US398150A

US398150A - Siegfried haxsing

Info

Publication number: US398150A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1889-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 1906-02-19

Description

(No Model.)

s. HANSING. MUFFL-ERFOR UPRIGHT PIANOS.

No. 398,150. Patented Feb. 19, 1889.

W/TNESS'S: I 8 my NTOI? I .wv m. I 7 w/agp t A TTOH/VEYS LII speetive view showing the general arrange- SIEGFRIED HANSING, OF NEYV YORK, X. Y.

MUFFLER FOR UPRIGH'T PiANUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,150, dated February 19, 1889.

Application filed November 8, 1888.

To all 10710711 it may concern;

Be it known that I, Srnornmn HANSING, ot' the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mufflers for Upright Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

In the sound-mufliers which were hcret ol'ore used for upright and other pianos the muftling bar and apron were applied to the strings by means of a stop located above the keyboard in connection with intermediate lever mechanism. This arrangement was obj ectionable and unsightly. In other mu filers the muffling bar and apron were actuated by means of mechanism which is located at the interior of the piano and operated from below the key-bottom, which arrangement was inconvenient and unhandy. Attempts have also been made to operate the mutliing attachment by means of a pedal, but as the return of the lllllfl'llllg-bfil could not be accomplished by the same this arrangement was unsuccessful and was rejected.

The objections to the mufflers heretofore devised have prevented the generalintroduction of muffling attachments for pianos which otherwise would be of great advantage, inasmuch as the annoyance caused by the practicing of beginners can be obviated to a great extent by the same.

The object of this invention is to furnish an improved muftling attachmentfor upright pianos which is operated by pedal action, but in such a manner that the innffling-bar can be applied to and returned to its former position with great facility; and the invention consists of a muliling-bar pivoted to the aei tion-frame of an upright piano and actuated by an oscillating lever, which is operated by means of fulcrumed elbow-levers acting on its lower end, one of said elbow-levers being operated by a separate muffler-pedal and intermediate lever mechanism when the muftling-bar is to be applied, while the other elbow-lever is operated by the soft pedal and intermediate lever mechanism, so that the muffling-bar is returned to its normal position of rest.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a perment of my improved sound-muffler for up- 1 Serial No. 290,299 No modeld right pianos and the method of working the same by pedal action; and Figs. 2 and 3 are detail side views of the same, drawn on a larger scale, showing its connection with the pedal-operating mechanism.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin parts.

A in the drawings represents the mu tilingbar, which is provided with a muflingapron, a, of felt or other suitable material, that is interposed between the strings and the hammers whenever the sounds of the strings are to be mu died. The muftling-bar A is applied i by bracket-arms B, which are attached thereto by pivots b of the action-frame of the piano. Above the pivots of the lnaeket-arms B is applied to one of said brackets a fixed pin, (I, which is engaged by the upper forked end, (1, of an oscillating lever, D, that is fulcrumed to the side walls of the supporting-frame of the piano. The lower end of the fulerumed lever D acted upon by the upper toe-shaped ends of elbow-levers E E, which are pivoted at their lower and inner ends to the side walls of the supporting-frame, and acted upon near their apiees by pusher-rods F F, that rest on intermediate pedal-levers, G G. The pedallever G and pusher-rod F are operated by a 1nuflier-pedal,P, while the pedal-lever G and pusher-rod F are operated by the soft pedal P. The third pedal, P serves for producing the forte playing. The soft pedal P also serves to raise the hammers by the usual lever-connection, G as shown in Fig. 1, besides retnrning the mui'fiing-bar into its normal position of rest. (Shown in Fig. \Vhenever the sounds of the piano are to be inuiiied, the niuftler-pedal P is lowered, so that by th 0 action of the pedallevcrs G, pusherrod F, elbow-lever E, and oscillating lever D the mu thing-ha r A is moved from the position of rest toward the strings, so that the muffling-apron is interposed between the strings and hammers, as shown fully in Fig. 2. The

muffiing bar and apron are retained in this position after the pedal P is released, and are removed from the strings by depressing the soft petal P, which, by the action of the pedallever G, pnsher-rod F, elbow-lever E, and oscillating lever D returns the inuliiing bar and apron into its former position of rest, as

shown in Fig. 3. The soft pedal P hereby serves two functi0nsthat of lifting the hammers for piano playing as well as for returning the mnffling attachment from the strings to its normal position of rest.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with an oscillating 1nnffling bar and apron pi 'oted to the supporting action-frame, of a fnlcrumcd lever engaging one of the supporting-arms of the mnffling-bar, a mnfiier-pedal, a soft pedal, and intermediate lever mechanisms between the fulcrumed 1ever and said pedals for applying or removing the muffling-bar to or from the strings, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with an oscillating muffling bar and apron, of an oscillating lever engaging the snpporting-arms of the same, pivoted elbow-levers engaging the lower end of said oscillating 1ever,-a separate mufflerpedal, a soft pedal, and mechanism between said pedals and the elbow-levers for applying the muffler to the strings or returning the same to its normal position of rest, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a muffling bar and apron, of pivoted b racket-arms supporting the mnffling-bar, a pin applied to one of said arms, a fulorumed lever having a forked upper end for engaging said pin, elbow-levers engaging the lower end of the actuating-lever, msher-rods for raising the elbow-levers, a muffler-pedal, a soft pedal, and pedal-levers between the niuffler and soft pedals and the pusher-rods, whereby the elbow-levers and muffler-bar are alternately operated and the latter either applied to or removed from the strings, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SI'EGFRIED I-IANSING,

Witnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, J OHN A. STRALEY.