US2569029A - Wind instrument and key mounting for the same - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 25, 1951 E. O. SYLVESTER WIND INSTRUMENT AND KEY MOUNTING FOR THE SAME Filed April 11, 1949 2 SheetsSheet 1 EARL Q SYLI/ESTER A TTOR/VEY Sept. 25, 1951 E. o. SYLVESTER WIND INSTRUMENT AND KEY MOUNTING FOR THE SAME Filed April 11, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EARL a SYLVESTER ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIND INSTRUMENT AND KEY MOUNTING FOR AME Earl 0. Sylvester, San Leandro, Calif. Application April 11, 1949, Serial No. $344 7 Claims (01. 84 -385) This invention relates to wind instruments and particularly to finger key mountings for the same.

The scattered overlapping and complicated mountings for finger keys on wind instruments, and particularly on saxophones and the like, detracts from the tone quality of the instrument, renders repairs very expensive, and adjustments almost impossible, necessitating the takingap'art of the entire instrument. Previous instruments required a tedious breaking-in practice and period and were not quickly adaptable to the touch of the player. l

The above and other disadvantages are obviated by my invention the features of which include the arranging of the fingenkeys into several groups, and mounting each group detachably independently of theother groups of finger keys; the providing of easy adjustment of the resiliency of the movement of each key to any touch; the adjustable stopping of any released key in a predetermined spaced position with respect to its tone hole; sectional removable key and control arrangement with separable connections where key actions must overlap from one group to a key of another group; eliminating needle springs, stiff key pivots, and a great number of complicated mechanisms and parts used in the past, thereby achieving simplicity and a more brilliant sound and tonal quality.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof Without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the ac companying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective side view of a saxophone having my key mountings thereon.

Fig. 2 is a perspective side view of the saxophone from the side opposite from said first side.

Fig. 3 is a side View of a key mounting assembly.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a group of finger keys on a mounting bracket.

Fig. 5 is a sectional side view of another form of key mounting assembly.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentai" plan view of said other rorm'ormountmgf' I Fig.7 is a sectional detail view showing the adjust-able spring tension and stop abutment fora "Fig. 8 is a partly sectional detail View showing the det'achable'fiiiingpf the bracket on'postoi Din.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of another group of key on my mounting device.

'Fig.'10'is"a side view of the group shown in Fig 9 a v i Fig. 11 is a bottom planview of the same, and

Fig. 12 is'a view of inside face of the'bellof the saxophone and the keys mounted thereon.

Fig; 13 is a fragmental sectional detail view of the octave hole control, and

Fig. 14' is a fragmental sectional view of the abutment and spring connection, taken on lines il l0fFig. 13.

In the illustrative embodiments herein, I show the applicationof my invention to a saxophone, which'has a conical body or tube I which isus'ually bent and flared to form a bell 2. In the oppositely bent mouth end 3 is the usual mouth piece 4/ The saxophone has thereona plurality oftone holes 6 and corresponding keys 1 the disks 8 of which latter cover or uncover the respective tone holes 6 as desired. A stem 9 connects each disk 8 to a journal member such as a hub 10.

A plurality of adjacent keys I are grouped together and have their hubs l0 journalled on' a pivot shaft [I in bracket ears [2, which latter have holes 13 therethrough to accommodate said pivot shaft II. The key stems Sare extended in different directions to hold the'disksil in registry" with the respective "tone holes 6'. The bracket ears 12 extend from a bracket'base M which in turn is detachably secured to the side of the saxophone Intheeven't of need for'repair or adjustment or ieplaceinents the bracket base L4 is simply detached fr'om thesaxophone and the entire group of k eyscaii be'removedwithout disturbing any "other group of keys or parts of the saXophon'e.

The bracket base I 4 is a fiat strip and fits longitudinally on the saxophone. The detachable securing is accomplished by providing on the saxophone a pair of bracket pins l6 whichfit into spaced lioles'll through'the side's ofthe bracket base so that thebottom I8 is in plane at right angles to'thesaxophone 'side, and'parallel with the pins l5. A setscrew ljiliexte'nds through the bottom [8 of the baseandinto'ea'ch hole ll for clamping the pinifi in place and thus "securing the entire' as seinbly to thesa iop'hone. For detaching the assembly of a group of keys and the bracket, the set screws l9 ar loosened and the bracket is pulled off the pins 16, lifting the group of keys with it.

Inasmuch as certain saxophone keys overlap for simultaneous operation from one group to the other I provide a separable joint in overlapping extension key stems 2| as shown in Fig. 4. A socket 22 in the end of the extension stem 2| of one group of keys receives a reduced plug end 23 of the extension key stem 22 of other groups of keys. The second extension key stem 22 is preferably longitudinally adjustable and thus can be drawn out of the joint.

Each key is urged by adjustable resilient pressure to a predetermined released position. This is accomplished by a coil spring 24 which bears against the key to urge it to released position, which spring 24 is backed by an adjustable spring set screw 26, whereby the tension of the spring can be adjusted to the touch of the player. The clearance of the key from the tone hole is determined by a stop abutment 21 against which the key abuts in the released open position. This stop abutment is also a set screw adjustable for any selected spacing.

In the forms shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 7 to 11, each key hub H] has a socket 28 therein ofiset to one side of the key pivot, in which socket 28 is held an end of the coil spring 24. The bracket base l4 has a threaded hole 29 therethrough, and the spring set screw 26 is adjusted in this hole to back the other end of the coil spring 24. Another threaded hole 3| through the bracket base [4 spaced on the other side of the key pivot holds the set screw abutment 21 in engagement with the key hub when released and urged by the spring 24. This is repeated similarly for each key in the group.

For a single key the spring and abutment arrangement is as shown in connection with the octave key manipulator, wherein a yoke 32 is fixed on the key bar 33. A post 34 extends from the saxophone between the arms of the yoke 32. One of the yoke arms has therein the spring backing set screw 26 to back the coil spring 24 against one side of said post 34. The other yoke arm has therein the set screw abutment 21 abutting against the other side of said post 34 when the coil spring 24 turns the key bar 33.

The octave key manipulation is thus also regulated with adjustable resiliency and spacing. The octave key bar 33 is journalled in bearing brackets 36, which are of the split bearing type to allow easy detaching of the unit. One end of the bar 33 has a tubular stem 31 around it, which latter extends through the adjacent bracket 36. A side arm 38 on this tubular stem 31 holds a small key disk 39 over an octave tone hole 4!, which disk 39 is normally held depressed by a key arm 42 of a remote key finger mechanism 43. On the end of the tubular stem 31 is a crank 44. The end of the key bar 33 has a bearing yoke 46 fixed thereon, in which latter is a bearing pin 41. A cam 48 is pivoted on the bearing pin and is also transversely slidable on a pin 49 on the crank 44. The cam 48 extends into a ring around the neck 52 of the saxophone, which ring 5| is secured on the end of a curved lever 53. This lever 53 extends along the top of the saxophone to an upper octave tone hole 54 and carries a key disk 58 for said upper tone hole 54. The lever 53 is furcrumed on a pivot 51 between its ends, and is urged to key closing position by a leaf spring 58 thereunder. A finger extension 59 on the key bar 33 is depressed for turning the bar 33. The key arm 42 holds the key disk 39 onto the lower octave tone hole 4l, hence the bearing yoke 43 turns the cam 48 and pulls it outwardly away from the saxophone thus pulling the ring 5| and moving the lever 53 to lift the upper tone hole cover disk 56. While the finger extension 59 is held depressed, and the remote key finger mechanism 43 is actuated to lift the key arm 42, the lower tone hole key disk 39 is released and the pressure of the leaf spring 58 will through the ring 51 pull the cam 48 against the crank 44 and turn the tubular stem 31 for lifting the side arm 38 and the lower octave hole disk 39, at the same time closing the upper octave hole disk 56. When the remote key finger mechanism 43 is released it will cause the pressing down of the lower octave hole disk 39 to closed position and thus shift the cam 48 back to its ring pulling position to again open the upper octave tone hole 54 as heretofore described.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the bracket BI is substantially the same as the bracket heretofore described, but a pair of pivot bars 62 are journalled therein and the key hubs and stems 63 are suitably mounted on said pivot bars 52. On a saxophone this mounting is used particularly on keys with long stems at comparatively long distance from their tone holes. In other respects the operation is substantially the same as the first form hereinabove described.

I claim:

1. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument, comprising spaced pins extended outwardly from the instrument, a bracket having a base and opposite ears extended from the base and having holes therein in registry with said pins and slidably fitting onto said pins, set screws at right angles to said holes to hold said bracket on said pins, and a group of finger keys pivotally supported between said ears and above said base in operative relation to the respective tone holes of the instrument.

2. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument, comprising spaced pins extended outwardly from the instrument, a bracket having a base and opposite ears extended from the base and having holes therein in registry with said pins and slidably fitting onto said pins, set screws at right angles to said holes to hold said bracket on said pins, and a group of finger keys pivotally supported between said ears and above said base in operative relation to the respective tone holes of the instrument, said base having a plurality of sockets in its top in registry with the finger keys, a coil spring in each socket bearing against th opposite key to urge the key int a predetermined released position, and an adjusting element in the bottom of each socket for adjusting the tension of said spring.

3. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument, comprising support element extended from the side of the instrument, a bracket insertable over said elements, a base on said bracket, opposite ears extending from said base, releasable clamping means to fix said bracket onto said elements, a pivot bar extending above the base and being mounted in said ears, and a group of finger keys pivoted on said bar and extended into operative position with respect to the respective tone holes of the instrument.

4. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument, comprising support element extended from the side of the instrument, a bracket insertable over said elements, a base on said bracket, opposite ears extending from said base, releasable clamping means to fix said bracket onto said elements, a pivot bar extending above the base and being mounted in said ears, and a group of finger keys pivoted on said bar and extended into operative position with respect to the respective tone holes of the instrument, and adjustable coil springs on said base bearing against the respective finger keys to urge said keys to the respective released position.

5. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument, comprising support elements extended from the side of the instrument, a bracket insertable over said elements, a base on said bracket, opposite ears extending from said base, releasable clamping means to fix said bracket onto said elements, a pivot bar extending above th base and being mounted in said ears, and a group of finger key pivoted on said bar and extended into operative position with respect to the respective tone holes of the instrument, and adjustable coil springs on said base bearing against the respective finger keys to urge said keys t the respective released position, and adjustable stop abutments on said base opposite the respective keys to stop said keys in a predetermined position when said keys are urged by said springs to the released position.

6. In a wind instrument having tone holes thereon, a plurality of finger keys for the respective tone holes, said fingers being arranged in a plurality of groups, a separate detachable mounting device of each group of finger keys, said mounting device including a bracket, detachable means to secure said bracket on the instrument,

and means on the bracket for pivotally supporting the keys on the bracket in operative relation to said tone holes, and overlapping separable connections between certain of the keys of adjacent groups.

7. In a wind instrument having tone holes thereon, a plurality of finger keys for th respective tone holes, said fingers being arranged in a plurality of groups, a separate detachable mounting device of each group of finger keys, said mounting device including a bracket, detachable means to secure said bracket on the instrument, and means on the bracket for pivotally supporting the keys on the bracket in operative relation to said tone holes, adjustable resilient device on each bracket to urge the keys to released position, and adjustable stops on the brackets to abut said keys in predetermined released relation to the tone holes.

EARL O. SYLVESTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 76,389 Berteling Apr. 7, 1868 1,345,486 Gulick July 6, 1920 1,546,153 Upton July 14, 1925 1,572,418 Bender 1- Feb. 9, 1926 1,585,295 Loomis May 18, 1926 1,586,794 Gage June 1, 1926 1,662,196 Loomis Mar. 13, 1928 1,750,051 Rives Mar. 11, 1930 2,471,290 Sommaruga May 24, 1949

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