US1277944A

US1277944A - Musical instrument.

Info

Publication number: US1277944A
Application number: US2785215A
Authority: US
Inventors: George B Kelly
Original assignee: Aeolian Co
Current assignee: Aeolian Co
Priority date: 1915-05-13
Filing date: 1915-05-13
Publication date: 1918-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 1935-09-03

Description

G. B. KELLY.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I3. I9I5.

1 ,277,944. Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. B. KELLY.

MUSICAL NSTHUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1a. 191s.

Patented Sept. 8, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 fw @m Ano/MEW UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

GEORGE E. KELLY,

y F JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 THE AEOIIIAN COMPANY, A' CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Patented sept. 3, 1918.

Appi'ication med May 13, 1915. serial No. 27,8524. f

TQ all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, GEORGE B. KELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamaica Plain, in the county of Su'olk and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcerl tain new and useful Improvements in Musica-l Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in vautomatic musical instruments and relates especially to means in such instruments for preventing the music sheets 'from drifting out of track with ythe tracker-bar and for preventing plural sheets from gettinff outv of synchronism with each other.

he advantages of my invention will be l apparent to those skilled in the art from i curedto the spindle' 6 whose en an understandingof the following description in connection with the drawings which illustrate one ofl the specific embodiments my invention maytake. In them, Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in vertical section of a tracker-box with music rolls andzmy improvements; Fi 2 is an enlarged partial view to illustrate Vetails of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section 'on the line 3.-3 in Fig. 2 looking in the direction o1 the arrows; Fig. 4 is an enlarged section' partly in elevation on line 4-4 in Fig. 1 looking inthe direction of the tionsmay be provided with perforations to control the stops in an organ, or the pedals orpother expression devices, etc., in a-piano or the like. i'

Each music'sheet is further provided with `a central line yof sprocket holes 5; The

music-sheets are attachedV to independent music spools 33L and `4*".

3l and 4b are a pair of take-u spools ses are journaled in suitable'bearings in the sides of the tracker box, so that said take-up spools turn together when the spindle is driven.

The means for drivingy the spindle and taken up spools to effect the unwinding and playing of the sheets, may be suitably applied in any well known. or preferred manner to one end 6? of the spindle. n

yReverting to themusic-roll spools 3a and 4, each has a plain trunnion 7 and a halfround or flatted trunnion 8. The plain trunnions are located at the outside end of the Vspools when they are together in playing position andl are supported in cup like bearings 9 on the ends of slidable rods 10 supported in sleeves in the sides of the musicbox and normally given inward tendency by the tension springs 11.

The music-rolls are simultaneously driven on the rewind by means as follows acting n in common on their flatted ends 8. 14 is a gear-wheel having a hub '141% with a halfround part 14b secured fixedly in the hollow ofthe hub. Ther gear-wheel 14 is rotatably supported by the ends of its hub projecting into the bearing-sleeves 15 which in turn are stationarily supported inthe ends of the metal straps 16 projecting from the back of the tracker boX.- f

Each music roll is inserted in playing p osition by inserting its plain trunnion 7 in its n f cup-bearing 9 and pushing it' outwardly until the half-round trunnion y8 can be snapped into the end of the gear-wheel hub with fits half-round extremity received into the half-roundspace in the hub not filled by the above described half-round .part 14D. `The result is that wheni the gear wheel 14 is driven it rotates bothk music-roll spools, vit being understood that said gear or`sprocket wheel will be driven in any suitable or preferre'd manner so as to rewindthe sheets after playing. l v

The individual sheets are prevented from drifting, laterally and thereby getting` out of registration with theducts in the trackerbar and are further prevented from `getting out of synchronism by means of sprocket teeth or pins 18 on a tube 19 which in turn is provided interiorly with the spiders 20 having hubs 21. 22 is a rod extending through these hubs and .on which they rotatably support the tube 19 and the sprocket teeth 18. Of course, stopV or shoulder means is rprovided to preventi the tube 19 from shifting laterally in either direction as .it rotates on the rod 22. vThe two sets of sprocket teeth are positioned at the right distance apart when the device is made so that when they are engaged by the sprocket holes 5 in the music-sheets, said sheets are in proper registering or playing position on the tracker-bar. kThe rod 22 is itself supported at its ends bythe arms pivoted at 24 to the sides of thek music box. The result is that the weight of the sprocket tube will bear yieldingly down on the musicsheets between their spools and the trackerbar as shown in Fig. 4. Also said sprocket tube may be swung upwardly and back out of engagement with the music sheets for example during the rewind. The sides. 1 are slotted at 11 so as not to interfere with the lowered or operating position of the sprocket tube.

The front ends of the sheets will have the usual loops for engagement with the hooks 25 on the respective halves of the take-up spool. These hooks are lixed to a single rock-shaft 26 which' extends through a longitudinally extending hole through the body portion and flanges .of both spools, said rock-shaft being bent `outwardly between the take-up spools so as to provide an operating handle 26a. By turning this handle to the right in Fig. 6, it will simultaneously` lift the endsof the hooks 25 to release the loops of the music sheets or vice-versa to permit them to be engaged with the hooks, which thereupon can be swung back into their loop-holding position by turning the said handle 26a back into thef position shown inFigG.

The mode of operation is as follows: The companion music-rolls are insertedr as described in playing position. The sprocket tube 19 will then be lifted and` the ends of the sheets drawn .down under it` an d then over the tracker to the take-upl Spool where their loops are kengaged with the hooks on said take-up spool.'-'The sprocket tube will then be lowered to bring its teeth into engagement with the sprocket holes in the sheets, care being taken that the sheets are in synchronism when they are engaged with the sprocket teeth. The clutch will then be thrown in to rotate the take-up. spool to unwind and play the sheets simultaneously. Neither sheet can now drift out of registry with the tracker-bar ducts. VFurther, both sheets must travelvin synchronism because they werestarted in synchronism andare kept so by the two sets of sprocketl teeth on the tube 19. It will be noted that this tube merely turns idly without any driving effect in the sheet-s, consequentlyits teeth will not tear them` at the sprocket holes. On the rewind the sprocket tube may be raised out of engagement with thesheets.

For the best results, these companion music sheets should ,be made; in accordance with my copending application Serial No. 27852 filed May 13, 1915.

sheets.

-, sheets.

Of course some changes andA modifications might be made in the above that are nevertheless withinthe spirit of this inventive disclosure and these I mean to cover by the annexed claims under the doctrine of equivalents. VFurther certain of the steps 0r means might be used without the remainder or in connection with equivalent means.

That I claim is :w Y 4 1. In an automatic musical' instrument,a tracker-bar; companion music sheets ,provided with lines of sprocket holes; means for driving said sheets over the tracker-bar; and idly turning means for keeping them synchronized comprising sprocket teeth 'engage ing'the sprocket holes of all the` sheets.`

- 2. In an automatic musical instrument, 1a tracker-bar; companion music sheets provided with lines of sprocket holes; means for driving said sheets over the tracker-bar; and idlyturning sprocket wheels connected to r0- tate together and to severally engage the lines of sprocket holes in the respective sheets so as to `keep theV sheetssynchronized.`

In an automatic musical instrument, a tracker-bar; companion music sheets provided with lines of sprocket holes; means for driving said sheets over'the tracker-bar; and a single idly rotatable cylinder having a set of sprocket teeth individual to each sheet, so as to simultaneously engage all the'lines of sprocket holes in the sheets.

a. In 4an automatic musical instrument,` a tracker-bar; companion music sheets provided with linesfof. sprocket holes; means for driving said sheets over'the tracker-bar idly turning ,means for keeping Athem `synchronizedv comprising sprocket teethfengagin the sprocketl holes of ally the sheets; an means for supporting said 'idly' turning means so as `to bear yieldingly against the 5. In an automatic musicalVv instrument, companion music sheets provided withlines of sprocket holes; means for keeping them synchronized comprising sprocketv wheels connected to rotate together and disposed to engage the sprocket holes in all the sheets; and driving means for said sheets which is independent of said synchronizing means.

6. In an lautomatic musical instrument,` a

\ trackenbar; companion music sheets provided with 'lines of sprocket holes; means for imparting movement in one direction tosaid sheets; means independent of the driving means forkeeping said sheets synchronized comprising sprocket wheels connected to rotate together and disposed to engage 'the` sprocket holes in all the sheets; and means for supporting the synchronizing means so as to permit it. to be swung clear ofthe l 7. InanV automatic musical instrument, a tracker-har, a music sheet provided with a line of perforations, driving means for said sheet, and a freely turning wheel having peripheral projections located so as to engage said perforations when the sheet is in playing position on the tracker-bar to prevent lateral drifting of the sheet.

8. In an automatic musical instrument, a pair oi companion music rolls; and means for operatively supporting and driving them in endwise relation to each other, comprising a rotatable driven part located between the adjacent ends of the rolls, adapted to be interlocked With said ends so that the rolls rotate with the driven part, and bearings for the outer ends of said rolls.

9. In an automatic musical instrument, a tracker-bar, independent companion music sheets provided With lines of sprocket holes, means for operatively supporting said sheets relative to the tracker-bar and in endwise relation to each other, single take-up spooly means for engagement With said sheets to unwind them simultaneously, and idly turn ing means for keeping said sheets synchronized comprising sprocket teeth engaging the sprocket-holes of all the sheets.

10. In an automatic musical instrument, a trackenbar; companion music sheets; means for moving said sheets over the tracker-bar; means independent of the last-named means for keeping said sheets synchronized during such movement; and means for supporting said synchronizing means so as to bear yieldingly against the sheets.

11. In an automatic musical instrument, a tracker-bar; companion music sheets; means for moving said sheets over the tracker-bar; idly turning means for keeping the sheets synchronized during such movement; and means for supporting said turning means so as to bear yieldingly againstthe sheets.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification this 11th day of` May, 1915. y l

e GEORGE B. KELLY.

Copies of thi! patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patenti, Washington. D. U.