GB333617A - Improvements in and relating to automatic gramophones - Google Patents

Abstract

333,617. Stuart, D. M. D. May 17, 1929. Magazine gramophones; disc records.-Relates to gramophones in which records are fed singly in succession from a magazine to the turntable, and after the record has been played from one side it is reversed automatically to enable the other side to be played. According to the invention, the machine has two arms, one of which transfers the records to the turntable and the other co-operates with the first to reverse the records. In one embodiment, the parts, when not in use, are positioned as in Fig. 4, the recordconveying arm 32 being over the turntable 20 and the reversing arm 29 being over a played-records compartment- 22. The ends of the arms 29, 32 have record engaging pins 46, such as are described in Specification 330,389. When the driving mechanism is operated, the arm 29 swings over the turntable 20 and the arm 32 rises and swings in the opposite direction over a magazine pile 21. The arm 32 talies the top record from the magazine 21 and both arms swing into the position in Fig. 4.. A pin 47, mounted on the base-plate 26 actuates means to permit the hook 46 on the arm 32 to release the record on to the turntable 20. After the record has been played, it is raised by three pins 43 and engaged by the arm 32. The arms 29, 32 now move until the former is directly below the latter. During this movement, the arm 29 is revolved through 180‹ on a spindle 28 by the engagement of a pinion 39 thereon with a rack 38 on a plate 33, the latter being locked temporarily to the arm 32 by the engagement of a projection 37 on the arm with a recess in the plate 33. The hook 46 on the arm 29 now projects upwards. The mechanism controlling the hooks 46 now operates to permit the record to drop from the arm 32 on to the arm 29. The arm 32 now rises to free the projection 37 from the recess in the plate 33, the parts being positioned as in Fig. 8, and the two arms swing in opposite directions, the arm 29 moving over the turntable 20 and the arm 32 over the magazine 21. During this movement, a cam 40 on the arm 29 engages a roller 41 on the base-plate 26 to turn the arm through 180‹ and reverse the record. At the same time, the pinion 39 resets the plate 33. The record is released from the arm 29 and the other side of the record is played. When playing ceases, the pin 46 on the arm 29 picks the record off the turntable and that on the arm 32 engages another record in the magazine, and the arms swing in opposite directions again, the new record being dropped on to the turntable and the played record being dropped into the played-records compartment 22. In a modification, the records have on both sides central soft-iron discs 3, Fig. 12. The conveyer arm 4, pivoted about a vertical axis 5, has at its free end an electromagnet, the operative surface of which is at the lower end. The reverser arm 6 is rotatable about its own axis in a bearing 7, Fig. 13, the pillar 8 carrying the latter being capable of swinging about a vertical axis. The free end of the arm 6 carries a double-ended electromagnet, the active faces of which are arranged above and below. When stationary, the parts are positioned as in Fig. 12. On starting, the arm 4 transfers a record from the magazine 2 to the turntable 1 and returns to its initial position. After one side of the record has been played, the arm 4 swings over the turntable 1 and lifts the record to a predetermined height. The reverser arm 6 now swings under the arm 4 and receives the record on the upper face of the electromagnet. The arm 4 now swings over the magazine and the arm 6 rises until a spring-controlled pawl 9 moves out of a recess 12 in the arm 6 and the record then overbalances and turns with the arm through 180‹ The arm 6 is then lowered to place the record on the turntable and then returns to its position of rest and the record is then ready for the second side to be played. After playing, the record is transferred to a played -records compartment in any known manner. The energizing and de-energizing of the magnets on the arms 4, 6, may be effected by two rotary members embodying switch opening and closing means.