US2335114A - Radio receiver time control - Google Patents

Description

` Nov. 23, 1943. C, GILLS 2,335,114

RADIO RECEIVER TIME CONTROL Filed July 8, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 luren/or Altar/14:1'

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RADIO RECEIVER TIME CONTROL C. C. GILLS Filed July 8. 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 A Home)Y Patented Nov. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,335,114 f rImmo RECEIVER TIME CONTROL v Clifford c.v Gills, cleveland, ohio Application .my s, 1941, semina. 401,538 claim.r (01.2 50--201 My invention relates to improvements in means adapted to be connected to a radio receiver and operated to select in advance any fifteen minute period or periods during a span of twelve hours, with regard to several different broadcasting stations, for 'the'operation' of the receiver, and the primary object of my invention is to provide a highly efficient and relatively simple arrangement of the character indicated.

Other important objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description taken in connection with the appended drawings, wherein for purposes of Y illustration I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a fragmentary face or top plan view showing the dials and selecting knob.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken through Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through Figure 2 along the line 3-3 and looking toward the right in the direction of the arrows. f.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View taken through Figure Zand on the line 4--4 looking downwardly in the 'direction of the arrows. l

Figure 5 is a fragmentary bottom'plan view of the rotatable selector ring.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the grooved station contact annular support.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view showing the annulai1 station contacts.

Figure 8 is a group bottom plan view of the stationary disk and the outer stationary ring showing the radial slots therein for accommodation of the contact bars. f f

Figure 9.is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken through the annular station contacts .and Yits supporting annulus and showing' the contactor applied thereto, taken along the line 9-,9 of Figure 2 and looking vdownwardly in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 10 is alongitudinal vertical sectiona View takenV through the clock'hand assembly.,

Figure 11 is a wiring diagram showing the electrical connections between the variouscomponents of the device. l

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 generally designates a suitable casing, either Va portion of theradio receiver.;abine t or a separate enclosure having thefront or top `wall 6 formed with a substantially circularopening 1 which is ,seatedJ a rotatablefsdector.,ring i I3r which has at its inner edge a grooves resulting in a retaining shoulder bearing against vthe inner side of the crystal I0.

The crystal IU which is formed of suitable transparent material has an inwardly projecting annular rib II adjacent itsl outer edge and against which the inner edge of the rotatable ring 8 bears, the rib II seating in an annular groove I2 inthe base of the plastic or other suitable material disk I3 Awhich includes an annular groove or'channel I4 adjacent its outer edge which defines a stationary ring I5 vengaging the back of the front wall Vli.

The stationary ring I5 and the disk I3 have matching radial groovesV II on'the rear thereof, while the front of thedisk I3 has a circular centralized recess I'I.

Engaged with the back of the disk I3 and the back of the ring I5 is theannular support I8 which is formed in its frontface with circular grooves I9 seating the annular station contacts 20 flush.

Circular clock Supporting plate 2I is secured to the -back of the annular support I8 by means of circumferentially spaced brackets 22 which project forwardly through an opening 23 formed in a support wall 24 which is parallely spaced from the front wall l` to support the parts described.

Journaled through the rotatable ring 8j is the shaft 25 of the operating knob 26, the said shaft having a pinion'21 ongits inner end for engagement with the racksof the contact bars to be described. A helical spring 2B is circumposed on the shaft 25 between the knob 26 and the ringv Bso thatwhen the knob is pushed in to engagey the pinion 2l with one of the racks and then released the spring 28 will withdraw the pinion from engagement with the rack and restore the knob to the vinoperative position shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. I n this position the knob may be grasped and pushed so as to rotate the ring 8 to select the particular fteenminute period-for which broadcasting is pre-selected. l

Slidablein the grooves I6 in the back of the disk I3 and stationary ring I5 are forty-eight selector bars 30 of similar construction and arrangemenhthe same being provided on one edge with rack teeth 3l shown in Figure 3 of the drawings so that when the pinion 2l is engaged therewith and the knob 26 rotated the bars 30are adjusted radially with respect to the annular station contacts 20, each contact bar having a ne leaf spring 32 mounted in an accommodating recess in the back of the bar as indicated in Figure 2 of the drawings, with a prominence arranged to engage electrically only one of the annular station contacts in accordance with the position of the particular rack bar.

Thus to select the quarter hour period for broadcasting from a particular station, the operator grasps the knob 26 and swings the rotatable ring 8 'around until the knob aligns with the particular hour and quarter hour marked as indicated by the numeral 33 on the outer portion of the face of the disk I3, presses the knob in to engage the pinion 21 with the corresponding rackV bar 30, then rotates the knob 26 in the proper .dir-v rection to cause the prominence on the-leaf springY 32 to engage the one of the annular-station contacts 20 corresponding to the lclroadcasting'sta-v annular station contact 20 is checked by noting the alignment of the end of the selector bar, as seen through the transparent disk |3, with the proper one of the station designating circles I3 marked on the disk I3.

An ordinary electric clock mechanism generally designated 35 is mounted to the back `of the supporting plate 2| and has the tubular hour hand shaft 36. The rotatable tube 36 is extended forwardly through the clock mechanisml and through the disk I3 into the circular depression l1. shown in Figure 10 of the drawings the tube 36 has rotatably mountedtherein the additional tube 39 which carries the minute handV 46, the hour hand 4I being mo-unted directly on the tube 36.

The shaft 42 which is journaled within the shaft 39 carries the stationary indicating pointer 43 in front of the disk I3 and has its opposite end operatively connected to the pulley 31 over which is trained the belt 38 which is also trained over a pulley on the turning condenser (not shown) of the radio receiver.

For manually operating the shaft 36 a suitable gear arrangement within the clock housing is operatively connected to the shaft 36, the same having a shaft extension 44 to a right angle transmission gear arrangement 45 to an operating knob 4G mounted through the walls 24 and6 as shown in Figure 2 of the. drawings. The shaftexten.- sion 42 has a ratchet wheel 44 thereon, with which is engaged a at spring dog 45. to prevent reverse rotation of the shaft 44. f

Mounted on the exterior tube 36, which makes one revolution to each twelve hours, is the contactor which is generally designated 41. The contacter 41 is arranged so that it sweeps across the exposed portions of the selector bars 39 within the opening in the annular support I8,` in such a way that its spring contact nger 48 remains on each of the selector bars 3D lfor a full fifteen minute period and then snaps onto the next adjacent bar. The contacter 41 comprises a hubportion 49 circumposed on and secured tothe outer tube 36 from which radiates a threaded tubular portion 56 in which is mounted a longitudinally adjustable screw 5I which is adjustable, to tension the helical spring 52 which is circumposed on the rotatable rod 53- fromv which the' spring contact 4B radially projects, the'outer terminal of the spring 52 being wrapped as shown in Figure 9 of the drawings around-the shank ofthe contactor 48 in a manner to force the contactor yieldably into engagement with the station contact bars 30.

A suitable transformer 55 is mounted on the side wall of the enclosure 5 above the horizontal' connected by the wire 61 with the point 62.

partition 56 as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

The hand switch 51 is mounted on the back of the front wall below the opening 23.

On the horizontal partitio-n 56 are mounted in a row the trimmer condensers A, B, C and D and in iront of these in a row are four relays a, b, c, and d, and in front of these the relay e.

Referring now to Figure 1l showing the electrical connections, the device is intended to operate on a 110 volt supply line including the lines 58 and 59 which are connected directly with the clock motor 35 so that the clock constantly operates. The double-pole, double-throw switch 51 includes the points 60 and 6| and 62 and 63, with the Vrespective arms of the switch connected at 64 and 65 with the lines 58 and 59, respectively.

-Thewire 66 leads from the point 6U to one side oithev relay e, with the opposite side of this relay The point 62 is also connected by the wire 68 with the primary of the transformer 55, the remaining end ofthe winding of the transformer being connected by the wire 69 with the switch point 63. The switch point 6I is also connected as indicated bythe numeral 10 with the corresponding arm of the switch 51, which in turn is connected to the point by the jumper designated by the numeral1l. The wire 12 leads from the point 6| to one side ,of the radio receiver (not shown). The Wire 6.6 has a lead going to the remaining side of the radio receiver.

As shown the contact bars 30 have their spring ngers 32 engaged with one ofv the station annular contact 20, four of which are connected to one end of the corresponding relays a, b, c, and d, with the innermost contact 20 arranged for connection to an eXtra relay (not shown).

The relays a, b, c, and d have their pairs of contacts connected to the terminals of the trimmer condensers A, B, C, and D, respectively, with the trimmer condensers appropriately connected by the wires 12 and 13 with the radio receiver (not shown), p

The clock motor support plate 2l is connected bythe wire 14 with one end of the winding of the relay e, whereby the current is carried through the sweeping contacter 41 to the contact bars 30 and through them to the -corresponding ones of the station contacts 2U.

It will be obvious that when the switch 51 is turned in one way the radio receiver is connected directly to the volt line and that when the switch is turned in the opposite position it energizes the transformer 55. It will be obvious that when any one of the station contacts 26 is energized in the manner indicated, current passes to the magnet ofthe relay in circuit therewith and then the operation of this relay cuts in the corresponding trimmer condenser into the radio cir- .cuit so as to effect the desired reception of the selected station for the selected period of time.

Although I `have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be denitely understood that I do not wish" to limit the application of. the invention thereto, except asmay be required by the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described the claimed as new is:

l. A time and station selector for a-radio broadcasting receiver, said selector comprising aV support, a clock on said support having an hour hand shaft,l a clock dial, a plurality ofcontact bars spacedfrom each other at the desiredtime interinvention, what is vals with reference to `said clock dial, a Asweepcontactor operated by said hour hand shaft to electrically engage with portions of said contact bars as the sweep contactor moves coordinately with said hour hand shaft, a plurality of insulated station contact strips on said support, a contact finger stationarily fixed on each of said contact bars for engagement with a selected one of said station contact strips at a time, and operating means for selectively operating a selected one of said contact bars at a time to engage its contact finger with-the contact strip corresponding to the station selected, said operating means comprising a carrier mounted on said support for movement relative to said clock dial, and an operating element carried by said carrier, said operating element being movable relative to the carrier to operatively engage the contact strip selected by adjustment of said carrier relative to said clock dial, and means for adjusting said carrier relative to said clock dial.

2. A time and station selector for a radio broadcasting receiver, said selector comprising a support, a clock on said support having an hour hand shaft, a plurality of contact bars spaced from each other at the desired time intervals, a sweep contactor operated by said hour hand shaft to electrically engage with portions of said contact bars as the sweep contactor moves coordinately with said hour hand shaft, a plurality of .station contact strips, a contact finger on each yof said contact bars for engagement with one of said station contact strips at a time, and operating means for selectively operating a selected one v-of said contact bars at a time to engage its contact finger with the contact strip corresponding to the station selected, said operating means comprising a movable carrier mounted on said support, a pinion equipped rotary knob thereon, said knob and pinion being axially movable lfrom an :inoperative position, said carrier being movable ,on said support to select the contact bar corre- :spending to the beginning of the quarter hour broadcasting period to be predetermined, said contact bars having rack teeth engageable by said pinion in the operative position of the knob, whereby the selected contact bar may be moved to engage its contact finger with the station contact strip corresponding to the station selected .to be received.

3. A time and station selector for a radio broadcasting receiver, said selector comprising a support, a clock on said support having an hour hand shaft, a plurality of radially arranged contact bars spaced circumferentially from each other at the desired time intervals, a sweep contactor operated by said hour hand shaft to electrically engage with portions of said contact bars as the sweep contactor turns with said hour hand shaft, a plurality of concentric station contact annuli arranged around said hour hand shaft, a contact finger on each of said radial contact bars for engagement with one of said station contact annuli at a time, and means for selectively operating a selected one of said radial contact bars at a time to engage its contact finger with the contact annulus -corresponding to the station selected, said means comprising a rotatable element concentric with said hour hand shaft, a pinion equipped rotary knob thereon, said knob and pinion being axially depressible from an inoperative position, said rotatable element being rotatable to select the radial contact bar corresponding to the beginning of the quarter hour broadcasting period to be predetermined, said .radial contact bars having rack teeth engageable by said pinion in the depressed position of the knob, whereby the radial contact bar may be yradially moved to engage its contact finger with the annular station contact corresponding to the lStation selected to be received, and an energized lcircuit including the operatitng circuit of the radio receiver, said circuit including relays related to the individual station contact annuli and vtrimmer condensers controlled by the relays,

whereby the operating circuit of the receiver is inoperative except during the periods selected and with respect to the selected station.

4. A time and station selector for a radio broadcast receiver, said selector comprising a support, a clock on said support having an hour hand shaft, a radial sweep contactor mounted on said hour hand shaft, a clock dial surrounding said hour hand shaft, a plurality of insulated radially arranged and radially adjustable contact bars mounted on said support around said hour hand shaft and with any of which said sweep contactor can engage, said contact bars being circumferentially spaced at time intervals corresponding to divisions of time on said clock dial, a plurality of radially spaced station selecting contact rings surrounding and spaced from said hour hand shaft, a contact finger fixed on each of said contact bars for selective engagement with any one of said station selecting contact rings at a time by corresponding movement of the contact bars, and operating means on said support for operating selected contact bars, thereby determining the station and the beginning and ending for a desired period of broadcasting, said operating means comprising rack portions on said radially adjustable contact bars, a rotary carrier mounted concentrically with respect to said hour hand shaft, a manually rotatable handle carried by said carrier enabling the carrier to be rotated to a selected time position with reference to the clock dial wherein said handle is aligned with respect to the corresponding one of the radial contact bars, said rotatable handle being axially movable, said handle comprising a pinion arranged to be meshed with the rack portion of the said corresponding radial contact bar to adjust the latter with respect to said station contact rings upon moving the handle axially from a retracted to an operative position followed by rotation of the handle in the proper direction.

5. A time and station selector for a radio broadcast receiver, said selector comprising a support, a clock on said support having an hour hand shaft, a radial sweep contactor mounted on said hour hand shaft, a clock dial surrounding said hour hand shaft, a plurality of insulated radially arranged and radially adjustable contact bars mounted on said support around said hour` hand shaft and with any of which said sweep contactor can engage, said contact bars being circumferentially spaced at time intervals corresponding to divisions of time on said clock dial, a plurality of radially spaced station selecting contact rings surrounding and spaced from said hour hand shaft, a contact finger fixed on each of said contact bars for selective engagement with any one of said station selecting contact rings at a time by corresponding movement of the contact bars, and operating means on said support for operating selected contact bars, thereby determining the station and the beginning and ending for a, desired period of broadcasting, said operating means comprising rack portions on said radially adjustable contact bars, a rotary carrier mounted concentrically with respect to said hour hand shaft, a manually rotatable handle carried by p said carrier enabling the carrier to be rotated to a selected time position with reference to the clock dial wherein said handle is aligned with respect to the corresponding one of the radial ,Contact bars, said rotatable handle being axially movable, said handle Comprising a pinion arranged to' be meshed with the rack portion of the said vcorresponding radial eontact bar to adjust the latter with respect to said station Contact rings 'upon moving the handle axially from a ren tracte'd 'to an operative position followed by rotationof'the handle in-the proper direction, said carrier comprising an annulus mounted on said support,` with-said handle journaled on said annulus.

CLIFFORD c. GILLS.

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