US3854730A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Control mechanism for phonograph record player
Assignee: Sony Corp
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Filing: 1973-12-18
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Granted: 1974-12-17
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Expires: 1993-12-18
Abstract
Abstract In a phonograph record player having a turntable rotatable by a motor, and a tone arm for carrying a pickup with a stylus to track the groove of a record on the turntable and being mounted for swinging movement across the turntable and for raising and lowering of the tone arm relative to the turntable between an elevated rest position outside the perimeter of the turntable and an inner position corresponding to the engagement of the pickup stylus in the final non-recorded groove portion of a record; there is provided a control mechanism including a switch for controlling the motor, a switch actuator for turning-on the switch, and thereby operating the motor, in response to initial inward swinging of the tone arm from its rest position, a rotatable control member, preferably in the form of a gear, rotated from an initial position by the turntable upon the operation of a detector in response to the arrival of the tone arm at its inner position, a main lever connected with the rotatable control member, preferably by a pin on the lever riding in a cam groove on the control member, so that the lever is turned from a starting position to a displaced position and then returned to its starting position in response to a complete revolution of the control member, with turning of the lever from its starting position to its displaced position being effective to restore the tone arm to its rest position, and a member on the lever for delaying the turning-off of the switch until the restoration of the lever to its starting position in response to the return of the control member to its initial position. Such member on the lever may further carry a brake by which the return movement of the tone arm to its rest position is frictionally slowed.
Inventors
- 👤 K Takizawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 10:54
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B3/00; G11B3/02; G11B3/08; G11B3/085; G11B3/095
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
341 words
In a phonograph record player for use with a phonograph record having a spiral groove with sounds recorded therein leading to a final non-recorded groove portion, and which includes a frame, a turntable rotatable on said frame, a motor operative for driving the turntable, a tone arm assembly having a tone arm for carrying a pickup with a stylus to track the groove of a record on said turntable, and means mounting said tone arm on said frame for lateral swinging movement across said turntable and for raising and lowering of the tone arm relative to said turntable between an elevated rest position outside the perimeter of said turntable and an inner position corresponding to the engagement of the pickup stylus in said first non-recorded groove portion of a record; a control mechanism comprising switch means having ON and OFF conditions for rendering said motor operative and inoperative, respectively, switch operating means for establishing said OFF condition of the switch means when said tone arm is initially in said rest position and for establishing said ON condition of the switch means in response to at least a predetermined lateral swinging movement of said tone arm from said rest position, detecting means operative in response to the arrival of said tone arm at said inner position thereof, a rotatable control member rotated from an initial position by said turntable in response to operation of said detecting means, a lever connected with said rotatable control member so as to be turned from a starting position to a displaced position and then returned to said starting position in response to a complete revolution of said control member starting from said initial position, cooperatively engageable means on said lever and tone arm assembly for returning said tone arm to said rest position in response to turning of said lever to said displaced position, and means on said lever for preventing the establishment of said OFF condition of the switch means by said switch operating means when said lever is displaced from said starting position thereof.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
341 words
In a phonograph record player for use with a phonograph record having a spiral groove with sounds recorded therein leading to a final non-recorded groove portion, and which includes a frame, a turntable rotatable on said frame, a motor operative for driving the turntable, a tone arm assembly having a tone arm for carrying a pickup with a stylus to track the groove of a record on said turntable, and means mounting said tone arm on said frame for lateral swinging movement across said turntable and for raising and lowering of the tone arm relative to said turntable between an elevated rest position outside the perimeter of said turntable and an inner position corresponding to the engagement of the pickup stylus in said first non-recorded groove portion of a record; a control mechanism comprising switch means having ON and OFF conditions for rendering said motor operative and inoperative, respectively, switch operating means for establishing said OFF condition of the switch means when said tone arm is initially in said rest position and for establishing said ON condition of the switch means in response to at least a predetermined lateral swinging movement of said tone arm from said rest position, detecting means operative in response to the arrival of said tone arm at said inner position thereof, a rotatable control member rotated from an initial position by said turntable in response to operation of said detecting means, a lever connected with said rotatable control member so as to be turned from a starting position to a displaced position and then returned to said starting position in response to a complete revolution of said control member starting from said initial position, cooperatively engageable means on said lever and tone arm assembly for returning said tone arm to said rest position in response to turning of said lever to said displaced position, and means on said lever for preventing the establishment of said OFF condition of the switch means by said switch operating means when said lever is displaced from said starting position thereof.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
158 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 1; in which said tone arm assembly includes a first lever arm swingable with said tone arm, and said means on the lever for preventing the establishment of said OFF condition of the switch means includes a second lever arm pivoted on said lever and urged to a normal position relative to the lever, with said second lever arm being displaced from said normal position relative to said lever in response to displacement of said lever from said starting position of the latter; and in which said switch means is mounted on one of said lever arms and said switch operating means is disposed on the other of said lever means for establishing said OFF condition of the switch means only when said tone arm is in said rest position and said second lever arm is in said normal position relative to said lever in the starting position of the latter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
55 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 2; further comprising braking means on said tone arm assembly and said second lever arm which are cooperatively engageable during turning of said lever from said starting position to said displaced position of the lever for braking the return movement of said tone arm to said rest posItion.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
79 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 3; in which said braking means includes an annular member turnable with said tone arm in response to lateral swinging of the latter and a brake shoe on said second lever arm moved against said annular member by movement of said lever toward said displaced position of the latter for frictionally resisting turning of said annular member and for displacing said second lever arm from said normal position relative to said lever.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
81 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 4; in which said switch means is mounted on said second lever arm and has a switch actuating member, and said switch operating means is disposed on said first lever arm for engaging said switch actuating member and thereby establishing said OFF condition only when said tone arm is in said rest position and said second lever arm is in said normal position relative to said lever in said starting position of the latter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
59 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 2; in which said switch means includes an actuating member engageable by said switch operating means for establishing said OFF condition only when said tone arm is in said rest position and said second lever arm is in said normal position relative to said lever in said starting position of the latter.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 6; in which said switch means is mounted on said second lever arm and said switch operating means is disposed on said first lever arm.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 6; in which said switch means is mounted on said first lever arm and said switch operating means is disposed on said second lever arm.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 1; further comprising braking means operative during turning of said lever from said starting position to said displaced position of the lever for braking the return movement of said tone arm to said rest position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
126 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 1; in which a pinion is rotatable with said turntable, said rotatable control member is constituted by a gear having peripheral teeth engageable by said pinion with a gap in said teeth facing toward said pinion in said initial position of said rotatable control member, said gear further has a cam groove therein formed with a cusp, said lever has a pin thereon riding in said cam groove and engaging said cusp when said rotatable control member is in said initial position to dispose said lever in said starting position of the latter, and spring means acts on said lever to urge said pin into engagement with said cusp for retaining said rotatable control member in said initial position.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
89 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 10; in which said rotatable control member has clutch means thereon movable between engaged and disengaged conditions, said pinion has a drive member rotatable therewith and operable to act against said clutch means in said engaged condition of the latter for incremental movement of said rotatable control member from said initial position and thereby meshing said pinion with said teeth of the gear, and said detecting means is operative to shift said clutch means from its disengaged condition to said engaged condition.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
74 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 11; in which said detecting means includes a rod engageable at one end with said clutch means for shifting the latter from said disengaged condition to said engaged condition, and said tone arm assembly includes means acting on the other end of said rod in said inner position of the tone arm for causing said one end of the rod to engage and shift said clutch means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
55 words
A phonograph record player according to claim 1; in which said tone arm assembly includes lifting means operative for raising said tone arm to the level of said rest position, and actuating means on said lever for operating said lifting means in response to displacement of said lever from said starting position of the latter.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
131 words
A phoNograph record player according to claim 1; in which said means mounting the tone arm on the frame includes a rotatable shaft to which said tone arm is coupled, said tone arm assembly includes a drive member turnable relative to said shaft and spring means yieldably urging said shaft to turn with said drive member, and said cooperatively engageable means include an abutment on said lever engageable against said drive member to turn the latter in the direction for returning said tone arm to said rest position; and further comprising braking means operative during turning of said lever from said starting position to said displaced position of the lever for frictionally resisting turning of said shaft with said drive member, whereby to slow the return movement of said tone arm.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-16 | 1978-06-17 | 1978-12-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-16 | 1982-06-17 | 1982-12-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-16 | 1986-06-17 | 1986-12-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |