US3774914A

US3774914A - Phonograph toy

Info

Publication number: US3774914A
Application number: US00165250A
Authority: US
Inventors: I Porter; J Barcus; D Bear; J Marshall
Original assignee: Mattel Inc
Current assignee: Mattel Inc
Priority date: 1970-08-03
Filing date: 1971-07-22
Publication date: 1973-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 1990-11-27

Abstract

A toy phonograph includes a record with 12 grooves, the grooves having lead-in portions spaced about the periphery of the record. When a cord is pulled to wind a spring motor it positions a stop and the record turns in reverse until it hits the stop, the stop therefore determing which groove will be engaged by the needle when the record is played. The stop can be shifted to choose a different record groove by turning an index wheel.

Description

[451 Nov. 27, 1973 United States Patent [19] Porter et a1.

AA R1 M 47 2 3,529,832 9/1970 Geotz et 4/1972 PHONOGRAPH TOY Stern et a1.

Ryan............ 35/8 A 5/1970 Golden 274/1 A 6/1971 Goodkind et a1. 274/9 RA [75] Inventors: Irwin C. Porter, Quinter; Jack L. 3276144 Feldman H Barcus, Cerritos; David L. Bear, 3,383,114 5/1968 Palos Verdes Estates; James E. 3,510,966 Marshall, Westminster, all of Calif; 3,584,881

[73] Assignee: Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif.

Primary Examiner-Harry N. Haroian [22] Filed: July 1971 Assistant Examiner--David K. Moore [21] Att0meySeymour A. Scholnick Appl. No.:.l65,250

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 60,442, Aug. 3, 1970, Pat. No.

ABSTRACT A toy phonograph includes a record with 12 grooves,

the grooves having lead-in portions spaced about the 52 US. 274/1 A p p y ofthe record- When a cord is pulled to wind Gllb 25/04 Int. Cl. a Spring motor it Positions a p and the record turns [58] Fi ld f S h in reverse until it hits the stop, the stop therefore determing which groove will be engaged by the needle 46/179 AR; 274/1 A, 9 RA, II R when the record is played. The stop can be shifted to choose a different record groove by turning an index wheel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 35/39 1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures PHONOGRAPH TOY CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This applicationyis a division of application Ser. No. 60,442 filed Aug. 3, 1970 for TIME INDICATING DOLL now US. Pat. No. 3,636,655.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to toys of the type which have phonographs.

.2. Description of the Prior Art Dollswith, phonographs that can be activated to play a variety of short sayings have proven to be very entertaining toys. If the selected saying were related to action of the doll :in a manner that indicated intelligence, theentertainment value of the doll would be further enhanced. Furthermore, if the sayings related to educational experiences recently encountered by a child, the doll could serve as an instructional device in the case of children who have not learned the material, or as a highly entertaining toy by children who have learned the material and appreciate the fact that a younger child represented by the doll will have to learn the material. Learning to tell time is an ability learned by chil dren, and if it could be combined in an entertaining OBJECTSANDSUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 1 An object of the present invention is to provide, in a doll with a watch, a phonograph which selects a saying to be played that is closely related to the time indicated by the watch.

Another object is to provide a simple toy phonograph mechanism for enabling the selection of tracks on a record. 1 1

In accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention, a talking doll is provided which has a wristwatch with movable watch hands and a phonograph which selects asaying to be played that is closely related to the time shown by the hands of the watch. The

phonograph includes a disc record with twelve spiral grooves, the grooveshaving lead-in portions that are circumferentially spaced around the periphery. A tone arm is provided which has a needle that falls against a peripheral portion of the record that lies under it, so

that the initial rotational position of the record determines which saying will be played. An elongated flexible member extends through the dolls hand to the torso, where the phonograph is located, and has one end coupled to the watch hands to rotate with them and The mechanism which-selects the initial rotational position of the record, includes a turntable which supports the record and which has a projection which can begins to be driven in a forward direction for playing,

the stop moves out of the circular path of the projection to prevent interference.

The spring which drives the turntable in a forward direction is wound by pulling a cord. A ramp member which can move the stop into the path of the turntable projection, has a hole through which the cord extends. When the cord is pulled to wind the spring motor, the ramp member is shifted and it moves the stop to engage the turntable projection. The position of the stop can be shifted along the circular path of the turntable projection to select a different record groove, by rotation of the flexible member that is coupled to the watch hands. e

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawmgs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a doll constructed in accordance with the invention, showing part of the mechanism thereof;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the doll of FIG. 1, showing the phonograph and watch mechanism thereof;

FIG. 3 is a view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the mechanism of FIG. 2; 1

FIG. 5 is a view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective exploded view of the mechanism of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 1, the doll 10 includes a torso hous ing portion 12 with a sound reproducer or phonograph mechanism, part of which is shown therein, and a doll arm housing portion 14 which carries a wristwatch 16. The wristwatch has a crystal 18 that can be turned by a child to rotate a pair of

watch hands

20, 22 over a watch dial 24 to indicate different times of the day. Rotation of the crystal 18 causes turning of an elongated flexible coupling member 26 that extends through the doll arm to a phonograph mechanism 28 in the torso. The phonograph mechanism 28 includes a recordedmessage carrier means on record 30 which has twelve grooves therein that represent twelve sayings related to different times of the day. For example, one saying might be, Its6 oclock, time to eat. The particular saying selected to be played is determined by the setting of the clock hands or indicator. The doll arm 14 is pivotally joined to the torso, and the arm can pivot substantially without hampering rotation of the flexible coupling member 26. e

As shown in FIG. 2, the phonograph mechanism 28 includes a turntable 32 for supporting the record 30, and a tone arm 34 with a needle 36 that can engage a groove on the record to pick up sounds from it and transmit them through aspeaker cone assembly 38 to the air.'The turntable is rotated in a forward direction during playing of the record by a spring 40. The spring is wound prior to playing the record by a child pulling on a ring 42 at the end of a draw cord 44. The inner portion of the cord is wound about a cord-receiving drum 46, so that as the cord is pulled, the drum rotates in a reverse direction and winds up the spring 40. As

the drum 46 turns in the reverse direction, it also urges the turntable 32 to rotate in reverse, as will be described below.

FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of the twelve tracks or grooves on the record 30. Each of the twelve grooves extends in a spiral, and each has a starting or lead-in portion 47 at the periphery of the disc, the twelve leadin portions being spaced circumferentially about the peripheral portion of the disc record. The tone arm 34 is pivotally mounted at 48, so that its needle 36 can move along an arc. As shown in FIG. 4, the pull cord 44 extends through an aperture in the tone arm so that as the cord is being pulled to wind the spring, the needle 36 is lifted away from the record'30 and moved to the periphery of the record. As soon as the cord is released so that its tension does not keep the needle off the record, a speaker cone armature pushes on the tone arm to move the needle against the record and cause the needle to enter a record groove. Release of cord tension also allows the spring motor to turn the record in a forward direction so that the needle plays the saying defined by the groove into which it has fallen.

During playing of the record 30, it rotates in the direction of arrow 50. Therefore, the groove with a leadin portion immediately up-path from the position of the needle 36 will engage the needle and be played. When the watch hands are set at 12 oclock, the record will be stopped so that the lead-in groove portion of that groove which defines the 12 oclock saying is at the position No. 12 identified in FIG. 3. Thus, a particular groove such as the groove defining the 12 oclock saying, is chosen by positioning the record 30 so that the groove is immediately up-path from the needle 36 when the needle is allowed to fall against the record at the beginning of a playing period.

The record 30 is maintained at a predetermined rotational position prior to a playing by urging the turntable 32 to rotate in the reverse direction, indicated by arrow 52 during pulling of the cord, but stopping the turntable from rotating in reverse past the desired initial position. To accomplish this, a projection or first stop 54 is fixed to a side of the turntable, and a second stop 56 is provided which is maintained stationary in the path of the first stop 54. Accordingly, when the first stop 54.0n the turntable'reaches the second stop 56, the turntable is prevented from rotating any further in reverse and the record is maintained in a particular position. Of course, the second stop 56 should be moved out of the way of the circular path of the first stop 54 during forward rotation of the turntable when the record is played. The particular position of the second stop 56 around the axis of rotation of the turntable determines which record groove will be played. The position of the second stop 56 is changed as the watch hands are moved about the watch dial, so that the time indicated by the watch determines the groove to be played.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first stop 54 is mounted on a side of the turntable 32 opposite the record 30, so it moves in a circular path as the turntable rotates. The second stop 56 is mounted on a stop wheel 58 that can rotate about the same axis as the turntable. An index wheel 60 which also can rotate about the axis of the turntable, is disposed between the stop wheel 58 and the turntable, and it has a slot 62 through which the second stop 56 can project. A spring 64 normally urges the stop wheel 58 downwardly so the stop 56 does not project far through the slot 62 and is out of the path of the first stop 54. However, when the stop wheel 58 is pushed upwardly, the second stop can project into the path of the first stop and prevent rotation of the turntable. A bevel plate 66 is used to push the stop wheel 58 upwardly to stop the turntable during pulling of the pull cord, to thereby prevent the turntable and record thereon from moving past a desired initial position.

The bevel plate 66 is mounted for sliding perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the turntable. The bevel plate carries four bevel members 68 which can push against a flange 70 on the stop wheel 58 to move it upwardly. Normally, the bevel plate has the position shown in FIG. 5 wherein the bevel members 68 allow the stop wheel to remain in its down position. However, when the cord 44 is pulled, the bevel plate moves in the direction of arrow 72 and pushes up the stop plate. The pull cord 44 is coupled to the bevel plate by reason of its extension through an eyelet 74 thereon in a manner that requires the cord to deviate from a straight line. When a child pulls the cord, friction between the cord and the walls of the eyelet 74 in the bevel plate causes the bevel plate to move in the direction of arrow 72. This causes the stop wheel 58 to move up and move the second stop 56 thereon into the path of the first stop 54 on the turntable. During pulling of the cord, the turntable is also urged to rotate in the reverse direction indicated by arrow 52, so that the turntable rotates until the first and second stops are engaged.

The cord-receiving reel 46 has an arbor 76 that is fixed to an inner turn of the spring 40 to positively wind it when the cord is pulled. However, the arbor 76 is coupled through a clutch member 78 to a portion 80 of the turntable to enable the turntable to remain stationary while the wheel 46 and its arbor turn in the reverse direction, although appreciable torque is applied tending to rotate the turntable in reverse. The clutch member 78 has a projection 82 that is received in a slot in the arbor 76 so that it is positively turned by the arbor. However, the periphery of the clutch member 78 is divided into four arms, two of which extend upwardly and two of which extend downwardly to engage the portion 80 on the turntable. These arms apply frictional forces tending to turn the turntable forward or in reverse with substantial torque, but allow slippage of the turntable whenit is held by the second stop 56.

Thus, when a child pulls on the cord 44 to wind the spring, he also turns the turntable in reverse and causes the bevel plate 66 to shift in position. The bevel plate causes the second stop 56 to project into the path of a first stop 54 on the turntable and prevent the turntable from rotating past a predetermined position.

As described earlier, the position at which the turntable stops during reverse rotation, and therefore the selection of the next track to be played, is determined by the position of the second stop 56. The position of the second stop can be shifted by turning the index wheel 60. The fact that the second stop 56 always projects at least partially through the index wheel, assures that the stop wheel will shift position with the index wheel. The index wheel has gear teeth 84 at its periphery which are engaged by a worm gear 86. The worm gear 86 is at one end of the flexible coupling member 26 which extends through the arm of the doll to the watch.

The watch mechanism of the dolls wrist is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The watch crystal 16, which serves as means for rotating the watch hands, is fixed to a shaft 88 which carries a pinion 90. The pinion90 drives a gear 92 which has a pinion 94 that drives an hour gear 96. The minute hand is fixed to the crystal 16 while the hour hand 22 is fixed to the hour gear 96. The gear train is arranged so that a complete rotation of the crystal 16 results in a one-twelfth rotation of the hour hand 22 to move to the next hour. A bevel gear 98 is also fixed to the shaft .88 that is driven by the crystal, and it drives another bevel gear 100 that is fixed to one end of the flexible coupling member 26 that drives the worm gear 86. Thus, when a child rotates the crystal 16 he rotates the minute and hour hands in appropriate ratios, and he also rotates the flexible coupling member 26 that drives the worm gear 86 within the torso. As earlier described, the worm gear 86 changes the rotational position of the second stop 56 which determines the record track to be played next. The gear ratios are such that the index wheel 84 which moves the second stop, rotates by 30 (one-twelfth turn) when the hour hand on the watch rotates by 30 to point to a new hour. Thus, a different saying is selected every time the watch hands advance by 1 hour. The mechanism can be set up so that a change to a new record'track is selected approximately when the minute hand has rotated past a position indicating 30 minutes after the hour.

As shown in FIG. 2, the phonograph mechanism is designed compactly for fitting within the doll torso 12. It includes various parts such as a governor 102 for regulating speed, a tone arm stop 104 which abuts the tone arm to define the outer position to which it moves, and various other parts which are generally included in phonographs of this type. It also may be noted that the turntable 32 is fixed to a central spindle 106 that is' rotatably mounted on the doll housing, while the arbor 76 of the cord-receiving drum is rotatably mounted about the spindle 106.. Also, the index wheel 60 and stop wheel 58 are pivotally mounted about a bearing 108 that rotatably supports the spindle 106, so that all of these parts rotate about the same axis.

Thus, the invention provides a talking doll with a wristwatch, wherein a child can change the time indicated by the wristwatch, and thereby automatically select a saying to be played that corresponds to the time indicated by the watch. The phonograph which plays the sayings includes a record with several grooves having spaced lead-in portions. The phonograph also includes apparatus for urging the record to rotate in a reverse direction during winding of a spring motor, and for preventing the record from moving past a position wherein the desired leadin groove will be engaged by a tone arm when the record is next played. The position at which the record is stopped during reverse movement is determined by the position of at least one watch hand relative to a watch dial.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art and, consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.

We claim: 1. A toy phonograph comprising: record means having a plurality of tracks with starting portions spaced from each other, said record means comprising a disc with spiral tracks having lead-in portions spaced circumferentially on said disc, and a rotataby mounted turntable supporting said disc; tone arm means for playing said tracks; a spring for driving said record means in a forward direction; winding means for winding said spring, said winding means comprising a cord mounted to wind said spring as said cord is pulled; means for coupling said winding means to said record means to urge it in a reverse direction when said spring is being wound; first stop means mounted on said record means to move with it along a predetermined path, said first stop means being coupled to said turntable to move in a circular path as said turntable revolves; second stop means movable into and out of the path of said first stop means for selectively engaging and disengaging said first stop means to prevent or permit rotation of said record means in said reverse direction, respectively, said second stop means comprising an index wheel mounted for rotating about the same axis as said turntable, a stop member coupled to said index wheel to rotate with it about said axis while being free to move axially toward and away from the path of said first stop means, and means coupled to said cord for moving said stop member towards said path as said cord is pulled; means responsive to winding and termination of winding said spring for moving said stop means into and allowing it to move out of a position in the path of said first stop means, respectively, said means for moving said stop member towards said path as said cord is pulled including a camming member provided with an aperture through which said cord extends, said camming member being mounted for movement by the frictional forces of said cord as it'is pulled, to urge said index wheel towards the path of said first stop means; and manually operable means for selectively shifting the position of said second stop means along the path of said first stop means by a selected amount to select a desired track to be played, said means for shifting the. position of said second stop means comprising means for turning said index wheel.

Claims

1. A toy phonograph comprising: record means having a plurality of tracks with starting portions spaced from each other, said record means comprising a disc with spiral tracks having lead-in portions spaced circumferentially on said disc, and a rotataby mounted turntable supporting said disc; tone arm means for playing said tracks; a spring for driving said record means in a forward direction; winding means for winding said spring, said winding means comprising a cord mounted to wind said spring as said cord is pulled; means for coupling said winding means to said record means to urge it in a reverse direction when said spring is being wound; first stop means mounted on said record means to move with it along a predetermined path, said first stop means being coupled to said turntable to move in a circular path as said turntable revolves; second stop means movable into and out of the path of said first stop means for selectively engaging and disengaging said first stop means to prevent or permit rotation of said record means in said reverse direction, respectively, said second stop means comprising an index wheel mounted for rotating about the same axis as said turntable, a stop member coupled to said index wheel to rotate with it about said axis while being free to move axially toward and away from the path of said first stop means, and means coupled to said cord for moving said stop member towards said path as said cord is pulled; means responsive to winding and termination of winding said spring for moving said stop means into and allowing it to move out of a position in the path of said first stop means, respectively, said means for moving said stop member towards said path As said cord is pulled including a camming member provided with an aperture through which said cord extends, said camming member being mounted for movement by the frictional forces of said cord as it is pulled, to urge said index wheel towards the path of said first stop means; and manually operable means for selectively shifting the position of said second stop means along the path of said first stop means by a selected amount to select a desired track to be played, said means for shifting the position of said second stop means comprising means for turning said index wheel.