US2270426A - Piano action - Google Patents

Description

C. FARNY Jan. 20, 1942.

PIANO"ACTION Filed Oct. 28, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. FARNY Jan. 20, 1942.

PIANO ACTION Filed Oct. 28, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ('nm f/mvx BY Patented Jan. 20, 1942 PIANO ACTION Cyril Farny, St. Charles, 111., assignor to The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Cincinnati, Ohio,

a corporation Application October 28, 1940, Serial No. 363,151

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a piano action which may be applicable to any stringed instrument, and parts of which may be applicable to a piano accordion.

One feature of the invention resides in constructing the flanges of a piano action, or an action applicable to other musical instruments, of metal or a similar material, for example, die cast zinc, and further wherein a boss may be formed thereon for securing and interlocking them on their mountings such as the action rail, in place of the usual woden flanges secured thereto by the conventional screws.

Wherein the usual screws are employed for securing the conventional wooden flange to a wooden rail, they become loose and must continue to be tightened in order to keep the action in good condition. This is due to the swelling and shrinking of the wooden rail, as well as the Wooden flanges. By die casting or otherwise forming a metal flange having an integrally protruding boss, the flange may be secured either to a wooden or a metal rail by any suitable means, such as a spring clip or speed nut, without the use of screws. This results in a permanent and fixed connection which will eliminate the difliculties above mentioned. A further advantage of this arrangement is the saving in material and time in installation, as well as maintenance in regulation and adjustment.

Another feature of the invention resides in combining the usual two separate wooden flanges for the hammer butt and damper lever into a double one-piece flange provided with a single locking boss, thereby saving the expense and labor of installation resultingfrom the use of the conventional separate wooden flanges with their separate screws requiring precision in installation and constant tightening for maintaining adjustment. Such double metal flange permits of definite adjustment between the hammer butt and damper lever since it may be readily bent to proper adjustment and remain in such adjusted position. This is a feature not available in the use of either a double or a single wooden flange of this character.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a metal or angle iron action rail in place of the conventional wooden rail, said action rail receiving and supporting the wippen flange as well as the butt and damper flanges, or it may be in two sections, the lower section supporting the wippen flange while the upper section supports the butt and damper flanges.

Such metal or angle iron rail or rails would have the advantage of providing a more stable support for the action unaffected by atmospheric conditions, rendering the action more permanent and rugged, facilitating assembly and eliminating adjustments.

A still further feature of the invention resides in such an action wherein the wippen assembly and the hammer butt assembly, as well as the damper lever, are formed of metal or the like, such as die cast zinc, resulting in elimination of the conventional assembly parts thereof and avoiding variations due to swelling, shrinking and the problem of breakage.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section of an action unit showing the parts in arrested position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the wippen flange. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the butt and damper flange. Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a modified form showing a wooden rail with separate butt and damper flanges.

As illustrating one embodiment of the invention, and as applied to a piano action, the drawings show a keybed l0 having a key ll mounted thereon. Said key is connected by a finger link 12 with a striking flnger l3 intermediate its ends. Said finger is pivotally connected to a finger flange l4 secured to a frame rail [5.

Mounted upon the usual action bracket Hi there is a lower or action rail [1 in the form of an angle iron. Immediately above the lower or action rail and secured to the bracket, there is an upper or hammer rail [8 which is in the form of an angle iron with one flange thereof extending forwardly towards the string plate. Wippen I9 is pivctally connected with the action rail through the wippen flange 20 in position to be engaged by the striking finger l3. The wippen I9 is provided with a boss 2| to which a jack 22 is pivoted at 23. Said wippen is also provided with a recess indicated at 24 for receiving a spring 25 bearing against the head of said jack. At one end of the wippen there is formed a socket for receiving the tie rod 26 and back check rod 21. At the opposite end of the wippen there is a socket for receiving a damper spoon 28.

The wippen l9, including the boss 2|, recess 24 and the several sockets above mentioned, is formed of a single integral piece of metal or like material, such as die cast zinc. Similarly, the wippen flange 20 is formed of metal or the like to provide a seat for its association with the action rail I1, and with a stud 29 adapted to extend through a hole in the action rail to receive a spring clip or speed nut 30. Also the jack 22 is formed of metal or the like, such as die cast zinc, including its head with the spring engaging boss and the projection providing its pivotal support.

Secured to the upwardly extending flange portion of the hammer rail l8 there is a double action butt and damper flange 3| similarly formed of metal or the like with a boss 32 extending through an opening in the rail and locked thereon by a clip or speed nut 33.

A similarly formed metal damper lever 34 is pivoted to one end of the flange 3|, as indicated at 35, said lever being formed with a head 36 providing a socket for receiving a damper rod 31, while the lower end is recessed at 38 to receive a cushion engageable by the spoon 28.

The hammer butt 39 is pivoted at 40 to the butt end of the flange 3|. It is formed of metal or the like, such as die cast zinc, to include in one integral piece a hammer socket 4!, a button shank 42 and a button 43. The usual hammer lever 44 is mounted and supported in the socket 4| and carries a hammer 45.

Whereas the action, as herein illustrated, embodies separate lower and action rails, the action rail may comprise a single angle iron structure, or, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the conventional wooden angle rail Ila may be employed in place of the angle iron rail or rails, the flanges being secured thereto by bosses locked with clips or speed nuts, as above described. Wherein a single butt and damper flange is employed, as shown in Fig. 4, a. separate butt flange 31a and a separate damper flange 3|b may be substituted therefor.

In each instance, such flanges are formed of metal with the integral boss extending through a hole provided in the rail to receive the clip or speed nut.

Whereas the flanges above described have herein been illustrated as applied to a piano action, they may be similarly used in actions for other stringed instruments or accordions.

The invention claimed is:

1. A piano action having a supporting frame including a rail to which movable elements of the action are adapted to be pivotally connected, a metal flange for pivotally connecting one of said elements to its supporting rail, said flange having a surface seatable on said rail, a bifurcated end formed on said flange spaced from the rail for receiving and pivotally supporting therein the said element, a boss integrally formed with said flange and extending from the seating portion thereof through an aperture formed in the rail to receive the same, said boss extending through the rail and protruding beyond the opposite side thereof from that upon which the flange is seated, and a locking member secured to the protruding end of said boss and bearing against said rail to rigidly secure the flange thereto.

2. A piano action having a supporting frame including a rail, a hammer butt and damper lever, means for actuating said hammer butt and damper lever in timed relation, a one piece metal flange adapted to pivotally support both the hammer butt and damper lever upon said rail, said one piece metal flange having a transversely curved shank portion seatable on said rail, an inwardly formed boss extending from the seated side of the shank portion through an aperture of said rail to extend beyond the other side thereof, a locking member engageable with the extended end of said boss and the opposite side of said rail from said flange for rigidly interlocking said flange and rail, bifurcated portions formed integrally with the shank portion of said flange and extending from opposite ends thereof beyond the opposite sides of said rail, one of said bifurcated portions being positioned to receive said damper lever therein and the other bifurcated portion being adapted to receive the hammer butt therein, and pivotal connections between said bifurcated portions and said damper lever and hammer butt respectively.

, CYRIL FARNY.

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