US2598026A - Phonograph having speaker pickup unit - Google Patents

Description

May 27, 1952 J. J. WARNER PHONOGRAPH x-mvmc SPEAKER PICKUP uurr med Sept. 23. 1949 INVENTOR. Jt'sst' .1 M M/ER,

Pate y 7, 1952 UNITED STATES FA'EENT OFFICE 7 2,598,026 PHONOGRAPH rmvmc; SPEAKER PICKUP UNI 17 Claims. 1

This invention relates to mechanical sound or speaking devices and has for its principal object to provide a small, compact and lightweight pickup and speaker device capable of reproducing sound from a record.

A related object is to provide a form of pickupspeaker applicable in situations where small size, light weight and freedom from adverse effects du to jarring, is desired.

The novel pickup and speaker device according to my invention is especially'adapted for use with toys and novelties embodying recorded sound or talking devices. An application to which the device is particularly adapted is in mechanical sound reproducing devices used in the operation of talking dolls and the like.

In accordance with my present invention, there is provided a sound reproducer in combination with a pickup needle whereby the mechanical vibrations of the needle are transferred directly to the diaphragm of the reproducer. According to this feature, the diaphragm is held around its peripheral edge in a frame and the needle protrudes through an opening of the holder and is fastened to the diaphragm by wax or cement or the like.

A feature resides in a relatively lightweight construction of the reproducer which affords freedom from inertia effects, which if present would tend to jar the needle from the record groove when the device is shaken or jarred.

A related feature resides in supporting the speaker by means of a resilient spring arm which urges the needle into the groove. The factors 2 rigid pan or dish 36 which may be of thin lightweight metal or the like, preferably aluminum, having a peripheral rim 31, to which the periphery 38a of a vibratory diaphragm 38 is attached, as by cement 55 or the like. Also, to insure a good attachment, a number of lips 39 are turned over from the rim 3'! and down on the periphery of the diaphragm. By light-weight metal of the dish is meant a light metal such as aluminum of about .008 inch gauge. The diaphragm itself may be conical and may be made of paper or such other suitable material as diaphragms are made of, preferably provided with some rigidity by the presence of an annular formation 40. This may be a dimpled paper made hard when formed and pressed. The apex of the diaphragm points toward the pan and the center of the pan 36 is provided with an opening 4| which exposes the apex of the diaphragm and permits the entry of a pickup needle or stylus 32 through the opening and through the diaphragm apex. The end of the needle is provided with a head 32a like a thumb tack and is directly attached to the diaphragm, as it is held in rigid engagement with the apex of the diaphragm by a layer of glue or wax 43,

' over which is preferably placed another layer of stance is called herein a resilient binder.

of light-weight construction and relatively strong spring pressure combine to maintain the needle in the groove in spite of rough handling, particularly when the record is provided with a deep groove.

The foregoing and other features of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a pickup-speaker unit according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the device of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the arrangement and attachment of the needle; and

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of the arrangement of a needle point in a record groove which can be used in the operation of the unit.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a pickup and speaker assembly comprising. a

a wax 44. The substance 43 is preferably a nonbrittle hard wax'such as sealing wax, and the substance 44 is preferably a resilient wax or glue such as a bookbinders glue. This latter sub- It is found that this combination of substances 43 and 44 avoids tearing of the diaphragm material which otherwise-may tend to occur at the needle.

As the diaphragm is of paper or the like, it is vibrated by action of the needle attached to it; and since the pan or dish 36 is of rigid metal supporting the diaphragm it is non-vibratory.

The pan 36 is held on the end of an arm 45 which may conveniently be a flexible resilient strip of spring metal pivoted on a post 46 mounted. on a plate or support 9; and the resilience of the spring is sufficient to cause the needle to bear firmly against the record 29 with the desired amount of pressure so that th needle will remain in the record groove while the record rotates. The fastening of the spring strip to the bottom of the pan may be by a pair of rivets 41 on either side of the opening 4|, and to enable the needle to protrude, there should be an opening 44m in the strip registering with the opening l.

The under side of the pan 3B is also provideda slider 48 which can be slid over the resilient arm 45 and held between the two rivets 41 so that it is clamped in position by the riveting action. An arm stopping pin or lip 34 is attached to the record turntable 21 intermediate its periphery and center. This pin or lip protrudes through a hole 33 in the turntable-supported record 29 when in such relative locations on the turntable that the hole of the record is aligned therewith. The pin is positioned intermediate the turntable periphery and its center, so that it accordingly establishes a similar point on the record 29. Suitably selected, it can be used to denote the most inwardly-extending portion of the spiral groove in which the record itself is out. When the hole 33 is in such location relative to the record periphery and center that, as the resilient arm 45 moves toward the center of the record and the turntable, by reason of the fact that the diaphragm-supported pickup needle or stylus follows the record grooves as the turntable and record rotates, the edge 49a of the stop or car 49 finally comes to rest against the lip or pin 34 as the arm moves in a generally radial path across the turntable. The movement of the stop is actually arcuate to coincide with that of the needle or stylus in its transverse path across the record, but since the arc is determined by the distance along the resilient arm 45 from the supporting post 46 on the plate or support 9 which acts as a base member, the radius is large, and since the actual arcuate motion is small, the path may be considered generally radial relative to the center of the record and turntable and peripheral edge thereof. When the stop or car 49 contacts the pin 34, any further rotation of the turntable is stopped until such time as the resilient stylus or needle-carrying arm 45 is returned to a position indicative of the start of the record groove or some point intermediate that of groove termination and record periphery.

The details of the slider construction are shown in Fig. 4 which'shows the apex of the diaphragm cone and the needle 32 protruding through the hole 4| of the pan or dish 36 which acts as the supporting frame for the diaphragm. The slider comprises four sides 60a, 60b, 60c and 60d with a strip Bl extending across the space between sides 6% and 60d. The ear 49 protrudes from .side 60b. When the slider is applied to the arm 45, the strip is passed under the sides 60a and 60b but over the sheet 6|, so that when. the rivets 41 are applied, the slider will be bound firmly between strip 45 and the pan 36. To enable the needle to protrude, the sheet 6! is provided with a hole 62, which substantially registers with holes 4| and Ma.

The turntable and record mounted thereon may be turned in any desired manner, for example, by a spring motor (not shown) in the case of very small units. The record may be provided with undulations of any type; but where the device is subjected to severe shock and jolts, it will usually be preferred to make the record groove deep and to make the sound-producing undulations of the hill-and-dale type. Thus when the resilient arm 45 causes the needle to bear into the groove, the needle cannot readily be shaken out of the groove.

The unit is designed to make it very difiicult to shake the needle out of its groove in the record; so that it can be used in devices which are particularly subject to shaking and jolts, such as talking dolls.- Factors creating this are a combination of extreme light weight of the reproducer and a relatively strong spring arm pressure. It has been found, for example, that the reproducer unit may be made of a weight of only about forty grams. The spring arm pressure should preferably be at least three or four times as great as the weight of the reproducer.

Preferably the groove of the record should be relatively deep. A preferred arrangement is shown in Fig. 5 which is an enlarged view of the entry of the needle 32 into the groove. The groove 10 of the record is preferably V-shaped and relatively deep. For example, a groove depth of about .010 inch has been found suitable; which compares with the usual depth of about .001 to .002 inch for hill-and-dale type grooves. The end of the needle is preferably terminated in a radius of about .0025 inch; which compares with the more conventional radius of about .0015 inch. Such proportions enable the needle to enter for a substantial distance into the groove and to tend to bind against the sides of the V of the groove; thereby increasing the resistance to its being shaken out of the groove.

It will be recognized that by my invention, I have provided a unique and very useful pickupspeaker unit which is simple and economical in construction. In spite of the fact that it can be made of relatively small size and light-weight construction, it is nevertheless sturdy and can easily be handled by anyone, including children.

The reproducer unit can easily be made in sizes as small as about one and one-half to two and one-half inches in outside diameter; and since the actuating element can be a light-weight piece of paper or the like, the supporting dish can be made of thin gauge aluminum or the like, the supporting spring arm 45 can be of thin gauge spring steel, it will be recognized that the device has very small weight with corresponding small inertia. Accordingly, it can be played in any position; and regardless of whether it is held upside down or sidewise, or in any other position, the force of the spring arm will hold the needle in the groove and also prevent it jumping out of the groove even though the unit be shaken severely.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction shown and described herein, which is given by way of illustration rather than of limitation and the invention is not limited except in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a peripheral rim and a centrally located opening, a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to said rim, a pickup needle extending through said opening and directly attached to said diaphragm, and means for supporting said dish, said means comprising a flexible, resilient strip attached to the side of the dish opposite the diaphragm and having an opening therein correlated with the opening through the dish through which the needle extends, and a support for said unit, said strip being fastened to said support at a position remote from the dish.

2. A unit according to claim 1 in which the dish is of light-weight metal and the diaphragm is of paper.

3. A unit according to claim 1 in which the diaphragm is conical with its apex pointed toward said opening and the needle is directly attached to said apex.

4. A unit according to claim 1 in which the needle is secured to the diaphragm by wax.

5. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a raised side with a peripheral rim and a centrally locatedopening through the dish,

a flexible diaphragm securedat its periphery to the rim, a pickup needle secured to said diaphragm and extending through said opening, an arm for-supporting said unit comprising a flexible, resilient strip attached to the side of the dish opposite the diaphragm and having an opening therein correlated with the opening through the dish through which the needle extends, and a support for said unit, said strip being fastened to said support at a position remote from the dish.

=6. A unit according to claim 5 in which the diaphragm is conical with its apex pointed toward said opening and fastened to the rim at the diaphragm periphery, said diaphragm being otherwise free from the dish, and the needle being attached directly to the apex of the diaphragm.

'7. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a raised side withv a peripheral rim and a centrally located opening through the dish, a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to the rim, and a pickup needle secured to said diaphragm and extending through said opening, and an arm for supporting said unit comprising a spring strip attached to the side of the dish opposite the diaphragm and a hole through said strip correlated with the hole through the dish through which the needle extends, an element mounted on said spring strip, said element comprising four sides and a sheet extending across and joining two opposite ones of said sides, the spring strip passing over said sheet and under the remaining opposite pair of said sides, said element having attached thereto a protuberance to act as a stop for a record rotating in relation to the unit.

8. A unit according to claim '7 in which the spring strip is fastened to the dish at both sides of said element, thereby clamping said slider element in position.

9. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a frame having a rigid peripheral rim and a centrally located opening, a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to said rim, a pickup needle secured to said diaphragm and extending through said opening and a flexible, resilient arm supporting said unit, said arm being attached to the frame, a hole in juxtaposition to said opening through said arm through which the needle extends, and a support for said unit, said arm being fastened to said support at a position remote from the frame.

10. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a frame having a rigid peripheral rim, a flexible diaphragm cemented at its periphery to the rim, there beingspaced parts of said rim turned over and down against the peripheryof the diaphragm to help secure it, a pickup needle secured to said diaphragm and extending through an opening of the frame, and a spring arm supporting said unit, said arm being attached to the frame.

11. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a raised side with a peripheral rim and an opening centrally located through the dish, a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to the rim and a pickup needle secured to the diaphragm and extending through the opening,

said pickup needle havin a head adherent directly to the diaphragm, and means for supporting said dish, said means comprising a flexible strip attached to the side of said dish opposite the diaphragm and having an opening therein correlated with the opening through the dish through which the needle extends, and a support for said unit said strip being fastened to said support at a position remote from the dish.

12. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a frame having a rigid peripheral rim, a flexible diaphragm fastened-at its periphery to the rim, a pickup needle having a point, said needle being secured directly to the diaphragm and extending through an opening of the frame so that the point is outside of the space between the diaphragm and the frame, a grooved record mounted for rotation on a base member, and a flexible, resilient spring arm mounted at one position on the base member and attached to said frame and tending to urge the frame toward the record in the direction of the needle point, the force of said spring arm urging the frame being at least three times the combined weight of the frame, diaphragm, needle and spring arm.

13. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a peripheral rim and a centrally located opening, a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to said rim, and a picku needle extending through said opening and secured to said diaphragm, said needle being secured to the diaphragm by wax, and a layer of a resilient binder set over the wax.

14. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a raised side with a peripheral rim and an opening centrally located through the dish, a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to the rim and a pickup needle secured to the diaphragm and extending through the opening, said pickup needle having a head adherent to the diaphragm, a layer of non-brittle sealing Wax placed directly against the needle and the part of the diaphragm immediately surrounding the needle, and a layer of resilient glue placed over the wax.

15. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a frame having a rigid peripheral rim, a flexible diaphragm attached at its periphery to the rim, there being spaced parts of said rim turned over and down against the periphery of the diaphragm for securing it, a pickup needle secured to said diaphragm and extending through an opening of the frame, and a spring arm supporting said unit, said arm being attached to the frame.

16. A phonograph comprising a base member, a record turntable supported upon the base member, a substantially flat rigid centrally apertured substantially circular dish member having upturned peripheral edges, a substantially conical sound reproducing diaphragm secured at the cone base to the peripheral edge of the dish, a record-tracing stylus resiliently secured at substantially the diaphragm apex and protruding through the dish aperture, a resilient arm secured at one end to the base member and at its other end to the dish to support the dish in a plane generally parallel to and in proximity to that of the turntable, said arm having an aperture in its end of securement to the dish and in alignment with the dish aperture through which the diaphragm-supported stylus protrudes, said resilient arm being so supported as normally to force the dish and the thereby-supported diaphragm and stylus in a direction substantially axially of the supported stylus and toward the turntable.

17. The phonograph claimed in claim 16 comprising, in addition, a pin secured to the turntable at a point intermediate its periphery and center, means for rotatin the turntable, and a stop secured to the resilient arm so that at time 7 8 periods when a record is supported upon the REFERENCES CITED turntable and the diaphragm'supported Stylus The following references are of record in the is posltioned in the spiral record grooves the refile of this patent;

silient arm will be carried toward the turntable center in a generally radial path for a distance 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS limited by the point of contact established be- Number Name Date tween the stop and the turntable-supported pin 799,773 Anthony Sept. 19, 1905 established through inward arm movement due 1,370,462 Locke Mar. 1, 1921 to the stylus tracking the record groove. 1,655,196 Parolinl et a1. Jan. 3, 1928 10 1,764,957 Jakosky June 17, 1930 JESSE J. WARNER. 1,813,972 Thomas July 14, 1931

Images