The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1910)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 51 LATEST PATENTS RELATING TO TALKING MACHINES AND RECORDS (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Washington, D. C, Dec. 8, 1910. Phonograph. Walter H. Miller, Orange, N. J., assignor to New Jersey Patent Co., West Orange, N. J. Patent No. 976,821. This invention relates to phonographs and particularly to phonograph horns and means for supporting the same, and to an improved arrangement whereby a permanently positioned section of the horn may be connected with the movable reproducer. It has been common heretofore to project the horn forwardly from the" machine and to support it movably upon a horn crane or equivalent device. In order to avoid the objections incident to this form of arrangement of horn and to permit the use of a horn sufficiently large to obtain the best reproduction, it has been proposed to mount a section of the horn rigidly or rotatively upon some portion of the machine or a bracket connected therewith and thus permit the horn to extend from the rear of the machine over the machine and in front thereof; but in all such devices of which it has been found necessary, in making connections between the horn so rigidly or rotatively mounted and the neck of the phonograph reproducer which in the phonograph and allied talking machines travels in a straight line longitudinally of the machine, to provide a telescopic connection or its equivalent so that the communication between the reproducer neck and the permanently positioned horn section may be maintained notwithstanding the movement of the reproducer. These telescopic or equivalent connections have been so arranged that bending and twisting stresses have been imposed upon the telescoping parts. In a device constructed in accordance with improvements all such bending and twisting and similar stresses are eliminated and the telescopic connection is enabled to perform its function without stresses or strain of any kind. This result is accomplished by rigidly and permanently connecting a tube, preferably cylindrical in form and having the elements of its walls parallel to one another, in such a I \> |g_J-£U position that its longitudinal axis is parallel to the path traversed by the phonograph reproducer in its moveto the record surface. One communicates with the perportion of the horn or ment transversely end of this tube manently positioned megaphone while a tapered telescoping section is connected with the neck of the phonograph reproducer and travels within the cylindrical tube as the reproducer moves to and fro. Since the travel of the reproducer is in a line parallel to the principal axis of the fixed tube, the member connecting the tube to the reproducer neck simply slides back and forth in the said fixed tube in straight lines without creating any stress or strain of any nature. It is desirable that the hollow member which slides in the fixed tube be so arranged that it can be disconnected from the neck of the reproducer, and for this reason the said sliding hollow member is constructed in such a fashion that it is capable of universal motion with respect to the tube wherein it slides. Any form of construction which will secure this result may be used within the scope of this invention, but it is preferred to make the sliding member tapering in form, the smaller end being that communicating with the reproducer neck and having the edges around the opening in its larger end turned* inward somewhat so as to form in this neighborhood what is substantially a ball joint. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevational view, showing improved horn and connections applied to a phonograph, which latter is shown in clotted lines; and Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view, showing the slidable member for connecting the fixed tube and the reproducer neck in its raised position in which it can be disconnected from the neck of the reproducer. Phonograph Sound Box. Anton F. Schonwetterm, Cleveland, O. Pattern No. 976,502. This invention relates to phonographs of the type having a plurality of diaphragms and horns. The object of this invention is to effect a duplication of the sound vibrations created by a single stylus or needle operated through a record, by causing the vibrations so created to act on a plurality— in the case shown, four — diaphragms, and vibrating them simultaneously in their respective sound chambers, a«d providing each individual sound chamber with a separate sound conducting tube. This invention consists in a plurality of diaphragms mounted and operated in separate sound chambers connected together so as to vibrate in unison, and a single stylus mechanism so connected that it will operate to vibrate all of the diaphragms, and in providing a separate chamber for each diaphragm, which constitutes its sound box, and providing also means such as tubes leading from said sound boxes respectively, to which may be attached horns if found desirable. In the drawings, Figure 1 is' a view in side elevation illustrating the construction of the sound carrying tubes and their relation to their frame and mountings, also showing the multiple sound box and the manner of mounting the same, and the ends of the tubes. Fig. 2 is a view partly in section, showing the internal construction of this sound box with the several diaphragms mounted therein, the manner of connecting said diaphragms to each other and the connection of the stylus with said diaphragms. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken through lines 2 — 2 Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view looking at the apparatus from the upper side, and illustrating the assemblage of the different tubes and the manner of operation of the device as a whole for the purpose of causing the stylus to follow the record without impairing in any way the vibrations. Process of Duplicating Talking Machine Records. Thomas A. Edison, Llewellyn Park, Orange, N. J. Patent No. 975,339. This invention relates to an improved process for duplicating talking machine records of the disc type and preferably in which the record itself exists as a sinuous groove cut or otherwise formed in a wax-like material by the action of a suitable stylus actuated by sound wavs and vibrating in a plane parallel with the recording surface. At present such records are dupl'cated by first coating the original master with extremely finely-divided graphite and electro-plating the same to form a matrix, which is then separated from the master and employed to impress a suitable hot plastic material which, during the pressing operation, takes the proper disc-like form. Such a process is objectionable on account of the expense of making the matrices by electro-plating and the uncertainty of that operation. Furthermore, in separating the ma trix from the master the latter is generally broken or its record surface injured, and since the life of the matrix is not long, the surface being in a short time affected by the hot plastic material, it becomes necessary, before a fresh matrix can be secured, to make a new master, which is expensive and tedious. The objects of the invention are to provide a very cheap and effective process for the purpose, in which electro-plating is dispensed with, and a very superior and durable matrix is secured so that the resulting duplicates are of a high order. Furthermore, in the separation of the matrix, the surface of the master will not be injured in the slightest degree, so that the master may be preserved indefinitely and any desired number of matrices made therefrom. Broadly stated the improved process consists in first coating a suitable master (obtained by recording upon a wax-like blank in any suitable and ordinary way) with an excessively thin layer of extremely finely divided material that is not greatly sa?.s water repellent, if sr— — ) at aI1> tnen m j , .,£ . flowing over the f ^ ~7\ P~ " ~j [V record surface an emulsion of an ext r e m e 1 y finelydivided cement, preferably Portland cement, then in allowing the cement to set so as to form a perfect matrix of the record surface, then in separating the matrix from the master, and in finally obtaining duplicate copies from the matrix, preferably by impressing the same upon and into a suitable hot plastic material, as with the art as now practised with electro-plated matrices. Figure 1 represents a section of a part of the master on a greatly enlarged scale ; Fig. 2, a similar view on the same scale, of the same, showing the preliminary coating ; Fig. 3, a similar view on the same scale, illustrating the cement material in position before separating the matrix from the master ; Fig. 4, a similar view, on a much smaller scale, illustrating more clearly the casting of the matrix ; Fig. 5, a similar view showing the matrix in position to impress the hot plastic material, and Fig. G, a similar view after the impression has been effected. Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a phonograph reproducer constructed in accordance with the invention, and Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 — 2 of Fig. 1. Diaphragm for Phonographs. Peter Weber, Orange, N. J., assignor to New Jersey Patent Co., West Orange, N. J. Patent No. 975,377. In order to secure the correct reproduction of sounds by means of a vibrating diaphragm, it is desirable that means be provided for putting the diaphragm to be vibrated under an initial tension. Various means, extraneous to the diaphragm itself, such as springs, weights and the like, have been resorted to for this purpose. It has been discovered that very desirable results may be attained by so mounting the diaphragm in a sound box that it is kept in a state of tension due to the mode in which it is fastened therein, and without resorting to any extraneous tensioning devices. An object of the present invention is to provide means for thus putting and maintaining the diaphragm under tension. One means which is found to be effectual is to so form the diaphragm that the clamping pressure will be applied to its opposite faces, at different distances from its center. A preferable mode of obtaining this result is to provide the margin of the diaphragm with a flange extending at an angle away from its general surface, so that when the edge of the diaphragm is clamped in place, clamping pressure will be applied on one face of the diaphragm at the outer margin of this flange and on its other face pressure will be applied at the base of the flange. Since the base of the flange is a short distance nearer the center of the diaphragm than its outer edge, this