US3081094A - Holding arm for record changer - Google Patents

Description

March 12, 1963 w. J. KNOPFLE .El'AL 3,081,094

HOLDING ARM FOR RECORD CHANGER 1 Filed Nov. 25. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' Fig. 1

ATTORNEY j March 12, 1963 w. J. KNUPFLE EI'AL 330811994 HOLDING ARM FOR RECORD CHANGER Filed Nov. 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

WALTER JOSEPH KNWFTE HANS GERHARD HAGENAH ATTORNEY;

UnitedStates Patent Office 3,081,094 Patented Mars '12, 1963- U 3,081,094 HOLDING ARM FOR RECORD CHANGER Walter Josef KniipfleandHans Gerhard Hagenah, St; Georgen, Germany, assignors to- Perpetuum-Ebner, Fabrik fur Feinmechanik und Elektrotechnik Steidiner CoL, .KomwGesL, St. Georgen, Germany Filed Nov. 25,1960, Ser. No. 71,673 Claims priority, application Germany Nov'. 26, 1959 2Claims. (CL. 274 110- This invention relates to astabilizingarm for automatic record changers, and specifically relates to. an arm which can be moved to its operative and inoperative positions with one simple movement by the operator thereof.

An important objective of this invention is toprovide a stabilizingarm which has an extension which follows a grooved surface so that a precise movement is automatically transmitted to the arm, even though the actuating movement given to the arm itself is imprecise.

A further objective of this invention is to provide a spring-biased locking member along the grooved surface so that the arm will remain in an inoperative position until actuated by an operator.

These and other objectives and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description and claims wherein the construction, arrangement and cooperation of the parts of the apparatus are set forth.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an automatic record changer device of the type to which the stabilizing arm of this invention is adapted to be used;

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective of the stabilizing arm showing its control mechanism.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings Where like numerals indicate like parts, the numeral indicates a record player of a type playing a succession of disc records. The mechanism of the record player responsible for the starting, the back and forth movement of the tone arm; in other words, the changing mechanism, is not dis-t closed in the drawings because the invention defined herein may be used with conventional types of equipment.

The record player is comprised of frame 11 having a circular depression 11a which receives the circular turntable 12. The turntable has a downwardly extending annular flange 12a which extends into the depression 11a. A mounting plate 14 on the underside of the frame 11 is supported thereto by the spacing pins 13 and 13'. It is to this mounting plate 14 that the various parts for the changing mechanism are secured.

An annular bearing 15 journaled in the plate 14 receives a hollow, inverted cone 16. vThishollow cone 16 serves as a resting cone for the turntable 12. Referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the cone is equipped with a ridge 17 which supports the turntable 12 and a ridge 17a which lies adjacent to the upper annular surface 15a of the bearing 15. Any suitable means for rotating the turntable may be used such as a gear wheel associated with the cone 16 or hearing 15. For instance, the journal 15 may be made with gear teeth which could mate with a larger gear wheel attached to the record changer operating motor.

A spindle 18 is secured to cone 17 by insertion into the annular channel 16. The spindle 18 is of a type having an offset portion 18a which forms a supporting ledge 18b for supporting a stack of records 19. After the bottom record 19a has been played, a slight shifting in the ledge causes the next bottom record to drop onto the turntable While retaining the others on the ledge 18b. This action is conventional and is well known to the art.

A tone arm 20 is fastened to the frame 11 by way of an upright standard 21. The tone arm is able to be swung 2 about a vertical axis 23,and about "the horizontal axis 24. Also spaced on frame 11'is an upright bracket 25 in which a vertical spindle 26 is rotatably supported. The spindle 26' may be swung back'and forth aswell as movedup and down. A stabilizing or holding arm 26 is fastened to the upper end of spindle 26. The holding arm 27 is equipped along its underside with small, resilient record-engaging pads 27b which will not scratch or marthe top records surface. The arm 27 aids in maintaining'the record stack 19 in a horizontal, stabilized position while theyare supported on ledge 18a. Since stabilizing isfbestaccorn plijsh'ed .by pressure on' several points; spaced from the ledge, the engaging end 2711' of the holding armis -semi-. circular in configuration.

The lower end of spindle 26 is equipped with a h'orizo'rn tal rod or cam follower 30; Between this rod 34); and the underside of mounting plate. 11 is a coil spring 31Which biases the stabilizingarm 27 downwardly along-an axis A. This insures continuous stabilization whenever a record leaves the bottom of record stack 19.

Extending downwardly from the underside of mounting plate 11, in the vicinity of the outer end of rod 30, is a backdrop or cylindrical flange 32 fastened to the underside of the frame 11 through a triangular mounting member 32a. The backdrop 32 is curvilinearly formed and the inner radial edge thereof is concentric to the axis of shaft or spindle 26.- The backdrop is positioned at a dis tance so that the free end of the arm 30 partly penetrates the thickness of the backdrop.

The surface of the backdrop is formed with a generally triangular groove or cam surface 3211. This cam surface receives t1 e arm or cam follower 30. Therefore, it can be seen that shaft 26 which supports the holding arm 27 can only be rotated and moved up and down as the position of the arm 39 in the groove 32b permits.

The groove 32b is comprised of three separate components; a groove 32b1 runs parallel to the axis of spindle 26, a groove 32b2 runs horizontal and parallel with the mounting frame 11, and the groove 32123 runs from the lower end of groove 32b2 on an arc to one end of the horizontal groove 32111.

Groove 32121 extends slightly beyond the groove 32b3 so as to form a small ridge or ledge 320. The arm 30 rests on this ridge while the stabilizing member 27 is swung outwardly (clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 2) when in its inoperative position.

A one-way gate 34 is pivotally secured on a pin 34 in the vicinity of the ledge 32c and permits the arm 30 to move only upwardly into the groove 32b1. The gate is biased clockwise as viewed in FIG. 3 against 2. lug 37. Therefore, as seen best in FIG. 3, the arm 30 may move upwardly into 32b1 but may not return downwardly through 32123 after it has passed gate 34. Upon moving the stabilizer 27 to its operative or stack-engaging position, the arm 3% travels along groove 32111 until it reaches groove 32b2. At this point, it starts to move downwardly (with the arm 27) under the action of gravity and spring 31 until the stabilizing arm 27 engages the top record of stack 19. After the stack 19 has been played, the arm 3th will be at the lower end of groove 32112. In some record players there is a limit switch at this point which will turn off the machine.

At this point, an operator need only move the arm 27 clockwise (as viewed in FIG. 2) and the arm will automatically reach its outer raised position above gate 37. Therefore, it is not necessary for the operator to first rotate, then raise, or vice versa. The operator need only push the arm in the proper direction and it automatically assumes its correct position.

In a general manner, while we have, in the above description, disclosed what we deem to be practical and eificient embodiments of our invention, it should be well understood that we do not wish to be limited thereto, as

there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. In stabilizing apparatus for record changers of the type wherein a plurality of records are stacked on a spindle ledge to be successively dropped down upon a turntable, the combination including, a frame, a vertical support shaft journalled in said frame for rotational and axial movement, a stabilizing arm extending horizontally from the upper end of said shaft for engaging with the top surface of said stack of records, a backdrop member extending downwardly from said frame, said backdrop being provided with a cam track, said track including a first vertical portion, a second horizontal portion and a third angularly related portion, the ends of said track 7 portions being joined to provide a generally triangular 20 continuous cam track, a cam follower extending horizontally from the lower end of said shaft and in operative engagement with said triangular cam track, at least said second horizontal portion of said cam track comprising an arcu'ately arranged groove into which the free end of said follower is received to prevent vertical movement of said stabilizing arm in either direction, and one-way latch means positioned at the intersection of said second and third cam tracks to prevent movement of the cam follower from the second portion of the cam track into the third portion without first moving through the first portion.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein a coil spring encircles said vertical shaft, said spring being connected to urge said shaft in a downward direction.

References Cited-in the-file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. IN STABILIZING APPARATUS FOR RECORD CHANGERS OF THE TYPE WHEREIN A PLURALITY OF RECORDS ARE STACKED ON A SPINDLE LEDGE TO BE SUCCESSIVELY DROPPED DOWN UPON A TURNTABLE, THE COMBINATION INCLUDING, A FRAME, A VERTICAL SUPPORT SHAFT JOURNALLED IN SAID FRAME FOR ROTATIONAL AND AXIAL MOVEMENT, A STABILIZING ARM EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID SHAFT FOR ENGAGING WITH THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID STACK OF RECORDS, A BACKDROP MEMBER EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID FRAME, SAID BACKDROP BEING PROVIDED WITH A CAM TRACK, SAID TRACK INCLUDING A FIRST VERTICAL PORTION, A SECOND HORIZONTAL PORTION AND A THIRD ANGULARLY RELATED PORTION, THE ENDS OF SAID TRACK PORTIONS BEING JOINED TO PROVIDE A GENERALLY TRIANGULAR

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