US2096898A

US2096898A - Grand piano action

Info

Publication number: US2096898A
Application number: US41397A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry S Hornbeck
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-09-20
Filing date: 1935-09-20
Publication date: 1937-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1954-10-26

Description

Oct. 26,1937. H. s. HOR NBECK 2,096,393

' GRAND PIANO ACTION Original Filed Sept. 20, 1935 f f f; I f I N I j 6 I .9 I; l v 0 03 U5 1 g a d 5 3 I 2 z w ill 4 5 b 4 Fwd. 5

6 2 Z mv' TOR PM 7 Z 4 5 ji j flm M ATTOR EYS Patented Oct. 26, 1937 PATENT OFFICE 2,096,898 GRAND PIANO ACTION Henry S. Hornbjeck, Hampton Bays, N. Y.

Application September 20, 1935, Serial No. 41,397 Renewed March 10, 1937 1 Claim.

The special purpose in view in the development of this invention has been to overcome the resistance which,'in grand piano actions as heretofore constructed, is offered to the movement of 5 the keywhen the hammer is inits last portion of upward travel just before and, during the movement of the action which in the art is called" the escapement. Such'resistance is most marked in extremely soft playing, and: the virtuoso who would produce whispering tones is compelled. to develop a particular technique in which his fingers must act upon a key with a sudden increase of pressure just before the string is touched by the hammer.

In grand piano actions as heretofore constructed the repetition lever is so regulated that its contact surface will stand-but very, little-higher than the contact end of the jack, whereby, in extremely soft, playing, the hammer, inits move- 90 ment toward the string, will ride on the repetition lever alone until the extreme upper end of the repetition lever makes contact with the regulating screw placed in the hammer flange, which stops the upward movement of that end of the lever when the top of the hammer is about one-quarter inch from the string. As downward movement of the key is continued the jack, rising with the repetition lever support, lifts the hammer about one-eighth of an inch further during which movement the jack escapes from under the knuckle by coaction of the heel of the jack with the regulating button, permitting the hammer to drop from the string. It is this lifting of the hammer by the jack itself, together with the friction of the jack in slipping from the knuckle, which occasions the resistance above referred to, which resistance in the improved construction hereinafter described is overcome or eliminated.

In the improved construction to be described hereinafter, in extremely soft playing, the hammer, through its knuckle, is borne upon the repetition lever and the jack escapes without making contact. During the final movement of the key,

called the aftertouch in the art, the repetition lever is rocked, permitting the hammer to drop to the desired depth. The operation is thus characterized by a smooth, continuous movement without noticeable resistance at any point. Such rocking movement of the repetition lever is accomplished, after the jack has started its escapement from under the knuckle, by a stop which is placed, not at the lever extremity as heretofore, but at a point between the fulcrum of the lever and the bearing of the hammer knuckle thereon.

The invention will be more fully explainedhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing inwhich it is illustrated, andin which:

Figure 1 isapartly diagrammatic view inside elevation of so much ofia grand piano action as 5 is necessary to enable the invention to be under stood, the parts being shown in the positions whichithey occupy before the key is depressed.

Figure 2 is a similar view, but showing the parts. in the position which. they occupy when the key 10 has been depressed to the point where the repetition lever comes in contact with the stop, with the jack clearing the hammer knuckle and the repetition lever, on which the knuckle rests, about to start rocking in a counterclockwise direction 15 from its normal position to permit the hammer to fall away from the string.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, butshowing the parts in theposition which they occupy when the key hasbeen depressed to its full, ex-. 20 tent, with the jack clear of the hammer knuckle, and the repetition lever, on which the knuckle rests, rocked in a counterclockwise position from its normal position to permit the hammer to fall away from the string, the position of the hammer, 25 repetition lever and support, as in Figure 2, being indicated by broken lines in order to illustrate clearly the movement of the parts as the key is depressed to its full extent.

Except as hereinafter pointed out the improved 30 action comprises the parts usually found in grand piano actions and arranged and coacting, in a general sense, substantially as heretofore. The key lever a, only that portion remote from the key proper being shown, is provided as usual with a 35 back check a and with a regulating button a which coacts with the usual repetition lever support I). The latter, pivoted at b carries at its pivot end the usual hammer rest b has fulcrumed thereon, as at b the repetition lever c and 0 has pivoted thereon, as at Z), the usual jack d. The heel d of the jack is arranged to coact with a regulating button e as usual and the upper end of the jack passes through a slot 0 in the repetition lever c to coact with the knuckle f of the 45 hammer ,f. The jack has applied to it a spring d secured to the support b, as at 2, and tending to maintain the jack in position relative to the position of the hammer knuckle, with the adjusting screw d bearing against a stop b carried by the 50 support b. A spring 0 which may be an arm of the spring d tends to maintain the repetition lever in the position shown in Figure 1 with the adjusting screw 0 bearing against the support.

As thus far described the parts of the action 55 are substantially like the corresponding parts employed in actions of this kind heretofore, but in order that the desired results may be attained it is necessary to provide means whereby the repetition lever shall be rocked on its fulcrum in' r a counterclockwise direction, as seen in the drawing, and itsupper end depressed in order that the hammer may fall away from the string. For this purpose there is provided a stop 9, shown as the head of a screw which passes through the repetition lever at'a point between its fulcrum and its bearing against the knuckle f of the hammer and is adjustable lengthwise in a horizontal rod g below the repetition levers and secured to the action frame F by rods, one of which will strike the stop g and will .be rocked on its fulcrum, permitting the hammer to fall away from the string... It will be seen that in order to accomplish'this action effectively the movement of the forward or upper end of the lever must not be stopped, as it is by the stop at its end in the old construction, and the lever must have suflicient movement on its fulcrum to permit the hammer to fall away from the string. This can be accomplished only by leaving the upper or forward ;:end ofthe lever free and by applying the stop at a point between the fulcrum of the lever and the bearing of the hammer thereon.

-It will.be understood that in extremely soft playing the hammer will becaused to strike the string by its momentum acquired in the upward movement of the hammer with the repetition lever and the support and that in such playing the jack is not called upon action of the jack is however required in ordinary playing when the spring of the repetition lever will not be stiff enough to give the hammer momentum through the lift of the repetition lever, but in this action the jack will never lift above the repetition lever during a stroke. It will further be understood that under all conditions of playing the jack is moved from under the hammer knuckle before striking of the string by the hammer allowing the hammer to fall freely until the knuckle again contacts the upper surface of the lever which in the meantime has been rocked away from the hammer knuckle in the operation described.

It will be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement may be made to suit different conditions of use without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the accompanying claim.

I claim as my invention:

to lift the hammer. The

In a grand piano action, the combination of a key lever, a pivoted support in operative relation with the key lever, a jack pivotally mounted on the support and having a heel, an adjusting screw for coaction with the heel of the jack to cause the 'jack to swing as the support is raised, a spring-pressed repetition lever fulcrumed on the support, a hammer having a knuckle normally bearing against the repetition lever in line with the jack, a stop screw, independent of the repetition lever and having a head above the repetition lever to cooperate with the repetition lever at a point between its fulcrum and the jack, and means below the repetition lever to support the screw adjustably in relatively fixed position, whereby the repetition lever is rocked on its fulcrum with respect to the pivoted support to permit the hammer to fall after the jack has begun its escapement to remove its end from alignment with the knuckle of the hammer.

HENRY S. HORNBECK.