US934451A - Start and stop mechanism for graphophones. - Google Patents

Description

T. H. M!GDONALD;l START AND STOP MEGANISM FOR GRAPHOPHONES.

APPLICATION FILED DEU. 14,1908.

v Patented Sept 21, 1909.

A N NN Y sie ofthe same, viewed from the right in Fig; 1.;

- To all' whom 'it may concern:

' (Be it known that I, THOMAS UNITED 'STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS HQMACDONALD, or BRIDenPoRT, 'cNNEcTIe'UT, assIGNon To AMERICAN .emunioPHONE coMPANY, or BBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION or WEST VIRGINIA.

START AND STOP MECHNISM FDR GRAPHOPHONES.

Application led December 14, 1908. Serial No. 467,510.

ALD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Bridgeport, Fairield county, Connecticut, -have invented a new and useful Improvement -inStart and Stop Mechanism for Graphophones, which-improvenient lis fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates tographophones or other talking-machines, especially of the construction intendedfto operate interchangeably for recording andyreproduc'ing.- In

these machines there is provided a feedscrew whose thread has one side vertical and theother` at an angle to t-he .axis of xthe screw-shaft, and a similarly-threaded partial mit. normally engawing therewjth to. propel the carriage 'longiudinally of therecord; the startand-stop mechanism-i has means for disengaging the nut from the screw, 'and for causing the two to mesh together again. In

order. to permit the nut to have sufficient play to permit the meshing, `a ,certain looseness off-mounting sometimesoc'curs, there is also a back-lash? between the'threads'of the nut and those of the screw, besidesrattling and other objections that will be appreciated by those familiar with the use ofV such machines.

'Theobject of this invention is to provide means -for preventing this back-lash, rattling, etc. without interfering withthe eIi- Preferably this is' ciency of the machine. accomplished by providing means that, while theAv feed-nut is being broughtinto engagementgwith the feed-screw, will force the.

nut sidewise to the limit of its play and into )roper mesh, in order 'to prevent the back-lash, and that will hold it there against rattle and, in combination with this, other means for restoring ythe nut to its former position when disengaged fronithe screw.

The .invention will be best understood by. lreferringtothe annexed drawings that illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof.

vIn. these drawings, Figure l is an yend ele-.-

v ation, partlyV in 'vertical section, of' a graphophone showing' my, invention; Fig.- 2 is apartly broken away rear viewl of a part Fig.' 3 is" a.'vertical section of a detail; and

. l l H. MACDON- feed-screw 8. Surrounding this feed-screw the usual split-sleeve 9 consisting of .a tubular casing having in its bottoni a longitudinal slot to give access to the feed-screw. The carriage has sleeve 1() encircling 'and slidingl upon the split-sleeve f). The recorder or the reproducer or the combined recorder and reproducer) will be connected to this carriage' in any approved manner. cured tothe bottoni of the carriage and sleeve l() isf'the depending Y-shaped guidein'ember 1l. whose lower end straddles the lowerl guide-rod T. Located within the upper forli of this Y is the partial nut 12 .that is norinall)y forced upward by springactuated plunger 13 to enter the longitudinal is forced upward by its plunger so as to l5 is shifted in the vertical position (at 19 .the nut down against its spring, thereby disengaging the nut from the feed-screw.. as seen 1n Fig. 3': and when the banal; is forced still farther back (into the position indicated at :20 in Fig. 1),'the nut l2 becomes p again engaged with the feed-screw S. All the construction so far described is old.be.

ing illustrated,- for instance, lin my U., S.l Letters-Patent 'No.5 569,290, dated Oct. 13,

' According to-iny present invention, I provide -ne'ar the upper end of one of vthe forks the lower horizontal guide-rod 7 and theA engage the feed-screw 8; when lthe handle in Fig. 1), the cam nose '1S on the. ring forces of the'Y-shaped guide-member 11,. a holeA parallelto the feed-screw. Located in this l'holevis a plunger 21 adapted to impiiige'upon Specification of Letters Patent.` Patented Sept. 21,` 1909.,y

lslot in the split-sleeve so as to engage-the'.

In the position shown in Fig.` 1 the nut 12 the adjacent face ofthe nut 12: in the Eouter end'ofthis hole 'isthreaded the screw and between the screw and the plunger is the coil-spring lf pon vthe side of the cam-nose 1S ofthe camring is the .cani-lug `or boss 2l'.

when thehandlel is brought into vertical"` positiointo disei'igagetlie feed-nut, this-boss j der to avoid vany back-'lash and prevent rat- Tlie' `parts are so arranged -that 2l enters the'slot iii the nut (as seen in Fig.

3) and forces thel nut 12 sidewise agaiiist diagonal movement `tothe feed-nut. HavingV thus describedniy invention, I-

the plunger and spring (21 and 23); and wheny the handle is movedto permit meshing .ofthe nut and feed-screw, this boss 2l clears the transverse slot and/permits plunger 21 to force the nut to the extren'ie right (as seen in Fig. 2).

Then-the. -handle 15 is thrown into vertilcalwposition it depre:-ses. the niit- 12 and disengages it from the feed-'screw and at the same time the nut is being forced against the plunge-r 21 as seen in Fig. 3) when the ,as seen in Fig.

handle issliifted intoA the position shownin Fig. 1 (or in the position at 20 in the same figure) the4 plunger 134 forces the nut upward,

and at the Sametime plunger 2 1 forces it to the right (as seenin Fig. 2). Thus the oam-noselS and the cam-'lug or boss 2l the left, i hile the plungers 13 and' 21 coact in forcing it' upward and to the right'. The

travel of the face of the nut 12jis diagonalg' and. to permit of this, the lower end of its 4dep'endiiigstem .'25 is coned, v preferably at about A(as at 26),"aiid rests in a seat in the top of spring-pressed plunger 13.

Thepurpose and advantage of imparting the diagonal' movement to the feed-nut 12, when engaging and disengaging the feedscrew, is shown by reference to i"igs. 4 and 5. If the 'nut be movedl directly"iipwaid,'the.

relation-shown in Fig. 4 occurs; in this view, lthe slopiiig'faces 270i the nut 12 rest against the corresponding facesI of the screw 8, while `the vertical faces 28 of the respective threads are not in Contact and vthe screw must make a half revolution or more before it properly engages the nut to propel it. As the res'ult the-cylindert vis being rotated, and the recorder or reproducer is acting upon it without being immediately propelled longitudinally as it should be. The disadvantage of this will be appreciated by persons familiar with this art. But whenthe nut 12 is moved up in a diagonaldirection, as provided by my present invention, it at once meshes properly with the Athreadsof tlztl feed-screw, The plunger 21 provides this diagonal upward movement to cause the proper mesh; and the object of the cam-lug 24 isto restore the'niit into the position from which it can subsequently receive diagonal upward movement from the plunger 21 (and the plunger 18).

'I have described in v invention with some particularity, but only for the salte of clearness, since itis not limited to the precise details of construction f. and arrangements veiitioinfwhich consists of providing means to insure thatl the feed-nut shall be brought promptly and immediately finto propermeshing relation with the feed-screw, in or-4 tle, and preferably means for 'imparting with the'feed-screv'v having threads .with one side thereof verticaland the other side slant- `iiig, and the feed-nut therefor havingl correspondingly-shaped threads, ofstart-and-stop mechanism comprising.means4 for, moving the nut diagonally in to 4mesh with rthe screw.

ln' a talking-inachine,- tlie combination with the feed-screw having threads with one .side thereof vertical and the other side slanting, and-'the feed-nut therefor haring correspondingly-shaped threads, of start-and-stop mechanism comprising means for moving the nut diagonally in disengagingit -from the screw.

3. Ina talking-machine, the combination with the feed-screw having-threads with one side thereof vertical and the otherside slanting, and the feed-'hut therefor having correspondingly shaped threads, of'sta'rt andstop mechanism' comprising means for moving the nut diagonally to throw it into and out of mesh with the screw.

l. In a start-and-stop mechanism for talk# ing-machines, the combination with the feed-screw and the feed-nut' and the camring for forcing the same downward, of a cone-bearing depending from said nut, a.

upward, and a lug on the side of said cani ring co-acting with the same to move the nut diagonally downward.

5. In a talking-machine, the combination with the feed-screw and the feed-nut, and

.the cani-ring and plungei'-for engaging and disengaging the two, said ring. extending through a transverse slotv in the upper face of said nut, of a lug on the side of said cam-ring adapted when entering said slot to force the 'nut' sidewise, and an opposing spring-pressed plun erbearing a ainst the side of said nut an adapted to' orce it in the opposite direction to that 'imparted by said lug.v "V L i G. In a start-and-stop mechanism for talkingmachines, the combination with the. feed-screw and .the feed-init and means for 'lmp'arting matic' means for impartinga sidewise movement lto the nut Whilebeing engaged, and automaticfmeans for imparting a -reverse sidewise movement to the nut while being disengaged.

' 7. In a start-and-stop mechanism for talking-machines, the combination, with the feed-screw .andthe feed-nut and means for engaging-thetwo, of automatic means for a -sidewise movement. totheniit while belng engaged.

8. In a start-and-stop mechanism for talking- 1na.chines they combination with the feed-screw and the feed-nut and means for engaging and disengaging the two, of auto matic'meansfor imparting a sidewise movement't'o the nut while being disengaged.

9 2 'In @talking-machine, the combinationand adapted when entering said slot to force the cam-ring for engaging and disenga 'ng the two, said4 ring extending throng Aa. .transverse slot in the upper face of said-nut', of -a lng located npon the side' of said ringwith the feed-screwand the'feed-nutjand 2d '25 'said nut sidewise. 1 0. In a' talking-machine, the combinationwith -the feed-screw', and the feed-nut and means foiengaging and disenga'ging the two, of a spring-pressed plunger adaptedsto bear` against the side 0f Said. nut. 'In testimony whereof Lhave signed this specification in the presence of' twosubscribing'witnesses. l

THOMAS MACDONALD.

'itnesses; l

L. B.'NICHOLSON, v A. KEOUGH,

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