US2343992A - Record changer for phonographs - Google Patents

Description

March 1944- J. L. D. MORRISON RECORD CHANGER FOR PHONOGRAPHS Filed May 9, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet l In H) I INVENTOR.

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arch 14, 1944. L MORRISON 2,343,992

RECORD CHANGER FOR PHONOGRAPHS Filed May 9, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 45 INVENTOR.

March 14, 1944. J. L. D. MORRISON 2,343,992

RECORD CHANGER FOR PHONOGRAPHS I Filed May 9, 1941 5 Sheet s-Sheet 4 mum J45. 534 [613, v 326 IGJZ Z56 90 230 7 J66 w 500 335 3?? 1f ii 'li 216 68 W1 220 J k z arch 14, 1944.

J. L. D. MORRISON 2,343,992

RECORD CHANGER FOR PHONOGRAPHS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 9, 1941 Patented Mar. 14, 1944 nncoan CHANGER roa rnoNocnArns James L. Donaldson Morrison, Benton Harbor. Mich., assignor toNew Products Corporation, Benton Harbor, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application May 9, 1941, serial No. 392,690 Claims. (oi. 274-10) This invention relates to what is known as automatic record changers.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a compact, simple, economically constructed, durable, and efiiciently operating automatic record changer, incorporating power driven mechanism operable upon a manual preliminary position of the tone arm so' that the apparatus will automatically and sequentially play a plurality of records superimposed upon a central record holding pedestal; to provide an automatic record changer for disk-like records wherein a worm with a right and left handed thread is provided, and a follower when in engagement with the worm raises and lowers the tone arm and when released therefrom permits the worm to continue noiselessly to operate during the record playing operation, thereby eliminating the possibility of noise and wear; to provide an automatic record changing device utilizing a worm driven by an electric motor, and wherein simple mechanism interconnects the thread of said worm, the tone arm, and the record releasing mechanism and record reject mechanism in such a way that an'electric motor of lower horse power may be utilized to drive the operating mechanism, thereby efiecting economy in cost of construction and efliciency in operation; to provide an automatic record changer utilizing a power driven worm with a right and left handed thread thereon, thereby eliminating the necessity of utilizing the relatively large cam disk here-. tofore used as the means for raising and lowering the tone arm, and thereby avoiding the operating disadvantages and high maintenance requirements of devices having such a large 'cam disc; to provide a record holding center post for an automatic record changer of the type having a portion inclined with respect to the vertical, and ofiset shoulders engaging a stack of records at the center thereof; with means whereby the post is turnable about its own axis substantially one hundred and eighty degrees to faci itate the placing of the records thereon to provide in association with such center post, means for supporting the outer edge of the lowermost record of a stack of records at widely spaced peripheral points, thereby eliminating the tendency of the records to wobble when being released, and also eliminating the necessity of utilizing a spring or other means to hold the, records down; to provide in an automatic record changer utilizing such a center post, means engaging the periphery of the lowermost stack of records and shiftablerelatively to the center postto cause the autothe arrangement of the record supporting post matic release of the lowermost of a stack 0! records onto the turn table therebelow; to provide in an automatic record changer a reject button. which likewise functions as a support for the tone arm when in inactive position; to provide a switch mechanism which is automatically operated by a predetermined movement of the tone arm, preparatory to positioning the needle'of the tone arm in the initial playing position.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing means operative if the tone arm be held or moved during the operation of the automatic mechanisms, whereby to preclude breakage of any part of the automatic mechanisms, due to such inadvertent movement of the tone anism for shifting the follower out of the thread or track of the worm, whereby automatically to disconnect the various automatic mechanisms of the invention during the playing of a record.

Yet another object of the invention resides in the provision of a simple mounting for said worm on theunder side of the supporting plate and from this worm mechanism.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of the device showing the record changer unit removed from a housing or cabinet;

Figure 2 is a view partly in section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 with records addedand shown in cross section, and not shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing another step in the act of releasing a 12 inch record onto the turn table;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in Figure l;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device with portions broken. away to show .the means for driving the device;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line B6 of Figure 5;

Figure? is a vertical sectional view taken ,on the line. 'l'! of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on the line 88 of Figure 4, and-showing mechanismior actuating the tone arm;

Figure 9 is a view similar toFLgure 8, showing the mechanism in a different position;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective view.

at the under side of the device and showing the operating mechanism:

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the mecha- 'nism for actuating the record changer device;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a portion 01'- the record changer device: v I

Figure 13 is a fragmentary view similar to Figures 2 .and 3 but, showing the device associated with the changing of a -inch record;

Figure 14 is a detail perspective view showing a follower block and its associated lever arm;

Figure 15 is a partial front view of the device arm when the Figure 19 is a detail-fragmentary perspective view of a part of the device.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the invention comprises a substantially flat supporting plate 2, which may be of any desired construction and shape and adapted; if desired, to rest in a cabinet either flush with the top of the cabinet or set down therein so as to permit a closure or top to be moved into position to enclose the record changer, if desired. I

The mechanism of the record changer isin general mounted upon this supporting plate 2.

The mechanism comprises generally'a' rotatable turn table for receiving the records, an upstanding pin disposed centrally of the turn table and adaapted to project through the central opening of the records and having a construction and arrangement which causes a sequence of records to drop one by one onto the turn table, a shiftable tone arm with a pick-up cartridge adapted automatically to be moved into playing and non-playing position with respect to each I one of a sequence of records, a record release mechanism automatically operated to cause the lateral shifting of,-,..each one of the series of records so as to cause the same to be sequentially positioned on the turn table, and interconnecting automatic mechanism, whereby the prime mover or power force, herein shown as an electric motor, is started and the tone arm moved manuallyina predetermined direction, a sequence of records preliminarily positioned upon the upper portion of the central record holding pin, will be thereafter automatically posit oned on the turn table, and will be automatically played by the tone arm, the tone arm moving automatically into and out of record playing position synchronously with the movement, onto the turn table, of each record to be played.

In addition, the changer mechanism is mounted on the supporting plate, which permits any particular record so rejected and another record to be pos tioned and played, and all in automatic sequence. The invention set forth in the present application concerns various portions of the apparatus for carrying out the foregoing results.

In general, the tone arm 4 is mounted axially to swing aboutan upstanding tone arm pedestal 6 and disposed within is a sleeve 8 surrounding a tone arm pin 9, which sleeve I is rigidly provided at its upper end with a preferably sheet metalarm Ill rigidly attached to the upper end assess:

.in pushing upwardly on the tone arm whereby to take a portion of the weight of the tone arm and thus control the pressure on the pick-up needle 5. It is to be noted that the tone arm is preferably a die casting or formed of sheet metal. and includes spaced apart depending flanges ll, one of which is shown in Figure 7 which hide and house the mechanism within the under side of this tone arm, and add rigidity.

The sleeve! at its lower end has a collar 20 clamped to it by means of a screw 22 and the outer end of this collar 20 rigidly carries a downwardly depending pin 24, and also carries an inclined plate 26, which is bent laterally and downwardly out of the vertical to engage a mercury switch housing 28, as shown more clearly in Figure 10; This mercury switch is generally horizontally disposed and is pivoted at to a bracket :2 fastened to the under side. of the top plate 2. Therefore, when the tone arm is lifted vertically from the tone arm rest and moved inwardly to operate the record, such a movement immediately moves the diagonally depending plate 26 away from the mercury switch, thereby allowing the mercury switch to pivot downwardly on the diagonal surface of the retracting plate 26 so as to cause the mercury switch to start the electric motor 21. r

The starting motor 21 (see Figure 5) is preferably carried by the under side of the supporting plate 2. The electric motor drive shaft 29 is embodied in theelectric motor 21 (see Figures 4 and 5) and is provided with a driving pin 3i which engages the rubber tired periphery 34 of the friction wheel 36. As shown in Figure 5, there is an arcuate slot 38 formed within the top supporting plate 2, throughwhich the shaft Ill extends, and this shaft carries on its upper end a collar 42, which collar is formed on the I driving disk 36 and is fixed thereto. The shaft 40 passes throughregistering bores in two disc collars l4 and 16, which are spaced apart and overlie the slot 38 in the supporting plate 2. Thus, by means of the collars 44 and-l6, the shaft 40 may be arcuately swung in the slot 38, and at the same time the shaft is guided by means of the sliding of the spaced disk collars and 46 with relation to the intervening top supporting plate 2. By this means a rigid guide is provided for .arcuately swinging the shaft 40 in the slot 38.

A spring 48 is connected to the bottom of the shaft 40 and the opposite end of the spring is attached to a rigid post 50, in turn fastened to the stationary motor-supporting frame, whereby the spring normally tends to shift the vertical shaft 40 in its slotted direction to engage the inner vertical flange 52 of the turn table 54.

Inthis connection it is to be noted that the arcuately shiftable drive wheel has its periphery constantly engaging the vertical motor drive shaft, and that the spring 48 is the instrumentality that normally pulls the drive wheel 38 into normal, resilient driving engagement with the inner side of the vertical flange 52 of the turn table 54. In this connection the arcuate slot is as a center.

longer arm H0, and this latter arm, in turn, carries a substantially L-shaped actuator II2 provided with an accurate portion and havin finely cut threads H4. The short actuating arm I08 is slot, 68 extending therethrough, andwhich slot is adapted to form a keyway to engage upstanding pins 80 to form a keyway connection with a hub BTloosely surrounding the turn table center post hereinafter referred to. This hub 82- is in the form of a flange on an upstanding sleeve 64, which extends above the turn table 54 and is adapted to actuate the pin 24 depending from the clamping arm 20 hereinbeforeydescribed, and

which arm is adapted to be oscillated in a horizontal plane about the center pin 8. and by which movement the tone arm 4 is oscillated or moved horizontally toward or away from the center of the record. 4

A coil spring H6 is interposed between this a clamping arm and the collar I04 on the tone arm adapted to form a supporting sleeve for the record center post 66, hereinafter referred to, and also forms an internally supporting sleeve for the records. This sleeve 84 likewise has a depending sleeve-likeportion 66', which extends downwardly, and at its lower end entering a bearing 68 in a supporting frame I0 fixed to the under side of the supporting plate 2. This construction is shown in the Figure 1 of the drawings. This support has two side walls 12 which project upwardly on opposite sides of the bottom I4, the top 16 forming-a bridge-like portion which is suitably attached as by welding, or otherwise, to the underside of the table support 2.

Immediately surrounding that portion of the sleeve 66' which underlies the flange or hub 62, is a bronze bearing which is mounted in the upper portion I6 of the supporting frame I0, hereinbefore referred to. This bronze bearing 15 is stationary. Therefore, referring to Figure 8, it will be seen that the sleeve 66' with its downward extension is adapted to be rotated within the surrounding stationary bronze bearings 68 i and "and supported in the frame member 10.

Means is provided and driven by the turn table for operating the tone arm lifting mechanism and the record releasing mechanism. This comprises a worm I8 fixed to the sleeve 66 by means of a screw 80. Therefore, the worm is driven by the sleeve 66, and the latter isdriven through the keyed connection to the driving head 56. It will be seen that the under portion of the upper part of the frame 10 is cut away as at 8| to form a space above the rotatable worm 18, in which the follower 82 lies during the record playing movement of the machine. This permits the follower 82 to remain inactive, even though the Wormv 18 is driven during this operation.

Means is provided for normally maintaining the follower 82 in this space above the worm during the record playing operation, and this means comprises preferably a toggle latch 84 shown in Figures 8 and 9. The follower 82 is secured by a pivot 82' to the lever 85, the lever 86 being pivoted on a horizontal pivot 88 mounted on ear 90 formed from the base plate 2 and normally bent downwardly therefrom. A spring 92'has a central coil 88, one end 96 of which is made fast to the depending supporting car 90, and the other end 98 is attached to lever 86 to one side of the pivotal pin 88 thereof, and the arrangement of the spring is normally to force that end of the lever which carries the follower 82 in an upward direction so as to prevent it from engaging the worm I8. The opposite end of the lever 86 is twisted to form a ledge I00 adapted to engage a projection I02 formed on a collar I04 which is pinned at I06 to the lower end of the tone arm raising pin 9. This collar I04 is provided with a radially projecting, relatively short arm I08 and a diametrically laterally extending, relatively raising pin 8, which projects below the base support 2. This spring has its lower end coiled about the arm I08, and its upper end coiled about the vertical pin 24, and thus the spring normally tends to hold the arm I 08 in contact with the vertical pin 24, thus providing a flexible connection between these arms, so that, should anyone pick up the tone arm and move it horizontally and laterally during any operation Of the machine, this flexible connection would prevent breakage of parts. The function of this spring and these two arms I08 and 24 is to insure that, when the tone arm is moved horizontally, as, for instance, under the influence of the recording groove on the record moving the tone arm inwardly, or due to the actuating groove on the inner space of the record, the clamping arm 28 at'the base of the sleeve 8 will move the arm 24' laterally, which, in turn, will move the arm I 08 correspondingly since the arms are kept in contact by means of the spring 8, and the movement of this arm I08 will thence correspond-,

ingly move the arm III], which, in turn, will move the L-shaped actuator I I2 correspondingly. Thus this L-shaped arm moves inwardly toward the center of the record as the tone arm moves inwardly toward the center of the record during the playing of the record. The function of this L-sha/ped arm will now be. described.

Cooperatin with this L-shaped arm is a latch releasing mechanism shown in Figures 4, 10 and 11. This mechanism includes a relatively long rod II 8 (see Figure 4) rotatably mounted in the bearings I20 and I22, and flxed to the under side of the top plate 2. The outer end. of this rod II8 has a free end I26 extending at rig-ht angles thereto and directly underlying the reject Din I28. Also forming a part of the rod H8 is a downwardly depending member I45 having a flexible leaf spring I58 adapted to engage the arouate portion II 4 0f the arm I I0. The reject pin I28 is reciprocably mounted in the housing I30 on the supporting plate 2 (see Figures '7). This housing is counterbored to receive a spring I82 which presses upwardly on the reject pin I28 topped by the reject button I34, thereby clearly forcing the button upwardly and holding the button I36 on the lower end of the reject rod in v elevated position above the end I28 of the rod II8. This operation is such that by pushing down on the reject button I34, the pin I28 will push down on the operating head I36 to depress the free end I26 of the rod II 8. The inner end of this rod II8 carries a right angle portion I40 (see Figure 4), which directly overlies a flanged shoulder I42 (see Figure 8) 0f the latch 84, which is pivoted as at I44 on the supporting plate 2: This latch 84 has a rearwardly extending ear I46 forming a seat for a compression sprin I41, the opposite end of the spring I41 being positioned on a stationary depending lug I49 on the bottom plate 2. In addition, the latch 84 has a downwardly depending reset actuator I82 adapted to cooperate with the laterally extending pin I84 on the followerlever 88 By comparison of Figures 8. and 9, it will be seen that Figure 8 shows the latching mechanism in the position in whieh'the record is playing, and wherein the follower 82 is in position above thetrack on the worm. In this position the spring I41 holds the latch 84 in latching position,

thereby permitting the lever 88 to remain in raised position. In this position, as the tone arm moves inwardly, the L-shaped arm I I2 moving in the same direction engages an extending portion I88 of the latch arm I48, thussmoving the latch arm I I8 in its pivotal bearings I and I22, and thereby moves the end of the latch downwardly. This end I of the latch, since it overlies the end I42 of the latch 84, causes the latch 84 to move a slight distance downwardly to a position such that the end I48 of the latch which connects with the compression spring I41 is now raised above the pivotal point I44 of the latch, as shown in Figure 9, so that the compression spring is now able to shift the end of the a latch I42 downwardly to cause it to strike the lever 88, and thus automatically throw the follower 82 carried by the end of this lever 88 into the track of the motor driven worm 18, thereby to cause the arm I48 to move the latch operat- .4

ing rod II8, thereby effecting the tripping of the latch 84 to permit the power driven raising of the tone arm. It will be understood that the threaded portion of the rod II3, in conjunction with the leaf spring I88, acts as a ratchet which allows the rod II8 to move toward the center portion of the record, and reverse movement of the needle 8 in an eccentric groove I88 of the record causes a reverse movement of the arm II3, thereby causing the leaf spring I88 edge to catch on the threaded portion, thus causing the shifting of the arm. I48 to bring the latch actuating arm into operation.

When the follower 82 is engaged by the thread of the worm 18. it lowers the left hand end of theiever 88, thereby causing the right hand end Hill to raise, and in so doing causes the raising of the pin 9, which, in turn, raises the tone arm 4. When the latch mechanism shown in Figures 8 and 9 has been depressed, whereby to throw the follower 82 into the track of the rotating worm. the follower will be moved downwardly unt l the pin I84 on the lever 88 will strike the end I82 of the latch to force the end of the latch I82 downwardly, and thus reset the latch in its original position below the end I40. As the pin 8 of the collar I04 rises, the projecting hub I04 thereof contacts the cam I80 formed on the lower portion of the pedestal 8, which supports the tone arm sleeve 8 and the tone arm 4. This cam I80, during the raising of the pin 9, moves the hub I04 and arms I08 and H0 about the pin 8 as the axis, and therefore shifts the arm I08. it being remembered that this arm is maintained in contact with the pin 24, whereby the pin '24 is shifted arcuately. Since this pin is clamped by means of the collar 20 to the sleeve 8, the sleeve likewise moves about the pin as an axis, which, in turn, moves the tone arm 4 about the pin 8 as an axis, and thus the tone arm 4 is lifted away from the face of the record and is likewise shifted outwardly away from the center of the record to a position shown in Figure 17,. wherein the tone arm is out of the path of the next succeeding recordvthat will be lowered onto the turn table.

This outer movement of the tone arm is limited by shiftable stop means I83 which is selectively positioned, so that the tone arm and the needle 8 will in the next movement subsequently be positioned on top of the record disk at "a predetermined position in accordance with whether or not the disk is of any selective diameter, to-wit, as to whether or not it is a 10- inch or 12-inch record. The means I 88 for accomplishing this comprises a depending cam I84 (see Figures 10 and 11). This cam I84 is attached to a slide I 88 shiftable in a guide I88, and the slide I88 has its outer end provided with a projecting tongue I10 having a depending lug I12, to which is connected'a coil spring I14, which spring, in' turn, is connected to a rod I18 pivotally connected to the end of the lever III. In addition to the spring I14 (see Figure 11). there is provided another coil spring I 82 attached at one end to the tongue I 12 and at the rear end to the tongue I84 formed on the guide I88. The lever I18 is loosely pivoted in a slot I in the supporting plate Land the other end of the lever I18 is pivotally connected to a slotted portion I84 of a sliding member I88 on the record release member I88. This member I88 is mounted in a housing I 90 fixed to the upper portion of the supporting plate 2, and said housing is arranged to .provide a guide way for the slide member I88.

Attached to the forward end of the slide I88 is the record release mechanism, which is formed on the front of the slide I88 asan arcuate strip of metal I88, which is approximately between five and six inches'long so as to straddle a considerable portion of the periphery of the record. At its outer ends it is provided with recessed shoulders I98 and 200, in which shoulders a record may rest. These shoulders are upstanding and designed to push against a peripheral rim of the record so as to shift it forwardly. The fact that the release member I88 occupies or extends over a substantial portion of a record provides an arrangement that stabilizes the record, so that there is not so much tendency for the record to wobble and no need to hold the record down by means of springs or the like.

The means provided to position the point where the tone arm will be lowered onto a record will be controlled by two sizes of records-10- inch record and 12-inch record. Therefore, for the 12-inch record the tone arm must be lowered at a further distance from the center post than a 10-inch record. In thi device either a stack of 12-inch records can be played successively, or a stack of 10-inch records can be played successively, but they cannot be mixed in the same stack.

Freselected means are provided to accommodate 10-inch or 12-inch records, which means are manually adjusted before the machine is operated. To accomplish this, the arcuate record rest I98 is manually shifted to a forward or rearis providedand is formed proach 240, which helps to aline the apertures ward position, as shown in Figures 2, 8, and 13. As shown in Figure 2, the rest I96 is moved rearwardly to accommodate 12-inch records. By so moving this member I96 rearwardly, through the connection of the link I18 and the rod 6 to the slide I66, the cam member I69 is moved to the correct position to accommodate l2-inch records. If -inch records are to be played, as shown in' Figure 13, the record releasing member I96 is manually lifted slightly at its forward end and is moved outwardly from its housing I90, so that the shoulders I98 and 200 contact the peripheral edge of the 10-inch record. When the member I96 is pulled outwardly, it also pulls on the link 8, which fulcrums on the edge of the slot I80 in the table top 2, and pulls on-the rod "6 to shift the cam member I66 to a position to automatically drop the tone arm onto the outer edge of a 10-inch record.

During the raising and lowering of the tone arm and its associated parts, hereinbefore described, the rod IIO moves downwardly, thereby contacting the edge 202 and then moving downwardly and inwardly, due to the inclined edge 203 until it reaches the edge 204, at which point it drops downwardly. When this condition takes place, the bar I I0, which is connected to the collar I04 on the tone arm pin 9, will allow the with an inclined apin the records, and also provides a positive positone arm pin 9 to drop downwardly, thereby ord, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 12, wherein the under side of the support 2 is provided with a downwardly depending ear 206, which forms a support for a pivot 208 for a relatively long lever 2I0, which has its right hand end positionedin the path of the lever 86, which when it descends downwardly, due to the follower 82 moving downwardly in the thread or track of the worm I8, will contact the lever 2I0 to cause it to pivot about the pin 206, thereby causing the opposite end of the lever 2I0 to be raised. This end of the lever 2 I 0 is connected to a downwardly depending flange 2I6 of a member 2I8 pivoted at 220 in the housing I90. The portion of the member 2I8 that projects upwardly, engages the slide bar I86 which is slidably mounted in a track 226 formed in the housing I90 hereinbefore described. The bar I86 is provided with struck-out portions 228, which form a connection for the upper end of the member 2I8. A spring 230 having one end attached to the member 2I8, as at 232, has its other end attached to a pin 234 in the housing I90. Thus,.when the lever 2! is depressed by the follower lever 86, the opposite end of the lever 2I0 will raise and actuate the member 2I6 to move the bar I86 forwardly, and the bar I86, being attached to the arcuate member I96, which supports the lowermost record in the stack, will therefore move the lowermost record in a direction toward the central post, whereby to push the record oil the ledge- 236 and cause it to drop upon the turn table or upon the record which is already on the turntable. The remaining stack of records will then move downwardly along the inclined center post 66, the lowermost one being supported upon the shoulder 236. In addition, another shoulder'238 tioning of the lower record so as to position it with respect to the shoulder 296.

The center post 66 is provided with a flat or cut away portion 242, which forms a key when in contact with the pin' 2 which is positioned in the lower portion of the frame I0. When a series of records is to be loaded onto the device, the center post is manually raised to disconnect it from the pin-2, and the post 60 is swung around approximately degrees, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. After loading the post 60 with the stack of records, said post is again swung back into the position shown in- Figure 2, and the device is ready for operation.

The operation of the machine is as follows: A preselected series of recor is positioned on the center post 66, being either all l2-inch records or all 10-inch records, and, accordingly, the record selector bar I96 is manually adjusted to accommodate either group. Then the tone arm which is positioned atop the reject button, is pressed down manually, which thereby causes the reject button to be depressed, causing'a. tripping of the latch means, and thereby causing the follower 62 to be 'picked up by the worm, which, in turn, starts the cycling operation and the positioning of the tone arm on the proper groove of the record. After this has taken place, the tone arm is moved toward the center of the record by the spiral record grooves, during which time the cycling movement has ceased.

When the needle 5 on the tone arm has reached the center portion of the record, it enters an eccentric/groove, which causes the cycling operation again to be repeated, which includes raising of the tone arm and moving it (outwardly and upwardly so as to be out of the path of the downwardly ,projected record, which is being released by the release bar I96 actuated during the cycling operation. The tone arm is then again placed upon the record and the device continues to play until all of the records in the stack have been played, at which time they are all reclining upon the turn table. Due to the pivoting action of the tone arm, it will he raised as the stock of records on the turn table increases.

If it is desired to prevent the complete playing of a record, then the reject button is pressed and the cycling operation takes place, and another record is placed in position. I

Obviously the invention is not limited to the specific structural arrangement disclosed herein but is capable of other modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. In a record changer in combination with a support, a worm positioned on the under side of said support and having a right and left handed thread thereon, aturn table positioned on the upper side of said support, an electric motor for driving said turn table and said worm, means disposed above said worm providing a space thereabove communicable with a portion of the thread of said worm, afollower positioned in said space during the playing of the record 1 when on the turn table, lever means connected to said follower, a tone arm shiftably mounted on said support, tone arm lifting and lowering means connected with said lever means, and means actuated by a predetermined movement of said tone arm to shift the follower from said space into the thread of said worm thereby moving said lever.

2. In an automatic, record changer in combination with a supporting plate, a tone arm, means forming avertical pivot, the tone arm being shiftabie about .saidvertical pivot, vertically shiftable means associated with said pivot for contacting a portion of the tone arm for raising and lowering the tone arm, a turn table rotatably mounted on said support, a worm rotatably mounted on said support with a right and left handed thread thereon, an electric motor on said support for driving said turn table and 'said worm, a follower for said worm; normally positioned out of operative contact I with the thread of said'worm during the playing of a record, lever means connected with said follower, there being operative connections between said lever means and said means for raising and lowering-the tone arm, means' for shifting the follower into contact with said worm, and means for imparting an oscillatory movement to said tone arm.

3. In an automatic record changer in combination with a supporting ,plate, an electric motor mounted theron, a switch pivotally mounted on said support, a tone arm pedestal mounted on said support including a sleeve, 9, tone arm actuator connected to the upper portion of said sleeve and extending laterally therefrom, a, tone arm mounted for movement in a vertical plane'on and relatively to said tone arm support, a tone arm pin passing through said sleeve and adapted to engage the, tone arm to raise the tone arm vertically, saida sleeve having a laterally extending arm below 'said support, said arm including a switchactuator whereby, on movement of said arm, said switch is actuated to'start the electric motor, said arm having a depending pin, an arm on the lower end of said tone arm pin and adapted to connect with said depending pin, spring means for resiliently causing said depending pin and said last mentioned arm constantly to be in contact while permitting movement of said tone arm without moving said arm on said tone arm raising pin, said electric motor being energized upon closure of said switch by movement of said switchactuating arm when said tone arm is necting said electric motor with said tone arm pin for raising said tone arm pin, and means actuated during the raising of said tone arm for shifting said tone arm laterally.

4. In an automatic record changer in combination with a plate-like support, a turn table rotatably mounted thereon, a, worm mounted on said support, anielectric motor mounted on the under side of said support for driving said worm and table, a relatively long lever pivotally mounted on the under side of thesupport and having a. follower on the end of its longer arm and adapted to ngage and disengage from the thread of said worm, a tone arm support, a sleeve mounted therein for rotation about a vertical axis, a pin passing through said sleeve, a bracket on the upper end of said sleeve having a horizontal pivot,

a tone arm pivotally mounted on said horizontal pivot, said pin passing through said sleeve for,

engaging the under side of said tone arm to raise the same, means on the bottom end of said pin comprising a. laterally extending arm, said sleeve having an arm on the under side of said support and a pin depending therefrom -to engage said arm-on the bottom end of said pin, a second laterally extending arm on the bottom end of said pin having an actuator thereon, a spring actuated latch mechanism overlying the longer arm of said lever, said latching mechanism having a resetting portion, a pin on the lever adapted to engage the resetting portion, a latch actuator pivotally mounted on the under side of said main support, and means actuated by the movement of the second mentioned arm on the bottom of the tone 'arm pin adapted to engage the latch actuator to shift the latch thereby causing the follower on the lever to engage in the thread of the worm.

5. In an automatic record changer in combination with a main support, a turntable rotatably mounted thereon, a worm having a right and .left handed thread, the thread having an open end at one end of the worm, a follower adapted to enter the thread of the worm to move to one end of the worm and then back and then out of V engagement with said worm, a relatively long shifted laterally, means for automatically conrest for moving said follower into engagement lever pivotally connected to said support and car'- rying said follower, a tone arm pedestal mounted on said support, a tone arm shiftably mounted for movement in a substantially horizontal plane and shiftable vertically with respect tosaid support, means operated by said relatively long lever for shifting said tone arm bothvertically and substantially horizontally, a latch mechanism adapted to overlie the long lever, a latch actuator shiftably mounted on said support and adapted to overlie the latch to actuate the latter to cause the lever to move the follower into engagement with the worm, means actuated by movementof the tone arm for actuating said latch actuator, and a reject button actuator mounted on said support, and means actuated by said button for actuating the latch actuator irrespective of the playing movement of the tone arm.

6. In an automatic record player, a record receiving turntable, a spindle rotatable with said turntable and extending beneath said turntable, a spiral on said-spindle beneath the turntable and having a right and left thread secured to said spindle, a tone arm above the turntable, means for mounting said tone-arm for raising and lowering and swinging movements relative to the turntable, actuating means for raising and lowering and swinging said tone arm to position sam in initial playing position, said actuating means extending beneath the turntable a lever pivoted beneath said turntable and connected to said actuating means to raise and lower the tone arm, said actuating means including means automatically swinging the tone arm into initial playing position upon raising and lowering of the tone arm by said lever, a follower for said spiral and carried by said lever, a shiftable rest for said tone arm and means actuated by said shiftabie with the thread of the spiral whereby to efiect movement of the tone arm into initial playing position.

"I. In an automatic record player a shiftable tone arm, a tone arm supporting pedestal, a vertically movable plunger for raising and lowering said tone arm, said tone arm being mounted on said pedestal for swinging movement across the record, a rotary member journaled in said Dedestal and connected to said tone arm for swinging the tone arm, means for automatically rotating said member upon raising and lowering of said plunger, a crank operatlvely connected to said member, a rotary worm having right and left threads, a follower normally out of engagement with the threads of said worm, an actuator rod for moving said follower into engagement with the worm, a lever actuated by the movement of the follower along the worm and positioned to raise and lower said plunger as the follower traverses the worm threads, means carried by said actuator rod and positioned in the path of movement of said crank for engagement thereby upon movement of the tone arm in a playing direction to a predetermined position for actuating said rod to effect movement of the follower into engagement with the worm threads, a one-way yieldable abutment in the path of said crank and yielding upon movement of the tone arm in a playing direction but unyieldable when engaged by the crank as the tone arm is moved in a nonplaying direction, and means actuated by said one-way yieidable abutment for actuating said rod to effect movement of the follower into engagement with the worm threads.

8. In an automatic record player as set forth in claim 7 wherein manually operable means isprovided for actuating said rod to effect movement of the follower into engagement with the worm threads.

9. In an automatic record player a tone arm, a pedestal shiftably supporting said tone arm, a

plunger movable vertically in said pedestal to raise and lower the tone arm, a rotary member in said pedestal and connected to said tone arm, a rotary spiral having oppositely directed threads, a follower shiftable mounted for movement from a position out of engagement with the threads of the spiral into engagement therewith, a lever bearing against said plunger and pivotally mounted for movement in a direction to raise and lower the plunger, said follower being mounted on said lever, a rod carried by said plunger and peratively connected to said rotary member for swinging movement by said member, an actuator rod for moving said follower into engagement with the threads of the rotary spiral, said actuator rod having means forming an abutment in the path of the rod carried by the plunger for operation thereby upon movement of the tone arm in the playing direction to a predetermined position, and means forming on said actuator rod an abutment yieldable in one direction and positioned in the path of movement of the rod carried by the plunger, said yieidable abutment means being constructed to yield when engaged by the plunger carried rod as the tone arm moves in a playing direction and to actuate said actuator rod thereby moving the follower into engagement with the threads of the spiral upon movement of the tone arm in a non-playing direction.

10. In an automatic record changer, a platelike support, a turn table rotatably mounted above said support, means mounted on the bottom of said support and providing a stationary bearing spaced from said table, a rotary sleeve mounted in said hearing and projecting upwardly through a registering opening in the table support, a stationary record receiving spindle mounted in said sleeve and releasably secured to said bearing below the sleeve, an edge support for the records above the turntable, said spindle having an inclined portion for cooperating with said edge support to support a stack of records above the turntable, means for successively releasing records from said edge support for movement downwardly of the spindle to said turntable, said spindle adapted for release from said bearing and for swinging movement to permit removal of the records from the turntable without interference with said edge support, a worm secured to said sleeve, a follower shiftable into engagement with the thread of the worm, a shiftable tone arm, connections from said follower to said tone arm to shift the tone arm to initial playing position, connections from said follower to said record releasing means to operate the latter in timed relation with the shifting of said tone arm, and means for automatically shifting said follower into engagement with the thread of the worm upon movement of the tone arm in a playing direction to a predetermined position.

JAMES L. DONALDSON MORRISON.

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