Record positioning device

Claim 1

As an article of manufacture, a phonograph record handling device comprising means substantially non-visually aligning the central hole in the phonograph record with a spindle of a record player turntable made of magnetically responsive material and having a convex top surface, including; a holder block having a bottom record engaging surface, at least a portion of which is flat; and a permanent magnet rigidly mounted in said holder block having an outer dimension to fit snugly into the center hole of the record and perpendicularly protruding from said flat surface portion of the holder block by a distance at least equal to the thickness of the record to be positioned on the turntable; the record engaging surface area of the holder enclosing an area several times greater than the cross-sectional area of the permanent magnet taken in a plane parallel to the flat record engaging surface, said flat portion defining a record bearing surface located at least at the outer periphery of the record engaging surface to maintain the record in a plane at right angles to the direction of protrusion of said magnet to enable a firm, positive engagement of the record handling device with the record at the central location thereof and to substantially non-visually locate said block at the center of said record; wherein at least the flat portion of the bottom surface of the holder is provided with a shock absorbing surface to prevent damage to the record as the magnet is inserted into the whereby the positioning device will induce a magnetic flux in the spindle when the permanent magnet is brought into the vicinity of the spindle and, when associated with a record, will permit the user to substantially non-visually sense alignment of the center hole of the record with the spindle.