US226279A - chinnock - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets--Sheet 1. G. H. CHINNOGK &u W. W. BENNETT.

Mechanioal Musical-Instrument. No. 226,279.

Patented April 6,1880.

,mre/12515' N, PETERS, PNUTO-LITHOGRAPHER. wAsHNaToN, D 04 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. H. CHINNOOK &u W. W. BENNETT. Meoh'anioal Musical-Instruments. No. 226279 Patented April 6,1880.

%309.969 JIWZZW N.PEI'ERS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEQ GEORGE H. CHINNOCK, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND WILLIAM W. BENNETT, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY,

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,279, dated Aprl 6, 1880.

Application filed January 526, 1880.

To all whom it may concem Be it known that we, GEORGE H. CHIN- NOCK, of Brooklyn, in Kings county and State of New York, and WILLIAM W. BENNETT, of Jersey City, in the county ot' Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in leehanical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to mechanical nusical instruments to be operated by music cards or tablets, of any suitable shape and style, having a surface provided with projections, perforations, or indentations representing notes to beplayed, and acting on mechauism to eft'ect the operation of the sound-producing devices.

The object of our invetion is to provide a simple, cheap, compact, and reliahle means for Operating such an instrument, whether it is or is not provided additionally with keys for manual playin Our invention consists in the combination, in a musical instrument, ot'manual keys, whereby the sound-producing devices may be op erated, a series of levers extending transversely to the keys connected, independently ot' said keys, with the means for effecting the operation of the sound-producing devices, a music card or tablet for actuating said levers, and means 'for efi'ccting the travel of said music card or tablet in the direction of the length of the instrument at the back thereot', transversely to the keys, whereby a simple and compact instrument is produced, which may be played. manually or mech anically at will, using the same sound-producing devices.

It also consists in the combination, in. a musical instrument, of massed and preferably approXimately-upright levers, a music card or tablet for actuating the same, and rockshafts or levers connected to said levers and controlling the operation of the sound-prodncin g devices.

It also consists in novel means for feeding the music card or tablet in such an instrument.

It also consists in various features and combinations of parts hereinai'ter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l, is a transverse vertical section of a reed-organ embodying our improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section ot' the upper portion oi' the same close to the hack, Fig. 3 is a top view of the sane with the top of the case and certain of the keys removed. Fig. -Jc is a longitndinal section, showing the music card or tablet, some of the upright levers operated thereby, and the roek-shafts and their appurtenances actuated by said upright levers; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view oi' a music card or tablet turned upside down.

Similar letters of reference desi gnate corresponding partsin all the figures.

The case A oi' the instrument may be of any suitable form and material.

Reeds B, of the ordinary or any suitable form, arrangcd in trays or in cells O, are employed to produce the musical notes. These cells G, as here shown, communicate, under control of pallet-valves D, with a wind-chest, E, the flow of air through which for causing the operation of the reeds is eft'ected by abel lows, F, actuated by a treadle, G. Two such bellows may be used, and the one nearcst the connecting-rod ,I may be made smaller than the other, so as to make the work of both feet of the operator more uniform, and the bellowssprings may be made so as to aid in attainin g this.

A receiver, H, may be employed, as usual. Keys l 1 actin g through pnsh-pins or trackerpins a 011 the 1:allet-valves D, to depress and open them to cause the sounding of the reeds in a well-known manner, provide 'for playing the instrument nanually.

The case A is provided with a cover, A', which may be swung back to eXpose the said keys for use without exhibiting other parts, and thus the instrument is afibrded the appearanee ot' an instrument of ordinary style to be played only manually.

J designates a rotary shaft arranged within the case A, along the front part thereoi", near what is ordinarily termed the name-board A This shat't is preferably provided with a balance-wheel, J which, though here shown as arranged outside the case, may be inside the same. Usually a crank, providing for rotating the shaft by hand, will be arranged on the shaft outside the case. Here a crank, J is IOO shown as mounted on the balance-wheel J' for such purpose. The sha'ft is also shown as connected, by means of a crank, J and a pitman or connecting-rod, J with an arm eXtending from the treadle G.

It will be readily understood that we provide tlus for working the bellows by the handcrank J or rotating the shaftJ by the treadle in addition to aetuating the bellows. Preferably a ratchet-wheel, e, and pawl a are employed to prevent the rotation of the shaft J in the wrong direction.

On the shalt J is a worn or screw, J which engages with a worn-wheel, K, serving to feed or impart motion to nusic cards or tablets, whereby the instrument may be played mechanically. Though the music cards or tablets may consist of druns or cylinders having upon their peripheries projections representing notes to be sounded, or disks having upon their sides projections representing such n otes. we have only deemed it necessary to illustrate here one form, consisting of a flat piece or pieces, L, or plates of wood, metal, or other suitable material, provided on one face with projections b ot' the kind alluded to. These music cards or tablets L, of which one or more may be necessary to conplete a tune, are t'ed forward by means of a shaft, K', carrying the wornwheel K, and to insure a reliable feed they are preferably provided with toothed racks c, one or more, and the shat't K' is preferably provided with gear-wheels K corresponding in number, engaging with said racks, and thereby impelling the music cards or tablets forward. These pieces of music travel. along ways K arranged in the back part of the case A transversely to the keys of the instrument, and nay be placed in position on said ways from above, and taken out in the sane way after use, or delivered from a door, A at cne end ot' the case A. This door is shown as hinged to the case at one end only; hence the music cards or tablets may force it open automatically and pass from the instrument. The ways K preferably are so supported and seeured in place that they may be readily removed to atlord access to the other parts of the instrument.

A cover, A hinged or otherwise connected to the front of an elevated portion of the case A, inclosing the ways K so that it may he readily opened and closed, affords access to these ways 'for the insertion or removal of a piece of music, and coneeals the same and adjacent partis while it is desired to play the instrument manually and when the instrument is not in use.

M desig'ates a series of levers arranged so as to be nearly upright, though sligltly inelined, arranged side by side in a serrated or mortised frame, lVP, transversely to the keys ol" the instrument, and in such close proxinity with each other that they may appropriately be termed massed levers. They are preferably arranged about midway ot' the length of the case A, and occupy positions kamt-pass over them.

under the path of travel ot' the music cards or tablets L, their upper ends proiecting sufllciently high to be acted upon by the projection I) ot' the music cards or tablets L as the lTe'terably their upper ends are pointed, so that the levers may be only swung and held a-side tor a length of time corresponding to the length ot' the pro- 'ections i). The advantage of locating these levers close together is, that the music cards or tablets may thus be mademore narrow.

N designates a elamp or guide consisting ot' a roller arranged above the upper ends ol" these levers M, and impelled down ward by springs d, here shown as consisting ot' rods fastened rigidly in place at one end, extending under pins c, and at the otherend passing overand hearing upon tlejournals of the roller. This roller holds the music card or tablet in the proper position to actuate the levers M in passing over their upper ends.

The levers M, at the lower ends, are connected to rock-sha't'ts O O', whereby the pal let-valves D may be opened to cause the sounding of the reeds B. As here shown, the levers M, which serve to el't'ect the sounding ol' the bass notes, are connected at the lower end directly to arms f, extending from rock-shat'ts O, by means of rods or wires P or their equiva lents, the roek-shafts beingof diller-cnt lengths, so that their armsf will be opposite said levers. Others of the levers M, l'or causing the sounding of the treble notes, are connected at the lower end, by rods or by wires l or their cquivalents, with the upper ends ol' secondary uprightlevers M', pivoted near one end ol" the case A, and whose lower ends are connected, by Other rods or wires .17 with arms f extending from the other rock-sha'ts O also ot' varying len gths.

The roek-shafts 0 0' are mounted {n suitable bearings g, and at their lorward ends are provided with arms h and h', which extend over the pallet-valves l) and, through pushpins or trackcr-pins Q, open said valves when suitably oscillated.

The springs 1)', elosing the palletvalves, readjust the rocksha'ts, and through them the levers M, to their normal position.

lt will be understood that the rock-shal'ts 0 O' and their arms fj" and arms lt lt' in e'l'ect eonstitute levers.

It will be seen that by our invention we produce a sinple and convenient mechanisn, which is little liablc to derangement, and whereby a musical instrument maybe operated mechanically with almost as good eflects as if played manually by the best musicians. The simplicity and compactness oi' this meehanical action enable it to be arranged in an instrument, in addition to the usual manual action, so as to be concealed from view except when the case is opened to insert or withdraw a music card or tablet, and this without materially changing the shape ot' the case of the instrument.

Our invention, though only here illustrated IOO IIO

and described in connection with reed-organs, is applicable to pipe-organs, to piano-fortes, and other wind and string or concussive instruments. Stops of any desirable kind may be used, and may, When the instrument is played mechanically, be operated by projections on the pieces of music.

'We are aware that prior to our invention there have been musical instruments which could be operated in the ordinary manner through manual keys, or mechanically by devices independent of and out of the way of the keys, so as not to interfere with their use. Some of these instruments have had revolvin g barrels and others revolving disks arranged in rear of the manual keys within the cases of the instruments, and actuating levers extending in the same direction as the keys, and eflecting the operation of the sound-producng devices.

We are also aware that there have been musical instruments provided with levers extendin g transversely to the keys, arranged outside the cases o'thcinstruments and actin g through the agency of push-pins upon the nanual keys to eft'ect the operation of the sound-producing devices, said levers being actuated by a music card or tablet traveling outside the cases of the instruments above the manual keys and transversely to them. We do not, of course, desire to make any claim for any of these.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Paten t, is

1. In a musical instrument, the conbination of manual keys, whereby the sound-producing devices may be operated, a series of levers eX- tendin g transversely to the keys, connected, independently of said keys, with the means for efi'ecting the operation of the sound-producing devices, a music, card or tablet for actuating said levers, and means for efi'ecting the travel of the music card or tablet in the direction of the length of the instrument and at the back thereof, transverscly to the keys, whereby a simple and compact instrument is produced, which may be played manually or mechanically at will, using the same sound-producing devices.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination, with valves whereby the operation of wind sound-produeing devices is controlled, of rockshafts, whereby said valves may be opened, levers connected with said rock-shafts, so as to actuate the'same, and a music card or tablet for Operating said levers in passing over the upper ends thereof.

3. In a musical instrument, the combination of rock-shafts, whereby the operation of the sound-producing devices is efiected, massed levers connected, by rods or wires or their equivalents, with arms extending from the rock-shafts, and a music-card or music-tablet for actuating the said levers.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination of rock-shafts, whereby the operation of the sound-producing devices is efiected, of massed levers, a music card or tablet for actuating the latter, secondary upright levers, and connections between said levers, and arms extending from the rock-shafts.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination ot' massed levers, a music card or tablet for actuating said levers, rock-shafts ot' varying lengths connected to said levers and controlling the operation of the sound-1 roducing devices.

6. In a musical instrument, the combination ot' massed levers, a music card or tablet for Operating said levers, rock-shafts connected to said levers and extending forward under the manual keys of the instrument, to act on push-pins or tracker-pins to open pallet-valves controllin g the operation of the sound-producing devices.

7. In a musical instrument, the combination, with levers for controlling the operation of sound-producing devices, and a music card or tablet provided with a toothed rack 'for feeding it along, oi' guides for said music card or tablet, a gear-wheel for engaging with the rack, and a worm and worm-wheel for imparting motion to said gear-wheel.

8. In a musical instrument, the combination, with levers for controlling the operation, of sound-producing devices and a music card or tablet provided with a toothed rack for feeding it along, of guides for said music card or tablet, a gear-wheel for engaging with the rack, a worm and worm-wheel for imparting motion to said gear-wheel, and a roller clamp or guide for holding said music card or tablet in contact with the ends of said levers.

9. In a musical instrument, the combination, with levers for controlling the operation of sound-producing devices and a nusic card or tablet for actuating said levers, and means for feeding said music card or tablet along, of a door in the case of the instrument capable of being opened by the music card or tablet, so asto permt the exit of the latter from the instrument.

10. In ajm usical instrument, the combination of manual keys, whereby the sound-producing devices may be operated, a series oflevers extending transversely to the keys, connected, independently of said keys, with the means for efecting the operation of the sound-producing devices, a music card or tablet for actuating said levers traveling in the direction of the length of the instrument at the back thereof, transversely to the keys, a rotary shaft employed in fecding said music card or tablet along, and a treadle for Operating said shalt.

11. In a musical instrument, the combination of the massed levers M and the recessed or serrated frame M GEORGE H. GHINNOOK. \VILLIAM W. BENNETT. WVitn esses:

JOHN P. HUDsoN, FRANCIS I. MAGILL.

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