US240234A - James p - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

2 Sl1eets -Sheet 1 J. F. GONOVBR & W. BROWN.

Piano'Porte.

Patented April 19, l88ls. F1

fnvenor s:

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J. F. CONOVER & W. BROWN.

Piano Forte. No. 240,234. Patented April 19,1881.

H A g Attest Jhven 601 's UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO JAMES F. OONOVEB AND WILLIAM BROWN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI; SAID BROWVN ASSIGNOR TO SAID OONOVER.

PIANO-FORTE.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,234, dated April 19, 1881.

Application filed July 19, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JAMES F. OONOVER and WILLIAM BROWN, both of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Piano-Fortes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The invention is shown and described as applied to an upright piano.

The first part of our invention consists in the combination, with the sounding-board, of a resonating-bar, which is glued to and extends entirely across the sounding-board, and upon which the flanged bass-bridge and the lower end of the long bridge are securely fastened. This construction gives a strong and sonorous tone to the strings resting upon the lower portion of the long bridge, and imparts to the overstrung bass a resonant, singing quality of tone, and overcomes or obliterates the abrupt transition between the different divisions of the scale, making it smooth and even throughout the register.

The second part of our invention relates to the action-frame and manner of supporting the same, and comprises a horizontal metal rail or action-supporter attached directly to the iron plate of the piano, and having upwardly-curved fingers with conical ends, which enter countersinks in the lower ends of tubular metallic standards or hangers, whose upper ends are secured to the iron plate by a detachable coupling, and which give support to the wooden action-rails and the metallic hammer-rail. The direct attachment of these parts to the iron plate of the piano imparts great solidity to the action, and maintains, under all climaticinfiuences,thenormalrelative position of the action to the strings. The standards or hangers are four, more or less, in number.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a part elevation of the sound-board, iron plate, bridges, and action-frame, with the brackets or standards. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section at x m. Fig. 2% is a section at 00 m. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the hammer-rail at m 00 Fig. 4 is a side view of the action standard or bracket, showing the rails and part of theiron plate (No model.)

and tension-bar in section at m 00 Fig. 5 is a detail section, showing the manner of attaching the upper end of the action-brackets to the iron plate. Fig. 6 is a detail section, showing the attachment of the lower ends of the actionbrackets to the action-supporting rail.

The sound-board is shown at A A.

a a. is the resonating-bar, of wood, extending the whole length of the sound-board, and glued fast to the face of the same. This bar runs in an oblique direction, and to it are firmly attached the bass-bridgeB and the lower end, 0, of the long bridge 0.

D is the tension-bar. This is ordinarily secured to the wrest-plank E by wood-screws, which form a means of conducting the musical vibrations from the strings to the frame, causing some of the efi'ect to be lost.

Fis the iron stiffeningplate. This plate has upon its surface (preferably cast thereupon) beadsfandf, the former one of which constitutes a customary bridge. The strings pass over the beads and are held down upon them by the tension-bar D. The tension-bar is held in position by machine-screws, which screw into the metal plate, and have no direct connection with the wrest-plank. By this construction the vibrations are more perfectly confined to the strings and sound-board.

G is the action-supporting rail. This rail is horizontal, and attached to the iron plate F by flanges gand screws screwing into the plate. The bar G has a number of upwardly-curved fingers, g, ending each in a conical top, 9 fitting the countersink h in the lower end of the standard or bracket H, to which the action is connected. The standards H, I prefer to make tubular. Their upper ends are curved inward and screw-threaded, to receive a coupling-nut or screw-cap, L, through the end of which passes ascrew, J, which is screwed into the metal plate F. The screw may remain fixed in the metal plate while the action is being removed, it being only necessary to unscrew the nuts I until the standards are released at the upper ends, when their lower ends may be lifted from the fingers g and the whole action removed.

K K are the horizontal wooden rails to which the action is directly connected. These rails are attached to the'standards H, which serve to hold them in position.

L is the ham mer-rail, connected to the standards H by hinged brackets M, which admit of raisin g to throw forward the rail. The novelty in this applies to the construction of the rail proper. It consists of a channel-bar, Z, of platemetal, bent at its middle into a hollow bead, l, to receive and hold a lip, of cloth attached to a felt orcloth cushion, Z lying in the channel of the rail. In constructing the rail, the lip of cloth is attached longitudinally to the inner side of the cushion and the rail sprung back to open the mouth of the head 6. Then the lip is inserted in the cavity and the mouth of the bead allowed to close upon it.

We claim as our invention 1. The combination, with the sound-board A of apiano, of the resonating-bar a a and bridges B O, constructed and arranged to op- 20 erate as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The standards H, rails Gr, rail L, hinged brackets M, and plate F, combined and arranged substantially as set forth.

JAMES F. GONOVER. M. BROWN.

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