US957570A - Automatic brake for phonographs. - Google Patents

Description

W. O. MILLS. AUTOMATIC BRAKE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, I909. 95?,570. Patented May 10, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

svwentoz W. CL MILLS. AUTOMATIC BRAKE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1909. 957,570. Patented May 10, 1910.

Witnesses after described.

'MISIXI thereon; Fig. 2 is a fragmental plan vlew'of the same; Fig. 3 1s a fragmental a fragmental section of the record disk.

UNITED STATES WILIBER G. MILLS, OF

AUTOMATIC BRAKE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 10, 1910.

Application filed. May 28, 1909. Serial No. 498,831.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILBER C. MILLS, acitizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Brakes for Phonographs, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to phonographs of the disk type and more particularly to an automatic brake mechanism therefor which is actuated primarily by the record disk acting upon the stylus of the sound box and through the stylus upon the sound boX carrying arm and the brake mechanism here- The object of my invention is to provide a brake mechanism which will be actuated when the record has been entirely played through and which will be automatically actuated no matter whether the record be long or short, and the invention includes in its general features, a brake mechanism attached to the sound box carrying arm and adapted as the arm moves inward to come nearer and nearer to the revolving periphery of the record supporting table and a disk record having thereon a tangential groove located interiorly of the record grooves, which, when the record has been entirely played, will .guide the stylus inward toward the center of the record disk and will thereby carry in the same direction the sound box arm and the brake mechanism, so as to bring it in contact with the periphery of the revolving table and there check the speed of the machine.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of. construction, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a sound reproducing machine with my brake mechanperspeetive view of the outer end of arm 8 and the lever 13; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmental plan view of the record disk made in accordance with my invention; Fig. 5 is Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same..-

reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 2 indicates the supporting casing of any form of phonograph, gramophone, or like construction, 3 designating the spindle of the revolving table, and 4' the table itself upon which the record disk 5 is supported. This record disk is of a peculiar construct-ion, to be hereafter stated. 6 designates the swingmg arm which carries the sound box 7 and which swings diametrically across the disk, being moved from the circumference of the disk inward by the spiral record rooves. All this is the usual construction in t is type of sound reproducing machines.

To the sound box carrying arm 6 isattached in any desired way a transversely extending and downwardly inclined arm '8. This arm is preferably curved, so that its end will come immediately opposite the stylus of the sound box, as will be seen from Fig. 9 The arm at this point is downwa-rdly bent, as at 9, to form a housing, the' finger 13 from being thrown inward beyond the oint shown in Fig. 2.

ounted upon the casing 2 beneath the rotatable table 4 is a bell crank-shaped arm 15 which is pivoted upon a pin 16. One end of this arm extends out beyond the periphery of the table 4, and this extended portion is provided with a projecting lug 17 carrying a brake shoe, which, when the arm 15 is turned in the direction of movement of the rotatable table 4, will contact with the periphery of the table and act to stop or checkits movement. A spring 19 fast at one end of a pin 20 engages with the arm 15 and holds it in such position that the brake shoe is away from the periphery of the table. A

stop 21 limits the movement of the arm. in

this direction. The lug 14 on the finger 13 is so arranged that it will contact with the projecting end of the arm 15 when the sound box is moved to a central position on the record. Depending from the edge of the table 4 either vertically downward or at an inclination to the vertical is a lug 22 which will engage with the inner extremity of the finger 13 when the sound box has moved to its innermost position and carried the finger 13 to its innermost position. When this occurs the finger 13 will be turned upon its pivot by the continued rotation of the-lug 22 with the table and will turn the arm 15 upon its pivot bringing the brake shoe'18 into contact with the periphery of the table and checking the movement thereof.

For the purpose of causing a positive inward movement of the sound box which will bring the brake mechanism carried by the arm 8 into contact with the periphery of the table, I provide a record disk of the form shown in Fig. 4. This disk has upon it the usual record grooves 28 which usually surround an inner plane portion 24. 26 designates a groove which connects with the last of the record rooves at the termination thereof and lea s inward at a greater pitch than the record grooves and connects with a circular groove 25. With a record of this kind, when the stylus has reached the innermost or last groove of the record grooves, it will contact with the groove 26and will be switched off toward the center of the record, thus giving a quick equal inward movement of the sound box, the arm 6, the arm 8, and the mechanism carried by the arm 8, so as to bring the finger 13 inward toward the periphery of the rotatable table where it may be engaged by the lug 22. After the stylus has passed along the groove 26 it will pass into the groove 25 and this will hold it in its innermost position until the speed of the retatable table has been checked. It may be remarked that in some forms of phonographs of this type wherein it is necessary to raise the arm 6 in order to readjust the sound box, the lug 22 projects downward and outward at an inclination to the vertical, but in those phonographs wherein the arm 6 does not have to be raised to readjust the stylus, the lug extends directly downward from the bottom of the rotatable table. My device is capable of being adapted to either of these forms, and I do not wish to limit myself to the use of the table having a lug of any particular shape.

It will be seen that my invention provides a means whereby the rotation of the table 4t and the record may be checked automatically without regard to whether the record is long or short. As soon as the end of the record is reached, the stylus will be guided off upon the groove 26 and draw the sound box and the brake mechanism toward the center of the table, thus breaking the motion of the table. It will be-seen that until the record has finished it is impossible for the brake mechanism to act, but that when it is finished it acts immediately and automatically.

While I have shown a particular form of brake mechanism which I have found in practice to be very satisfactor y, I do not wiih to be limited to this, as it is obvious that other brake mechanisms operating upon the same principle, might be used in conjunction with my record disk, and that various modifications might be made in the details of construction without interfering with the principle of my invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. In a sound-reproducing machine, the combination with a rotatable record support, a reproducer and a reproducer-carrying arm, of a brake shoe mounted ad acent to the periphery of the support and movable into contact therewith, but resiliently held out therefrom an arm engagable with the brake shoe and moving it into contact with the record support, but normally held out of engagement with the brake shoe and a member on the support, engageable with the arm to move. it into contact with the brake shoe when the reproducer and reproducer-carrying arm have passed entirely across the record, to thereby force the brake shoe into contact with the record support.

2. In a sound-reproducing machine, the combination with a rotatable record support having a stud projecting out therefrom, a reproducer, and a reproducer supporting arm, of a brake shoe, an arm carrying the brake shoe and pivoted beneath the record support to turn in the direction of movement thereof, but having a shorter radius than the support, a spring holding the arm in such position that the brake shoe is out of contact with the record support, and means carried by the reproducer supporting arm engageable by said stop on the record support, and when so engaged, movable into engagement with the brake shoe-carrying arm to bring it into contact with the record support.

3. In a sound reproducing machine, the combination with a rotatable record support,

'a reproducer, and a reproducer supporting arm, of a brakeshoe, a carrying arm therefor pivoted "to turn in the direction of.

movement of the record, but having a shorter radius than the record support, and means movable by the record support for forcing the brake shoe against the record support, when the reproducer arm has been moved to its'innermost extreme position.

4. In a sound reproducer machine, the combination with a rotatable record support, a reproducer and a reproducer supporting arm, of a brake shoe, a carrying arm therefor pivoted to turn in the direction of movement of the record, but having a shorter radius than the same, a support projecting from the reproducer arm, a finger pivoted to said support and projecting toward the record support, said finger being arranged to contact with. the brake shoe supporting arm when the reproducer arm has been moved to its extreme innermost position, and means carried by the record support adapted to'contact with said finger and move the finger in the direction of move ment of the record support to engage the finger with the brake shoe supporting arm and move the said shoe into contact with the record support.

5. .Ina sound reproducing machine, the combination with a rotatable record supporting table, a reproducer having a stylus engaging with the grooves of a record, and an arm carrying said reproducer, of an arm supported at right-angles from the reproducer arm, a pivoted finger on the extremity of said arm projecting inward toward the rotatable table when the finger is engaged' by the lug thereon.

In testimony whereof I my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILBER C. MILLS. Witnesses JAMns C. HAMrsoN, MAX H. METZNER.

LL. s]

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