US1324530A

US1324530A - Musical instrument

Info

Publication number: US1324530A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 1936-12-09

Description

.I. WADE.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED nun. :9, 191a.

Patented Dec. 9,1919.

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' MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19, Hi8

Patented Dec. 9,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

717M863 )5 K 92m a w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSIE WADE, OF WEST KENSINGTON, LON-DUN, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO OLIVER PRESCOTT MACFABLANE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, 1919.

Application filed March 19, 1918. Serial No. 223,350.

' piano-players and player-pianos of the kind in which a tune sheet passes over a tracker board and controls pneumatic playing mechanism.

Folding tune sheets for automatic musical instrumentshave been known and the present invention consists in. improved means for using tune'sheets of this type in instruments of the kind first referred to.

According to my invention I arrange the I instrument with a pair. of receptacles, one

above and the other below the tracker, the folded sheet, when it is to be used, being in troduced into the upper receptacle and then drawn between a pair of guide and feed- *rollers beneath the tracker and thence into thelower receptacle, in which, as it is drawn bythe feed-rollers, it is refolded in zig-zag folds, this being continued until the complete piece has been played. Suitable means areprovided for placing the necessary tension uponthe sheet in order to insure that it runs evenly and maintains eflicient contact with the tracker. For this purpose I may make use of a weight of suitable shape and 'mass which is placed, or bears, on the music sheet immediately above and behind the tracker. This tension weight and the feedrollers are so hinged or otherwise arranged that they can be lifted or moved to permit of the music-sheet being introduced into, and removed from, the appliance and also to enable the sheet to be shifted either backward or forward without the necessity of stood I will describe it by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view of part of a provements app ied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22, Fig. 1. Y

a indicates the case of the instrument and b is the tracker. 0 is the receptacle which is arranged above and behind the tracker b, and d is the second receptacle which is 10- piano-player or player-piano having my imcated beneath the said tracken These two I receptacles serve, as above described, to receive the music-sheet 6 respectively before and after it is played. The said music-sheet is, as illustrated in Fig. 2, made with transverse creases 61 so that it can be folded in a zig-zag manner and to facilitate the manipulation of the sheet the end sections are advantageously made of a stiffer material such as cardboard.

f and g are the guide and feed-rollers which are rotatably mounted in. bearings beneath the tracker b. .The roller 7 is driven from the player mechanism and the musicsheet is gripped between the said roller and the roller 9 with sufficient friction to causeit to be fed from the upper receptacle 0' into the lower receptacle d. To permit of the introduction and removal of the music-sheet the guide-roller g is made detachable, for which purpose it is provided at its end with pivot pins 9 which engage in slotted bearing brackets h. In practice the rollers f and g are, as shown, arranged with the line joining their centers at an inclination to the horizontal the said rollers being also displaced laterally with respect to the tracker,

the object being to insure that the musicsheet is drawn through the rollers in such a direction that it automatically folds in the manner indicated.

i is a roller or weight which is designed to impart the necessary'tension to the musicsheet a. This roller 2' is rotatably carried in a cradle 'y' which'is arranged on the top of the tracker b, and the sides j of which are separated by a distance equal to the width of the music-sheet. The music-sheet, on passing from the upper receptacle 0 is carried below the roller 2' before it reaches the tracker Z) so thatthe weight of the Said roller operates to give the requisite tension to the music-sheet. The roller is arranged so that it can easily be removed from the cradle j in order to permit of the introduction and removal of a music-sheet, and for this purpose any convenient device may be' ing screw 1 against which the said cradle is causedto press by means of the sprin m. applied against its other end. As wil? be obvious, by turning the adjusting screw Z the position of the cradle, and consequently of the music-sheet, can be adjusted relatively to the tracker b.

The upper receptacle 0 is arranged with a cover a which is hinged at 0'' so that it can be raised to permit of the introduction and removal ofthe folded music-sheet. When thesaid cover-is lowered on to the receptacle, as-is illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2, a space or slot left at the front of the receptacle through which the music-sheet issues, and this slot may, in practice, be so adjusted that'it'efiects a convenient guidance or control'on the topmost fold of the sheet to insure that it shall be drawn evenly from the receptacle.

The apparatus operates as follows, that is to'say, when a piece is to be played, the music-sheet 6 consisting of the superposed layers, is introduced into the upper receptacle and the topmost layer is drawn out sufliciently to permit it to be placed into the lower receptacle d. The tension roller 2' and the guideroller g, are then placed in position and the instrument is put into motion whereby'the feed-roller f draws the sheet e from the upper receptacle 0 beneath the tension roller i over the tracker b and between the rollers f, g, the said sheet, as it reaches the lower receptacle d, refolding itself ina zig-zag manner so as again to form a stack of superposed layers, this operation continuing until the complete sheet has been played. The rollers g and can then. be detached and the musicsheet removed from the instrument.

In the construction shown in the drawing the receptacle 0 is shown arranged in a horizontal position. It can, however, be placed vertically as shown in broken lines at 0, Fig. 2, or at an inclination to the vertical.

' Also the lower receptacle (1 instead of being horizontally placed as illustrated may be arranged at an inclination.

The method of folding and feeding perfaratedlmueiessheets, as above described,

possesses v. number of advantages in practice. In the first place the inconvenience of having to rewind a sheet of music after it has once been played and before the instrument can be further used is entirely obviated and the further advantage is obtained that any piece of music can be commenced at any desired point; for example, in a musicsheet containing a number of songs, an one of such songs can be played without the 76 necessity of first playing the plreceding songs. Again, any portion of t e music sheet may be returned to the upper receptacle by removing the rollers i and g flid taking the portion desired from the lower 80 receptacle and placing it in the upper. Furthermore, considerably larger music-sheets, can be made use of than is now possible.

Claims: I 1. In. a musical instrument, the combint- 86 tion with a tracker and a music sheet codperating with said tracker, of a substantiiliy horizontal support carrying a removable tensioning means adapted to press id music sheet toward the support, a receptacle 90 arranged adjacent said support ada to house the music sheet and from which the music sheet is fed, a pair of arranged directly beneath the support; due of said rollers being removable to permit 06 the music sheet to be withdrawn without passing between the rollers, and a ma receptacle arranged beneath the t w.- rollers adapted to receive the sheet do" it leaves said rollers.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination with a tracker and a folding music sheet coiiperating with said tracker, of a substantially horizontal support carrying a removable tensioning means adapted to 10! press said music sheet toward the support, and a pair of sheet feeding rollers arm beneath the support, the axis of one of said rollers being arranged in a higher me than the axis of the other roller to fac 'late folding of the music sheet, and one of the rollers being removable to permit the shut to be withdrawn without passing between the rollers.

3. In a musical instrument, the comliimtion with a tracker and a music sheet operating with said tracker, of a cradle through which the music sheet travels, slid cradle including means for engaging the side edges of the sheet, and means fflflffecting lateral adjustment of said cradle relative to said tracker.

4. In an instrument of the kind dolled by claim 3, removable tensioning means =1!!!- ried by the cradle and exerting pressure'on the music sheet as it travels through the cradle.

5. In a musical instrument, the combi'h tion with a tracker, of a cradle through which the music-sheet travels, saidr dihdle 180 having end walls for engaging and guiding feeding said sheet over the tracker, one of 10 the side edges of the sheet, lugs carried by said rollers being removable to permit said the end Walls of the cradle and projecting sheet to be moved relative to the rollers toward each other, and a roller Weight hav- Without being moved thereby, a cradle, and ing its periphery contacting With said lugs a removable tension device located in said and resting on the sheet. cradle and adapted to engage the music 15 6. In a musical instrument, the combinasheet for providing the necessary tension tion With a tracker, of a folded music sheet on the sheet. cooperating With said tracker, rollers for JESSIE WADE.