US2201204A

US2201204A - Mechanism for selectively reproducing, repeating, and charting sound record material

Info

Publication number: US2201204A
Application number: US179998A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur L Runyan
Original assignee: TRANSLAPHON CORP
Current assignee: TRANSLAPHON Corp
Priority date: 1937-12-15
Filing date: 1937-12-15
Publication date: 1940-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1957-05-21

Description

May 21, 1940. A. L. RUNYAN 0 MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY REPRODUCING, REPEATING, AND CHARTING SOUND RECORD MATERIAL Filed Dec. 15, 193'? 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 j INVENTOR fl llazrlllzzmgam ATTO R N EY UNYAN' 1,

May 21, 1940. R

MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY REPRODUCING, REPEATING,

AND CHARTING SOUND RECORD MATERIAL Filed Dec. 15, 1937 1 Sheets-Sheet 2 HHIHHHHI.

INVENTOR flnthur L. Bunyan ATTORNEY A. L. RUNYAN 2,201,204 MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY REPRODUCING, REPEATING,

AND CHARTING sounn RECORD MATERIAL Filed Dec. 15, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet :s

INVENTOR flnlharLJZwq m ATTORNEY RUNYAN 4 Sheets-Shet 4 May 21, 1940. MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY REPRODUCING, REPEATING,

AND CHARTING SOUND RECORD MATERIAL Filed D96. 15, 193

INVENTOR 14/:ZhwL.Rzmz wa ATTORNEY Patented May 21, 1940 PATENT OFFICE MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY REPRO- DUCING,

REPEATING,

AND CHAR-TING SOUND RECORD -MATERIAL Arthur L. Bunyan, New York, N. Y., asslgnor to Translaphon Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 15, 1937, Serial No. 119,998

g 12 Claims.

The invention relates to mechanism for selectively reproducing and repeating sound record material and for charting sound records.

An object of the present invention is to provide simple, accurate and compact mechanism for selectively reproducing and repeating sound record material to facilitate the study of subjects requiring auditory perception, such as languages, music; telegraph code reception and the like, as well as for various other purposes including cultural education and amusement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a manually controlled mechanism of this character for education and other purposes consisting of a tone arm unit adapted to be readily substituted for the tone arm of any ordinary phonograph having either an electric pick-up reproducer, or an air column reproducer and equipped with indicating means actuated by the inward and outward horizontal swinging movement of the tone arm and unconnected with the motor of the phonograph and having numbered graduations.

corresponding to the grooves or convolutions of a sound record, cooperating with a pointer or index element and adapted to indicate the exact position of the reproducer stylus on a sound record so that any selected portion of a sound record may be accurately noted on a chart or other memorandum to enable the tone arm to be quickly and accurately placed on the sound record at the proper point or points for reproducing the selected portion or portions of the sound record.

A further object of the invention is to provide manually operable means for lifting the tone arm and reproducer stylus from a sound record and returning the tone arm to its selected starting position and for lowering the tone arm and placing the stylus in a groove of the sound record and for also supporting the tone arm inan elevated position with the reproducer stylus out of contact with the sound record.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tone arm unit equipped with a rotary dial mounted on and carried by the tone arm and having without interfering with the playing of the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism numerically graduated to correspond II to the numbered graduations of the indicating numbered graduatioiis corresponding with thedial and manually operable when the tone arm is in an elevated position to swing the tone arm inwardly or outwardly to place the tone arm with its reproducer stylus in proper position above a groove of the sound record containing the select- 6 ed portion of the record, whereby when the tone arm is lowered the stylus will be placed in the proper groove for reproducing and repeating the selected portion of the sound record, whereby the whole or any selected portion of a sound record may be continuously repeated as often as desired by manual manipulation. v

A further object of the invention is to provide a simplified form of device capable of charting a sound record and of repeating the whole or any selected portion of a sound record and of being operated by grasping the tone arm and swinging the same horizontally to position it properly with relation to the sound record and having means for limiting the outward swinging movement of the tone arm, so that, after reproducing the selected portion of the sound record, it may be quickly and accurately returned to its initial starting position without referring to the indicating means. v

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventing the dial actuating mechanism and gear friction from imposing any drag on the tone arm and from interfering with the normal controlled speed of the record carrying turntable of a phonograph or in any manner interfering with a proper reproduction of the sound record.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for -taking up any loss motion in the gears by yieldably maintaining in continuous contact the teeth of the gears for actuating the graduated means for indicating the position of the reproducer stylus with relation to the sound record.

A further object of theinvention is to provide an electric pick-up tone arm unit adapted to be electrically connected with any radio amplifying unit and which will permit an ordinary radio set to be conveniently used in a phonograph for amplii'ying reproduction of a sound record and also for independent operation of the radio set.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompan'ying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions and minor details of construction. within the scope 55 of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings: f

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electric pick-up phonograph constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the tone arm unit and a portion of a sound record, the tone arm being illustrated in full lines in a central position and its inner and outer extreme p sitions being illustrated in dot and dash lines.

Figure 3 is a reverse plan view of the tone arm unit, parts being omitted for convenience of illustration.

Figure 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the tone arm unit, the tone arm being shown in full lines in its lowered position and elevated in dot and dash lines.

Figure 5 is a detail plan view illustrating the arrangement of the gearing for actuating the graduated indicating dial and showing a coiled spring connected with the pinion of the gearing for preventing drag on the tone arm.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view of the manually operable tone arm setting mechanism taken on the line 6-6 of Figure '4.

Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view of the tone arm unit taken substantially on the line of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the same taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 4.

Figure 9 is a detail perspective view of the forked lever for swinging the tone arm outwardly to return the same to its initial starting position.

Figure 10 is a detail perspective view of the pivoted support of the tone arm unit.

Figure 11 is a side elevation of a tone arm unit illustrating a modification of the invention and showing a simple form of the same applied to a tone arm having an air column sound reproducer- Figure 12 is a similar view illustrating another modification of the invention and showing the simpler form of the invention applied to a tone arm having an electric pick-up reproducer.

Figure 13 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line l3l3 of Figure 12.

Referring particularly to the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 10, inclusive, of the accompanying drawings, I designates the cabinet constructed of any suitable material and of substantially oblong form and comprising a bottom, vertical side and end walls and a top wall 2 extending from one end of the cabinet and terminating short of the other end to provide an opening 3 to permit a radio receiving set 4 of the ordinary construction to be placed in the cabinet. The radio receiving set is provided with an inclined top wall 5 forming a panel for the operating means of the radio set and having a central opening 6 at which is located the loud speaker of the radio receiving set. The inclined panel wall 5 provides a convenient support for the indicating and operating means of the radio receiving set and enables the same to be readily manipulated without stooping or bending over to the extent which would be necessary if the panel were arranged, in a vertical or a horizontal position.

The phonograph or sound reproducing machine includes a turntable 'l actuated by an electric or other motor (not shown) and adapted to receive a sound record 8 having the usual feed grooves 9 which are adapted to be engaged in the ordinary manner by a stylus ll) of a tone arm ll, whereby the rotation of the sound record through the spiral arrangement of the feed grooves 9 carries the tone arm inwardly over the record in the usual manner for reproducing the sound of the record. The term grooves of the sound record refers to the number of convolutions or the pitch to which the spirally grooved record is out. As the radio receiving set or amplifying unit and the means for rotating the turntable and for controlling the speed of rotation are designed to be of any ordinary construction, detailed description and illustration of the same are deemed unnecessary.

The tone arm I i which may be of any desired construction, in the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 10, inclusive, is constructed substantially the same as that shown and described' in Patent'No. 2,081,885, granted to me May 25, 1937. It is of hollow construction and open at the bottom and is pivotally connected at a point intermediate of its ends at I2 to a supporting arm or member i3, preferably formed integral with a sleeve l4 mounted for pivotal or swinging movement on an upright pivot or spindle iii. The spivot or spindle l5 has a reduced threaded lower terminal portion l6 which is mounted in a threaded opening I! of a support l8 pivoted by aligned horizontal screws l9 upon a base 20. The base 20, which is of tubular form, constitutes a housing and is preferably tapered as illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings and is adapted to be inserted in the opening 2| in the top or table 2 of the phonograph and is capable of enabling the tone arm unit to be readily substituted for the ordinary tone arm of a phonograph or sound reproducing machine. The tubular portion of the base 20 is arranged vertically and is provided at its upper end with a flange 22 secured by screws or other suitable fastening devices to the upper face of the table or wall.

The support I8 is composed of spaced sides and a connecting transverse portion 23 provided with a central arm 24 spaced from the sides of the support to'provide side recesses 25 and having a slot or bifurcation 26 for the reception of a cam 21 of a shaft 28. The cam 21 is approximately quadrant-shaped and the shaft, which is journaled in'suitable bearings of the base, is provided with an operating arm 29 (Fig. '7) adapted to be oscillated to rock the shaft for raising and lowering the tone arm through the tilting or povotal movement of the support l8. The oper ating arm is provided with shoulders 30 for limiting the movement of the rock shaft, and the base 20 has a horizontal extension 3| located beneath the cam shaft 28 and provided at its outer end with one of the bearings for the said shaft. The quadrant-shaped cam is adapted to tilt the support and is also capable of maintaining the support at the limits of its tilting movement to maintain the tone arm in an elevated position andalso to hold the pivot or spindle l5 in a vertical position when the tone arm is lowered to the sound record.

The sleeve of the arm or member l3 (Fig. 4) is provided on its interior near its upper end with a shoulder 32 which seats upon a shoulder 33 formed by the reduced upper terminal portion 34 of the pivot or spindle I 5. The lower end 35 of the sleeve I4 is exterioriy threaded to receive a nut 36 which is'in the form of a-ring and which retains a vertical tubular portion or sleeve 31 of a tone arm carriage 38 on the sleeve I4 of the arm or member [3. The ring nut is recessed at diametrically opposed points and is adapted to be engaged by a spanner or other suitable tool for screwing it on and off the lower threaded end 35 of the sleeve of the arm or member l3.

The tone arm carriage 38 is provided with spaced projecting side portions 39 and has a housing for enabling the graduated drum to adjust the arm l3 and the tone arm ll carried thereby with relation to the tone arm carriage for placing the tone arm in a selected starting position for reproducing and repeating the whole or any selected portion of a sound record. By this construction, arrangement and mode of operation, the tone arm when elevated is returned to its selected starting position and the tone arm car riage to its initial position by means substantially the same as that shown and described in the aforesaid patent and as hereinafter fully explained.

The sleeve 42 has its lower end arranged upon the tone arm carriage and its upper end fits against the arm i3 and the ring nut 36 retains the tone arm carriage, the arm l3 and the sleeve 42 in assembled relation and permits rotary movement of the sleeve of the arm l3, the sleeve of the tone arm carriage and the sleeve 42. The hollow graduated drum, which is mounted on a transverse operating shaft 43, may be constructed of any suitable material and it is provided with a spiral rib 44 which forms a spiral groove 45 between its convolutions adapted to receive a tape 46 having numbered graduations corre-' sponding with the grooves of the sound record, but the graduations may be applied to the drum in any other desired manner as will be readily understood. The graduations of the hollow drum are exposed at a transverse slot 41 in the top of the housing, and a slidable indicating member 48 operates in the slot 41 and is guided by the parallel side walls thereof. The indicating member 48 is provided at its lower face with a groove 49 and straddles the spiral rib which fits in said groove 49, as clearly illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings. The terminal portions of the slide 46 are provided with recesses 50 to permit the ends of the slide to extend beneath the housing, and the edges of the housing formed by the said slot 41 are received within the recesses 56 of the indicating member. By this construction the indicating member is retained in engagement with the spiral rib of the hollow drum.

The sleeve 42 is provided at its front portion with spaced lugs 5| and 52 which receive between them a depending lug 53 of the arm or member l3 upon which the tone arm is" mounted. The lug 52 is provided at the outer side with a laterally extending tubular barrel 54 (Fig. 3) closed at the outer end and containing a spring-actuated plunger 55 constructed and arranged similar to that shown and described in the aforesaid patent and cooperating with an adjusting screw 56 which is mounted on the lug 5|. By means of the adjusting screw 56 and the spring-actuated plunger, the tone arm may be adjusted laterally in either direction from a position centrally of the space between the lugs 5 l' and 52 toward either of said lugs, and a relatively small adjustment of the inner or pivoted end of the arm or member I3 will afford a relatively large adjustment of the reproducer stylus at the outer end of the tone arm suflicient to compensate amply for variations in the starting point of sound records.

The transverse operating shaft 43, which is journaled in suitable bearings of the tone arm carriage, is extended beyond one side of the same and provided with a milled operating disk 51, and it has a gear wheel 58 keyed or otherwise fixed to it preferably adjacent its other end. The gear wheel meshes with a pinion 59 fixed to a transverse worm shaft 60 journaled in suitable bearings of the tone arm carriage and provided at its center with a worm 62. The worm 62 meshes with a toothed segment 63 preferably formed integral with the sleeve 42, but any other suitable form of gear element may be employed for meshing with the worm. When the graduated drum 4| is rotated, it imparts by means of said gearing horizontal pivotal movement to the sleeve 42 and the tone arm H with which the sleeve is operatively connected, and the tone arm when elevated is adapted to be adjusted with relation to the tone arm carriage for arranging it to reproduce and repeat the whole or any selected portion of the sound record.

The tone arm carriage is provided at its lower face at the front with a shoulder 64 which is arranged to be engaged by the sides 65 of a forked lever 66 pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends by a transverse pivot 61 to the tiltable support 18 at the lower end thereof. The lever 66 is arranged between the sides of the tiltable support and the side portions 65 of the lever 66 operate in the recesses 25 of the tiltable support, and when the tone arm is elevated by the tilting movement of the support i8 the lever 66 is operated to engage the transverse shoulder 64 at opposite sides of the center thereof to return the tone arm carriage to its initial starting position, and the tone arm to its selected starting position. The lower arm 68 of the lever 66 is forked to straddle a horizontal rod 69 suitably fixed to and extending from the lower portion of the tubular base. The outer end of the rod 69 is threaded to receive an adjusting nut 16 and the lock nut II for adjusting the tension of a coiled spring 12 disposed on the rod and interposed between

washers

13 and 14. The spring forms a. yieldable stop for the lower arm of the lever 66 so that, when the support I8 is tilted to lift the tone arm from the record, the relative movement between the lever 66 and the support will cause the lever to engage the shoulder 64 of the tone arm carriage for returning the carriage and the tone arm to their starting'position or positions. The lever 66 operates in substantially the same way as the forked lever of the aforesaid patent to effect an outward swinging movement of the tone arm when the same is elevated from the sound record.

The arm I3 is provided at its outer end with atone arm lifting screw 15 mounted and arranged and operating similar to that shown in the aforesaid patent. The tone'arm is provided at its inner end with an opening formed by a loop shaped portion 16 which extends around the inner end of the arm l3 and the sleeve thereof and exposes the upper end of the sleeve 14. The upper end of the sleeve I4 has mounted upon it opening 88 through which the upper reduced portion 34 of the pivot or spindle I projects and the said reduced terminal portion 34 of the pivot or spindle I5 has detachably keyed to it a toothed segment or gear element 82, which is retained in interlocked relation with the upper end of-the pivot or spindle I5 by a screw 83 threaded into the up r end of said shaft or spindle I5. The

toothed segment which is fixed with relation to the tone armand the arm I3 meshes with a pinion 84 mounted on a vertical shaft 85 which is journaled in suitable bearings of the support 11.

The support 'II extends forwardly and rearwardly from the upper end of the pivot I5 and its front portion is provided with a housing 85 in which the shaft 85 is mounted. The shaft 85 extends above the support and has a tapered intermediate portion 81, on which is mounted a hub 88 of a graduated dial 89 having an angularly disposed peripheral portion or rim 98, which is inclined downwardly and outwardly and which bears numbered graduations 92 corresponding with the grooves 9 of the sound record disk 8. When the tone arm swings horizontally, the shaft 85 and the graduated dial carried by the same are rotated through the gear elements 82 and 84, and, in order to prevent the gear elements from being moved out of mesh by the horizontal swinging movement of the tone arm, the toothed segment 82 is provided at its hub portion with spaced projecting stop pins 93 located at opposite sides of a central stop 94 of the support TI. The stop 94, which may be of any desired construction, preferably consists of a screw piercing the support H from, the bottom thereof and securing to the upper face of the support a stud, which projects into the path of the stop pins. The stud or projection which constitutes the stop 94 may be mounted on the support T! in any other desired manner. A coiled spring 84* is connected at its inner end with the shaft 85 and at its outer end to the support I1, and it is arranged to urge the shaft 85 and the indicating dial 89 in the direction of the movement" of the tone arm to prevent the indicating mechanism from imposing any drag on the tone arm. Also the spring 84 The rear end 91 of the support 11 is located at the periphery of the graduated dial and is set at an angle corresponding to the inclination of the rim of the dial and. is provided with a recess98 for the-reception of the rim, and it has an index or indicating means 99 located adjacent the graduations of the dial and arranged to cooperate therewith. The indicating means 99 may consist of a line or other marking, but any other form of iindex'or pointer may be provided for cooperating with the graduations of the dial. Whenthe tone arm is moved inwardly by the sound record engaging the stylus of the reproducer, the graduated dial 89 rotates and, as the graduations of the dial correspond with the grooves of the sound record. the position of the reproducer stylus on the sound record will be accurately indicatedby the indicating means 99 and the graduations of the dial, so that a sound record may be charted and the whole or any selected portion or portions thereof maybe re- 5 produced and repeated. The graduations of the drum ll correspond with the numbered graduations of the dial and with the grooves of the to be noted on ascale or memorandum, and the tone arm setting mechanism may then be operated without reference to the graduated dial to bring the tone arm to its selected starting position. The tone arm carriage is provided at the back with spaced sockets I88 connected by suitable wires I8I with the electric pick-up and adapted to receive detachable wires (not shown) for connecting the electric pick-up with the radio receiving set. The cabinet is provided at the top with spaced sockets I82 to receive such connecting wires which are made detachable for the purpose of enabling an ordinary headset to be plugged into the sockets I88 when'it is not desired to use the amplifying unit of the radio. In practice, the radio will be preferably wound for use with a D. C. current or an A. C. current, and suitable switches I83 and I84 are provided for starting and stopping. the radio set and for arranging the same for either a D. C. or an A. C. current. The record 8 is placed on the turntable I in the ordinary manner, and the motor of the turntable is started and controlled as to speed in the usual manner. As this mechanism is of the ordinary construction, illustration and specific description thereof are deemed unnecessary. The tone arm setting mechanism is then adjusted for arranging the tone arm to reproduce and repeat the whole or anyselected portion of the record. The tone arm is lowered onto the record by operating the arm or lever 29 of the cam shaft and, after the whole or the selected portion of the record is played, the tone arm is lifted from the record and is automatically returned to its selected starting position as hereinafter explained. The playing of the whole or the selected portion of the record may be continued as long as desired or the setting mechanism of the tone arm unit may be operated from time to time to play and repeat different portions of the record.

In Figure 11 of the drawings is illustrated a simpler form of the invention, in which the tone arm setting mechanism heretofore described is omitted and the charting and indicating means is shown applied to a tone-arm I85 of the air column type. The tone arm I85 is mounted for horizontal swinging movement on a suitable base I88, and it has at its outer portion a pivoted section I81 mounted to swing upwardly and downwardly to enable the reproducer I88 to be raised and lowered to lift the stylus or needle I89 from the record H8 and to lower the reproducer I88 and place the stylus I89 in a groove of the sound record H8. The base I88, which may be attached to the top wall or table or a phonegraph cabinet by screws or any other suitable fastening devices, is provided with a central vertical fixed pivot m suitably secured at its lower 7 end to the base I06 and having its upper portion extending through a bearing H2 of the tone arm and projecting above the same to fixedly receive a sleeve H3 of a toothed segment H4. The sleeve H3 constitutes the hub portion of the toothed segment H4, and a support II5, which is in the form of a housing and which is mounted on the tone arm, has mounted on it a vertical shaft H6 constructed substantially the same as that heretofore described and provided with a pinion I I1 which meshes with the fixed gear element formed by the toothed segment H4. The shaft also has mounted on it an indicating dial H8 having an inclined peripheral portion or rim H9 and designed to be graduated similar to that heretofore described to provide numbered graduations corresponding with the grooves of the sound record. In Figure 11 and. also in Figure 12, the graduations are omitted for convenience. The indicating dial H8 is secured to the shaft I I6 by a suitable thumb nut I I8, and the bracket H5 is provided with a combined indicating and stop arm I20 having an inclined portion I2I arranged adjacent the periphery of the indicating dial and constructed substantially the same as the inclined portion of the relatively fixed support 11 heretofore described.

The reproducer I08 is raised and lowered by hand to place it on and remove it from the sound record, and the tone arm I05 is also swung horizontally by hand to place it in the desired position with relation to the sound record. The graduated dial functions as heretofore described for charting a sound record and, when it is desired to repeat a selected portion of the sound record, the tone arm is properly positioned to effect this result and an adjustable clip I22 is placed on the rim H9 adjacent the combined indicating and stop arm I20, and the reproducer I08 is lowered upon the sound record and the spiral groove of the record will swing the tone arm horizontally and will rotate the indicating dial and carry the stop clip away from the combined indicating and stop arm. After the whole or a selected portion of the sound record has been played, the reproducer of the tone arm is lifted by hand from the sound record and the tone arm is swung outwardly until the adjustable stop I22 of the indicating dial comes in contact with the indicating arm I20 of the support H5. This returns the reproducer to its selected starting position. The stop clip is provided with a bifurcation I23 to receive the inclined peripheral portion of the indicating dial, and it is clamped thereon by a set screw with a short indicating arm I25 having an index pointer or line I26 which is adapted to be brought into register with the index pointer or line of the arm I2I, so that a sound record'may be accurately charted by the indicating means shown in Figure 11. A coiled spring I21 similar to the coiled spring 84 heretofore described is connected at one end to the shaft H5 and at its other end with the support H5 for maintaining the gear teeth in mesh and for also relieving the tone arm of gear friction and for preyenting the indicating mechanism from imposing any drag on the tone arm.

The tone arm unit illustrated in Figure 11 of the drawings is adapted to be readily substituted for any ordinary tone arm of the air column type. and it does not require a greater amount of space than is ordinarily occupied by a tone arm of the usual construction, and it will not necessitate any particular design of cabinet. The

I24. It is also provided hub or sleeve I I3 is provided with a stop lug H3 arranged in the path of the inner end of the support H5 and adapted to limit the outward swing of the tone arm.

In Figures 12 and 13 of the drawings is illustrated another modification of the invention of the simpler type of the same. The tone arm unit shown in these figures of the drawings comprises a tone arm I28 having an electric pick-up reproducer I29 pivoted at I30 to a horizontal arm I3I of avertical sleeve I32, which is suitably mounted on a fixed base I33 secured by screws or other suitable fastening devices to the cabinet or table of a phonograph (not shown). The base I33 is provided with a fixed vertical pivot I34 upon which the sleeve I32 is mounted, and the sleeve is provided at its lower end with an annular groove I35 which is engaged by a screw I36 or other suitable means for holding the sleeve against vertical movement on the pivot without interfering with rotary movement of the sleeve to enable the tone arm to swing horizontally. The tone arm I28 is provided with sockets I31 similar to the sockets I00 heretofore described and is designed to be connected with the amplifying unit of a radio set and also to permit a headset to be plugged in the tone arm when it is not desired to use the amplifying unit.

Mounted fixedly on the upper end of the fixed pivot I34 is a support I38 and a sleeve or hub I39 of a toothed segment I40, which meshes with a pinion I4I of a shaft I42 journaled in suitable bearings of the support I38. The shaft also carries a graduated dial I43 having an inclined periphery I44 and designed to be constructed simi lar to the graduated dials heretofore described. The dial is secured on the shaft by a thumb nut I45 and is provided with anadjustable clip I48 which cooperates with an indicating arm I41 of the support I38.. The support is constructed approximately the same as that shown in Figure 11 with the exception of the inner portion which is mounted directly on the upper end of the sleeve I32 and which is retained in place thereon by screws or other suitable fastening devices. The toothed segment I40 is detachably secured to the upper end of the fixed shaft by a set screw I40 and the support I38 may bemaintained in fixed relation with the vertical sleeve I32 by any suitable means. The indicating mechanism shown in Figure 12 is manually operable in the same manner as the indicating mechanism of the tone arm unit shown in Figure 11. A coiled spring I48 is connected with, the shaft I42 and with the support I38 to prevent any drag being imposed on the tone arm by gear friction or the actuation of the indicating mechanism. Lost motion or looseness of the gear teeth is prevented by an auxiliary gear segment I49 loosely mounted on the vertical pivot I34 and corresponding in size and shapelwith the fixed segment I40. A spring I50 operates to urge the auxiliary gear segment I49 away from the fixed gear segment in a lateral direction to maintain the teeth of the gearing in constant contact. The spring I50, which is of spiral formation, is mounted in a socket I5I of the fixed gear segment and bears against a lug I52 formed integral with and depending from the auxiliary toothed segment at one of the side edges thereof. The fixed toothed segment I40 is preferably enlarged at the socket, which is disposed transversely of the toothed segment I40 and is open at one of the side edges thereof and is provided at its inner end with a wall which forms What is claimed is: l. A tone arm unit including a horizontally swinging tone arm and indicating means includ-' ing a relatively movable graduated indicating element and a pointer cooperating therewith, the graduations of said indicating element corresponding to the grooves of a sound record, and gearing including fixed and movable gear elements, said movable gear element being actuated by the tone arm and connected with the indicating means for operating the same.

2. A tone arm unit including a horizontally swinging tone arm, an indicating means including a dial having numbered graduations corresponding to the grooves of a sound record, and a pointer cooperating with the graduations of the dial, and means including fixed and movable gear elements, the movable gear element being actuated by the tone arm for imparting relative movement to the dial and the pointer on an axis spaced from that of the tone arm.

3. A tone arm unit including a horizontally swinging tone arm, indicating means including a rotary dial carried by the tone arm and having graduations corresponding to the grooves of a sound record, and gearing connected with the rotary dial and comprising fixed and rotary gears and adapted to impart rotary movement to the dialwhen the tone arm swings horizontally, and yieldable means for maintaining the teeth of the gears in constant contact and for taking up lost motion.

4. A tone arm unit including a fixed vertical pivot, a tone arm mounted for horizontal swinging movement on said pivot, a rotary indicating member mounted on and carried by the tone arm, a relatively fixed indicating member also carried by the tone arm, a gear element fixed to said pivot, a rotary gear element connected with the rotary indicating member and carried by the tone arm and meshing with the fixed gear element whereby the rotary indicating member will be rotated when the tone arm is swung horizontally, and means for limiting the movement of the tone arm to prevent the gears from being carried out of mesh, said limiting means including fixed spaced stops and a projection carried .by the tone arm and operating between the said stops.

5. A tone arm unit including a horizontally swinging tone arm, a rotary indicating element mounted on and carried by the tone arm, a rotary gear connected with the indicating element and also carried by the tone arm,'a fixed gear element meshing with the rotary gear whereby the indicating element will be rotated when the tone arm is swung horizontally, an auxiliary gear element corresponding to the fixed gear element and loosely mounted and having pivotal movement with relation to the fixed gear element and also meshing with the rotary gear, and spring means engaging the fixed and pivoted gear elements and tending to swing the auxiliary gear element.

whereby the teeth of the gearing are maintained in constant contact to prevent lost motion between the gears and maintain a steady uniform movement of the indicating element.

6. A tone arm unit including a horizontally swinging tone arm, indicating means including a relatively stationary member and a relatively movable member, the relatively movable member being carried by the tone arm and one of said members being provided with graduations corresponding to the grooves of asound record, a fixed gear element and a rotary gear element meshing with the fixed gear element and connected with the relatively movable member of the indicating means for actuating the same when the tone arm swings horizontally, and a spring connected with the rotary gear element and arranged to urge the same in the direction of the travel of the tone the dial and carried by the tone arm and meshing with the fixed gear element whereby the dial.

will be rotated when the tone arm swings horizontally. s

8. A tone arm unit including a horizontally swinging tone arm, a support carried by the tone arm and having indicating means, a graduated;

dial mounted for rotary movement on the support, means actuated by the horizontal swinging movement of the tone arm for rotating the dial when the tone arm is swung horizontally, and adjustable means carried by the dial and engageable with the support for limiting the movement of the tone arm.

9. A tone arm unit including a horizontally swinging tone arm, a support carried by the tone arm and having indicating means, a graduated,

dial mounted for rotary movement on the support, means actuated by the horizontal swinging movement of the tone arm for rotating the dial when the tone arm is swung horizontally, and a clip having clamping means for adjustably securing it to the dial and arranged to engage the support for limiting the movement of the tone arm.

10. A tone arm unit including a base having a vertical pivot, a tone arm mounted on the pivot, afifixed gear element mounted on the pivot, a. support carried by the tone arm and having indicating means, a shaft journaled in the support and provided with a pinion meshing with the fixed gear element, and a graduated dial fixed to the shaft and cooperating with the indicating means of said support.

11. A tone arm unit including a horizontally swinging support, a horizontally swinging tone arm movably mounted on the support, a pivot for the support and the tone arm, indicating means carried by the tone arm and having graduations corresponding to the grooves of a sound record, means operated by the tone arm and connected with the indicating means for operating the latter, a carriage mounted on the support, and tone arm setting means carried by the carriage and having graduations corresponding to the grooves of the sound record and, operatively connected with the tone arm to move the tone arm to selectively 'set the same and retain the tone arm in fixed position with relation to the support, the

12. A tone arm unit including a horizontally swinging support, a horizontally swinging tone arm movably mounted on the support, a pivot for the support and the tone arm, a rotary dial carried by the tone arm and having graduations corresponding to the grooves of a sound record, means operated by the tone arm and connected with the dial for imparting rotary movement to the dial, a carriage mounted on the support, and

tone arm setting means carried by the carriage and having graduations corresponding to the grooves of the sound record and operatively connected with the tone arm to move the tone arm to selectively set the same and retain it in fixed position with relation to the support, the dial being rotated when the tone arm is actuated by thegrooves of a rotating record and also when the tone arm is actuated by the setting means, the setting means being stationary with respect to the dial and bodily movable with the tone arm when the latter is actuated by the rotating record.