US 4,076,257 AGranted

Apparatus for supporting phonographic tone arms

AssigneeNippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorMotoi Iyeta

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Abstract

On a phonographic disc player, a carriage for supporting a phonographic tone arm is movable along a pair of mutually parallel front and back guide rails and an elongated cover arranged between the guide rails while the position thereof normal to the moving direction being constrained in a precise manner through rolling meshing engagement of at least one of its bottom inside wheels with an associated guide rail, a bottom block extending downwardly from the carriage through the back rim horizontal slit in the cover back being operatively coupled to a servo-driving mechanism which is electrically connected to a given tone arm offset angle detecting circuit. Stabilized posture and movement of the carriage resulting from the above-described meshing engagement and relatively low positioned centers of gravity of the carriage and the tone arm and its related parts minimize undesirable tracking distortion and pressure on the stylus tip and minimum but necessary provision of the slit at a position invisible to the user minimizes possible entry of dust and other extraneous matter and enhances the external appearance of the record player.

Claims15

Dependent claims

Improved apparatus for supporting phonograph tone arms in which said phonograph has a servo-motor;

carriage driven by said servo-motor;
said carriage supporting a tone arm and its related parts for movement along a linear path which is substantially normal to an imaginary radial line extending between the center of the phonograph turntable and said path comprising:
a base member having an elongated opening;
a pair of mutually parallel guide rails arranged on said base member while being spaced from each other along said base member opening and extending in the direction of movement of said carriage substantially over the entire moving ambit of the latter;
an elongated cover arranged between said guide rails extending substantially over the entire moving ambit of the carriage, projecting above the top surfaces of said guide rails and defining an elongated horizontal slit extending along the back thereof;
said carriage having a horizontal passageway by way of which said carriage spacedly and movably rides over said cover;
front and back wheel assemblies each having wheels;
mounting means for said assemblies in said carriage;
said wheel assemblies being movable on and along said guide rails while supporting said carriage above said guide rails;
one of said guide rails cooperating with its associated wheels to restrain movement of said carriage in a direction transverse to said linear path;
a bottom block forming an integral part of said carriage and extending downwardly through the elongated opening formed in said base member and the horizontal slit of said cover, and
a driving mechanism for said carriage disposed relative to said bottom block of said carriage operatively coupled to said servo-motor.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.