US143789A

US143789A - Improvement in grand pianos

Info

Publication number: US143789A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1873-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 1890-10-21

Description

G. STEC K. Grand Pianos.

Patented Oct. 21, 1873.

Wish-z board without any holes or pertorations, whereare so arranged that one-half ot' their width UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE STECK, OF NEWT YORK? N.

IMPROVEMENT lN GRAND PIANOS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 143,789, dated October 21, 1873; applical ion filed July 31, 1873.

To all 107mm 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORG-E S'rncn, of New York, State of'New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Grand lianos, of which the following is a specification:

Figure I vrepresents a top view of the frame of a grand piano-forte embodying my invention. Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section at line 3 and showing its position in the piano- Fig. IH is a eiosssection at the line by the instrument obtains extraordinary power, fullness, and clearness ot' tone. This invention is an improvement on. the patent No. 11.6,1o0, granted to me on the 20th of June, 1ST .1.

A, B, C, D, and E are the lon gitudinal. braces. F is the curveddiagonal brace or bridge. Cr is the front bar or rail, to which the wrestplank J is attached; and K, L, M, and N are the outside or border parts ot' the frame, to the under side of which the sounding-lmard Il .is attached. The braces A, B, C, D, and lil, with which the strings a" run .nearly parallel,

or depth, or nearly so, shall project above the plane of the strings, and thc other halt of their depth below said plane, whereby the tension of the strings is caused to be midway, or nearly so, of the braces, and has therefore no tendency to bend or warp the frame either one way or the other.

'.'y this construction I obtain a trame stron I enough in itselfl to sustain the whole strain oi' the strings without requiring any back-stays, frame, or braces of wood arranged. in the wooden casing, as at present, and with which the iron frame has to be connected by means of a number of bolts, in consequence of which the sounding-board H can be made of one unbroken solid surface, and as there is no framework or wooden braces below this sounding board there is nothing to obstruct the sound, and the instrument has extraordinary power, fullness, and clearness of tone.

This iron frame is supported in the casing 1?,

which need be only alight shell, upon three blocks, B S T, one of which, B, is situated at the extreme end, and the other two, S and T, on the sides near the front. (See Figs. I and H.) i

Besides the above-mentioned advantages, a great feature ot .my invention consists in the facility of the eoi'istruction or manufacture ot' a grand piano, as the iron frame, constructed as above described, can be completely finished and strung independent of the casing, while by t-he present mode of construction the casA ing, with its necessary wooden braces, has first to be'iitted to the iron fra-me, and the same securely fastened by suitable bolts to said wooden braces, after which the casing is iirst iinished before any further work can be done to the iron frame.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The iron frame for grand pianos having the longitudinal braces A, B, C, l), and E, arranged in relation to the plane of the strings as set forth, in combination with the solid soundingboard H and wrest-plank J, substantially as herein described.

GEOB ill STEUN.

NVitnesses HENRY E. hoEDnn, .lonN B. PANNnn.