US1019441A - Sound-recording apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

T. A. nmso'n. SOUND RECORDING APPARATUS. v APPLIOL'HOI nun APP-.20, mo. 4 1,019,441. 'Pa tented Mar.5, 1912.

gYw/J'JK I ygw lfl w Recording STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

x imrson, or mwnLI-im rank, was-r omen, msw mnsnr, assumes or wssr omen, new masnx, a coa- IO mom A. EDISON, INCORPORATED,

tomato! 0] m sommsconnms arrana'rus.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Application filed April 20, 1910. Serial Ito. 556,469.

' Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, Tnoms A. Emson, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Llewellyn Park, West Orange, Essex county, New Jersey,-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Soundin is a escription. v

y invention relates to devices for recordsound, and my objectsarethe provision b f a novel and eflicient sound recorder of suficientsensitiveness to respond to sound waves of little power, and at the same time so constructed as to lar y prevent excessive movement of the diap ragm and recordin stylus in' a direction away from the recor ing surface under the influence of sound waves of great amplitude. My improved apparatus therefore is intended to record than has heretofore been sounds, both weak and strong,lmore truly slb e. a In order that a full un' erstanding of my .4 invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompaing drawings forming cation, and In part of this'spec which Figure 1 re resentsavertical central cross section throug a sound recorder embodying oneform of my invention. Fig. 2 is a bot? tom plan viewthereof; Fig. 3 1s a sectional detai view showing the preferred manner of mounting the diaphragm; and Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a modified mounting thro s for the diaphragm.

The same reference characters will be used bout to denote corresponding Re to the drawings, the-soun box 1 is provided with a recess 2 to receive and guide the diaphragm. The latter consists ,40

- -nular or ring sha of a flexible outer. ortion preferabl anas shown at 3 111 the drawingsh and an inner non-flexible portion 4. The exible 3 which may consist of glass, or ot r suitable material, is

m out touching the sides of the same, and is sup rted preferably b knife ed 5 exten downwardly rom soun box 1 within recess 2, said knife edge being sitioned to engage the upper surface 0 the flexible ri 3 adjacent to the outer ed thereof. l he ring 3 is not secured to t e I sound. box by wax, rubber, or in any other Apparatus, of which the follow arts.

in recess 2 of sound box 1 withyielding otherw se to its upper side adjacent the outer edge to form a bearing surface for way as is usual in the art. The rigid or nonflexible portion 4 of the diaphragm is given the form of an arch, as shown, or is. formed in any other Way so that it will not be flexed by the pulsations of the sound waves upon it. This rigid member 4 of the diaphra m is preferably circular in form with its e ge bent sharply upward, as shown at- 6, and forming a knife edge contacting the lower side of the flexible ring 3 near the inner,

edge thereof. The recording stylus 7 is carried by spring lever 8, the other. end of which is flattened and secured within the sound box by screw 9.

. In assembling the recorder the ring mem- V ber 3 of the diaphragm is placed upon knife edge 5, being guided and located by theedge of recess 2 of sound box 1, and the non-flexing member 4 of the diaphragm is then placed in position with its shar peripheral edge 6 cont-acting the under si e of ring 3 near its inner edge. A rigid connectlon 10'is then placed. between the end of s ring member 8 and the center of the rigi diaphragm member 4, the spring member 8 being given a strong inward flexure and the connecting member 10 then firmly secured, preferably by shellac, at its two ends to the diaphragm member4 and the spring member 8. Screw 11 may be mounted as shown in shoulder-12 of the sound box with its ends contactin the under side of spring member 8, where y the .amount of flexure of spring member Smaybe adjusted.

Lever 13 carr ing tracking. member 14 may be used if esired, the screw 15 being mounted in the sound. box' with its lower ,end'bearing upon the upper side of the free end of lever 13- to adjust the vertical posi tion of tracking member 14 to regulate the depth of out permissible" for recording stylus 7.

In Fi in whic rin member 3 of the diaphra is provided with a ring of rubber or simi ar material 16 securedby cement or knife edge 5 of the sound box, and a similar edge 6 of the rigi imember 4- off't lie.,d1aphragm.' This con- 9.5 4 I have illustrated a modification I connection with t struction is to permit the use of such material for flexible ring 3 as cannot be entirely freed of buckling'around the edges, but I prefer to form the ring 3 ofmaterial free from buckles and to have knife edge 5 of the sound box and edge 6 of the ri d member 4 bear directly upon the flexi le ring as shown inv Fig. 3. The screw 11 pressing u on spring 8 bows the latter inwardly an forces the diaphragm upwardly sufliciently to give a strong initial upward tension to the latter.

The following points may e diaphragm constructed as above described First: Less power is consumed in vibrating itthan in the case of diaphragms secured to the sound box by wax, rubber, or

similar substance attached to the outer edge of the diaphragm, as has been the common practice heretofore, since power has necessarily been'lost in stressing this securing device. Accordingly, my dlaphragm is more sensitive.

Second: Less strength is required in a sound wave to be recorded to move the diaphragm a given distance than in the common recorder construction, since it does not flex in the center; The ring '3 is easily flexed because of itsfree inner edge. 4

Third: The diaphragm does not buckle in segments within the limits of the deflecs tions given by the sound waves to be, recorded. Fourth: By employing a non-flexing center and a flexible ring diaphragm free at both edges, a strong upward stress can be given the whole diaphragm, which not only serves to hold it 1n place, but also strongly resists excessive movement of the diaphragm ifu a directionaway fromthe recording surace. 7 y

' When the recording stylus is tracked for the record, the movement of the diaphragm downward or toward the recordin requires but little power, but the on upper movement of the same is ard or atl reslsted by the strong initial flexing o the dia hragm which has been described. Accor ingly, the tendency of strong sound waves or waves oflarge amplitude to cause the recording stylus to leave the record material is stron 1y resisted. With the form of diaphragm eretofore used in recorders, the initial flexing necessa of false motions given ,to the diaphragm which are recorded with suflicient amplitude to be audible in the record when reproduced. In the construction which l have-described and illustrated, however, no false'motions of'sufiicient amplitude to be audible on re- -.production are given tolthe diaphragm.

It is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the exact construction above be noted in bination with a sound surface to e-amuleeflect described is not practicable on account described, but is as broad, as the appended claims.

Having now described my invention,

-what I claim and desire toprotect by Lettors Patent is: l 1. In sound recordin apparatus, the combination with a flexi le ring dlaphra and a non-flexible central member bridging the opening .of the ring and in contact therewith, of a recording stylus connected to the non-flexible member, and means for a'pplyingan elastic the flexible an non-flexible members in engagement, substantially as described.

2. In sound recording apparatus, the combination of a lmife edge sup ort, a twogressure on the stylus toholdpart diaphragm, comprising a exible ring member freely mounted on said support with the latter contacting the same ad acent to one edge thereof, and a non-flexible memher-bridging the opening of said ring and making contact therewith near the .other edge thereof, a recording stylus and a spring arm carrying the stylus and by its tension imposing an initial flexure on the diaphragm to keep the parts thereof in en- -ga ement and the ring member seatedon sa1 knife jedge, substantially as described.

3. In sound recordin apparatus, the combination with a soun box, of a flexible ring diaphra mounted therein, a nonflexible mem er. mounted to contact the inner edge of saidring but not attached thereto, and a recordin stylus connectedto said non-flexible mem r, substantially as described.

4. In sound recordin apparatus, the commounted therein comprising a flexib e outer portion and a'rigid inner ortion, the outer edge of which contacts t e inner edge of the flexible outer portion but is not attached thereto, and a recording stylus rigidly connected to said rigid inner portion of the diaphragm, substantially as described.

5. In sound recording ap aratus, the com-' bination with a supporting ife edge, of a ox, of a diaphragmdiaphra m comprising a flexible ring mounte with its'surface adjacent its outer edge contacting said knife edge, a nonflexible member mounted with its outeredge contacting the free inneredge, of said ring but not attached thereto, and a recording stylus connected to said non-flexible member, substantially as described.-

' 6. In sound recording apparatus,the

bination witha knife-edge support, of" a flexible annular diaphra u contactmgmd support near the outer w 1 of thcannulus, and free at bothjedges a non-flexible member the. outer of" istral. r and connected to said non meansfor holding said member in firm 0012- edge whichcontacts the j inner edge of sai annulus -on the side optact with said annulus and placing the latter under initial upward stress, substantially as described.

- 7. In a device of the class described, the combination with :1; st lus, of a diaphragm connected thereto an comprising a rigid inner ortion and a flexible outer portlon combination with a stylus of a diaphragm connected thereto comprising a'ri'gid inner port1on and a flexible outer portion mount-, ed to vibrate therewith and having a free inner edge and maintained under initial upma PatentNc. 1.019.441.v

ward tension, substantiall as described.

9. In a device of the c ass described the combination with a st lus, of adiaphragm connected thereto an comprising a rigid inner portion and a flexible outer portion adapted to vibrate with said inner portion but not secured thereto, a knife ed e con-- tacting the outer upper surface of t e said outer portion, and means for lacing the diaphragm under initial'upwar stress, substantially as described.

10. In sound recording apparatus, the.

combination with a recording stylus of a connected thereto comprisinga r gidlnner portion and a flexible outer portlo'ni alkmfe edge contacting the outer upper of the latter and constituting the" Patent signed an mam ldayot April, Lin, 1 12,

only support therefor, said inner portion having a sharp outer edge contacting the under side of the outer portion near the inner edge thereof but not'joined thereto,

and elastic means for holding the inner ortion in contact with the outer ortion o the diaphragm, substantially as escribed.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination with a sound box of a flexible diaphragm member inounted therein but not secured thereto, and having free edges, a non-flexible diaphragm member mounted :to vibrate therewith, and a stylus connected thereto, substantiall as described.

12. In a device 0 the class described, the combination with a sound box of a flexible annular diaphragm member mounted therein but-not secured thereto, and having free edges, a support for said flexible member ad acent its edge, and a stylus connected to vibrate with said diaphragm member, substantia'llyas describe 13. As a new article of manufacture, an.

inner non-flexible diaphragm member, provided with a sharpen'ed edge for contact with a flexible annular diaphragm member, substantially as described;

This ecification signed witnessed this 14th day of April 1910.

THOMAS A. EDISON.

Witnesses: Possum. Eeemcs'ron,

'. A. N. Prsnmn.

in is hereby certified a r am No.- 1,019,441, ad-inlet a, 1912, upon the application 6: 11.15am, bf Llewellyn; Park, as Orange,

New Jersey, for an improvement in Sound- Beeording Apparatus, an error in the printed specification requiring'correction as follows: Page 1, line 85, for the word ends that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that alanin may conform to the record of the case in the c. c. sun-mes, Acting of tact with said annulus and placing the latter under initial upward stress, substantially as described.

- 7. In a device of the class described, the combination with :1; st lus, of a diaphragm connected thereto an comprising a rigid inner ortion and a flexible outer portlon combination with a stylus of a diaphragm connected thereto comprising a'ri'gid inner port1on and a flexible outer portion mount-, ed to vibrate therewith and having a free inner edge and maintained under initial upma PatentNc. 1.019.441.v

ward tension, substantiall as described.

9. In a device of the c ass described the combination with a st lus, of adiaphragm connected thereto an comprising a rigid inner portion and a flexible outer portion adapted to vibrate with said inner portion but not secured thereto, a knife ed e con-- tacting the outer upper surface of t e said outer portion, and means for lacing the diaphragm under initial'upwar stress, substantially as described.

10. In sound recording apparatus, the.

combination with a recording stylus of a connected thereto comprisinga r gidlnner portion and a flexible outer portlo'ni alkmfe edge contacting the outer upper of the latter and constituting the" Patent signed an mam ldayot April, Lin, 1 12,

only support therefor, said inner portion having a sharp outer edge contacting the under side of the outer portion near the inner edge thereof but not'joined thereto,

and elastic means for holding the inner ortion in contact with the outer ortion o the diaphragm, substantially as escribed.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination with a sound box of a flexible diaphragm member inounted therein but not secured thereto, and having free edges, a non-flexible diaphragm member mounted :to vibrate therewith, and a stylus connected thereto, substantiall as described.

12. In a device 0 the class described, the combination with a sound box of a flexible annular diaphragm member mounted therein but-not secured thereto, and having free edges, a support for said flexible member ad acent its edge, and a stylus connected to vibrate with said diaphragm member, substantia'llyas describe 13. As a new article of manufacture, an.

inner non-flexible diaphragm member, provided with a sharpen'ed edge for contact with a flexible annular diaphragm member, substantially as described;

This ecification signed witnessed this 14th day of April 1910.

THOMAS A. EDISON.

Witnesses: Possum. Eeemcs'ron,

'. A. N. Prsnmn.

in is hereby certified a r am No.- 1,019,441, ad-inlet a, 1912, upon the application 6: 11.15am, bf Llewellyn; Park, as Orange,

New Jersey, for an improvement in Sound- Beeording Apparatus, an error in the printed specification requiring'correction as follows: Page 1, line 85, for the word ends that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that alanin may conform to the record of the case in the c. c. sun-mes, Acting of Correctlori In Letters Patent No. 1,019,441.

I: is hereby certified that "i 1mm Pm; No. 1,019,441, uted March a. 1912, pon the application of Thames A. Edison, of LlewellynPark, West Orange, New Jersey, for an inlprovement in Sound-Recording Apparatus, an error nppeara in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 1, 11085, for the word endu reed end; and that the said Letters Potent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Signed and sealed this 2nd day of April, A. 1)., 1912.

[ 0. c. mnmuos,

Acting of Patente.

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