In the period 1923 to 1932 William Henry Daily of Chicago
applied and was granted four patents for automatic phonographs.
They were in fact disc players which we would
come to know as gramophones.
They all consisted of four turntables with a centrally mounted tone-arm which rotated
to play each record in turn.
Follow up patents were developments of the original design.
The reproduction was acoustic with a regular soundbox, tone arm and horn, and the mechanism was powered by an electric motor
They were intended for use in hotels and restaurants.
From the number of survivors (only one known) it doesn’t appear that they enjoyed very much success.
A Perth club member has restored one of these machines
Click the panel below and it can be seen working
If anyone can provide any information about this machine,
the Club would be pleased to receive it.
Please click to contact us
info@vwgc.org.au