US1042686A - Combined player piano and organ. - Google Patents

Description

G. B. KELLY.

COMBINED PLAYER PIANO AND ORGAN.

APIfLIOATION FILED 0012a, 1911.

%I 13. 7% jwventoz $51 LJattom m GEORGE B. KELLY, OF JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBINED PLAYER PIANO AND ORGAN.

Specification m. hetters latent.

Application filed October a, 1911. Serial No. 658,160. I

i /tom it may concern Be it renown that I, GEORGE E. KELLY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jamaica Plain, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented conventional manner i certain new and useful Improvements ,in Combined Player Pianos and Organs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined player piano and organ.

The object of my invention is to combine player piano and org n in such a manner that the player piano n be played manually or by means of a cord sheet in the pendently of the organ, or the organ cai played by means of a record sheet independently of the piano, or the organ and piano can be played atthe same time by means of one record sheetand either one of two subdivisions of the organ or both can be played by means of a record sheet with or without controlling the piano player mechanism, automatically by means of the same record'shcet, all of which is simple in construction, compact and reliable and effective, in use and in action.

In the accompanying drawings in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures: Figure 1 is a vertical trans verse sectional view representing diagrammatically one embodiment of my improved combined player piano and organ. Fig. 2 is a detail face view of part of the tracker. Figs. 3 and 1 are detail views of the coupling mechanism.

The combined instruments are contained in a casing represented by 1 and within this casing the player piano 2 is contained, which has the usual frame, sounding-board, strings, hammers, etc, all of conventional construc tion. A series of pneumatics 3, of conventional construction, are provided for operating the piano action pneumatically, which action can also be operated manually in the conventional manner by means of keys 4. The pneumatics 3 are connected with a windchest 5 from which air is exhausted through the bellows 6 by means of the pumping bellows 7 operated by the foottreadles, all in the conventional manner of a player piano, and the piano player mechanism is thus op erated by rarefied air in the usual. manner. Each striker pneumatic 3 is controlled by a valve 9 which in turn is operated by a pouch over a recess '10 connected with a duct 11 in any conventional manner.

The windchest and the striker Pneumatics PatentedOct. 29,1912.

are preferably arranged above the keys, and v a music box 12 is also locatedabove the keys, the front of which music box can be closed by a tight fitting sliding glass door 13 at or near the front of the casing 1. Within the music box the conventional music and take-u rolis are mounted and are shown by dotted lines in the drawings and between them is located a tracker bar 14. which has three rows of tracker ducts marked respectively 15, 16 and 17. Preferably the two upper rows 16 and 17, each contain fifty-eight ducts, as this numberis usually provided in pneumatic playing organs making use of a record sheet and these ducts are staggered as shown in Fig. 2. The lower row 15 which is to be used for the piano onlyhas eightyeight ducts, that is, one for each hammer as is now generally practised in piano players. Each duct of the lower row 15 is connected by a tube 18 with a fixed rail 19 having a row of ducts passing vertically through it so that eighty-eight openings appear on the underside of this rail 19 in a straight row. A sliding rail 20, resting fiat against may be of any approved construction, and

in the drawings here shown, is-a straight rod with a handle at the outer end. This lower rail 20 is provided in its upper surface with the ends of' eighty-eight ducts which can register with the lower'ends of the eighty-eight ducts terminating in the under surface of the fixed rail 19 and the said eighty-eight ducts in the rail 20 are each connected by a flexible tube 22 with one of the ducts 11 leading to a recess 10 beneath the pouch for operating the valve 9 of a pneumatic striker mechanism. Fort five ducts are formed in the fixed rail-19 1n the row behind the eighty-eight ducts and also terminate in the underside of the fixed rail and are spaced precisely the same as the ducts in the eighty-eight row so that when the movable rail 20 is brought into position shown in Fig. 3 forty-five of the ducts in the movable rail 20 will register with forty-five corresponding ducts in the rear row of ducts in the fixed rail 19 and these forty-five ducts in the rear row of the fixed rail are each connected by a tube 23 with a valve mechanism of the organ, as will be described later on.

The organ is operated by pressure wind 1n the conventional manner, which wind is generated by a motor operated pumping bellows 24 delivering the compressed air into 7 and the swell organ, eac having a'certain number of reeds which are divided into a certain number of stops, all of which are constructed and manipulated in the conventional way in playing the great organ or swell organ.

In the drawings'30 represents a tone producer of the great organ and 31 a tone producer of the swell organ, and it is to be understood that these are divided into two sections as stated and then again into groups controlled by stops in the conventional manner.

Asthe tone producers are practically all the same I will describe only one. The reed 32 is contained in a reed chamber 34. Each reed chamber is normally closed by a springpressed valve 35 opening into the chamber 36 into which air-under pressure is conducted through the opening 37 from the tube 29, this opening 37 being controlled by means of an ordinary stop. Of course, the chamber 36 applies to a greater or less number of reeds of different pitch. The valve 35 is connected by a rod 38 with a pouch 39 over a recess 40 which is connected by a duct 41 with a valve chamber 42 containing a double valve 43 on a pouch 44 over a recess 45 communicating with a compressed air conduit 46. Thejdouble valve 43 serves for connecting the duct 41 with atmospheric air or with a chamber 47 containing air under pressure. As'shown, the ducts 41 are each in communication with a chamber 46 containing air under pressure and this air acting on the diaphragm 39 serves to hold the valves 35 closed, these valves being held upon their seats by their springs.

\Vhen the valve 43, of which there is one for each reed, is raised, the corresponding duct'41;is connectedwith atmospheric air and the air'pressure existing in the chamber- 36 presses the corresponding pouch 39 into its recess, 4Qand as' the area of the pouch isgreater than that of the corresponding'yalve-35 .with which it is connected thet'valvej 35 is opened, Iiqtwithstanding that it i's-alfs'o subjected to the pressure of air in the cha'mber 36" and as long asthis'valve 35v remains open the corresponding reed 32 is sounded. With the duct-board 48 a series of longitudinal chambers are connected and these chambers are marked 49, 50, 51, 52 and 53, respectively. The chamber 49 is connected by, a U-shaped channel 54 with a recess 55' over which there is a pouch 56 carrying the stem of a valve 57 which controls one of the tubes 23 leading to the fixed rail 19, previously mentioned, and when this valve. is raised it admits atmos heric air into the tube 23 and when the siding rail 20 is adjusted as shown in Fig. 3 this atmospheric air can pass into the duct 22 and cause the operation of the correspondin valve 9 of the piano player. A duct 58 also terminates in the chamber 49 and these two ducts are covered by a pouch 59 in the chamber '49 and are both closed when air, under pressure, is admitted into this chamber 49, which admission of air into this chamber is controlled by the stop 60 which is diagrammatically represented in Fig. 1. The lower end of the duct 58 is in communication with the chamber 50 and with the same chamber 50 U-shaped duct 61 is connected both of which ducts can be closed by a pouch 62 in the chamber 50, when compressed air is admitted into this chamber, which admission of air is controlled by the stop 63 diagrammatically represented in Fig. 1. The U-shaped duct 61 is connected by a tube 64. and a duct 65 leading to the recess 45 pertaining to the double valve for the corresponding note in the swell organ 31. This duct 65 has its lower end connected with the chamber 53 and from this chamber 53 the tube 66 leads to another mechanism to be described later and the lower ends of the duct 65 and the duct 66 can be closed by a pouch 67 in the chamber 53 which chamber is also provided with a stop shown diagrammatically. A branch duct 68 leads from the duct 66 to the chamber 52 and a duct 69 terminating in the chamber 52 is connected with the tube 46 which in turn is connected with the recess 45 beneath the pouch of the double valve 43 pertaining to the great organ 30. The ends of the ducts 68 and 69 in the chamber .52 can be closed by the ouch 70 contained in the chamber 52 WhlCh chamber is controlled by a stop shown diagrammatically in the drawing. A branch duct 71 leads from the duct 70 into the chamber 51 and from the same chamber a duct 72 leads to a mechanism to be described later, and theends of these two ducts 71 and 72 in the chamber 51 canbe closed by a pouch 73, this chamber being also provided with a stop shown diarammatically. A duct 74 connects the duct 2 with the duct 58, previously mentioned. The forty-five ducts of the upper row 17 in the-tracker board are each connected by a tube- 75 with a recess over the pouch 76 carrying a double valvev 77 controlling the from the chamber 83 into the tube or duct play the piano only,

72, compressed air being conducted into the said chamber 83' through the tube 84 which is also connected with the compressed air supply. Compressed air is admitted into the music box 12 throughthe port 85 which can be open or closed by means of a valve which in turn can be manipulated bymeans of a handle 86 at the front of the music box. 87 is a check valve in the tube 72.

The operation is substantially as follows: Assuming that the erformer wishes to y means of -a perorated music sheet such as are commonly known as eighty-eight note sheet music, the port 85 which admits compressed air into the music box is closed and the sliding plate 13 in the. front 013 the music box is moved'to one side so as to admit atmospheric air into v the music box and into the ducts. of the eighty-eight duct row 15, and the piano player is then operated in the usual manner, it being of course understood that the sliding rail 20 is in the position shown in Fig. 4, so that the tubes 18 are in communication with the corresponding tubes 22 leading to the controlling valves for the striker pneumatics 3. J

If now it is desired to play the organ without the piano by means ofa correspondingly perforated record sheet, such. a record sheet 1s placed into the music box, the front ofort 85 is air into rail 20 is ig.3wherethe music box is closed, and the opened, so as to admit compresse the music box, and the slidin brou ht into position shown in by t e lower ends of the tubes 18 leading from the eighty-eight note tracker ducts are closed. Compressed air is admitted into the chamber 49 so as to seat the pouch 59 there by closing the ducts 54 and 58 and keeping the valve 57 seated so that all operation of "thepiano mechanism from the organ is prevented. The pumping belleyvs of the piano player are operated by the feet in the conventional manner for the purpose of's'hifting the music sheet.."by-.-:'means of the well known motor means of the piano player which need not be described asthey form no part oftliepres'ent invention, the pumping bellows of the organ having been started previously.

whereby said valve is raised and the valve 35 of the corresponding note in the swell organ is opened. When a note hole in the record sheet registers. with a duct in the uppermost row 17 compressed air passes through the corresponding tube raises the A double valve 77 permitting compressed air to pass through the tube 66 into the branch duct 68, the pouch 67 closing the ducts leading to the chamber 58 as compressed air is now contained in this chamber. At' the same time atmospheric air has been admitted into the chamber 52 and compressed air from the tube 66 passes through the duct 68 to the duct 69 and from the latter through the tube 46 intothe recess 45' pertaining to the double valve 43 of the great organ 30 and thereby atmospheric air is admitted through the corresponding duct 41 to the recess behind the pouch 39 of the valve 35 for the note in the great organ corresponding to the slot in the note sheet registering with said duct in the uppermost row '17 and so on.

If desired, conditions can be reversed and the notesrepresente'd by the ducts in the row 16 can be played upon the great orgamand the notes represented by the ducts' in the row 17 on the swell organ, as follows: \Vhen a slot in the record sheet corresponding to the lower. row 16 of ducts in the tracker board registers with one of these ducts compressed air-is again conducted through the tube 72. Compressed air is admitted into the chamber 50 to seat the pouch 62 and atmospheric air has been previously admitted into the chamber 5l. so that the pouch 73 can-be unseated by compressed air passing through the tube 72. Compressed air is also admitted into the chamber 52 to seat the pouch 70 so that the compressed air from the tube 72 can pass through the angle duct 71 and the duct 69, and from the latter to the tube 46 for operating the corresponding valves 43 and 35 of the great organ 50. When an aperture in the; record sheet regis tors with a duct in the uppermost. row 17* the valve '77 isseated and compressed air is admitted into the tube 66. Previously compressed air has been admitted into the chambar 52 to seat the pouch ZO and likewi e c i ing player pneumatic.

tube 66 can pass into the duct 65 and operate the corresponding valves 43 and 35 of the swell organ.

When it is desired to play the piano accompaniment with the organ, atmospheric air is admitted into the chambers 49 and 50 so that the corresponding diaphragm 59 and- (Q are unseated. If now air is admitted from the music box by the lifting of the valve 82, into the tube 72 the air will pass into the duct 74 the lower end of the duct 72 having been closed by the pouch 73 by compressed air being previously admitted into the chamber 51. Compressed air asses from the duct 74 into the duct 54 an lifts the valve 57 correspondingto the note to be played and atmosphere will pass through the tube 23, the registering ducts in the rails 19 and 20, and the tube 22 to the correspond- At. the same time the valves 43 and 35 of the swell organ are operated and in a like manner numerous combinations-can be made. I

Having described. my invention What 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The combination with a casing, of an or gan therein, constructed to be operated by tween said row of tracker ducts and the player piano mechanism, tube connections extending from said movable member to air inlet valves of the organ mechanism, which said tube connections may be brought in communication with the tube connections extending from the said movable member to the pneumatics of the piano player, and means controlled from a row of ducts in the tracker board for operating the previously mentioned air inlet valve of the organ mechanism.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this Lth day of October A. D. 1911.

4 GEORGE B. KELLY.

Witnesses:

LOUISA ACKERMANN, FRED J. WASHBURN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the "Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C.

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