US598363A - courtice - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 8-Sheets-Shet 1.

J. L. GOURTIGE 8: J. WOOD.

PIANOPORTE.

No. 598,363. Patented Feb. 1, 1898.

(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. L. GOURTIOE 8: J. WOOD. PIANOFORTE.

N0, 598,363. P t ented Feb. 1, 18 8..

(No Model.)

8 SheetsSheet 3. J. L. GOURTIOE & J. WOOD.

PIANOFORTE.

Patented Feb. 1, 1898.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LEYSTER OOURTIOE AND JOHN WOOD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PIANOFO RTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 598,363, dated February 1, 1898.

Application filed July 9, 1897. Serial No. 644,031. (No model.) Patented in England December 14, 1894, No. 24,349, and in India April 2, 1895, N0- 8'7.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMEs LEYsTEE COUR- TIOE and JOHN WOOD, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianofortes, (for which we have obtained Letters Patent in England, No. 24:,349, dated December 14:, 1894, and in India, No. 87, dated April 2, 1895,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved c011- struction of upright pianofortes, and has for its object to reduce the bulk thereof, whereby it is rendered much more portable than hitherto.

In carrying out this invention we dispense with the portion of the framing, stringing, and case usually extended below the keyboard, the instrument when in use being supported upon a table or the like, and we obtain sufficient length of strings by overstringing. e also hinge the keyboard to the front of the instrument, so that when not in use it can be shut up, so as to form part of the front of the case of the pianoforte. Any suitable action can be employed.

e find it advantageous to make the compass of the pianoforte about five octaves, thus considerably reducing the width without materially affecting the range of the instrument. By this construction we are enabled to produce a pianoforte extremely portable, especially for transport purposes.

To enable our invention to be fully understood, we will describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a plan, partly in section, of a pianoforte constructed according to our invention and having the keyboard turned down in position for use, and Fig. 2 is a front sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section showing the keyboard turned up out of use; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section,with the keyboard turned down.

a is the case of the instrument, and b is the keyboard, which is pivoted at the ends upon trunnions c c and in such a manner that when folded up the front d of the said keyboard will lie against a ledge e on the case and the rear part f of the keyboard against another ledge g, formed by a molding on the lower part of the case a, as shown in Fig. 3. The

keyboard I) when turned down bears at the rear ends of its sides 7) Z) against blocks h h on the case a, the ends of the key-levers 17 12 or attachments thereon then coinciding and engaging with the respective actions 11 in a manner which will be well understood.

In order to get the requisite 'length of the strings,the long or bass strings are overstrung, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2, in which 1 indicates the portion of the stringframe for carrying the overstrung strings.

I11 practice we prefer to arrange the bolts j, which hold the upper end of the stringframe in position, to screw into a metal bar 713, fixed across the back of the instrument, as shown in Fig. 3, instead of screwing them into the wrest-plank Z in the usual manner, whereby the said plank is relieved of strain, which often causes it to come unglued from the plank m behind it.

Having now particularly described the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is- 1. A portable upright piano comprising among its members, a vertical casing adapted to be placed upon a table or other support, the vertical string-frame secured in said casing and provided with overstrung verticallydisposed strings, a folding keyboard pivotally mounted in the bottom of the casing and stops secured to said casing and adapted to be engaged by the keyboard when the latter is in horizontal position, substantially as described.

2. A portable upright piano comprising among its members, a vertical casing adapted to be placed upon a table or other support, a vertically-disposed series of strings in said casing, said casing having a vertical lower front ledge g and a horizontal ledge e above the same, a folding keyboard pivoted in said casing at the bottom of the same between the ledges e and g, stops secured to said casing in position to be engaged by said keyboard when in horizontal position, said keyboard being constructed to engage the said ledges e and 9 when folded to close the front of said casing substantially as described.

JAMES LEYSTER OOURTIOE. JOHN WOOD. lVitnesses:

G. F. REDEERN, G. F. TYsoN.

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