Automatic eject apparatus for a self-contained record player

Abstract

Automatic eject apparatus is provided for a self-contained record player, that is, a record player of the type having a housing, a carrier movable into and out of the housing, a turntable mounted on the carrier and a tone arm pivotably supported on the carrier and movable between raised and lowered positions. An energizable carrier drive bi-directionally drives the carrier into and out of the housing between withdrawn and retracted positions, respectively. Sensors sense when the carrier is in its withdrawn and retracted positions, and a tone arm position detector detects when the tone arm is in its raised and lowered positions, respectively. A tone arm drive is energizable to pivotally drive the tone arm to and from a reset position. When an eject switch is operated, drive control circuitry responds thereto to energize the carrier drive in accordance with the position sensed by the sensors whereby the carrier is driven into the housing when the sensors sense that the carrier is in its withdrawn position, and the carrier is driven out of its housing when the sensors sense that the carrier is in its retracted position and that the tone arm position detector detects that the tone arm is in its raised position. The drive control circuit concurrently energizes the tone arm drive to pivot the tone arm to its reset position. The carrier thus may be ejected from the housing at any time, even when a playback operation is being performed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.