US2812844A - Coin operated machine for listening to records - Google Patents

Description

NOV-"12, I957 J. T. FOUFOUNIS 2,812,344

"com OPERATED MACHINE FOR LISTENING TO RECORDS" Filed March 29, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g 6. g ,/2 g

INVENTOR JEAN THEODOREFOl/ffll/Ms y five-xix AT ORNEYS Nov. 12, 1957 J. 'r. FOUFOUNIS 2,812,344

"COIN OPERATED MACHINE FOR LISTENING TO RECORDS Fild March 29, 1956 v r 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATT RNEY c 2,812,844 lc Patented Nov. 12, 1957 CGIN OEERATED MACHINE FOR LISTENING TO RECORDS Jean Theodore Foufounis, Paris, France Application March 29, 1956, Serial No. 574,722 Claims priority, application France April 1, 1955 7 Claims. (Cl. 1946) Coin operated machines for listening to records as intended for public use include generally a stationary coin receiver into which coins are inserted for energizing a stationary selecting board provided with as many knobs or electric switches and electromagnetic relays or electromagnets as there are records to be listened to while a slider reciprocating in register with such series of relays r electromagnets stops when it meets the movable element of that relay or electromagnet which has been actuated by the operator through action on one of said knobs or electric switches. The mechanism is then locked and the pick-up or record selector rigid with the reciprocating movement of said slider is located in a position such that the operator may listen to the record selected by him by depressing one of said knobs or electric switches.

Such machines show the drawback of requiring a con siderable number of relays or electromagnets which form brittle devices; the cost of these machines is therefore high and required an intricate electric wiring while they may be easily put out of order and their repair when required is a diflicult matter.

My invention has for its object to remove said drawbacks. According to a primary feature of my invention, 1 associate a single movable coin-collecting and recordselecting device including the desired electromagnetic means the number of which is considerably reduced, with a stationary unit provided with as many slots or channels as there are records to be listened to, each of said slots or channels being adapted to receive a coin which, when inserted, starts operation of the movable coin-collecting and record-selecting device of which a member engages the inserted coin so as to produce a locking of said movable coin-collecting and record-selecting device in register with the slot or channel into which the coin has been inserted, whereupon a pick-up carried by said device is automatically started operating so as to allow the operator to listen to the selected record which corresponds to said channel or slot.

According to a further feature of my invention, the coin when introduced into the selected channel or slot in the stationary unit closes an electric circuit, starting the collecting and selecting device by electrically connecting for instance a metal plate with a tooth of a comb located at the output end of said channel or slot.

According to a still further feature of my invention, the movable coin-collecting and record-selecting device carries a hook-shaped collapsible stop which when it is met by the coin engaged in one of the channels or slots in the stationary unit produces a stoppage of said coin-collccting and. record-selecting device while the energization of an electromagnetic device which shifts said stop into its collapsed position releases the coin with reference to the cooperating tooth of the comb so as to allow said coin to drop into said moving device and to produce at the same time the electromagnetic release of the arm of the pick-up which was locked hitherto in its opertive position and may now move towards the first groove in the selected record, the position of which record corresponds to the channel or slot in the stationary unit into which the operator has introduced a coin.

Of course, it is necessary in order that the machine may operate normally that the coin introduced into the channel or slot in the stationary unit may have a size, weight and shape corresponding to the nature of the machine to be considered.

Obviously, the movable coin-collecting and recordselecting device may either carry the pick-up arm which stops thus automatically in front of the record corresponding to the channel or slot in the stationary unit into which the coin has been introduced or else it may carry record transferring means which transfer in the usual manner the record which lies in register with the channel or slot.

In my improved machine, the operator or customer has only to introduce a coin into one of the channels or slots in the stationary unit, said channel or slot carrying a number corresponding to the number appearing on a list of records available for listening, in register with the title or the like indication relating to said record.

A single movable coin-collecting and record-selecting device may thus allow obtaining any one of a very large number of musical or the like records wherethrough it is no longer necessary to resort to as many electromagnetic parts as there may be records.

Generally speaking, and according to my invention, the single coin-collecting and record-selecting device may move under control of any known means in register with all the points at which a coin may be introduced so as to collect the latter and to control it through any suitable means, the contact with the coin producing the progression of the moving device, the stoppage of the selecting stop rigid with the latter and the starting of the mechanism of any suitable type for operating the pick-up or the record transferring means and possibly also the dropping of the coin into the moving coin-collecting and record-selecting device.

In accompanying drawings, I have illustrated diagrammatically and by no means in a binding sense a preferred embodiment of my invention. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the machine with a cross-section of the stationary unit through one of its slots or channels.

Fig. 2 is a view from above of said stationary unit showing said channels or slots together with the comb for stopping the coin in its progression through the latter.

Fig. 3 shows one of the wiring diagrams which may serve for operating the machine.

Turning to Fig. l, the machine illustrated includes a stationary unit preferably of insulating material inside which are provided a series of slots or cuts 2 arranged in parallelism and adapted to receive selectively a coin A. These slots are arranged vertically or at any desired angle so that the coin introduced into the slot may slide freely from one end of the channel to the other.

These slots 2 are closed laterally by a metal plate 3 which serves on the one hand for holding laterally the coins during their downward movement inside said slot while ensuring furthermore the desired electric contact to be described hereinafter.

in register with the end of the slot opposed to that serving for the introduction of the coin is mounted a metal comb secured to the unit 1 and each of the yielding teeth of which is suitably bent so as to register as shown in Fig. l with the lower end of the corresponding slot 2.

Underneath said stationary unit may move over the racks 5 a coin-collecting and record-selecting device 6 carrying at its upper end a hopper '7 for receiving the coins and carrying also an electric motor 8 the spindle of which carries a pinion 9 meshing with a toothed wheel 10 rigid with a spindle 11 to the end of which are secured pinions 12 meshing with the racks 5.

This coin-collecting and record-selecting device carries furthermore an electromagnet 13 which, when energized, urges in the direction of the arrow F a contact making hook-shaped collapsible stop 14.

When the motors isoperative the entire device 6 moves perpendicularly to the plane of Fig. 1.

This coin-collecting and record-selecting device carries furthermore the pick-up arm 6 which is pivotally secured to said device at 15 while its tip may engage when operative the first groove in a phonograph record 17.

There are in principle as many juxtaposed slots 2 as there are also juxtaposed .phonograph records 17 available for listening against the introduction of a coin into the corresponding slot 2.

The phonograph records 17 may for instance revolve all. round the central spindle 17' perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 1 under the action of any suitable control means, .said records being stacked at a short distance from one another as provided for instance by shims which allow said records to remain at equal distances from one another and in register with the corresponding slots 2.

Any known device may serve for reversing the direction of operation of the motor 8 controlling the device 6 at the end of each stroke over the racks 5.

I will now disclose an example of a combination which allows, with such multiple slots 2 and a single movable coin-collecting and record-selecting device 6 locking, through the introduction of a coin into one of the slots 2, the device 6 in a position exactly in register with said slots whereupon the corresponding phonograph record may be listened to.

Turning now as a matter of fact to Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings, it is apparent that the arm 16 of the pick-up means pivotally secured at 15 to the coincollecting and record-selecting device may be locked in its operative position by an electromagnetically operated catch 18 against which abuts a projection 19 rigid with said arm 16. This locked position of the arm 16 corresponds to the closing of a switch 20 wherethrough the metal plate 3 on the stationary unit is grounded.

.Now, if a coin A is introduced into the slot 2 corresponding to the record 17 which it is desired to listen to, said coin will slide through the slot 2 and engages at the end of the latter both the metal plate 3 and the corresponding tooth of the comb 4.

The terminals 21 and 22 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 connect respectively the comb 4 and the metal plate 3 with the ends of a gap in any suitable electric circuit. The introduction of a coin A produces thus by this shortcircuiting of the terminals 21 and 22, the energization of the relay 23, which closes the switch 24. The electric current passes then through a branch circuit including the switch 25 which is closed as long as the relay 26 is deenergized so as to feed the electric motor 8 which starts Operating.

The coin-collecting and record-selecting device 6 moves then over its racks 5 alongside of the insulated unit 1 until the contact making hook-shaped collapsible stop 14, carried along with said device 6 together with the arm 16 of the pick-up, engages the coin A, the introduction of which inside the channel 2 has started the motor 8 rotating.

The contact between the stop 14 and the coin A energizes now the relay 26 whereby the contact blade 27 of said relay opens the switch at 25 so as to stop the motor 8 and consequently the device 6 while it closes in eontradistinction the switch at 28. On the other hand, the other contact blade 29 controlled by the relay 26 and rigid with the blade '27 closes a switch at 30 which provides for the self-energization during a shorter time of the relay 26 under the action of a delayed breaking bimetalliccontact strip 31.

During this delayed energization of the relay 26, the closed switch 28 energizes the electromagnet 13 which urges then the coin A in the direction of the arrow F shown in Fig. l as provided through a shifting of the stop 14 whereby the tooth on the comb 4 is pushed aside to allow the coin A to drop into the hopper 7 of the device 6. During the same .delayed energization of the relay 26 the electromagnet is also energized and draws downwardly the catch 18 so as to release the projection 19 and consequently the pick-up .arm 16; a spring 33 engaging a stationary stop 34 drives then in the direction of the ar row 1 of Fig. 3 said arm 16 to set it in a location above the first groove in the record 17 corresponding to the slot 2 into which the coin A has been introduced.

When, after a few seconds, the bi-metallic strip 31 switches off the feeding of the relay 26 through the positive terminal of the supply, the contact blades 29 and 27 controlled by said relay 26 return into their original position under the action of the return spring 35 for instance so that the switch 25 closes again. However, the motor 8 is no longer energized since the relay 23 remains deenergized and the switch 24 controlled thereby is open by reason of the fact that the coin A has dropped out of its slot and no longer provides for energization of said relay. At the same time, the arm 16 of the pick-up has dropped in the direction of the arrow f, so that the switch 20 has opened again under the action of the spring 36 acting on the blade 37 of said switch.

Whatever may be the principle of operation of the actual pick-up, it is necessary to return the different parts of the arrangement into their inoperative positions by returning the arm 16 upwardly into its position of engagement through the catch 18 as soon as the record 17 has been played.

This return. of the pick-up arm 16 into its inoperative position closes again the switch 29 and if another coin is now introduced into the same or into another slot 2 in the unit 1, the arrangement will start as precedingly and play thesame record 17 or another record as the case may be.

What I claim is:

1.. A coin-operated machine for the listening of phonograph records selected out of a stack of records, comprising a movable device adapted to collect the coins and to move along ;a predetermined path registering with the stack to select a record in the stack, means for controlling the movement of said device over said predetermined path, a stationary unit extending over said path and provided with parallel downwardly directed coin-receiving slotscorresponding to the diiterent records available for playing, means wherethrough the insertion of a metal coin inside the slot corresponding to a selected record to be played and engagement of said coin at the bottom of said slot starts the movement of said device along the stack of records, a member carried by the moving device and adapted to move during the translational movement of the latter along a path passing through the locations of the coins at the bottom of the slots, and means wherethrough the impact of said member against a coin engaged at the bottom of any slot in the stationary unit produces the automatic stopping of the movable device, the dropping of the coin out of the slot engaged by it into the moving device and the starting of the playing of the corresponding selected phonograph record.

2. A coin-operated machine for the listening of phonograph records selected out of a stack of records, comprising a movable device adapted to collect the coins and to move along a predetermined path registering with the stack to .select a record in the stack, an insulating stationary unit extending over said predetermined path and provided with parallel downwardly directed coin-receiving slots corresponding to. the different records available for playin a metal plate rigid with the bottom of the slots in the said stationary unit and adapted to be engaged by any coin introduced into a slot and dropping to the bottom of the latter, a motor driving the moving device along its predetermined path, an electric circuit controlling said motor and including a gap of which one end is connected with the metal plate on the stationary unit, a metal member including a plurality of teeth engaging the bottom ends of the corresponding slots in said unit, said metal member being connected with the end of the other gap in the electric circuit, each tooth being engageable by the coin dropping to the bottom of the slot and engaging the metal plate to provide thus for the closing of the gap in the circuit and energization of the motor, a member carried by the moving device and adapted to move during the translational movement of the latter along a path passing through the locations of the coins at the bottom of the slots, and means wherethrough the impact of said member against a coin engaged at the bottom of any slot in the stationary unit produces the automatic stopping of the movable device, the dropping of the coin out of the slot engaged by it into the moving device and the starting of the playing of the corresponding selected phonograph record.

3. A coin-operated machine for the listening of phonograph records selected out of a stack of records, comprising a movable device adapted to collect the coins and to move along a predetermined path registering with the stack to select a record in the stack, an insulating stationary unit extending over said predetermined path and provided with parallel downwardly directed coin-receiving slots corresponding to the different records available for playing, a metal plate rigid with the bottom of the slots in the said stationary unit and adapted to be engaged by any coin introduced into a slot and dropping to the bottom of the latter, a motor driving the moving device along its predetermined path, an electric circuit controlling said motor and including a gap of which one end is connected with the metal plate on the stationary unit, a metal member including a plurality of teeth engaging the bottom ends of the corresponding slots in said unit, said metal member being connected with the end of the other gap in the electric circuit, each tooth being engageable by the coin dropping to the bottom of the slot and engaging the metal plate to provide thus for the closing of the gap in the circuit and energization of the motor, a catch carried by the moving device and adapted to move during the translational movement of the latter along a path passing through the locations of the coins at the bottom of the slots, means wherethrough the impact of said catch against a coin engaged at the bottom of any slot in the stationary unit produces automatically the opening of the electric circuit upon impact against the coin introduced into one of the slots and located at the bottom thereof, an electromagnet, a circuit energized through the impact between the catch and the coin and feeding said electromagnet to urge the catch away from the bottom of the slot into which a coin has been introduced and to release the coin with reference to the corresponding tooth, the coin dropping then into the moving device and breaking the motor circuit, and means wherethrough the impact between the catch and the coin deenergizes the motor circuit and starts the playing of the selected record.

4. A coin-operated machine for the listening of phonograph records selected out of a stack of records, comprising a movable device adapted to collect the coins and to move along a predetermined path registering with the stack to select a record in the stack, an insulating stationary unit extending over said predetermined path and provided with parallel downwardly directed coin-receiving slots corresponding to the different records available for playing, a metal plate rigid with the bottom of the slots in the said stationary unit and adapted to be engaged by any coin introduced into a slot and dropping to the bottom of the latter, a motor driving the moving device along its predetermined path, an electric circuit control- 6 ling said motor and including a gap of which one end is connected with the metal plate on the stationary unit, a metal member including a plurality of teeth engaging the bottom ends of the corresponding slots in said unit, said metal member being connected with the end of the other gap in the electric circuit, each tooth being engageable by the coin dropping to the bottom of the slot and engaging the metal plate to provide thus for the closing of the gap in the circuit and energization of the motor, a catch carried by the moving device and adapted to move during the translational movement of the latter along a path passing through the locations of the coins at the bottom of the slots, means wherethrough the impact of said catch against a coin engaged at the bottom of any slot in the stationary unit produces automatically the opening of the electric circuit upon impact against the coin introduced into one of the slots and located at the bottom thereof, an electromagnet, a circuit energized through the impact between the catch and the coin and feeding said electromagnet to urge the catch away from the bottom of the slot into which a coin has been introduced and to release the coin with reference to the corresponding tooth, the coin dropping them into the moving device and breaking the motor circuit, a pick-up arm carried by said movable device, means for locking said pick-up arm in an inoperative position, electromagnetic means for releasing said arm when energized, means energizing said electromag- ;netic means when the catch is engaged by a coin in a slot, elastic means urging the pick-up arm when released into engagement with the first groove convolution on the selected record to play the latter.

5. A coin-operated machine for the listening of phonegraph records selected out of a stack of records, comprising a movable device adapted to collect the coins and to move along a predetermined path registering with the stack to select a record in the stack, an insulating stationary unit extending over said predetermined path and provided with parallel downwardly directed coin-receiving slots corresponding to the different records available for playing, a metal plate rigid with the bottom of the slots in the said stationary unit and adapted to be engaged by any coin introduced into a slot and dropping to the bottom of the latter, a motor driving the moving device along its predetermined path, an electric circuit controlling said motor and including a gap of which one end is connected with the metal plate on the stationary unit, a metal member including a plurality of teeth engaging the bottom ends of the corresponding slots in said unit, said metal member being connected with the end of the other gap in the electric circuit, each tooth being engageable by the coin dropping to the bottom of the slot and engaging the metal plate to provide thus for the closing of the vgap in the circuit and energization of the motor, a catch carried by the moving device and adapted to move during the translational movement of the latter along a path passing through the locations of the coins at the bottom of the slots, means wherethrough the impact of said catch against a coin engaged at the bottom of any slot in the stationary unit produces automatically the opening of the electric circuit upon impact against the coin introduced into one of the slots and located at the bottom thereof, a relay energized through the impact between said catch and the coin introduced into a slot in the stationary unit, said relay being adapted to control when energized the breaking of the circuit controlling the motor, a delayed bi-metallic strip producing a temporary selfenergization of the relay, an electromagnet energized through said relay to urge the catch away from the bottom of the slot into which a coin has been introduced and to release the coin with reference to the corresponding tooth, the coin dropping them into the moving device,

and means wherethrough the relay when energized starts the playing of the selected record.

6. A coin-operated machine for the listening of phonograph records selected out of a stack of records, comprising a movable device adapted to-collect the coins and to move along a predetermined path registering with the stack to select a record in the stack, an insulating stationary unit extending over said predetermined path and provided with parallel downwardly directed coin-receiving slots corresponding to the difierent records available for playing, a metal plate rigid with the bottom of the slots in the said stationary unit and adapted to be engaged by any coin introduced into a slot and dropping to the bottom of the latter, a motor driving the moving device along its predetermined path, an electric circuit controlling said motor and including a gap of which one end is connected with the metal plate on the stationary unit,

" a metal member including a plurality of teeth engaging the bottom ends of the corresponding slots in said unit, said metal member being connected with the end of the other gap in the electric circuit, each tooth being engageable by the coin dropping to the bottom of the slot and engaging the metal plate to provide thus for the closing of the gap in the circuit and energization of the motor, a catch carried by the moving device and adapted to move during the translational movement of the latter along a path passing through the locations of the coins at the bottom of the slots, means wherethrough the impact of said catch against a coin engaged at the bottom of any slot in the stationary unit produces automatically the opening of the electric circuit upon impact against the coin introduced into one of the slots and located at the bottom thereof, a relay energized through the impact between said catch and the coin introduced into a slot in the stationary unit, said relay being adapted to control when energized the breaking of the circuit controlling the motor, a delayed bi-metallic strip producing a temporary self-energization of the relay, an electromagnet energized through said relay to urge the catch away from the bottom of the slot into Which a coin has been introduced and to release the coin With reference to the corresponding tooth, the coin dropping then into the moving device, a pick-up arm carried by said moving device and adapted to assume an operative and an inoperative position, a bolt locking said pick-up arm in its inoperative position, a second electromagnet controlling said bolt and controlled by the relay and elastic means urging the pick-up arm into its operative position engaging the first groove convolution on the selected record to be played.

7. A coinroperated machine for the listening of phonograph records selected out of a stack of records, comprising a movable device adapted to collect the coins and to move along a predetermined path registering with the stack to select a record in the stack, an insulating stationary unit extending over said predetermined path and provided with parallel downwardly directed coin-receiving slots corresponding to the different records available for playing, a metal plate rigid With the bottom of the slots in the said stationary unit and adapted to be engaged by any coin introduced into a slot and dropping to the bottom of the latter, a motor driving the moving device along its predetermined path, an electric circuit controlling said motor and including a gap of which one end is connected with the metal plate on the stationary unit, a metal member including a plurality of teeth engaging the bottom ends of the corresponding slots in said unit, said metal member being connected with the end of the other gap in the electric circuit, each tooth being engageable by the coin dropping to the bottom of the slot and engaging the metal plate to provide thus for the closing of the gap in the circuit and energization of the motor, a catch carried by the moving device and adapted to move during the translational movement of the latter.

along a path passing through the locations of the coins at the bottom of the slots, means Wherethrough the impact of said catch against a coin engaged at the bottom of any slot in the stationary unit produces automatically the opening of the electric circuit upon impact against the coin introduced into one of the slots and located at the bottom thereof, an electromagnet, a circuit energized through the impact between the catch and the coin and feeding said electromagnet to urge the catch away from the bottom of the slot into which a coin has been introduced and to release the coin with reference to the corresponding tooth, the coin dropping then into the moving device, a record shifting device adapted to remove, out of the stack of phonograph records, the record corresponding to the slot into which a coin has been introduced to bring said record into its playing position and ,means controlling last mentioned device through the impact between the catch and the coin at the bottom of its slot, the location of the movable device at this moment defining the record to be removed and played.

No references cited.

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