GB2303483A - Electronic music box with mechanical power output - Google Patents

Description

1 2303483 MUSIC BOX The present invention relates to an electronic music

box which is drove by motor to have electronic music.

As shown in Figure 1, the conventional motor driving music box has a cyclinder touching structure (1) and a comb shape scale springs (2). It depends the rotation of touching structure (1) to touch the scale spring to make sound, the melody is created by the thorn which is set up on the proper postion of cyclinder. However, it is limited by the design of erinciation touching structure, so it can!t play the original music completely, and akso one music box only can have one uncomplete melody. It cm!t like integraW circuit which can imitate 1) several melodies, 2) various. animal sounds, 3) Choo-Choo train sound and ambulance sound, 4) various sounds of artificial phonetics. In contrast, the conventional motor driving music box has very litde variation, also it cadt drive the component of LED as integrated circuit to flash the LED according to the melody. Besides, the conventional music box requires experts to design the cylinder touching structure (1) and the comb shape scale springs (2), and it also requires high accuracy on production m order to create the correct melody; thus, it will increase the production cost largely. Additionally, if you want to extend only 10 second of the playing time, you need to match the limit-position switch (3) and the cylinder touching struction in order to make the cylinder rotating. one cycle to turn off the limit-postion switch. So, the conventional motor driving music box requires more components and higher cost. This is the reason for the inventor to innovate motor driving music box.

2 The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a motor driving electronic music box which is still use motor as power source same as the traditional driving character, but it delete the cyclinder touching structure which has several thorn on proper position and the comb shape scale springs.

Instead, those components is replaced by an electronic circuit that provides a DC power and a simple circuit; especially, there is an integrated ciruit of melody on the circuit. When the DC power drives the electronic circuit, it can trigger the melody integrated circuit to play a complete melody through speaker; moreover, the melody integrated circuit can play different melodies or dillerent sounds every time in order to have better feeling on electronic music box. It also can connect LED components on the circuit and flash the LED according to the melody. Moreover, it can use gear and output shaft to ouput power in order to creat several motion combination to drive toys moving or rotation, m contrast, the conventional music box uses power to drive the motor rotation to drive the cylinder touching structure and the comb shape scale springs; thus the. conventional music box only can play a fix and uncompleted melody m a music box. Moreover, if the present invention use in giving- correct-time clock with motion toy, the switch can be eliminate and connect the switch circuit to the clock mechanism directly. When the clock giving the correct time, a short melody playing can be controled by the integrated circuit which is contrasted with the conventional music box that melody playing is achieved by the limitposition switch. Therefore, the whole structure of present invention can decrease production cost greaffiffly, and also can produce special functions on sound, light and motion which is a very simple but high value product. The present invention can be used by toy, gifts, and clock makers, and provide those makers to develope multi-use products and increase the added value of products in order to increase their ability of competition.

3 THE DRAWINGS:

The drawings disclose an illustrative embodiment of the present invention wbich serves to exemplify the various advantages and objects hereof, and are as follows: 5 Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4.

Figure 4A.

Figure 4B.

is a top view of a conventional music box; is a perspective view of present invention; is a perspective exploded view of present invention; is a section perspective view of motor cover and intergred circuit board of present invetnion; is a side elevation of motor output section of present invention; is a side elevation of vertical and horizontal power output section of present invention; and Figure 5. is a exploded perspective view of vetical power output section of present invetion.

Please refer to Figure 2 through Figure 5, the present invention is a motor.driving electronic music box which the base (10) and motor base (20) is a plastic injected unit, the advantage of this structure is lighter and produced faster than the conventional metal music box. The present invention doWt need 20 to have additonal process for the base unit to connect with the motor base. The top case of motor base (20) has a cover (30), and in the motor base (20) there is a motor room (21) for putting the bottom part of motor (22); the motor (22) has two shafts on the two ends to put on the semi-circle shaft hole (24) which is on the front and back side wall of motor room (21), then the two terminals (221, 222) of motor (22) can pass through the square holes (25) on the side of the semi-circle shaft hole (24). The two terminals (221, 222) connect to the wires (223, 224) separately, and the one end of stub axle of the motor (22) connects to a scroll gear (26) and this scroll gear (26) goes into the gear room (27) that 4 connect with the motor room (21). In the gear room (27) installs parallelly a gear train which is composed by one first gear shaft (28) and one second gear shaft (29). In the gearing room (27) close to the two side wall of motor room (21) where has a shaft hole (271) that two terminals (281) of the first gear shaft (28) insert into. The gear teeth (282) on the middle part of the first gear shaft (28) gnaw up with the scroll gear (26). The second gear shaft (29) has a terminal (291) to insert to the shaft hole (272) on the side of gear room (27).

On the side of the gear teeth (282) has a gear teeth (283) to gnaw up with the gear teeth (292) of the second gear shaft (29). On the other end of the second gear shaft (29) has a shrinking part (293) which can put into the shaft hole (273) of the gear room (27) in order to extend the gear teeth (294) of the other end of the second gear shaft (29) out of the gear room (27) to the inside of the base (10). The motor cover (30) has a semi-circle motor room (31) in order to hold the top section of motor (22) and use a sponge pad (32) to fix motor (22) and use the two sides (34, 35) of motor cover (30) to fix two gear shafts (28, 29) of the gear room (27). On the motor base (20) has three bosses (201) go through the three holes (33) of the motor cover (30) riveting to fix the motor and the gear driving facility.

One side of the motor base (20) connect to the base (10), and on the front of the base (10) install a fix ring (11). In the ring cover area, there are several sound holes (12), and one pair of clasp (13) to fix speaker (14) which has two wires (141, 142). On the side of the base (10) installs several bosses (15), and each boss (15) has one protrudance (151) to match with the boring hole (161) of the circuit board (16), and put the circuit board on the top of support boss (101). The circuit board connects separately to the speaker (14) (using wire 141, 142), DC power source (39) (which is a batter holder using wires 391 and 392 to connect the pair of batteries in the battery holder), switch (38) (using wires 381, 382), LED component (50) (using wires 501, 502), motor (22) (using wires 223 and 224 going through the square hole 102 of the support boss). On one side of the base (10) has a stieldng out connecting wall (19) which has a square concave (192). On the top of the square concave (192) has a trough can clasp the square shaft (194) and on the top of connecting wall (19) has a pair hole (191) to match with the bottom end (197) of a n shape clasp (196) in order to fix the square shaft (194). On the inside wall of the gear room (27) of the motor base (20) has a hole (274) for the mendral (173) of big gear (17) going through. On the mendral (173) has a arch shape boarding spring (18) in order to fix the big gear (17). The other end of the big gear (17) has a shaft hole (172) which the kurnal end (371) of the output shaft (37) and the other side of output shaft (37) go through the boring hole(195) which is on the square shaft (194). Also the thinner end (372) of the output shaft (37) supports the boring hole (195) in order to have the thread end (373) to output the power horizontally. The output power depends on the side end of the big gear (17) to match with the extend ed gear teeth (294) of the gear train to drive the power, and the top end of the big gear (17) matches with the gear teeth (42) of crown wheel (41) of gear stand (40). On the top of crown wheel join to a gear shaft (43) to output the power vertically, and put a spring (44) on the gear shaft (43). The gear shaft (43) goes through the the hole (46) of fix rack (45), and the spring located in betwenn the crown wheel and the fix rack (45) in order to have better gnaw between the crown wheel (41) and the big wheel (17).

Also the fix rack (45) used a enhanced ring (47) to pivot with the gear shaft (43), and one end of the fix rack (45) turns to be a L shape turning section (48), and uses screw (482) screw up from the screw hole (481) on the turnning section (48) go through the screw hole (3 6) on the motor cover (3 0) to join with the boss (275) of the motor case (20). Additionaly, the other end of the fix rack (45) turns downward to be a supporting section (49). The sharper end (491) of 6 the supporting section (49) plug into the hole of a protrudance of the connecting wall (19) in order to fix the fix rack (45), the base (10), and the motor base (20).

After finished assembly of all components of present invention, it can connect a music integrated circuit (163) to the circuit board (16). The music integrated circuit (163) includes sounds output which can create melody or animal sounds; additionally, it can control the flash of LED in order to have better function. So, the present invention can be fixed in a proper position of the music box through the shaft hole (8) on the base. When turn on the switch (38), the music integrated circuit on the circuit board will make sounds from the speaker (14) and more than one LED (50) will flash according to the melody; it also act on the output shaft (37) and gear shaft (43) at the same time. The output shaft (37) and the gear shaft (43) can connect to many different action combinations to drive the toy jumping or turning, and the type of toy can match with the type of melody that music integrated circuit (163) will play.. For example, if the sound of music integrated circuit playing is cat's sound, the toy can be designed as a cat in order to have special effects. Moreover, we also can match the use of products to design the circuit of integrated circuit to create discrete or continuous melody; thus provide more choices for consumers which the traditional motor music box can't achieve.

To summarise, the present invention provides a music box comprising a motor coupled electrically to an electrical circuit including sound generation means, the motor being connected also to a mechanical drive means to provide power thereto. Optionally, the music box may also include visual display means, such as one or more LEDs linked to the electrical circuit. The arrangement may be such that one or more LEDs flash in time with a tune produced by the sound generation means. The mechanical drive means may be connected to a toy or puppet to provide e.g. rotational drive thereto.

7 The sound generating means may be arranged to play selected one or more of a plurality of tunes and, alternatively or additionally, to generate one or more of a variety of other sound effects.

8

Claims (1)

1. A music box comprising a motor coupled electrically to an electrical circuit including sound generation means, the motor being connected also to mechanical drive means to provide power thereto.

2. The music box claimed in claim,l further comprising visual display means linked to the electrical circuit.

3. A music box has a motor in the motor room between the motor base and the motor cover, and the shaft end of this motor join with a scroll gear to drive the gear train on the gear room which located.in between the motor base and the motor cover to connectedto a output shaft to have horizontal output; one side of the motor base connected to a base, and the base installs a fix ring with several sound holes, and in the fix ring has one pair of clasp. to fix speaker; on the side of the base installs several bosses to support a circuit board, and this circuit board connects to the motor and the speaker; if you start the integrated circuit on the circuit board, the speaker will produce sounds, and also can act on the output shaft and gear shaft at the same time.

5, 4. The music box claimed in claim 1, in which the motor driving electronic music box has a circuit board to connect one or more LED which can flash according to the melody.

The music box as claimed in claim 1, in which the motor driving electronic music box has a circuit board to connect a battery box as power source in order to provide DC power source.

9 6. The music box as claimed in claim 1, in which the motor driving electronic music box has an integrated circuit including sounds and several melodies.

The music box as claimed in claim 1, in which the motor driving electronic music box has an integrated circuit which can match the use of the product to design the circuit of integrated circuit to create discrete or continuous melody.

8. The music box as claimed in claim 1, in which the motor driving electronic music box has a circuit board connecting to a switch according to requirement and use this switch to control start and stop of melody and motion.

9. A music box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.