US399710A

US399710A - George stegk

Info

Publication number: US399710A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1889-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 1906-03-19

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

INVENTDR,

QSTEGK.

PIANO. 1

W EM (No Model.)

WITN ESSES (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. STEOK.

' PIANO. N0. 399,710. Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

WITNESSEE, INVENTUR' UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIIQE.

GEORGE STECK, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

PlANO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 399,710, dated March 19, 1889.

Application filed October 4,1888. Serial No. 287,190. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE STEOK, of New York, county and State of New York, have invented an Improved Piano, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to various improvements in stringless pianos.

It consists in the features of construction more fully pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a Vertical transverse section through my improved piano on line 00 a, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line y y, Fig. l.

The letter a represents a piano-case con taining a suitable action, of which. I) is the hammer, and c the key.

(Z are the steel springs that produce the sound. I wish to employ springs of the kind that are formed of a straight shank and a downwardly-extending spially-coiled head, as I have found such springs to produce the richest notes. The difficulty in the employment of sprin s of this kind, when used in connection with hammers and dampers, is to so construct the parts that both the hammers and the damper-lifters will clear the heads of the springs. This difficulty I overcome by placing the hammer and damper on opposite sides of the coiled head of the springthat is to say, the shank of each spring (I is at tached to a rail in the forward part of the piano-case, while the damper-lifter projects upward between the coil of the spring and the back plate of the piano-case. Thus the hammer is free to strike the lower side of the spring-shank between rail and coil, while the damper-lifter is free to project above the spring-shank between the back plate and the coil and to properly engage the damper-levers.

e is the rail to which the straight shanks of the springs are attached by sockets f. This rail, which 1 term the spring-rail, is placed in the forward part of case a, so as to leave ample room between it and the back plate, a, for the reception of the springs. The rail 0 should be made of metal and should be reenforced by ribs 6.

The damper-lifters g pass upward between the back plate, a, and the ends of the springs (I, and project through a perforated ledge, 72, as shown. These lifters raise the damp levers g, carrying dampers that engage the upper side of the spring-shanks. The hammers Z) act upon the shanks of springs (17, between rail 6 and the heads of the springs. Each damper-lifter is placed directly back of its spring, as shown, so that the lifter, the spring, and the hammer of each note are all in a line. Thus it will be seen that the damperlifters need not be set obliquely, as would be the case were they compelled to pass laterally from the springs. Moreover, the head of each spring is placed between the hammer and the damper-lifter, and both are free to act without interfering with the vibration of the spring. An additional advantage of this construction is that no sounding-board whatever is employed, and that therefore the piano may be built cheaply and of light material.

hat I claim is- The combination of rail 0 with the rearwanilly-extending coiled springs (7, secured thereto, and with hammers 7) and damperlitters g at opposite sides of the springheads, the spring, damper-lifter, and hammcrof each note being in line with each other, substantially as specified.

GEORGE STECK.

Witnesses:

F. v. BRIEsEN, A. JONGHMANS.