Abstract: A unipivot tone arm assembly wherein the tone arm is supported by a single point is balanced in such a way as to have neutral stability providing constant tracking force over the peaks and valleys of phonograph records. Lateral stability lacking in a neutral balanced unipivot tone arm is provided by magnetic coupling between magnets on the tone arm housing assembly and a freely rotating platform. Anti-skate is accomplished through a pulley mechanism between the rotating platform and the tone arm gantry, with the pulley on a counterweighted rotating pivot arm.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for extending the memory capacity of a computer system having a rotating optical memory storage device and a fixed memory storage includes a scanner for accessing computer information and a rotating optical read-write memory device for storing computer information and for accessing and transferring computer information to and from the scanner and to and from the discrete memory storage of the computer system. The method includes the steps of storing computer information on a scannable storage medium, accessing computer information from the scannable storage medium, and transferring the computer information to the scannable storage medium or discrete memory storage of the computer system through the use of a multi-head rotating optical memory device. The scanner uses an optical laser scanning system to encode computer information on a physical medium. The rotating optical memory device uses virtual memory techniques to store and retrieve data for use at a required time.

Abstract: A tone arm for a phonograph pickup having a bifilar flexible ligament suspension for vertical and lateral displacement. The suspension takes the place of the more usual pivots, and employs a pair of thin flexible ligaments or fibers in a skewed convergent torsional bifilar configuration. The lower ends of the two ligaments are attached to a basal element, which may be shaped as a disc, connected to and lying below the arm itself. The flexibility of the ligaments confers freedom to the arm for angular displacement in the vertical and horizontal planes, but the skew prevents linear displacement along the direction of its length. The basal element is preferably immersed in a container of viscous liquid to damp movement of the arm.

Abstract: In a linear tone arm tracking system for a record player where the stylus tone arm moves on a guiderail across a recording, eg. a record disc on a turntable, an improvement is provided in which the stylus tone arm is connected to a partial sleeve, which sleeve hovers partially over the guiderail and means, such as air pressure means, causes the partial sleeve to hover over the guiderail in proximity therewith, so that when the stylus rides in the record groove and is laterally shifted thereby, the tone arm and partial sleeve readily shift over the guiderail in response to the shift of the stylus.Further provided is a means for raising and lowering the guiderail which adjusts the elevation of the partial sleeve and tone arm and accordingly adjusts the vertical tracking angle of the stylus in the record groove.

Abstract: A braking device for providing a braking action to the horizontal swinging movement of a pickup arm of a record player and the like. The device comprises a brake for applying the braking action and an actuator for actuating the brake, when the pickup arm is in a non-playing mode, to provide the braking action.

Abstract: A cartridge equalizer for obtaining excellent sound quality following the original sound with high fidelity by minimizing the positional shift of the cantilever fulcrum of a cartridge by mounting the cartridge equalizer to a portion near the cartridge of the tone arm of a record player and providing a well-balanced, suitable amount of weight. The cartridge equalizer includes a ring-shaped crossing rod made of a light alloy or the like having respective counterweights mounted at each end of the crossing rod, and a ring-shaped fitting positioned at the central portion of the crossing rod for fastening the cartridge equalizer to the tone arm.

Abstract: A record disc playing apparatus comprises a horizontal drive motor for imparting a horizontal rotational force to a tone arm an address signal generating device for generating an address signal corresponding to a horizontal rotational angle position of the tone arm and a control device including a memory device for storing the magnitude of an inside force to be produced on the tone arm in correspondence with the horizontal rotational angle position of the tone arm. The address signal generating device supplies the generated address signal to the control device. The control device reads out the magnitude of the inside force from the memory device corresponding to the supplied address signal, produces a signal for cancelling the inside force at the rotational angle position of the tone arm corresponding to the read out magnitude of the inside force and supplies the same to the horizontal drive motor.

Abstract: A pickup arm for use in phonographs or the like having a contactless inside-force cancelling device and/or a contactless stylus-force application device; the contactless inside-force cancelling device having a rotatable control magnet, a stationary control magnet, a cylindrical magnet fixed around the vertical pivot of the pickup arm, the rotatable and stationary control magnets combinedly forming a magnetic field in which the cylindrical magnet is rotatably placed, wherein rotation of the rotatable control magnet changes the magnetic flux density of the magnetic field to give the vertical pivot a torque sufficient to cancel the inside force of the stylus; the contactless stylus-force application device having a rotatable control magnet, a stationary control magnet, a cylindrical magnet fixedly provided on a horizontal axle fixed between the prongs of a forked end provided on the vertical pivot, the rotatable and stationary control magnets combinedly forming a magnetic field in which the cylindrical magnet is