GB2066998A - Self-propelled record cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A disc record cleaner comprises a rotary cleaning element (20), such as a cylindrical brush, and a battery- operated motor (M) for driving not only the cleaning element (20) but also a drive wheel (25), so that when the cleaner is placed on a record (D) on a turntable (T) with a bearing hole (23a) located over the turntable spindle (TS), the drive wheel (25) drives the cleaner around the record while the rotary cleaning element (20) brushes or wipes dust from the grooved surface of the record. In operation the bottom (14) of the cleaner casing (C) is maintained a predetermined distance from the record surface by the drive wheel (25) and at least two roller elements (33, 34). Preferably the cleaning element (20) and the drive wheel (25) are driven in opposite directions. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Self-propelled record cleaner The present invention relates to a record cleaner for cleaning phonographic disc records of the type having a central opening for receiving the spindle of a record player turntable, non-grooved and grooved areas coaxial With each other and with the central opening, and an outer peripheral margin.

Various types of record cleaners are curgently available on the market, and of these perhaps the most sophisticated is that which comprises a battery-operated motor driven rotary cleaning brush. An example of such a cleaner is described in the Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Publication No. 54-125204, and comprises a generally rectangularly sectioned casing having upper and lower chambers defined therein, a cylindrical brush rota tably mounted in the lower chamber with a portion of its outer periphery exposed outside the casing on the side remote from the upper chamber, a battery-operated motor housed in the upper chamber together with at least one battery, and an endless belt transmission system for transmitting the motor drive to the cylindrical brush.A pair of opposed side walls of the casing defining the lower chamber have a plurality of vent openings, such as parallel slots, through which air induced into the lower chamber by the rotation of the cylindrical brush is vented to the outside. Dust carried by the air is trapped by filter cloths attached to the perforated side walls, and the side walls are hinged so that they can be opened periodically to remove the dust which accumulates within the lower chamber. A portion of the casing above the hinged and perforated side walls and adjacent the upper chamber serves as a grip for the hand of a user. The record cleaner is also provided with an optionally retractable guide piece adjacent one end of the cylindrical brush.This guide piece, when set to a projected position, enables the user to turn the record cleaner around the central opening of a record with the guide piece in sliding contact with the outer peripheral edge of the record.

Although the use of the guide piece appears to be convenient for the user to turn the record cleaner around the central opening of the record to be cleaned or brushed, it is a disadvantage that the user must nevertheless take care lest the guide piece should depart from its contact with the outer peripheral edge of the record. In addition, even though battery-operated, the record cleaner is a handheld type, as a result of which any record being cleaned or brushed is likely to receive uneven pressure applied thereto through the brush. The application of uneven pressure to the record may, as is well understood by those skilled in the art as well as audiomanias, result in damage to the delicate, grooved surface of the record, which in turn may result in distorted reproduction of information recorded on the record.

Another type of record cleaner in which the cleaner is arranged to be coupled to the turntable spindle so that the record cleaner can be rotated around the turntable spindle to effect brushing of the grooved surface of the disc record on the turntable is disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No.

51-27783. The cleaner described in this publication comprises an elongated casing of a length greater than the radius of the disc records to be cleaned, a cylindrical brush partly accommodated within the casing and extending from one end of the casing to a substantially intermediate portion thereof, and a shaft member rotatably carried by the casing at a position adjacent the opposite end thereof and extending completely across the casing at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical brush in a direction which, when the record cleaner is placed on the disc record with the shaft member aligned with the turntable spindle, is perpendicular to the turntable.The shaft member has one end inwardly recessed, or otherwise provided with a socket, for receiving the turntable spindle, and the other end pivotally connected to a foldable handle which, when the record cleaner is in use, protrudes diagonally upwardly from the casing at one side of the shaft member remote from the cylindrical brush.

For rotating the cylindrical brush about its own longitudinal axis, the shaft member is operatively coupled to the cylindrical brush through mating bevel gears fast with the shaft member and one end of the cylindrical brush, respectively. Since the record cleaner is not a motor-driven type, in use the cleaner must be manually turned around the turntable spindle while the shaft member is fixed relative to the spindle. Fixing the shaft member relative to the turntable spindle is accomplished by holding the handle with one hand while the other hand is used to turn the record cleaner around the spindle. By so doing, the cylindrical brush is rotated to brush the grooved surface of the record as the record cleaner is moved over the record around the turntable spindle.

This simpler form of record cleaner appears to be more convenient than the earlier described battery-operated record cleaner in the sense that the record surface can be brushed or cleaned uniformly in the circumferential direction of the record. However, both hands of a user are required to operate the record cleaner. In addition, where the record player is located at a position above the floor at or above the level of the eyes of the user, any attempt to turn the record cleaner on a record on the turntable is likely to result in wobbling motion of the record cleaner relative to the record while pivoting about the point of con tact of the top of the turntable spindle with the shaft member unless the handle is carefully held to keep the shaft member in exact alignment with the longitudinal axis of the spindle, which of course is difficult when the hands are raised above eye level.Any wobbling motion of the record cleaner relative to the disc record will involve uneven application of pressure to the grooved surface of the disc record.

With the aim of substantially eliminating the above disadvantages and inconveniences of the types of record cleaners just described, according to the present invention, a disc record cleaner comprises a substantially cylindrical cleaning element rotatably mounted in a casing so that a portion of its periphery pro; jects through an opening in the casing, means for engaging a turntable spindle whereby the cleaner can be rotated about the spindle over a record to be cleaned with the cleaning element in contact with at least the grooved portion of the record, a motor which is arranged to drive the cleaning element in one direction and which is also arranged to drive, through a transmission unit, a drive wheel for propelling the cleaner around the record, and at least two roller elements which, in use, act with the drive wheel to support the cleaner on the record with the casing spaced a predetermined distance above the record.

The result is a self-propelled record cleaner which, when placed in position on the disc record and the motor set in operation, runs by itself around the turntable spindle while cleaning or brushing the record surface. All that is required of the user of the record cleaner in accordance with the present invention is to operate an electric power switch controlling the motor, (either before or after the record cleaner is placed on the record which is to be cleaned and which is on the turntable with the turntable spindle projecting through the central opening of the record) and to position the cleaner on the record so that it is pivotally engaged with the turntable spindle. The means for this may comprise a bearing hole in the casing adapted to receive the turntable spindle.Because the battery-operated motor is coupled to a drive wheel which causes the record cleaner to run on the record around the turntable spindle while cleaning or brushing the disc record, no one is required to touch the record cleaner during the cleaning or brushing operation being performed. This obviates the possibility of uneven pressure being applied to the record during the cleaning or brushing operation, and thereby ensures that the grooved surface of the record is not damaged by the formation of dents and is also cleaned or brushed evenly.

In order to facilitate the mounting of the record cleaner on a record so that the turntable spindle engages in the bearing hole, the casing may be provided on its underside with at least one grooved guide way which converges towards the bearing hole from the side of the casing. With this arrangement the user need not look to see if the bearing hole is exactly aligned with the turntable spindle at the time of mounting the record cleaner on a record. Once the spindle enters the guideway the cleaner can simply be slid over the spindle until it slips automatically into the bearing hole.

Preferably, the drive wheel is arranged to ride either on the central non-recorded or nongrooved area of the record, or on the outer peripheral margin of the record, the cylindrical cleaning element, which may be a brush or a finely napped cloth mounted around a core member, being so positioned and supported as to ride on the recorded grooved area of the record.

Preferably, an electric power switch for controlling the battery driven electric motor of the cleaner is positioned on the top of the casing adjacent the axis of the bearing hole. This arrangement eliminates the possibility of a user being embarrassed about the constantly varying position of the switch revolving together with the record cleaner. In other words, if the switch, more specifically a manipulatable switch element of the electric power switch, is located on the casing at a position remote from the centre of rotation of the record cleaner, that is the turntable spindle, an attempt to turn the switch off while the -record cleaner is still on a record requires difficulty and care because the switch is revolving together with the record cleaner.

Examples of the record cleaner in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first example; Figure 2 is a perspective view, to a larger scale, of a battery-operated drive unit employed in the record cleaner shown in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is an end sectional view of the record cleaner shown in Fig. 1; Figure 4 is a top plan view showing the record cleaner when being used to clean a disc record resting on a turntable; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second example of a record cleaner in accordance with the present invention; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the record cleaner shown in Fig. 5, with the top part of its casing and other components removed; Figure 7 is a side sectional view of the record cleaner shown in Fig. 5; ; Figure 8 is an exploded view of a batteryoperated motor drive transmission unit employed in the record cleaner shown in Fig. 5; Figure 9 is an end sectional view of the record cleaner shown in Fig. 5; Figure 10 is a perspective view of one end portion of the record cleaner shown in Fig. 5; Figure 11 is a view similar to that of Fig.

10, but showing a modified form of the record cleaner shown in Fig. 5; and Figures 12 to 14 are schematic views illustrating other modified forms of the record cleaner shown in Fig. 5.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, a self-propelled record cleaner is shown which comprises a casing C constituted by a pair of opposite end walls (only one of which is shown by 10 in Fig. 1), a pair of opposite side walls 11 and 12, and top and ~bottom walls 13 and 14, all being assembled together to provide a compartment defined inside the casing C. As best shown in Fig. 3, a side edge portion of the top wall 13 opposite to the side wall 12 is so raised upwardly and so terminating at a position substantially spaced from the upper edge of the side wall 11 as to define a generally rectangular opening leading into a dust collecting chamber 15 defined inside the casing C by a partition wall member 16 and a removable or hingedly supported, perforated lid 17.The perforated lid 17 so far illustrated has a plurality of parallel slots 1 7a which are covered by any known filter member 18, for example, a filtering cloth, bonded to one surface of the lid 17 facing the dust collecting chamber 15. The partition wall member 16 is of a generally rectangular shape, the opposite ends and one of the opposite side edges being integral with the opposite end walls 10 and the top wall 13 while the other of the opposite side edges thereof is spaced a distance from the side wall 11 to define a generally ribbon-shaped air current passage 19 therebetween.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the bottom wall 13 has a generally rectangular bottom opening 1 4a and a slot 1 4b both defined therein, said slot 1 4b being located adjacent one end of the bottom opening 1 4a and extending at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bottom opening 1 4a, the function of each of said bottom opening 14a and slot 14b being described later.

A cylindrical cleaning element generally identified by 20 comprises, so far illustrated, an elongated core member 21 having a cylindrical brush 22 mounted thereon in coaxial relation thereto, said brush 22 being composed of flexible, fine and soft bristles implanted on said core member 21 in any known manner so as to extend radially outwardly therefrom as best shown in Fig. 2.

Aphis cylindrical cleaning element 20 is rotatably supported in any suitable manner, for example, with the opposite ends of the core member 21 journalled respectively to the opposite end walls 10, and is so positioned inside the casing C and below the partition wall member 16 as to permit a generally ribbon-shaped outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical brush 22 to be exposed to the outside through the bottom opening 14a in the bottom wall 14 as best shown in Fig. 3.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the casing C has an connecting arm 23 having one end rigid with the casing C in level with the bottom wall 14 and the other end formed with a bearing hole 23a of a diameter sufficient to receive a turntable spindle TS therethrough, said arm 23 extending outwardly from the casing C in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical cleaning element 20.

The record cleaner also comprises a battery operated motor drive unit including a micromotor M having a drive shaft on which a drive pulley 24 is rigidly mounted for rotation together therewith. This motor M is housed within the casing C and rigidly mounted on the bottom wall 14 with its drive shaft extending in parallel relation to the core member 21 of the cylindrical cleaning element 20 in a direction towards the end wall 10 remote from the arm 23. A battery chamber for accommodating two batteries B in side-by-side fashion is defined within the casing C in line with the motor M, it being to be noted that the cylindrical cleaning element 20 and a pair of the motor M and the batteries B are arranged on respective sides with respect to the imaginary line drawn in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the arm 23.

A drive wheel 25 made of a hard synthetic resin and having its peripheral face lined with a rubber lining 25a is rotatably supported in any suitable manner on the bottom wall 14 with a portion of the periphery thereof exposed to the outside of the casing C through the slot 14b, said drive wheel 25 being positioned substantially intermediately between the drive pulley 24 and a driven pulley 26 which is rigidly mounted on one end of the core member 21 remote from the arm 23 for rotation together therewith. The driven pulley 26 is adapted to receive a drive from the motor M through an endless belt 27 made of either silicone rubber or urethane rubber which is suspended between the drive and driven pulleys 24 and 26.For transmitting the drive from the motor M to the drive wheel 25, a dual purpose roller assembly is utilized, which dual purpose roller assembly includes a tensioning pulley 28 and a slip roller 29 secured rigidly to, or otherwise formed integrally with, the tensioning pulley 28 in coaxial relation thereto for rotation together therewith.

This dual purpose roller assembly is rotatably mounted on a crank shaft 30 having one end portion 30a carrying the dual purpose roller assembly (that is, the tensioning pulley 28 and the slip roller 29) and the other end portion 30b rotatably journal led to any suitable support member which may be a support plate that extends between the top and bottom walls 13 and 14 within the casing C in spaced relation to the end wall 10 remote from the arm 23. This crank shaft 30 is so shaped that the dual purpose roller assembly can rotate not only about the first end portion 30a of the crank shaft 30, but also about the second end portion 30b thereof, and is so positioned that the tensioning pulley 28 and the slip roller 29 are respectively drivingly engaged to a substantially intermediate portion of the upper run of the endles belt 27 and the drive wheel 25 as best shown in Fig.

2. It is to be noted that care is required to determine the position of the axis of rotation of the dual purpose roller assembly about the second end portion 30b of the crank shaft 30 relative to the axis of rotation of the drive wheel 25, or otherwise means for restricting the angular movement of the dual purpose roller assembly about the second end portion 30b of the crank shaft 30 will be needed. In other words, so far illustrated, the axis of rotation of the dual purpose roller assembly about the second end portion 30b of the crank shaft 30 is so selected as to be in axially offset relation to the axis of rotation of the drive wheel 25 and as to be located substantially intermediately between the axis of rotation of the drive wheel 25 and the axis of rotation of the dual purpose roller assembly about the first end porton 30a of the crank shaft 30.

In the construction so far described, it will readily be seen that the drive of the endless belt 27 effected during rotation of the motor M is transmitted to the drive wheel 25 through the tensioning pulley 28 and then through the slip roller 29, thereby driving the drive wheel 25 in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the cylindrical cleaning element 20 as shown by the respective arrows in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1, reference numeral 31 represents a lid for closing the opening defined in the casing C in communication with the battery chamber and reference numeral 32 represents a manipulatable switch element of any suitable construction for manipulating an electric power switch (not shown) electrically connected in series with the motor M through the series-connected batteries B.

Referring back to Fig. 1, the casing C has a pair of spaced ball rollers 33 and 34 one on each side of the arm 23, each of said ball rollers 33 and 34 being non-detachably carried by the casing C at a position adjacent to the joint between the bottom wall and the end wall 10 adjacent the arm 23. These ball rollers 33 and 34 partially protrude to the outside of the casing C and are adapted to rollingly ride on a non-recorded or nongrooved area Da of a disc record D (Fig. 4) while keeping the bottom wall 14 of the casing C in equally spaced relation to the surface of the disc record D in cooperation with the drive wheel 25.

It is to be noted that the side edge of the partition wall member 16 adjacent the side wall 11 is comb-shaped for the purpose of removing fine dusts carried by the cylindrical brush 22 and then to positively transfer for removed fine dusts into the dust collecting chamber 15 during the rotation of the cylindrical cleaning element 20.

While the self-propelled record cleaner according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is constructed in the manner as hereinbefore described, it can be used in the following manner.

Assuming that the disc record D is placed on the turntable T of any known record player with the turntable spindle TS upwardly and outwardly protruding through the center opening in the disc record D, the record cleaner is placed on the disc record D with the bearing hole 23a in the arm 23 receiving the turntable spindle TS therethrough. When the record cleaner is so placed on the disc record D, the ball rollers 33 and 34 rest on the non-grooved area Da of the disc record D coaxialy adjacent to the turntable spindle TS while the drive wheel 25 may ride on either an outer peripheral margine Db of the disc record D or an outer peripheral edge portion of the turntable T. Thereafter, the user has to turn the power switch on to energize the motor M by manipulating the manipulatable switch element 32.

By so doing, the record cleaner starts its movement on the disc record around the turntable spindle TS in a direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 4 while the cylindrical cleaning element 20 is driven in the direction counter to the direction of rotation of the drive wheel 25. Accordingly, dusts resting on the disc record D, particularly the grooved area of the disc record D positioned between the nongrooved area Da and the peripheral margine Db, are brushed by the cylindrical brush 22 and transported into the dust collecting chamber 15 by the action of the air current induced by the rotation of the brush 22. Some of the dusts may adhere to the brush 21 without being blown off from the brush 22 and, in which case, they are removed from the brush 22 by the action of the combshaped side edge of the partition wall member 16 onto the dust collecting chamber 15. The dusts within the dust collecting chamber 15 will not escape to the outside of the record cleaner because they are trapped by the filter member 18 on the perforated lid 17.

After the record cleaner has completed one or two turns on the disc record D around the turntable spindle TS, what the user should do is to turn the power switch off before or after the record cleaner is removed out of the disc record.

While the record cleaner according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is constructed as hereinbefore described, the connecting arm 23 may be adjustably slidably connected to the casing C so that the length of projection of the arm 23 relative to the casing C can be adjustable. The use of the connecting arm 23 adjustable in length relative to the casing C is advantageous in that the record cleaner of the present invention can accommodate not only disc records of one particular size or diameter, but also disc records of another size or diameter.

In addition, although the drive wheel 25 and the ball rollers 33 and 34 have been described and shown as adapted to ride on the outer peripheral margine Db of the disc record D and the non-grooved area Da of the same disc record D, respectively, they may be reversed in position relative to each other. This can readily be accomplished by connecting the arm 23 to the end wall 10 adjacent the drive wheel 25 so that, when the record cleaner is in use, the drive wheel 25 can ride on the non-grooved area Da of the disc record. This arrangement is advantageous in that the possibility of slip of the drive wheel 25 relative to the disc record D can be minimized.

Moreover, instead of the employment of the ball rollers 33 and 34, follower wheels may be employed such as employed in the record cleaner according to the subsequently described second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Furthermore, in order to facilitate installation of the various component parts of the record cleaner inside the casing C, the casing C is in practice either of a two-component type constituted by casing halves or of a type wherein one of the wall members of the casing C, preferably the bottom wall 14, is removable.

Second Preferred Embodiment The self-propelled record cleaner according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to and shown in Figs. 5 to 10, the like parts being designated by like reference numerals throughout these drawings.

Referring to Figs. 5 to 10, the self-propelled record cleaner according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a two-component casing structure of generally elongated, rectangular-sectional configuration composed of upper and lower casings 40 and 41. Each of these casings 40 and 41 generally has a pair of opposite end walls 40a and 40b, or 41a and 41b, a pair of opposite side walls 40c and 40d, or 41 c and 41d, and top or bottom walls 40e or 41e, all being assembled or molded together into a generally rectangular container-like configuration. The two-component casing structure is generally divided into two longitudinally aligned compartments Ca and Cb by a partition wall P constituted by a pair of separate partition wall members 40f and 41f fast respectively with the upper and lower casings 40 and 41.For the purpose as will become clear from the subsequent description, the partition wall P has a support hole 43 which is, in practice, defined by a pair of semicircular recesses defined in the respective partition wall members 40f and 41f. The casing structure also has a support wall S positioned within the compartment Ca and having a support hole 44 defined therein, said support wall S being constituted by a pair of separate support wall members 40g and 419 fast respectively with the upper and lower casings 40 and 41. As is the case with the support hole 43, the support hole 44 is defined by a pair of semi-circular recesses defined in the respective support wall members 409 and 419, said semi-circular recess in the support wall member 419 being best shown in Fig. 6.

It is to be noted that the support holes 43 and 44 are axially aligned with each other in parallel relation to the longitudinal extent of the casing structure while the partition wall P and the support wall S are spaced a distance required for the walls P and S to support the opposite ends of a cylindrical cleaning element 45 of a particular size in a manner as will be described later.

As best shown in Figs. 5 and 9, a portion of the side wall 40c of the upper casing 40 is formed into a removable perforated lid 46 having a plurality of apertures, for example, parallel slots 46a, defined therein. This perforated lid 46 is adapted to close the opening leading into a dust collecting chamber 47 which is, as best shown in Fig. 9, defined within the compartment Ca by respective portions of the walls P and S and a lateral partition wall 48, said lateral partition wall 48 protruding from the lower free edge of the side wall 40c towards the opposite side wall 40d and terminating at a position spaced a distance from the side wall 40d.As clearly shown in Fig. 9, a side edge portion of the lateral partition wall 48 opposite to the side wall 40c is upwardly curved so as to partially overhang the cylindrical cleaning element 45 and is spaced from the top wall 40e to define an air current passage 49. One surface of the perforated lid 46 facing the dust collecting chamber 47 is lined with a suitable filtering member 50 made of, for example, fine mesh filtering cloth.

As best shown in Fig. 10, the end wall 40a of the upper casing 40 serves as a removable lid for closing the opening leading into a battery chamber, which battery chamber is defined together with a motor chamber in side-by-side relation to each other within the compartment Cb. It will, therefore, readily be seen that, by removing the end wall or lid 40a from the casing structure, batteries B can be loaded into and unloaded from the battery chamber.

As best shown in Figs. 6 and 10, the bottom wall 41e of the lower casing 41 has defined therein a rectangular opening 51 ex tending between the wall member 41f and 419, a slot 52 on one side of the partition wall member 41f opposite to the rectangular opening 51 and extending at right angles to the longitudinal extent of the rectangular opening 51, a pair of bearing apertures 53 and 54, and a bearing hole 55, the function of each of which will become clear from the subsequent description.

The cylindrical cleaning element 45 may be of the same construction as that employed in the foregoing embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4.

However, so far illustrated in Figs. 7 to 10, the cylindrical cleaning element 45 comprises a core rod 45a composed of a pair of twisted wire members and having a helical brush 45b having a plurality of flexible, fine and soft bristles, said helical brush 45b being turned spirally around the core rod 45a from one end to the other with its bristles extending radially outwardly from the core rod 45a so as to represent a right cylindrical configuration.

The opposite ends of the core rod 45a which protrude outwardly from the helical brush 45b have respective cylindrical bearing bushings 56 and 57 rigidly and non-detachably mounted thereon, which bushings 56 and 57 may not be always be necessary if at least the opposite ends of the core rod 45a have a respective smooth peripheral surface.

The cylindrical cleaning element 45 is rotatably supported by the partition wall P and the support wall S with the bushings 56 and 57 engaged in the respective support holes 43 and 44. More specifically, while the bushing 57 is rotatably received in the support hole 44 in the support wall S, the bushing 56 is supported in the support hole 43 in the partition wall P through a cylindrical coupler 58 rotatably received in and extending through the support hole 43, it being to be understood that the bushing 56 is detachably splined to the coupler 58 in coaxial relation to each other. The coupler 58 is in turn operatively connected through a transmission unit, as will be described later, to a battery-operated motor M, for example, a DC micromotor, which is stationarily held within the motor chamber and rigidly mounted on the bottom wall 41e of the lower casing 41.

As best shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the transmission unit includes a carriage 59 generally constituted by a pair of spaced carrier plates 59a and 59b, which carriage 59 is rigidly mounted by means of set screws 60 on the bottom wall 41e of the lower casing 41 so as to render the carrier plates 59a and 59b to traverse the longitudinal extent of the casing structure. This carriage 59 has a shaft 61 rotatably extending through the carrier plates 59a and 59b with its opposite end portions positioned outside the carriage 59, the coupler 58 being rigidly mounted on, or otherwise pressure-fitted to, one end portion of the shaft 61 adjacent the carrier plate 59b.

Rigidly mounted on or pressure-fitted to the other end porton of the shaft 61 adjacent the carrier plate 59b is a driven pulley 62 which is operatively coupled through an endless belt 63, preferably made of either urethane rubber or silicone rubber, to a drive pulley 64 rigidly mounted on the drive shaft of the motor M.

The pulleys 62 and 64 are preferably so sized relative to each other that, if the motor M can rotate at a rate of 5,000 rpm, the driven pulley 62 and, hence, the shaft 61 can rotate at a reduced rate of about 3,000 rpm.

In the construction so far described, it will readily be seen that rotation of the motor M results in rotation of the cylindrical cleaning element 45 in the same direction as that of the motor M.

In order to enable the record cleaner to be self-propelled, a drive wheel 65 preferably made of a hard synthetic resin, such as polyacetal, and having its outer peripheral face lined with a rubber lining 65a preferably made of urethane rubber is positioned within a space between the carrier plates 59a and 59b and mounted on the shaft 61 for rotation independently of the shaft 61. This drive wheel 65 carries a gear wheel 66 rigidly secured to, or otherwise formed integrally with, the drive wheel 65 in coaxial relation thereto for rotation together therewith, said gear wheel 66 being constantly meshed to a reduced diameter gear 67.The reduced diameter gear 67 is rigidly secured to, or formed integrally with a transmission pulley 68 in coaxial relation thereto, which pulley 68 is in turn rotatably mounted on a shaft member 69 rigidly carried by the carrier plate 59b in a substantially cantilever fashion. The transmission pulley 68 is operatively coupled to the shaft 61 by means of an endless belt 70 drivingly turned around the shaft 61 and the pulley 68 so that rotation of the shaft 61 resulting from the rotation of the motor M can be transmitted to the transmission pulley 68 and then to the drive wheel 65 through the meshed engagement of the gears 67 and 66.

By this arrangement, the rotation of the shaft 61 at a rate of 3,000 rpm as hereinabove described results in rotation of the drive wheel 65 at a further reduced rate of, for example, about 200 to 300 rpm.

The transmission unit of the construction described above is so designed that, while the cylindrical cleaning element 45 is rotated in the same direction as that of the motor M, but at a speed reduced from that of the motor M, the drive wheel 65 can be rotated in a direction counter to that of any one of the motor M and the cylindrical cleaning element 45 at a speed further reduced from the reduced speed of the cylindrical cleaning element 45.

The drive wheel 65 so mounted on the shaft 61 for rotation independently of the shaft 61 is partially exposed to the outside of the casing structure through the slot 52 defined in the bottom wall 41 e of the lower casing 41, the amount of projection of a peripheral portion of the drive wheel 65 to the outside of the casing structure beyond the bottom wall 41 e being so selected that, when the record cleaner according to the present invention is placed on a disc record to be cleaned or brushed, the bottom of the record cleaner can be spaced a distance of 1 to 2mm. from the surface of the disc record.

As best shown in Fig. 10, follower wheels 71 and 72 corresponding in function to that of the ball rollers 33 and 34 employed in the foregoing embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4 are rotatably carried by the bottom wall 41 e of the lower casing 41 and seated partially within the respective bearing apertures 53 and 54 with respective portions exposed to the outside of the casing structure in a manner similar to the drive wheel 65.The bearing apertures 53 and 54 are so positioned relative to the drive wheel 65 that, when the record cleaner is placed on the disc record to be cleaned or brushed, the drive wheel 65 and the follower wheels 71 and 72 can provide a three-point support system effective to support the entire weight of the record cleaner including those of the batteries B, when the record cleaner is placed on the disc record, with no possibility of jolting and bumpy motions of the record cleaner during the angular movement of the latter around a turntable spindle then relatively rotatably engaged in the bearing hole 55 in the bottom wall 41 e of the lower casing 41.In addition, in order to facilitate a smooth angular movement of the record cleaner around the turntable spindle TS (Fig. 4), each of the follower wheels 71 and 72 is so arranged that the plane of rotation of the respective follower wheel 71 or 72 lies in a plane parallel to the plane tangential to the circular path along which the drive wheel 65 is driven during the rotation of the record cleaner around the turntable spindle TS. In other words, these follower wheels 71 and 72 as well as the drive wheel 65 are so positioned that the axis of rotation of each of them extends in a direction radially of the bearing hole 55.In this connection, not only for the purpose of facilitation of the smooth rotation of the record cleaner around the turntable spindle TS, but also for the purpose of minimizing the loss of a drive force of the motor M, it is preferred that the cylindrical cleaning element 45 and the drive wheel 65 are axially aligned with each other such as shown and are positioned in line with the bearing hole 55.

Furthermore, the drive wheel 65 and the follower wheels 71 and 72 are so positioned relative to the bearing hole 55 that, when the record cleaner is placed on the disc record D (Fig. 4), all of them ride on the non-recorded or non-grooved area Da (Fig. 4) of the disc record D thereby avoiding a possible contact of any one of them to the delicate information-recorded or grooved area of the disc record D which would result in damage to the disc record.

In any event, if this requirement is satisfied, the follower wheels 71 and 72 may be located on one side of the bearing hole 55 remote from the drive.wheel 65 and adjacent the end wall 41a in a manner as shown in Fig. 11, though in Fig. 10 they are shown as located one adjacent the end wall 41a and the other adjacent the drive wheel 65.

Referring still to Fig. 10, the bottom wall 41e of the lower casing 41 has its exterior surface formed with a pair of grooved guideways 73 and 74 recessed inwardly of the thickness of the bottom wall 41e and extending radially outwardly from the bearing hole 55 in the opposite directions towards the side walls 41c and 41d, each of said grooved guide-ways 73 and 74 being so shaped as to converge towards the longitudinal axis of the bearing hole 55 such that, during the mounting of the record cleaner on the disc record D resting on the turntable T, the turntable spindle TS can be relatively guided into the bearing hole 55 along any one of the grooved guideways 73 and 74 without the user of the record cleaner beng required to align the turntable spindle TS exactly with the bearing hole 55.It is to be noted that the number of the grooved guideways 73 and 74 may not be always two such as shown, but may be one or three. In addition, the grooved guideway or one of the grooved guideways may extend in a direction towards the end wall 41a of the lower casing 41 n parallel relation to the longitudinal extent of the casing structure.

Preferably, as best shown in Fig. 10, respective outer ends of the grooved guideways 73 and 74 remote from the bearing hole 55 are rounded at 73a and 74a to render the guideways 73 and 74 to be contiguous to the adjacent side walls 41c and 41d of the lower casing 41. By so doing, the user of the record cleaner can readily locate where the bearing hole 55 is in the casing structure, without being required to turn the record cleaner upside down to ascertain it.

It is to be noted that, instead of the employment of the grooved guideways 73 and 74 formed by recessing the bottom wall 41e inwardly of the thickness thereof such as shown in Fig. 10, they may be formed by rigidly securing, or otherwise bonding, two pairs of rib members 75a and 75b, 76a and 76b, one pair for each guideway 73 or 74, to the exterior surface of the bottom wall 41e of the lower casing 41 in a manner as shown in Fig. 11.

While the record cleaner of the construction so far described with reference to Figs. 5 to 10 operates effectively and satisfactorily, there may be such a possibility that, since dusts on the disc record are brushed off from the record surface and are then transported towards the dust collecting chamber 47 by the action of the air current induced by the rotation of the cylindrical cleaning element 45, some of the dusts being transported towards the dust collecting chamber 47 may enter the compartment Cb through the support hole 43 in the partition wall P and, if not at all, may be piled up around a portion of the coupler 58 which extends rotatably through the support hole 43. This possibilty may bring about not only contamination of the various component parts inside the compartment Cb, but also hindrance of a smooth movement of the various movable parts inside the compartment Cb.However, this possibility can advantageously be obviated by employing an impeller effective to generate a curtain of air counteracting to a portion of the dust carrying air current tending to flow into the compartment Cb through the support hole 43.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 to 10, the impeller is generally identified by 76 in Figs. 6 to 8 and is, as best shown in Fig. 8, constituted by an annular wheel 77 rigidly mounted on the coupler 58 for rotation together therewith and positioned on one side of the partition wall P adjacent the cylindrical cleaning element 54.One of the opposite annular end faces of the wheel 77 facing the partition wall P is formed with a plurality of circumferentially equally spaced blade elements 77a, said blade elements 77a being so shaped and so arranged that, during the rotation of the annular wheel 77 together with the coupler 58 and, hence, the cylindrical cleaning element 45, air inside the compartment Cb can be drawn into the compartment Ca through an annular clearance between the coupler 58 and the support hole 43 to form a curtain of air flowing in a centrifugal direction within the compartment Ca along the partition wall P It is to be noted that the impeller 76 may be positioned within the compartment Cb adjacent the partition wall P.In this case, the blade elements 77a on the annular wheel 77 should be so shaped and so arranged as to draw the air inside the compartment Cb into the compartment Ca through the annular clearance between the coupler 58 and the support hole 43.

It is also to be noted that the impeller 76 may not be always of such a construction as hereinabove described and best shown in Fig.

8, but may be a fan wheel.

The effect achieved by the impeller 76 can be enhanced if the helical brush 45b of the cylindrical cleaning element 45 is turned spirally around the core rod 45a from one end adjacent the partition wall P towards the other end adjacent the support wall S in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the cylindrical cleaning element 45 such that, Juring the rotation of the cylindrical cleaning element 45, dusts on the disc record can be swept to move laterally towards the outer periphery of the disc record.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 10, reference numeral 78 represents a manipulatable switch element for manipulating an electric power switch (not shown) electrically connected in series with the motor M through the series-connected batteries B. So far illustrated, this manipulatable switch element 78 is provided on one lateral side of the casing structure adjacent the bearing hole 55. However, in order to minimize the revolution of the manipulatable switch element 78 which occurs together with the rotation of the record cleaner around the turnable spindle TS during the cleaning or brushing operation, the manipulatable switch element 78 may be positioned on the top of the casing structure, that is, the top wall 40e of the upper casing 40, in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the bearing hole 55 such as shown in Figs. 12 and 14.In this case, the manipulatable switch element 78 may be either a spring-biased push button or a push-on, pull-off button.

The record cleaner according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized in a manner substantially similar to that according to the first preferred embodiment. However, it will readily be seen that, when the record cleaner of the construction shown in Figs. 5 to 10 is placed on the disc record D with the turntable spindle TS rotatably engaged in the bearing hole 55, all of the wheels 65, 71 and 72 ride on the nongrooved area Da of the disc record D.For this purpose, in contrast to the casing C employed in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4, the casing structure employed in the embodiment of Figs. 5 to 10 is of a type having a length larger than the maximum possible radius of the disc record D currently available in the commercial market, for example, the LP disc record, it being to be understood that the record cleaner according to the second preferred embodiment can be made up to fit for use in TV and/or radio broadcasting stations and record manufacturing industries where disc records sometimes larger than the LP disc record are used.

In both of the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 4 and Figs. 5 to 10, the direction of rotation of the drive wheel 25 or 65 is preferably so selected as to enable the record cleaner to be self-propelled around the turntable spindle TS in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the turntable T. This is because some of tiny foreign matters not so fine as to be easily borne in the air current can be swept to move laterally in à direction towards the outer periphery of the disc record being cleaned or brushed.

Modifications The record clearner of the construction particularly according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention can be modified in a number of ways which will now be described with reference to Figs. 12 to 14.

Referring now to Fig. 12, the transmission unit is shown as comprising an endless belt 79 turned around drive and driven pulleys 80 and 81 which are rigidly mounted on one end of the core rod 45a of the cylindrical cleaning element 45 and one of the opposite drive shafts of the motor M, respectively, while the other of the opposite drive shafts of the motor M has the drive wheel 65 rigidly mounted thereon. Instead of the employment of the drive and driven pulleys 80 and 81 in combination of the endless belt 79, drive and driven gears in mesh with each other may be employed.

Referring to Fig. 13, the motor M is shown as having a pair of drive shafts connected to a common rotor of the motor M and extending in the opposite directions away from the body of the motor M, one drive shaft being directly coupled to the cylindrical cleaning element and the other drive shaft coupled through an endless belt 82 to a slip roller 83 which is rotatably supported on the bottom wall 41e of the lower casing 41 and which is frictionally engaged to the drive wheel 65. In this arrangement, the rotation of the drive shafts of the motor M is transmitted to the drive wheel 65 through the endless belt 82 and then through the slip roller 83 frictionally contacting the peripheral face of the drive wheel 65.

In Fig. 14, an example wherein the pair of the follower wheels 71 and 72 are positioned at one end of the casing structure adjacent the cylindrical cleaning element 45 and are adapted to ride on the outer peripheral margine Db (Fig. 4) of the disc record while the drive wheel 65 is positioned on one side of the bearing hole 55 opposite to and remote from the cylindrical cleaning element 45 is shown. In this modification shown in Fig. 14, the drive of the motor M is adapted to be transmitted to the cylindrical cleaning element 45 by means of an endless belt 85 in any known manner on one hand and also to the drive wheel 65 through an endless belt 85 and then through a slip roller 86 frictionally engaged to the drive wheel 65.In addition, the battery chamber accommodating the batteries B in line with each other is shown as formed inside the casing structure in parallel and side-by-side relation to the cylindrical cleaning element 45. It is to be noted that-the modification shown in Fig. 14 can equally be applicable to the embodiment shown in Figs.

1 to 4.

Although the present invention has fully been described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications other than those discussed hereinabove are apparent to those skilled in the art. By way of example, instead of the helical brush 45b, a silicone-immersed cleaning cloth wound around a cylindrical cushioning layer of foam material may be employed. Moreover, the cylindrical cleaning element 45 may be so designed as to be replaceable with a fresh one.

Furthermore, the electric power switch for the motor M may be mounted on the casing structure in such a manner that when the turntable spindle TS is engaged into the bearing hole 55, the switch is automatically turned on in contact with the turntable spindle TS and, when the record cleaner is removed out from the disc record with the turntable spindle TS disengaged from the bearing hole 55, the same switch is automatically turned off.

Furthermore, although the drive wheel 25 or 65 has been described as made of a hard synthetic resin and having the rubber lining 25a or 65a, it may be made solely of rubber material if it has a sufficient hardness required to support the combined weight of the component parts of the record cleaner. In addition, where the rubber lining is employed, it may have an outer peripheral surface formed with fine indents effective to avoid any possible slip which would occur between the drive wheel and the record surface, although the employment of the fine indents on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber lining 25a or 65a is not always essential.

Accordingly, such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the true scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims unless they depart therefrom.

Claims (15)

1. A record cleaner for cleaning a disc record of the type having a central opening for receiving the spindle of a record player turntable, non-grooved and grooved areas coaxial with each other and with the central opening, and an outer peripheral margin, the record cleaner comprising a substantially cylindrical cleaning element rotatably mounted in a casing so that a portion of its periphery projects through an opening in the casing, means for engaging a turntable spindle whereby the cleaner can be rotated about the spindle over a record to be cleaned with the cleaning element in contact with at least the grooved portion of the record, a motor which is arranged to drive the cleaning element in one direction and which is also arranged to drive, through a transmission unit, a drive wheel for propelling the cleaner around the record, and at least two roller elements which, in use, act with the drive wheel to support the cleaner on the record with the casing spaced a predetermined distance above the record.

2. A record cleaner according to claim 1, in which the transmission unit comprises an endless drive belt extending around a drive shaft of the motor and one end of the cylindrical cleaning element, a tensioning pulley and a slip roller coaxially connected to it for rotation with the pulley, and a crank having one end on which the tensioning pulley and the slip roller are rotatably mounted and its other end rotatably mounted on a portion of the casing so that the tensioning pulley and the slip roller are able to move anguiarly about the axis of the other end of the crank, the tensioning pulley being constantly engaged with the endless belt for receiving a driving force from the belt while the slip roller is frictionally engaged with the periphery of the drive wheel in order to drive the wheel.

3. A record cleaner according to claim 1, in which the transmission unit comprises a shaft coaxially connected to the cylindrical cleaning element and arranged to be driven by the motor at a speed reduced from the speed of the motor by means of an endless belt, the drive wheel being rotatably mounted on the shaft and arranged to be driven by the shaft through a reduction unit.

4. A record cleaner according to claim 3, in which the reduction unit comprises a transmission pulley coupled to the shaft by means of a further endless belt and having a gear wheel coaxially connected to it for rotation with the pulley, and a driven gear which is coaxially connected to the drive wheel for rotation therewith and which is constantly meshed with the gear wheel.

5. A record cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, in which each of the roller elements is a ball roller.

6. A record cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which each of the roller elements is a follower wheel.

7. A record cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the drive wheel is rotated in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the cylindrical cleaning element, the direction of rotation of the drive wheel being such that the record cleaner is caused to rotate about the spindle in the same direction as the record is rotated by the turntable.

8. A record cleaner according to claim 6, in which each of the follower wheels is mounted for rotation about an axis which intersects the spindle axis when the cleaner is engaged with the spindle for rotation thereabout.

9. A record cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the drive wheel is arranged to ride on the non-grooved area of the record when the record cleaner is placed in position to clean the record.

10. A record cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the roller elements are arranged to ride on the nongrooved area of the record when the record cleaner is placed in position to clean the record.

11. A record cleaner according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the casing contains separate compartments for accommodating the cylindrical cleaning element and the transmission unit, and an impeller is rigidly mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith to generate an air curtain for preventing dust from leaking into the transmission unit c6m- partment from the cleaning element compartment when the cleaner is being used.

12. A record cleaner according to claim 11, in which the impeller is positioned inside the cleaning element compartment adjacent a partition wall of the casing which separates the two compartments.

13. A record cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the means for engaging the turntable spindle comprises a bearing hole in the underside of the casing for receiving the spindle when the record cleaner is placed in position to clean the record, and the underside of the casing has at least one grooved guideway which converges towards the bearing hole from the side of the casing to facilitate the positioning of the cleaner to engage the spindle in the bearing hole.

14. A record cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a manipulatable switch element operating a switch for controlling an electric power supply to the motor is positioned on the casing at a position adjacent the axis of rotation of the record cleaner around the spindle.

15. A record cleaner according to claim 1, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4, or Figs. 5 to 10, or any one of Figs. 11 to 14 of the accompanying drawings.