US1300519A - Automatic musical instrument. - Google Patents

Description

H. B. TREMAINE. AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED lULY 8.1916.

1 ,300 ,5 1 9 Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET IN VENTOR aged/fa; ATTORNEY H. B. TREMAINE.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8.19l6.

1,300,519. Patented Apr. 1 19,

HEET

2S S-SH T IN VEN TOR /MMM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HE RY BARNES TREMAINE, or WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEoLIAN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 8, 1916. Serial No. 108,178.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Banxics TRE- MAINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vestfield. in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in automatic musical instruments, the features and advantages of which will be apparent to those skilled in the art from an understanding of the following description in connection with the drawings.

In these drawings which show only one of the particular forms in which my improvements may be embodied. Figure 1 is a front elevation of the tracker-box of an automatic player-piano within my invention and showing an ordinary or regular music-roll in playing position therein; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1: Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section partly in plan on the line 33 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of my improved song-roll.

Describing now the specific devices of the drawings1 is the tracker-box of a playerpiano, 2 an upright tracker-bar, with its treble ducts in the upper half thereof and its bass ducts in the lower half. and 3 the takeup spool on the left side of the tracker operatively mounted in the ordinary way. 4 is an ordinary or regular music-roll shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 operatively supported on the right side of the tracker between any desired or well-known bearing parts 5 and 6. The roll is of course readily removable from the parts 5 and 6 and replaceable by another roll in the usual manner. The upper part 6 is shown as the clutch or driving part to effect the re-roll of the music-sheet and for this purpose its upper end projects above its bearing, in the top of the tracker-box and carries a spiral gear 7 (Fig. 2) which meshes with another spiral gear 8 on the reroll shaft 9 adapted on occasion to be clutched-in so as to be suitably driven from the motor of the instrument, unnecessary to illustrate. Similarly 10 is another shaft adapted on occasion to be suitably driven from the motor to drive the take-up spool 3 through the gears 11 and 12 (Fig; 2) to unwind and play the music-roll.

The devices shown will play both the ordinary roll with the sheet traveling from right to left with its treble note. perforations uppermost; and will also play a special or song-roll with its treble uppermost and the words of the song with or without the musical score. (see Fig. 4-.) traveling also from right to left and therefore unfolding to the eye. in natural, readable sequence.

The fact that the treble note-perforations are uppermost with the base note-perforations below them makes it. easier to read and interpret the roll as it passes across the tracker. In the song-roll of Fig. 4. the words and the musical score are printed on the inside face of the sheet toward the spool when the sheet is rolled up. so that when the sheet is in play. the words and score are visible from the front.

Finally I provide lighting means arranged so as to illuminate the n1usie-sheet from the back and thereby render visible to the player at the front of the instrument any expression marks and lines printed on the back of the sheet. which is where they will be when the ordinary music-roll is played as shown in Figs. 1. 2 and 3. For example 14 is the tempo expression-line shown dotted because it is on the back of the sheet. which nevertheless shows through when the sheet is illuminated as aforesaid and can therefore be followed by the vertically adjustable pointer 15 of the tempo-control means of the instrument.

The lighting means shown comprises an incandescent lamp 16. a shield 17 preventing the lamp from being seen through the music sheet, and a reflector 18 which receives the light from the lamp and returns it through the sheet. This produces a soft. indirect illumination which I find to be desirable.

That I claim is:

1. In an automatic musical instrument, an

- upright tracker-bar having the treble ducts Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

in its upper half and the bass ducts in its lower half, an upright take-up spool located at the left of the tracker, and means located at the right of the tracker for operatively supporting an upright music roll in position for the music-sheet to travel across the tracker from right to left to the take-up spool, so that its treble perforations will be at the top thereof and its bass perforations at the bottom, while the playing indicating marks will be on the back of the sheet: in combination with lighting means arranged to illuminate the sheet from the back, so as to show said indicating marks through said sheet to the player.

2. In an automatic musical instrument, an upright tracker-bar having the treble ducts in its upper half and the bass ducts. in its lower half, an upright take-up spool located at one side of the tracker, and means located at the other side of the tracker for operatively supporting an upright, music roll in position for the music-sheet to travel across the tracker to the take-up spool with its treble notes uppermost, while the playing indicating marks will be on the back of the sheet; in combination with lighting means arranged to illuminate the sheet from the back, so as to show said indicating marks through said sheet to the player.

light through said sheet to the player.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 7th day of July 1916.

HENRY BARNES TREMAINE.

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