Head positioning mechanism for recorded announcement apparatus

Claim 2

Apparatus for delivering a first recorded message and a second recorded message wherein said messages are recorded on a movable recording medium and wherein message read head means is traversed in a first direction along said movable recording medium for delivery of the first message and is traversed in a second direction along said movable recording medium for delivery of the second message, comprising: first movement means operative in response to movement of said recording medium for traversing said head means in the first direction along said movable recording medium, for delivery of the first message; second movement means operative in response to movement of said recording medium for traversing said head means in the second direction along said movable recording medium, for delivery of the second message; and third movement means selectively operative in response to movement of said recording medium to maintain said head means in nontraversing relation with said moving recording medium.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising: read head traverse means operatively associated with said head means and operative in response to said first movement means, said second movement means, and said third movement means for selectively traversing said head means in either of said directions along said recording medium.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 2, further comprising: control means operatively associated with said traverse means to enable said traverse means to be selectively responsive to said third movement means to maintain said head means in said nontraversing relationship.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein: said first movement means, second movement means, and third movement means are disposed to interconnect with each other at certain locations relative to said recording medium; and said traverse means is operative to transfer from operative relation with said first movement means to operative relation with said second movement means at a first interconnection location, and is additionally selectively operative to transfer from operative relation with said second movement means to operative relation with said third movement means at a second interconnection location.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 4, further comprising: control means operatively associated with said traverse means, said control means being selectively operable to a first state to cause said traverse means to transfer from operative relation with said second movement means to operative relation with said third movement means at said second interconnection location, and selectively operable to a second state to cause said traverse means to transfer from operative relation with said second movement means to operative relation with said first movement means at said second interconnection location.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein: said movable recording medium comprises rotatable recording means having said first message recorded on at least one track disposed on said recording means to spiral in a first direction and having said second message recorded on at least one track disposed on said recording means to spiral in a second direction; said first movement means comprises a first spiral guide means defined on said recording means in predetermined spatial relation thereon with respect to said first message spiral track; said second movement means comprises a second spiral guide means defined on said recording means in predetermined spatial relation thereon with respect to said second message spiral track and interconnected with said first spiral means; said third movement means comprises third guide means defined in dwell relation on said recording; said head traverse means comprises follower means operative to follow along said guide means; and said follower means is operatively connected to said head means to move said head means in message transducing relation with said first and second message spiral tracks, respectively.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 6, wherein: said second spiral guide means has an exit end, said first spiral guide means has an entry end disposed adjacent said exit end of said second spiral guide means, and said third guide means has an access portion which is common to both said second spiral guide means exit end and said first spiral guide means entry end.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 7, further comprising: control means operatively associated with said follower means and selectively operable to bias said follower means in a first direction causing said follower means to enter said third guide means access portion following departure of said follower means from said second spiral guide means exit end, and to bias said follower means in a second direction causing said follower means to enter said first spiral guide means entry end following departure of said follower means from said second spiral guide means exit end.

Claim 10

In an apparatus for announcing time and advertisements or the like wherein a recording cylinder has the time announcements recorded in a series of spiral tracks on its surface at one of its ends and the advertisements recorded in reverse spiral tracks on its surface at its other end and reading heads are moveable along the length of the cylinder as the cylinder rotates to transcribe the announcements from the spiral tracks, the improvement therein of an endless slot defined in the surface of the recording cylinder intermediate the ends of the cylinder, and a slot follower inserted into said slot and connected to said transcribing heads to move to the transcribing heads along the length of the recording cylinder, said endless slot comprising a first portion extending about substantially the entire circumference of said recording cylinder and shaped in a spiral along the length of the recording cylinder in one direction, a second portion extending about substantially the entire circumference of said recording cylinder and shaped in a reverse spiral along the length of the recording cylinder in the other direction, and a third portion extending substantially the entire circumference of said recording cylinder and shaped to extend substantially in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said recording cylinder, whereby when said recording cylinder rotates said slot follower moves said reading heads in one direction along the length of the recording cylinder during one rotation of the recording cylinder, moves the reading heads in the opposite direction along the length of the recording cylinder during the second rotation of the recording cylinder, and maintains the reading heads stationary during the third rotation of the recording cylinder.

Claim 11

In an apparatus for announcing time and advertisements or the like wherein a recording cylinder has the time announcements recorded in a series of spiral tracks on its surface at one of its ends and the advertisements recorded in reverse spiral tracks on its surface at its other end and reading heads are moveable along the length of the cylinder as the cylinder rotates to transcribe the announcements from the spiral tracks, the improvement therein of an endless slot defined in the surface of the recording cylinder intermediate the ends of the cylinder, and a slot follower inserted into said slot and connected to said transcribing heads to move to the transcribing heads along the length of the recording cylinder, said endless slot comprising a first portion extending about substantially the entire circumference of said recording cylinder and shaped in a spiral along the length of the recording cylinder in one direction, a second portion extending about substantially the entire circumference of said recording cylinder and shaped in a reverse spiral along the length of the recording cylinder in the other direction, and a third portion extending substantially the entire circumference of said recording cylinder and shaped to extend substantially in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said recording cylinder, whereby when said recording cylinder rotates said slot follower moves said reading heads in one direction along the length of the recording cylinder during one rotation of the recording cylinder, moves the reading heads in the opposite direction along the length of the recording cylinder during the second rotation of the recording cylinder, and maintains the reading heads stationary during the third rotation of the recording cylinder.