US1436085A - Quick-change valve for musical instruments - Google Patents

Description

E. A. COUTURIER.' QUICK CHANGE VALVE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED MAY1`4, |921.

1,436,085, Patented Nov. 21, 1922.

. if y 5- I l 'f2 i ,e4 fr /725 5 7' /5 Z5 s 1; /ZZ 52% All.' u ZZ mum i ,f//7l 5 f5 l .fi- ;l z/ f4 f5 Patented Nov. 2l, 1922.

UNITED STATES ERNST A. COUTURIER, OF LAPORTE, INDIANA.

QUICK-CHANGE VALVE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed May 14, 1921. Serial No. 469,662.

T0 (LN 'zo/mm 711 121.617,/ concern.'

Be it .known that l, FniNs'r A.. (lou'rnninn, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Laporte, in the county of Laporte and State of Indiana, have invent-ed certain new and useful Improvements in Quick-Change Valves for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to valves for musical instruments whereby such an instrument may, in the case of a cornet for example, be lengthened in bore to quickly change its key from B flat to A, or vice versa. The primary object is to provide a valve of simple construction which shall `be very low in cost of manufacture. Ease of manipulation is another object, while a third lies in the provision of a quick change valve which by construction and arrangement is adapted to maintain the perfection of taper essential in a wind instrument; that is, the continuous and gradual increase in diameter. of the bore of the instrument from mouthpiece to bell.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the dra-Wings:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through the mouthpipc of a cornet or the like, illustrating my invention, in central section, incorporated in said mouthpipe and positioned to give the instrument its short-er length of bore.

'Fig 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing that position of the invention whereby the bore of the cornet is given its longer length.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the parts and their position shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the parts and their position shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on line of Fig. 2.

Reference numeral 10 irnlicatcs a portion of the mouthpiece end and 1l a. portion of. the bell. end of a discontinuous musical iustrument mouthpipe, these adjacent portions being connected by the present inven tion to forro. a continuous mouthpipe having continuously and gradually increasing internal diameter. This connection is comn pleted in two ways: either by insertion in the mouthpipe of a short highv pitch bow 12, or a longer low pitch bow 13.

A In order to accomplish these connections, I provide a bearing plate 14, into diametrically opposite apertures 15 and 16 of which the upturned ends of pipes 10 and 11 are respectively brazed. Plate 14 is circular and centrally apertured as at 17 bearing concentrically upon the upper face of plate 14 and in close surface contact therewith is a rotary disc 18 having a central depending boss 19 which fits rotatively within aperture 17 and is centrally tapped to receive a cap screw 21 the head of which underlies the central portion of plate 14 to retain the plate and disc together. Preferably disc 18 carries a depending peripheral flange 22 which overlaps the edge of plate 14 and is exteriorly knurled, as seen in Fig. 5, to facilitate manual rot-ation of the disc.

The disc 18 is provided with four quadrantally disposed apertures 23, 24, 25 and 26 which are positioned diametrically opposite each other in pairs, 23 and 24 comprising one pair, and 25 and 26 the other. The centers of apertures 23 and 25, as well as that of aperture 15, are equidistant from the center of disc 18, and apertures 16, 24 and 26 are also equidistant from the center of the disc. The small diameter end of bow 12 isy brazed into aperture 23, and its large diameter end in aperture 24; while the small diameter end of the longer bow 13 is brazed into aperture 25, and its large diameter end into aperture 26. As shown in the drawings, bow 13 Straddles bow 12. The four termini of bows 12 and 13 are iush with the lower surface of disc 18 while the upturned ends of the mouth- v pipe portions 10 and 11 are flush with the upper surface of plate 14 in order that the ends of either bow may make such a close joint with the respective mouthpipe ends to form a practically continuous mouthpipe wall.

Rotative movement of disc 18 and bows 12 and 13 is limited to ninety degrees by means of a stud 27 projecting radially from plate 14 into a peripherally elongated slot 28 provided in flange 22 of the disc.

Considering the invention as incorpoA rated in a Bilat cornet, the parts will occupy the relative position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. the short bow 12 completing that length of bore of the instrument which attunes itto the key of B-at. Then the player desires to change the pit-ch of his instrument to the key of A, he grasps the knurled flange 22 and rotates disc 18 through ninety degrees in a counter-clock- Wise direction as indicated by the arroiv in Fig. 3. This act-ion removes bow 12 as an operative part oii' the instrument and inserts the longer bow 13 as a component part of the mouthpipe', thus elongating the latter. The key of A position oit the parts is illustrated in Figs. 2, l and 5.

Inasmuch as the mouthpipe portions 10 and 11 are normally7 fixed parts of a cornet or the like, the plate 14.-, disc 18 and associated elements of the invention lind ade quete support thereon. The tapering ot the bore of the invention has, 'for the purpose ot clear illustration, been purposel)IY exaggerated in the drawings.

I claim:

l. in a musical instrument, the combi nation with a plate and a disc rotatively secured together in close surface contact, a pair o't tubular bows of different length the ends of Which are mounted in the disc, and a pair oi mouthpipe sections spacedly intersecting said plate, the ends ot either bow being' registra-ble With the respective mouthpipe sections, the bore formed by said mouthpipe sections and either boW being oi continuously and gradually increasing diameter.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination oi a plate, a pair of tapered mouthpipe sections spacedly intersecting' said plate and `terminating in a common surface thereof, said termini being of different diameters, a dise rotatively secured to the plate in close surface Contact therewith, and a pair of tapered tubular bows of different lengths mounted on the disc with their ends intersecting and iixed therein, each of said bows having1 a small end registrable with and of the same diameter as the smaller of said mouthpipe section termini, and a larger end simultaneously registrable with and equal in diameter to the larger of said mouthpipe section termini.

3. Inl a musicalv instrument, the combination of a plate provided with a pair of apertures of different diameters, a. tapered mouthpipe having the larger end oit one sect-ion connected to the smaller of said apertures and the smaller end of another section connected to the larger ot said apertures, a disc rotatably attache l to said plate and provided With two pairs oi apertures adapted to register in alternation With said plate apertures, and tapered tubes connecting the apertures oi each pair, said tubes beingboth adapted to form in conjunction with said mouthpipe a passage oit progressively increasing diameter.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination oit a discontinuous mouthpipe of progressively increasing diameter, a plate to which the inner ends of the mouth pipe sections are attached, an apertured disc rotatabl7 mounted on said plate, and a pair ot tapered tubes of different lengths carried by said disc and adapted to be registered in alternation with said mouthpipe sections, said tubes being each of integral construction and tapered to form in conjunction with the mouthpipe sections a contiu nous passage of progressively increasing diameter.

ERNST A. courunrne.

Images