US510119A - James clinton - Google Patents

Description

J. CLINTON. CLARINET.

Patented Dec. 5,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES CLINTON, OF EARLSFIELD, ASSIGNOR TO THE JAMES CLINTON GOM- BINATION OLARIONET COMPANY, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CLARINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,119, dated December 5, 1893.

Application filed March '7, 1893. Serial No. 464,986. (No model.) Patented in Englandiebruary 28, 189L110. 3,686; in France June 15, 1891, No. 214,142; in Belgium June 15, 1891,110. 95,260, and in Germany June 17,1891, No. 61,419.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES CLINTON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 313 Spencer Terrace, Earls- 5 field, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clarinets, (for which I have obtained patents in Great Britain, No. 3,686, bearing date February 28, 1891; in France, No. 214,142,

: bearing date J une 15, 1891; in Belgium, No. 95,260, bearing date June 15, 1891, and in Germany, No. 61,419, bearing date June 17, 1891,) of which the following is a specification.

I This my invention relates to improvements in clarinets, and the object of my invention is to so construct the instrument to which my invention is applied, that it may readily and effectively be altered in pitch and tone and may thus be transposed into another key. For example a clarinet may be changed from B fiat to A or vice versa to suit the key in which the music is written, thus rendering a second instrument unnecessary.

In order that my invention may be readily understood, reference is made to the accom panying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a clarinet constructed in accordance with my invention a portion of the shell or casing of the instrument being broken away. Fig. 2 shows the lining tubes of the instrument with the slots therein as hereinafter described, and Fig. 3 shows the several joints in the shell of the instrument 3 5 when drawn out to their full extent, the keys of the instrument being omitted in this figure.

In carrying my invention into effect I line the body or shell A of the instrument with suitable tubes B B preferably of metal, the

ends of said tubes fitting or butting one against the other and being so arranged that they may be drawn out to a limited extent. The said lining tube B is formed with two sets of holes for producing the several notes of the different keys to which the instrument may be changed.

The outer casing or shell A of the instrument may be made in the usual way and in addition to the usual keys has a number of 5c screws or pins awhich pass through the outer casing A and engage in slots 1 b in the lining tubes B and B respectively. The said slots b b are of a definite length and are spirally arranged so that the ends of the screws an engaging in the spiral slots 19 b will allow the tubes to rotate to a limited extent thereby bringing another set of holes in the lining tube B under the operating keys. The bell or one end of the casing of the clarinet is secured to the lining tube B and the other end or socket to the tube B and when it is desired to alter the pitch of the instrument the said ends of the instrument are partially rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, which causes the before mentioned screws a to traverse the spiral slots 17 and b thereby lengthening the instrument and changing the key, the alteration in tone being regulated by the length of the said slots. To prevent any accidental movement of the socket during the playing of the instrument I form the slot 1) in the tube B of the shape shown in Fig. 2, and upon lengthening the instrument as before described the end of the screw a is caused to enter that portion of the slot marked 11 which will ef- I fectually prevent any alteration in tone while the instrument is in use.

In order to facilitate the insertion of the screws a when it is desired to connect the several portions of the instrument together,

I attach to the tubes near to the ends thereof a suitable catch consisting preferably of a stud c and a hook d adapted to engage therewith as shown in Fig. 3. When the hook d is in engagement with the stud c the hole in the casing of the instrument for the insertion of the screw a will register with the slots 19 in the lining tube. The screws a may be consequently readily inserted.

As it is necessary that the joint 0 at the junction of the two main portions of the instrument shall be of such a nature as to prevent the finger-holes of the said portions becoming out of alignment, Iform the shoulder of the joint with a feather e or other device which will prevent the independent rotation of either part but allow the parts of thebody to be drawn out as required.

The arrangement of the several parts may be slightly varied to suit the separate re quirements of the various instruments to which my invention is applicable.

Having now described my invention, what 5 I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a clarinet the combination with the shell or body A having telescopic joints and having one set of openings and keys therefor, of

IO two metallic lining tubes B, B one of said tubes B having two sets of holes for produc ing the notes of the respective keys the said tube B being connected to the bell of the instrument the other of said tubes B attached to the socket, and stops for limiting the dis- 15 tance to which the joints of the instrument are to be extended, the whole being arranged and operating substantially as described and illustrated.

JAMES CLINTON. Witnesses:

H. W. MASTERS, P. COOKER.

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