US574426A - Self-playing stringed musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

- No Model.)

l T. G. ROSTER.. SELF PLAYING STRINGBD MUSGAL'INSTRUMBNT. No. 574,426.

'Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

THE. Nowms PETERS co. Mofo-umn., wnsnmnrow. o. c.

vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE G. HOSTER, OF RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY.V

SELF-PLAYING ST R|NGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,426, date'd'January 5, 1897.

Application tiled March 28, 1896.

.To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEoDoEE G. HosTER, of East Rutherford, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Self-Playing Stringed Musical Instrument, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to stringed musical instruments, such as autoharps and the like; and the object of the invention is to provide a new and improved self-playing stringed musical instrument in which the strings are automatically and properlyT picked and sounded in a very simple manner.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specihcation, in which similar characters of reference indi cate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a plan view of the improvement with the cover of the box removed and part broken out. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of a modified form of star-wheel.

The self playing musical instrument is preferably arranged in a suitable box A, containing a sounding-board B, over which are stretched in the usual manner the strings (l, representing both melody and accompaniment strings for anydesired number of octaves.

A series of star-wheels D, one for each string C, is arranged above the sounding-board and between the strings, with the faces of the wheels at angles to the strings, as plainly indicated in Fig. l. Each star-wheel D is provided on its face, next to its corresponding string, with lateral pickers D in the form of pins or lugs arranged in a circle and placed equidistant apart, with one ofthe pickers extending directly over the string, so that when the wheel is rotated in the direction of the arrow a then this picker D engages the string and picks the same to produce the tone to which the string is tuned. N ow it will be seen that as the wheel D stands at an angle toits Serial No. 585,199. (No model.)

string it is evident that the picker D Iirst fully moves in engagement with the string, and on further rotation of the wheel this picker gradually moves out of engagement with the string, thereby releasing the same and causing it to sound. Vhen the picker D' has passed into a lowermost position, the rotary motion of the wheel ceases and the next following picker stands directly above the string, ready to engage and pick the string the second time on the next rotary impulse given to the star-wheel. Thus it will be seen that the pickers D/ of each star-wheel move in a plane convergent to the string, and consequently all the other pickers D of the revolving wheel except the one that is doing the picking at the time are completely out of alinement and out of engagement with the string, as the wheel revolves at an angle to the st-rin g.

The several star-wheels D are mounted to rotate loosely and independent one of the other on a rod or shaft E, held in suitable bearings attached to the box I3. The starwheels D are preferably held apart by suit` able friction-washers, which not only separate the wheels, but also prevent one from carrying the adjacent one along when rotated.

The starwheels D are intermittently rotated by a note sheet or barrel F, made in the form of a revoluble cylinder, cone disk, or the like. The note-sheetillustrated is cylindrical in form and is provided with note projections or pins F', adapted to engage one of the nonactive pickers D at the time for turning the star-wheel, as above described. It is, however, expressly understood that I do not limit myself to the form of the note-sheet shown, as it is evident that I may employ any one of the well-known forms of note-sheets now in use for driving star-wheels in self-playing musical instruments.

The note sheet or barrel may be of the interchangeable type and driven from a suitable spring or other motor G, having the usual governor H. A stopping and starting device ot' the ordinary type is also provided.

As shown in Fig. 3, the note-sheet F2 engages with its pins or lugs FSperipheral teeth D2 on the star-wheel D3 to turn the latter and IOO cause its lateral pickers Dito piel; and sound the strings in the manner above described.

Haring thus iully described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A musical instrument comprising strings extending over a sounding-board, a series of star-wheels, one foreach string and each provided with pickers movable against the corresponding stringin planes convergent to the string, and a movable note-sheet for turning the said star-Wheels independentlyT of one another, substantially as shown and described.

2. A stringed musical instrument provided with a revoluble star-Wheel havin g on its face a plurality of pickers at an angle to the plane of rotation of the Wheel, snbstantiall y as described.

3. A stringed musical instrument provided with strings, and pickers movable against said strings in planes convergent to the strings, substantially as shown and described.

1. A stringed musical instrument, provided with star-wheels having lateral pickers, and strings adapted to be picked by said pickers, the vface of each star-Wheel and its correspending string standing at angles one to the other7 substantially as shown and described.

5. A stringed musica-l instrument, comprising a sounding-board, strings extending over the said sounding-board, a series ol' star- Wheels, one for each string and each having its `face extending at angles t0 the corresponding string, and lateral pickers formed ou each wheel and adapted to successively piek the corresponding string', substantially as shown and described.

G. A stringed musical instrument, comprising a series ci strings extending over a sound.- ing-board, star-Wheels, one for each string and each having its `face extending at angles to the corresponding string, each star-wheel being provided with lateral pickers for picking the string, and a movable note-sheet for engaging and turningihe said star-wheels independent one of the other, substantially as shown and described.

THROUGH It G. l i(v It is hereby certified that the residence of the patentee in the grant and in the head Patent No. 574,426, granted January 5, 1897, Self-,Playing of the printed speeiiieation of Letters upon the application of Theodore Gr. Hoster, for an improvement in Stringed Musical Instruments, was erroneously Written and printed Rutherford, New

Jersey, Whereas said residence should have been written and printed East Rutherford, New Jersey and that the said Letters Patent should he read With this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Office.

JNO. M. REYNOLDS, Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

Signed, eountersigned, and sealed this 26th day of January,

[SEAL] Oountersigned:

JOHN S. SEYMOUR,

Commissioner of Patents.

Correction neLettersl Patent No. 574,426;

It is hereby certified that the residence of the patentee in the grant and in the head of the printed speoieation of Letters Patent No. 574,426, granted January 5, 1897,

Theodore Gr. Hoster,

upon the application of for an improvement in Self-:Playing Stringed Musical Instruments, Was erroneously Written and printed Rutherford, New

Jersey, Whereas said residence should have been written and printed East Rutherford, New Jersey; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oee.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 26th day of Januar A. D., 1897.

[SEAL] JNO. M. REYNOLDS,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

Oountersigned:

JOHN S. SEYMOUR,

Commissioner of Patents.

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