CA1276566C - Swinging record changer - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract:

Record changing apparatus for the successive and/or selective reproduction and/or recording of records having a magazine for storing records and a loading/reproducing mechanism for receiving the rec-ords, the loading/reproducing mechanism and the maga-zine both being mounted for pivoting about distinct parallel axes and being driven and coordinated to provide opposite angular displacements between a plurality of fixed positions in each of which a com-partment in the magazine faces the loading/reproduc-ing mechanism for transfer of a record therebetween.

Description

, 1 ~7~

SWINGING RECORD CHANGER

Technical Field:

The present invention relates to apparatus for the successive and/or selective reproduction and/or recording of information on carriers contained in a masazine and, more particularly, to such apparatus, commonly called "record changers", where the informa-tion carriers are record discs.

Back~round Art:
Known record changers aee of two general types, i.e., rotary or linear. In both types, either the mechanism for the loading and reproduction of the information on the record is fixed and the magazine is movable or the magazine is fixed and the load-ing/reproduction mechanism for the record is movable.
Although changers of the rotary type are parti-cularly well suited to apparatus having magazines for storing a large number of records, linear changers in which the magazine is movable are preEerred for rea-sons o~ space where the number of records stored in the magazine is moderate (for example, ten to twenty records~. Linear-type changers in whlch the load-ing/reproduction mechanism is movable have not been extensively used commercially because the precise 2lL21/cmcg -- ~Z~S~6 displacement of this mechanism requires complicated componen-ts which have proved very expensive and not very reliable.
Linear-type changers in which the magazine is movable have only had a limited success because, in order to remain compact and, in particular, to meet the standards laid down for home equipment, they cannot contain more than six to seven records or cassettes. This capacity is too low to really justify a changer. Based on commercial and pratical considerations, therefore, it is when a record changer is capable of storing more than ten records that a changer becomes justified.
Disclosure of the Invention:
The problems of the prior art are overcome by the present invention which broadly provides a record changer apparatus comprising a magazine for storing a plurality of records, having a pivot axis and a plurality of record s-torage compartments which are substantially parallel with each other and which are disposed on both sides of a plane which is parallel to the storage compartments and passes through the pivot axis of the magazine, a loading/reproducing mechanism for receiving and playing a record transferred from the magazine, the loading/reproducing mechanism having a pivot axis and a single record receiving slot, means for mounting the magazine and the loading/reproducing mechanism for pivoting about their respective axes, and means for moving the magazine and the loading/reproducing mechanism to produce coordinated opposite angular displacements thereof about their respective axes between different fixed positions in each of which the record receiving slot of the loading/
reproducing mechanism is aligned with a different one of the storage compartments in the magazine to allow transFer of a selected record there-between when the loading/reproducing mechanism and the magazines are located at one of the fixed posit!ons.

~ ....
` sdl~ -2-~I.Z76$G~i Brief DescriPtion Of The Draw~

Further objects ancl advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ~ollowing description taken with reference to the drawings, in which:
Figures 1 and 2 dihgrammatically represent changer apparatus oE known type;
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side view of a changer apparatus according to the invention;
Figures 3a and 3b are further diagrammatic side views of a changer apparatus according to the inven-tion with the magazine and loading/reproducing mech anissn shown at different positions;
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of the - 15 changer apparatus shown in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a schematic circuit diagram of a control system for the changer apparatus of this invention;
Figure 6 is a top view of an actual working record changer unit embodying the invention and rep-resenting the best mode;
Figure 7 is a side view of the unit shown in Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a top plan view similar to Figure 6 except Figure 6 shows the components when the records are in the magazine and Figure 8 shows tha components with a record in operating position in the load-ing/reproducing mechanism; and Figure 9 shows details of a cam appearing in Figures 6-8.

21121/cmcg $66 Best Mode For Car~yl~gL~ The Invention:

Figure 1 diagrammatically illustrates a record changer 20 of the rotary type having a fixed magazine 22 for storing records and having a loading/reproduc-ing mechanism 24 mounted for rotary movement. Due to the diverging sides of the magaæine 22, necessary in order to position the records in alignment wi~h the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 as it swivels, the minimum required width dimension of the apparatus is defined by the dimension 1..
Figure 2 illus~rates a record changer of the linear type having a movable magazine 22 containing records and a flxed loading/reproducing mechanism 24. The magazine 22, illustrated in ~olid lines, is positioned so that the record contained in its first compartmen~ is facing the loading/reproducing mechan-ism 24. ~he position occupied by the magazine 22 when its last compartment is facing the loading/re-producing mechanism 24 is illustrated in dottedlines. The distance L represents the necessary mini-mum width of the changer or minimum height of the changer if the magazine is mounted for vertical move-~ent.
Fiqures 3-5:

Referring now to Figure 3, which diagrammatical-ly illustrates a record changer according to the invention, a magaæine 22 is provided for storing records, and a loading/reproducing mechanism 24 is provided for receiving a selected record ~rom the magazine 22 and reproducing in~ormation recorded thereon.

21121/cmcg . 1, In carrying out the invention, the magazine 22 and the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 are both mounted for pivoting about two horizontal axes 26, 28, respectively, and are carried by a fixed frame 30. It is preferred that the magazine 22 be remov-able from the record changer, and, for this purpose, the magazine 22 is held in a open-ended box-like housing 32 having laterally-extendinq sleeves 34, 36 which are rotatab]y supported on vertical side mem-bers 38, 40 of the frame, allo~ing the magazine topivot about the horizontal axis 26 which is also the axis of the sleeves 34, 36.
The loading/reproducing mechar.ism 24 is carried by a movable frame or chassis 42 which is pivotally supported about the horizontal axis 28. The movable chassis 42 has laterally-extending sleeves 44, 46 rotatably supported on the opposite side members 38, 40 of the fixed frame 30. It will be noted that the magazine 22 is box-shaped and is supported for move-ment about its geometrical center and is therebybalanced about the supporting axis, while the movable chassis 42 carrying the loading/reproducing mechanism is supported about an axis 28 at the end of the chas-sis 42 remote from the magazine. Since the magazine 22 is bulkier than the loading/reproducing mechanism 24~ the support of the magazine at a geometrical center, by minimizing the extent of lateral movement of the magazine 22 as it swivels when shi~ted to locate a record compartment for transfer to the load-ing/reproducing mechanism, results in a recordchanger which has smaller overall height (1) than the height ~L) oE conventional record changers with the same capacity magazine, an important objective of the invention.

21121/cmcg 65~6 ~, For the purpose of imparting pivotal movement to the magazine 22 and the loading/reproducing mechanism 24, both the magazine housing 32 and the movable chas~is 42 for the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 have toothed members, herein shown as segments 48, 50, fastened thereto, the segments 48, 50 having gear teeth which mesh with a common drive gear 52 that moves both the magazine 22 and loading/reproducing mechanism 24 in a pivotall manner ~o produce coor-dinated angular dispLacements thereof about theirrespective axes 26, 28 between different fixed posi-tions. The drive gear 52 is operated by a motor 54 through a reduction gear train 56.
In accordance with the invention, the magazine 22 and loading/reproducing mechanism 24 are movable between a series o~ fixed positions, and, in each fixed position, one oE the compartments in the maga-zine 22 faces the loading/reproducing mechanism to permit a record to be transferred from the compart-ment to the mechanism or vice versa. In each com-partment means is provided for storing a record in a storage plane Pl while in the loading/reproducing mechanism a support is provided for receiving a rec-ord in a loading plane P2.
Accordingly, the rotation of the drive motor 54 in clockwise or counterclockwise direction pivots the magazine 22 and the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 about their respective axes 26, 28. Accord1ng to the invention, the pivotal displacements are coordinated and take place in opposite directions to align the storage plane Pl of a dif~eeent one of the compart-ments with the loading plane P2 of the loading/repro-ducing mechanism at each of the fixed positions.

21121/cmcg ~L2~ 6 , The two extreme positions of the changer, with the first or last compartment of the magaæine 22 facing the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 and the storage pLane Pl and the loading plane P2 aligned, are illustrated in dashed lines in Figure 3. It will be noted that the height dimension (1) required for this changer is much less than than that (L) of the two known changers illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
More precisely, the height dimension 1 required for the same number o~ compartments is much shorter than the corresponding dimension L required for either the rotary-type changer of Figure 1 or the linear-type changer of Figure 2.
For the purpose of transferring a record from any selected compartment in the maga~ine 22, a trans-fer mechanism 58 is mounted on the movable cha~sis 42 carrying the loading/reproducing mechanism being carried by a lateral extension fiO of the chassis 42. This trans~er mechanism 58 is operable to trans-fer a selected record between its position of rest ina compartment of the magazine 22 and its loading position in the loading/reproducing mechanism 24. In the preferred embodiment illustated, the transfer mechanism includes a lever member 6~ which is piv-otally mounted on the lateral extension 60 for move-ment from a position completely exterior to the maga-zine to a position penetrating a selected compartment within the magazine, which position is achieved by clockwise m.ovement of the lever member 62 from the exterior position pictured in Figure 4. Each com-partment of the magazine preferably includes a lock-ing lever 64. When the transfer lever member 62 penetrates a selected compartment, it engages the locking lever 64 therein and causes the locking lever 64 to pivot and move ~ record within the compartment 21121/cmcg ~.Z7~

toward the loading position within the loading/reproduc mg mechanism 24. For a detailed description of a magazine having locking levers of the type described, reference is made to U.S. Patent No. 4,664,454 entitled "Storage Device For Record Disc'l. The locking lever 64 in each conpartment is provided to transfer a record frcm a magazine ccmç3rtm~nt upon pivotal movement in one direction and to lock a record in the compartment upon reverse movement, and the locking lever is actuable by external means, herein shown as the ~ransfer lever member 62.
In the preferred embodiment, the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 is operative to displace the record frcm the loading pQsition in one plane to an operating or playing position in a parallel plane and preferably is the type of mechanism disclosed in detail in U.S. Patent 4,513,409. This mechanism emplcys a support (not shcwn in Figure 4) which is rotatably mounted in the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 and travels in a helicoidal motion to transfer the r~cord from the plane of the loading position to the parallel plane of the operating or playing position.
~or the p~pa~ of ~otu~t~n~ th~ l~akln~ 6~ in a selected ccmpart:ent of the magazine 22 by means of the transfer lever m~mber 62, the transfer lever member 62 is movable by a motor 66 which is supported on. the lateral extension 60 of the movable chassis 42.
The motor 66 is connected to the transfer lever member 62 through a reduction gear drive 68 and a gear segment 70 which is fixed to the transfer lever member 62. The end of the transfer lever member 62 is operable to penetrate a side wall of a selected ccmpartme~t and engage a locking lever 64 LC~:ml s 6~i66 ~ _-3 - pivotally mounted within that compartment. Since the selected compartment may vary from the bottom to the top of the magazine 22 depending on the angular posi-tion of the magazine, the transfer lever member 62 is S pivotally mounted on the lateral extension 60 of the movable chassis 42 and is rigidly eastened thereto so as to move with the movable chassis 42 as it pivots about its axis 28. The mounting of the transfer lever member 62 on the lateral extension 60 is pic-tured in Fi~ure 4 which, in plan view, shows thelateral extension 60 outside the fixed frame 30 and connected to the movable chassis 42 supporting the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 through a shaft 72 so that the lateral extension 60 and the movable chassis 42 pivot in unison between the extreme posi-tions pictured for the chassis in Figures 3a and 3b, respectively.
It will be seen from Figures 3a and 3b that, at the extreme positions o~ the movable chassis 42 and the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 carried thereby, the loadiny/reproducing mechanism 24 faces the end compartments of the magazine 22, and this alignment of the storage plane Pl with the loading plane P2 allows a record in an end compartment to be transfer-red to the loading/reproducing mechanism or to bereturned from the loading/reproducing mechanism to the same compartment in the magazlne. Between the extreme positions and at each of the intermediate positions, the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 will be aligned with one of the compartments to receive a record therefrom. The magazine 22 is positionable at intermediate positions corresponding to the magazine compartmentsO With the lateral extension 60 of the movable chassis 42 pivoting in unison with the load-ing/reproducing mechanism 24, the transfer mechanism 21121/cmcg ~'76566 1()-58 and transfer lever memher 62 carried by the later-al extension 6n are also located immediately adjacent a selected compartment.
It will also be seen in Figures 3a and 3b that the movement of the movable chassis 42 carrying the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 and the housing 32 for the magazine 22 is coordinated such that they swing in opposi~e directions. The power to produce this swinging motion of the changer components is provided by the motor 54 which is connected to the segments 48, 50 on the movable chassis 42 and the housing 32 by the drive gear 52 meshing with the two segments 48, 50, respectively.
Also connected to the movable chassis 42 is an optical reading device 78 in the Eorm of a diode-phototransistor adapted to detect optical informa-tion, which may be in the form of bars, depressions, reflecting area, etcetera, carried by the housing 32 of the magazine 22. These items of information cor-respond to the center of each compartment with themagazine and enable the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 and the transfer mechanism 58 to be very precisely aligned with the center of the compartment in which the record selected by the user is situated.
Operation.

For facility of use and, in particular, in order to permit easy insertion or removal of the magazine 22 relative to its housing 32, provision is made for the housing 32 and the magazine 22 to be automatical-ly brought into a horizontal position tor these oper-ations, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

21121/cmcg ~276~66 For this purpose, the optical coating comprises an additional item of information 76, opposite the central compartment (the fifth compartment in the present case), this item oE information 76 being detected by an optical reading device 78 similar to a device 80 for reading information 82 representing the positions of the indiviclual compartments.
The readout ~ignal is then transmitted to a microprocessor 84 of the control system pictured in Figure 5, and this microprocessor retains, in one of its storage memories, the fact that the central com-partment is opposite the loading/reproducing mechan-ism 24. By convention, compartment 1 may be the one situated at the top, as illustrated in Figure 3a, and lS compartment 10 may be the one at the bottom, as pic-tured in Figure 3b, facing the loading/reproducing mechanism 24. Thus, when a user selects a record anA, hence, the corresponding compartment by means of a control keyboard 86 connected to the microprocessor 84, the microprocessor compares the number fed in with that stored and, depending on the result of this comparison, operates the motor 54 to rotate, clock-wise or counterwise, depending on the sign of this comparison and the counting of the optical informa-tion and depending on the value of the differenceobtained.
Th~s, by means of the drive gear 52 and of the segments 48~ 50~ the motor 54 positions the load-ing/reproducing mechanism 24 facing the compartment containing the selected record.
The transfer mechanism mo~or 66 i5 then switched on by the program operating the microprocessor 84 and rotates the transfer lever member 62 which, by acting on the locking lever 64 within the compartment con-taining the ~elected record, transfers the record to 21121/cmcg . . . , - -~1.2~ 6~

the loading/reproducing mechanism 24.
The record is then introduced into the load-ing/reproducing mechanism which i8 automatically operated to transfer the record onto a drive spindle where it may be clamped in operating position.
Once the reproduction of the record 1s finished, the record is first disengaged from its drive means and brought to a position from which it may be trans-ferred from the loading/reproducing mechanism and returned to its original compartment in the magazine ~2.
As will be seen from Figure 3, since the bulki-est part of the changer is the housing 32 containing the magazine 22, it is desirable tha~ the movement of the magazine 22 for the selection of records be as restricted as possible to enable the largest posslble number of records ~o be installed in a given space.
For this reason, in the equipment described herein the center of pivoting of the housing containing the magazine is situated in the geometrical center there-of.
Thus, since the angular deviations of the hous-ing and oÇ the loading/reproducing mechanism should be precisely opposite in order to ensure the transfer of each record in its own plane, and since the load-ing/reproducing mechanism is small in bulk in compar-ison with the housing, the axis of pivoting of the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 has advantageously been placed close to its opposite end from the maga-zine housing 32 and, therefore, the axis of the drivegear 52 is equidistant between the two axes 26, 28 of pivotal motion of the magazine 22 and the loading/re-producing mechanism 24. Any variation may be made to this geometry to take special conditions into ac-count, and, of course, other connections achieving 21121/cmcg ~ 2'7~566 the same object ~nay be used. For example, it ispossible to use gears connected by a rack which, given an alternating linear movement, would ensure the rotation of gears in opposite directions.

Fi~ures 6-9:

An actual working unit illustrating the best mode of the invention is shown in Figures 6-9 whereas Figures 3 and 4 illustrate an embodiment of the in-vention diagrammatically.
For illustration purpose, the changer is shown in plan view in ~igure 6, turned end-for-end from the plan view of Figure 4. Thus, the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 is at the right end of the drawing in Figure 6 while it is at the left end o the drawing in Figure 4; the transfer mechanlsm 58 is at the bottom left hand corner of the drawing in Figure 6 while it is at the upper right hand corner in Figure 4. Figure 7 is a side view of the changer as pic-tured in Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a plan view ar-ranged similarly to Figure 6. In Figure 6, the rec~
ords are in the magazine, while in F'igure 8 a record is shown in playing position in the loading/reproduc-ing mechanism 24 after it has been transferred from aselected compartment.
In Figure 7, the magazine housing 32 and load-ing/reproduciny mechanism 24 are shown in horizontal position, to which they are brought automatically by the preferred control system, an optical reading device 90 being provided to de~ect an item of infor-mation 92 on a member 94 fixed to the magazine hous-iny 32 that represents the horizontal position in which the central one of the compartments (the fifth compartment in this case) faces the loading/reproduc-21121/cmcg ~.217465~

ing mechanism 24 (Figure 6).
The loading/reproducing mechanism 24 is carriedby a movable chassis 4~ for pivotal movement about an axis 28 and carries a toothed segment 50 associated S with a drive gear 52 actuated by a motor 54 ~hrough a reduction gear 56. As previously noted, it is pre-ferred that the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 is in the form of a rotationally-mounted support 95 receiving a record and pereorming a hellcal movement to raise and lower the record from a loading plane to a parallel operating or playback plane, as described in U. S. Patent 4,513,409.
In this preferred embodiment of the invention, a peripheral segment 102 of the rotationally mounted support 95 is engaged with a gear 103 freely mounted on the movable chassis 42 and driven by a toothed rack 105 which is longitudinally moved by means of a first actuating slide 106 for the loading/reproducing mechanism 24. The other end 107 of the first actuat-ing slide 106 carries a pin 108 associated with aprofile 109 cut in a control cam 110. This control cam 110 is rotatable and is supported on the movable~
chassis 42 which carries the loading/reproducing mechanism 24, the control cam 110 being driven under the direction of the control system to rotate the loading/reproducing mechanism support 95 and cause it to travel in a helicoidal path to shift the position of the record between the loading and playing posi-tions.
This same control cam 110 is provided with a second profile 109' which is associated with a second actuatlng slide 112 for the record transfer mecahnism 58, and the control cam 110 moves the second actuat-ing sl:ide 112 by means of a pin 111. The record trans~er actuating slide 112 at the end adjacent the 21121/cmcg 6S6,6 lS

magazine has a toothed s~gment 113. A lateral extension 60 of the movable chassis 42 extexls adjacent the magazine housing 32 and supports the second actuating slide 112 and a gear 114 which is engaged by the toothed segment 113 on the sl:ide 112. ~he gear 114 carrie~s a transfer lever arm 115 of the tra~sfer mechanism 58 intended to work jointly with levers 100 contained in the ccmpartments of the magazine 22 and which serve both to transfer a record when actuated to pivot in one direction, or to lock the record in the respective ccmpartment when released to pivot in the reverse direction under the force of the spring 100'.
The control cam 110 is rotated by a control motor 120 through reduction gear unit 122. This same control motor 120 rotates a transfer assist roller 130 located at the edge of the loading/reproducing m~chanism support 95 for engagement with the periphery of a record upon its transfer mto or out of the loading/reproducing mechanism, the roller 130 being operated through a gear and belt drive 138. This type of roller assist means is disclosed in detail in U.S. Patent No. 4,682,320.
Means are also provided, mounted on the movable chassis and engageable with the magazine, to interlock the magazine and the loading/reproducing mechanism when a record is transferred from the magazine. For this purpose, the record transfer actuating slide 112 also includes a pin 140 m~unted to engage an interlock lever 142 acted upon by a spring 143. This interlock lever 142 is prcvided with a pointed e~d 144 i~tended to penetrate into openings 145 cut in the edge of the magazine 22 in order to m terlock the magazine 22 and the loading/reproducing mechanism 24 LCM:mls ~2'7656~, during the transfer and playback of a record. Thus, when the control motor 120 turns clockwise, the con-trol cam 110 is rotated and, through the shape of the first and second profiles 109 and 109' cut therein, simultaneously ensures the displacement to the leEt of ~he eecord transfer actuating slide 112 and the clockwise rotation of the transfer roller 130.
Upon such displacernent, the pin 140 releases the interlock lever 142 so that, under the action of the spring 143, the pointed end 144 of the interlock lever 142 enters into the opening 145 corresponding to the magazine compartment facing the loading/repro-ducing mechanism 24 at the particular intermediate location in which it is positioned by the control system. Consequently, the motor 54 for positioning the magaæine 22 with respect to the loading/reproduc-ing mechanism 24 may be deenergized. ~n interlock being performed, the toothed segment 113 engages with the gear 114 and the lever arm of the transfer mech-anism and through clockwise swiveling penetrates theselected compartment and acts on the locking lever 100 within the compartment facing the loading/repro-ducing mechanism.
In each of the parallel compartments of the magazine, means are provided for storing a record in a storage plane Pl, preferably a V-shaped support that carries the record solely at its periphery and guides it by such engagement, as disclosed in U. S.
Patent 4,510,5gl. The record which is stored therein is then moved toward the loading/reproducing mechan-ism. The record periphery comes into contact with the transfer roller 130, the contour of which imposes a rolling movement to the disc in association with a guiding face 150 on the loading/reproducing mechan-ism. The transfer roller 130 is mounted on a lever 21121/cmcg '65i~

160 and is acted on by a spring 162 to assist in the loading and unloading of the record on the support 95 .
After a record has been fully inserted into the 5 support 95 of the loading/reproducing mechanism 24, the first profile 109 of the control cam 110 actuates the displacement to the left of the loading/reproduc-ing mechanism actuating slide 106 and the positioning gear 105 rotates the record support 9S which moves helicoidally and, by lowering, positions the record on its driving and playback means. It is held in place by a clamping device, preferably of the type described in U. S. Patent ~,570,194.
After the supply to the control motor 120 is switched off, the playback or recording operations may take place.
When it is desired to return the record to its storage compartment in the magazine, the control motor 120 is switched on but with reversed polarity to make it turn in the reverse direction.
Consequently, the loading/reproducing mechanism actuating slide 106 is first moved to the right, causing, through the gear 103 and teeth 102 on the support 95, the record support 95 to be rotated and moved in a helicoidal path, raising the record from its operating plane in the loading/reproducing mech-anism, while a lever 118 mounted on the intermediate suppor-t drive gear 103 is moved pivotally into en-gagement with the record to start its ejection. When the periphery of the record contacts the transfer roller 130, the eoller 130 rolLs the disc in the other direction to lead it towards the compartment of the magazine to which it is belng returned. The transfer actuating slide 112 is then moved to the right and the record is brought back into storage 21121/cmcg position within the compartment. This movement i5 assisted by a roller 170, freely mounted on a lever 172 pivotally carried by the magazine housing 32 and acted on by a spring 174. The pin 140 then acts on the lever 142 to swivel it against its spring 143 which causes its pointed end 144 to be retracted from the opening 145 cut in the edge of the maga~ine.
Consequently, the magazine 22 and the loading/repro-ducing mechanism 24, being unlocked, the control motor 54 can be switched on ~or the selection of another record.
While reference has been made herein to "repro-ducing" of information and "loading" of records for playing, it is intended that this terminology in~
cludes "recording" as well as reproducing and "un-loading" as well as loading.

Safeties:
. .

The illustrated control circuit in Figure 5 controls power consumption of the motors 120, 58, ensuring, respectively, the transfer of a record and the positioning oE the loading/reproducing mechanism and the magazine, and switches the unit to "stand-by"
condition in case of over-consumption to avoid dam-age.
Pivotal movements of the magazine and the load-ing/reproducing mechanism are permitted only when records are returned to their proper position inside the magazine, sensed by an electrical contact 188 on the roller arm 172.
The changer, although switched on, will not respond to control if a spring-biased lever 182 re-taining the magazine is not in proper position or if ~he door 184 is not properly closed.

21121/cmcg ~ .~'76S~i !
-Other safeties, not detailed in the drawings,are provided.

21121/cmcg

Claims (16)

1. A record changer apparatus comprising:
a magazine for storing a plurality of records, having a pivot axis and a plurality of record storage compartments which are substan-tially parallel with each other and which are disposed on both sides of a plane which is parallel to said storage compartments and passes through the pivot axis of said magazine, a loading/reproducing mechanism for receiving and playing a record transferred from said magazine, said loading/reproducing mechanism having a pivot axis and a single record receiving slot, means for mounting said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism for pivoting about their respective axes, and means for moving said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism to produce coordinated opposite angular displacements thereof about their respective axes between different fixed positions in each of which said record receiving slot of said loading/reproducing mechanism is aligned with a different one of said storage compartments in said magazine to allow transfer of a selected record therebetween when said loading/reproducing mechanism and said magazine are located at one of the fixed positions.

2. A record changer apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for moving said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism includes:
toothed members connected to said magazine and said loading/
reproducing mechanism, and a common drive gear meshing with teeth of said members for producing opposite angular displacemnets of said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism.

3. A record changer apparatus according to claim 1 including a movable housing mounted to pivot on a frame about the pivot axis of said magazine and receiving said magazine, a movable chassis mounted to pivot on the frame about the pivot axis of said loading/reproducing mechanism and carrying said loading/
reproducing mechanism, said axes being parallel, said housing and said chassis being movable to produce opposite angular displacements of said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism between the different fixed positions, and a transfer mechanism mounted on said movable chassis including means for penetrating the magazine to transfer a selected record from said magazine when said loading/reproducing mechanism and said magazine are located at one of the fixed positions.

4. A record changer apparatus according to claim 1, said magazine having a box-like structure with a geometrical center, the axis of pivotal movement of said housing coinciding with the geometrical center.

5. A record changer apparatus according to claim 4, the axis of pivotal movement of said chassis extending adjacent a remote edge of said chassis relative to said magazine, said axes of pivotal movement being parallel.

6. A record changer apparatus according to claim 1, including a box-like open-ended housing for receiving said magazine, said housing having a loading position for the introduction or extraction of the magazine in relation to the housing.

7. A record changer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a movable chassis for carrying said loading/reproducing mechanism, said loading/reproducing mechanism having a support for receiving a record at a loading position in a loading plane, said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism being mounted so that at one of the fixed positions the compartments in the magazine and the support of the loading/reproducing mechanism are horizontal, and one of the compartments is aligned with the support of the loading/reproducing mechanism.

8. A record changer apparatus comprising:
a magazine having a pivot axis and a plurality of parallel compartments, each compartment having means for storing a record in a storage plane, said compartments being disposed on both sides of a plane which is parallel to said storage compartments and passes through the pivot axis of said magazine, a loading/reproducing mechanism for receiving and playing a record transferred from said magazine, said loading/reproducing mechanism having a pivot axis which is parallel to the pivot axis of said magazine and receiving a record in a loading plane, and means for mounting said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism for opposite angular pivotal displacments about their respective parallel axes between a plurality of fixed positions and for coordinating the angular pivotal displacements to align the storage plane of a different one of the compartments with the loading plane of said loading/reproducing mechanism at each of the fixed positions of said magazine and said loading/
reproducing mechanism to allow transfer of a record therebetween.

9. A record changer apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said means for coordinating the angular pivotal displacements of said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism includes:
toothed members connected to said magazine and said loading/
reproducing mechanism, and a common drive gear meshing with teeth of said members for producing opposite angular displacements of said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism.

10. A record changer apparatus according to claim 8, said loading/
reproducing mechanism having a rotatable support for receiving a record in a loading plane, said magazine having a lever in each compartment for trans-ferring a record from the compartment upon one movement and for locking the record in the compartment upon reverse movement, said apparatus including:
a transfer mechanism cooperating with the lever in a selected compartment of said magazine aligned with the support in said loading/
reproducing mechanism, a control cam including two profiles, first and second slides associated respectively with the cam profiles, and means connecting said first slide to rotate the support of said loading/reproducing mechansim for loading and unloading a record relative to a playing position, and means connecting said second slide to actuate said transfer mechanism for transferring a record from and for locking the record in the selected compartment.

11. A record changer apparatus according to claim 10 including:
a movable chassis carrying said loading/reproducing mechanism, and means for mounting said control cam, first and second slides, connecting means, and transfer mechanism on said movable chassis.

12. A record changer apparatus according to claim 10 including a record assist roller means positioned adjacent the support for engagement with the periphery of a record upon its transfer from the magazine to the loading/reproducing mechanism and vice versa, and a motor connected and controlled to drive said control cam and said record assist roller means to transfer a selected record between said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism.

13. A record changer apparatus according to claim 8 including:
a movable chassis carrying said loading/reproducing mechanism, and means mounted on the chassis and engageable with said magazine at each of the fixed positions to interlock said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism when a record is transferred from the magazine.

14. A record changer apparatus according to claim 13 further including a transfer mechanism mounted on said movable chassis to transfer a selected record from said magazine at any one of the fixed positions, and common means for actuating said transfer mechanism and said means to interlock the magazine and the loading/reproducing mechanism.

15. A record changer apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said common means includes a control cam, and said means to interlock said magazine and said loading/reproducing mechanism includes a movable member mounted on a pivoting lever, a spring acting to pivot said lever in one direction to engage the interlock, and means including a pin actuated by said control cam to pivot said lever against the force of said spring in the opposite direction to disengage the interlock.

16. A record changer apparatus according to claim 8 including a movable housing mounted to pivot on a frame about the pivot axis of said magazine and receiving said magazine.