US1120091A

US1120091A - Chord-making attachment for stringed instruments.

Info

Publication number: US1120091A
Application number: US73577112A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles E Schmidt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1912-12-09
Filing date: 1912-12-09
Publication date: 1914-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 1931-12-08

Description

G. E. SCHMIDT. CHORD MAKING ATTACHMENT FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED DEO.9. 1912.

1,120,091 Patented Dec.8,1914.

fil'gfi. 1 m. n 1 6 m f 7 79 HE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTU-LITHQ. wAsHINGrpN, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. SCHMIDT, 0E fiI-ZICAGO, ILLINOZS.

CHORD-MAKING.- ATTACHMENT FOR STRINGED INSTBUMENTS.

Application filed iliecember 9, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chord- Making Attachments for Stringed Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form of attachment for stringed musical instruments adapted to be operated to depress the strings of the instrument at difierent points for forming various chords; and to provide an improved construction and arrangement of the operating mechanism of such an attachment.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the neck or upper part of a stringed instrument, such as a guitar, showing the attachment in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the cover of the box removed. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on the line A-A of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail in perspective of one of the keys. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the auX- iliary key levers. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the operating arms which are actuated by the key levers.

In the construction shown in the drawings the attachment comprises a supporting member in the form of a box 1 which is adapted to be supported on the neck 2 of astringed instrument above the strings substantially as shown in Fig. 1. The box is herein shown as being rigidly supported on the neck by brackets 3 but it will be understood that it may be shiftably supported as well.

The operating mechanism comprises members 4 herein shown to be of substantially triangular shape pivotally mounted at one corner on horizontally disposed axes 5, and members 6 also of substantially triangular shape pivot-ally mounted at one corner on the horizontally disposed rods 7. Both the members 4 and the members 6 are arranged in transversely alined sets. The members 6 are also arranged in longitudinally alined sets with the members 1, and are operatively connected therewith by means of the links 8. It will thus be seen that the

members

4 and 6 are in efiect bell-crank levers. For

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Dec. 8, mm.

Serial Ho. 735,771.

the purpose of distinction the members 4 are hereinafter referred to as bell-crank striking levers, and the members 6 as bell-crank op erating levers. Each of the levers 1 has secured in the lower forward corner thereof a pi ce of material 9, preferably felt, which protrudes through the apertures 10 in the bottom of the box and engages and depresses the corresponding string 11 when the lever 4 is shifted.

The mecham'sm is operated by means of key levers 12 each comprising a piece of wire pivotally mounted on one of the rods 7 and being bent to form a part 13 and arm 1 1. The part 13 of each lever engages the transversely alined set of operating levers 6 that are pivotally mounted on the respective rod 7. The arm 11 thereof is engaged by a key 15. Each of the keys 15 comprises a rod bent upon itself and having an extension 16 operating in the guideway 17 formed in the bottom of the box and having a head 18 formed on the end thereof exterior of the cover. A shoulder 19 engages the bend 20 in the arm 14 and causes a depression of the arm when the key is depressed, and also prevents disengagement of the key when the parts are all connected in their assembled relation, by abutting against the cover if the key is raised.

An auxiliary key lever 21 is pivotally mounted on each of the rods 7 adjacent to the regular key lever 12 and has a depending arm 22 connecting it with a link 8' whereby it is connected to a striking lever 4:. Each arm 14 of the levers 21 is provided with a shoulder 23 which engages the arm 14: of said adjacent key lever 12, so that when the operating key 15 is depressed both of the

corresponding key levers

12 and 21 will be depressed. These auxiliary key levers, however, do not interfere with the independent operation of the regular key levers 12. The function of the auxiliary key levers, and the connected parts, is to add one striking lever to the combination operated by the regular key lever, as for instance, would be the case when adding one note to a chord which could be obtained by the operation of any one of the regular keys.

The operating mechanism is normally urged into a retracted position by means of leaf springs 24-, there being one for each of the links 8 and 8 to which they are operatively connected by links 25.

The operation of the device shown is as follows: The instrument is held in the usual manner, the keys 15 being operated by the to move the links 8 against the action of the springs 2%. This movement of therlinks causes the striking levers 4; to be shifted and cause the parts 9, carried thereby, to engage and depress the corresponding string 11.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim 1. A device of the class described adapted for attachment to a stringed instrument, comprising a supporting member, a p1urality of bell-crank striking levers pivotally mounted thereon on axes transversely disposed to the strings of said instrument, means carried by said levers and adapted to engage the strings on said instrument, a plurality of bell-crank operating levers pivotally mounted on said member on axes substantially parallel with the axes of said striking levers, keysconnected to shift said operating levers, and links extending substantially parallel with said strings and connecting certain of said operating levers with certain of said striking levers whereby the depression of said keys will cause said means to depress said strings.

2. A device of the class'described, adapted for attachment to a stringed instrument, comprising a supporting member mounted above the strings ofsaidinstrument, a plurality of bell-crank striking levers pivotally mounted at one end of said supporting memher in transversely. alined sets, means carried by said levers and adapted to engage the strings of said instrument, a plurality of bell-crank operating levers pivotally mounted at the other end of said member and arranged in transversely alined sets, links extending substantially parallel with said strings and pivotally connecting the longitudinally alined operating and striking levers, and a plurality of keys connected to shift said transversely alined sets of operating levers whereby the connected striking levers will cause said means to depress said strings.

3. A device of the class described, adapted for attachment to a stringed instrument, comprising a box supported above the means carried by said levers and extending strings of said instrument, a plurality of bell-crank striking levers pivotally mounted in the bottom of said box adjacent to one end thereof on horizontally disposed axes,

through apertures formed in the bottom of said box and adapted to engage the strings of said instrument, a plurality of horizontally disposedrods secured in the opposite end of said box and arranged transversely 1 thereto, bell-crank operating levers pivotally mounted on said rods in sets and arranged in longitudinal alinement with said striking levers, links connecting said longitudinally alined operating and striking levers, key levers mounted on each of said rods and engaging the operating levers. pivoted thereto, an arm extending outwardly from .one side .of each of said key levers, a key operatively connected to each of said arms whereby the depression of one of said keys will: cause. said lkey levers to depress corresponding operating levers and cause the connected striking levers to shift the means carried thereby to depress said strings, and a plurality of leaf springs located at one end of said box and connected to said links and normally adapted to urge said leYers into their retracted positions.

4:. A device of the class,descr-ibed,.adapted for attachment to a stringed instrument, comprising a box supported above the strings of said. instrument, a plurality of bellecrank striking levers pivotally mounted in the bottom of said box adjacent to one end thereof; on horizontally disposed axes, means carried by said. levers andextending through apertures formed, inv the bottom of said boxand adapted to-engage the strings of saidinstrument, a plurality of horizontally disposed rodssecured in the opposite end of said box and arranged transversely thereto, bell-crank operating leversv pivotally mounted on said rodsin sets and arranged in longitudinal alinement with said striking levers, links connecting said longitudinally alined operating and striking levers, key levers mounted on each of said rods and engaging the operating levers pivotedthereto, an arm extending outwardly from one side of each of said key levers, a key operatively connected to each of said armswhereby the depression of one of said keys will cause said key levers to depress corresponding operating levers and cause the connected 12C- striking levers to. shift the means carried thereby to depress said strings, and an auxiliary key lever pivotally mounted on one of said rods adjacent to one of said key levers and having ashoulder adapted to en- 125 gage .the arm of said key lever whereby said one key lever maybe simultaneously depressed with said auxiliary key lever.

5. A deviceof the class described, adapted for attachment to a stringed instrument,

comprising a supporting member mounted above the strings of said instrument, a plurality of bell-crank striking levers pivotally mounted at one end of said supporting member in transversely alined sets, means carried by said levers and adapted to engage the strings of said instrument, a plurality of bell-crank operating levers pivotally mounted at the other end of said member and arranged in transversely alined sets, links connecting the longitudinally alined operating and striking levers, a plurality of main key levers pivotally mounted on horizontally disposed axes and adapted to engage the transversely alined operating 1evers, auxiliary key levers pivoted coaXially adjacent to each of said main key levers, a shoulder on each of said auxiliary key levers engaging the adjacent main key lever, and keys connected to said main and auxiliary key levers.

Signed at Chicago this 2nd day of December, 1912.

CHARLES E. SCHMIDT.

Witnesses EDWIN PHELPS, J ENNIEL BURT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.