Patent EP0456464A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0456464A1
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EP
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Automatic changer for digital records
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1991-05-07
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-05-07
Abstract
Abstract An automatic changer for playing digital records containing music or other digitally encoded information has a loading station (12), a play station (18) and a discard station (22). A robot arm (26) individually engages the top record (14) of a stack of records stacked at the loading station through the center hole in the record and lifts and transports the record to the play station where it lowers the record over a reading head (19) for play. After play, the robot arm raises the record from the play station and transports the record to the discard station and releases it there. In an alternative embodiment, a carousel (212) containing a plurality of records rotates sequentially to position the records over the reading head. When changing records the carousel is lifted to raise a played record from the reading head, rotated to position the next record to be played over the reading head and lowered to lower the record to be played into playing position.
Inventors
- 👤 James T. Dennis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 10:35
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B19/00; G11B17/00; G11B17/02; G11B17/04; G11B17/05; A; A44; A44B; A44B19/00; A44B19/42; A44B19/60; G11B17/08; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49782; Y10T29/53; Y10T29/53291; Y10T29/53296
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
A digital record changer comprising: a record loading station (12) for receiving a digital record (14) to be played; a record playing station (18) for sequentially playing digital records (14) delivered thereto from the loading station (12); a record discard station (22) for receiving a digital record (14) that has been played at the playing station (18); and transporting means (26;212) for transporting digital records (14) from the loading station (12) to the playing station (18) and from the playing station (18) to the discard station (22). CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the transporting means (26;212) includes means for sequentiallyraising to a raised condition a digital record (14) to be transported from the loading station (12) to the playing station (18); means for transporting the record to the playing station in that raised condition; means for lowering the record to a playing level at the playing station; means for raising the record to the raised condition after play; means for transporting the record to the discard station in that raised condition; and means for lowering the record at the discard station (22).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
86 words
A record changer according to claim 1, wherein the loading station (12), playing station (18) and discard station (22) are arranged in a cyclic path around a central axis, and the transporting means (26;212) comprises driving and driven members (56,58;297,299) in frictional engagement with each other to form a friction clutch, and the raising and lowering means comprises cam means (72,74;272,274) whereby relative rotational movement between the driving and driven members is translated by the cam means into a raising and lowering of the transporting means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
92 words
A record changer according to claim 2, wherein the transporting means (26;212) comprises stop members (34,36,38;234,236,238) for obstructing the cyclic movement of the driven member (58,299) when each record (14) being transported is at each in turn of the loading, playing and discard stations (12,18,22), and thereby inducing relative rotational movement between the driving and driven members (56,58;297,299); and wherein the cam means (72,74;272,274) includes a cam portion for lifting the transporting means over the stop members at the beginning of each movement of a record from one station to the next.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
A record changer according to any preceding claim, wherein the playing station (18) includes centering means (132;332) whereby when a record to be played is lowered by the transporting means (26;212) at the playing station into frictional engagement with a rotary driving member (138;338), it is accurately centred by the centering means on the axis of rotation of the rotary driving member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
87 words
A record changer according to any preceding claim, wherein the loading station (12) comprises a spindle ( 16) for receiving one or more records to be played; the discard station (22) comprises a spindle (24) for receiving one or more records that have been played; and the transporting means comprises a robot arm (26) provided with record engaging means (28) for picking up a record at the loading station, delivering it to the playing station (18) for play, and releasing it at the discard station after play.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
65 words
A record changer according to claim 5, wherein the record engaging means (28) comprises means (130) for frictionally engaging the inside of a central aperture in the topmost record (14) at the loading station (12) when the robot arm (26) is lowered at the loading station, and means (131,166) for releasing that frictional engagement when the robot arm is lowered at the discard station (22).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
A record changer according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the transporting means (26) includes means (102-104) for establishing a dwell time with the robot arm (26) in its raised or partially raised condition over the loading station (12) before moving on to the playing station (18).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
69 words
A record changer according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transporting means comprises a table (212) having spaced record-receiving locations (214,216,218) thereon, and the raising and lowering means is effective to raise and to lower the table and all records (14) carried thereon during the transportation of the records from the loading station (12) to the playing station (18) and then to the discard station (22).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
63 words
A record changer according to claim 8, wherein lowering of the table (212) with a record (14) over the playing station (18) causes the record to be lowered onto a drive mechanism (338) and held in place on the drive mechanism by a rotable retaining head (228) of a vertically reciprocable record hold-down arm (226) that is positioned constantly over the playing station.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
64 words
A digital record player incorporating a digital record changer according to any preceding claim, wherein the playing station (18) includes an optical or magnetic reading head (19) for reading optically or magnetically readable digitally-encoded data on records (14) at the playing station; and optionally also includes a writing or recording head for recording data in digitally-encoded form on records (14) at the playing station.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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