US1219063A - Electrical piano. - Google Patents

Description

M. ARESE.

ELECTRICAL PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED MAY a, 1916.

1,21 9,063. Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

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iUQNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARIO ARESE, OF TURIN, ITALY.

ELECTRICAL PIANO.

Application filed May 3, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Maine Aussie, clergyman. a subject of the King of Italy, resident of Turin, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Pianos; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description f the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which :Form a part of this specification.

hiy invention is an improvement in electrically operated key actuated musical instruments of the class in which a series of conducting fingers, corresponding to the number of eys of the keyboard, close at the passage-oi: toe corresponding perforation of the note sheet an electric circuit which comprises an electro-nnignet, the soft iron core of which acts on the corresponding key of the instrinnent The object of the invention is to provide means for modiiying the intensity of the sound along the keyboard and it consists in providing a resistance device in the common part of the circuit and common to all the branch circuits with means for controlling the resistance. Each conductor of the resistance device is provided with branches, one set of branches forming a group of con tacts for one part of the instrument, as the bass, and the other set forming a group of contacts for the other part of the instrument, as the treble. Each group of contacts has a sliding contact adapted to be selectively connected to each branch of a group, and each sliding contact is electrically connected with contact plate one of which is in sliding contact With a series of contacts corresponding to the keys of the treble and the other in sliding contact with a s ries of contacts corresponding to the keys of the bass.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1. is a side view of the device embodying my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a detailed view of said device.

in the drawings, 30 designates a roller carrying a note sheet 2 provided with perforations 3 corresponding to the keys of an instrument. 31 denotes a take-up roll onto which the note sheet is wound during the operation of the instrument. The sheet 2 Specification of Letters Patent.

httented Mar. 13, 1917.

Serial No. 95,143.

passes over a fixed bar 51 connected by means of a wire 50 to a binding post 50, one of the terminals of the supply line 7 0.

On the bar 51 issecured a nickel plate of snilicient length to eilect a closure of all the circuits, so that it will not be necessary to construct the entire bar of nickel.

The closure of the several circuits at the passage of the corresponding perforations 3 of the note sheet 2 is effected by fingers 53 pivotally mounted in slots 54.- formed in a cross bar 55 oi insulating material, said lingers tending to swing on insulating pins toward the bar-'51 under the action of springs 57 in which the wires 38 terminate; each of said wires is connected to an end of the winding of a. corresponding electromagnet 1i, connected with the other terminal 68 oi the current supply 70 as hereinafter described.

The electro-magnets M are arranged behind the keys 58 of the piano and their soft iron cores 17, (preferably constituted by a bundle of iron wires insulated from one another) bear normally against a cross bar 59 with the interposition of suitable felts. Each core is connected with a rod 60, the felt covered end o1": which is in contact with the lower surface of the head 61 of a key 58. It is clear that, when. the circuit is closed the soft iron core will lift the rod causing the corresponding key to rock on its pivot exactly as it it had been manually actuated.

In order to modify the intensity of the sound along the keyboard, a resistance set 62 is provided to the binding post 63 of which the other terminal of the current sup ply 70 is led. A sliding contact 6% for controlling the resistance is suitably placed un der the keyboard of the piano and is connected by means of wires 65 with one end of the windings of all the electromagnets 14.

In the example shown, the resistance set may give six different strengths of the current through the eleotro-magnets 14 according to the position of the sliding contact 6 on one or the other of the terminal contacts 66 of the conductors 69/ of the resistance. It will therefore be suiiicient to displace the sliding contact 6% to effect the passage o more or less current and therefore produce an increase or a decrease in the intensity of sound.

Each of the conductors 62 of the resist-.

ance set (six as in the present example) is branched, one of the branches leading to a contact 66 for the bass and the other branch 62 leading to a contact 66 for the treble.

On the contacts 66 and 66 are movably mounted sliding contacts 64 and 6e respectively, which are connected by means of the wires 67 and 67, with two alined - metal plates 68 and 68 which are connected together and insulated from one another. Said plates may be moved, by means of a handle 69, over the insulating plates 71 on which are arranged contacts 72 corresponding to the keys of the piano, and each contact 72 is connected by means of a wire 6:5 with an electro-magnet 1 11-.

it is evident that by moving the sliding contacts Gland (31, it will be possible to supply to all the electro-magnets, that are in electrical connection with the plate (38, a current having a strength different "from that of the electro-magnets in electrical connection with the plate 68' and, by suitably moving by means of the handle (39 the two plates 68 and 68 over the plates 71 it will be possible to modify at will the groups of electroanagnets to which the current of different strength is supplied and thereby the corresponding section of the keyboard where the intensity of sound is to be modified.

The keyed instrument to which the device is applied may be played by hand when de sired without removing any part of the device, which is quite invisible.

The forward movement of the roller 31 on which the note sheet 2 is wound may be effected by hand or by means of any suitable motor (prei'erably an electric motor).

I claim 1. In a key actuated musical instrument, a series of key levers, an electromagnet and its core arranged in operative relation to each lever, a current supply, a branch circuit for each electro-magnet, an automatic circuit closer in each branch circuit, a resistance device having branches of different resistance common to all the branch circuits of the electr c-magnets, means to select a resistance, and means to selectively apply the selected resistance to branch circuits of the electro-magnets.

2. In a key actuated musical instrument, a series of key levers, an electro-magnet and its core arranged in operative relation to each lever, a current supply, a branch circuit for each electromagnet, an automatic circuit closer in each b"aneh circuit, a re sistance device having branches of different resistance common to all the branch circuits of the eleetro-magnets, means to select a resistance branch, contacts for the magnets arranged in groups, and means to electri rally connect the selected resistance branch with said groups of contacts.

3. In a key actuated musical instrument, a series of key overs, an electro-magnet and its core, arranged in operative relation to each lever, a current supply, a branch circuit for each electro-magnet, an automatic circuit closer in each branch circuit, a. re sistance device in the common part of the circuit, branches in the resistance, manually operated switches for the branches of the resistance, a contact plate electrically connected with each switch, and contacts for the magnets in contact with the plates.

a. In a key actuated musical instrument, a series of key levers, an electromagnet and its core arranged in operative relation to each lever, a current supply, a branch circuit for each electromagnet, an automatic circuit closer in each branch circuit, a resistance device in the common part of the circuit, branches connected with the resistance, manually operated switches for the branches of the resistance, a contact plate electrically connected with each switch, contacts for the magnets in contact with the plates, and means to simultaneously shift the plates with respect to the contacts of the magnets.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, 1 have signed my name.

MARIO nnjesn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents, "Washington, '11 C.

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