US407697A

US407697A - sommer

Info

Publication number: US407697A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1889-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 1906-07-23

Description

v T L .MM U M. 0 Eu S v U m .F G N I W S (No Model.)

No. 407,697. Patented July 23, 1889'.v

ohlho (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. A. SUMMER. SWING FIGURE MUSICAL TOY.

No. 407,697. Patented July 23,1889.

UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

FELIX ALEXANDER SOMMER, OF HAMMERSMITl-I, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX,

ENGLAND.

SWING-FIGURE MUSICAL TOY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,697, dated July 23, 1889. Application filed April 13, 1889. Serial No. 307,080. (No model.) Patented in England fieptember 11, 1888,1l0. 13,133.

To a whom, it may concern Be it known that I, FELIX ALEXANDER SOM- MER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,

residing at 3.) Ohancellors Road, Hammersmit-h, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented a new and useful Swing-I igure Musical Toy, (patented in Great Britain, No. 13,138, dated September 11, 1888,) of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to construct or arrange a frame-work within which a dummy-figure,weighted or otherwise, can be swung to and fro like a pendulum, and by the oscillations to cause an escapenient-anchor or like contrivance to move a crown or other wheel round in intermittent order, which wheel, through the connect-ion of its axle and suitable gearing, will operate a pinned or studded barrel, which, as it rotates, strikes against metal tongues and produces musical notes, so that snatches of songs or ballads or a few notes of opera or polka music can be heard while the figu resay that of a little girlis swinging.

This invention is only intended to perform music of a simple character-such as is suited to a toyas will be understood by the annexed drawings, in which Figurel is a broken perspective view of a toy embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same.

The pin-barrel A is preferably arranged to play sixteen bars (takten) of a polka or similar music from the metal tongues B, and representing a duration of exactly sixtyfour quavers, (achtel tone.) The toothed wheel G on the barrel has sixty-four teeth, corresponding to the number of quavers in the melody, and it gears with the pinion D, having sixteen teeth. The crown-wheel E has eight pins, requiring sixteen strokes of the pendulum F to make one revolution. (By stroke is meant the swing from one side to the other.) It is evident,.therefore, that each stroke of the pendulum F moves one tooth of the wheel 0 on the pin-barrel A. It also plays one quaver of the melody, and as the music contains no notes of less duration than a quaver, it must necessarily always keep time (taktmass) with the pendulum F when swung by the cord H.

I is a pressure-blade to prevent the wheelE moving except when actuated by the teeth of the escapement G at each stroke of the pendulum F.

It is usual in small musical boxes playing a single tune to allow a momentary pause after each repetition of the music. 'lhisis effected by placing the pins on the barrel A over a length of surface which is slightly less than the entire circumference. Now, I purposely avoid this pause by placing the pins over the entire circumference of the barrel A, so that when the music has been played through the repetition begins in strict time with the next following stroke of the pendulum F.

Melodies of less or longer duration than sixty-four quavers can be performed in the same way, and the number of pins in the crown-wheel E can also be varied, provided that the number of teeth in the pinion D is double the number of pins in the crown-wheel E. I can also occasionally make the melody contain notes of a smaller duration than one stroke of the pendulum; but as the time of any notes falling between two strokes would slightly vary, according to the force and uniformity with which the string ll, actuating the pendulum F, is pulled, I would use such small notes very sparingly and only at such points in the melody where a slightvariation in time would not be musically unpleasant.

. \Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A musical toy consisting of a pin-barrel,

sound producing tongues, a crown wheel geared to and rotating the pin-barrel, and a pendulum operated by a cord attached thereto and having an escapement-anchor which intermittently rotates the crown-wheel, sub- 0 stantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereto signed my name, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 26th day of March, 1889.

FELIX ALEXANDER SOMMER.