US1295198A - Piano-player. - Google Patents

Description

C. E. Pie

PIAN@ PLAYER! APPucmou man nmz 22. wu. A

153,535,198. Patented Feb. mm

x l I UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUS E. PETERSON, OE WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOE, EY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTSfTO IVERSON- PIANO PLAYER COMPANY,

CORPORATION OF. MASSACHUSETTS.

lOE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS A Truro-PLAYER. y

'Patented Ferias, 1919.

,Appueauon med :une a2, 1917. seriai No. 175,435.

Tooll 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUS E. PETERSON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, inthe Vcounty of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, havein- -vented a new and .useful Improvement in Piano-Players, of which the following is a specification accompanied by drawings, forming a part of the same.

The object of my present invention is'to simplify the construction of this class of instruments, to Obviate to a large extent the use of rubber tubing, and to secure 'a metal contact for the pneumatic valve mechanisms,

thereby avoiding the liability of thev valve' actions becoming impaired by reason of y checks or shrinkage incident to .pneumatic valve mechanisms.'when made of wood.

These 4objects I accomplish by the arrangementand construction .of parts as hereinafter described and set forth in the ,accompanyingI drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view of a portion of the f lplayer mechanism suiiieient to-illustrate the character of my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View on the i U covered by the perforation of the music plane of the broken line 2 2, Fig. 1.

Fig'. 3 is a transverse sectional view oxi4 the plane of the broken line 43--3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the secondary valve on a somewhat smaller scale than shown in Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the dierent'igures.

The player mechanism .forming the sub- Y ject of this inventionis similar in its general characteristics to those now in common use,

and it'compriser -motor pneumatic or bellows 1, operatively vconnected by a rod 2 with against @string of the piano. The motor pneumatic is controlled by a secondary valve 3, which in turn is controlled by a primary yvalve 4. The function and operation of the primary and secondary valves are precisely the same as in player actions now in common use. The secondary Valve 3 is mountedthe diaphragm 5 l't closes an opening 8 in the metal shell or cap 9, thereby connecting ,the motor bellows with the wind chest 7 through -he opening the motor bellows. v

Theabove described -action ofthe secondaryvalve l,is controlled by 4 which is actuated by a flexible diaphragm .cup shaped 'shell 18. vcommunicates at itsends through pipes 23 thepiano action to swing the hammer-l through a channel 10.v .The windchest 7 is connected` at its ends by pipes 11 leading to an exhaust bellows or Similar apparatus,

by which the air isl exhaustedfrom the'wind chest 7. As the secondary valve rises it vopens a passage'12, thereby connecting the interior of the motor bellows with the wind chest 7, and vcausing 'the sudden collapse of the motor bellows, which through 1- its. con- ;nection with the piano action through the rod12 swings the hammer against astring of the piano in the usual manner in instruments of this class. When the air pressure is removed from the chamber 6, the seconda'ry-l valve '3 falls by its own Weight', thereby 12, and admitting air 8` in order toi distend tlie'primary valve 13 whi h closes the space between a longi ,tudinal wind chest 14 and a recessedl air chamberl 15," tol which air is Yadmitted through alpipe 16 from a'n opening in thetracker bar Iwhenever the latter is uns'heet. The raising of the primary valve 4 uncovers an opening 17 in the inverted cup shaped lshell 18. The shell 18-is oval in Shape in order to inclose a vertical channel 19 which communicates with a horizontal .passage 20 leading to the air chamber 6.'

The stem of the primary valve 4 carries a second valve 21, which, as the primary valve rises, closes an opening 22 communicating with thechamber inclosed by the inverted The wind chest 14 with a wind exhausty bellows or other similar apparatus. Y

As soon as the perforation in the tracker bar is cldsed'by the music sheet the pressure 'of the air in the air chamber 15 is reduced by means 'of a'small bleed opening connecting the pipe 16. at `so rne convenient point. not shown,

withthe chamber from which the air has upper surface of block of wood 24. Recesses 6 and 15 are then formedjbelow the .wind chests and properly spaced according ber inclosed by the shell or cap 9. A thin metallic plate 25, preferably ofsheetsteelor aluminum, and of Athe same wi'dth and length as the block 24, havingan. opening utherethrough in alinement with the passa e 10,- is placed upon the'topV of the bloc with the air chamber', and a vertical passage is bored'in rthe-block 24 to communicate .p

thereby closing the wind chests 7 and 14. A horizontal passage 20 is thenboredfrom the rear edge of the block to communicate through' -a small opening 26 in' the metal plate, with the interior of the inverted metallic-cup shaped shell .18. The outer endof the horizontal passage 20 is. then closed by a plug 27. The lower end ofthe pipe 16 is bent at right' angles and inserted in the.

block 24 in alinement with the passage '28 communicating with the air chamber 1 5.

The primary v alves 4 'are placed in stag-..

gered relation to the secondary valves 3, so'

' a, line passing transversely through the cen- 1 'each other at right 'angles at'thecenter'ato 37 and rest upon the washer v38, Fig. 3. The

staples are bentatrght angles tobri'ng their ter of a valve 4 will pass midway. between two of the valves 3, while the vertical 'chanj nels 19 are inline with the valves'3.. The

cup shaped shells 9 are disposed transversely to the wooden block 24 and the cup -shapedshells 18-are disposed obliquely to 4a line passing transversely through ,the -block 24 and at right angles to'its edges, in orderv that the shell 18 mayvcover both the valve .4- fr and the passage 19. This arrangement of the valves 3 and 4 and the shells 9 and 18 thereto, to the recesses 6 and 15 respectively.

By the above described. construction I avoid the use of metal-lic or rubber tubing to establish connections between the' primary and secondary valves, and as these passages areformedin the wooden block 24,"wh1ch l is of considera-ble thickness, and`r when made' of a close texture there is. little liabilityof a leak occurring between the. 'primary' and the secondary valves. The block 24 is also reinforced by the metalplate 25 upon which the cup shaped shells9.. and 18 are mounted.-

' The stationary leaf 29 of the motorI bellows extends substantially the entire width ef the block '24 and is attached throughout its length to the block 24, thereby giving a firri and secure support for the motor bellowsg Themovable leaf 30 of the bellows is pro- `vided with an extension Vbracket 31 having an ailjustable connection withV the rod 2. The secondary valve operates between the steel plate 25 and the metal shell. 9, vwhile the valves 4 md i'cafried by theprimary valve stem contactsvwith the under sideof reduction lin .the expense, and to 'establish suitable connection between the primary and 75 secondary' valves I simply elongate'the shell 18 so'as to include the valve opening 17 and the'air passage 26', and I place the elongated shell 18 obliquelyto .the caps 9 which inclose:

the secondary valve, thereby allowing allemthe passages formed inf-'wood between the primarymndsecondary valves to be straight assages; The co structionfof the-secondary valve,

best show'nin perspective view in Fi ,4,"is $5 extremely xsimple andinexpensive, an at the. l

same timex,.insuring absolute accuracy v:lof

-movement 'if The valve. pimpen-'consists 'of the disk- 32 preferably of wood andprovidedl with4 a packing, of felt or leather '33 o n its 'O upper side' and a .smilar'packing 34.V on its underside. Driven into the disk 32 the proper distance are two light wire staples -l '35 and 36. 4The crowns of. the staples cross.

sides parallel and' theisides. ofthe staples contactwiththe edge rof the opening.12. in

Vthe steel plate 25, and thereby serve as 'guides 100 for the up 4'and down movement ofthe valve. y.

"-1 claim;

maryvalves and a serieso secondary va placed' in staggered vrelation to each otherY fiexible Vdiaphragms for actuating said valves, air recesses beneath said diaphragms,

a series of horizontal air passages extendin gtransversely from the edge of said block, 110- and at right anglesfthereto, to the recesses beneath vthe secondary' valve diaphragms, l means for'closi'ng'g,` theends, .ofsaidpassages at the edge of said block, vertical air channels communicating with said'horizontal air 11bpassages and open. at the top. of the block,

.and 'oval elongated cup-shaped,v shells mounted on said block obliquely thereto,- said shells receiving theprimary valves audcovering the lopen ends of ,saidvertical airglzo channels. Y-

2. .In an instrumentof .the -characterdescribed, a 'block having a longitudinal chan. nel.l forming a windphe'st, a series of inverted .eup shaped shells mountedonsaid block 125 transversely thereto, a series of secondary valves inclosed .by said shells, horizontal-air passages leading from one edge .of said block, cand transversely thereto, to said sec.

oiidary valves, means for closing the outer v ends of said air passages, vertical air channels open at the-top of said block and communicatingwith said horizontal 'air passages, a serles of primary valves placed in staggered 'relation .to said secondary valves, and a'series of oval elongated inverted cupshaped shells mounted onsaid block and Y placed obliquely'thereto -to receive said pri mary valves andl cover the open ends of said air channels.

3. In an instrument of the character de? scribed, a block having'longitudinal chan- -nels forming Wind chests, primary and secondary valves, primary and secondary pneumatics for actuating said valves, with said transversely to said block and with said primary shells disposed in oblique relation to said secondary shells, said primary shells re ceiving said primary valves at one end and covering an au'. channel at the opposite end leading to said secondary valves.

CLAUS E. PETERSON. Witnesses:

NELLIE WHALEN, 4 PENELOIE COMBERBACH.

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