Apparatus for automatically starting a rotatable member at predetermined positions sequentially

Claim 2

In a phonograph device having a record member movably mounted on said device and having recorded thereon a plurality of discrete sound sequences arranged to be separately reproduced, each of said sound sequences having a starting position which depends upon the position of said record member and which differs from the starting position of any other sound sequence, an indexing mechanism for moving said record member to said starting positions sequentially, said indexing mechanism comprising: means for moving said record member; first stop means carried by said record member; friction coupling means engaged with said record member for movement thereby; second stop means for stopping said coupling means after a predetermined increment of movement with said record member; third stop means carried by said coupling means; and means moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means coincident with the stopping of said coupling means by said second stop means.

Claim 3

In a phonograph device having a record member rotatably mounted in said device on a spindle and having recorded thereon a plurality of discrete sound sequences arranged to be separately reproduced, driving means mounted on said device and drivingly connected to said record member for moving said record member in a first direction an amount to reproduce one of said sound sequences individually, manually-operable means connected to said record member for positioning said record member to reproduce another of said sound sequences when said record member is again moved in said first direction, and indexing means on said device and movable into engagement with said record member for stopping said record member in a predetermined position when said record member is moved in said other direction, whereby, upon repeated operations of said manually-operable means, said discrete sound sequences are reproduced in predetermined order, the improvements comprising: first stop means carried by said record member; friction coupling means mounted in said device in operative association with said record member said coupling means including a plate having an elongated opening provided therein, said elongated opening encompassing said spindle, said coupling means also including resilient fingers carried by said plate and frictionally engaging said record member for movement thereby; second stop means for stopping said coupling means after a predetermined increment of movement with said record member; third stop means carried by said coupling means; and means moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means coincident with the stopping of said coupling means by said second stop means.

Claim 4

In a phonograph device having a record member rotatably mounted in said device on a spindle and having recorded thereon a plurality of discrete sound sequences arranged to be separately reproduced, driving means mounted on said device and drivingly connected to said record member for moving said record member in a first direction an amount to reproduce one of said sound sequences individually, manually-operable means connected to said record member for positioning said record member to reproduce another of said sound sequences when said record member is again moved in said first direction, and indexing means on said device and movable into engagement with said record member for stopping said record member in a predetermined position when said record member is moved in said other direction, whereby, upon repeated operations of said manually-operable means, said discrete sound sequences are reproduced in predetermined order, the improvements comprising: first stop means carried by said record member; friction coupling means mounted in said device in operative association with said record member said coupling means including a plate having an elongated opening provided therein, said elongated opening encompassing said spindle, said coupling means also including resilient fingers carried by said plate and frictionally engaging said record member for movement thereby; second stop means for stopping said coupling means after a predetermined increment of movement with said record member; third stop means carried by said coupling means; and means moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means coincident with the stopping of said coupling means by said second stop means.

Claim 5

The improvement stated in claim 2 wherein said means for moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means comprises: cam means including channel means extending into and out of said path of travel; and cam follower means affixed to said plate and engaged in said channel means.

Claim 6

The improvement stated in claim 3 wherein said second stop means includes an end wall in said channel means engageable by said cam follower.

Claim 7

The improvement stated in claim 3 wherein said record member is a disc-type phonograph record having a lead-in groove for each sound sequence, said lead-in grooves being circumferentially spaced about the periphery of said record, wherein said channel means includes arcuate portions for moving said tHird stop means circumferentially and straight portions extending radially inwardly from said arcuate portions for moving said third stop means out of said path-of-travel when said record is moved in said first direction and into said path-of-travel when said record is moved in said other direction and wherein said second stop means includes an end wall in said channel means at the junction of each arcuate portion and its associated straight portion.