US2545959A - Radio apparatus construction - Google Patents

Description

March 2o, 1951 D. M. KING 2,545,959

RADIO APPARATUS CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 3, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 20, 1951 D. M. KING 2,545,959

RADTo APPARATUS CONSTRUCTION Fuedsept. s, 1947 2 sheets-sheet 2 Bj 5m WWW.

' container which Houses" the radio apparatus? is 15 'dr'essingf table as earlier mentioned.

-slich a radio apparatus constructiori, A looio4 arr- Patented Mar. 2o, 1951 I l 2,545,959

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,545,959 imnio APARATUs oNsiriC'N David' King, Chicago, Illt,y assignorto Illinois Watch Gase G0., a, corporation of Illinois Apitatio s'iiteiter 3, 1947, serial N6: trim?" 9 claims; tot 250:14) E i This invitii relates to al radieostliti, "ai-id'V there farticularlv to a radio abbaratu's conrance" of a jevvl b'g or struction utilizing a foldable loop antenna:- 6 er chest-#l eboc vvhic'liria-y be' se ori a The desirability of providing a radio apparatus (lr'e's.sfin""A table or in a siniilar location Wh'ereit is -Wli-ieh is conipletely enclosed in a chest-like con- 5 t er, preferably of metal, has long been recogi-i d inthe rad-io albaratus a`1"t. Such a radio apparatus cdstruction is particularly adapted` to be tiliz'ed' in dertain places WhereF conventional types? of radio appara-tus'- construction have not 1U lieret'fore`v-been siiitabl; as' for example on a 1 dressing' table; becase' atmosphere created by adjacent articles or beca'se" of esthetic`r prefefences elv tle li'jorn v lbant. For such use the ajsirplehine ai*- connection With-trie referbl of I'rital Which may be either pla-in derleifr the-cover niust bef'rely tilted'- i115 Vstifrfac'edor inail be decoratedwitlr ern-ornamental b" the anten" LA vvl'fi'ere i-t` Wou dat'- as a design,- and said' container should completely teni'ia iii/hen the arfte''niaJ is in l'i'olse' the radio apiiaratus and should harmonize iii/it its' srroudi'igsg A Making'suclr acontainer of metal provides an eiective shield for' the' radio apparatus contained or scl radioappa-ratu's Another advantage obtained through the' use ora Inet-al container is th dell a container provides a more pleasing apearance and ts riore tastefully certain s lrroir'dings, forY eiiar'nple Whenused`v o'n'` a Hotvferl thevery fact that ail niet'alontairler has' sliel'din charact'eristies has', inv the east, InsideY it undesirable fcrf's'e in tlieA eirerstances referred to" here, since it has' heretofore been 1n' i' possible to associate" a built-in" loop'antennav with tenta is, o f course, desireine` inf` radio abrierats of the" type' referred to` here because Ai'r'st; tlife on este them-tette @dat l"radio apparatus (except-of coiirsev the line cord) tlfatltlie'coiverm'aif b 'elguidedfitoits-'verticaopei is preferably completely enclosed withinthecorrposition bel'ii said rear id -Iiounted Withirr arrietal container duringcp'rairadio apparatus subs'tantiallyA in'oierativ:

the aritnnaassociated. therewith;V the cns'ttainer; and'second, anj antenna whichisnot'conr- 40 A f 1 s arrangement wlier nach but which' must b ev strung onttlirougliont tlji imple'l nd atralrno'venientof oieningfgtlie considerable length presents an undesirable ap'- l otC-o'n'l pearance, and an inconvenience; in; snc/hv a" ra io t apparatus; However; if av lop antennajv'velre tion, as rnay bedone woodenor plastic-coli;- tainers`, t-l1e metalI container wouldl shield the antenna from incoming signals',` thusrenderingl the similar to Figure 2 but with the cover in partially open position; Figure 4 is a transverse section similar to Figures 2 and 3, but with the cover in open position; Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical section through a portion of the apparatus in the position of Figure 2; Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical section of a portion of the apparatus of Figure 2, the central portion of the apparatus being broken away in Figure 6; Figure 'l is an enlarged plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1 with the cover open; and Figure 8 is an enlarged front elevation, partly broken away, of the apparatus of Figure-l with the cover open, part of the front of the container being. broken away to show underlying structure.

Referring now to the drawings, in Figure 1` a container designated generally at I is adapted to house radio apparatus, as for example a radio receiver; includingan antenna. The container has a base portion Ia. (Figures 2, 3 and 4) and enclosed sides including ends IIlb and Inc, a front Aside Illd, and a rear side Ille. As shown best in Figs. 3, 4 and 7, the container I0 has an open top within which is mounted radio apparatus in a manner to be hereafter described.

. The container I0 is tted with a cover I I which preferably has outer dimensions the exact size of the outer dimensions of the container so that eachV edge of the cover is in the same vertical plane as the associated side of the container. Both the container and the cover are preferably, though not necessarily, of metal, and either or both may have thereon an ornamental design, although no such design is illustrated here, the ornamentation being no part of this invention. Since Athe radio apparatus which is mounted ,Within the container is conventional except for lthe antenna mounting, such radio apparatus will n be'described only briefly here. A chassis member I2 is mounted within the open top by means of mounting screws I3 which cooperate with brackets I extending inwardly from the container sides, and this chassis member has a plurality of openings therein as best illustrated in Figure 7.- `Certain of these openings, as the open- ?ingsIZa, may serve as ornamentation and as lventilating openings;` within another opening I2b there may be mounted a control dial I5 which may serve as .an on-off switch and volume control;.-within another opening I2c there may be mounted another control dial I6 which may serve as a tuning dial and may operate a pointer assomembers which are preferably of a yieldable insulating material, as rubber, and which serve to space the container I0 from the surface on which it is resting. In order to provide adequate air circulation within the container, I prefer to space the base member Ia from the ends I0b and Iilc of said container and I provide brackets or flanges 25 to support said base IllaI with reference to the ends Ib and Ic.

The antenna 25 is foldable and is mounted in the top of the opening by means of a hinge 30. This hinge is secured to the antenna by means of screws 3! and is secured to the rear side IDe of the container, I0, the hinge being set inwardly Vciated with a tuning scale I'I which may be mounted within another opening I2d; and the opening I2e in the chassis member I2 may house a speaker. This speaker and other conventional radio receiver parts as for example tubes, resistors, coils, condensers, etc. may be mounted kwithin the container below the chassis member I2.

1 A loop antenna 20 is associated with the radio apparatus. This antenna is preferably mounted within an insulating, non-metallic housing 20a andis connected to the radio apparatus by means .of leads 22 and 23 (Figure 8) which extend from the antenna to the radio apparatus. The antenna 2li and the housing 20a will hereafter be referred to asa single unit, and it will be understood that .the term antenna includes both elements. A

'line cord 24 shown only fragmentarily in Figures 2, 3 and 4 extends into the housing and is connected to radio apparatus therein in conventional manner, the connections of the line cord and antenna leads not being shown. The general constructionof my apparatus is completed by foot from theplane of said rear side a sufficient distance to allow the cover II to fit into said plane as shown most 'clearly in Figure 6. A hinge pin 32 provides an axis about which the antenna 20 may pivot as it folds and unfolds, and the antenna is urged to unfold to its vertical operative position by means of springs 33 which surround said hinge pin.

The cover I I is provided with an opening-andclosing handle IIa, and the cover is mounted on the container in such manner that said cover is movable by means of said handle from a front horizontal position wherein it encloses the antenna and radio apparatus to a rear vertical position to provide access to the radio apparatus controls, the antenna automatically unfolding to its vertical operative position when the cover is moved to its rear position'.

To permit this movement the cover is connected at each of its ends to the container-by means of a link 35. Since each of these links and the mechanisms associated therewith are similar, only one will be described in detail, and it will be understood that the link and operating mechanisms at the opposite end of the container are similar to those described in detail. Each of the links 35 has one end pivotally connected to a side (the ends Iilb and Ic as illustrated) of the container Ill. This connection, designated at 36, is near the center of said side and is preferably located back of the vertical center line and below the horizontal center line of said side as shown best in FiguresrZ, 3 and 4. The other end of each of the links ispivotally connected tothe cover IIadjacentthe front of said cover.

While any type of pivotal connection may be made, I prefer a connection of the type shown most clearly in Figures 5 and 6. As illustrated in such figures, a spring wire' rod 3l extends across the front end of the cover II, said wire rod being turned at a right angle at each of its ends, and the turned ends being drilled into or otherwise fastened to the links 35. Adjacent its center the spring wire rod 3l is formed into a loop 37a, this loop being secured to the cover II by means of a rivet IIb, as best shown in Figures 6 and '7. Near the ends of the cover the rod 3l' passes through journals 38, as shown in Figure 5. When initially formed, the ends of the rod are turned at a right angle to the plane of the looped portion 31a, so 'that a torsion or force is exerted when the rod is twisted from this initial position. As may be seen by a comparison of Figures 2, 3 and 4, the angle between the links 35 and the cover II is smaller when the cover is in either its closed horizontal position of Figure 2 or its open vertical position of Figure 4 than when it is in any intermediate position, as shown ,in vFigure 3. Consequently, -the turned ends of the rod 3T are twisted farther from their right angle position with respect; to

the plane' of the loop 31a when the cover is in an intermediate position than when it is in either of its terminal positions, and the torsion spring comprising the rod 31 exerts a force to maintain said cover in either of said horizontal or vertical y positions and at the same time'to hold the cover in a snug relationship to the rear wall ille of the body of the container when the cover is open.

Another Wire rod 4Q is rotatably mounted on the container le adjacent the rear thereof, this rod 43 being mounted in said top and spaced inwardly from the rear side me, brackets 4I (Figure 6) holding said rod within the open top. The ends of the rod 50 are onset, being formed .with a double turn of crank shape as best illus- Atrailed at 40a in Figure 5, and the sides ofthe .cover Il are formed with a guide channel or .flange thereon. Rod 4l! thus comprises a guide member which slidably engages the channels I lb, and the offset portion 49a of the guide member shiftable from a normal position within the confines of the container to a rear position outside the rear side Ille of said container as the cover is moved to its rear position. lSlots may be provided in the top of the rear side of the container to receive the shiftable portion of the guide member- It will be obvious that, since the cover walks or moves back as itis swung into its vertical back position, and since the antenna 2l) is urged into its vertical position by the springs 33, the walking or rearward movement of the cover would normally be prevented by the antenna housing which would catch on the downwardly extending front portion of the cover. In order to prevent this, I provide a member adapted to engage the antenna cover and to hold such cover in horizontal folded or inoperative position during a portion of the movement of the cover until the downwardly extending front portion of the cover clears the forward edge of the antenna. This member comprises a spring 42 which is carried by said cover adjacent the rear center portion thereof.

In order to turn the set on and oit (i. e., to render its power supply and tubes operative or inoperative), I have provided, in the particular embodiment illustrated, a snap-switch d5 mounted on one side of the radio chassis 46. This is wired into the current supply lead in conventional manner; and is, in the form shown, a normally open switch, as by being spring-biased open. The switch is actuated by a vertically movable plunger 45a, so that depressing the plunger turns the switch on and releasing the plunger permits it to return to off position. In order to operate the plunger I provide a bracket 41 on the link 35 on the side of the case adjacent the switch, with a horizontally extending portion adapted to contact the top of the plunger and depress it, to turn the set on, when the link and lid are moved to fully open position.

The operation of the device as the cover is moved from closed to open position is illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4. AIn Figure 2 the cover is closed, the spring 42` holds the antenna 2li in its folded or horizontal position, and the switch 45 is in its oii` position. As may be seen in said figure, the radio apparatus including the loop antenna isv completely enclosed within the container. In Figure 3 the cover Il has been partially opened. The walking or rearward movement of the cover is clearlyillustrated in this gure and it is shown how the offset portion .40a of the guide member 40, has shifted so that the cover may pivot around the top edge ofthe rear side Ille of the container. The spring 42 has held the antenna 20 in its folded position until the cover moved a sunicient distanceto clear the forward edge of the antenna. In Figure 4 the cover has been completely opened and the antenna has unfolded to its operative position; and the bracket 47 has engaged and depressed the plunger 45a to turn the set on. This ngure and Figure 8 illustrate clearly the nal or open position of the cover in which any shielding effects upon the antenna are minimized or completely eliminated. In the event it is desired to close the cover, the handle lla may be grasped and the cover pulled into its closed position. Closing the cover automatically folds the antenna to its horizontal or inoperative position.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spiritl and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1.-Apparatus of the character described, including: a container having a base portion, enclosed sides and an open top; radio apparatus in said container, said apparatus including a switch; a loop antenna connected to said radio apparatus, said antenna being foldable between operative and inoperative positions; a cover for closing said top to enclose said radio apparatus and antenna; a straight link member having one end movably connected to a side of said container and the other end movably connected to said cover adjacent the front thereof; a guide arrangement slidably connecting said cover to said lcontainer adjacent the rear thereof, said cover being movable from a front horizontal position to a rear vertical position to provide access to said radio apparatus, said antenna unfolding to operative position when said cover is moved to its rear vertical position; and actuating means for said switch moved by said link.

2. Apparatus of the character described, including: av metal container having a base portion, enclosed sides and an open top; radio apparatus in said container; a loop antenna connected to said radio apparatus, said antenna being ioldable between avertical operative position and a horizontal inoperative position; spring operated apparatus normally urging said antenna into operative position; a cover for closing said top to enclose said radio apparatus and antenna; a link member having one end pivotally connected to a side of said container and the other end pivotally connected to said cover adjacent the front thereof, said last mentioned connection including a torsion spring; a guide arrangement slidably connecting said `cover to said container adjacent the rear thereof, said cover being movable froma front horizontal position to a rear vertical position to provide access to said radio apparatus, and said torsion spring exerting a force to maintain said cover in either of said positions, said antenna unfolding to operative positionfwhen said cover is moved to its rear vertical position; and a member on said cover for holding said antenna in horizontal position during the initial opening movement of said cover, A

3. Apparatus of the character described, including: a container having a base portion, enclosed sides and an open top; radio apparatus in said container, such radio apparatus including a 'switch and having controls laccessible from said top; a loop antenna connected to said radio apparatus, said antenna being foldable between a vertical operative position and a horizontal inoperative position; spring operated apparatus normally urging said antenna into operative psition; a cover for closing said top to enclose said radio apparatus and antenna, said cover having a guide channel thereon; a straight link member having one end movabiyV connected to a side of said container and the other end movably connected to said cover adjacent the front thereof; a guide inembel` mounted on said container adjacent the rear thereof and slidably engaging said channel, said cover being movable from a front vhorizontal position wherein said nk is concealed within said container to a rear vertical position to provide access to said controls wherein said link extends through said open top, said antenna unfolding to operative position when said cover is moved to its rear vertical position; and actuating means for said movable in accordance with movement oi said top.

4. Apparatus of the character described, including: a container having a base portion, enclosed ends and iront and rear sides and an open top; radio apparatus in said container, such radio apparatus having controls accessible from said top; a loop antenna connected to said radio apparatus, said antenna being ioldable between a -vertical operative position and a horizontal inoperative position; spring operated apparatus normally urging said antenna into operative position; a cover for closing said top to enclose said radio apparatus and antenna, said cover having a guide channel thereon; a. link member having one end movably connected to an end of said container and the other` end movably connected to said cover adjacent the front thereof; a guide member mounted on said container adjacent the rear thereof and slidably engaging said channel, said member being mounted in said top and spaced inwardly from said rear side and having a portion sliiitable to a rear position outside said rear side, said cover` being movable from a front horizontal position to a rear vertical position to provide access to said controls, said antenna unfolding to operative position when said cover is moved to rear vertical position,

5. Apparatus of the character described, including: a metal container having a base portion, enclosed sides and an open top; radio apparatus in said container, such radio apparatus having controls accessible from said top; a loop antenna connected to said radio apparatus, said antenna being ioldable between a vertical operative position and a horizontal inoperative position; spring operated apparatus normally urging said antenna into operative position; a cover for closing said top to enclose said radio apparatus and antenna, said cover having a guide channel thereon; a link Vmember having one end pivotally connected to a side of said container back of the vertical center line and below the horizontal center line of said side, and having the other end pivotally connected to said cover adjacent the iront thereof; and a guide member mounted on said container adjacent the rear thereof and slidably engaging said channel, said cover being movable from a front horizontal position wherein said link is concealed within said container to a rear vertical position to provide access to said controls wherein said link extends through said open top, said antenna unfolding to operative position when .Said cover is moved to its rear vertical position.

` 6.' Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 5, wherein the connection between said link member and said cover includes a torsion spring which exerts a force to maintain said cover in either of said horizontal and vertical positions. 1 '7. Apparatus of the character described, in'- cluding: a metal container having a base portion, enclosed sides and an open top; radio apparatus in said container, such radio apparatus having controls accessible from said top; a loop antenna connected to said radio apparatus, said antenna being foldable between a vertical operative position and a horizontal inoperative position; spring operated apparatus normally urging said antenna into operative position; a cover for closing said top to enclose said radio apparatus and antenna, said cover having a guide channel thereon; a straight link member having one end pivotally yconnected to a side of said container back of the vertical center line and below the horizontal center line of said side, and having the other end pivotally connected to said cover adjacent the iront thereof; a guide member mounted on said container adjacent the rear thereof and slidably engaging said channel, said cover being movable from a front horizontal position to a rear vertical position to provide access to said controls, said antenna unfolding to operative position when said cover is moved to its rear vertical position; and a member adapted to engage said antenna, said member holding said antenna in folded position during a portion of the movement of said cover.

8. Apparatus of the character described, including: a metal container having a base portion, enclosed ends and front and rear sides, and an open top; radio apparatus in said container, such radio apparatus having controls accessible from said top; a loop antenna connected to said radio apparatus, said antenna being foldable between a vertical operative position and a horizontal inoperative position; a spring urging said antenna into operative position; a cover for closing said top to enclose said radio apparatus and antenna, said cover having a guide channel thereon; a link member having one end pivotally connected 15,0

Van end of said container back of the vertical center line and below the horizontal center line of said end, and having the other end pivotally connected to said cover adjacent the front thereof; a guide member mounted on said container adjacent the rear thereof and slidably engaging said channel, said member being mounted in said top and spaced inwardly from said rear side and having an offset portion shiftable to a rear position outside said rear side, said cover being movable from a front horizontal position to a rear vertical position to provide access to said controls, and said antenna unfolding to operative position when said cover is moved to its rear position; andfa spring member carried by said cover and adapted to engage said antenna, said member holding said antenna in folded position during a portion of the movement of said cover.

9. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 8, wherein said radio apparatus includes a normally open switch at one side thereof and wherein a member carried by said link is adapted to engage a portion of said switch and cause it to close when said link member is moved to rearmost position upon opening of said top.

DAVID M. KING.'

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The fpllowing references are l`of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Hayes June 26, 1894 English Oct. 31, 1905 Boyer Jan. 4, 1910 Clark Aug. 1, 1911 1o Lindemann et al. Dec. 19, 1933 Papworth Sept. 3, 1935 Number Number

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