US2936174A - Illusion apparatus - Google Patents

Description

May 10, 1960 BATHKE ILLUSION APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 8, 1959 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR. 54 774/165,

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GOEDON May 10, 1960 BATHKE 2,936,174

ILLUSION APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 FIG. 6. 0 Q

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ILLUSION APPARATUS Gordon Bathke, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application May 8, 1959, Serial No. 812,056

7 Claims. (Cl. 2728) This invention appertains to improvements in illusion devices and, more particularly, relates to a novel and improved illusion apparatus for use with a concertina or similar musical instrument which is constructed and operated on an accordion principle.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical supporting and operating means for a concertina or similar musical instrument, such means being adapted to operatively support the instrument in a concealed manner so that a viewer is unable to perceive and understand how the instrument is supported and operated.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a vertical support to which a concertina or similar instrument can be quickly and easily attached in a way so that it appears that the instrument is unsupported and is floating in the air.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide means in association with such vertical support for moving the concertina or other accordion-type musical instrument inwardly and outwardly, simulative of the playing movements of the instrument, the movements being in a controlled fashion so that each inward movement of the instrument is followed or preceded by an outward movement of equal extent.

A specific form of the present invention resides in the construction of a chair so that the back of the chair serves as the vertical support and the bottom of the chair functions as a housing for the operating mechanism. In such form, the back of the chair houses a rotatable screw means which is driven by a drive transmission means extending from the operating mechanism and mounted in a concealed manner in the chair back. The screw means supports a pair of cooperating and relatively movable members to which the instrument is attached in a way so that the instrument conceals the members. Such attachment of the instrument can be quickly and easily effected, adding to the resultant illusion effect. A pair of arms are carried by the instrument for attachment to the members, the arms being formed in a way so that in one playing position of the instrument, a hoop can be passed over the instrument to give the illusion that it is unsupported.

A reversible electric motor is mounted in the chair bottom and serves as the prime mover for the operating mechanism. The motor is controlled by a switch means which causes it to reverse and the switch means is actuated by'a cam means that is formed and operated in such a way as to cause the motor to produce a movement of the operating mechanism whereby the instrument is moved inwardly and outwardly in a fashion simulative of the actual playing movements of the instrument.

The foregoing and ancillary objects, including the provision of a sturdy, compact and inexpensive illusion device of the type described, are attained by this invention, the preferred embodiment of which is set forth in v United States Patent lice the following description and illustrated in the accompany drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the chair form of illusion device, in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing the concertina in top lana k 2 Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing the motor and control means in top plan;

Figure 4 is a detailed vertical sectional view showing in elevation the drive transmitting means between the motor and the concertina supporting arms;

Figure 5 is a detailed front elevational view of the screw means and is taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure is a detailed side elevational view of the cam and switch means and is taken on line 7-7 of Figure 3; and,

Figure 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the drive connection between the motor shaft and the cam shaft.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 12 generally designates a con certina which is known per se. The concertina 12 or similar accordion-type musical instrument constitutes the important prop for the illusion device and is conventional in all respects except that a hole is formed through the rear wall of one of the end housings. The hole permits the escape of air when the instrument is being automatically moved in and out; the valves not being manipulated by the fingers at such time. When the instrument is being played in the ordinary way, a plug 14 is provided to close the hole, the plug being carried by a flexible connector 16 that is attached to the end housing.

The illusion effect of the present invention can be carried out with any type of supporting structure. A preferred form of supporting structure is the chair 18 which has a bottom 20 and a back rest 22. The bottom 20 is in the nature of a housing and is provided with a removable seat cover 24. i

The chair 18 is preferred since it adds to the illusion effect because the performer first sits in the chair and plays the instrument in the ordinary way. Then, the performer rises from the chair and fixes the concertina to the chair back, as will be described. The actions of the performer are carried out in such a deceptive and entertaining way that the audience is not aware that the instrument is being attached to the chair back. The operating mechanism is actuated so that the instrument then is moved in and out automatically. The audience perceives a floating of the concertina in mid-air and is not aware of the fact that the instrument is actually supported by the chair back 22.

The chair back 22 includes a transverse housing 26 which is made up of front and back walls 28 and 30 and top and bottom walls 32 and 34. The front wall 28 is spaced outwardly and downwardly from the front edge of the top wall 32 to define a slot 36. Arms 38 and 40 are carried by the rear walls of the end housings 42 and 44- of the concertina 12, the arms being shaped in a particular way for a special illusion purpose, as will be described. The arms terminate in outer, downturned ends or hooks 46 which are fitted in carriers or traveling holders 48, as will be described.

A screw shaft 50 is rotatably journalled in the housing 26 between the ends thereof and has right and left threaded end portions 52 and 54. A carrier 48 is mounted on each threaded portion so that the shaft, rotating in the same direction, causes the carriers to move inwardly and outwardly relative to each other.

Each carrier includes a channel member 56 which has its legs 58 and 66 disposed above and below a block 62 which serves as a rail or guide support. The block has a dove-tail groove 64 within which a guide 66 carried by the web of each channel member 56 slides, the guide having a center portion 57 which is provided with a threaded bore receiving the portion of the screw shaft. A pin 68 is mounted transversely between the outer extending ends of the legs 58 and 6t and has rollers 7i and 72 rotatably circumposed thereon, the rollers riding on the backside of the block and being retained in spaced relation by a sleeve 74.

Each carrier has a socket 76 provided on the outer face of the web of the channel member 56, the socket being vertically disposed and having an open end disposed at the slot 36 to receive the end 46 of one of the arms 38, 4d.

The arms 38 and 40 comprise U-shaped major or body portions 78 which have oppositely extending, laterally ofiset end portions 81 82. The end portions 80 carry plates 34- which mount the arms to the end housings of the instruments while the end portions 82 carry the downturned ends or hooks 46. The arms lie in parallel horizontal planes so that one overlies the other.

The arms are formed in such fashion so that, considering Figure 2, a hoop 86, as shown in Figure 1, can be passed over the instrument from one end past the center of the instrument and then turned and moved over the other end back to a position beyond the center. Such passage of the hoop over the ends of an instrument heightens the illusion that there is no supporting means for the instrument.

The screw shaft 50 is provided at one end with a pulley 87 which is housed within a hollow vertical side 88 of the chair back and which is connected by a belt 90 or similar drive transmitting element to a drive pulley 92.

The drive pulley 92 is fixedly circumposed on the shaft 9 3 of a gear reduction unit 96 which is housed in the chair bottom 26 and is a part of the operating mechanism. A reversible electric motor 98 is drivingly connected to the gear reduction unit and, through such unit, drives the shaft 94 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The motor is mounted on the bottom of the housing by bolts and the mounting arrangement is provided with vibration damping springs.

The reversing of the motor is controlled by a doublethrow, double-pole micro-switch unit 100 which is connected by suitable wiring 102 to the motor. The microswitch unit 150 includes a switch housing 1%, that is mounted between plates 106, and a spring urged switch arm 108 that is pivoted between the plates for engagement with the switch button 116. The arm 108 has a free end provided with a cam roller 112 which rides on a earn 114.

The cam H4 is fixed on a shaft 116 which extends laterally from a housing 118, a shaft 120 extending laterally in the opposite direction from the housing and being driven by the motor. I

Within the housing 118 a means 122 which is known per se, is operatively mounted for ensuring that the shaft 116 rotates in the same direction responsive to rotation of the shaft 129 in either direction of rotation, responsive to the forward and reverse operation of the motor. Such means, which is shown in Figure 8 for exemplary purposes only, may include cams 124 on the shaft 120 which act on levers 126 that operate an overriding clutch means 128 on the shaft M6, the levers 126 being adjustable to control their stroke and the speed of rotation of the clutch means. Such adjustment may include moving the fulcrum 34 for the levers which can be effected externally of the housing 118.

Suitable condensers and capacitors are also in electrical connection with the motor and are provided since loud speakers 132 are mounted in the bottom housing and are connected to a phonograph. The phonograph is turned on to supply sound to the speakers so that when the instrument is moved by the operating mechanism, a record supplies concertina or accordion music through the speakers, thereby heightening the illusory effect. Such sound producing structure forms no part of the present invention and the related parts, as are found in the bottom housing, are only shown for incidental exemplary purposes.

The cam 114 is formed on its periphery with a plurality of identical pairs of cam high and low lobes so as to produce forward and reverse operation of the motor in equal time. Then, for example, the lobe 134 finds its counterpart in the adjoining lobe 134a while the lobe 136 also has its adjoining counterpart 136a. When the roller is in contact with the high lobe 134, the arm 108 is raised and the switch causes the motor to move, for the duration of the contact roller H2 with the lobe 134, in one direction. When the roller moves from the lobe 134 onto the low portion 134a, the arm is urged by the spring downwardly and reverses the motor and causes the motor to operate for the same period of time, as when the roller was in contact with the lobe 134, but in the opposite direction. When the roller moves up and travels on the lobe 136, the motor is again reversed.

While the preferred form of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that such is merely by way of example since various structural changes and different environmental structures may be employed or other instruments or devices may be used, as come within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a chair having a back and a bottom, an illusion device for use with a concertina or similar accordion type musical instrument having normally manually held end portions, said device comprising a pair of relatively movable members arranged on the back of the chair, means for attaching the end portions of the instrument to the members, means for moving the members toward and away from each other to produce inward and outward movement of the concertina, an operating means mounted in the bottom of the chair, means connecting the operating means to said means for moving the members and means in the chair bottom controlling the operating means to produce the relative movement of the members.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said moving means includes a screw shaft having right and left threaded portions and said members include follower blocks threaded on said threaded portions.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said attaching means includes arms connected to the end portions and having free book ends and sockets on the follower blocks receiving the hook ends.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operating means includes a reversible motor.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said control means includes a micro-switch connected to the motor and a switch arm.

6. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said control means includes a micro-switch connected to the motor and a switch arm, and a cam means driven by the motor and operating the switch arm.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said chair bottom is in the form of a housing having a removable top that serves as the chair seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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