US2637238A - Piano action - Google Patents

Description

May 5, 1953 P. F. MURDocK PIANo- Amon May 5, 1953 P. F. MuRDocK 2,637,238

PIANO ACTION Filed Jan. 17, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented May 5, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIAN O ACTION Paul F. Murdock, Clinton, Conn., assignor toV lratt Read & Co., Inc., Ivoryton, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application Sanitary 17, 1951, Serial No. 206,445 1n Great Britain February 7, 1950 8 Claims. (Cl. Sei-240) This invention relates generally to piano aotions and more particularly to an improved pivotal connection for joining the various members of a piano action.

In the design of piano actions, it is necessary to provide a plurality of relatively movable members which are arranged so that very fast and smooth operation can be provided. Further, it is desired that the moving parts be so constructpivoted membersare held together by fiat springs to permit easy assembly and disassembly thereof and to also compensate for Wear of the members of the action.

Further objects and features, and the attending advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

ed that no noise is produced by operation there- 10 Fis. 1 shows a ciano action 1n accordance v vltii of. In the prior art, piano actions have been the invention in the normal'unoperated position, made largely of Wood With the surfaces which Figs. 2 to 5 are cross sectional views along the contact each other being covered by felt or other indicated Sectlolfl 11H65 of Fla. l lllustraljllg the resilient material which eliminates any noise. CDIlSluCGOIl 0f Various Parts Of the rd lOIl- The various elements of the action have been 15 Fig. 6 illustrates amodiiied action 1n accordconnected together by pivots formed by metal ance with the 1I1V1110I1 arid pins which nt in felt bushings. Springs are re- Fiss. 7 to 9 are cross sectional views along the quired in some instances to restore the members indicated Section lines of F1a. Giurther illustrat- 50 1Shell normal position after having been oping the construction of the mooied iorm of the erated. These actions have been objectionable 20 HVGHOH. h

in that the construction is inherently expensive In practicing the invention there 1S DI'OVlded a and great care must be exercised in 'the adjust- Dian() aotlon 1n Whlch the various members oi ment thereof. The operation of such actions is the 210551011 Such asthe Whlplen. ily JaCk and greatly affected by moisture, and is not as fast moulllg alge are made 0f plsl 01 metal as is desired. 25 material. These various members are pivoted In the copending patent application of Louis Messant, Serial No. 82,757, filed March 22, 1949, now Patent No. 2,571,155, there is disclosed and claimed a piano action in which the members are pivoted by knife edge connections with the inembers being held in assembled relation by members made of resilient material. This application is directed to improvements made in the piano action as disclosed in the Messant application.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved piano action in which the meinbers are pivotally mounted for exceedingly fast operation.

A further object is to provide a piano action .1

which is adaptable for construction from plastic and metal materials and which is not subject to changing characteristics due to different humidity conditions.

A feature of this invention is the provision of a piano action in which members are pivotally A together for normal piano operation by joints formed by a sharp edge on one member and a V-groove in the associated member. Such pivotally connected members are held together by resilient elements which cause the edges to bear against the associated grooves. The resilient elements may be made of metal, plastic or other suitable material. The pivotal connection may be provided by shaping one oi the members so that it may extend through an opening in the other member with the resilient element being interposed between interlocking portions of the members. The associated edges and grooves are so positioned that movement of the members in the normal operation of the action causes the edges to bear against the grooves so that the members will not tend to be forced open by the operation.

In Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, there is illustrated one structural embodiment of the invention in which the pivotal connections in accordance with the invention are applied to the Whippen, ny jack, hammer and damper. The Whippen 68 is secured to the rail 5| by a flange S2 with the Whippen and ange being held together by a spring 63. The same spring 63 holdes the jack G4 in assembled relation With respect to the whippen The spring 83 is illustrated as a metal niember but it is to be noted that any material having the desired resiliency characteristics may be used.

The whippen 60 has recesses therein to receive portions of the ange 62 and the jack 64. A channel is provided in the whippen having a surface 'II on which the spring 63 rests. A pin l2 is provided for holding the end of the spring adjacent the jack against the surface '|I. The pivotal connection between the jack 64 and the whippen 6G is provided by the portions 65 on the sides of the jack having sharp edges which engage tl-grooves 66 in the whippen. The jack also has a reduced portion with an edge 61, opposed to the edges 65, which engages the spring 63 so that the edges 65 are held in the grooves 56 by the spring. Y

The flange 62 extends all the way through the whippen 66 as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. The flange 62 has projections 68 on the sides thereof with sharp edges which rest in V-grooves 69 on the whippen. An opposed edge 10 on the iiange 62 engages the spring 63. It will be noted that the pivotal connection between the whippen and the flange is such that as the whippen is raised by movement of the abstract I4, the pressure exerted will cause the V-groove 69 of the whippen to bear against the edges 68 so that the pivotal connection is forced more closely together. This causes no strain on the spring 63 so that the spring is required only for holding the members in position and not for bearing lthe force exerted therebetween. This relationship is also true of the engagement between the jack 64 and the whippen 66 as movement of the whippen will cause the grooves 6B to bear against the sharp edges 65 and will not ex the spring 63.

As stated above, the hammer 'l5 .and the damper 'I6 are also connected to the rail 6| by knife edge pivotal connections. A single flange 'Il cooperates with both the hammer 15 and the damper 'I6 to provide the connections. The flange Ti is'secured to the rail 6| as by the screw 'I8 and includes recesses 19 and 80 for receiving portions of the hammer and damper respectively. The hammer has projections `8| on the sides thereof with sharp edges which bear in V-grooves 32 in the flange TI. The hammer also has an opposed centrally positioned edge 83 which engages the spring 86. This connection is shown more in detail in Fig. 4.

The connection of the damper 'I6 and the ange TITI is substantially the same as that of the hammer 'I5 and the ange. The damper includes projecting portions 85 on the sides thereof having sharp edges which engage grooves 86 in the fiange. The damper also has an opening with an opposed edge 81 which bears against the spring 8d.

in the operation of theaction the abstract I i is moved by key I3 and causes the whippen 6:3 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction so that the jack 64 bears against the knuckle 88 on the hammer l causing the hammer to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. This movement will cause the edges 8| on the hammer to bear sharply against the grooves 82 on the iiange Ti so that the forcevproduced is exerted directly between these members and does not cause the spring 84 to be flexed. The hammer is restored to the normal position by a spring 89 in the usual way.

As the whippen and jack move in a counterclockwise direction the projection 93 on the jack engages the let-off 94 so that the end of the jack is pulled away from the knuckle -93 and the hammer may move freely. A projection S5 with the string 9|.

is provided on the hammer 15 which engages the backcheck S6 secured to the whippen 6I] to prevent undesired movement of the hammer after the head of the hammer strikes the string 9|. Movement of the whippen is transmitted through the spoon 9U to the lower end of the damper so that the damper is removed from engagement The damper is returned to position in engagement with the string by spring 92.

Referring now to Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive, these figures show the use of metal flanges shaped to form one part of the knife edge pivotal connection. The action is of generally the same configuration as in the preceding iigures and includes a fixed rail Hill, an abstract Illi, whippen |62, jack |63, hammer' |64 and damper |65. The whippen |62 is secured to the fixed rail i6@ by the fiange |526 which is shown more in detail in Fig. 9. The ange is secured at one end to the rail |66 as by a screw |61 and the 'other end is positioned in an opening in the whippen |62. The latter end of the ange has projecting shoulder portions |28 which bear in V-grooves |69 on the sides of the whippen.V An opening IIB is provided in this end of the flange having an edge against which the spring ||2 bears. A pivotal connection is thereby provided between the edges Illa and the grooves |09, with the flange and whippen being held in assembled relation by engagement between the spring I I2 and the edge III of the flange. The spring I|2 is held on a surface i I3 provided by a recess in the whippen |82 and is held in position on the surface by a pin H4 in the same manner as described in connection with Fig. 1.

The jack |63 is pivotally connected to the whip by a metal iiange or clip ||5 which is secured to the jack as by screws ||6 (Fig. 8). One end of the flange includes shoulders Ill on either side of a reduced portion. The reduced portion extends in a recess in the whippen |02 and the shoulders bear in grooves IIS in the portions on the sides of the recess. The iiange has an opening I I9 with a surface IZB which bears against the spring H2.

The hammer |06 and damper IE5 are secured to the rail |06 by a single flange I 2| which is secured to the xed rail by a screw |22 (Figs. 6 and 7). The flange |2| extends at one end into a recess in the butt of the hammer |04. This end has a reduced portion and shoulders |26 at each side thereof which engage V-shaped grooves IZA in the sides of the hammer I 04. The reduced portion has an opening |25 therein with an edge |26 which engages the spring |27. The spring |27 is provided in a slot in the hammer butt and is held in position by a pin |28. The other end of the ange |22 also includes a reduced portion which extends in a recess in the damper and shoulders |30 which bear against V-grooves I3! in the portions of the damper at the sides of the recess. This reduced portion includes an opening |32 having a surface |33 which engages a spring |34. The spring |34 is positioned in an opening in the damper |05 as is best shown in Fig. 6.

Both the hammer and damper may be held vin their normal position by springs secured to the ange |2| as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The spring |35 returns the hammer to the position shown after it has been rotated counterclockwise into a position in engagement with the string. Similarly a spring |36 is provided for causing the-damper |05 to engage the string when the-Whippen is returned to v,the normal position as illustrated.

From the above, itis apparent't-hati the pivotal connection. in accordance with the invention provides a simple, inexpensive and highly desirable piano action. The various structures disclosed can be molded' from. plastic material or can be punched out of sheet metal. The cost of the molded p uasticy members and' the punchedV out metalrnembers will be a small fraction of that vof' typical wood actions having the usual pin and bushing joints. A further saving in` cost results from the simplicity of assembly and the noncritical adjustment oi the action. Actions constructed in accordance with the invention are very easy to operate and operate very fast, providing Whatisbelieved to be the fastest repeating action ever constructed. Maintenance of the action is reduced both because oi the ease oi assembly and disassembly thereof and because the spring members tend to compensate for Wear of the parts so that substantial maintenance is not required. The construction of the pivotal connections so that the springs are not flexed during the usual operation of the parts results in long life of the springs.

V/'hile certain embodiments of the invention have been described which are illustrative thereoi, it is obvious that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the intended scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l.. In a piano action, a flange secured to a fixed rail, a whippen and a iiy jack, said flange and said iiy jack being pivotall;T interconnected with said Whippen each including a reduced part with an aperture therein and portions With sharp edges projecting on the sides of said reduced part, said Whippen having a pair of openings therein adapted to receive said reduced parts of said flange and said 1:157 jack and portions on the sides of said openings having grooves therein for receiving said sharp edges, said sharp edges on said fly jack engaging said Whippen on one side thereof and said sharp edges on said flange engaging said Whippen on the side opposite to said one side, and a spring member engaging said Whippen having ends extending in said apertures in said fiange and said fly jack for holding said sharp edges in said grooves.

2. In a piano action, a flange secured to a hired rail, a Whippen and a iiy jack, said frange and said liv jack. being pivotally interconnected with said Whippen and each including a reduced part With an aperture therein and portions with sharp edges projecting on the sides or said reduced part, said Whippen having a pair of openings therein adapted to receive said reduced parts of said ange and said fly jack and portions on the sides oi said openings having grooves therein for receiving said sharp edges, said sharp edges on said iiy jack engaging said Whippen on one side thereof, said `flange extending through said Whippen with the sharp edges thereof engaging said whippen on the side opposite to said one side, and a spring member engaging said Whippen having ends extending in said apertures in said flange and said iiy jack for holding said sharp edges in said grooves.

3. In a piano action, first and second members pivctally interconnected with a third member, said rst and second members each including a reduced part with an aperture therein and portions with sharp edges extending on the sides l of`4 said; reduced part, said. third-member having a pair of openings therein adapted to receive said reduced parts of Said rst and second memand having portions on the sides of said openings with grooves therein for receiving said sharp edges, said sharp edges on said irst member engaging said third member on one side thereof and said sharp edges on said second member engaging said third member on the side opposite to` said one side, and a spring member engaging said third member having ends extending in said apertures in said iirst and second members for holding said sharp edges in said grooves.

in a piano action, a first xed member, a second member pivotally interconnected with hrst member, a third member pivotally interconnected to said second member, said rst and third members each including a reduced part. with an aperture therein and portions with sharp edges projecting on the sides of said reduced part, said second member haring a pair of openings therein adapted to receive said reduced parts of said nrst and third members and portions on the sides of said openings having grooves therein for receiving said sharp edges, said sharp edges on said third member engaging said second member on one side thereof, said iirst member extending through said second member with said sharp edges thereof engaging said second member on the side thereof opposite to said one side, a resilient member engaging said second member having ends extending in said apertures in 'rst and third members for holding said sharp edges in said grooves, and means for ino'- 'og said second member in a manner such that .i sharp edges of said first member and said sharp edges of said third member are urged tov/ard said grooves in said second member.

5. In a piano action, first and second members pivotally interconnected, said first member being ined and said second member being movable during operation or" said action, said rst member including a reduced part with an aperture therein and a portion having a sharp edge on at least one side of said reduced part, said second member having an opening therein adapted to receive said reduced part of said iirst member and a groove on at least one side of said opening for receiving said sharp edge, and a spring member engaging said second member and extending in said aperture in said first member for holding said sharp edge in said groove, said sharp edge and said groove being so positioned that movement of said second member during operation of said action causes said groove of said second member to be urged toward said sharp edge of said iirst member.

6. in a piano action, a iirst member, a second n pivotalh1 connected to said rst member, first member having an opening therein and grooves. on the portions on each side of said opensaio'. second member being formed of sheet metal and including a reduced portion with projections having sharp edges extending therefrom., said reduced portion being positioned in said opening with said projections positioned in grooves, reduced portion having an aperture therein with a sharp edge oppositely disposed to and substantially aligned with said sharp edges oi projections, and a spring member engaging said iirst member and said sharp edge of said aperture for holding said first and second members in assembled relation.

7. In a piano action, a rst member, a second "member pivotally connected to said rst member, said rst member being molded of plastic material and having an opening therein and grooves on the portions on each side of said openfing, said second member being formed of sheet metal and including a reduced portion with projections having sharp edges extending therefrom, said reduced portion being positioned in said opening with said projections lpositioned in said grooves, said reduced portion having an aperture therein with a sharp edge oppositely disposed to and substantially aligned Withsaid sharp edges of said projections, and a resilient flat metal member engaging said rst member and said sharp edge of said aperture for holding said iirst and second members in assembled relation.

6. n a piano action, a rst member, a second member pivotaily connected to said iirst member, said rst member being molded of plastic material and having an opening therein and grooves 20 8 on the portions on each side of said opening, said second member being formed of sheet metal and including a reduced portion with projections having sharp edges extending therefrom, said reduced portion being positioned in said opening with said projections positioned in said grooves, said reduced portion having an aperture therein with a sharp edge oppositely disposed to and substantially aligned With said sharp edges of said projections, and a spring member engaging said first member and said sharp edge of said aperture for holding said rst and second members in assembled relation.

PAUL F. MURDOCK.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

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