US2115756A - Combined radio-phonograph time control method and means - Google Patents

Description

May 3, 1938. R. B. WHITMAN ET AL 2,115,756

COMBINED RADIO-PHONOGRAPH TIME CONTROL METHOD AND MEANS Filed Sept. 14, 1954 l l z /0 l5 9 {V i a f /5/2 .wwmr/o v 23 1 "Iivsu N 7 l3 mm 23 22 R24 24 %'0 RAND sew AC TO (10y 30 INVENTORS Rag, Belmont Whnman & Edward H Haan 7 Z g-Mm 3/ ATTORNEY Patented May 3, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Ray Belmont Whitman, Essex Fells, N. J., and Edward H. Haan, Chicago, Ill.

Application September 14, 1934, Serial No. 744,044

6 Claims.

This invention relates to radio-phonograph combinations, and more especially to a radiophonograph in which a time switch is employed to automatically change from the playing of the 5 radio to the playing of the phonograph and vice versa at any desired time intervals.

An object of the invention is to provide a radio receiving set with clock means for starting and stopping it automatically at any desired time 10 intervals.

Another object is to provide a phonograph with means for automatically starting and stopping it at any desired time intervals.

A further object is to provide means with a 15 radio-phonograph combination by which the radio may be heard in operation during the period of a broadcasting program and the phonograph then heard and the radio silent during the period when the station announcement would normally be heard on the radio.

A still further object is to provide time control means for a radio, a phonograph, or a combination of the two whereby either instrument may be started or stopped while the other is stopped 25 or started, to be stopped or started at any desired time intervals, together with means for adjusting said time intervals at will.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide simple and inexpensive means in conjunc- 30 tion with a radio-phonograph combination by means of which a national advertisers broadcasting program may be utilized by a local advertiser, for instance, by substituting the periodic advertising message of the national ad- 5 vertiser at the beginning or end of each broadcasting program with an advertising message of the local advertiser.

All these and other objects as suggested here below are attained by the methods and means 40 now to be described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in phantom, showing a form of time switch adapted for use to control the starting or stopping of a 45 phonograph or radio to bring about the results accomplished by this invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view showing the essential parts of the time switch of Fig. 1.

And Fig. 3 is an assembly view, largely di- 50 agrammatic, showing the switch mechanism, the phonograph motor, the phonograph electrical pickup device, the cam operated switch operated by the phonograph motor, and the radio and other electrical connections whereby a phono- 55 graph record may be substituted for the advertising message or station announcement once every fifteen minutes, or other adjustable intervals in accordance with the operation of this invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout 5 the several views.

A largely-standardized form of time switch is shown somewhat in detail in Figs. 1 and 2. There is shown the hour hand ID, the minute hand II, and the turning knob l2 by means of which the clock may be set to any desired time, such as to correspond with the correct time. The time switch has a supporting frame structure l3, an actuating motor I4, a suitable gear reduction l5 between the first driven gear or pinion I6 off the motor and the hour and minute hands In and II respectively, driven thereby. The motor 14, which drives the clock hands at proper speeds in accordance with the correct time, also drives at greatly reduced speed by means of the gear reduction a shaft I! which is keyed to and rotates the time control disc l8 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure l and shown by the arrow.

An electrical conducting sleeve I9 is aflixed to and rotates with shaft l1 and disc l8, and a flexible contacting and conducting finger 20 bears on sleeve l9 as it rotates to make electrical contact therewith.

The gear reduction from the time clock motor drive is such that disc I8 is caused to rotate once every two hours in the particular arrangement shown. Eight equi-spaced projecting pins 2| project laterally from the outside surface of disc l8, so that as contact is made with each of these pins, in manner now to be described, a time interval of fifteen minutes results therefrom.

Mounted in an upstanding pedestal 22 secured to frame I3 is a knurl-headed adjusting screw 23 and positioned in contacting relation therewith is a conducting arm 24 centrally pivoted at 25 and having its upper end positioned in the line of rotation of the eight pins 2| so as to make contact therewith as they rotate. A spiral spring 26 is attached to frame I3 at one end and to a point intermediate the upper end and the pivot point of arm 24 in manner as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This causes arm 24 to be rotated clockwise as shown in Fig. 1 tending always to move its upper end to the right. At the same time the '50 distance it can move is determined by the posi. tion of the end of the adjusting screw 23 as shown.

By means of this arrangement it will be seen that a movement of the adjusting screw 23 will= alter the time that the switch closes,'that is the time when one of the pins 2| makes contact with the upper end of arm 24, and the length of the arm 24 above the pivot point, for instance, determines the length of time that the switch is closed. In the present embodiment this is set for about two minutes on the theory that practically all phonograph records play for a period considerably in excess of that and the mechanism will operate properly providing that that time interval is shorter than the playing of the phonograph record, as will be later explained.

Now going to Fig. 3, the phonograph motor is shown at 21, the A. C. feed to the radio set is shown at 28, a manual phonograph switch at 29, the A. C. feed to the clock at 30, and the A. C. line feed, which in this. case is 60 cycle 120 volt, is shown at 3|.

The detector of the radio set is shown at the top of Fig. 3, the radio frequency side being at the left at 32, the arrow 33 designating a connection to the audio amplifier, the audio bias being shown at 34 and the detector bias at 35, this wiring representing any standard radio set.

The phonograph electrical pickup is shown at 36, and at 3'! is shown the switch cam of a record changing phonograph mechanism such as that put out by Capehart Corporation and invented by one of these applicants, Ray Belmont Whitman, and now covered by Patent No. 1,991,005, dated Feb. 12, 1935. There are several such mechanisms on the market and they all have in common a mechanical and electrical means for returning the tone arm or pickup of the phonograph to outside position after a record has been played, repeating or changing the record, and then moving the pickup arm into playing position and permitting the record to play through.

In record changing phonographs of the type above referred to, there are used phonograph records in which the inner line of the record terminates in a large pitch spiral groove leading toward the center label and passing a predetermined point a definite distance from the center of the record which mechanical movement starts the cycle of operation, in a well-known manner. Thereupon the pickup arm raises, swings outwardly, the same record continues to rotate or is changed and a new one takes its place, then the pickup arm swings inwardly and the needle end is deposited gently in the first or outer groove of the record at which point mechanical control ceases while the record plays freely throughout its length, after which the cycle of operation is repeated. Cam 3'! designates therefore the main operating cam by which this action takes place. None of the details of such mechanism is shown other than the cam since it is no part of the present invention.

The rotary movement of cam 3'! is caused to move in a clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 3 and in time the extended portion of said cam contacts and raises conducting arm 38 and through it also raises members 39 and 40, which are other contact arms with suitable projections thereon as shown. Thus members 33, 39 and 41'! are simultaneously lifted to break the connection with member 4! .and make connection with members 42, 43 and 44. By this means contact is broken from the radio frequency to the detector and the phonograph pick-up 36 connected 1 to the audio amplifier, and permits the electrically-operated phonograph to play.

The operation of the device, then, may be summarized as follows:

Cam 3'! is mounted onthe phonograph mechanism shaft. When the phonograph switch has been closed a sufficient time interval to permit cam 31 to rotate sufficiently to engage cam switch 42, the phonograph mechanism is caused to operate to play the record from beginning to end. Then while the phonograph control switch 29 stays closed the same sequence of operation on the phonograph is repeatedthat is, the record is repeated or changes to a new record which is played, depending upon the setting of the phonograph mechanism. Now as regards the function of the time switch: this is substituted for the phonograph control switch and operates in this manner; namely, at a predetermined time the time switch closes or makes contact between one of the pins 2| and contact bar 24 and causes the phonograph motor 21 to start. This motor is connected to the phonograph mechanism in such manner that it operates or rotates cam 37, which closes switch 42 which is electrically in parallel with the time switch. Thus the time switch must remain closed until after switch 52 has been closed by the phonograph mechanism. In fact any time inter val greater than that necessary to close the switch 42 by. the phonograph mechanism but shorter than the period necessary for operation of the record may be utilized. The adjustment of the time switch for such time interval is made by moving arm 26 in pivot to change the relation of the levers on each side of said pivot.

In order that the time switch (which for purposes of illustration only in this diagram is shown as operating in a plurality of uniform time intervals) may be set, the adjusting screw 23 is provided so that said interval may start at any predetermined time. For instance, if it is desired to start at an interval five minutes after the hour, when the clock has reached this time the adjusting screw 23 is regulated until arm 2 contacts with one of the pins 2!.

The duration of this contact is altered by mov ing arm 24 in pivot 25 as previously explained.

In Fig. 3 switch 4B is shown as a double-pole double-throw switch, which by means of the con tact at 4! causes the radio to operate when the switch is as shown. But when cam til has moved around until its cam surface is upward the switch is then shifted to make a contact at 4.'i-M, at which time the radio is disconnected and the phonograph pick-up is caused to operate through the phonograph mechanism to sound the record. The master throw-out switch 5 is positioned as shown, so as to keep always in circuit the electric clock when both radio and phonograph a e electrically disconnected from the source of current supply.

Having now described the invention, what isclaimed as new and for which Letters Patent of the United States is desired, is:

1. The combination in a combined electricallyoperated radio-repeating phonograph instrument of current-conducting and contacting means including a time switch comprising a rotary disc, spaced laterally-projecting contacts on the disc, and a flexible contact arm, and an electric clock adapted to operate said disc and including connecting means for said elements by which the radio may be disconnected and the phonograph connected at a given time interval and the phonograph disconnected and the radio connected at another given time interval.

2. The combination in a radio receiving set of clock means, a rotary disc switch associated therewith but connected to the back face thereof by reduction gearing and adapted to start and stop the radio automatically at any desired time interval.

3. The combination of an electrically-operated phonograph and current-conducting and contacting means therefor with an electric-clockoperated shaft, of a time switch actuated by the phonograph starting-and-stopping mechanism, and comprising a rotatable member mounted to rotate on the shaft and making electrical contact therewith, a plurality of contact points near the periphery of said member, a movable conducting arm pivoted intermediate its ends and having one of its ends normally in the path of said contact points and adapted to make contact therewith for a given time interval, and electrical conductors leading away from both the conducting arm and the shaft to a source of current supply and the phonograph.

4. The invention as in claim 3, the conducting arm including means for adjusting its interval of contact with the contact points.

5. The invention as in claim 3, the conducting arm including means for adjusting its time of making contact with the contact points relative to the movement of said shaft.

6. The combination of an electrically-operated automatic phonograph and current-conducting and contacting means therefor, including a cam actuated by the phonograph starting-and-stopping mechanism, said cam being adapted to actuate a double-throw double-pole switch for making and breaking electrical circuits to the phonograph and also to a time switch in the currentconducting means controlled thereby.

RAY BELMONT WHITMAN. EDWARD H. HAAN.

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