US1562103A

US1562103A - Sound-producing instrument

Info

Publication number: US1562103A
Application number: US27769A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frederick B Little
Original assignee: J C DEAGAN Inc
Current assignee: J C DEAGAN Inc
Priority date: 1925-05-04
Filing date: 1925-05-04
Publication date: 1925-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 1942-11-17

Description

Nov. 17, 1925. 1,562,103 y F. B. LITTLE S OUND PRODUCING INSTRUMENT Filed May 4, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l @Z0 xr we' @y /7./%W fz@ Nov. 17, 1925.

F. B. LITTLE SOUND PRODUCING INSTRUMENT Filed May 4, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented uw. -17, i925.4

UNITED STATES PATENT oF'rlcE.

FREDERICK B. LITTLE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO J'. C. DEAGAN, IiNC., 0F

" CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINCIS.

soUNJJ-PnonUoINe 'INsrRUMEn-T.

Abplicaubn mea my 4, 1925. serial No. 27,769.

To all whom zt may concern.'

Be it known thatl I, FREDERICK B.LITTLE, av citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and the State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sound-Producing Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to sound reducing or musical instruments and has or its object the provision of means for damping thelsound being produced by one or Ymore sound producing members when another sound producing member or members are brought into action, whereby undesirable intermingling of the sounds produced by the various sound producing members of a musical instrument may be avoided.

I have embodied my invention in a set of chimes though the invention is not to be limited to any particular form of sound producing instrument. In this embodiment of my invention I employ sound dampers that normally engage the bottom ends of upright suspended sound producing bars, normally to prevent these bars from vibrating. I also employ mechanism for setting these bars into vibration inclusive f hammers arranged to strike the bars at suitable places to set them properly into vibration. Keys control the action of the hammer mechanism, each key serving, when operated to set the corresponding bar into vibration, to apply the damper to a previously struck bar, so that the bar last to be struck will be the only one to vibrate. The hammer striking mechanis-m includes operating electromagnets or solenoids governed by the corresponding keys and the dampers are also governed by thesekcys, the arrangement being such that cach key is lnot capable of applying the damper to the sound producing bar individual thereto, but is capable of applying the damper pertaining to each other bar. Normally the dampers are all applied to the sound producing bars and are withdrawn by the keys individual to these bars, each damper, as stated, being applicable to its bar upon the operation of the key pertaining to anyy sired to have a mingling of sounds produced by a number of bars.

The invention will be more fully explained in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 3, showing the preferred form of Vmechanical construction; Fig. 3 is a' front view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan view, taken partially in section, on line 4-4 of Fig. 5, illustrating the damping mechanism; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5--5 of Fig. 4 with the lower portion of a sounding bar also shown.

Theinstrument illustrated is inclusive of a plurality of upright sounding bars of which

bars

1 and 2 are illustrated, these bars producing, when struck, or otherwise set into vibration, different tones in the musical scale. L

Such bars are employed in chimes or other musical instruments. The

bars

1 and 2 are respectively provided With sound dampers 3 and 4 which float upon upright coiled springs 5,6, respectively, thesespringsnormallypressing the sound dampers against the bottoms of the bars. The sound dampers 3 and 4 are desir-ably iron armatures carrying sound damping cushions 7 and 8 preferably of felt, directly engaging the bottom ends of the sound producing bars. These armatures are rincluded in electromagnets having energizing coils 9 and 10, respectively, pertaining to the armatures 3 and 4. The

bars

1 and 2 are set in vibration in any preferred way. I have illustrated the bars as being provided with hammers 11 and 11l respectively, which are respectively applied to the bars by means of the striking solenoids or

electromagnets

13, 13 and which are retracted from the bars they have struck by means of the withdrawing solenoids or

magnets

15 and 15.

The manually operated keys 17 and 18 i serve, through instrumentalities to be described, to operate the hammers 11 and 12 respectively, other keys for controlling the hammers V'of other sounding bars, not illustrated, being included in the same bank with keys 17 and 18, one of these other keys being illustrated at 19.

The apparatus whereby the key .17 has control over the hammer 11 will be described, it being understood that the key 18 has control Vover the hammer 11' 1n a similar manner, the same also bein true ofl the remaining keys, not shown, with respect to the sounding bars to which theyare individual. When the key 17 is depressed a circuit is established which may be traced from the positive pole of the generator 2() through the positive bus wire 21, the magnet or solenoid winding 22, the key contacts 23, 24, of key 17, the negative bus wire` to the negative'pole of the generator 20. The soleno1d 22, when energized, lifts its core 26 to bring the metallic switch block 27 mto engagement with the two

spring contacts

28 and 29. When these

spring contacts

28 and 29 are electrically@ connected by the switch block 27, another circuit is established which may be traced from the positive pole of the generator 20 through the bus wire 21, spring'contact 28, switch block 27, spring contact 29, the relay 30, the

switch contacts

31 and 32, the negative bus wire 25l to the negative pole of the generator. When the relay is energized circuit is established which may be traced from the positive pole of the generator 20 through Cil the bus wire 21, the striking Winding 13,

contacts

33 and 34 of the armature switch of relay 30, the negative bus wire 25 to the negative pole of the generator. The energized solenoid winding 13 draws the solenoid core 35 forcibly toward the bar 1 to strike the hammer 11 against this bar. As the hammer nears the bar the circuit of the striking solenoid 13 is opened, the hammer moving the restof its striking distance by momentum. The opening of the circuit of the striking solenoid is directly occasioned by the separation of the

contacts

31 and 32 that are included in series with the relay 30, the relay 30 when deenergized opening the circuit of the striking solenoid 13 at the

switch

33, 34. These

contacts

31 and 32 are separated as a consequence of the energization of the relay 36 occurring when the ham` lner nears the bar, these contacts being included in the armature switching mechanism belonging to this particular relay. The circuit of the relay 36 may be traced from the positive pole of the generator 20 through the bus wire 21, the

switch elements

28, 27, 29, the winding of the relay, the

switch contacts

37 and 38, (which are closed by the pin 39 upon the hammer 11 when this pin engages the horn 40 upon contact 37 as the hammer nears the bar 1 and which are separated when the hammer is retracted, by the engagement of 'the pin 39 With the horn 41 upon the contact 37), the bus wire 25 to the negative pole of the generator. 'When the relay 36 is thus energized the

contacts

31 and 32 are separated with the results described. The energized relay 36 also closes 34, the negative bus wire 25 to the negative pole of the generator.

To prevent repeated operation of the hammer while the key corresponding thereto is depressed, I employ a supplemental contact 43, in multiple with the contact 37, which, with the contact 32 that is in multiple with the contactv 38, are substituted for the

contacts

37 and 38 and performing the samefunetion, the contact 43 being engaged by the Contact 32 when the relay 36 is energizcd whereby the striking solenoid 13 is maintained in open circuit and the retracting solenoid 15 is maintained in closed circuit, as long as the corresponding key 17 is closed. lVhen this key 17 is released the corresponding solenoid 22 is deenergized to interrupt all hammer controlling circuits.

It will be unnecessary to describe thehammer operated and hammer releasing mechanism in connection with bar 2 as this mechanism is identical with that shown in conneftion with bar 1, the key 18 being in controlling relation thereto. The parts of the hammer controlling mechanism pertaining to bar 2 that are respectively similar to parts of the hammer controlling mechanism pertaining to bar 1 are given similar characters of reference with prime exponents added.

The sound dampers are normally applied to the bottom ends of the bars to which they individually pertain. Whenever a hammer is applied to its bar the corresponding sound damper is withdrawn to permit the bar to vibrate. lVhen a ke is depressed, (the key 17 pertaining to ar 1, for eX- ample), the circuit is established through damper withdrawing magnet 9, which may be traced from the positive pole of the generator 20 through the bus wire 21, the conductor 44, switch contact 45, the upright metallic plunger rod 46, contact 47, contact 4S engaged by contact 47 when the plunger rod 46 is lifted by the insulating block 53 upon the solenoid core 26, the Winding of the damper releasing magnet 9, the negativo bus wire 25 to the negative pole of the generator. The contact 48 is pressed to a limited extent toward the contact 47 by means of a coiled spring 49. lVhen the plunger rod 46 is lifted by the solenoid core 26, the detent 50 falls into engagement with and beneath a shoulder 51 upon said plunger rod, whereby the

contacts

47 and 48 are maintained in engagement after `the operating key 17 isreleased, so that the sounding bar from which the vsound damper has thus been removed may continue to vibrate after the by maintaining release of said key. The dam er releasing magnet 10 pertaining to soun ingbar 2 is released from this-sounding bar, when the corresponding key 18 is depressed, and is maintained released from this bar by mechanism similar to that `which controls the damper releasing magnet 9, parts of the equi ment individual to magnet 10 that are simi ar to parts of the equipment individual to magnet 9 being given similar. characters of reference with prlme exponents.

The detents 50, 50', etc. that are individual v to the various damper withdrawing magnets 9, 10, etc., are constructed. in a unitary member in the form of an elongated bar 52, `each portion of this bar that is engageable with one of the shoulders 51, 51', constituting the detent pertaining to its associate shoulder.

It will be apparent that the sound dampers of a plurality of sounding bars which have been set into vibration may be held withdrawn from such bars as long as the keys pertaining to these bars are depressed to maintain the solenoid plungers 26, 26', elevated to close the various switch contacts governed by these plungers. It is also apparent that no key 17, etc. can reapply the sound damper pertaining to the sounding bar that is individual to such key. The arrangement is such, however, that when any key is depressed to operate the hammer and release the sound damper pertaining to the bar to which this key is individual, that the plunger rod 46 or 46', etc., as the case may be, pertaining to this operated'key, will rock the bar 52 upon its pivot in a direction to withdraw the detents contained in this bar away from the shoulders 51, 51', etc., whereby the damper releasing magnets pertaining to previously operated keys that have been released, have their circuits opened to place the corresponding dampers in engagement with the corresponding bars and cause these bars to cease to vibrate. The

plunger Vrods

46, 46, etc., are provided with cam portions 54, 54', for the purpose of thus withdrawing the detent bar 52 away from the switch rods 46, 46', etc., to permit any of these rods which were previously held in circuit closing position, by the detent bar, to drop, and permit the corresponding sound damper or dampers to be reapplied. Thus, when any bar is caused to sound upon the depression of its corresponding key, any previously struck bar whose operating key has been released, will have its sound damper reapplied so that the two bars will not sound at the same time, it being understood that if it is desired to have a number of bars continue to sound together', this result may be secured the keys individual to these barsv depressed. `When a musical selection or series of sounds has been completed the apparatus may be restored to normal with Ition of said sound damper to the sound all of the sound dampers applied tothe bars individual thereto by means of the restoring magnet or solenoid 55 whoseI plunger serves to rock the detent bar 52 away from the switch plunger rods 46, 46', etc., in order that any plunger rod or rods still upheld by the detent bar may be released to open the circuit of the corresponding damper releasing magnet or magnets. The solenoid 55 is governed by a key 56 which, when closed establishes a circuit for the solenoid traceable from the ositive pole of the generator through the us wire 21, the magnet 55, the contacts of key 56, bus wire 25, to the negative pole of the generator.

Changes may bemade without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. The combination with ducing members; of a sound damper engageable with one of said members; mechanism controlling the application of said sound damper to the sound producing member to which it pertains; and mechanism operable upon the other sound producing member to set it into sound producing vibration and then operable upon the first aforesaid mechanism to enable thel applicaproducing member to which it pertains.

2. The combination with two sound producing members; of two sound damper-s, each sound producing member having a sound damper individually engageable therewith; mechanisms, one individual to each sound damper and, in one adjustment, permitting the application of this sound damper to the sound producing member to which it pertains and, in another adjustment serving to withhold this sound damper; and mechanisms, one individual to each sound producing member for setting it into sound producing vibration and then adjusting thel mechanism pertaining to the damper ot this member to withhold this damper and then also adjusting the mechanism pertaining' to the other damper to enable the application of this latter damper to the sound producing` member to which it pertains.

3. The combination with two sound producing members; of a sound damper entwo sound progageable with one of said members; an

electro-magnet serving. when energized, to

withhold this damper; mechanism operable upon the other sound producing member to set it into sound producing vibration; and switching mechanisml for rendering ineffective the circuit of said magnet and operable for this purpose by the aforesaid mechanism when this mechanism is operated to set the sound producing member,

'to which this mechanism pertains, into vibration. Y

4. The combination with two sound` proT ies each sound producing member having engageable sound damper individually therewith; two electro-magnets, one individual to each damper for withholding this damper; two electro-magnetic mechanisms, one individual to each sound 'producin member to set it into sound producing v1- bration; and two switching mechanisms, each individual toone 'of said electro-magneticl mechanisms and pertaining to, both magnets and serving, at one time, to establish the circuit of this electro-magnetic mechanism and the circuit of the magnet pertaining to the sound damper of the sound producing member .having this electro-magnetic mechanism and to render the circuit of the other electro-magnet ineffective.

5. The combination with two sound producing members; of two sound dampers, each sound producing member having a sound damper individually engageable therewith; ltwo electro-magnets, one individual to each damper for withholding this damper; two mechanisms, one individual to each sound producing member to set it into sound producing vibration; two'switching mechanisms, each individual to one of said sound producing members and pertaining to both magnets and serving, at one time, to establish the circuit of the magnet pertaining to the sound damper otl this sound producing member and to render the circuit of the.t other electro-magnet .ineffective; and means 'individual to each sound producing member foroperating its sounding mechanism and the switching mechanism ertaining to this member.

6. he combination with two sound producing members; of two sound dampers, each sound producing member havingffa sound damper individually engageable therewith; two electro-magnets, one individual to each damper for withholding this damper; two mechanisms, one individual to each sound producing member to set itinto sound producing vibration; and two switching mechanisms, each individual to one of said sound producing members and pertaining toboth magnets and serving, at one time, to establish the circuit of the magnet pertaining to the sound damper of this sound producing member and to render the circuit of the other electro-magnet ineffective.

7. The combination with two sound producing members; of two sound dampers, each sound producing member having a soundv damper individually engageable therewith; two electro-magnets each sound damper having a magnet individual thereto that serves, when energized, to withhold this dam-per; two switching devices, each magnet having a switching device individual thereto for establishing its circuit; and

lconnected detentsyeac'h switching device having a detent individual thereto and serves, when energized, to withhold this damper; two switching devices, each magnetV having a switching device individual thereto for establishing its circuit; connected detents, each, switching device having a detent individual thereto and ada ted for holding engagement therewith when this switching device establishes the circuit of the magnet, each switching device being in releasingy engavement with said connected detents w en moving to magnet circuit establishingposition; andv electro-magnetic mechanisms for setting said sound producing members into sound producing vibrations, each of said sound producing members havin one electro-magnetic mechanism individual thereto, and each electro-magnetic mechanism havinig the one of the aforesaid switching devices lindividual thereto that is also individual to the magnet individpual to this sound producing member and 1n circuit establishing relation therewith when this switching device'is in circuit establishing relation to the magnet of the damper pertaining to this sound producing member.

9. The combination with two sound producing members; of two sound dampers, each sound` producing member having a sound damper individually engageable therewith; two electro-magnets each sound damper and its sound roducing member having a magnet individual thereto that serves, when energized, to withholdl this' damper; two switching devices, each magnet having a switching device individual thereto for establishing its circuit; connected detents, each switching device having a detent individual thereto and adapted fior holding engagement therewith when this switching device establishes the circuit of the magnet, each switching device being in releasing engagement with said ,connected-detents when moving to magnet circuit establishing position; electro-magnetic mechanisms for setting said sound producing members into sound producing vibrations, each of said sound producing members having one electro-magnetic mechanism individual thereto,

and each electro-magnetic mechanism having the one of theV aforesaid switching` devices individual thereto that is also individual to the magnet individual to this sound producing memberand in circuit establshing relation therewith when this switching device is in circuit establishing relation to the ma et of the damper ertaining to this s ndproducing mem er;

FREDERICK B. LITTLE.l I