US1384034A - Phonograph repeat mechanism - Google Patents

Description

W. B. BENHAM.

PHONOGRAPH REPEAT MECHANISM.

APPLICAQ'ION FILED MAR. 15, 1920.

1,384,034. at t d July 5, 1921.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. B. BENHAM.

PHONOGRAPH REPEAT MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I5, 1920.

maws e Patented July 5, 1921,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J6 2? F m Z5 25 22/026193 2 W Q I, /5 5g 0 21 F; m J7 mmw. a i. /s 5o 240 4, 44 20 5a 2s #7 W0 #6 WILLIAM BURTON BENHAM, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

PHONOGRAIPH REPEAT MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 15, 1920. Serial No. 365,924.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. BENHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVashington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Phonograph Repeat Mechanism; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the-same.

This invention relates to phonographs, and has for one of its objects to provide an attachment whereby the reproducer device, after passing over a record, may be returned to the starting point, or disposed in position to repeat the record, without stopping the movement of the motor or injuring the record.

Another object of the invention is to produce a device of this character which may be adapted without material structural change to the various makes and constructions of talking machines.

Another obiect of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be applied to the instrument without structural change therein and without disfiguring or changing the cabinet or casing.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a device of this character which may be operated by a simple pull button or knob or similar device from the exterior of the cabinet.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims. For the purpose of illustration the improved attachment is shown apprlied to a conventional phonograph of the ocalion type, and in the drawings thus employed to illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a conventional phonograph cabinet including a portion of the motor board, the turntable, the tone arm and sound box.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail in section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the base and a part of the needle arm or tone arm, with a part of the controlling mechanism attached.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3, with the tone arm in section on the line 4-4: of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the supporting post or standard and a part of the supporting arm.

Fig. 6 is a plan view enlarged and partly broken away of the part of the device which is attached to the motor board or platform.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. '8 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in Figs. 6 and 7. v

F 1g. 9 is a transverse section on the line 99 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 10 is a transverse section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of thearrows.

The improved attachment includes a supporting frame formed in any suitable manner, but for illustration constructed with upper portion 10 having attaching ears 11 to enable it to be screwed or otherwise secured to the under side of the platform or motor board of the phonograph, represented at 12.

Depending from the top frame 10 are front corner brackets or hangers 13 and rear corner hangers 14.

The hangers 18 are horizontally slotted, as represented at 15, and movably engaged in the slots is a rod 16, the latter extending in advance of the hangers and provided with pull springs 17 operating to yieldably hold the rod 16 at the inner end of its seats in the slots.

Extending through the lower ends of the hangers 13 is another rod 18, and mounted to swing upon this latter rod is a rocker frame including a horizontal intermediate portion 19 and upturned end portions 20, the upper ends of the latter engaging the rod 16. while the intermediate portions rock upon the rod 18.

Depending from the end portions of the top frame member 10 are other hangers 21, and supported in these latter hangersis another guide rod 22.

Disposed beneath the upper frame member 10 is a rack plate 23, whose ear teeth are represented at 24, and provided with depending ears or lugs 25 through which the guide rod 16 extends. By this means the rack plate is slidable on the rod 16.

rrojecting from the plate 23 is an arm 26 having an elongated loop 27 engaging the rod 22, the arm 26 operating to hold the plate 23 from rocking on the rod 16, while Patented July 5, 1921.

at the same time leaving the rack plate free to .slide on the rod 16 and the arm 26 free to slide on the rod 22.

Mounted in the hangers 14 is a rock shaft 28 having a crank arm 29 at one end, and connected at 30 to the free end of the crank arm is a link 31, and coupled at 32 to the other end of the link is a pull rod 33.

The pull rod is supported by hangers 34 from the bottom of the motor board or table 12 and extends through the front of the cabinet, a portion of which is represented at 35, and terminates in a pull knob 36.

The rod 33 is provided with a spring 37 operating to maintain it yieldably in withdrawn position.

Depending from the rear of the top frame 10 is a hanger 38, and pivoted at 39 to the lower end of the hanger is a lifter arm 40, and attached to the rocker shaft 28 is a cam device 41 having a flat portion or face .42 upon which the lifter member rests when in one position, as shown in Fig. 10.

Rising from the horizontal portion 19 of the rocker frame is a stop member 43 having two slots 44 and 45 therethrough, as shown in Figs. 79 and 10.

The cam device 41 is extended toward the front of the apparatus, and is pivoted at 46 to a trip arm 47 slidable through the slot 44 and having a toe or catch 48 at its free end to engage the member 43 at the bottom of the slot and draw the lower part of the rocker member 19 to the rear and correspondingly move the upper ends of the members 20 toward the front and moving rod 16 in the slots 15 against the resistance of the springs 17, and likewise moving the rack member 23 until its teeth 24 engage with the pinion of the phonograph; the latter indicated by dotted lines at 49, the loop 27 and rod 22 coacting to; insure the continuous horizontal movement of the rack member.

Attached to the hanger 21 is a bracket 50 to whose lower end another trip arm 51 is pivoted at 52. The arm 51 extends through the slot 45 of the stop member 43 and is provided with a ratchet tooth 53 to engage the member 43.

At its opposite end the arm 50 is reduced to form a curved leaf spring 54 which bears against the lower face of the member 40.

Extending from one of the rear corner hangers 14 is a bracket 55 through which the lower reduced end of a vertical shaft or standard 56 plays to a limited extent, the standard likewise extending through the adjacent frame member 10 in which it is both rotative and vertically movable.

Attached to the member 56 just above the bracket 55 is a lever arm 57, the latter coupled to the standard by a set-screw 57. Depending from the rack member 23 is stop arm 58, and extending into the path of the lever arm 57, so that as the rack member is moved along the rod 16 by the rotation ,of the pinion 49 the stop arm 58 will engage the lever arm 57 and rotate the standard 56. The lower reduced end of the standard 56 engages the lifter member 40 and acts upon the latter by gravity, as hereafter explained.

Pivoted at 59 to the hanger 14 which carries the bracket 55 is a latch member 60 having a toe 61'to engage beneath the free end of the lever arm 40 and hold the latter locked in its upper position.

The latch member 60 is held yieldably in erlosed position by a spring 62, as shown in ivoted at 63 to the hanger 14 which carries the latch member 60 is an. operating lever 64 extendingupwardly through the platform 12, the operating lever being coupled to the latch'member by a link 65. By this means the locking latch member may be actuated from above the platform 12, as hereafter described.

The tone arm is indicated at 66 and mounted to swing laterally upon a base member 67 mounted on the platform 12 and carrying the sound box 68, these parts being of the usual construction.

Extending upwardly from the base 67 is a bracket 69 in whose upper end the standard 56 is supported by a centering screw 70.

Attached to the tone arm 66 isa base plate 71 having bearings 72 to support a guide rod 73. The member 71 is secured to the tone arm by screws 74, one of the apertures for the screws being slotted to provide for the requisite adjustment of the plate on the tone arm.

Slidable on the rod 73 is a bracket device 75, and pivoted at 76 by one of its webs to the slidable bracket is an L-shaped plate 77. Pivoted at 78 to theother web of the member 75 is a plate 79.

Attached to the standard 56 is a support 80, and pivoted at 81 to the support is a tone arm moving rod 82. The standard 56 is provided with a notch or step 83 and the arm 82 is provided with a toe 84 engaging in the step, as shown in Fig. 5.

The rod 82 extends first obliquely from the step 83 and thence curves outwardly and is rigidly coupled at its outer end at 85 to the pivoted plate 79.

The members 73, 75, 77 and 79 coact to provide a flexible or universal joint between the laterally swinging rod 82 and the vertically and laterally swinging tone arm 66 to prevent cramping between the parts during the movements, owing to the varying arcs through which the parts move.

Attached to the tone arm 66 near its base 67 is a bracket 86 having an upstanding ear 87 to which a lever arm 88 is pivoted at 89. The lever 88 terminates in a finger grip 90 and is provided with a stop arm 91, the stop arm adapted to engage the upper end of the bracket 86 to limit the movement of the lever in one direction and the finger grip 90 adapted to engage the annular coupling flange 92 of the tone arm 66 to limit the throw of the lever in the opposite direction.

At its lower end the lever 88 is forked, as shown at 93 and 94 in Fig. 3, the forked portion 93 extending in advance of the portion 94, as shown in Fig. 4.

The forked portions 93 and 94 coact with the upwardly projecting locking lever 64. When a twelve-inch record is to be played the lever 88 is moved over until the finger grip bears against the enlargement 92 of the tone arm to dispose the forked portion 94 in position to engage the projecting end of the locking lever 64 and thus trlp tne latch 60 and release the tone arm and permit it to drop to dispose the needle in playing position.

f a ten-inch record is to be played, the lever 88 is disposed with the projection 91 in engagement with the bracket 86, as shown in Fig.3. This will dispose the advanced forked portion 93 into position to engage the trip lever 64 and release the latch 60 at an earlier period of the travel of the tone arm, and thus drop the needle into playing position for the smaller record.

Vith a device thus constructed, the operation is as follows:

When the driving mechanism of the phonograph is set in motion, the gear 49, being a part of this driving mechanism, is likewise set in motion, and the frame 10 and its attachments will be so disposed that the teeth 25 of the rack 23 will engage the gear 49 when the member 23 is rocked on the rod 18, as will be obvious. Initially the rack member 23 will be held in withdrawn or inoperative position by the springs 17 or with the teeth 24 disconnected from the teeth of the gear 49, and the crank arm 29 also held in withdrawn position by the action of the spring 37. This will hold the cam 41-42 in lower position, as in Fig. 10, with the member 40 depressed and bearing against the toe 61 of the latch, as in Fig. 8, and the standard 56 in its lower position resting on the member 40.

The tone arm 66 and its attached sound box 68 will be moved over the record, not shown, in the usual manner, carrying the member 73 and its attachments with it, but producing no efiect, as the parts are held out of action.

\Vhen the tone arm and sound box reach the end of the record, if the record is to be repeated, the operator draws the rod 33 outward by a pull on the knob 36 against the resistance of the spring 37, thus causing the shaft 28 to rock and cause the cam 41-42 to elevate the standard 56 and correspondingly elevate the tone arm and sound box by its connection therewith through the medium of the members 73-77 and thus elevates the needle free of the record.

The elevation of the free end of the member 40 carries it above the toe 61 of the latch 60 and releases the latter, which will be carried beneath the adjacent end of the member 40 and lock it in elevated position. This movement of the latch 60 will cause the link 65 to move the upper end of the lever arm 64 toward the base of the tone arm and into the path of the forked portions 93 or 94, according to the size of the record, as before described. As the tone arm swings toward the starting point of the record, it will carry the member 88 with it and cause toe 93 or 94, according to the size of the record which is being played, to engage the upwardly projecting end of the lever 64, and thus release the member 40 and permit the tone arm to fall into operative position.

The operator simply draws the rod 33 outwardly and then releases it, when the reaction of the spring 37 returns the shaft 28 to its former position, as shown in Fig. 10, but does not affect the lifter lever 40 because of the shape of the cam 41-42.

The member 19-20 will not return to former position, as the lock lever 51 will hold it in operative position relative to the rack 23-25 and pinion 49. The rocking movement of the shaft 28 also draws the member 47 to the rear and causes the toe 48 to engage the member 43 at the bottom of the slot 44 and swing the member 19-20 on the rod 18 and move the rack member 23-25 into engagement with the gear 49.

This swinging movement of the member 43 causes one of the teeth 53 of the member 51 to engage the member 43 at the bottom of the slot 45, and lock the member 23-25 into operative engagement with the gear 49, and likewise elevate its curved terminal into engagement with the elevated member 40.

This coupling of the gear rack 23-25 to the rotating gear 49 causes the rack to be moved along the guide rod 16, carrying the arm 58 with it and causing the latter to pick up the member 57 which is attached to the standard 56 and turn the latter a portion of a revolution, and thus correspondingly swing the elevated tone arm and sound box into starting position with the needle held above the record. When the tone arm has reached the starting point, this forked member 93 Or 94, as the case may be, will strike the lever arm 64 and withdraw the latch 60 from engagement with the member 40 and thus release the latter and permit the standard 56 and the tone arm carried thereby to drop, thus disposing the needle into operative position relative to the record.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with the movable tone arm of a phonograph including the needle carrying portion thereof, of a vertically and rotatively movable standard, means for coupling said standard to the tone arm, means adapted to be operated by the motor of a phonograph for oscillating said standard, and manually operative means for simultaneously elevating said standard and coupling the motor operated means and the standard oscillating means.

2. The combination with the movable tone arm of a phonograph including the needle carrying portion thereof, of a vertically and rotatively movable standard, means for coupling said standard to the tone arm, means adapted to be operated by the motor of .a phonograph for oscillating said standard, manually operative means for slmultaneously elevating said standard and coupling the motor operated means and the standard oscillating means, and means for automatically releasing the standard when the tone arm has reached a PI'QdGtQIIIIlHGClPOSllElOII t0 cause the needle to to record engaging positio 3. The combination with the motor and the movable tone armof a phonograph in cluding the needle-carrying portion of the tone arm, of a vertical and standard, means for coupling the standard to the needle-carrying portion of the tone arm, a support, a rocker frame carried by said support, an arm carri d by said standard, a member slidable on said rocker frame and adapted to be engaged by the motor to move the slidable member longitudinally of the rocker frame and having an arm extending into the path of the arm of the standard, and manually operative means for simultaneously elevating the standard and actuating the rocker frame.

4. The combination with the motor and the movable tone arm of a phonograph including the needle-carrying portion of the tone arm of a vertical and rotary movable standard, means for coupling the standard to the needle-carrying portion of the tone arm, a rocker frame, an arm carried by said standard, a member slidable on said rocker frame and adapted to be engaged by the motor-to move the slidable member longitudinally of the rocker frame and having an arm extending into the path. of the arm of the standard, manually operative means for simultaneously elevating the standard and actuating the rocker frame.

5. A device of the class described. comprising a support adapted to be attached to a phonograph, a standard mounted for vertical and rotative movement in said support and adapted to be coupled to the needlecarrying portion of the phonograph, a rocker frame carried by said support, a member slidable on said rocker frame and adapted to be coupled for movement by the be returned by gravity rotary movable motor of the phonograph when the rocker frame is in one position, means whereby the motion of the slidable member is caused to oscillate the standard to impart retrograde movement to the tone arm and the needlecarrying portion of the same, manually operative means for simultaneously elevating the standard and actuating the rocker frame.

6. A device of the class described, comprising a support adapted to be attached to a phonograph, a standard mounted for vertical and rotative movement in said support and adapted to be coupled to the needlecarrying portion of the phonograph, "a rocker frame carried by said support, a member slidable on said rocker frame and adapted to be coupled for movement to .the motor of the phonograph when the rocker frame is in one position, means whereby the motion of the slidable member is caused to oscillate the standard to impart retrograde movement to the tone arm and the needle-carrying portion of the same, a lifter device associated with the standard, a cam device operative to actuate the lifter device, means whereby the movement of the cam device actuates the rocker frame, a trip device operative to hold the lifter device in elevated position, and means whereby the trip device is released to correspondingly release the lifter device when the tone arm has been moved to a predetermined position to permit the needle-carrying portion to return to record-engaging position. i

7. In a deviceof the class described, in combination of a phonograph, comprising a reproducer, a record and mechanism therefor, a bracket secured to the base of the reproducer arm, a repeater arm its outer end secured to the reproducer arm and its opposite end pivoted to a vertical shaft, the outer end of the repeater arm having a three-way head to provide for the various mot-ions necessary for returning the reproducer arm from the end of a record to the place of beginning.

8. In a device of the class described, in combination of a phonograph, comprising a reproducer, a record and mechanism therefor, a bracket secured to the base of the reproducer arm and' its opposite end pivoted to a vertical shaft, a three-way head, a vertical shaft journaled at both ends and pro vided with an arm for raising the reproducer arm from a record, and when raised carrying the reproducer arm from the end to the starting point of a record.

9. In a device of the class described, in combination of a phonograph, comprising a reproducer, a record and mechanism therefor, a bracket secured to the base of the reproducer arm, its opposite end pivoted to a vertical shaft, a three-way head, a vertical shaft journaled at both ends and provided with an arm for raising the reproducer arm aaeaoae from a record and carrying it from the end to the starting point of a record, a lift bar operated by a cam which raises a vertical shaft that supports the repeater arm, a trigger for holding it in position when raised, a trip lever operated by contact with the end of a bracket or arm attached to the re producer arm, for releasing the supporting trigger preparatory to repeating a record.

10. In a device of the class described, in combination of a phonograph, comprising a reproducer, a record and mechanism therefor, a bracket secured to the base of the reproducer arm, its opposite end pivoted to a vertical shaft, a three-way head, a vertical shaft, journaled at both ends and provided with an arm for raising the reproducer arm from a record and carrying it from the end to the starting point of a record, a lift bar operated by a cam which raises a vertical shaft supporting the repeater arm, a trigger for holding it in position when raised, a trip lever operated by contact with the end of a bracket or arm attached to the reproducer arm for releasing the supporting trigger, a movable gear bar meshing with an exposed gear wheel of a phonograph motor that retates the disk that bears the record, a swinging arm for enmeshing a movable gear bar with the gear wheel of the motor, a trigger for locking the gear bar when enmeshed and springs for disengaging the gear bar when the trigger releases the swinging bar.

11. In a device of the class described, in combination of a phonograph, comprising a reproducer, a record and mechanism there- .for, a bracket secured to the base of the reproducer arm its opposite end pivoted to a vertical shaft, a three-way head, a vertical shaft provided with an arm for raising the reproducer arm'and carrying it to the starting point of a record, a lift bar or arm operated by a cam which raises a vertical shaft supporting the repeater arm, a trigger for holding it in position when raised, a trip lever operated by contact with the end of a bracket or arm for releasing the supporting trigger, a movable gear bar the teeth enmeshing with the teeth of a gear wheel of a motor, a trigger for locking the gear bar when enmeshed and springs for disengaging the gear bar when the trigger releases the swinging bar, a crank shaft provided with a combination cam arm for raising a lift arm bearing a vertical shaft, and withdrawing the swinging arm bearing a gear bar at its upper end, and when fully withdrawn locked in that position by a trigger until the reproducer arm is carried back over a record to its initial position; a horizontal traveling gear bar attached to a rod the ends of the rod sliding in horizontal slots in the legs of the attachment frame, a swinging arm with its ends slotted to receive the rod upon which the gear bar slides to cause the gear bar teeth to enmesh With the teeth of the gear wheel of the motor, an arm attached to the gear bar and sliding on a rod to keep the gear bar in a horizontal position, an arm attached to the gear bar or being a part of the same arm as described, projecting down-- ward and engaging with an arm attached to the vertical shaft which causes the latter to rotate when the gear bar is-engaged with the gear wheel when the motor is in motion, a trigger arm notched at one end for locking a swinging arm supporting a gear bar and holding it engaged or enmeshed with a gear wheel of a motor, the opposite end looped and extending upward to a position to be driven downward by the lift arm dropping thereon with the superimposed Weight of the vertical shaft, repeater arm and reproducer, causing the notched end of the trigger to be lifted out of engagement with the gear wheel, by the springs attached to the ends of the rod upon which the gear bar slides; a pull knob or stop connected with crank rods for starting the repeater mechanism, a cylindrical spring surrounding a pull rod for returning the knob or stop when withdrawn, and causing the gear bar to disengage from the gear wheel of the motor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WM. BURTON BENHAM.

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