Record card holder and acoustical device

Claim 2

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, the sound track having a plurality of parallel sound channels, audio means including a housing with sound reproducing means carried thereby, a frame including a support on which a card rests with the faces of the card substantially horizontal, and holding means movable between a first position that retains the card against horizontal movement and in a predetermined fixed location on said support and a second position that releases the card for replacement by another card, guiding means for guiding the housing along a horizontal course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, and characterized by means for adjusting the card and the holding means as a unit horizontally from one fixed position to another in a direction transverse of the direction of extent of the sound track to bring different sound channels into position for cooperation with the audio means.

Claim 3

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including a card support and holding means movable between a first position that retains the card against horizontal movement and in a predetermined fixed location on said support and a second position that releases the card for replacement by another card, guiding means for guiding the housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by a surface of the card having a plurality of parallel sound channels on the sound track on said surface, the sound reproducing means being in simultaneous operative relation to different sound channels on the same surface at the same time, and means for selectively adjusting the audio means to reproduce sound successively from the different channels while the card remains in fixed position with respect to the holding means, characterized by different channels of the sound track being recorded in different directions for use of different channels when the audio means is moving in different directions along the guiding means, and automatic means effective at the reversal in the direction of movement of the audio means to operate the means for selectively adjusting the audio means to change the reproduction of said audio means to a channel that is recorded in a different direction.

Claim 4

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including a card support and holding means movable between a first position that retains the card against horizontal movement and in a predetermined fixed location on said support and a second position that releases the card for replacement by another card, guiding means for guiding the housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by a surface of the card having a plurality of parallel sound channels on the sound track on said surface, the sound reproducing means being in simultaneous operative relation to different sound channels on the same surface at the same time, and means for selectively adjusting the audio means to reproduce sound successively from the different channels while the card remains in fixed position with respect to the holding means, characterized by different channels of the sound track being recorded in different directions for use of different channels when the audio means is moving in different directions along the guiding means, and automatic means effective at the reversal in the direction of movement of the audio means to operate the means for selectively adjusting the audio means to change the reproduction of said audio means to a channel that is recorded in a different direction.

Claim 5

The apparatus described in claim 2 characterized by an actuator that moves the means for selectively making the different channels effective in a predetermined sequence as the actuator is moved progressively into different positions.

Claim 6

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with sound reproducing means carried thereby, a guide on which the housing is movable back and forth along said sound track, a frame including a card support, and holding means that retain the card on said support, characterized by the card having a plurality of parallel sound channels on the sound track, and further characterized by different channels of the sound track being recorded in different directions for use of different channels when the audio means is moving in different directions along the guide, and further characterized by power means, motion-transmitting means driven by the power means continuously in the same direction, and an actuator carried by said motion-transmitting means and moved continuously thereby with elongated orbital movement and permanently connected with the audio mEans for reciprocating the audio means back and forth along the sound track at substantially uniform speed with the motion-transmitting means driven continuously in the same direction.

Claim 7

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with sound reproducing means carried thereby, a guide on which the housing is movable back and forth along said sound track, a frame including a card support, and holding means that retain the card on said support, characterized by the card having a plurality of parallel sound channels on the sound track, and further characterized by different channels of the sound track being recorded in different directions for use of different channels when the audio means is moving in different directions along the guide, and further characterized by power means, motion-transmitting means driven by the power means continuously in the same direction, and an actuator carried by said motion-transmitting means and moved continuously thereby with elongated orbital movement and permanently connected with the audio mEans for reciprocating the audio means back and forth along the sound track at substantially uniform speed with the motion-transmitting means driven continuously in the same direction.

Claim 8

The apparatus described in claim 4 characterized by the different channels constituting continuations of a common record as the reproducing means are moved first in one direction for a full stroke and then back in the opposite direction in a return stroke.

Claim 9

The apparatus described in claim 4 characterized by means for automatically activating said means for selectively adjusting the respective audio means, corresponding with respective channels, in an intended sequence.

Claim 10

The apparatus described in claim 6 characterized by the means for selectively adjusting the audio means to reproduce sound from different channels being rotary switch means, actuating mechanism for moving the switch means into a different position at each end of a stroke of the audio means, said actuating mechanism including a switch operating element, that moves said switch means through a portion and only a portion of its rotation with each actuation, and an abutment element for moving the switch-operating element, one of said elements being with the audio means for movement back and forth with the audio means and the other of said elements being at a fixed location in position to contact the element that moves back and forth.

Claim 11

The apparatus described in claim 4 characterized by the card having silent end portions at the beginnings of the channels of the sound track for a distance corresponding to at least the travel of the audio means to accelerate to audio-operating speed after reversal of the direction of movement of the audio means.

Claim 12

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by there being a plurality of openings in the card and a plurality of protuberances including spaced posts in the holder in position to extend through the openings for holding the card against shifting in one plane, and the holder having a clip portion that opens to permit removal of a card from the posts and that closes to hold the card on the posts and clamped by the clip portion against displacement normal to said plane.

Claim 13

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by there being a plurality of openings in the card and a plurality of protuberances including spaced posts in the holder in position to extend through the openings for holding the card against shifting in one plane, and the holder having a clip portion that opens to permit removal of a card from the posts and that closes to hold the card on the posts and clamped by the clip portion against displacement normal to said plane.

Claim 14

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by the guide being of substantially greater length than the sound track, and the sound track having two channels parallel to one another and substantially coextensive and transversely offset from one another, and the audio means having two heads transversely offset so that each head is in position to operate along a different one of the channels, the heads being spaced from one another in the direction of extent of the sound tracks by a distance substantially equal to the length of the sound track, means for moving the heads as a unit whereby the second head reaches the beginning of the second channel at substantially the same time that the first head reaches the end of the first channel.

Claim 15

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by the guide being of substantially greater length than the sound track, and the sound track having two channels parallel to one another and substantially coextensive and transversely offset from one another, and the audio means having two heads transversely offset so that each head is in position to operate along a different one of the channels, the heads being spaced from one another in the direction of extent of the sound tracks by a distance substantially equal to the length of the sound track, means for moving the heads as a unit whereby the second head reaches the beginning of the second channel at substantially the same time that the first head reaches the end of the first channel.

Claim 16

The apparatus described in claim 10 characterized by the card having two additional channels for use by movement of the sound heads in opposite directions than when used with the first two channels, each of the heads having two tracking elements, one in contact with one of the first Two channels and the other in contact with one of the two additional channels, and means for selectively making the first two channels or the two additional channels effective with the audio means.

Claim 17

The apparatus described in claim 11 characterized by the card having still other channels for use in repeated movement of the sound heads through a stroke, the sound heads having as many tracking elements as there are channels, the means for moving the heads as a unit being a carriage to which both the heads are secured, the means for selectibely making the different channels effective being supported from and movable as a unit with the carriage, and said means being movable into successive positions for determining which channel of a track is to be effective, bumpers at opposite ends of the carriage and movable with the carriage, motion-transmitting means by which movement of the bumpers relative to the carriage operates said means into successive positions, and fixed abutments at opposite ends of the guide means in the path of the bumpers.

Claim 18

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by the card having a plurality of parallel sound channels on the sound track, and means for adjusting the audio means to operate along different channels while the card remains in fixed position with respect to the holding means, characterized by a handle for moving the audio means along the track, said handle being movable into different positions by pressure against it to move the audio means in different directions along the track, the means for adjusting the audio means being a switch, and the switch being connected with and operated by the handle when the handle moves into said different positions.

Claim 19

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by the card having a plurality of parallel sound channels on the sound track, and means for adjusting the audio means to operate along different channels while the card remains in fixed position with respect to the holding means, characterized by a handle for moving the audio means along the track, said handle being movable into different positions by pressure against it to move the audio means in different directions along the track, the means for adjusting the audio means being a switch, and the switch being connected with and operated by the handle when the handle moves into said different positions.

Claim 20

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by a timer comprising a motor-operated element having a part that moves at a speed equal to the speed at which the sound head housing is intended to move along the channels of the sound track, a housing in which the motor-operated element is enclosed, and a window in the housing through which an operator moving the sound head manually can watch the motor-operated element and conform the speed of the manual movement with that of the motor-operated element.

Claim 21

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by a timer comprising a motor-operated element having a part that moves at a speed equal to the speed at which the sound head housing is intended to move along the channels of the sound track, a housing in which the motor-operated element is enclosed, and a window in the housing through which an operator moving the sound head manually can watch the motor-operated element and conform the speed of the manual movement with that of the motor-operated element.

Claim 22

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by a timer comprising a motor-operated element having a part that moves at a speed equal to the speed at which the sound head housing is intended to move along the channels of the sound track, the motor-operated element being an endless belt, wheels at opposite ends of the belt and around which the belt passes to reverse its direction of travel, at least one part of the belt being visible in position for timing the rate of travel of the sound head when operated manually along the channel.

Claim 23

Apparatus including a card having a sound track extending parallel to an edge of the card, audio means including a housing with a sound head carried thereby, a frame including holding means for retaining the card and holding it in fixed position with respect to the frame, guiding means for guiding the sound head housing along a course over the sound track on the card when the card is retained in said fixed position, characterized by a timer comprising a motor-operated element having a part that moves at a speed equal to the speed at which the sound head housing is intended to move along the channels of the sound track, the motor-operated element being an endless belt, wheels at opposite ends of the belt and around which the belt passes to reverse its direction of travel, at least one part of the belt being visible in position for timing the rate of travel of the sound head when operated manually along the channel.

Claim 24

The apparatus described in claim 15 characterized by a track along which the housIng of the sound head moves, the track being located under said housing; a cover on the housing and in relatively fixed relation to the track, the endless belt and its wheels being carried by the cover on the underside thereof, axles for the wheels extending down from the cover, a fastening connected with the belt, and a pin extending down from the fastening into a slot in the housing, said slot extending across the full width of both sides of the belt in the space between said sides so that the pin drives the housing along the track while the pin travels as a unit with the belt and drives the housing at reduced speed and to a stop followed by increasing speed in the opposite direction as the pin passes around the arc of each wheel around which the belt reverses its run.