Selectable message voice unit

Claim 2

A phonograph apparatus comprising: a turntable; a record mounted on said turntable, said record having a plurality of record grooves with circumferentially spaced leadin portions; playing head means including stylus means for playing the record groove whose leadin portion lies at a predetermined circumferential position as the turntable begins rotating in a predetermined forward direction; means for urging said turntable to rOtate in a reverse direction and then in said forward direction at each record playing; and selecting means coupled to said turntable for preventing reverse rotation thereof past a predetermined rotational position, including a plurality of detents circumferentially spaced about the axis of rotation of the turntable, pawl means connected to the turntable for engaging a detent to prevent only reverse turntable rotation past the detent, said detents being movable into and out of a position to engage the pawl means, and retracting means coupled to said detents for moving any detent which is in a position to engage the pawl means out of that position when another detent is moved into a pawl meansengaging position.

Claim 3

The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein: said retracting means includes an elongated flexible member which strongly resists stretching, extending about the axis of rotation of the turntable, and a plurality of locating means spaced from one another along said member for confining regions of said member against deflection toward or away from the axis of rotation of the turntable, said detent means engageable with said flexible member at positions between said locating means for locally deflecting said flexible member inwardly.

Claim 4

The apparatus described in claim 2 wherein: said elongated member is constructed of resilient material and is coupled to said detent means to move them outwardly.

Claim 5

The apparatus described in claim 1 including: a toy housing substantially enclosing said turntable; a plurality of manually movable members mounted on said toy housing; and a plurality of means connecting said manually movable members to said detents, so that a predetermined movement of one of said movable members causes a corresponding detent to move into a position to engage the pawl means.

Claim 6

In a phonograph which includes a record-supporting turntable, a playing head which plays a selected one of several tracks of the record in accordance with the initial rotational position of the turntable when it begins turning in a forward direction, and means which urges the turntable to rotate in a reverse direction before it rotates forwardly, the improvement of track selecting means comprising: a detent-engaging member connected to said turntable to rotate with it at least in a reverse direction; a plurality of detents spaced from one another about the path of said member, each detent movable into and out of a position to engage said member when the member turns in a reverse direction, to thereby halt reverse rotation of the turntable; and retracting means responsive to movement of a detent into a position to engage the member, for moving any other detent out of a position to engage the member.

Claim 7

In a phonograph which includes a record-supporting turntable, a playing head which plays a selected one of several tracks of the record in accordance with the initial rotational position of the turntable when it begins turning in a forward direction, and means which urges the turntable to rotate in a reverse direction before it rotates forwardly, the improvement of track selecting means comprising: a detent-engaging member connected to said turntable to rotate with it at least in a reverse direction; a plurality of detents spaced from one another about the path of said member, each detent movable into and out of a position to engage said member when the member turns in a reverse direction, to thereby halt reverse rotation of the turntable; and retracting means responsive to movement of a detent into a position to engage the member, for moving any other detent out of a position to engage the member.

Claim 8

The improvement described in claim 5 wherein: said retracting means includes a resilient band extending about the axis of rotation of the turntable and engaged with the detents, a plurality of locating means spaced about the axis of the turntable and supporting portions of the band located between adjacent detents against deflection, said band being constructed of a material that strongly resists stretching, whereby the local bending of the band by a detent causes the rest of the band to move out of a deflected condition and to move any detent with it.

Claim 9

A phonograph comprising: a housing; a turntable rotatably mounted on the housing; a record mounted on the turntable, said record having a plurality of record grooves with leadin portions circumferentially spaced from one another; playing means including tone arm means mounted on said housing for movement against and away from the record at a predetermined rotational position about the axis of the turntable; motor means including a cord drum and spring drum fixed together and mounted coaxial with the turntable, a cord coupled to the cord drum and extending past said tone arm means and out of the housing to lift the tone arm meAns off the record and rotate the drums in a predetermined reverse direction when the cord is pulled and to allow the tone arm means to move onto the record when the cord is released and the drums rotate in a forward direction, and a spring coupled to the spring drum for rotating the drums in a forward direction; a clutch coupling said drums to said turntable to urge the turntable to rotate while permitting the turntable to remain stationary when prevented from rotating in reverse while the drums rotate in reverse; an elongated retracting member constructed of resilient material that strongly resists stretching, extending substantially in a ring about the axis of the turntable; a plurality of locator means spaced along said retracting member and mounted on said member; a plurality of detents positioned between said locator means along said retracting means, said detents mounted on said housing for movement toward and away from the axis of the turntable to locally deflect a portion of said retracting member and to be moved by the member; and pawl means fixed to the turntable to rotate with it at a position to engage any detent that is in a predetermined radial position, said pawl means constructed to abut a detent which it engages and stop the turntable only during rotation in a reverse direction.

Claim 10

A phonograph comprising: a housing; a turntable rotatably mounted on the housing; a record mounted on the turntable, said record having a plurality of record grooves with leadin portions circumferentially spaced from one another; playing means including tone arm means mounted on said housing for movement against and away from the record at a predetermined rotational position about the axis of the turntable; motor means including a cord drum and spring drum fixed together and mounted coaxial with the turntable, a cord coupled to the cord drum and extending past said tone arm means and out of the housing to lift the tone arm meAns off the record and rotate the drums in a predetermined reverse direction when the cord is pulled and to allow the tone arm means to move onto the record when the cord is released and the drums rotate in a forward direction, and a spring coupled to the spring drum for rotating the drums in a forward direction; a clutch coupling said drums to said turntable to urge the turntable to rotate while permitting the turntable to remain stationary when prevented from rotating in reverse while the drums rotate in reverse; an elongated retracting member constructed of resilient material that strongly resists stretching, extending substantially in a ring about the axis of the turntable; a plurality of locator means spaced along said retracting member and mounted on said member; a plurality of detents positioned between said locator means along said retracting means, said detents mounted on said housing for movement toward and away from the axis of the turntable to locally deflect a portion of said retracting member and to be moved by the member; and pawl means fixed to the turntable to rotate with it at a position to engage any detent that is in a predetermined radial position, said pawl means constructed to abut a detent which it engages and stop the turntable only during rotation in a reverse direction.