US291529A

US291529A - Neill

Info

Publication number: US291529A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1884-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1901-01-08

Description

(No Model.)

G. W. NEILL.

PIANO DAMPER ATTAGHMENT. No. 291,529. Patented Jan. 8, 1884.

Inventor N4 PETERS PhckmLillwgrlphw. Washingflm. 04 c UNITED STATES GEORGE WASHINGTON NEILL,

PATENT ()EErcEo OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANO-DAM PER ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,529, dated January 8, 1884.

Application filed June :27, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE WAsHrNcrou NEILL, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Piano-Forte Actions or Damper Attachments Therefor; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a piano key and damper, and the operative lever of the latter as provided with my invention, the nature of which is defined in the claim hereinafter presented.

In Fig. 1 the parts are shown in the positions they have when the damper is down upon the string; but in Fig. 2, which is a view similar to that of Fig. 1, the damper is exhib ited as held in a raised position by means of the retainer, to be hereinafter described, the key being shown as fallen back upon its rest.

The object of my invention is to support the damper in a raised position relatively to its string, in order that there may be a prolongation of the sound emitted by the string, or more or less vibration of such string, immediately after the string may have been struck by the hammer of the action and such hammer may have fallen back upon its rest. The device is independent of the usual pedal and mechanism for raising all the dampers at once off the strings, and is to effect the elevation of one or more of them, as circumstances may require.

In the drawings, A denotes the key 5 B, the damper, and O the operative lever of such damper, the damper-rod a at its lower part being pivoted to the lever, and such lever being projected over and upon the key in manner as represented. The fulcrum of such lever is shown at b. Arranged over the lever is the retainer D, which is a bar wedge-shaped or otherwise properly formed in transverse section. It extends along over each of the damper-levers, and at each of its ends and at its middle is supported by an arm, 0. By means of such arms it is movable in a short are of a circle, and between two stationary stops, (1 and 0, arranged as represented. The movemcntupward of such retainer is to be effected by a pedal suitably connected with one or each of the said arms, and arranged in a convenient position for a player on the piano to operate it (the said pedal) by his foot. Extending from the j oint-piece d of the damper-rod toward the retainer is a cushioned projection, E, shaped as shown.

I am aware that in apiano the several damperrods or their joint-pieces have been provided with laterally-projecting tongues to opcrate with a series of elastic stops attached to a seat or bar provided with means of moving it toward and in a direction from the said rods or jointpieces, such being as represented and described in the United States Patent No. 24:1,980. It will be seen that my improvement differs from such, inasmuch as I use no series of elastic stops of rubber applied to a movable bar or seat, but have a single bar, D, which I term the retainer, such bar being movablein the arc of a circle between two stops, so as when forced upward against the upper stop it will be carried under any one or more of the cushioned projections E of the dampers, that may be up or raised off the strings, and will while up prevent such dampers from falling upon their strings. At the same time it will allow of the other dampers being operated by their keys. IVhen dropped to its lowermost position, the retainer will allow of the fall of the dampers or their rise and fall without obstruction from it.

I am also aware that in a piano-forte-damper action a single bar has been arranged transverse the line of the dampers, and to engage with projections on the damper-levers.

\Vhat I claim is- The combination of one or more dampers, B, their levers O, rods a, and the projections E, placed on said rods a, with the transverse wedge-shaped bar or retainer D, and its supporting-arms c and stops (Z and e, as set forth.

GEQBGE IVASIIINGTON NEILL.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, E. B. PRATT.