US1518257A - Harmonica - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 9, 1924. 1,518,257

G. B. DUSINBERRE HARMONICA Filed May 19, 1921 ZW @www Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE B. DUSINBEBBE, 0F ELMIRAQNEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO GLENOBA HARMONICA COMPANY, INC., OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HARMONICA.

` Application tiled Hay 19, 1921. Serial No. 470,870.

To all whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. .DUSIN- BERRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Chemung and Sta-te of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Harmonicas, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to musical instruments of the harmonica type, and has for its chief object to improve the musical pos-v sibilities of instruments of this type by increasing the number of available reed plates so as to make possible a greater combination of chords .than is obtainable with a harmonica as usually constructed with two reed plates.

In my improved instrument three or more reed plates are provided, carried by a plate holder which can be shifted by the operator relative to the mouth piece so as to render effective various combinations of plates.

In the accompanying sheet of 'drawings showing both a three and five plate harmonica embodying my invention, Fig. 1 is .a side view of a three plate harmonica embodied in a form which is very satisfactory, parts being 'broken away; Fig. 2v is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a side view of the platev holder with the casing and mouth piece removed; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an end view looking toward the right of Fig. 1 with one end of the casing removed; Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view; Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 4, showing a five plate instrument; Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the same; Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view of a three plate 'instrument showing a different way of forming the casing and mouth piece; and Fig. V10 is an end view of the same.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5, it will be observed that the instrument here shown, includes a cylindrical casing 10, with a mouth piece 11 having spaced air passageways 12. In this instance the' mouth piece is formed by a separate member secured to the casing by screws 13, the casing having openings 12a which register with the passageways 12 of the mouth piece.

Inside the casing, and in this case coaxial therewith, is a plate holder provided in this instance with three reed plates 14, 15 an'd 16, separated by two chambered spacers 17 and 18, havin passageways, chambers or cells 19 ex-tendlng therethrough. The reeds of the reed plates communicate with these passageways so that they may be affected in the usual manner by air drawn or forced through the passageways.

Tlhe plate holder may ibe formed in different ways, but in the embodiment shown the chambered spacers 17 and 18 consist of two separate members with the middle reed plate clamped between them, and with their outer sides covered by the two outer reed plates, the chambered spacers and the reed plates being solidly clamped together by transverse screws 20 passing through the ends of the chambered spacers and through the ends of the reed plates beyond the endmost reeds. In this instance also, the screws 20 hold against the two outermost reed plates two metal pieces 21 which extend lengthwise of the reed plates, and have inlner portions bearing against the plates between the reeds. Likewise these pieces project laterally outward into contact with the lnner wall of the cylindrical casing 10.

The o positely disposed edges of the spacers 1 and 18 are rounded, the curvature conforming accurately to the curvature of the casing, the inside wall of which closely engages with a spring action the curved top and bottom edges of the spacers with sufficient tightness to form a practically air-tight joint, but at the same time to permit the plate holder to be turned inside the casing. Of course, the contact between the rounded edges of the spacers and the inner wall'of the casing does not formv an air-tight joint in the strictest sense of the term, but nevertheless the fit of the holder inside the casing is such as to prevent any material amount of leakage.

The casing is completed by the addition to the cylindrical body 10 of two end caps 22, with inturned flanges fitting over the cylindrical body portion of the casing. These end caps are in this instance secured 'by screws 23, to the ends of the plate holder.

Though I do not wish to be confined to this particular construction or method of shifting the plate holder inside the cylindrical part of the casing, nevertheless the attachment of the caps to the plate holder with the caps capable of turning on the body portive way of turning the plate holderinside `thebodyportiono the Inthisln-` casing tion of the does provide a very effecstan aswillbeobeervedin ig.2,the inturn flanges of the caps havenotches 22, which permit them and the plate holder to be turned a predeterminedamount wlthreference to the mouth piece and the body portion of the casing.

One importantV characteristic of the instrument is the provision of sets of openings in the casing for the inflow or outflow of air. For a three plate instrument as preferably constructed this requires three sets of openin ferentiall cated in properly s aced circumof e casing T ese are-indieV drawi at 24, 25 and 26. The

opening 24 consists 1n this instance of a slot extending lengthwise of the body portion of the casing, diametrically opposite from the mouth piece. This slot in addition to forming a passageway for air, alsov makes provision f or the necessary spring in the e casing to cause it to properly frictionally engage the rounded edge portions of the plate holder, since the slot forms in eect two morev or les independent portions clampin or embracing the plate holder with a yieldable action. The other two sets of openings 25 and 26 are located on both sides of the middle slot 24 andmay consist of round openings whose number and'spacing cornes nd to the number and spacing of the. of the reed plates.

This instrument is used in the following manner: If the plate holder is turned as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 so that the chambers or cells 19 ofthe right hand spacer 18 are in line with the ope of the mouth piece, then the up r ends o the cells of the left hand spacer 1 are closed b the casing, as clearly shown in F' 6.k owever, the lower ends of the cells d the left hand spacer 17 now register with slot 24. With this arrangement the two reed plates and 16 become effective, one as a draw late 7and the other as a blow plate, and the slot 24 and openings 26 become effective one lfor the admission of air drawn throu h one reed plate and through the mouth piece, and the other for air blown through the mouth iece and through the other reed plate. gimilarly, when the plate holder is turned so that the chambers or cells of the left hand spacer 17 -register with the openings of the mouth piece, then the reed plates 14 and 15 become available, and the reed plate 16 becomes ineffective, the slot 24 and openi 25 then being used, one to admit air which is drawn through one reed plate, and the other for the exhaust of air blown through the other reed plate. It will be understood that the operator by taking hold of one end cap can turn the reed plate as desired, from one position to the other, thus changing the combination of plates that are effective for playi n Whi e lates of different keys may be utilized, of example,

might say byA wa that I have made a very eii'ective instru ment utilizing two standard C plates, together with a G blow plate.

It is not at all essential *hat the casing and mouthpiece be formed as in Figs. 1 tn 5, as will be evident by comparison of these figures -with Figs. 9 and 10. As already exprgined in Fi 1 to 5, the casing is formed m one cy ndrical piece to which the mouth piece is attached, the casing having a longitudinally extendin slot diametrically op ite from the mout piece. In Figs. 9

formed of three pleces, one consisting ofthe mouth piece 27, and the other two consisting of curved sheet metal pieces 28 and 29, the free edges of which are separated by a slot 30 corresponding to the slot 24.*pof the first construction, and their other edgek rtions secured by screws 31 to the lower slde portions of .the mouth piece. Just below the mouth piece the sheet metal pieces 28 and 29 may be indented for the two-fold purpose of giving elasticity or spring to the vpieces 28 and 29, and to form stops adapted to be engaged by the longitudinal edges of the plate holder as it is turned from one extreme sition to the other. In this instance, as is c ear from Fig. 9, the under side of the mouth piece is curved or rounded, and the top of the slate holder bears against it.

As alrea stated, the instrument may havemore t an three reed lates, as for example, five reed plates, a live plate instrument being shown in Figs. 7 and 8, this instrument be' constructed 'and operated precisely like t e three plate instrument first ascribed. In Figs. 7 and 8 the casing here designated is formed like the casing in Figs. 1 to 5, and is provided with a projecting mouth piece 36. The five reed plates are designated 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41, these reed plates being carried by a suitable plate holder 42 having suitable chambers, cells or passageways 43 with which the reeds communicate, and adapted to be shifted as in the first instance, to render any two adjacent plates eiective. The casing 35 in this instance is provided with five openings or sets of o nings for the inflow or exhaust of air, t ese being designated respectively in Fig. 8, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 48. The middle opening 46 which is adapted to be opposite from the pa ways of the mouth piece may be in the ormof a slot, like the middle opening of the first described constructions.

With the plate holder in the position shown in Fig. 8, the reed plates 38 and 39 become effective, and the openings and 46 are utilized one for air drawn through the Aan 10 the bodyportion of the casing is f instrument,vfind the lother for air blowny .through the instrument. As the plate holder is turned from one extreme osition to the other, plates 37 and 38, 38 an 39, 39 and 40, and 40 and 41'become effective in pairs. As the holder .is turned through this range, openings 44 and 45, 45 and 46, 46 and 47, and 47 and l48 become effective in inflow' and outflow of air.

It is to be noted, and it is a feature of the instrument, whether of the three or live plate type, that when the holder is turned so that the upper ed e of any reed late is moved from one si e of the mout 'piece openings to the other, the plate is converted from a blow late to a drawA plate, or vice versa. Likewise it is to be noted that when the upper ends of the cells or chambers between any pair of plates are `in registration with the yopenings of the mouth piece, the lower ends of these cells are' closed, and reversely, when the lower ends of the cells between any pair of plates are in communication with an opening or. set of openings of the casing, for intake or exhaust of air, the upper ends of the-cells are closed.

Another feature to be noted is that the middle opening or slot 24 of the three plate instrument is 1n one position of the holder an opening for the inflow of air, and in the other osition of the holder an opening for the ex aust of air, and that the same is true with respect to the middle openings 45, 46 and 47 of the five plate instrument. That is to say, the openings 45 in one position of the holder are for the intake of air, and in another position of the holder are for the exhaust of air, and the same with the openings 46 and 47.

It is not essential to the invention that the plate holder be formed of a plurality of separate chambered spacers adapted with the reed plates to be clamped together into a unit as described in connection with Figs. 1 to 5, for it may be desirable to form the body of the plate holder of one piece as indicated, for example, in Figs. 8 and 9. Fur

thermore, it is not essential that the openings to which the mouth of the player is applied be formed in an outwardly projecting mouth piece ,as here shown. The instrument ma be modilied in still other partiulars wit out departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended clalms.

Having describedA my invention, I claim:

1. A musical instrument of the harmonica type comprising a casing having a longitudinally extending perforated portion through which air may be drawn or blown, and a carrier within the casing having three or more reed plates arranged side by side and extending longitudinally of the casing and spacer members between the reed plates forming rows of cells between successive pairs for the plates,l said cells being open at one edge of the carrier, and said carrierfbeing movable in the casing to bring the open ends of the cells of any 'row into registry with said perforated rtion of the casing.

2. i A musical instrument of the'harmonica type comprising a art to which the mouth of the pla er ma applied, said part being provi ed wit a row of openin and a second part movable relative to t e first Aand said second part having a plurality of rows of cells formed by a series of parallel reed plates separated by s acerV members forming partitions between t e cells of each row, sald spacer members being so arranged that each cell in a row is adapted to register with one of said openings, said parts i being mounted for relative movement of one with respect to the other whereby the rows of cells ma be successively brought into communication with said openings.

3. A musicalin'strument of the harmonica type comprising a part having openings through which air may be drawn or blown by the player, and a holder movable relative to said part, said holder being provided with three or more metal reed plates arranged side by side and means forming cells between the successivev plates, said cells having open ends which maybe placed successively in communication with said openings by movin the holder, said holder being so mount that it may be shifted to move an inner reed plate from one side of said openings to the other to convert it from a blow plate to adraw plate.

4. A musical instrument of the harmonica type provided with a part having a longitudinally extending perforated portion through which air may be drawn or blown by the player, and a carrier movable relative to said part, said carrier being provided with three or more reed plates and with means forming open ended cells between successive plates, which may be placed successively in communication with said perforated portion by moving the carrier, and means cooperating with any group of cells in registration with said perforated portion to seal the ends thereof opposite the perforated portion.

5. A musical instrument of the harmonica type provided with a part having a longitudinally extending perforated portion through which air may be drawn or blown by the player, a carrier movable relative to said part, said carrier being provided with three or more metal reed plates and with means forming open ended cells between successive Aplates which may be placed successively in communication with the perforated portion by moving the carrier, and

`means cooperating with the carrier to seal posite thel perforated portion and to open 'one or more adjacent ce 1s to the atmosphere. 6. In a musical instrument Vof the har# monica type, a casing having a longitudinalyl 1y extending perforated portion through which ,air may be drawn or blown and a cellular member vmounted within the casing,

said member having a plurality of rows of open ended cells arran ed side by side and l lreed plates forming si e walls of said cells,

said member being movable in the casing to bring any row of cells into registry with the perforated lportion ofthe casing, said casing having additional Vcircumferentially spaced openings and imperforate portions 4series of spaced reed K the carrier',

l lates and spacing members between the p atea forming rows of open ended cells between successive plates rwhich are open at the o posite edges of and a casing enc osing the carrier and yieldingly engaging opposite edges of the carrier sopas to permit relative movement between the carrier and casing, said casing having a longitudinally extending perforated portion ada ted to register wim the cells of any row an imperforate sealin portions so disposed ywith respect to sai perforated portion' that they form a seal for cells registered with said perforated portion at the ends thereof opposite the forated portion, said casing having openings on opposite sides of said sealing portions.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ax my signature.

GEORGE B. DUSINBERRE."

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