Device for the operation of dictating machines

Claim 1

RECORDING APPARATUS COMPRISING, FIRST AND SECOND LIKE DICTATING MACHINES EACH HAVING A RECORDING MEDIUM AND A SOUND TRANSDUCER RESPONSIVE TO ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FOR RECORDING DATA ON SAID MEDIUM, SAID SOUND TRANSDUCER AND MEDIUM BEING RELATIVELY MOVABLE, AN EXTERNAL CONTROL UNIT INCLUDING AT LEAST A MICROPHONE AND CONTROL SWITCH, SAID EXTERNAL CONTROL UNIT HAVING CONNECTORS ELECTRICALLY COUPLED TO SAID MICROPHONE AND SAID CONTROL SWITCH, EACH OF SAID LIKE DICTATING MACHINES HAVING A LIKE SET OF RECEPTACLES FOR MAKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONNECTORS FOR EXCHANGING ELECTRICAL SOUND AND ELECTRICAL CONTROL SIGNALS WITH SAID EXTERNAL CONTROL UNIT, AN AUXILIARY UNIT FOR RENDERING SAID DICTATING MACHINES ALTERNATELY OPERATIVE, SAID AUXILIARY UNIT BEING DETACHABLY COUPLED TO SAID DICTATING MACHINES AND HAVING RECEPTACLES FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONTROL UNIT CONNECTORS AND HAVING CONNECTORS FOR ENGAGEMENT SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH SAID LIKE SET OF RECEPTACLES IN BOTH SAID LIKE DICTATING MACHINES, SAID AUXILIARY UNIT COUPLING SAID SOUND AND CONTROL SIGNALS TO ONLY THE OPERATIVE ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MACHINES AND EXERCISING CONTROL OVER SAID MACHINES SOLELY IN RESPONSE TO ONLY ELECTRICAL SIGNALS TRANSFERRED THROUGH ITS SAID CONNECTORS AND RECEPTACLES, AND MEANS IN SAID AUXILIARY UNIT RESPONSIVE TO AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL PROVIDED BY THE THEN OPERATING ONE OF SAID MACHINES REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RELATIVE POSITION BETWEEN SAID SOUND TRANSDUCER AND SAID RECORDING MEDIUM OF THE THEN OPERATIVE DICTATING MACHINE FOR RENDERING THE LATTER MACHINE AND THE OTHER OF SAID MACHINES RESPECTIVELY INOPERATIVE AND OPERATIVE.