Pushbutton radio receiver including an improved manual tuning shaft coupling and decoupling assembly

Claim 2

A pushbutton radio receiver including a tuner portion having a plurality of stationary tuning coils mounted therein, a plurality of tuning cores mounted for movement with respect to said coils for changing the frequency received by said radio receiver, a plurality of pushbuttons mounted in said tuner portion and being manually depressible, means coupling said pushbuttons and said cores for movement of the latter to predetermined positions with respect to said coils in response to the depression of said pushbuttons, manual tuning means including a rotatable tuning shaft for moving said cores with respect to said coils to alter the frequency received by said radio receiver in response to the rotation of said manual tuning shaft, a drive shaft mounted for rotation in said tuner portion, coupling means for coupling said manual tuning shaft and drive shaft, said drive shaft being rotatable thereby in Response to the rotation of said manual tuning shaft and being coupled to said cores for moving the latter with respect to said coils in response to the rotation of said drive shaft, said coupling means including first and second clutch discs mounted on said drive shaft for rotation thereabout, said first clutch disc being coupled to said manual tuning shaft and rotatable on said drive shaft in response to the rotation of said manual tuning shaft, a flexible drive disc mounted on and attached to said drive shaft for rotation therewith, said first and second clutch discs being on opposite sides of said drive disc on said rotatable drive shaft and being normally urged into driving engagement therewith for imparting rotational force thereto in response to the rotation of said manual tuning shaft for altering the frequency received by said radio receiver and declutch means movable between a first and second position by the depression of one of said pushbuttons, said declutch means being coupled to said shaft coupling means and disengaging said clutch discs with respect to said flexible drive disc in response to the depression of said pushbutton to decouple said manual tuning shaft while said pushbutton is depressed.

Claim 3

A pushsbutton radio receiver as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flexible disc is connected fixedly at the center thereof to said drive shaft and is flexible at the periphery thereof, and wherein said declutch means is mounted for engagement with said second clutch disc and is resiliently biased into said first position, whereby said declutch means provides the necessary force against said second clutch disc to move the latter into engagement with said flexible disc thereby moving said first and second clutch discs into frictional engagement with said flexible disc.

Claim 4

A pushbutton radio receiver as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first clutch disc includes a crown gear mounted for rotation on and about said drive shaft, one surface of said crown gear including high friction material for engagement with said flexible disc, wherein said second clutch disc also includes a high friction materail on one surface thereof for engagement with said flexible disc and on the opposite surface thereof, a necked-down portion having a circumferential reces formed therein and wherein said declutch means includes a projection extending into said circumferential recess, whereby movement of said declutch means imparts movement to said second clutch disc along said drive shaft.

Claim 5

A pushbutton radio receiver as claimed in claim 3 wherein said manual tuning shaft is of a one-piece construction and mounted in said tuner portion at a predetermined location and wherein said manual tuning shaft includes gear means at the free end thereof positioned for driving engagement with said crown gear, whereby upon rotation of said tuning shaft, said crown gear is rotated on said drive shaft.

Claim 6

A pushbutton radio receiver including a tuner chassis having a plurality of stationary tuning coils mounted therein, a plurality of tuning cores mounted for movement with respect to said coils for altering the frequency received by said radio receiver, a plurality of pushbuttons mounted in said chassis and movable by manual depression thereof, means coupling said pushbuttons and cores for moving the latter to preselected positions with respect to said coils upon depression of predetermined ones of said pushbuttons, manual tuning means including a manually rotatable tuning shaft and a rotatable drive shaft, means coupling said shafts for rotation of the drive shaft in response to the rotation of said manual tuning shaft, said drive shaft being coupled to said pushbutton and core coupling means for moving the latter to in turn move said cores with respect to said tuning coils in response to the rotation of said manual tuning shaft and declutch means including a declutch member movable between first and second positions and being resiliently biased into said first position, said declutch member beinG movable from said first to said second position upon depression of one of said plurality of pushbuttons to disengage said shaft coupling means thereby preventing movement of said drive shaft by said manual tuning shaft while said pushbutton is depressed, said shaft coupling means including first and second clutch members mounted on said rotatable drive shaft for rotation thereon, said second clutch member including means for engaging said manual tuning shaft and a flexible disc member mounted on and attached to said rotatable drive shaft for rotation therewith, said flexible disc member being mounted between said clutch members, said declutch member normally engaging said first clutch member to urge the latter into engagement with said flexible disc member, whereby the latter is held tightly between said first and second clutch members so that rotation of said manual tuning shaft is imparted therethrough to drive said drive shaft rotatably, said declutch member disengaging said first clutch member from said flexible disc member upon depression of one of said pushbuttons to decouple said first and second clutch members and said flexible disc thereby preventing rotation of said rotatable drive shaft by said manual tuning shaft while said pushbutton is depressed.

Claim 7

A pushbutton radio receiver including a tuner chassis having a plurality of stationary tuning coils mounted therein, a plurality of tuning cores mounted for movement with respect to said coils for altering the frequency received by said radio receiver, a plurality of pushbuttons mounted in said chassis and movable by manual depression thereof, means coupling said pushbuttons and cores for moving the latter to preselected positions with respect to said coils upon depression of predetermined ones of said pushbuttons, manual tuning means including a manually rotatable tuning shaft and a rotatable drive shaft, means coupling said shafts for rotation of the drive shaft in response to the rotation of said manual tuning shaft, said drive shaft being coupled to said pushbutton and core coupling means for moving the latter to in turn move said cores with respect to said tuning coils in response to the rotation of said manual tuning shaft and declutch means including a declutch member movable between first and second positions and being resiliently biased into said first position, said declutch member beinG movable from said first to said second position upon depression of one of said plurality of pushbuttons to disengage said shaft coupling means thereby preventing movement of said drive shaft by said manual tuning shaft while said pushbutton is depressed, said shaft coupling means including first and second clutch members mounted on said rotatable drive shaft for rotation thereon, said second clutch member including means for engaging said manual tuning shaft and a flexible disc member mounted on and attached to said rotatable drive shaft for rotation therewith, said flexible disc member being mounted between said clutch members, said declutch member normally engaging said first clutch member to urge the latter into engagement with said flexible disc member, whereby the latter is held tightly between said first and second clutch members so that rotation of said manual tuning shaft is imparted therethrough to drive said drive shaft rotatably, said declutch member disengaging said first clutch member from said flexible disc member upon depression of one of said pushbuttons to decouple said first and second clutch members and said flexible disc thereby preventing rotation of said rotatable drive shaft by said manual tuning shaft while said pushbutton is depressed.

Claim 8

A pushbutton radio receiver as claimed in claim 5 wherein said tuner chassis further includes resilient biasing means for biasing said declutch member into said first position, said biasing means providing the force necessary to maintain said clutch members in engagement with said flexible disc and wherein said declutch member includes cam means positioned for engagement with said pushbuttons upon depression thereof for driving said declutch means from said first to said second position thereby decoupling said clutch members and said flexible disc.

Claim 9

A pushbutton radio receiver as claimed in claim 5 wherein said second clutch member includes a circular gear member mounted on said drive shaft for rotation thereon, said gear member including on a first surface thereof a high friction material for engagement with said flexible disc member and wherein said first clutch member includes a disc member mounted on said drive shaft having on a first surface thereof a high friction material for engagement with said flexible disc member, said first and second clutch members normally being urged into frictional engagement with said flexible disc member for driving the latter and said rotatable shaft upon rotation of said second clutch member, and wherein said manual tuning shaft includes gear means at a free end thereof positioned for engagement with the circular gear member of said second clutch member whereby upon rotation of said manual tuning shaft said second clutch member is rotated on said drive shaft.