GB190417355A - Improvements in Self Playing Musical Instruments. - Google Patents

Abstract

17,355. Lake, H. H., [Farrand Organ Co.]. Aug. 9. Automatic instruments; pianofortes.-The parts of self-playing pianofortes are arranged in casings formed in separable sections, one section containing the soundboard, strings, &c., and the other section the manual and automatic action. The pneumatic action is connected to the key-levers by flexible tapes so as not to interfere with the manual operation. The pumping and store bellows, the motor bellows, and the key-actuating pneumatics are arranged beneath the key bed, and the primary pneumatics in front of the hammers and below the tracker bar. Finger-buttons are arranged in front of the keyboard for softening the action of the treble and bass independently. The parts of the casing, as shown in Fig. 3, are secured by means of the bolts d in the slots d<1> of the cheek plates c, and by means of screws e, the frame bars a sliding in bearings b in the front section. The tapes H<1>, Fig. 1, secured to eyelets on the key-levers, are adjustably connected to the levers H by nuts f<1> on screwed shanks f<2>. The primary pneumatics in the casing I are connected by tubes I<1>, passing between the upright rods E of the action, to a ported bar J fixed in the front section of the casing. The tubes J<1> connecting this bar to the pneumatics pass between the keys and strings as shown. The tracker box containing the winding and re-winding mechanism is removable, the tracker bar K being connected by tubes g<2> to a ported base-plate g, the holes in which register with those in the board K<3>, mounted on brackets K<4> on the casing I. A packing is placed between the faces, which are held tightly together by screws. The tempo lever M is arranged adjacent to the push-buttons L which control the regulator bellows S of the softening-action. The connection between the tempo lever and the tempo indicator in front of the tracker box preferably consists of rods extending to an intermediate lever at one side of the casing. The re-winding lever, placed beside the tempo lever, is similarly connected. The regulator bellows S, Fig. 12, operate valves S<8> controlling the passages from the chamber S<2> to the treble and bass chambers S', S<5>, Fig. 11. Additional passages are controlled by valves S<9>, S<10>, operated by means of the pneumatics S" from push-buttons L.