US1107471A - Coupling for listening-tubes. - Google Patents

Description

H. A. YERKBS.

COUPLING FOR LISTENING TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. s, 1913.

1 107 471 Patnted Aug. 18, 1914.

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iONE COMPAN J. vGJEIIlA.

TES PATENT OFFICE.

YERKES, F HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN OF BEIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATIQN OF EE'ZE'UPLING- 1 01-3 LISTENING-TUEES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Paton ted All". 18, 1914.

To all echo m it may concern it known that I, citizen of the United of liachenszclc,llew Jctx (whose postoiiice address is Hackensaclr, Lew Jersey) have invented a new and useful Improvement in Couplings istening-Tubcs, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

1e invention is intended primarily for hophones or other talking-machines eyed for language-lessens, especially machines 02'? the construction employed for re n-oducing disk I'CCOICls and known as If mchines )0 present day, the greater number of leg machines, and pructically all disk machines, employ a large, flaring horn,

. i. Yennns, and a resident either externel andyisible or concealed Within a cabinet. But when talking-min chines are used for the study of languages, Where the student desires to have the some passages repeated again and again, it is in many cases i'irei terable to employ listeningtuljies instead of horns, so that the sounds will be more clearly and accurately conveyed to the ears of the student, and Will be audible only to the student and not to others.

Listening-tubes are commonly used in transcribing from dictation-machines. But these machines are constructed to utilize cylindrical records; and the construction of the disk-machines is such as to prevent the attachment thereto of the ordinary listening-tubes, and there are certain acoustical Well as mechanical dilliculties in adapting the ordinary listening-tubes to said disk-machines.

The present invention, then, consists broadly of a novel coupling for connecting the listening-tube to the souxul-conduit of av talhingnnachinc.

The imention consists further in the various features hereinafter set forth and claiu'icd.

The llltflllblflfl will be best understood by reference to the-ui'nlexed drawings that illustrate a preferred embodimentthereof.

In these drawings, Figure l is a side View, partly in section, showing one form of listoning-tube connected to the sound passage or an. ordinary disk talhiun -machine, by. means of a preferred embodiment of the new coupling. i ig. 2 is a longitudinal seclion through a. portion of the tube, showing details.

In the drawings, 1 represents the main portion of the listening-tube proper, a piece of flexible tubing, such as the s0ftrubber tubing ordinarily employed for the purpose, having the rigid Y-piece 2 inserted in one end thereof to receive the branch-tubes 3-3 of similar construction, which latter lead to the two ear-cups 4-. If desired, however, there may be but one ear-cup only; and the construction of that member may be varied considerably.

5 represents the throat of the sound conduit of the talking-machine, which conduit terminates in 2. screw-threaded socket 6 (that may be swivelecl thereon), in which is usually secured the smaller end of the ordinary horn (not shown). Ineutilizing the present invention, the horn is removed from its socket G, and the new coupling secured therein.

Preferably the coupling comprises a. twopart cap or cover, whereof 7 is a ring, which may be a metal casting or struck up from sheet-metal, having the external screwthreads to engage the threads in the socket (i; and S is a. member, preferably domeshaped as shown, secured over the outer end of ring 7, and with it constitutes the cap or cover.

9 is a tube passing centrally through the member S'and rigidly secured thereto.

10 is a tubular elbow member, one end of which telescopes over the inner end of the tube 8, While the other end extends downward into throat 5 and carries an obturator in the form of the rubber cup ll which encircles the tube snugly and fits snugly with in said throat. An additional tubular member 12 fits over the outer end of the tube 9, and may be secured thereto as by a small pin or sets-crew 13. The end of the flexible tubing l is passed over the reduced outer end oi this last named tube 12. Preferably there will be a souiul-modiher, comprising a disk 14 fitted Within the bore of tube 12 and secured'to a shaft 15 journaled transversely thereof. At the extended outer end of this shaft is secured a hollow cap 16 that serves as a handle; while the other end of the shaftis screw-threaded to receive the lock-nut 17. A coil. spring 18 within the hollow handle surrounds the shaft, and forces the disk against the wall of its tube with sutlicient pressure to hold it in any desired position of axial adjustment.

To-connect the coupling to the talkingmachine, the flaring horn is removed from socket (3, and the cup 11 and elbow are inserted into the throat 5, and the cap 78 engaged with the socket 6 and then screwed down. The free engagement of the tube 9 upon the elbow member 10 permits this to be done without moving the rubber cup. If

desired, the flexible tube 1 can be removed beforehand, and then restored to place after the coupling has been screwed home. To

remove the parts, the flexible tubing 1 can be entirely removed by the presence of the obturator l4.

In the reproduction of different soundrecords containing language-lessons, considerable differences in loudness are naturally.

to be' expected; and it has been found very desirable to employ asound-modifier such as damper '14. By means of this damper the listener can more or less mufiie the louder sounds, yet can be able to receive the full volume of the fainter sounds. 'However', if desired, a sound-modifier can be dispensed with and the other parts employed alone.

The invention has thus been described with considerable detail, but only'for the sake of clearness; since it is not limited to the preciseconstruction and arrangement of parts shown and described. Various modifi cations of the mechanical construction of the cap 78 might be resorted to; the shape and curvature of the elbow-member might be varied considerably, according to the shape and direction of the socket and throat of the sonnd-conduit; and the shape of the cup 11, as well as its position within the throat, might also be varied to suit the requirements of the particular talking-machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: a V

1. A coupling for listening-tubes for talking-machines, comprising a screw-threaded cap adapted to be screwed into or out of the socket in the sound-conveyor of the talking-J machine, a tubular member rigidly secured to said cap and passing therethrough -to communicate at its outer end with the listeningtube, a tubular elbow-member telcscoping freely with the inner end of the last-named member, and' a rubber cup fitted snugly upon the other end of said elbowmember and adapted to fit snugly within the throat of the sound-conduit.

I 1ng-tube.

3. The combination of a talking-machine having the usual tone-arm swinging from a stationary support and with a comparatively large throat at the )ivoted end thereof, an obturator fitted snug y yet removably within said throat, and a reduced passageway extending through said obturator and adapted to receive a listening-tube of smaller diameter than the throat of said tone-arm.

4. The combination of a talking-machine having the usual tone-arm swinging from a stationary support and with a comparatively large throat at the pivoted end thereof, an obturator fitted snugly yet removably within said throat, a reduced passageway extending through said obturator, and means carried at the outer end of said sound-conduit for centering said passageway.

5. A coupling for listening-tubes for talking machines, adapted to fit snugly within the throat of the sound-conduit of said machine, a tubular member carried by and passing through said obturator, a cap adapted to be secured de tachably over the outlet of said conduit, a tubular member secured to and passing comprising an obturator through said cap and telescoping freely with the first-named tubular member, a third tubular member carrying a sound-modifier and secured to the second-named tubular memher, and a flexible listening-tube secured to the last-named member.

6. A coupling for listening-tubes for talking-machines, comprising a detachable cap adapted to cover the stationary outlet of the sound-conduit, a tubular member passing through said cap and adapted to receive the listening-tube, a second tubular member fitted freely on the other end of the firstnamed member and carrying an obturator fittedsnugly within the throatof the soundconduit. p

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib ing witnesses.

HULBERT A. YERKES.

Witnesses

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