US1269717A - Pedal attachment for pianos and the like. - Google Patents

Description

W. l. KIRK.

PEDAL ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3.1915.

1,269,? 1 7 Patented J une 18, 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER I. KIRK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO LYON & HEALY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PEDAL ATTACHMENT FOR I'IAN OS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1918.

Application filed June 3, 1915. Serial No. 31,829.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER I. KIRK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pedal Attachments for Pianos and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to pedal attachments for pianos and like instruments.

Prominent objects of the invention are to provide a simple and practical device for attachment to or use in connection with a piano pedal so as to permit the pedals to beactuated by children and others having short legs; to simplify the construction and cheapen the cost of manufacture of the device; to arrange for the easy attachment of the device to the piano pedals, and ready detachment of the same therefrom; to permit adjustment to accommodate different styles or kinds of pedals located at different heights; to secure a high degree of efiiciency of operation; and to accomplish the foregoing and other desirable results in a simple and expeditious manner.

In carrying out my invention in the manner hereinafter set forth, I provide a frame more or less in the form of a stool which is adapted to be located upon the floor in front of the piano or other instrument in connection with which the device is to be used. At the upper portion of the frame or stool a pair of pedals is provided and these pedals are conveniently pivoted at their forward ends so as to permit them to be swung or operated up and down by the feet. Operating rods are connected with the pedals in the rear of their pivots and are extended down to clips which are adapted to be applied to the pedals of the piano or like device. These clips are of peculiarly advantageous construction to permit them to be readily applied to and detached from the pedals. Thus the device may be set upon the floor in front of the piano or other instrument with its treadles more or less above the piano pedals and its clips may be applied to said pedals so that by operation of the treadles the piano pedals may be actuated as desired.

In the accompanyin drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section 0 a pedal attachment embodying my invention taken on line 11 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a detail of construction.

Referrin to the drawings I show a base or frame A, more or less in the nature of a stool with an upper frame 1, and four upright legs 2-2 and 33. The upper frame 1 is conveniently made rectangular in form as shown in Fig. 2, and the legs 22 and 33 properly secured thereto. The legs 2 and 3 are preferably provided at their lower ends with coverings or tips 4 desirably made of rubber or some similar material. The rear of the frame 1 is provided with rearwardly extending projections 5-5 which are preferably provided with end pieces 6 which may be in the form of plugs made of rubber or similar material inserted in apertures in the projections 5, as shown in cross section in Fig. 2. Two treadles 77 are mounted above the frame 1, said treadles being conveniently pivoted at their front ends as shown at 8 (Fig. 1), upon lugs 99 formed integral with the frame 1, whereby said treadles may swing up and down (Fig. 1). Operating rods 10 are pivotally connected at their upper ends 11 to the rear portions of the treadles 7 These operating rods 10 are preferably made of two telescoped parts 12 and 13 with a thumb screw 14 to hold said parts in adjustment. Pedal clips 15 are pivoted at 16 to the lower ends of the rods 10. The clips 15 are preferably made so that they may be detachably ap plied to the pedals, the construction shown consisting of a front portion 15 adapted to fit around and over the end or toe of the pedal as shown in Fig. 2, and a connected rear portion 17 in the form of a cross bar adapted to fit underneath the shank 18 of the pedal. Thus the pedal is more or less grasped or inclosed, but a side opening 1s provided between the toe portion 15 and the heel or cross member 17 through which the pedal may be inserted so as to apply the clip to the pedal and remove it therefrom. The cross or heel member 17 is provided with a screw 19 adjustable in a slot 20 and preferably inclosed in a rubber washer 21 whereby said screw may be adjusted to acconnnodate different sized shanks for different pedals between said washer or collar 21 and the side connecting portion 22 between the portions 15 and 16 of said pedal clip.

Thus in using the device it will be set in position in front of the piano as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the end pieces 6 in contact with the front wall of the piano and the caps or tips resting upon the floor. The clips 15 will be applied to the piano pedals 25 so as to embrace the same and the rods 10 will be properly adjusted in length so that when the piano pedals are in their normal elevated position, one of which is shown in said position in Fig. 1, the treadles 7 will be elevated and inclined at the angle as is shown by the treadle illustrated in elevation (not in section) in Fig. 1. In this way the feet of the person using the piano may normally and continually rest upon the treadles 7, allowing the same to be held upwardly by the spring action of the piano pedals when desired. When it is desired however, to operate one of said piano pedals the corresponding foot treadle 7 is depressed, as shown by the treadle shown in section in Fig. 1, whereupon the corresponding push rod 10 will depress said piano pedal as shown in Fig. 1. Thus one or the other or both of said piano pedals may be operated from time to time, as desired.

When desired to remove the device from position in front of the piano, the push rods 10 may be elevated slightly so as to tip them with reference to the piano pedals whereby they may be disconnected from said pedals by a sidewise movement. Simply lifting the entire device either by lifting the treadle 7 or the supporting frame 1 is sufficient to accomplish this disengage ment of the-clips 15 from the piano pedals.

It will be seen that a person using the at tachment requires no separate foot rest, the feet resting always upon the treadles 7; nor is it necessary to move the feet from a foot rest to a pedal actuating mechanism, because obviously the feet by resting upon the trea dles 7 are always in position to operate the mechanism to actuate the pedals, the treaclles 7 accommodating both toes and heels of the feet. Furthermore, the connection of the device with the pedals is sufficiently positive to avoid any slipping or disengage ment of the device from the piano pedals, but at the same time is such as to permit a quick and ready disconnection from the piano pedals. Furthermore, by connecting the operating rods 10 to the forward ends of the clips 15, said rods will act upon said clips near the forward or outer ends of the pedals, and will therefore exert a strong leverage, much greater of course than if said rods acted upon the toe portions of the pedals 'or even upon the pedal shanks. This leverage is further emphasized by the leverage secured by the treadles 7 and their con nections with the operating rods 10, substantially in the rear of the points of pivotal support of the treadles, whereby very easy operation of the pedals is obtained.

In order to prevent the treadles 7 from being swung too far upwardly they are preferably provided with set screws 7 a underneath their forward ends which set screws are adapted to come into contact with a shoulder or edge portion of the frame 1. The treadles 7 are preferably made of very light metal such as aluminum and of a single piece with a serrated surface 7 surrounded by a rim 7 It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

A device of the class specified comprising in combination a frame adapted to be set in position in front of the piano or other instrument, treadles pivotally connected at their forward ends to said frame, operating rods pivotally connected with said treadles and extended downwardly therefrom in a substantially vertical direction and clips for the pedals of the piano or other instrument, said clips when in position on said pedals grasping the pedals and extending lengthwise of the same to the front ends thereof, said clips being pivotally connected at their forward ends to the lower ends of said operating rods.

2. A device of the class specified comprising in combination a frame adapted to be set in position in front of the piano or other instrument, treadles pivotally connected at their forward ends to said frame, operating rods pivotally connected with said treadles and, extended downwardly therefrom in a substantially vertical direction and clips for the pedals of the piano or other instrument, said clips when in position on said pedals grasping the pedals and extending lengthwise of the same to the front ends thereof, said clips being pivotally connected in front of the front ends of the pedals to the lower ends of said operating rods. 3. Adevice of the class specified comprismg in combination, a rectangular frame consisting of front, rear and side parts, lees extending downwardly from the corners of said frame, projections to contact with the front of the piano formed by oontinuations of said side parts, treadles pivoted at their forward ends to the front part of said frame, operating rods pivotally connected to the rear end portions of said treadles and extending downwardly therefrom and pedal clips engaging; said pedals and connected with the lower ends of said operating rod.

4. A device of the class specified comprising a frame provided with supporting legs,

treadles having their front ends pivotally connected With said frame, connecting rods extending downwardly from said treadles and pedal engaging clips grasping said pedals by overlying and partially inelosing the front portions of said pedals and underlying the rear portions of the same, whereby said clips may be disengaged by an elevation of said rods and the device may be detached by lifting it so as to elevate said rods.

5. In a device of the class specified, a pedal engaging clip comprising a member constructed to engage the upper side of the toe portion of the pedal and having an integrally formed cross piece engaging the under side of the pedal remote from the toe portion, said cross piece being provided with an adjustable device for engaging one side of said pedal.

6. In a device of the class specified, a pedal engaging clip comprising toe portions adapted to fit over and at the sides of the toe portion of the pedal, and a cross piece adapted to fit underneath the shank portion of the pedal, said cross piece being provided With a longitudinally extending slot and a screw having a member constructed to engage the pedal adapted to be adjusted in said slot.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 18th day of May, A. D. 1915.

WALTER I. KIRK. Witness:

A. L. Jones.

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

Washington, D. 0.

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