US1065634A - Pneumatic action for automatic playing mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

E. SWANSON.

PNEUMATIG ACTION FOB AUTOMATIC PLAYING MBGHANISM.

APPLIOATIOH FILED JAN. s, 1913.

1,065,634, Patented June 24, 1913.

du k. @um y Mw @l Uurrn srafrns assur oriic- EMIL SWANSON, OF STEER, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 STEGER c SONS PIANO MANU- FACTURIN G COMPANY, 0F STEGER, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYING. MECHANISI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

T0 all 'whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EMIL SwANsoN, a citizen of the United' States, residing at Steger, in the county of 7 ill and State of Illinois, have invented new' and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Actions for Automatic Play# ing Mechanism,"of which the following is a specification, reference being had to 4the accompanying drawings, .forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invent-ion is to provideI an improved vconstruction of the pneumatic action of an automatic playing mechanism or keyed instrument` It consists in theelemen'ts and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims. y

.Inthe drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical fore-andaft'section of a pneumatic action embodying this invention, the same beingv shown in connection with the hammer action of a piano. Fig.- 2 is a detail section of one power unit of the pneumatic .action on a larger scale than Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a detail on a' large scale of the primary pneumatic valve. Y

The drawings represent the tracker, 1, in its usual relation to the music roll, 2, and take-up roll, 3, which are indicated by outline only. From the tracker the air "ducts in the form of tiexible tubes, 4, extend to the primary pnenmatics, 5, of the usual diaphragm type which operate valves, (3,7, controlling the fiushing tubes, S, leading to the secondary pneumatics, 9, which in turn operate the Valves, 10,v for controlling the lcommunication ofthe power pneumatics, 11, alternately with the exhaust chamber, 1Q, and with the outer atmosphere through the passage, 32, and inlet port, 14. Each power pneumatic is connected by a rod, 15, with thelever, 1G, which act-s up'on the piano hammer action through the medium of 1the lever, 17, connected with the abstract, 18, for actuating th'cwippen, 19; said lever, 17,

' being the customary lower abstract link extended forwardly from its connection with the abstract to afford the lever arm upon which the lever, 1G, operates. In this construction thc following detail features are to be noted as characteristic of the structure: The primary pneumatic valves, (3,--7, are both screwed into a stem, 6a, which is in the I form of a screw-eye,-that is, having ahead,

a, in the form of an eye, rendering it cheap in construction and facilitating manipulasmooth round head for bearing upon the diaphragm pneumatic, A5.' The entire valve structure is made; u by screwing vonto the threaded stem, 6, ist the lower valve, 7, which has a leather seating face, 7", followed by: the spacing collar, 7, which has a flat end for bearing againstthe leather face of the valve, 7. Thisis followed by a second spacing collar, 7, similarly provided with a flat end for bearing against-the leather face, 6", of the upper valve, 6. being threaded over its ent-ire length, renders ,it possible to adjust 'the valves, 6 and 7, with respectcto each other and with respect to the head, 7a, so that they; shall be not only correctly spaced apart for the proper throw from one seat to the other, but also both properly spaced from `the diaphragm pneumatic, 5, upon which the head 7a, rests. The spacing collars, 7, being first positioned on the stem to properly space the valvesyeach valve being then screwed up tightly against its spacing collar, the stem may be screwed in either 4direction to properly space the vhead from the lower valve, 7.

It will be understood that'the primary pneumatics are mounted as usual in a plurality of bars, 20, 20, each channeled to form an exhaust chamber, 21,.tliese exhaust chambers being connected .at the ends Aby air trunks, not shown, with any suitable exhaust apparatus, not sliown,and that the cover board, 22, of the exhaustchamber,

Y' Patented J une 24, 1913.. Application filed January 8, 19H3. Serial No. 740,768. v

The stem, (5,1

say

21, has a separate air port, 23, leading through it into the exhaust chamber, 21, op-

Aposite each primary pneumatic, the outer ends of said ports being in communication with the atmosphere through a channel, 24, formed in 'a cover plate, which extends over 'the entire group of pneumatics and that the vflushing tubes, S, lead in through p thel cover board, 22, to the ports, 23, respectively. Y

Each power pneumatic, 11, with its controlling valve, 10, and secondary pneumatic, 9, is made as a complete unit adapted to be mounted separately and independently from each other unit on the exhaust chainber. 1Q, this construction being distinguished from the more fa'niiliar construction in which the secondary pneumatics are formed irna manner similar to the lformation of the primary pneumatic above described, that is,

allhaving one side exposed in an exhaust chamber common to the entire row or series.'

In order to employ the construction of the independent power pneumatic units above described, the following construction is adopted. Each power pneumatic, l1, comprises a block, 25, upon whose lower side the moving member, 11, of the power pneumaticis connected by the bellows -member whose chamber has communication through a port, 26, with the secondary pneumatic chamber, 27, which is cut in the top of the block, 25, and covered by a block,'28, in

the upper sidefof which iS formed the valve chamber, 29, from which arport, 30, leads into the secondary pneumatic chamber, 27, A cover plate, 30, above the block, 28, closes the valve chamber, except as to the air inlet port, 14, directly above the valve whose upperseat is the margin of said aperture'on the under side of the cover plate. A channel, 32, leads from the chamber, 27, above the dia hragm pneumatic, 9, to the inner end of t e block, 25,-that is, the end which is to be mounted on the vertical face of the exhaust chamber, 12, and from below the pneumatic, 9, a duct, 33, leads to the same end of the block-#and the rear `wall of theexhaust chamber has ports, 12, and 12b, for registering with the end of said chan-- nel, 32, and the end of the duct, 33 when the block is mountedl on t-he exhaust ehamber. It will be understood that the two blocks,

' 25 and 28 are permanently secured together after the pneumatic diaphra has been properly mounted in the block, 25, so the two constitute a unitary structure.v This .unitary struct-ure is secured with its forward end against the rear face of the exhaust chamber, 12, chiefly by means of an axially hollow screw, 40, which is set through the rear wall of the exhaust chamber, (the forward'wall being removable and being put dn place after the power pneumatic units are al1-secured). This hollow screw takes into the end of the block, 25, being screwed into the duct, 12", in said block which leads to the under side of the secondary pneu-X mat-ic. The axial duc-lI in the screw does not lead through the end of the head, but having extended into the head leads out at the wall of the exhaust chamberand the yield-L screw, 47, preferably set through the upper side of the block, 28, obliquely into the rear wallof the exhaustchamber, 12. Inview of the fact that the hole bored for the screw, 40, is liable to so nearly penetrate the under surface of the block, 25, that there might be air leakgge through the thin layer of wood remaining, it is. preferable to reinforce the block at this point by 'a thin disk, 50, of any convenient impervious material.

In lorder that the stroke of the power pneumatics may be controlled with exactness so that there shall be no lost motion between the moving member of the power pneumatic and the connections with the wippen, and to make it possible to adjust the connections from eac connection on which it operates, according to the necessities ofl each case as they may slightly vary, there is'provided an adjustable stop, 60, for the forward end of the lever 16, this stop being preferably made by means of a screw-eye, 61, set through a bar, 62, mounted on the forward side of the exhaust chamber, 12, at the lower edge, said screw-eye having on its lower end afelt-covered stop button, 63, which receives .the contact of the fo'rward end of the lever, 64, noiselessly. This stop, it will beseen, limits the recoil or expanding stroke of the power pneumatic. For limiting its stroke in the opposite direction, there is mounted upon the orward side of the abstract guide, 65, a bar, 66, in which there are set overhanging the lever, 17, of each wippen connection, a screw-eye, 67, precisely similar to the screw-eye, 61, similarly provided with a felt covered button at the lower end for noiseless Contact with theleyer, 17, in the collapsing stroke of the motor pneumatic.

A guide for the stem Vof the valve of the secondary pneumatic valve, 10, may be vided in `the form of a bar, 36, mounte by securing it on one end of the upper side of,

the block, 25, adjacent to the channel, 32,

Vand"extending thence overhanging the diapower pneumatic to the wippen phra'gm pneumatic, 9.

I claim:

1, The combination with the hammer action of a piano, a pneumatic act' for an automatic playing mechanism, comprising a vertically-extending exhaust chamber, power pneumatics mounted on and` extend-` ing 'from the rear wall of said-chamber one for each of the hammers to be operated havwall of said chamber and arranged for c01- ing their moving walls arran ed for collapsing upwardly; a lever for each motor lapsing upward and expan ing downpneumatic havin its fulcrum supported 25 wardly; a lever for each power neumatic on .the exhaust cig mber at the lower side fulcrumed between its ends and aving its thereof and a rod connecting it with the fulcrum supported by the exhaust chamber moving wall of the power pneumatic for underneath the same; a manually operable upward movement of its rear end upon the stop adjustable for limiting the upward collapse of the pneumatic; a manually op- 30 movement of. 'the forward end of each of erable adjustable stop for the opposite movesaid levers mounted upon the exhaust chamment of the lever mounted upon the exber and overhanging said end; a support haust chamber; a support fixed with refixed with respect to the hammer action and spect to the hammer action; a manually opa manually operable adjustable stop mounterable adjustable stop on said support for I6 ed on said support overhangin the rear end limiting the hammer actuating stroke of the of the lever for limiting te collapsing leyer upon the collapse of the pneumatic. stroke of the pneumatic. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 2. In combination with the hammer acmy hand at Steger, Illinois, this 7th day of tion of a piano, a pneumatic action for an December, 1912.

automatic playing mechanism, comprising EMIL SWANSON. a vertically-extending exhaust chamber, Witnesses: horizontally-extending power pneumatics n H. C. WEHLAN,

mounted upon and protruding from the rear J. N. GANSEN, J r.

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