Self-supporting center spindle for phonograph record changers

Claim 1

IN A SELF-SUPPORTING CENTER SPINDLE FOR AN AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SPINDLE BODY COMPRISING A LENGTH OF THINWALLED EXTRUDED TUBING HAVING A PLURALITY OF INTERNAL LONGITUDINAL RIB MEMBERS FORMED INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND DISPOSED IN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RELATION TO DEFINE SPACES THEREBETWEEN, A PORTION OF SAID THIN WALL SHORTER THAN SAID RIB MEMBERS BEING REMOVED TO EXPOSE THE SPACES BETWEEN SAID RIB MEMBERS AND THEREBY FORM A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED VERTICAL SLOTS IN SAID SPINDLE BODY, A PLURALITY OF RECORD SUPPORTING FINGERS SLIDABLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID SPINDLE BODY AND DISPOSED IN CORRESPONDING ONES OF SAID SPACES BETWEEN SAID INTERNAL RIB MEMBERS, SAID FINGERS BEING OF A THICKNESS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID RIBS WHEREBY SAID RIBS ACT AS A CAGE TO CONTROL THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACING OF SAID FINGERS, SAID FINGERS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN SAID OPERATIVE POSITIONS WHEREIN THEY PROJECT THROUGH SAID SLOTS AND RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID SPINDLE BODY SO AS TO SUPPORT A STACK OF RECORDS THEREON AND SECOND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS WHEREIN THEY ARE SUBSTANTIALLY RETRACTED WITHIN SAID SPINDLE BODY, AND ACTUATOR MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SPINDLE BODY AND ASSOCIATED WITH SAID RECORD SUPPORTING FINGERS FOR MOVING THE SAME BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS.