US1561772A - Player piano - Google Patents

Description

NOV- 11, 1925. 1,561,772

' O. H. CARLSON I PLAYER PIANO Filed Dec. 20, p1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 17 1925' O. H. CARLSON PLAYER P I AN0 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1919 0 N [v INVENTOR' BY pm/ W M ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

OSCAR H. GARLSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO ESTEY PIANO COMPANY, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PLAYER PIANO.

Application filed December 20, 1919. Serial No. 34=- ,246.

To 0: whom it may concern Be it known that I. Ososu H. CARLSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at 7 Manhattan Ave, New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Player Pianos, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to player-pianos, and with regard to its more specific features to devices for operating the treadle door and extending the treadles of the piano.

An object of the invention is to provide a player-piano with improved means for moving the treadles thereof to operative or inoperative positions, and for moving correspondingly a closure for the treadle openmg. 4 Another object is to provide a piano having a panel with a treadle opening therein and a closure for the opening, with a simple and reliable closure operating means and treadle operating means which will permit the removal of the panel without disturbing saidtreadle operating means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a single operating means capable of easily and smoothly operating the treadle' door and extending the treadles of a playerpiano and which will be simple in construction, economical to manufacture and simple and positive in operation.

Another object is to provide an improved door and treadle operating means for a player-piano adapted to open the treadle door and lower the treadles in sequence to operative positions and to cushion the movement of said parts.

Other objects will he in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, wherein is illustrated one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is an elevation of the lower part the plate 11 on panel 3 and having rigidly of a player-piano embodying this invention; Fig. 2 is a slightly enlarged fragmentary rear elevation of the, front board removed from the piano frame and showing the door in open position; D

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation with the panel removed showing the operating mechanism and showing the treadle in folded position and the door (dotted lines) in open position;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the door and treadle operating mechanism, the treadles being in folded position and the operating mechanism in position as shown in Fig.

Fig. 5 is a similar view with the treadles in extended position; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged rear elevation of a detail showing a connection in the treadle operating mechanism which affords lost motion to said mechanism.

Referring more particularly to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the numeral 1 indicates a player-piano of the upright type having a keyboard 2, a front panel 3 below the keyboard, and pedals 4c. The keyboard and pedals are employed when the piano is to be operated manually as is common in instruments of this type.

The panel 3 is preferably constructed so as to be readily removable from the piano case, and has at the lower edge thereof an opening which is arranged to be closed by a door or closure 5. This door is slidably mounted, as by straps or hangers 6, on a rod 7 which is mounted longitudinally by means of suitable supports on the inner face of panel 3, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Movement limiting stops 8 may be employed to limit the movement of the door in both eX- treme positions and these may be conveniently supplied with cushioning pads, as of felt, to silence the impact of the door inopening or closing movements. Also mounted on the back of the panel and arranged for sliding engagement with door 5 are cushioning strips 9 of any suitable material so that the operation of the door is rendered smooth and noiseless.

The sliding movement to open or to closed position is imparted to the door 5 by suitable operating means, part of which is mounted on the back ofpanel 3. This part of the door operating mechanism includes a slotted member 10 pivotally mounted on secured thereto and extending at an angle therefrom a crank 12 which is connected by the link 13 to a swinging pivoted arm i l, the latter being connected by a link 15 with the door. The member 10 is adapted to be loo connected through an open-*ended'slot 16 v is as follows therein with other parts of the operating mechanism to be hereinafter more fully described.

Mounted beneath the keyboard 0f the piano in suitable bearings 17 which are secured to portions of the framework, is a transversely disposed operating shaft 18 extending across the upper edge of the panel 3 and having at its outer extremity an angularly disposed operating handle 19 and at its inner extremity rigidly secured there to a crank 20. Securely mounted at the free end of this crank is a pin 21 which is adapted to engage with slot 16 of pivoted member 10 when the panel is in assembled position on the front of the piano.

A bellows 22 having a stationary member 23 and a movable member 24: may be employed to supply motive power when the instrument is used as a player-piano. Treadles 25, each pivotally mounted at one end to a support or footboard 26, are operatively connected at their free ends as by links 27 with the movable member 2a of the bellows so that the latter may be operated manually to perform its function. Footboard 26 may have one or more cushioned feet 28 for engaging the floor and supporting the treadles in operative or extended position. Cushions 29 may be employed to engage the treadles when folded to inoperative .position as shown in Fig. 1.

Means operated in conjunction with the door operating means above described is employed to move the treadles from the folded position shown in Figs. 3 and at through the opening in anel 3 to the extended position shown in Fig. 5. As illustrated, this operating means comprises a modified bell crank lever pivotally mounted on a bracket 31 and having an elongated arm 31 rigidly secured to foot-board 26. The other arm of said bell crank lever is connected by a link 82 having an adjustable connection 32 therein with one arm of a second bell crank lever 33 pivotally mounted on a suitable bracket beneath the keyboard. The other arm of said second bell crank lever is operatively connected with crank 20 of operating shaft 18 by link 3st having a flattened end portion with an elongated slot 35 there-- in, in which engages a pin 3.6 rigidly secured on a projection 37 on said crank (Fig. 6). A sp ng t er 38 is se ured. beneath the. keyboard and is arranged to contact with one of the arms of bell crank 33 as the pedals fall by gravity into extended or operative posit-ion. This absorbs the shock due to themomen unm thefa ling pa s-s h t e pedal st ik t .floer Without und no se.

The opera-t on o the in ntion, Which-Will be; clearfrom the a ve ese jptien, briefly Assuming that the parts are in folded 01' inoperative position as shown in Fig 1, the operator grasps the handle 19, turning the shaft 18 in a counter-clockwise direction. During approximately the first of rotation of shaft 18, the pin 21 rides in slot 16 of pivoted member 10, rotating the latter to move the door from closed to open position through connections 12, 13, 14; and 15, whereupon pin 21 passes out of the open end of the slot so that there is no further operating connection between shaft 18 and door 5 as the operator continues to rotate the shaft in a counter-clockwise direction. During the greater portion of this movement the pin 36 slides idly in slot 35 so that there may be little or no attendant move ment of the treadles. But as the shaft 18 continues to rot-ate further from the position shown in F .ig. 3 toward that shown in Fig. 5, pin 36 engages at the end of slot 35, operating connections 3 33, 32, and 30 to move the treadles pivotally on bell crank lever 80 through the uncovered opening in panel 3. As the treadles pass beyond their vertical line of support their pivotal movement may e continued by gravity until the feet 28 engage the floor, the impact of the fall being absorbed by the spring buffer 38 as mentioned above. During this gravity movement of the pedals the pin 36 rides idly through the slot 35 to the opposite end thereof so that the parts are then in proper relative positions to begin the reverse or folding movement of the parts. It will thus be seen that the door and treadles are operated successively to accomplish the desired results. It will be obvious that similar action occurs upon reverse movement of the ope-rating handle to restore the parts to initial position. the parts then being moved in reverse sequential order.

hen the panel 3 is removed from the )iano for any purpose, pin 21 disengages with slot 16 and the door operating connection is broken, but the treadle operating means is not thereby interfered with. hen the panel is replaced the pin and slot again automatically engage so that the parts operate as above set forth.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the lanfeatures of the invention herein described,

pedal] statementsof the scope of the invenn hich, a a ma er of language, migh be said to fall therebetween- I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a player piano, in combination, a case including a removable panel formed with a treadle opening, a movable closure carried by said panel, treadles arranged for movement through said opening between idle position behind the panel and working position in front of the panel, means carried by said casii to move said treadles between said posi ions, mechanism carried by said panel and operable by said treadle-moving means when the panel is in place to close and uncover said opening subsequently to the moven'ient of said treadles, and means to operatively connect said treadlemoving means with said closure-operating mechanism, said connecting means being arranged to permit the removal of said panel with the closure and the closure-operating mecha nism carried thereby while the treadle-operg mechanism remains intact.

In a player piano, in combination, a (use including a removable panel formed with a treadle opening, a movable closure carried by said panel, treadles arranged for movement through said opening between idle position behind the panel and working position in. front of the panel, meanscar ricd by said casing to move said treadles between said positions, mechanism carried by said panel and operable by said treadle-moving means when the panel is in place to close and uncover said openin subsequently to the movement of said tr adles, and means to operatively connect said treadle-moving means with said closlire-operating mechanism, said. connecting means comprising cooperative members arranged to be brought into registry by the placement of the panel, to he engaged and disengaged by the operation of the treadle-nioving means, and to be disengaged by the bodily upward movement of the panel.

In a player-piano, in combination, a case including a removable lower front panel having a treadle opening, a sliding closure for said opening carried by said panel, treadles arranged for movement through said opening from idle position behind said panel to working position before said panel and vice versa, means carried by said case and connected to said treadles for moving the latter, and means carried by said panel for moving said closure, said last means including a part having a releasable connection with said first named means released by the removal of the panel.

st. In a player piano, in combination, a case including a removable panel formed with a treadle opening, a movable closure carried by said panel, treadles arranged for movement through said opening between idle position behind the panel and working position in front of the panel, means carried by said casing to move said treadles between said positions, mechanism carried by said panel and operable by said treadle-moving means when the panel is in place to close and uncover said opening subsequently to the movement of said treadles, and means to operatively connect said treadle-moving means with said closure-operating mechanism, said connecting means comprising a pair of uxtaposed rotatable members mounted respectively on the casing and the panel, said members being arranged to cooperate during the movement of the closure and to be disengaged after one of the movements thereof, said members being adapted to be disconnected by the bodily upward movement of the panel. a

5. A player piano, including, in combination, a case formed with an opening, a movable panel for covering said opening, a treadle, mechanism, means for moving said mechanism through said opening and beyond said case and retracting it within the same, means for moving said panel, including a slotted member, a crank, a projection forming a part of said crank and extendable into the slot of said member whereby upon said crank being moved it will optionally actuate said member or be disconnected therefrom, and means for connecting said crank with said treadle mechanism.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

OSCAR H. OARLSON.

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