GB2114779A - Metronome cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

A metronome cartridge (35) comprises a cartridge body (37) adapted to be removably mounted in a cassette player (15) having a pickup head (19), and tape-free means carried by the cartridge body generates metronomic time signals to the pickup head for amplification by the amplifier system of the cassette player. Beat frequency adjustment is provided for. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Metronome cartridge The invention relates to improvement in metronome and is about a novel metronome cartridge designed for use in a cassette player.

Cassette recorder/players are widely open, versatile and easy to use. Such machines are equipped to receive standardized regular or micro size cassettes, each of which has magnetic tape of finite length and is run in operation past a pickup head which is capable both of impressing magnetic signals on the tape during recording and of sensing stored magnetic signals on the tape during playback. The important feature of a cassette tape player is the ease and speed with which one can change cassettes or cartridges in a matter of seconds. However, the capstan drive of the machine is powered by a mono speed motor and allows no tape speed variation beyond 1 7/8 ipc for regular size machines.Although one can tape metronomic signals on tape and playback as a metronome substitute, nevertheless, due to such lack of variability of the tape speed, to measure beat frequency per minute ranging from 40 to 208 is beyond the function of a tape player. However, because cassette tape players are readily available and convenient, by incorporating the novel cartridge into such a popular machine to become metronome and thereby doubling its usage is highly desirable.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide a novel metronome cartridge which is adapted to be employed in a cassette player for generating metronomic time signals, utilizing the power system, the pickup head and the playback system of the player.

Another object of the invention is to provide a metronome cartridge having outer dimensions and structures similar to those of a cassette and receivable in a cassette player interchangeably with tape cassettes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a metronome cartridge having beat frequency adjustment capability.

There is provided by the invention a metronome cartridge comprising a cartridge body adapted to be removably mounted in a cassette player having power means, pickup head and playback system, and tape-free magnetic flux means carried by the cartridge body and adapted to be operated in conjunction with the player for generating metronomic time signals.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain representative embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts embodied in the disclosure and in which:: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cassette player equipped with a metronome cartridge embodying features of the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the metronome cartridge and fragmental illustration of the cassette player structure within and about the cassette-receiving will; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially along the line Ill-Ill of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional detail view taken substantially along the line IV--IV of Fig. 5; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the metronome cartridge with the top cover removed; Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional detail view taken substantially along the line VI--VI of Fig. 5;; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially along the line VIl-VIl of Fig.

5; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially along the line VIll-VIll of Fig.

6.

On reference to Fig. 1, there is depicted a representative cassette player 15, which may, of course, also have recording capability. Players of this kind are electronically equipped within a housing 17 to function when supplied with electrical energy from batteries or house electrical current through a conventional electrical cord 18 to receive magnetic signals through a pickup head 1 9 (Fig. 2) for amplification by the amplifier system of the machine including-a speaker 20. In addition, or alternatively, the amplifier system of the player 15 may be tapped through an outlet or receptacle 21 by a headset plug.As is customary, the player 1 5 has recessed within the top of the housing 17, a cassette-receiving well 22 into the front of which the pickup head 1 9 is adapted to project during playing or recording operation of the machine, together with a frictional pressure roller 23 which during tape cassette operation serves to press the tape against a capstan 24 driven at a constant speed. Also projecting into the front of the well 22 with the head 1 9 is a cassette hold down and rearward pressure finger 25. In the front bottom of the well 22 is a cassette eject finger 27. All of the elements 19, 23, and 25 are, of course, mounted in customary fashion on a projectable and retractable carriage (not shown) under the control of means such as a play button 28 and a stop button 29. The eject finger 27 is operable by an eject button 30.Also on the control panel 29 is an on-off switch button 31 and a volume control button 32. At the back of the well 22 is a sensor finger 33, and a spring 34 constructed and arranged to bias a cassette forwardly.

According to the present invention, there is provided a metronome cartridge 35 which is adapted to be removably mounted in the well 22 of the cassette player 1 5. For this purpose, the cartridge 35 comprises a hollow housing body 37 which is dimensioned within substantially the geometry of a standard tape cassette, being generally rectangular in plan, and of an overall thickness or height to permit the cartridge to be received within the well 22 and a well top closure 38 on the top of the player 15 to be closed over the cartridge 15 if desired.

In a preferred construction, the cartridge body 37 comprises a base member 39 and a cover member 40, which are equipped with perimeter flanges projecting toward one another and engaged edgewise in assembly. Both of the base and cover members 39 and 40 may be molded from suitable rigid plastic material. Means for separably securing the complementary body members 39 and 40 in assembly may comprise screws 41 (Fig. 2) secured into integral internal corner bosses 42 on the members 39 and 40 (Figs. 6 and 7). For maintaining a stable position within the well 22, although ample clearance is provided about the perimeter of the housing 37 relative to the walls defining the well 22 as best visualized in Fig. 2, the opposite sides ofthe body 37 may be provided with side stabilizing bosses 43.Front to rear stabil:ty is efficiently attained by means of a pair of spaced holes 44 located in the front portion of the bottom of the base member 39 and provided along their rear edges shoulders engageable with upstanding stabilizer pins 45 on the bottom of the well 22 and cooperatively related to the biasing spring 34 located centrally in the back of the well 22 and thrusting toward the back of the cartridge body 37. Through this arrangement, the cartridge 35 can be easily inserted into position within the well 22 in the customary manner of inserting a tape cassette, by thrusting the rear portion of the body 35 in under the customary overhanging flange 47 overhanging the rear portion of the well 22 and against the bias of the spring 34, and then dropping the front portion of the cartridge down to engage the upwardly tapered pins 45.

Within the assembled body members 39 and 40 is defined a hollow housing chamber 48 within which means are carried by the cartridge body 37 for generating metronomic time signals to the pickup head 19 for amplification by the amplifier system of the player 1 5. For this purpose, a signal generating reed 49 (Figs. 6 and 8) is mounted to extend within the chamber 48 across a clearance opening 50 in the front wall of the cartridge body 37 through which the pickup head 19 projects operatively, so that the reed 49 can be in operative position relative to the pickup head 1 9 which is sensitive to the magnetic pulse elicitted from the reed 49 of magnet tipped steel leaf during operation.

Means are provided for oscillating the reed 49 in any preferred time sequence relative to the live spot on the pickup head 1 9 and thereby generate the desired metronomic time signals. For this purpose, a proximal end of the reed 49 is mounted on one end of a rocker arm 51 which is intermediately pivotally mounted as by means of an upstanding pintle projecting from the top of a boss 53 preferably integral with and projecting upwardly from the bottom wall of the base member 39 and affording an upwardly facing thrust bearing 54fora journal 55 on the arm 51 through which the pintle 52 extends.

At the end of the rocker arm 51 opposite to that from which the reed 49 projects, means are provided for effecting timed rocking of the arm, in this instance comprising a follower 57 which engages the perimeter of a rotary timing cam 58.

The arrangement is such that at least once in each revolution of the cam 58, the rocker arm 51 is caused to rock in one cycle in which the reed 49 is moved away from the pickup head 19 and then permitted to return to operative relation to the pickup head and thus generate a metronomic time signal.

Although~the cam 58 may be equipped to cycle the arm 51 and thus the reed 49, a plurality of times in each rotation of the cam 58, in the instance illustrated, a single cycle in each rotation of the cam is provided for by having the caming perimeter of the cam equipped with a spiral cam surface 59 which in the counterclockwise rotation of the cam 58 as seen in Fig. 6, expands from one end at the base of a drop-off 60. Means in the form of a biasing spring 61 thrusts the follower 57 continuously into engagement with the cam surface 59. At the low end of the cam surface 59, at the base of the drop-off 60, the reed 49 is in engagement with the pickup head 1 9.As the timing cam 58 rotates, the cam surface 59 thrusts the follower 57 to rock the arm 51 and release the reed 49 from the pickup head 1 9. Then when the follower 57 reaches the drop-off 60, the follower abruptly drops from the high point of the cam surface 59 to the low point under the bias of the spring 61 and thus snaps the reed 49 sharply against the active tip of the pickup head 1 9 effecting a magnetic impulse of sufficient amplitude to be picked up as a sound producing signal audibly amplified at the speaker 20 of the player 1 5, or in headphones that may be plugged into the outlet 21.

In a desirable arrangement, the rotary cam 58 comprises a disk which is keyed to the upper portion of a vertical spindle 62 projecting concentrically rotatably upwardly from a frictional drive wheel 64 through a bracket 65 and sufficiently upwardly to receive the cam 58 which for keying purposes has a nonround, e.g. square, hub aperture 67 to key with a complementary upper end portion of the spingle 62. Through this arrangement, the timing cam 58 is readily replaceable for attaining different timing effects for which other similar rotary cams may be provided.

Rotary power for driving the drive wheel 59 is derived from the rotary spindle or capstan 24 through a speed regulating transmission comprising, in a desirable form, a thin transmission disk 68 which is in peripheral driving relation to the wheel 64 and which is drivingly connected by means of a transfer roller 69 with a power disk 70 which has its perimeter drivingly engaging the perimeter of the capstan 24 which, as previously explained, is rotatably driven by the machine powered driving wheel 23. In a preferred construction, the thin transmission disks 68 and 70 may be constructed from a rigidly moldable plastic material. Rotary mounting of the disk 68 is by means of a central tubular hub 71 of large enough diameter to remain clear about the lefthand tape reel driving capstan 72.At its lower end, the hub 71 is journaled below the disks 68 in a bearing aperture 73 in the base wall of the base member 39. An upwardly extending portion of the hub 71 isjournaled in a depending annular journal flange 74 depending from the top wall of the upper body member 40. Similarly, the disk 70 has a central tubular hub 75 of large enough inside diameter to freely clear a tape reel capstan 77. An upper end portion of the hub 75 above the disk 70 isjournaled in a bearing aperture 78 in the top wall of the body member40, while a depending lower end portion of the hub 75 isjournaled in an upstanding complementary annular bearing flange 79 on the bottom wall of the base member 39.For rotatably mounting the power transfer roller 69, it has axial means 80 journaled in the arms of a distal end fork 81 of a mounting arm 82, which at its proximal end has a hub 83 journaled on a fixed upright spingle 84 rising from the bottom wall of the base 39 adjacent to the back wall defining the chamber 48. The purpose of mounting the arm 82 pivotally is that through this arrangement, the transfer roller 69 can be shifted between the overlapping portions of the disks 68 and 69 for modifying the speed ratio of the disks within a substantial range. Thus, although the transmission disk 70 may run at a steady rate, by shifting the transfer roller 69 from side-to-side, the speed ratio of the disk 68 can be increased or diminished relative to the speed of rotation of the disk 70.To facilitate such speed ratio adjustment of the roller 69, means comprising a manipulating arm 85 is rigidly fixed with the upper end of the hub 83 and projects forwardly generally parallel and in overlying spaced relation to the arm 82 and is accommodated in an adjustment limit control recess 87 in the upper face of the cover 40, the opposite sides of which recess provide limit stops upon the range of adjustment movement of the roller 69. An upstanding manipulating handle 88 may be provided on the distal end portion of the adjustment scale 89 is desirably provided along the front end of the recess 87 to facilitate effecting predetermined adjustments by manipulation of the arm 85.

In order to retain the transfer roller 69 tracked in any preferred adjustment position, the opposing faces of the disks 68 and 70 are desirably provided with matching annular track grooves 90, and the roller 69 is provided with an annular peripheral tracking rib 91 which is complementary to and adapted to ride in the selected track grooves 90. By having the rib 91 properly rounded off, speed ratio adjustment can be easily effected by levering the rollerthrough the medium of the coupled arms 82 and 85 in the axial direction of the roller, which will thus cam from one groove to the next groove as permitted by slight springing of the disks 68 and 70.

To avoid mistracking or track jumping of the roller 69 after a desired adjustment has been effected, means are provided which will enable the tracking adjustment, but which will then hold the chosen tracking relationship. Such means include annular bearing ribs 92 on the underface of the lower disk 68 and effecting minimum friction line contact with the supporting bottom wall of the base member 39. In addition, the upper surface of the upper disk 70 has a ball bearing 93 (Figs. 7 to 9) thrusting thereagainst in generally overlying relation to the roller 69. A retaining socket 94 for the bearing 93 is provided by a vertically adjustable plug 95 which is threadedly engaged in the top wall of the cover member 40 and has a screwdriver slot 97 in its head accessible at the top of the cover 40 for rotatably adjusting the plug 95 as desired.For example, when it is desired to effect a speed ratio adjustment, the plug 95 may be backed-off by means of a screwdriver or coin inserted in the slot 97, adjustment of a roller 69 effected relative to the disks 68 and 70, and the plug 95 retightened.

For example, by having the slot 97 normally oriented in a front to rear direction will assure that proper adjustment of the plug 95 has been effected, since only a partial turn of the plug will accommodate adjustment ma noevering of the roller 69.

It will thus be apparent, that the metronome cartridge 35 is a convenient, versatile selfcontained unit which can be readily removably inserted in the cassette well 22 of the cassette player 1 5 in the same manner that a tape cassette can be removably inserted. In other words, as is customary, when the well 22 is empty, the playing head 19 and associated pressure wheel 23 and holding finger 25 are retracted. The cartridge 35 can, therefore, be easily manoeuvered into place by pushing the back of the cartridge in under the flange 47 and then dropping the cartridge onto the bottom surfacing defining the well 22. To operate the metronome cartridge, the volume button 32 adjusted to suit, and the play button 28 operated.

A function of the play button is, as customary, to shift the head 1 9 into position and to move the pressure wheel 23 into driving relation to the capstan a plan 2 24, at the same time power circuits connected, whereby operation of the driving transmission is initiated and time signals generated through the pickup head. At the beginning of operation or from time-to-time, the timing speed may be adjusted through the adjustment arm 85. If it is desired to use a headphone, that can be readily jacked into the outlet 21. When it is desired to stop the operation, that can be effected by pressing the stop button.

The metronome cartridge 35 can be readily interchanged with a tape cassette as desired.

Claims (14)

1. In combination with a cassette player having power means: a metronome cartridge having a body adapted to be removably received in operative relation to the player interchangeably with tape cassettes; and tape-free means carried by said cartridge body and adapted to be powered by said power means for generating metronomic time signals in the operation of said player.

2. A combination according to claim 1, wherein said player has a pickup head and a playback system, said means carried by said cartridge body for generating metronomic time signals comprises magnetic pulse means, and mechanism for regulating said pulse in a timed sequence for generating said metronomic time signals through said head for amplification by an amplifier component of said playback system.

3. A combination according to claim 1, wherein said tape-free means comprises reed means and mechanism for causing said reed means to oscilate within a pickup head live spot in a rhythmic order to generate said metronomic time signals through said head for amplification by an amplifier component of said playback system.

4. A combination according to claim 1, wherein said cartridge having dimensions and structure similar to those of a tape cassette hence interchangeable between the two for use in a cassette player.

5. A combination according to claim 1, wherein said cartridge having hole opening means in its body to be anchored firmly in the well of said player thereby allowing stable operation of said player.

6. A combination according to claim 1, wherein said tape-free means comprises power transmission mechanism for converting power from a rotating spindle of the player.

7. A metronome cartridge, comprising: a cartridge body adapted to be removably mounted in a cassette player having power means: and tape-free means carried by said cartridge body and adapted to be powered by said power means for generating metronomic time signals in the operation of said player.

8. A metronome cartridge according to claim 7, wherein said means carried by said cartridge body for generating metronomic time signals comprises reed means, and mechanism for causing said reed means to oscilate in a timed sequence for generating said metronomic time signals for playback by said player.

9. A metronome cartridge according to claim 7, wherein said tape-free signal generating means comprises power transmission mechanism for converting power from a rotating spindle of the cassette player.

10. A metronome cartridge according to claim 7, wherein said cartridge having dimensions and structure similar to those of a tape cassette hence interchangeable betweeen the two for use in a cassette player.

11. A metronome cartridge according to claim 7, wherein said cartridge body having hole opening means similar to those of a tape cassette and thereby allowing said body to be firmly adapted in a player during operation.

12. A metromonic cartridge, comprising a cartridge body adapted to be removably mounted in a cassette player having power means, a pickup head and a playback system; means housed within said cartridge body and adapted to be powered by said power means for generating metronomic time signals in the operation of said player; and means on said body in readily accessible position for controlling said means for generating metronomic time signals of precalibrated frequencies within a graduated range.

13. A combination as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. A metronome cartridge substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.