubular camming member associated with said rotatively mounted support, spring means for supporting said tubular member relative to said reproducer support for reciprocable association therewith, there being an inclined slot in said tubular camming member to cooperate with said spring impelled member to horizontally rotate said reproducer supporting member to eiect its return to an initial position after Vbeing displaced for a predetermined horizontal extent, a telescopic mount for said rotary reproducer support, means to prevent relative rotation between said telescopic mount and said tubular .camming member, Aa lever pivoted to said supporting member to extend between said reproducer and said cannning member, and manual control means for depressing said tubular camming member relative to said telescopic mount against the urge of said camming member spring supporting means.

6. In a control for a reproducer and the like, the combination with a record support, of a reproducer to cooperate therewith, power means for rotating said record support, a rotary mount for said reproducer, a vertical pivotal connection between said reproducer and said rotary mount, counterbalancing means detachably associated. with said reproducer to provide for light gravity engagement with the record on said support, manual control means to permit the gravitation of said reproducer into engagement with a record on said support, spring impelled cam actuator means for returning said reproducer to its initial inoperative position responsive to traversing a record for a predetermined extent, means responsive to said manual control means to energize and defenergize said power means depending upon the position of said reproducer, and a ldouble arm lever pivotally interposed between said reproducer and said cam actuator to lower said reproducer to playing position.

'7. In a control for a reproducer and the like, the combination with a record support, of a reproducer to cooperate therewith, power means for rotating said record support, a rotary mount for said reproducer, a vertical pivotal connection between said reproduoer and said rotary mount, manual control means to permit the gravitation of said repro'ducer into engagement with a record on said support, spring impelled cam actuator means for returning said reproducer to its initial inoperative position responsive to traversing a record for a predetermined extent, means responsive to the position of said cam actuator to energize and de-energize said power means depending upon the position of said reproducer, and a double arm lever pivotally interposed between said reproducer and said cam actuator to lower said reproducer to playing position.

, ANDREW R. JOHNSON.

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