US2002798A

US2002798A - Control device

Info

Publication number: US2002798A
Application number: US573133A
Authority: US
Inventors: John E Renholdt
Original assignee: Dictaphone Corp
Current assignee: Dictaphone Corp
Priority date: 1931-11-05
Filing date: 1931-11-05
Publication date: 1935-05-28
Anticipated expiration: 1952-05-28

Description

May 28, 1935. J. E. RENHOLDT CONTROL DEVICE Filed Nov. 5, 1931 Ill INVENTOR BY J bhrz', Renfioidi ATTORNEYS Patented May 28 1935 John a. Renhoidt, Bridgeport, com, assignor to Dictaphone Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 5, 1931, Serial No. 573,133

2 Claims.

This invention relates to control means, and

with regard to certain more specific features to foot-operated control means for phonographs or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a footoperated control device the operation of which is not inherently tiringto the operator's foot. Another object is to provide a device of the nature described which may be operated by the toe portion of an operators fo'ot while said toe- 1 portion is raised only slightly above the fioor. Another object is to provide a device which is duplex and in which both controls are operable with one motion of the operator's foot and which may also be operated selectively by the operators foot. Another object of the invention is the provision of a control device-of the nature decertain parts tend to assume their inoperative position by the force of gravity. Another object is to provide a foot-operated control means in which-certain improvementshave been effected to eliminate leaks and the like.

the various conduits associated with the deviceare affixed to the device in an improved manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a control device of the nature described which is 7 strong and adapted to withstand abn sure of an operator's foot.

ormal pres- A further object of the invention is to provide a fact-operated control device which is easily as-' sembled and easily disassembled for repair, which is simple to manufacture, and which comprises a compact structure of neat appearance.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements,

and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the foliowingclaims.

bodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a foot-operated control device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the control device of Fig.1 and showing a pedal portion ing position;

in operat- (Cl. Gil-62.6)

tain other parts in section.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 there is shown a foot-operated control device comprising a base I on which are mounted duplicate air-compressing units or control means 3 and! respectively. A duplex flexible conduit 1 is'connected to the compressing

means

3 and 5. and is adapted to connect the control device to a machine to be controlled. Such a device utilizes compressed fluid (for example air) to control the mechanism of machines, such as transcribing machines, accounting machines and the like, which machines have means associated with them which are responsive to the air pres- However,

the control devices which have been provided heretofore for the operators of transcribing machines and the like, have been so constructed that in use the toe of the operator's foot was raised considerably above the floor, and. held in an unnatural and tiring position. Long continuous operation was, therefore, tiring to the operatorbecause of the cramping of muscles due to this unnatural position.

. The present invention overcomes the aforementioned previous disadvantages of the footoperated control means and provides a control means which is operated with an operator's foot in a substantially natural position.

Referring now to Fig. 3, each

compressor

3 and 5 comprises an inverted cup-shaped housing 9 in which a piston II is slidably mounted for reciprocation. Each housing 9 is securely mounted on the base I by means of counter-sunk machine screws 8. The piston I I is ground, or otherwise finished, to provide a substantially air-tight fit between the piston and housing, when the surfaces are properly lubricated. Thus as the piston II is moved toward the closed top of the housing 9 it compresses the trapped air between the top of the housing and the top of the piston. A spring I3-is seated in a depression I5 formed in the piston and reacts against the top of the housing 9 to tend to keep the piston I I at the bottom of the housing. It is to be noted that the piston II also tends to assume a position at the bottom of the hous of gravity.

ing 9 by the action The housing 9 is preferably cast as an integral piece and comprises a clevis I9 adjacent an opening or slot 20 formed in the wall of the housing for a purpose to be described hereinafter. With this construction the piston II traps air at the top of the housing 9 and thereis no means for its escape except through a duct 35, provided for that purpose near the top of the housing.

. As compression takes place above piston no gasket is needed between the housing 9 and the base.

A slightly bent lever 11 is provided for each

compressor

3 and 5 to operate the associated piston II. Lever I'I having an end extending through the opening 20 is pivoted substantially midway between its ends by a pin 2| between the sides of the above-mentioned clevis I9. A pedal or toe-piece 23 is formed at the outer end of lever I1 and a contact or rocker portion 25 is formed at the inner end thereof which rocker portion is adapted ,to engage the under side of said piston.

As shown in Fig. 3, the lever I1 and piston I I are in their "un-operated position and the piston II by action of gravity and the spring I3 has pushed the end 25 of the lever II downwardly until its flat bottom surface 21 is in contact withthe base I and the pedal 23 is in its raised position. In Fig. 2 the same lever I1 is shown in its operated position in which position the pedal portion 23 is held down by the operators foot and approximately of the lever I'I, comprising the lower surface29 thereof is resting on the base I. In this way any further pressure of the operator's foot is borne by the base rather than by the piston II. Thus any tendency to bend or warp the piston I I, by excessive pressure, is avoided. I

In this latter position the piston II is forced to the top of the housing 9 by the raising of the rocker point 25, and the air trapped between, the piston II and housing 9 is compressed.-

Each lever I1 is so positioned that its pedal portion 23 when inan "unoperated position is only slightly above the base I, and when in operated position is substantially in the plane of the base. In the present embodiment, for example, the pedal 23 in unoperated position is only about three-quarters of an-inoh above the base I. At this elevation the ankle of the operator is practically unflexed. Further, the two pedals 23 of the levers II are so positioned with respect to each other that the operator's foot, when disposed between the two pedals, may operate them both with the same downward motion or, if it is desired to operate' them selectively, the operator may swing her foot to the right or to the left to a position above one of the pedals and clear of the other thereof. This selective positioning of the operator's foot may easily be carried out by simply swinging the foot about the heel placed on the floor. Contact between the sides of the operators foot and the housing 9,

helps to correctly position the foot although such a contact is not necessary.

Thus in operation the duplex foot-operated control device is placed on the floor and the toe portion of the operators foot placed in the immediate vicinity above the pedal portions 23 of the levers IT. The operator may as hereinbefore pointed out operate either pedal or both, or may keep her foot in a slightly raised position above the pedals without assuming an unnatural position. When, however, she does operate one or both of the pedals her foot 'is substantially flat on the floor.

A metal conduit 3| taps each housing 9 and transmits the pressure created by the compress ing action of the piston II on the trapped air to the flexible tubing I. As is clearly shown in Fig. 4 each conduit 3| is secured to the housin 9 by means of a pressure coupling 33 threaded into the housing. The duct or hole 35 in each housing connects the interior of the housing with the coupling 33.

The flexible duplex conduit I is connected to the metal conduits 3| as is shown at numeral 31. The conduit I is a duplex arrangement having two separate passages therethrough and is formed from rubber or the like. Resilient wire helices 39 are positioned in the passages of the portion of the flexible conduit 1 which is immediately adjacent the base I, and as shown in Fig. 4 one end of each helix extends into one of the metal co'nduits 3| to which the tubing I is joined. A clamp 4| secures the conduits 3| and I .jointly to the base I and enhances the strength of the joint 31.

The resilient helices 39 not only reenforce the conduit I but also tend to prevent kinking of the conduit or tubing 1 which kinking would close the passages and hence render the control device inoperable.

The end of the tubing I which is away from the base I terminates in two tubes 63 which are of known construction .and need no further explanation except to say' that they are preferably attached to separate pressure responsive means on the machines controlled.

A corrugated rubber pad 2 is suitably mounted on the underside of the base I and serves to pro vide friction between the control device and the floor so that as the operator uses the control device it will not inadvertently slide around and change its position.

One of the advantages of the invention is that a foot-operated control device has been provided which may be operated without tiring the operators foot.

Another advantage is the flexibility of control which may be secured with the duplex arrangement. Thus in the event that simultaneous actuation of both of the pressure responsive means on the machine being controlled is desired, the arrangement of the pedals is such that they may be operated simultaneously with one foot.

Another advantage of the invention is the fact that the capacity of the compressing units may be increased by increasing the depth of the housings 9, and without making it necessary for the operators foot to assume an unnatural position. With the former type of like foot-operated control means, in which the operation of the piston was efiected by direct downward movement of the operators foot, which was placed above the piston, the height to which the compressing unit could be raised to increase the capacity of the unit was limited by the extent to which the operators foot could operably be raised above a natural position. In the present construction in which the operation of the piston is effected by means of a lever, and in which the toepiece of the lever is considerably below the top of the housing, the toe piece of the lever may be raised considerably above the piston shown in Fig. 3 to increase the capacity without causing the operators foot to assume an unnatural position.

Another advantage of the invention is that a control device has been provided which has improved points of construction such as reenforcing and kink-preventing means in the flexible having contact with said piston at its inner i I 8,009,798 conduit, and which also has'improved construc-" tion to prevent leaking of the compressed air.

As various embodiments might be made of this invention, and as various changes might be made in the construction herein described, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. I

I claim;

l. A compressor unit for pneumatic foot control devices, comprisi'i'ig, inmombination, a-memher having a cylindrical bore of large diameter relatively to the length thereof and open at one end and closed at the other, a piston in said bore,

a lug formed on and extending outwardhr from wall being slotted radially with respect to the,

axis of said cylinder, a radially mounted lever end disposed in said slot and pivotally supported by the bifurcated parts of said lug, and means tending to hold the .pistonin contact with said lever.

2. A compressor'unit for pneumatic foot control devices comprising, in combination, a member having a vertical cylinder bore open at its lower end and closed at its upper end and having a fluid duct disposed adjacent said upper end, a piston in said bore having a cavity formed in its upper surface, an helical spring mounted with one end seated in said cavity and the other end in contact with the closed end of said member, a lug formed on and extending outwardly from the peripheral wall of said member adjacent the lower end thereof, the said wall having a slot formed therein adjacent said lug, and a piston-operating lever disposed in said slot, pivotally supported by said lug and having contact at its inner end with the underside of said piston;

' JOHN a. mom.