US1351709A - Sounding-board for musical instruments - Google Patents

Description

J. VIRZI. SOUNDING BOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

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WITNESSES ,4 TTORNEYS J. VIIIZI. SOUNDING BOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

1 APPLICATION FILED FEB. I2, 1920- 1,351,709. PatentedAug. 31,1920.

WITNESSES I TTORNEYS J. VIRZl. souunms BOARD ron MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, I920- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

III III I a m 000 In 41 1 V V m m 1 M 5 "i W 3 w 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH VIBZI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SOUNDING-BOARD FOB MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

This invention relates to musical instruments, but has particular reference to sounding boards for such instruments as violins, Violas, cellos, pianos or the like in whlch there is ordinarily used a sounding board as a means amplif ing the sound vibrations.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide an auxiliary sounding board arran ed in spaced relation to themain sounding oard of the instrument and having the periphery thereof disconnected from all other parts of the instrument.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new arrangement or correlation between the main and auxiliary sounding boards and the portion of the instrument over which the strings are stretched and commonly known as the bridge.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel features of construction hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of an instrument of the violin type having my improvement attached thereto within the Fig. 2 is a partial plan view and partial section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 showing the same invention.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 44 of Fig. 3. v

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified form of auxiliary sounding board.

Fig. 6- is a fragmentary longitudinal section of a violin indicating the form of sounding board such as shown in Fig. 5 attached thereto.

Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal central section of a further modification.

Fig. 9 is a vertical transverse section of the same on the line 99.

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view indicating a slight variation from the structure of Fi s. 8 and 9.

Fig. 11 is a rear elevation of a piano indicatlng my improvement.

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view of the same on the line 1212.

Figs. 13 and 14 are horizontal sections on the corresponding lines of Fig. 11.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, I indicate in Fig. l a sounding board 15 constituting the to portion of the body of such instrument. is usual I indi- I cate a bass bar 16 secured against the inner surface of the sounding board 15 for strengthening and reinforcing this portion of the instrument. 17 indicates the usual bridge over which the strings 18 are stretched from the tail-piece 19. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, my improved free sounding board is shown at 20, the same being supported upon the main sounding board 15 by means of two supports 21. These elements are shown best in Fig. 4, each comprising a sort of pin or short post fixed by any suitable means to the under surface of the sounding board 15 and also connected to the upper surface or portion of the auxiliary sounding board 20. The free sounding boards and their connections may be of any suitable material. These connections may be effected by glue, metal fasteners or any other convenient means, and such fastening may be made more secure by employment of a tenon projecting into corresponding mortises in the several parts. Two of these supports 21 are sufficient for holding the sounding board 20 in spaced relation to the main sounding board, the same being shaped so as to conform substantially to the convexity of the sounding board 15 and substantially parallel thereto. One of the principal features of the present improvement is to attach the auxiliary sounding board to the main sounding board by means in alinement with the beneath the bridge. The fastenmg means may be dowel pins, but preferably it is glue. As shown best in. Fig. 7 the lateral edge portions of the sounding board 20 are free from the main sounding board as well as from the bass bar 16.

Tu my extensive experimenting and experience in the manufacture of musical instruments l have found that the particular manner or place of attaching the free sounding board is not essential and hence as a further variation from the forms and means for attachment above set forth, the sounding board 20 may be secured directly to that ortion of the bass bar 16 that lies just within the bridge 17 leaving the end portions as Well as the lateral portions free from all other parts. In Fig. the attachment between the sounding board 20 and the bass bar includes a dowel 23.

Referring now to the adaptation of my invention to a piano having any usual or approved sounding board 25, to which is fixed a bridge 26, ll show my improvement in the nature of an auxiliary sounding board 20 having a general curvature corresponding to the compound curvature of the bridge 26 but located on the opposite side of the sounding board from the bridge 26. The two sounding boards are spaced from each other and the spacing means comprises a series of supports 21 following the course of the bridge 26, so that the main connecting means between the sounding boards may be said to be in alinement with the bridge. The supports 21 are not only spacers between the two sounding boards but constitute the main m latrines supports for the auxiliary sounding board. The attachment may be made efiective by any suitable means such as glue or additional dowels 23 or the like. 23* are shown as extending all the way through the supports and main sounding board and into or through the bridge and the auxiliary sounding board. As will be appreciated from Fig. 11 the main supports or osts 2P for the auxiliary sounding board fol ow closely the longitudinal median line from one end of the sounding board to the other. These posts may be the only supports for this member, but it may be preferable to employ additional posts 21 along the side portions of the free sounding board but preferably not at the extreme edges thereof, the edges being left free in all forms of the invention 1 claim:

1. Tu a musical instrument, the combination with a sounding board and a bridge on one side thereof, of an auxiliary sounding board on the opposite side of the main sounding board from the bridge, and means extending between the sounding boards to support the auxiliary sounding board leaving the periphery of the auxiliary sounding board free, said supporting means being in alinement with the bridge.

2. A. musical instrument of the nature set forth in claim 1 in which the supporting means is in the nature of short posts with their ends fastened to both sounding boards.

. JOSEPH VTBZT.

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