US515671A - Musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. I. ST. G. GOLDMAN.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 515,671. Patented Feb. 27, 1894.

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2 t e Du h m e e h S 2 N B M m L M GN T... L A Tm m M I q d 0 M O N No. 515,671. Patented Feb. 27, 1894.

A TTOHNE'YS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC ST. 0. GOLDMAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,671, dated February 27, 1894.

Application filedApril 7, 1893. Serial No. 469,416. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC Sr. 0. GOLDMAN, of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Musical Instrument, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to pianos and similar stringed instruments, and its object is to provide a new andimproved musical instrument, which is comparatively simple and durable in construction, can be cheaply manufactured, is not liable to get out of tune, and is more especially designed for the use of beginners, being a substitute for a piano.

The invention consists of a bass key lever carrying ahook for engaging a hammer adapted to strike the bass strings.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be hereinafter described, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvement with parts broken out. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with one side of the main frame removed. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged rear end elevation of the treble key levers, Wheels and strings. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the rear end of a bass key lever, hammer and string.

The improved musical instrument is provided with a suitably-constructed frame A, forming in its lower part a resounding chambcr B, the top 0 of which forms a sounding board and carries the usual frets D and D, over which pass the treble strings E and the bass strings E fastened in the usual manner at one end to the fixed pins F and at the other end to the tuning pins F.

The treble key levers G are connected with the treble strings E for sounding the same, and the bass key levers G are arranged to sound the bass strings E, as hereinafter more fully described. The front ends of the key levers G and G are arranged in the usual manner, and are each adapted to be actuated by the performer playing thereon in the usual manner. The rear ends of the key levers are covered by the top A of the frame A, as is plainly shown in the drawings, the said top A being attached to the sides of the frame A.

Each of the key levers G or G is pivoted on a pin G projecting upward from a rail A attached to the sides of the main frame A. The rear ends of the levers G and G are adapted to rest on a transversely-extending felt cushion G secured on a rail A attached to the sides of the main frame A directly above the strings E and E. The front end of each key lever G or G is guided on the usual pin G attached to the rail A, also secured to the sides of the frame A.

On the rear end of each treble key lever G, is pivoted a hook or pawl H, see details in Figs. 4 and 5, pressed on, on one side, by a spring I-I held on the respective key lever, so as to hold the hook in a proper position. The hookend H of each hook His adapted to engage a toothed wheel I, arranged in such a manner relative to a corresponding treble string E that when the Wheel is turned the string is pressed by the lowermost tooth, until the point of the tooth finally passes over the string, thus suddenly releasing the latter, and thereby sounding the same in a manner similar to a ring engaging and releasing the string of a zither.

In order to use as large toothed wheels I as possible, I mount the wheels on studs I socured alternately on oppositely arranged rails A and A and extend their alternate key levers a short distance beyond the preceding key lever. The back of each tooth is preferably curved, as indicated in Fig. 4, while the front edge is inclined so that when the front of the tooth passes off the corresponding string the latter passes between the two adjacent teeth without touching either, as will be readily understood by reference at the left in Fig. 4.. The inner edge of each hook His or pawl J, adapted to engage with its lower hook end the rear, felt-lined edge K: of a hammer block K carrying the hammer K provided at its front end with the usual felt head K adapted to strike the corresponding bass string E below. The hammer block K is pivoted on a lug A depending from a rail A secured to the under side of the top A and to thersides of the main frame A, as is illustrated in the drawings. is in an uppermost position, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and in dotted lines in Fig. 6, then the head K 'rests against a felt facingL, attached to the beveled front of a rail A also secured transversely in the casing. The hammer K is held in this uppermost position bya spring N resting on therail A and engaging theunder side of the hammer block K in front of its pivot.

In order to release the hook J from the hammer block K after the hammer K has sounded its string and is to be thrown back by the spring N, I provide the said hook near its pivot end with a lug J 2 adapted to engage a felt facing O secured in a notch A formed in one sideof the lug A for the corresponding hammer. Now, when the key lever G is pressed on, the rear end swings. upward, as shown in Fig. 6, so that the hook'J, by its hook end J, imparts a swinging motion to the hammer K to cause the head K to sound the string E, and at the time the key is fully pressed the lug J engages the facing 0, so

that the hookJ swings downward to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, whereby the hook end J swings away from the facing of the end K, to permit the spring N to quickly return the hammer to its normal uppermost position. In order to hold thehook end J of the hook J in contact with the hammer block, I provide a spring J secured to the end of the key lever G and pressing on the back of the hook.

In order to shorten at will the vibrations of the sounded strings E and E, I provide a damper arrangement constructed as follows, see Fig. 2. A damper P extends above each of the strings E and E, and each damper is provided at its under side with a felt facing P adapted to engage the tops of the strings between the frets D and D. The ends of the dampers P carrying the facings P are connected by a leather strip P with the under side of each key lever G or G near the rear end thereof, as shown in Fig. 2. The forward ends of the dampers P have a hinged connection by means of a leather strip P with a bar Q, extending transversely above the strings and provided at its ends with .trunnions Q mounted to turn in suitable'bearings in the sides of the main frame A. From one end of this pivoted bar Q extends upward an arm Q passing through an aperture in the top A, and the upper end of this arm is pivotally connected with a horizontally extending stop R mounted to slide in a carriage, rail A arranged on the front end of the top railA, as

When the hammer is plainly shown in the drawings. The for-' ward end of the stop R is provided with a knob R under the control of the operator. Now, when the stop Risin the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, then the facings P of When it is desired to release the strings Fig. 2. whereby a turning motionis given to the bar Q, so that the dampers P are liftedv sufficiently to raise the facingsPofi of the 1 strings. Now, when the key levers are played a and the strings are sounded their vibrations will not cease on the seating or returning of the key lever to its normal position.

; It will be seen that when the treble keylevers G are played the corresponding treblestrings E are sounded by the action. of the toothed wheels I, and when the basskey lestrings E are sounded by the action. of the corresponding hammers K.

It will be seen thatthis instrument is very.

vers G are played the corresponding bass IOO table or other support, and is more especially I designed for use of beginners, to enable them to practice on a cheap instrument, thus preventing the spoiling of a high priced piano. It will further be seen that the instrument can be constructed with the same numberof octaves as are found on an ordinary piano, so that the performer will acquire the same knowledge of the key board as in practicing on a regular piano.

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A musical instrument of the class de-. scribed, provided with a bass key lever carrying a hook for engaging a hammer adapted pressed hook on each bass. key lover, a pivoted hammer adapted to be engaged at its hammer block by thesaid hook, anda spring pressing on the said hammer for returning the latter, substantially as shown and described.

4. A musical instrument of the class described, comprising bass key levers, a springpressed hook on each bass key lever, a pivoted hammer adapted to be engaged at its hammer block by the said hook, a spring pressing on the said hammer for returning the latter, and a fixed facing adapted to be engaged by a lug on the said hook to throw the latter out of engagement with the said hammer block, to permit the spring to return the hammer, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a musical instrument of the class described, a damper arrangement comprising dampers provided with felt facings adapted to engage the strings, strips connected with the dampers and adapted to be attached to the key levers, and a pivoted bar having a hinged connection with the said dampers, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a musical instrument of the class described, a damper arrangement comprising dampers provided with felt facings adapted to engage the strings, strips connected with the dampers and adapted to be attached to the key levers, a pivoted bar having ahinged connection with the said dampers, and means, substantially as described, for imparting a turning motion to the said bar to lift the said dampers, so as to raise the facings out of contact with the strings, substantially as shown and described.

ISAAC ST. 0. GOLDMAN.

Witnesses:

G. G. JOHNSON, O. S. HACKETT.

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