US1306847A - Combined player-piano and phonograph - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 MELVILLE CLARK PIANO COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

' COMBINED PLAYER-PIANO AND PHONOGRAPH.

1,306,847. Specification of Letters Patent Patented June 17, 1919.

Application filed October 28, 1915. Serial No. 58,364.

To all whom it may concern: e-

Be it known that I, NLELVILLE CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combined Player-Pianos and Phonographs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to effect a working combination between a player piano and a phonograph, whereby the player piano under the control of the usual perforated note sheet may render a piano accompaniment to a vocal selection simultaneously played by the phonograph. The invention further involves the disposition of the entire phonograph mechanism within the usual form of easing of a piano, so that the phonograph shall occupy no additional space and so that, in fact, the phonograph mechanism is entirely concealed while in operation;

The invention therefore consists in such a combination of the elements mentioned together with the features of'construction embodied in the combination as hereinafter described and shown in the drawings and indicated by the claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a player piano conventionally represented and shown with the front panel removed to reveal the control mechanism of the player and also the mechanism of the phonograph.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the upper portion of the piano case and showing in plan the relative arrangement of the phonograph parts and the tracker bar housing or support.

Fig. 3 is a section at the line, 3-3, on Figs. 1 and 2.

The player piano conventionally illustrated in the drawing comprises the usual case, 1, manual keys, 2, trackerbar, 3, takeup or winding roll, 4, and a driving motor for said take-up roll conventionally indicated at 5. As is well understood the speed of the motor, 5, is variable at will through a comparatively wide range, being adjustable as by the lever, 6, which is usually connected also to an index, 7, mounted to traverse a scale, 8, provided with markings arranged to indicate in standard terms the tempo of the music which will result with any given speed of the motor, 5, producing a corresponding speed of travel of the controlling note-sheet, 9, which is wound from its roll, 10, onto the take-up roll, 4, in a well understood manner. As usual, the perforations of the note-sheet are designed to co-act with suitably arranged ducts in the tracker-bar, 3, connected to a pneumatic mechanism not shown, but which may be understood as located just back of the rail, 11, or in any other convenient position for actuating the keys, 2, in playing the piano.

The phonograph mechanism comprises a turn-table, 12, having a Vertical spindle, 13, rotatably mounted in a bracket, 14, and fitted with a friction wheel, 15, engaging the face of a friction disk, 16, on a drive-shaft, 17, which is also journaled in the bracket, 14. The record disk, 18, carried by the turntable, 12, is engaged by the needle or stylus, 19, of the sound-box or reproducer, 20, carried at the end of the tone arm, 21, which is pivotally mounted at 22, for swinging across the face of the record disk, 18, in traversing the spirally-formed record groove thereon. In the construction illustrated the terminal portion of the tonearm, 21, is a goose-neck fitting, 23, hinged to the main portion of the arm to permit the sound-box, 20, and its stylus,19, to be swung up clear of the record disk, 18, for replacement of the record or renewal of the stylus.

As indicated in the drawing, the tracker bar, 3, take-up roll, 4, and the note-sheet, 9, are all mounted and contained in a recess formed by a box, 24, positioned back of the front wall, 25, of the piano casing and in front of the piano action which is not shown in detail. In Fig. 1 the position of the hammer rest rail is indicated at 26, while in Fig. 2 the sounding board upon which the piano harp is strung is shown at 27, thus indicating quite definitely the relation of the various elements to the mechanism of the piano proper. The box or compartment, 24, is divided into an upper and a lower chamber by the tracker-bar, 3, which forms a complete horizontal partition between the two chambers. The entire compartment, 24, is open at its forward side except as it may be closed by the sliding panel, 28, in the front Wall, 25, of thepiano case, and "the upper chamber of'the compartment is clear and unobstructed except for the note-sheet roll, 10, and that portion of the note-sheet extending, therefrom to the tracker-bar, 3. This isnota serious obstruction and it is therefore feasible to form the amplifier, 29, so that it communicates at its smaller end with the tone arm, 21, of the phonograph, while its larger end opens into the back side of the upper chamber of the compartment, 24:. Thus when the phonograph is playing its music is projected out over the note-sheet, 9, and the roll, 10, coming partly from behind the note-sheet and directly out of the piano case toward the operator and into the room, so that from a psychological standpoint at least, this position of the amplifier tends to heighten the effect of the blending of the phonograph music with the accompaniment played by the player piano as controlled by the traveling note-sheet, 9, at the trackerbar, 3. Preferably the amplifier, 29, is of metallic construction so as to impart to the air surrounding it in the piano case the vibrations set up by the phonograph record with the result that the volume of the phonograph music is enhanced and its tone is considerably enriched by reason of the sympathetic vibration thus set up amongthe strings of the piano harp, to-

gether with the action of the soimding board, 27, in projecting such sympathetic vibration.

Now it may be understood that the perforated note-sheet producing the piano accompaniment to any given vocal phonograph record will have been produced from a master note sheet made by a competent artist actually playing a piano accompaniment while listening to ,the music of the phonograph record in question, so that un-,

der ordinary circumstances, the accompaniment when reproduced by the proper note sheet will exactly fit the music rendered by the phonograph. To play the two instruments, in unison then becomes a comparatively simple matter since the drive shaft, 17, is operatively connected with the motor, 5. The connection is, however, disengageable by means of a small hand lever indicated at 30, which may operate a disengageable clutch or a movable gear in the train, or any other simple and familiar expedient for engaging or disengaging the shaft, 17, from the motor, 5, at will. Furthermore, the exact speed transmitted to the turn-table, 12, may be varied through a limited range by moving the friction wheel, 15, radially with respect to the friction disk, 16, this being accomplished by an adjusting screw, 31, operating a push-rod, 32,

which is connected through a bell-crank, 33,

wardly and downwardly to give access to the turn-table, 12, for placing a record disk thereon, and incidentally this panel, 36, may

serve as a table for supporting a record disk when the records are being changed. A record disk, 18, being adjusted in place on the turntable, 12, and the stylus, 19, of the sound-box, 20, being turned downin contact with the record, the take-up roll, 4, is started rotating with the speed index, 7, set at the 30 tempo at which the note-sheet, 9, is designed to be played, but before the end of the note sheet has been connected to the take-up roll, 4. Then by throwing the clutch-lever, 30, the turn-table, 12, is started and its speed is modified one way or the other to bring the music properly in tune with the piano, such tuning being accomplished in-the usual manner of striking one or more of the piano keys and comparing the resulting tone by car with the tones of the phonograph record. WVith this tuning adjustment satisfactorily made, the phonograph drive shaft, 17, may be disconnected by the clutch lever, 30, and the motor, 5, then stopped. The stylus, 19, should then be set on the record disk, 18, at the point where the solo or other vocal selection actually begins. Then connecting up the end of the note-sheet, 9, to the take-up roll, at, the player piano accompaniment may be started, playing the usual introductory chords which precede the vocal music. Now

at the proper instant by throwing the clutch lever, 30, the operator may start the turntable, 12, which will begin to rotate in unison with the take-up roll, t, and at such a speed that the phonograph music will be properly in tune with the piano accompaniment. As

the playing proceeds any slight shortening or elongation of the note-sheet, 9, due to excessive humidity or excessive dryness in the atmosphere may be compensated by slight adjustment of the speed-regulating screw,

31, such adjustment being not sufiicient to seriously alter the tuning of the phonograph music, but just enough to keep the vocal music in time with the piano accompaniment. It may be understood that at the completion of the selection the phonograph mechanism will be again disconnected by means of the clutch lever, 30, to permit reversal of the take-up roll, 4:, in re-winding the note-sheet upon its roll, 10, in the usual manner. 7

I claim In combination with a player piano comprising a case having an opening, a tracker bar, a take-up roll for propelling the note sheet over such tracker bar, and a phonograph mechanism mounted within the piano 130 case and including a sound amplifier arthe speed transmitted independently of the ranged to project the sound waves through speed transmitted through the other con 10 the opening of said ease, together with a nection.

driving motor Within the case, and operat- In testimony whereof I have hereunto Set ing connections therefrom both to the takemy hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 27th day up roll and to the phonograph mechanism, of October, 1915.

the parts cooperating at one of said connections being relatively adjustable for varying MELVILLE CLARK.

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

' Washington, I). 0.

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