US1197910A - Electrical sound-producing system and apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

E. E. CLEMENT.

ELECTRICAL souun PRODUCING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28 19H.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. E. CLEMENT. I ELECTRICAL SOUND PRODUCING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28,19H.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD E. CLEMENT, OF VJASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ELECTRICAL SOUND-PRODUCING- SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

Application filed August 28, 1911.

To all'wlwm it may concern Be it knownthat I, EDWARD E. CLEMENT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Sound-Producing Systems and Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates .to resonating systems and apparatus, and especially to such as employ horns, pipes and similar means for producing more or less sustained vibrations in a column of air.

The object of the invention is to produce, first a self-contained operative unit apparatus, and second a system of such units which may be controlled by direct connection with electrical selective circuits operated in a suitable manner.

To attain my objects, I provide a pipe or born with an initial vibrator and a controlling devicefor the vibrator, mounted directlyon the horn or pipe so as to form. a self-contained, self-actuating unit, which needs only electrical energization to throw into vibration the column of air in the pipe or horn,'. and continuously vibrate the same;

and Ithencombine a set'of these self-con-' tained unit pipes or horns, and connect them through electrical circuits with their proper selective devices and a source of current in a manner which will be hereinafter described. The source of current may also if desiredfbe located in or carried upon one of the units, together with a circuit controlvler, so that the unit is not only self-contained and self-actuating, but portable. This application is a continuation in part of a prior copending application, filed August 11th, 1905, Serial No. 273,799, upon which Let-- ters Patent No. 1,002,086 were granted to me August 29th, 191

My invention is illustrated as to some of. its embodiments in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same figures and letters of reference point out the same parts through-' out.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show the I applications of my invention to megaphones or horns. Figs. 3 and 4 show details of the vibrator in Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale.- Fig. 5 shows the invention applied to an or gan pipe. Fig. 6 is a modification of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, '1916.

Serial No. 646,553. I

same, showing an automatic vibrator reed for the working magnet. Figs. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing vibrators controlled by" ing magnet W adapted to vibrate the same.

Inside the angle of the frame is a small microphone M, which may well be a granular cell of considerable current carrying capacity. An extension of the horn is shown at h containing a dry battery cell B, and bearing on one side a push button circuit closer h. The operation of this device is as follows: When the button is pressed to close the circuit, current from the battery passes through the magnet Wand causes it to pluck the reed,'which reacts on the microphone, which causes repeated plucks and so on until the column of airinthe horn H is in full vibration. The reed and horn must be ap- A proximately in tune with each other, or at least the period of the hornvmust be so related to that of the reed that when the reed is vibrated it will throw into sympathetic vvibration the column of air inv the horn,

which resonates as long as current is passing through the windings of the magnet W. When the sound is started and the microphone is working at its maximum the sounds of the voice in articulate speech may be su which performs the function of the micro-- phone of Fig. 1 replacing the multiple contacts of the microphonewith a single buzzer contact. In startingup thesound in this of the horn,.and1 after the horn note is escase, the buzzer-action starts the vibration tablished it may take control of the buzzer armature, which vibrates in unison With it.

As a commercial product this form of the invention can be made very cheaply as a device for making a noise, and as a signal. The details are shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The magnet W has an armature support consisting of a punched copper or brass plate extended out at one end and secured to the armature spring by the rivet w". The two cores of the magnets are riveted directly to the side of the horn with or without an in terposed iron piece, depending on the material and thickness of the horn; and the armature w which constitutes both reed and circuit controller, is riveted to the spring w, whose end normally engages the platinum point of the screw 'w in the yoke w, which is carried on the insulated head of one spool. VThile I have not shown a mouthpiece with this form of horn, it can be used therewith.

Figs 5 and 6 show my invention applied to the sounding of organ pipes. Fig. 5 shows a pipe P with the usual embouchure p, which for the purpose of this invention may be any form of aperture, outside which a reed 0.0 is mounted on the bracket or frame w, which carries also the magnet W, placed so as to act upon the reed. The microphone M is attached to the lower end of the pipe, and a circuit is provided including key Kand wires 1, 2, 3 and 5. The operation of this form is substantially the same as those I have been describing, the reed starting a flutter in the pipe, whichbeing taken up and resonated in the pipe causes a constant action and reaction in unison, which maintains the sound full and rich, and of a strength depending upon the battery supply.

Fig. 6 shows a pipe similar to that of Fig. 5, fitted with the form of vibrator shown in Figs. 3 and L The magnet W is carried on its bracket w,bolted to the lower end of the tube P, and the reed to with its attached parts are the same as in the other figures previously described. After the reed starts to vibrating and the air in the pipe has taken up the sound and resonated it, the reed falls into unison with the pipe even if it were not previously exactly so.

Instead of the simple key shown in Fig. 5, I may also employ perforated strips of paper somewhat. similar to pneumatic controller strips. Such an arrangement is illustrated in each of the diagrams Figs. 7 and 8, and I shall claim the same in combination with the other elements of the invention, as I consider it of value whereit is desirable to get a continuous tone by electrical control.

By electrical control I mean the application of energy to thesounding bodies electrically, and the control of the same by circuit closers. In applying the paper strip principleI perforate a paper in lines corresponding in their spacing to the distances between the set of contact springs connected in place of the keys K to the magnets. The springs rest on a common return metal plate or drum and the paper strip isfed along under them. As each per oration comes under a spring the latter presses through into contact with the roller or plate beneath and so closes the circuit of its magnet. The regulation of the speed of the rolls, and the provision of extra perforations and extra springs for stops and other ancillary mechanism are all included in the scheme. I prefer to run the mechanism for the rolls by means of a small electric motor, so that the control and regulation of the entire mechanism may be uniform.

In the claims I shall make use of several broad terms such as initial vibrator to indicate the reed or armature of the electromagnets; resonator or like term to indicate the resonant body of air or the horn or pipe; and circuit controlling and variable resistance device to indicate a microphone or a pair of contacts cooperating with and reciprocally controlled by the electromagnet of the vibrator.

Many modifications might be resorted to without departing in. any way from the spirit or scope of the invention and all such are included within the purview of the appended claims.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a system of the class described, a plurality of tuned pipes or horns, individual electromagnetic vibrators each mounted upon one of said tuned pipes or horns and forming therewith a self-contained unit, and each selectively and exclusively controlling its own pipe or horn, a branch electric circuit for each vibrator, a source of current in the common part of said branches, and selective circuit closing means for said branch circuits, additional to the vibrators.

2. In a system of the class described, the combination of a plurality of self-contained sounding units, each comprising a tuned resonating pipe or horn, with an electromagnetic vibrator mounted directly thereon and carried thereby, a plurality of branch circuits each including one of said vibrators, a source of current common to said circuits, and means common to all the vibrators for controlling them selectively.

3. In a system of the class described, a plurality of electrically energized, self-contained sound-producing units tuned to furnish different notes in a musical scale; each comprising an initial vibrator, electromagnetic means for actuating the same, circuitcontrolling means for said electromagnetic means; and a resonator in acoustic communication with the initial vibrator and tuned so as to amplify the sound produced thereby,

said circuit-controlling means being responually and selectively controlling the several sive to the vibrations of said vibrator to renc1rcuits. 10 der its action continuous; means for sup- I In testimony whereof I affix my signature plying current to the several units; all in in presence of two Witnesses. 5 combination with a plurality of branch cir- EDWARD E. CLEMENT.

cuits each including one of the several units, Witnesses: and means additional to the circuit-control- W. B. AGKER, ling means of the several units, for individ- FLORA RAYMOND.

Images