US1195536A

US1195536A - Fobnia

Info

Publication number: US1195536A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1916-08-22
Anticipated expiration: 1933-08-22

Description

B. R. VAN VALKENBURG.

PIPE CHEST.

APPLICATION FILED'NOV, 4, 1913. RENEWED JUNE 19. 1916.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEE'T I.

IN V E N TOR flan H. Van Val/rewbagf WITNESSES A ATTORNEY B. R. VAN VALKENBURG.

PIPE CHEST.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1913. RENEWED JUNE 19. me.

1 1 95,536 Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

win/5385s; MIKE/1T0}? 5:12"! R. Van VOZ/ ZIZbl/Yg a wf jag/[M47 A TTOR/VEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BURT R. VAN VALKENBURG, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PHOTO PLAYER COMPANY, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FORNIA.

PIPE-CHEST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

Application filed November 4, 1913, Serial No. 799,116. Renewed June 19, 1916. Serial No. 104,577.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURT R. VAN VAL- KENBURG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe- Chests, of which the following is a specification.

The herein described invention relates to an improved pipe chest for organs, and more specifically to a pneumatically operated instrument of the organ type.

The principal object of this invention is to provide improved means for opening any passage controlling a note to the air pressure in the chest by means of a vacuum pneumatic located on the exterior thereof.

Further objects are to provide an im proved general arrangement of the chest, means whereby independent adjustment may be secured for the amount of opening and the spring pressure tending to close the opening, and construction of the plunger rod to prevent leakage around the same.

With these and other objects in view, it will be seen that my invention consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts as herein described, and as more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this specification :Figure 1 is a view in plan of my improved chest with a part thereof broken out and showing the pneumatics mounted on part of the length thereof. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in cross section along the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the cover and parts attached thereto to show the interior arrangement. Fig. 4 is a view in cross section of a piano with several pipe chests constructed in accordance with my invention installed in connection therewith.

The improved chest is constructed of several layers of wood or other suitable material comprising a bottom 1 and side walls 2, an intermediate layer 3 and a top 4. Within these layers is a longitudinal cavity 5, in which the valves are located and which is closed by

end walls

6 and 7. Cavity 5 communicates through an opening 8 with the wind trunk 9, of which there may be several arranged parallel, opening 8 being normally closed by a valve 10. Within the cavity 5 a strip 11 extends the length thereof and on the same are mounted the spring valve supports 12, which are attached to the strip by screws 13. Along one edge of this strip is a cut out portion 15 and a screw 14 passing through the spring at this point provides means for adjusting the tension of said spring. On the end of strip 12 is attached a closure comprising a stiif plate 16 on which are mounted several thicknesses of elastic material 17 such as felt and sheep skin, the various layers being held by a screw and nut 18. In alinement with this closure is an opening 19 extending through layer 3, and partly through layer 4, from whence it branches off in an angular direction as indicated at 20 or 20, and terminates in openings 21 extending through layer 4. The object of this arrangement is to secure economy in space, the pipes 22 which are placed in openings 21, are thus arranged in two rows instead of one reducing the length of the chest practically one half.

Mounted on the exterior of the chest directly above each strip 12 is a plurality of blocks 24 on each of which is mounted a pneumatic 25 having the movable side 26. Passing throughthe extended end of 26 is a regulating screw 28, having an enlarged pad 29 which contacts with the stop block 30, when this side is depressed. The movement of the pneumatic is transmitted to strip 12 through a rod 31 passing through an opening 32 in

members

3 and 4. This rod is pro-' vided on the upper end with a rounded head 33 which rests under the extended end of 26, and on the lower end with a button 34 having felt ends which seats in a cavity 35. The pressure within chamber 5 holds the button on its seat preventing leakage around the rod 31.

Each block 24 is provided with a longitudinal passageway 37 which communicates by a hole 38 with the interior of the pneumatic 25. The one end of this passageway is connected by a tube 39 with the corresponding pneumatic of the next pipe chest, while the other end is connected by a tube 40 with a valve chest 41. In this chest are a number of cells 42, and a vacuum chamber 43 between which and the cells are flexible diaphragms 43. The admission of air under one of these diaphragms raises the valve 44 placing tube 40 in communication with the vacuum chamber 43. Air is admitted to cells 42 through tubes 45 which connect with a valve 46. The latter consists of a plate having passage 47, which plate is adjacent to the abstract 48 and which is normally closed by the hinged cover 48. The latter is raised by a projection 49 on the abstract each time a note is played. Such note may be played either manually by means of keys 50 or automatically by the usual tracker and valve chest arrangement.

The operation of my improved pipe chest is as follows Whenever the abstract 48 is raised, the cover 48 is lifted by the projection 4C9, thus admitting air to the tube 45 and so raising the valve 4A. This places tube 40 in communication with the vacuum in e3, thus deflating pneumatic 25 and through the connecting tube 39, deflating also pneumatic 25 and any others which may be con nected in the line. The deflating of'a pneu matic such as 25 presses down pin 31 which in turn bends spring 12 removing the pad 17 from the opening 19 and allowing the air under pressure to pass through said opening,

passage

20 or 20, into the pipe 22. While each of the pneumatics on a given line are deflated only that set of pipes will sound whose valve 10 is opened to admit pressure into the corresponding pipe chest, it being understood that the valves such as 10 are operated preferably by the usual stops, but any convenient means may be used.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have provided an effective and simple pipe chest for playing pressure pipes by means of a vacuum operated pneumatic..

While I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes may be made in detail and design without departing from the spirit thereof, and that I wish to cover such modifications as broadly as possible.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having a passage leading therefrom, a valve for said passage having a leaf-spring section, means securing said valve at one end of its spring-section to the pipe-chest, the said valve intermediate its ends being spaced from the adjacent walls of the chest, means engaging said valve at the last referred to portion thereof for varying the degree of pressure normally exerted by the valve against the wall of said passage, and means for unseating said valve against the resistance of its spring.

2. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having a passage leading therefrom and containing an opening in a wall thereof, a valve in the interior of said chest for controlling said passage formed with a spring section located in the interior of said chest and secured at one end in said chest, a rod passing through a wall of said chest and adapted to engage said valve, and

means for moving said rod to actuate said valve.

3. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having a passage leading therefrom, a valve controlling said pas sage and formed of a spring-strip, a block to which said strip is secured, adjusting means passing through said spring-strip at a point Where the latter is out of contact with said block, and means for actuating said valve.

a. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having a passage leading therefrom, a valve controlling said passage and formed of a spring-strip, a block to which said strip is secured, adjusting means passing through said spring-strip at a point where the latter is out of contact with said block, a movable rod extending externally of said chest and adapted, when actuated, to actuate said valve, and means for actuating said rod.

5. The combination in a musicalinstrument, of a pipe-chest having a passage leading therefrom and containing a pressurechamber, and a valve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure through said opening into said chamber, a disk-valve adapted to close said passage, a block mounted within said chest, a leafspring carrying said disk-valve and attached at its opposite end to said block, a pneu matic mounted on the exterior of said chest, a rod operated by the movable side of said pneumatic and passing through a wall of said chest, and adapted to engage said spring to open the disk-valve upon the defiation of the said pneumatic.

6. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having a passage leading therefrom and containing a pressure chamber, and a valve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure through said opening into said chamber, a disk-valve adapted to close said passage, a block mounted within said chest, a leafspring carrying said disk-valve and attached at its opposite end to said block, and means for adjusting the tension of said spring, a pneumatic mounted on the exterior of said chest and a rod operated by the movable side of said pneumatic and passing through a wall of said chest and adapted to engage said spring and open the diskvalve upon deflation of said pneumatic.

7 The combination in a musical instrument having a musical pipe-chest containing an air-pressure chamber, valve-controlled means for supplying air under pressure to said chest, said chest containing a passage leading to said pipe, a spring-mounted valve, means for adjusting the tension of the spring, a pneumatic mounted on the exterior of said chest, a rod mounted in an opening in a wall of said chest and communicating with said chamber, said rod havin an enlarged head on the end thereof wit in said chamber, which is adapted to make a tight joint between said rod and the openin in which it is located due to the pressure 0 air in said chamber against the head of said rod, said head being in position to contact with said valve and open the latter when the pneumatic is deflated, and adjusting means on the movable side of said pneumatic whereby its movement may be regulated and thus the amount of opening of said valve controlled.

8. The combination in a musical instrument having a plurality of musical pipes, of a pipe-chest containing an air-pressure chamber having a valve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure through said opening into said chamber, said chest containing passages leading from said chamber to said musical pipes, respectively, a flexible closure for each of said passages, a spring mounting for each closure, means for adjusting the tension of each spring, pneumatics mounted on the exterior of said chest above the spring-controlled closures, respectively, rods passing through a wall of said chest and extending into the path of movement of the movable sides of said neumatics, enlarged heads on the ends 0 said rods within said chamber and which are adapted to make tight joints around said rods due to the air pressure on said heads, said heads being in position to contact with the respective springs and open said closures when the pneumatics are deflated, and adjusting means on the movable sides of said pneumatics whereby their movement may be adjusted and thus the amount of opening of said closures regulated.

9. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest containing passages leading therefrom, valvedisks controlling the said passages, spring-strips supporting said valve-disks, a block carrying said spring-strips, a screw passing through each of said spring-strips at a point where said spring-strip is not in contact with said block, pneumatics secured to said chest, and means co-acting with said pneumatics to actuate said respective valve-disks.

10. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest containing passages leading therefrom, valve-disks controlling the outlets of said passages, spring-strips supporting said valve-disks, a block carrying said spring-strips, a screw passing through each of said spring-strips at a point inter mediate its valve-disk and the said block, and pneumatics adapted to actuate said valve-disks.

11. The combination in a musical instrument having a plurality of musical pipes, of a pipe-chest containing a pressure chamber having a valve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure through said opening into said chamber, said chest having passages leading from said pressure chamber to the respective musical pipes, disk-valves adapted to close said passages, leaf-springs carrying said disk-valves, said springs being each attached at one end to said block, a plurality of pneumatics mounted on the exterior of said chest, rods operated by the movable sides of said pneumatics and passing through a wall of said chest, and adapted to engage said springs and open the disk-valves upon the deflation of the said pneumatics.

12. The combination in a musical instrument having a plurality of musical pipes, of a pipe-chest containing a pressure chamber, having a valve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure through said opening into said chamber, said chest having passages leading from said pressure chamber to the respective musical pipes, disk-valves adapted to close said passages, leaf-springs carrying said disk-valves, said springs being each attached at one end to said block, means for adjusting the tension of said leaf-springs, a plurality of pneumatics mounted on the exterior of said chest, and rods operated by the movable sides of said pneumatics and passing through a wall of said chest and adapted to engage said springs and open the disk-valves upon deflation of the pneumatics.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BURT R. VAN VALKENBURG.

Witnesses:

H. A. VAN VALKENBURG, R. M. OYARZO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0."