Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Storage medium structure – Specified center hole or locating structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-16
2002-12-03
Cao, Allen (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Storage medium structure
Specified center hole or locating structure
Reexamination Certificate
active
06490241
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a sound carrier, especially for a sound illustrated book or other printed medium which is to be associated with selected pages of the book or the like. The film-type sound carrier may be inserted, bound or glued into the book. As a separate sound carrier, it may also be connected with a printed medium in a form-stable manner. It may also be designed as a double page and bound into catenae of books. Such sound carriers generally comprise at least one spiral shaped sound groove and at least two, but mostly four, adjustment perforations which are arranged outside of the sound groove area and around the same, in particular symmetrically with respect to the center axis thereof, mostly in the form of round holes. They are dimensioned such that they each surround an aligning foot of a sound reproducing device placed in a pre-aligned position upon the sound carrier with little clearance. The sound reproducing device comprises a sound pickup means which is rotatable about an axis of rotation and is lowered onto the spiral. groove to play it.
The sound carrier may, in addition to the adjustment perforations, also comprise switch-on safeguarding elements for a correctly positioned sound reproducing device which, with its switch-on safeguarding elements provided on its lower side, gets to interact with the same to allow switching on in the correct position only (see German Patent No. 31 33 187 C2).
So-called sounding or sound illustrated books for children, especially for learning purposes, e.g. language learning books, travel books, encyclopedias and the like are known.
During lessons, and especially for private study, everything that is illustrated or written can in this manner be supplemented and deepened by the acoustic information of about 1 to 4 minutes duration contained in the sound groove.
With this type of adjustment or alignment it proved in practice that children or also aged people do not always make the correct association immediately when aligning the sound reproducing device, especially where thick books are involved. To overcome the problem of precisely associating the sound groove with the text in the book itself, and of impaired readability, it is known, as disclosed in German Reference No. PS 2358110, to provide the sound grooves separately on semi-rigid book pages one can turn out. However, this is not satisfactory in many arrangements, especially if the book is large and therefore much space at the side of the book is required. Even if with another, initially mentioned sound illustrated, bound book with bound-in sound carrier films the area available for the sound reproducing device is actually sufficient, the size of the sound reproducing device partially impairs the view, especially if the book is a thick one (German Patent No. 31 33 187 C2). Due to the small permissible tolerance of the feet perforations it happens sometimes that the sound reproducing device is pushed past the adjustment perforations by the aligning feet, so that a repeated re-adjustment is necessary until the correct association is achieved. The aligning feet fit with comparatively little clearance into the perforations so that the device is adjusted exactly concentrically with the sound groove. An inexact adjustment results in obvious sound pitch variations during reproduction. This problem is even greater with bound books, especially at the side of the sound carrier facing the binding. Owing to the normally translucent, crystal-clear sound carrier films it is even more difficult to find the adjustment perforations on a white book page.
It is also known, as identified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,976, to provide, for adjustment purposes, a V-shaped depression in the middle of the sound groove of a film-type sound carrier having a thickness of 0.15 to 0.38 mm. The V-base or crown of the sound carrier is engaged by a centering pin of the sound reproducing device. The depth of the depression is 0.127 mm. Additional beads having a height of about 0.127 mm may be provided at the edges of the depressions to make guiding of the centering pin to the base of the V-depression and keeping it in this position easier. This manner of centering did not prove satisfactory because the sound reproducing device had constantly to be held manually in this position which is very difficult especially for children. If it is not held in position, the centering position is left upon a push, a shake or another movement. This is due to the fact that the centering pin is fixed only toward the crown of the V-depression but not in another direction as is the case with the sound carriers mentioned initially where round perforations are provided into which the feet of the sound reproducing device fit with a minor clearance only.
Of similar unreliability is the centering in another known system of a film-type sound carrier with sound reproducing device to be placed upon it as it is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,146. The sound reproducing device comprises two centering pins, spaced apart by e.g. 20 mm. In a first embodiment, they have to be made to abut a side surface of one bead each. The beads are not parallel but are inclined toward each other in funnel-shape. In a second embodiment, two curved oblong holes having a widened section in the middle are provided with which the two centering pins have to be brought into engagement. The two pins that are inserted in the oblong holes get to abut unilaterally a base or crown of the oblong holes by turning the sound reproducing device. There, too, the centering pins have to be held in abutment against the beads or oblong holes as the centering pins are not retained with form-fit by the sound carrier against movement in all directions in the plane of the sound carrier.
The invention is based on the object to make it easier to exactly position the sound reproducing device in the initially mentioned adjustment perforations of a film-type sound carrier having a thickness of about 0.2 to 0.35 mm and to retain the aligning feet of the sound reproducing device in adjustment perforations in such a manner that the sound reproducing device is held safely in all directions after it was centered in the sound carrier plane.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To meet this object, the invention provides that in the sound carrier mentioned initially at least one of the adjustment perforations on the surface of the sound carrier is surrounded by an annular bead which protrudes in upward direction from the surface and has been impressed or deep-drawn, for example. Said annular bead may either be located immediately at the perforation or surround it a small distance of about 1.0 to 1.5 mm, especially 1.2 mm, thus forming a flat shoulder which contributes to defining the perforation. The annular bead should have a height of 0.2 to 0.3 mm, especially of 0.2 mm, and a width of about 1-1.5 mm, especially 1.2 mm.
It is advisable to provide the two perforations in the lower edge of the sound carrier with such an annular bead. Such an annular bead does not only make the perforations better visible, they also render the alignment of the feet of the sound reproducing device easier because they practically fall into the larger annular bead and slip into the precise adjustment perforations automatically. Such a perforation surrounded by an annular bead can actually be compared to a funnel.
Of course, all the perforations in a sound carrier can be provided with beads. They also prevent an unintentional dislocation of the sound reproducing device during possibly desired interruptions of a reproduction while studying educational information. This is important as the sound reproducing device has to be actuated frequently also during reproduction, for example for interruptions or for a repeated reproduction which naturally involves the danger of dislocation.
As an alternative to this solution, the two lower adjustment perforations may be widened and elongated in the direction away from the other adjustment perforations toward the outside or in the direction of the same toward the
Cao Allen
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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