Multi-message announcing system

Claim 2

In a message announcing system, a first message medium for storing a first message, a first message announcing means operative in response to a first operating signal to provide a message output in response to said first message, a second message medium for storing a second message, a second message announcing means operative in response to a second operating signal to provide a message output in response to said second message, a motion means for continuously moving both said first message medium and said second message medium relative to both said first message announcing means and said second message announcing means, a control means operative to provide a first control signal at a first predetermined time in response to said first message medium and said first message announcing means having a predetermined position relative to each other, and also operative to provide a second control signal at a second predetermined time in response to said second message medium and said second message announcing means having a predetermined position relative to each other, and operating means connected to be responsive to said first and second control signals and also responsive to a first message signal and a second message signal, said operating means being operative to supply said first operating signal to said first message announcing means in response to the occurrence of both said first control signal and said first message signal, and being operative to supply said second operating signal to said second message announcing means in response to the occurrence of both said second control signal and said second message signal.

Claim 3

Message announcing system as in claim 1, wherein: said first message medium and said second message medium comprise first and second message tracks on a recording medium, each of said message tracks having a certain maximum length to receive a recorded message of corresponding maximum duration; recording means selectively operative to record on at least one of said message tracks a message which may be any of a plurality of different lengths not to exceed said maximum duration; record indicating means responsive to the recording of said message by said recording means to provide a record signal condition corresponding to the actual length of said recorded message; message delivery indicating means responsive to the said operating signal for the said message announcing means associated with said one message track to provide a delivery signal condition corresponding to the length of message output provided by such message anNouncing means; and means responsive to said record signal condition and to said delivery signal condition and operative to terminate operation of said message announcing means when the length of message delivery corresponds to said actual length of said recorded message.

Claim 4

Message announcing system as in claim 2, further comprising: erasing means selectively operative to erase a previously recorded message from said one message track; erase control means responsive to a record signal condition to cause said recording means and said erasing means to become operative simultaneously for replacing a previously recorded message with a new message; and said erase control means operative in response to termination of said record control condition to immediately cause said recording means to become inoperative and to cause said erasing means to become inoperative at the conclusion of an erase time sufficient for erasure of a previously recorded message of said maximum duration.

Claim 5

Message announcing system as in claim 1, wherein: said first message medium and said second message medium comprise helical tracks on a rotating message drum operatively connected for rotation by said motion means; said message announcing means are angularly spaced around said message drum and are selectively engageable in message transducing relation with a corresponding helical track in response to a said operating signal; said control means comprises timing means operative in response to rotation of said message drum to provide a said control signal in response to each occurrence of a particular rotational position of said message drum; and each of said rotational positions bears a predetermined relationship to one of said angular spacings and to the starting point of a corresponding said helical track.

Claim 6

Message announcing system as in claim 4, wherein: said message announcing means are of a plurality of message announcing means which are equally spaced angularly around said message drum; said timing means includes a source of pulses which occur at intervals of time corresponding to the time required for a reference location on said message drum to pass between the angular positions of two adjacent message announcing means; and synchronizing switch means responsive to rotation of a said reference location of said message drum past a particular one of said message announcing means to provide said pulse source with a pulse synchronizing signal for each revolution of said message drum.

Claim 7

Message announcing system as in claim 4, wherein: each of said message announcing means includes a support member supported at said angularly spaced location in parallel relation to the rotational axis of said message drum, each said member being selectively axially movable adjacent said message drum; drive means mounted for rotation with said message drum and having threaded means; each of said support members having thread engaging means selectively movable into engagement with said threaded means to axially move said support member; and transducer means supported on each said support member for selective message transducing engagement with a helical track on said message drum.

Claim 8

Message announcing system as in claim 6, further comprising: means for rotating each of said support members in a first direction for engagement of said transducer means with said message drum and in a second direction for disengagement of said transducer means from said message drum; each said transducer means includes a first head, a second head, and positioning means for positioning the first and second heads in predetermined relation to each other on the corresponding helical track of said message drum; said positioning means including a first support means for supporting said first head by a first arm extending in the line of motion of said first head relative to said recording medium; a second support means for supporting saiD second head by a second arm extending parallel to said first arm and beyond said first arm to place said second head in said line of motion; and said first arm and said second arm being pivotable about a common pivot point on said positioning means.

Claim 9

Message announcing system as in claim 6, wherein: said message drum is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, and said threaded means and each of said thread engaging means are pitched to selectively move the respective said support means upwardly in response to engagement of a thread engaging means with said threaded member; and each said support member is supported for return by gravity to a lowermost position relative to said message drum, in response to disengagement of said thread engaging means.

Claim 10

Message announcing system as in claim 8, further comprising oil damping means associated with each of said support members to control the rate of said gravity return.

Claim 11

In a message announcing system; a rotating message drum having an axis of rotation and a surface; a recording means for recording a message on said surface in each of a plurality of helical message tracks displaced from each other along said axis of rotation; a plurality of message responsive means in message transducing relation with respective ones of said helical message tracks and separately and selectively operative for providing message outputs in response to messages recorded on said surface of said drum, each of said message responsive means having message enabling means which is separately and individually selectively operative to provide said respective message outputs, each of said message responsive means having a position adjacent said surface which corresponds to the position of one of said helical message tracks along said axis of rotation and which is displaced angularly from the positions of others of said message responsive means; a control means responsive to rotation of said drum to provide a drum position signal condition corresponding to the rotational position of said drum, said control means including first means responsive to a drum position signal condition corresponding to a predetermined rotational position of said drum and to the concurrent presence of a first message signal for causing one of said enabling means to be operative when said drum is in a first rotational position, and including second means responsive to a drum position signal condition corresponding to a predetermined second rotational position of said drum and to the concurrent presence of a second message signal for causing another of said message enabling means to be operative when said drum is in a second rotational position.

Claim 12

In a message announcing system; a rotating message drum having an axis of rotation and a surface; a recording means for recording a message on said surface in each of a plurality of helical message tracks displaced from each other along said axis of rotation; a plurality of message responsive means in message transducing relation with respective ones of said helical message tracks and separately and selectively operative for providing message outputs in response to messages recorded on said surface of said drum, each of said message responsive means having message enabling means which is separately and individually selectively operative to provide said respective message outputs, each of said message responsive means having a position adjacent said surface which corresponds to the position of one of said helical message tracks along said axis of rotation and which is displaced angularly from the positions of others of said message responsive means; a control means responsive to rotation of said drum to provide a drum position signal condition corresponding to the rotational position of said drum, said control means including first means responsive to a drum position signal condition corresponding to a predetermined rotational position of said drum and to the concurrent presence of a first message signal for causing one of said enabling means to be operative when said drum is in a first rotational position, and including second means responsive to a drum position signal condition corresponding to a predetermined second rotational position of said drum and to the concurrent presence of a second message signal for causing another of said message enabling means to be operative when said drum is in a second rotational position.