Handmikrofon mit Schaltelektroden

1,173,182. Hand-held microphone. F. SENNHEISER, [trading as SENNHEISER ELECTRONIC]. 12 Jan., 1967 [29 Oct., 1966], No. 1820/67. Heading H4J. A hand-held microphone for use with recording and play-back equipment e.g. a dictating machine, comprises a casing 1 carrying a builtin electro-acoustic transducer, which is usable either as a microphone during recording or as a sound reproduction device during playback, a semi-conductor switching circuit for controlling the operation of the recording and playback equipment, and first, second and third contact areas on the surface of the casing, the arrangement being such that the user can control said switching circuit by making an electrical connection through his hand between the first and the second and/or the third contact area. When the casing is held in the palm of the hand, the latter is in contact with the first contact area (6) which is divided up into three electrically interconnected contact areas mounted on the back and side surfaces of the casing, Fig. 2 (not shown). The second and third contact areas 3, 4 can be actuated by touching with one or two fingers or the thumb of the hand holding the microphone casing. Touching of area 3 makes a connection with the palm-actuated areas (6) and the recording equipment is caused to start recording. Breaking of this circuit results in the equipment stopping. Making of the circuit between area 4 and palm-actuated areas (6) causes the equipment to rewind and breaking of the circuit cause playback of the originally recorded information. To stop playback, the area 3 is momentarily touched. It may be arranged that if both control contact-areas 3 or 4 are touched at the same time and then both released, the operations associated with contact area 4 are preferentially carried out. Alternatively, common connection of both control contact areas 3 or 4 to the palmactuated areas (6) can be arranged to cause further, different operations. Again, when simultaneous connection of second and third areas 3, 4 with the area 6 is broken, leaving only one of 3 and 4 connected, the operation relevant to the one still connected is effective.