US168561A - Improvement in organs - Google Patents

Description

B. DUFNEB. Organs, 611e.V

Patented Oct. 11,1875.

Y parts in the figures.

UNITED STATES PATENT @EErcE BERNHARD DUFNER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN ORGANS, &c.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 168,561, dated October 11, 1875 application filed August 26, 1875.

To all whom it may concern.: l

Be it known that I, BERNHARD DUFNER, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements on Wind Instruments, such as Organs, Melodeons, or Orchestrions; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, having reference to the accompanying drawing,` making a part of this speciiication, and illustrating my invention more fully. Y

In the same, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sec-A tional elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan, of that part of the instrument above 4referred to to which my invention relates.

Like letters of reference indicate similar My invention is designed to overcome the obstacles and drawbacks experienced in the operation of the register-slides of organs as commonly constructed. These slides are usually made with openings registering with the pipe-openings to supply a stop or number of pipes pertaining to one stop with the necessary wind, and they are moved to connect and disconnect a particular set of pipes with the instrument. These slides are made ot wood, and from the nature of that'material are open tothe objection that, in a moist atmosphere, they will swell and operate with difficulty, while in warm weather or in hot climates they shrink and allow considerable waste of wind. In fact they are inlluenced by the ever-varying climatic changes, constan tly out of order, or at least not in what may be termed perfect working order.

To overcome these objections and obstacles I construct the wind-chest of au organ or orchestrion and the like with a number of auX- iliary wind-chests corresponding with the number of stops required in the instrument, and provide each with a full set ot' valves for all the pipes belon ging to one stop. These chests are arranged upon one plane, and all the valves in the alternate chests belonging to the same key are coupled together so as to operate simultaneously whenever acted upon by the proper key upon the key-board. Each ofthe auxiliary chests is provided with a supplyopening closed by a valve opening into the main chest, and operated from the outside of the instrument either by keys from the key-frame, as in automatic or self-playing instruments, or by pulls, as in organs or melodeons. These valves admit the wind into the auxiliary wind-chests, and the pipes pertaining to these chests will sound Whenever the pipe-valves are opened. valves in the main chest may be coupled, if desired. The arrangement ofthe stop-valves discards the usual slides altogether, and is from its nature and construction free from the objections to Whichthe slides are liable. The pipe-valvesV are placed vertically behind the partitions containing the wind-passages, and each set is pushed open simultaneously, as fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I shall proceed to describe its particulars of construction.

A is the main wind-chest, and supplied with the compressed air from bellows in the usual manner. B area seriesofauxiliarychests placed over the main chest A, and connected there with by passages (l. The chests B are produced by a number of partitions, D, having wind-passages E leading to the pipes inserted into the pipe-sockets F in the cover G of the instrument. The passages C are each provided with a valve, I, opening into the main chest and provided with springs K to keep them in proper position. These valves serve to open connection between the main and auxiliary chests, andare operated upon either automatically from the key-frame O by levers or rods N acting upon the valve-rods L, or by pulls and proper connections with the said valve-rods L similar to those of organs and melodeons with the sliding register. P are the pipe valves placed vertically into the auxiliary chests B behind the partitions D, and they are connected with their proper key Q by the bell-crank levers R and the rods T. rlhese pipe-valves are litted with springs similar to those of the stop valves in the main chest. Other mechanism, as that described to operate the pipe'valves, may be substituted iu di'erent instruments to open the Valves P by the rods T from the key-board according to the nature ofthe instrument, the mechanism, as described, being for an orchestrion or auto- The various teaser inatically playing instrument, wherein the keys are lifted by thc pins V in the revolving cylinder U.

It will be observed that all the pipe-valves P in the series of auxiliary chests B belonging,1 to the same key 0r being, as it were, of the same pitch, operate together whenever the proper key is actuated, but none of the pipes whose valves are open can sound, although the main chest be fullof Wind, unless the chestvalve or valves I are opened to supply the respective auxiliary chest or chests With the necessary Wind. Thus, it will be seen, the pipe-valves P and chest-valves I operate independent ot' each other, although they at times Work in unison, there being separate keys for the pipe-valves, and keys or pulls for the chest-valves.

The Whole chest, With its appurtenants, is so constructed as to be easily dissected for re pair or other purposes, and climatic changes have but little ifanyintluence upon the proper action of the mechanism.

Havin` thus described myinvention, I desire to secure to me by-Letters Paent- 1. The combination, with the auxiliary chests B, each provided with a full set or stop ot` pipes, ot' the chest valves I, arranged to be operated substantially as described, whereby any one or more set or sets of stops may be engaged or disengaged at pleasure, for the BERNHARD DUFNER.

Witnesses:

MICHAEL J. STARK, FRANK HiRsoH.

Images