Electromechanical selector unit

Claim 2

A selector assembly for an automatic phonograph comprising: a base means, a plurality of elongated magnetically susceptible members supported by said base means in a circular array with the individual members substantially parallel to the axis of the circle and having upper and lower ends and respectively corresponding to predetermined storage locations for a plurality of records, said magnetically susceptible members being movable radially inwardly of said array relative to said base means from a first position to a second position; and a magnetic actuator supported by said base means, said magnetic actuator being movable relative to said magnetically susceptible members in a path radially within said circular array spaced radially from said members, said magnetic actuator comprising an electromagnet with a generally U-shaped core having upper and lower legs respectively passing in close proximity to the upper and lower ends of said members, said electromagnet further having a coil thereon selectively energizable while said actuator is moving to move a magnetically susceptible member corresponding to a predetermined record storage location radially inwardly of said array and from said first position to said second position by bringing the magnetically susceptible member within the influence of a magnetic field emanating from said magnetic actuator without contact between said actuator and said members.

Claim 3

An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including: sensor means mounted for sensing said member when said members are in said second position to signal the position of a predetermined record storage location; and a member return means supported by said base means for moving said member from said second position to said first position after said members have been sensed by said sensor means, said sensor means and said member return means being mounted on an arm supported by said base means for movement relative to said members.

Claim 4

An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including: a plurality of contact means supported by said base means and associated with both said record storage locations and said members; and a contact arm mounted on said magnetic actuator for engaging said contact means to enable said magnetic actuator to be electrically energized through circuitry including said contact arm and a contact means associated with a predetermined record storage location to move a member associated with a predetermined record storage location from said first position to said second position.

Claim 5

An assembly as set forth in claim 3 further including: circuit means for transmitting electricity to said magnetic actuator through a predetermined group of said contact means when said contact arm engages a contact means of said predetermined group of contact means to move a predetermined plurality of members associated with a predetermined group of records from said first position to said second position.

Claim 6

An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including: sensor means mounted for movement relative to said members while sensing said members when said members are moved from said first position to signal the position of the predetermined record storage location; and a counter mechanism mounted for actuation by said sensor means in each cycle of movement of said sensor means relative to said members, said sensor means being moved relative to said members until said counter means has been actuated a predetermined number of times.

Claim 7

An assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein: said plurality of members includes a plurality of pairs of metallic members, each of said pairs of metallic members being corresponding to a record filing location and including a first member associated with a first side of a record positioned in the associated filing location and a second member associated with a second side of a record positioned in the associated filing location; a first sensor means being mounted for sensing said first member of the plurality of pairs of metallic members when said first member is in said second position; a second sensor means being mounted for sensing the second member of the plurality of pairs of metallic members when said second member is in said second position; a first return means mounted for moving the first member of the plurality of pairs of members from said second position to said first position; and a second return means mounted for moving the second member of the plurality of pairs of members from said second position to said first position, whereby said members are moved from said first position to said second position by said magnetic actuator and moved from said second position to said first position by the associated return means after being sensed by the associated sensor means.

Claim 8

An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including: a first group of contacts supported by said base means, each contact of said first group of contacts being associated with a plurality of said record storage locations; a second group of contacts supported by said base means with each contact of said second group being associated with a record storage location, said second group of contacts being formed into a plurality of subgroups of contacts with each subgroup of contacts being associated with a different contact of said first group of contacts; a first contactor arm connected to said magnetic actuator and positioned for engaging said first group of contacts; a second contactor arm connected to said magnetic actuator and positioned for engaging said second group of contacts; and control circuitry connected to said first and second group of contacts to selectively energize said magnetic actuator through a circuit including a contact of said first group, a contact of the sub-group of contacts associated with the contacts of said first group, and said first and second contactor arms to move a member corresponding to a predetermined side of a predetermined record from said first position to said second position.

Claim 9

An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including: a second magnetic actuator supported by said base means, said second magnetic actuator being selectively energizable to move a member associated with a predetermined record storage location from said first position to said second position by bringing the member within the influence of a magnetic field emanating from said second magnetic actuator.

Claim 10

An assembly as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising selector circuitry including selectively operable group selector means for providing circuits for energizing said actuator to change a predetermined group of said members from said first position to said second position, said predetermined group of said members being associated with a preselected group of records in a plurality of predetermined record storage locations, said circuits for energizing said actuator including at least one of the contacts of a firSt group of fixed contacts, a plurality of the contacts of a second group of fixed contacts, and first and second movable contactors.

Claim 11

An assembly for use in an automatic phonograph comprising: a base means; a plurality of members supported by said base means and respectively corresponding to a plurality of predetermined record storage locations in a record magazine; an actuator supported by said base means, said actuator being energizable to change a selected member from a first condition to a second condition; a first group of fixed contacts supported by said base means, each contact of said first group of fixed contacts being associated with a plurality of said members; a second group of fixed contacts supported by said base means, each contact of said second group of fixed contacts being associated with one of said members; a first movable contactor connected to said actuator and positioned for moving engagement with said first group of fixed contacts; a second movable contactor connected to said actuator and positioned for moving engagement with said second group of fixed contacts; and selector circuitry connected to said first and second group of fixed contacts, said selector circuitry being selectively operable to provide a circuit for energizing said actuator to change a member from said first condition to said second condition when said actuator is adjacent to a member associated with a selected record in a predetermined record storage location, said circuit for energizing said actuator including a contact of said first group of fixed contacts, a contact of said second group of fixed contacts associated with the member associated with the selected record, and said first and second movable contactors, said selector circuitry including selectively operable group selector means for providing circuits for energizing said actuator to change a predetermined group of said members from said first position to said second position, said predetermined group of said members being associated with a preselected group of records in a plurality of predetermined record storage locations, said circuits for energizing said actuator including a plurality of the contacts of a first group of fixed contacts corresponding to said group of members, a corresponding number of the contacts of a second group of fixed contacts, and said first and second movable contactors, said selector circuitry including a plurality of group selector means for providing a plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator to change a plurality of predetermined groups of said members from said first condition to said second condition, each of said predetermined groups of said members being associated with a preselected group of records in a plurality of predetermined record storage locations, each circuit of said plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator including at least one of the contacts of said first group of fixed contacts, a plurality of the contacts of said second group of fixed contacts, and said first and second movable contactors; and said selector circuitry further including switch means for selecting one of said plurality of group selector means to provide a selected circuit of said plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator to change a selected group of said plurality of predetermined groups of said members from said first condition to said second condition, said selected group of said plurality of predetermined groups of members being associated with a selected group of records.

Claim 12

An assembly for use in an automatic phonograph comprising: a base means; a plurality of members supported by said base means and respectively corresponding to a plurality of predetermined record storage locations in a record magazine; an actuator supported by said base means, said actuator being energizable to change a selected member from a first condition to a second condition; a first group of fixed contacts supported by said base means, each contact of said first group of fixed contacts being associated with a plurality of said members; a second group of fixed contacts supported by said base means, each contact of said second group of fixed contacts being associated with one of said members; a first movable contactor connected to said actuator and positioned for moving engagement with said first group of fixed contacts; a second movable contactor connected to said actuator and positioned for moving engagement with said second group of fixed contacts; and selector circuitry connected to said first and second group of fixed contacts, said selector circuitry being selectively operable to provide a circuit for energizing said actuator to change a member from said first condition to said second condition when said actuator is adjacent to a member associated with a selected record in a predetermined record storage location, said circuit for energizing said actuator including a contact of said first group of fixed contacts, a contact of said second group of fixed contacts associated with the member associated with the selected record, and said first and second movable contactors, said selector circuitry including selectively operable group selector means for providing circuits for energizing said actuator to change a predetermined group of said members from said first position to said second position, said predetermined group of said members being associated with a preselected group of records in a plurality of predetermined record storage locations, said circuits for energizing said actuator including a plurality of the contacts of a first group of fixed contacts corresponding to said group of members, a corresponding number of the contacts of a second group of fixed contacts, and said first and second movable contactors, said selector circuitry including a plurality of group selector means for providing a plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator to change a plurality of predetermined groups of said members from said first condition to said second condition, each of said predetermined groups of said members being associated with a preselected group of records in a plurality of predetermined record storage locations, each circuit of said plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator including at least one of the contacts of said first group of fixed contacts, a plurality of the contacts of said second group of fixed contacts, and said first and second movable contactors; and said selector circuitry further including switch means for selecting one of said plurality of group selector means to provide a selected circuit of said plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator to change a selected group of said plurality of predetermined groups of said members from said first condition to said second condition, said selected group of said plurality of predetermined groups of members being associated with a selected group of records.

Claim 13

An assembly for use in an automatic phonograph comprising: a base means; a plurality of members supported by said base means and respectively corresponding to a plurality of predetermined record storage locations in a record magazine; an actuator supported by said base means, said actuator being energizable to change a selected member from a first condition to a second condition; a first group of fixed contacts supported by said base means, each contact of said first group of fixed contacts being aSsociated with a plurality of said members; a second group of fixed contacts supported by said base means, each contact of said second group of fixed contacts being associated with one of said members; a first movable contactor connected to said actuator and positioned for moving engagement with said first group of fixed contacts; a second movable contactor connected to said actuator and positioned for moving engagement with said second group of fixed contacts; and selector circuitry connected to said first and second group of fixed contacts, said selector circuitry being selectively operable to provide a circuit for energizing said actuator to change a member from said first condition to said second condition when said actuator is adjacent to a member associated with a selected record in a predetermined record storage location, said circuit for energizing said actuator including a contact of said first group of fixed contacts, a contact of said second group of fixed contacts associated with the member associated with the selected record, and said first and second movable contactors, said selector circuitry including selectively operable group selector means for providing circuits for energizing said actuator to change a predetermined group of said members from said first position to said second position, said predetermined group of said members being associated with a preselected group of records in a plurality of predetermined record storage locations, said circuits for energizing said actuator including a plurality of the contacts of a first group of fixed contacts corresponding to said group of members, a corresponding number of the contacts of a second group of fixed contacts, and said first and second movable contactors, said selector circuitry including a plurality of group selector means for providing a plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator to change a plurality of predetermined groups of said members from said first condition to said second condition, each of said predetermined groups of said members being associated with a preselected group of records in a plurality of predetermined record storage locations, each circuit of said plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator including at least one of the contacts of said first group of fixed contacts, a plurality of the contacts of said second group of fixed contacts and said first and second movable contactors, and said selector circuitry further including switch means for selecting one of said plurality of group selector means to provide a selected circuit of said plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator to change a selected group of said plurality of predetermined groups of said members from said first condition to said second condition, said selected group of said plurality of predetermined groups being associated with a selected group of records; a third group of fixed contacts supported by said base means; and a third movable contactor mounted for moving contemporaneously with said first and second movable contactors and in engagement with said third group of fixed contacts; money receiving means connected to said selector circuitry and to said third group of contacts for controlling the operation of the automatic phonograph, said money receiving means including a register means which is actuated in a positive direction in accordance with the value of the money inserted into the money receiving means, said register means being actuated in a negative direction by the energization of circuitry interconnecting said money receiving means and said third group of contacts.

Claim 14

An assembly for use in an automatic phonograph comprising: a base means; a plurality of members supported by said base means and respectively corresponding to a plurality of predetermined record storage locations in a record magazine; an actuator supported by said base means, said actuator being energizable to change a selected member from a first condition to a second condition; a first group of fixed contacts supported by said base means, each contact of said first group of fixed contacts being aSsociated with a plurality of said members; a second group of fixed contacts supported by said base means, each contact of said second group of fixed contacts being associated with one of said members; a first movable contactor connected to said actuator and positioned for moving engagement with said first group of fixed contacts; a second movable contactor connected to said actuator and positioned for moving engagement with said second group of fixed contacts; and selector circuitry connected to said first and second group of fixed contacts, said selector circuitry being selectively operable to provide a circuit for energizing said actuator to change a member from said first condition to said second condition when said actuator is adjacent to a member associated with a selected record in a predetermined record storage location, said circuit for energizing said actuator including a contact of said first group of fixed contacts, a contact of said second group of fixed contacts associated with the member associated with the selected record, and said first and second movable contactors, said selector circuitry including selectively operable group selector means for providing circuits for energizing said actuator to change a predetermined group of said members from said first position to said second position, said predetermined group of said members being associated with a preselected group of records in a plurality of predetermined record storage locations, said circuits for energizing said actuator including a plurality of the contacts of a first group of fixed contacts corresponding to said group of members, a corresponding number of the contacts of a second group of fixed contacts, and said first and second movable contactors, said selector circuitry including a plurality of group selector means for providing a plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator to change a plurality of predetermined groups of said members from said first condition to said second condition, each of said predetermined groups of said members being associated with a preselected group of records in a plurality of predetermined record storage locations, each circuit of said plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator including at least one of the contacts of said first group of fixed contacts, a plurality of the contacts of said second group of fixed contacts and said first and second movable contactors, and said selector circuitry further including switch means for selecting one of said plurality of group selector means to provide a selected circuit of said plurality of circuits for energizing said actuator to change a selected group of said plurality of predetermined groups of said members from said first condition to said second condition, said selected group of said plurality of predetermined groups being associated with a selected group of records; a third group of fixed contacts supported by said base means; and a third movable contactor mounted for moving contemporaneously with said first and second movable contactors and in engagement with said third group of fixed contacts; money receiving means connected to said selector circuitry and to said third group of contacts for controlling the operation of the automatic phonograph, said money receiving means including a register means which is actuated in a positive direction in accordance with the value of the money inserted into the money receiving means, said register means being actuated in a negative direction by the energization of circuitry interconnecting said money receiving means and said third group of contacts.