US1235526A - Panel-controller for automatic playing instruments. - Google Patents

Description

F. C. WHITE. PANEL CONTROLLER FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYING INSTRUMENTS.

, APPLICATION FILED APR. '4, 1917- 1,235,526. k I Patented July 31, 1917.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. E5

5] nveutoz F. C. WHITE.

PANEL CONTROLLER FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYING INSTRUMENTS.

. APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. I917. 1,235,526. Patented July 31, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATS PAT option.

FRANK C. WHITE, 0F IEERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A SIG-NOR. TO THE 'WILCOX & WHITE COMPANY, OF MEBIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A OORFORATION 0F CONNECTICUT.

PANEL-CONTROLLER FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYING INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed April 14, 1917.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. Nmrn, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Meriden, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Panel-Controller for Automatic Playing Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to player pianos and the like in which the front panel of the piano casing is provided with doors which open and close to permit the muslc rolls to be inserted and removed. In the present de velopment of this art, many of such instruments are designed to be played automatically so as to reproduce the music with all of its variations in tempo and dynamics under the automatic control of the note sheet. In such instruments the efiect is heightened by having the music rolls hidden during the playing, thus concealing all evidence of mechanical means. To that end, my invention aims at providing means which will automatically close the doors in the front panel when the music commences, and which will open said doors when the music is concluded. I may also provide means whereby if desired. the apparatus may be manually controlled so that the doors may be opened and closed by hand at any time.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the inside of a front panel and the movable doors of a player piano, showing the doors open. The parts are shown conventionally and are susceptible of wide modification.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the doors closed.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of certain parts shown in a different position for manual operation of the doors.

Fig. 4: is a section on the line of Fig. 3. v

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the part shown in Fig. 3.

1 represents a part of the front panel of a player piano or organ of the pneumatic type. This panel has usually at the center a sultable opening or passage for the muslc rolls. 23 are sliding doors at the back of the panel by which said opening may be closed. Ordinarily, such doors are movable by hand but my object in the present case is to provide means for automatically opening and closing said doors, the doors being normally closed when the instrument is being played.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Serial no. 161,982.

a represents conventionally an exhaust chamber. This exhaust chamber is connected through pipes 5 and 6 to a collapsible bellows T. The movable leaf 8 of this bellows,

is suitably connected as by a link 9 with one of the doors, for example, 2. In this instance, the link at i s free end is provided with a notch in its underside which engages over a pin 10 on the back of the door 2. The doors 23 are suitably connected so that when the door 2 moves in the closing or opening position, the door 3 will be con respondingly moved. Any suitable means may be provided for securing this cooperative action between the doors. In the drawings, I have shown conventional means com prising a cord or belt 11 passing over pulleys l213. The door 2- is connected to the upper strand of the belt 11 as by an arm lat, while the door 3 is connected to the lower strand of the belt 11 as by an arm 15. It follows that when the door 2 is moved in the closing direction, it will move the belt 11 in a direction to cause the door 3 to move toward the door 2 so that the same will meet at the center. Correspondingly, when the door 2 slides open, the belt 11 will move the door 3 in the opening direction. When the bellows 7 is collapsed, it will cause the doors 2 and 8 to close. When the bellows 7 expands, it will cause the doors 23 to open. Any suitable means such as a spring 16 may be provided to normally cause the bellows 7 to expand. It follows that when the in strument is started and a vacuum is created in the exhauster i, it will cause the collapse of the bellows and the closing of the doors. Correspondingly, when the instrument stops and the vacuum ceases in the chamber 4, the bellows will expand. thus opening the doors.

I prefer to provide means whereby the doors may be manually operated, and in the drawings, I have shown conventionally, a means whereby this may be accomplished. In the particular form shown, the pipe 5 leading from the exhauster 4c is connected to a manually movable valve 17 which has a port capable of registering with a corresponding port in the valve seat 18. This last mentioned port in the valve seat 18 is in communication with the pipe 6 leading into the bellows 7. hen the valve 17 stands in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, these ports will register so that a vacuum in exhauster 4 will be communicated to the bellows 7. When, however, the valve 17 is shifted to the position indicated in Fig. 3, the port therein will move over a solid part of the valve seat 18 thus closing pipe 5, disconnecting the chamber 4 from the bellows 7, and opening the port for the pipe 6 to atmosphere. The valve 17 may be moved by any suitable means such as a manually operable lever 19. This lever 19, also by preference, is connected with the link 9 in such a way that said link may be disconnected from the door 2. In the drawings, the lower end of the lever 19 is shown as provided with a pin 20 which is located under the link 9, thus, when the lever 19 is swung to the position indicated in Fig. 3, this pin 20 will lift the free end of the link 9 and disconnect it from the pin 10 on the door 2, thereby leaving the doors entirely free to be opened and closed manually. The end of the link 9 which is provided with the notch designed to receive the pin 10, is provided with bevels or inclines 2122 so that when the lever 19 is moved back to the posi tion indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, the relative movement of the link 9 and the door 2 will .permit the pin 10 to lift the free end of the link 9 so that the notched portion may again drop over the pin 10 for automatic action, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

It is obvious from an inspection of the drawings that the apparatus is displayed only in conventional form and that a wide variety of changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim;

1. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a panel having an opening therein, two sliding doors for said opening with means connecting said doors for simultaneous movement toward and from each other, and means for automatically operating both of said doors, said operating means including a collapsible bellows, and an exhauster therefor.

, 2. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a panel having an opening therein, two sliding doors for said opening with means connecting said doors for simultaneous movement toward and from each other, and means for automatically operating both of said doors, said operating means including a collapsible bellows, and an eXhauster therefor, with means for manually connecting and disconnecting said collapsible bellows from said doors.

3. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a. panel. having an opening therein, two sliding doors for said opening with means connecting said doors for simultaneous movement toward and from each other, and means for automatically operating both of said doors, said operating means including a collapsible bellows, and an exhauster therefor, with means for manually connecting and disconnecting said collapsible bellows from said doors, and for disconnecting said bellows from said exhauster.

4, In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a panel having an opening therein, sliding closure means for said opening, a spring 'operatively connected with said closure means for moving the same in one direction, and means for automatically moving said closure means in an opposite direction, said last mentioned means comprising a bellows, an eXhauster therefor and operative means of connection between said exhauster and said closure means.

5. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a panel having an opening therein, sliding closure means for said opening, a spring operatively connected with said closure means for moving the same in one direction, and means for automatically moving said closure means in an opposite direction, said last mentioned means comprising a bellows, an exhauster therefor and operative means of connection between said exhauster and said closure means, said connecting means being disengageable to permit manual operation of said closure means.

FRANK C. WVHITE.

Copies of this ,patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. G.

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