US612930A - Musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

N0. 6|2,930. Patented 001:. 25, I898. II. F. MAUS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed Feb. 10, 1898.) w 2 Sheets-Shoat l.

7Z7 WITNE ES: INVENTOR ATTORNEYS me mam: PETERS co. wow Lrmo New. nv c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARKUS F. MAUS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO LOUIS MELOIIER AND JACOB MAYER, OF SAME PLACE.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming m of Letters Patent No. 612,930, dated October 25, 1898. Application filed February 10, 1898. Serial No. 669 ,782. I (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARKUS F. MAUS, of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to musical instruments, and has for its object to produce a structure wherein the proper chords may be struck automatically.

To this end my invention consists in the con struction hereinafter set forth and claimed.

My invention will be understood by referring to the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a stringed instrument embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a device wherein when playing stringed instruments the proper chords may be struck.

I am aware that it has been heretofore pro posed to damp certain strings of such instruments and to leave other strings free to vibrate and to thereupon use a picker or fingerpiece to strike all of the strings. This device just described is, however, objectionable, for the reason that in striking all of the strings those which are damped will give a scratchy sound, which detracts from the tone of the freely-vibrating strings, and as a consequence the music thereby produced is inharmonious. By my invention, however, I strike only such strings as should be struck, entirely skipping the strings which should not be struck.'

In carrying out my invention I provide a suitably-stringed instrumentsuch, for instance, as the sounding-box A, having strings a, witlra means for picking or striking the said strings, comprising a vibrating picker or striker I), having suitable operating means. In the present instance I have shown these operating means as follows: Supporting-brackets c are shown as provided with suitable links or hinges cl, from which a guide 6 is suspended. The guide e is preferably provided with a slidable or adjustable plate f, carrying a sinuous cam or picker actuating means or picker-moving means g, with which suitable bowls or rollers or guiding devices 1), carried by the picker or striker b, cooperate. This picker or striker b is free to vibrate in a suitable handle N, which is supported by a suitable carriage D which slides freely upon the guide e. It will be observed that the picker is indirectly supported by the guide 6 through the medium of the carriage and the cam g on the plate f. The plate f is preferably secured to the guide 6 as follows: The pin f, carried by the plate f, enters a slot 6 in the guide. At the opposite end of the guide the plate f passes through a slot in the turned-over end 9 of the guide, which turned-over end 6 is connected to the bracket 0 by a spring 6 An upward-proj ecting handle 6 is provided to move the plate f, which plate f is preferably connected to the body of the instrument by a link 6 and is likewise preferably provided with notches a, into which the turned-over end 6 of the guide 6 is entered, a spring a bearing down upon the plate f. I may likewise provide the instrument with a suitable damper-bar h pivoted at each end to the brackets c by links 7b. The damper may be provided with a handle it in addition to other operating meanssuch, for instance, as the lever h plVOt6d at h and secured at one end to the bracket 7L5 on the damper and at the other end to a similarly-pivoted lever h", which is ormay be provided with a thumb or hand piece h". The mode of operation of the damper will be readily apparent.

Any desired number of apparatus for strik ing the chords may be employed. In the present instance I have shown but one for the purpose of clearness, as it will be readily apparent that several may be used, and I have shown the bracket 0 as slotted at c to receive the handle 6 of the plates f, which carry the guiding-cam g for the picker.

In order to operate the apparatus, I seize the handle b firmly and press down upon the same, thereby swinging the guide 6 downward against the tension of the spring 6 so that the picker may be brought into such po sition as to strike the strings when at the lowermost portions of the cam or guide g. The handle 12 is thereupon slid along the guide 6, and the cam reciprocates the picker or striker and causes said picker or striker to strike the proper strings and to entirely omit touching strings that should not be struck.

It will be observed that in order to transpose the key I provide for three different longitudinal adjustments of the plate f, which carries the cam g, the said plate being held in its adjusted position by the notches taking over the turned-over end 6 of the guide 6, so that if I use seven guides, as contemplated in the present instrument, I can strike three times seven chordsthat is to say, three chords for every guide.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a stringed musical instrument, the combination of a guide crossing strings of the instrument, a picker or striker supported by said guide and movable with respect thereto and adapted to strike the said strings and guided by the said guide and means for moving the picker or striker at predetermined times in its movement across the stringed portion of the instrument in order to bring the said picker or striker into contact with some strings and to carry the said picker or striker clear of other strings, substantially as described.

2. In a stringed musical instrument, the combination of a slidable carriage or pickercarrier, a guide therefor extending across the stringed portion of the instrument, and a picker or striker carried by the said carriage and combined with means for moving the same at predetermined times in its movement across the stringed portion of the in strument in order to bring the said picker or striker into contact with some strings and to carry the said picker or striker clear of other strings, substantially as described.

3. In a musical instrument, the combination of the guide a, the cam 9 carried thereby, a carriage having a picker or striker actuated by the cam to strike the strings, and means for adjusting the cam with respect to the strings.

4:. In a musical instrument, the combination of a swinging guide crossing strings, a picker carried by the said guide and movable with respect thereto, and means for automatically moving the picker as it traverses the said guide to cause the said picker to strike certain strings only of the instrument, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination of a guide crossing strings, a picker car ried by the said guide and movable with respect thereto and means for automatically moving the said picker as it traverses the said guide to cause the said picker to strike certain strings only of the instrument, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth, and means for adjusting the said means for automatically moving the picker, whereby the key may be transposed.

MARKUS F. MAUS.

Witnesses: GEO. E. Monsn, CHARLES E. SMITH.

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