US663734A - Repetition piano-action. - Google Patents

Description

No. 663,734: Patented Dec. u, I900. J. w. DARLEY, 1n.

BEPETITIUN P IANO ACTION. (Application filed Oct. 5, 1894. Renewed Oct. 29, 1900.)

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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0 0 H .6 e D d 8 t n e t a P REPETITION PIANO ACTION.

(Application fikd. Oct. 5, 1894. Renewed Oct. 29, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

wit wows Z UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcE.

JOHN W'. DARLEY, JR., OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO MICHAEL HOLZMAN, PHILIP HAB'IBURGER, AND LEON HAM- BURGER, OF SAME PLACE.

REPETITION PIANO-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,734. dated December 11, 1900.

Application filed October 5, 1894:. Renewed October 29, 1900. Serial No. 34,845. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. DARLEY,J1'., a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Repetition Piano-Actions; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in piano-actions, and especially in those actions which are designed to enable the operator to strike the same note repeatedly and in rapid succession.

The present invention is especially intended to cover certain improvements upon the device described in my application, Serial No. 489,558, filed October 30, 1893.

Heretofore in repetition actions for upright pianos on account. of the approximately vertical position of the hammer and the consequent elimination of the retractive effect of its weight great difficulty has existed in cansing the hammer to rebound against the retarding effect of the recovery-spring sufficiently to enable the back-check to perform its functions. In the case of those actions in which there was a considerable space between the part of the checking device attached to the hammer and the part attached to the action when the latter is in the striking position the space between these parts was generally necessary to prevent the momentum of the back-check and action parts connected thereto from causing the back-check to strike the hammer-butt-checking portion, and thus dissipate its rebounding tendency, when the action parts settling back left the hammer unchecked. If in the attempt to enable the checking parts to work in a shorter hammerrebounding space the said parts were arranged to come close together in the striking position, the force and effect of the momentum of the moving action parts were greatly enhanced, so much so that in case of light hammers no checking effect existed. In the present invention a satisfactory checking effeet is obtained by allowing the checking parts to come close together in the striking position and arranging an adjustable stop on a part of the actiolnwhereby the momentum of the moving action parts and consequent tendency of the same to move through a greater distance than they are positively driven is eliminated. A secondary and by no means unimportant effect of this stop is the greater rapidity of repetition obtained thereby on account of the motion of the various parts being constrained to the proper limit. It will be noticed that this stop limits the motion of the back-check toward the cooperating parts attached to the hammer when they are in close relation to each other. Astop which controls the back-check when a considerable space exists between these parts does not fulfil the above functions.

In general, jointed-jack actions have had two defects, the one a corollary of the otherthe first that it was necessary to allow the .jack to commence to break when the hammer was at a great distance from the string, resulting in a large loss of power, and the second that by reason of the long bending of the jack a long heavy release existed in the downward motion of the keys, which Was objectionable. 'lo obliterate these effects in the present invention, the top of the upper part of the jointed jack and the abutting portion of the ham mer-butt are peculiarly shaped, as will be hereinafter pointed out.

\Vhile the drawings represent details of an upright piano, many of the devices herein shown will be serviceable in pianos of other forms.

Jointed-jack actions have heretofore been constructed with the jack either having a positive relation as regards the abutting portion of the hammer-butt or have been made so that the contact of the hammer-butt on the jack-head changed from a point back of a line drawn through the jack-centers to a point on or near said line. In both of these constructions the danger that the jack would break before the full blow had been given existed. In the present invention the contact of the hammer-butt on the jack-head changes from a point near a line drawn through the jack-centers to a point farther back from said line, the effect being to hold the two parts of the jack together, and thus is obtained a practically solid jack with the advantages of the joint.

My invention will be better understood after reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same parts are indicated by the same letters.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of one of the improved piano-actions as itis mounted in the piano. Fig. 2 represents a similar view of the piano-action just after it has completed its stroke and is checked ready to strike a second time. Fig. 3 represents the frame and several parts connected thereto on which the action is mounted. Fig. 4 represents a slight modification of the device shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a front view of the device shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents an enlarged detail view of the jointed jack and the various parts connected thereto. Fig. 7 represents a section along the line a; .50 of Fig. 6 and looking down. Fig. 8 represents a section along the line y y of Fig. 6 and looking down. Fig. 9 represents a front view of the lower portion of the device shown in Fig. 6 looking in the direction of the arrow, and Fig. 10 represents a detail view of the head of the action-frame and connected parts.

A represents a portion of the framework of the piano, on which the frames B, one of which only is shown, are mounted by means of a socket-plate B, hollowed, as at b, to receive the ball 19 at the base of the frame B. The top of the frame is held by a screw 0, provided with a milled-headed nut c and engaging in the back of the piano. (Notshown.) The nut c is made adjustable to permit of changing the relation of the frame B and parts connected thereto to the strings E. Thus the frame B has a hole in its upper portion I), through which passes the small screw 0, engaging in the female screw-threads 0 cut in the interior of the screw 0, as shown in Fig. 10. By means of the adj listing-nuts each of the frames B may be given a solid bearing thereon independent of all the other frames, and thus variations in the framework of the piano may be compensated for.

D represents a rail stretching across the piano and secured to the various frames B. It is provided with tenons d to engage in mortises in the upright pieces D D represents a second rail also stretching across the piano above the first and provided with a tenon d, adapted to engage in a mortise in the transverse strip D. D represents still another rail stretching across the piano and faced with a pad 61 of felt. I) represents still another rail on the front portion of the frame B and provided with an upper rail or stop-piece D which is made in three sections.

In the device shown in Figs. 4: and 5 the rails D are omitted. The rails D are replaced by the rails D provided with stiffening enlargements on their exterior sides, and the soft-pedal rail P is replaced by an equivalent device which will be hereinafter more fully described.

By having the rails D and D made in a plurality of pieces the adjustment of each piece is capable of being separately regulated, for since the ham mer-shanks N, upon which are mounted the hammers N and checks N are glued in place after the action proper is adjusted in position it follows that any variation which n'iight be occasioned by adjusting the hammers to their respective strings would throw the back-checks out of alinement with their respective check-but tons h were the rails D and D solid. Now since the strings are generally mounted upon the string-frames in three sets, which may be designatedthetrebleside,thecenter,and thebaseside,adjacentstringsofeach setbe ing at the correct distance apart relative to the distance apart. of the hammer-butts, and since any variation that occurs will be between the adjacent strings and hammer-butts of the treble and center set or center and base set, above referred to, it follows that if the rails D and D are made in three lengths, one length for each of the portions of the frame above referred to, this variation may be compensated for and the buttons 7L brought into alinement with the back-checks. The rails D and D are not to be fastened in place until'after the hammers are glued in, when each section of the said rails may be shifted laterally to effect the alinement of the back-check and checking-buttons. If the strings are mounted upon the frame in more or less than three sections, the rails D and D would be made in a corresponding number of sections.

The various rails and other parts of the piano-action are faced with felt or similar material whenever they are likely to be struck by any of the moving parts, and all centers are bouched with cloth in the wellknown way, the effect of the whole being to prevent rattling and to deaden all sounds except of the strings which have been struck.

E represents one of the many strings of the piano.

F represents the key, which is pivoted atf and is provided atf with a felt pad on which rests the adjustable head h, which is screwed onto the screw-threads h of the Vertical rod H. This head h is provided with one or more holes 71 for the insertion of a capstanbar for adjusting the position of the head on the rod.

The rod H has fast thereto the arm h, which is pivoted to the jack-lever K, as at 70. The upper end of the rod H carries an adjustable cap h screwed onto the screwthreads h and provided with a buckskin tip 7L8. There are bouched holes in the rails D and D for guiding the rods H. Near the said upper end a sleeve 72,3 is screwed over the screw-threads 7L5 and is adjusted by means of The top of this sleeve is faced the holes 71 IIO with felt, which engages under the rail D, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, or the wing d of the rail D as shown in Fig. 4. The function of this sleeve h is to limit the upward travel of the rod H, the inertia of which when the key F is pressed down quickly might carry it up too high.

The jack-lever K is operated by the arm h and is slotted to allow the free passage of the rod H. The said lever is pivoted at k to the vertical piece at and carries at its forward end a felt pad is, which brings upagainst the pad m and at its opposite end the spoon K, which engages the damper-lever Q at the pad (1 The jack consists of the two members M and M, pivoted together at m, and the lower end of which is pivoted to the jack-lever K at m. The felt pads m and m secured to the two members of the jack, respectively, prevent rattling when the jack is straightened out.

-M represents a tripping-arm which is attached to the lower member of the jack and carries an adjustable button 722", attached to the bolt M which is screw-threaded, as at m.

The jack is normally kept straight by means of the spring M connected to one of the members and bearing against the other.

M represents a piece of tape or similar material to prevent the hammer-butt and the jack from becoming too far disengaged from each other.

It will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 6 that an upward motion of the rod [-1 would swing the jack-lever K about its pivot k and would cause the jack to move almost vertically upward without being bent against the action of the spring M during which motion the contact of the side n of the hammer-butt recess changes from a point nearly over a line drawn through m and m to a point somewhat fart-her in, thus preventing any tendency of the jack portions to bend before the pads and m strike, as the slight twisting force occasioned by said change of contact is in the proper direction to hold the jack parts together. When the pad 70 strikes the button m the tripping-arm M will cause the lower portion M of the jointed jack and the jacklever K to revolve as one piece upon the center 70, and thus break the joint of the jack, causing the upper member M to bend back about its pivot, as shown in Fig. 2, whatever momentum it may .have acquired being stopped by its felt pad m coming into contact with the felt strip 50 the upper edge of which is glued to the rail D. The groove n in the hammer-butt N and the shape of the head of the jack are so arranged that the most ad vantageous results are obtained upon the breaking of the joint of the jack, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The ham mer-butt N, pivoted at the end n to the cross-piece D carries the hammershank N and the hammer N to which latter the checking-piece is attached by means ing-piece is faced with buckskin a and any change that may be necessary to bring adjacent checks intolineis effected by sim plybending the wire it as may be required. (See construction of check.) This adjustment may he made experimentally for each separate piano-action; but in general the bending is only required to bring the pieces N in line after the hammers are glued in place, thus providing for any inaccuracy that may occur in said operation.

The hammer-butt N is recessed, as at "it, having the sloping sides 97. and n of which n is faced with buckskin 12 while the top of said recess is cushioned with felt 71, across which the said buckskin n extends, leaving a sharp corner between the sloping sides a and n, as shown most clearly in Fig. 6. The buckskin n is glued to the side a alongits whole length, butisonly glued to thefelt n and cloth n at the juncture of the same. The felt it is glued to the side 91 at the recess n and again where it joins the cloth n and thus it will be seen there exists noglued surface in the line of action of the jack,whereby a greater cushioning eEect is obtained. The cloth n is glued to the hammer-butt N in the recess n as also to the ends of the felt a and buckskin n in the recess n of the hammer-butt N, and the cloth n is glued to the felt n the bridle M being interposed between the cloth 11, felt M and top of the recess 01 of the hammewbutt N. The cloth n is glued to the felt n in order to obtain the stiffening effect of the layer of glue and also to provide a better wearing-face to the felt by the use of the cloth. The head of the jack is fiat, as at in has its face pointed, as at m plain, as at m and m and its back rounded, as at m, being cam-shaped or somewhat of the shape of a monkey-wrench when its jaws are closed. The fiat portion m is formed at such an angle that when the hammer is in its outward position the said fiat portion will be parallel to the side 01 of the hammer-butt recess 7%, thus permitting the buckskin n to form a contact thereon of comparatively large surface, whereby the packing down of the buckskin n and pad n and consequent settling of the parts is largely pre vented, since the greatest pressure of the jack upon these parts exists when the key is first struck and the hammer started. Toward the end of the stroke or when the upper part of the jack commences to bend upon the lower part it is obvious that. the 10- cus of the center on will be a portion of a circle whose center is 70 and whose radius is the distance between k and m. Hence there is a slight upward motion of the top portion of the jointed jack occasioned thereby, which effect is slightly increased by the bending of the upper portion on the lower portion of the said jointed jack, said upper portion being normally a little back of a right line drawn through m and m. Now the sum total of these effects would be to urge the hammer toward the string after the cushions m and k had come together, and were it not for the provision about to be explained the said cushions would have to come together when the hammer was at a greater distance from the string, and since the driving effect of the jointed jack is greatlydecreased afterit commences to bend a great loss of power would result. To obviate this, the upper portion of the jack is formed with the parts m cut away at an angle with the part m and when the jack commences to bend, which takes place when the hammer is close to the string, in which case the side a of the hammer-butt recessn is at an angle with the horizontal, the nose m bearing against the side a forces the part m rapidly up the inclined side 02%, and thus compensates for the upper advance of the jack occasioned by its motion of revolution and also its bending and permits of the hammer being driven almost to the string before the release takes place,and thus a maximum of power is obtained. The part m is cut away, as shown, to permit of clearance around the depending abutting portion of the hammer-butt N. The curved portion m is formed of such a shape as to prevent excess ive lost motion of the jack in the hammerbutt recess in the numerous positions the various parts assume.

It will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 that the first motion of the rod upward will cause-the hammer to swing over into the striking position, that is a short distance back from contact with the string, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2; but before the rod H has quite reached its uppermost position, as limited by the adjustable sleeve 7L the pad m strikes the pad The further motion of the rod H bends the jointed jack, making it flexible with reference to the hammer, so that it may rebound after striking the blow against the retarding efiect of the spring M and check-button h". When the key is released a short distance, the button h releases the hammer-check, and then the spring M straightens the jack and the action is ready for another blow.

It will be noted that when the hammer is in the striking position the checking-piece N will extend over the felt cap 7L but out of contact therewith. After the blow has been struck and the hammer has rebounded through a short distance in accordance with the joint effect of the elasticity of the string E and the force of the spring 0 the buckskin face 01 will strike against the said button 72 checking the rearward travel of the hammer so long as the key F is held down. When the hammer is in the striking position, the back-check is just clear of the checking-button, and if no provision were made for countel-acting the momentum of the rod H and parts connected thereto the checking-button might pass over this short distance and striking the back-check would destroy the rebounding tendency of the hammer, especially in the case of light blows and treble hammers, and then when the rod and parts had settled back the hammer would not be checked, but would be free to rattle around. To obviate this, the rod H is provided with the button 713, abutting in its upward position against the under surface of the rails D or D The button is to be adjusted against this rail while the key is depressed, thus limiting its motion to the proper amount. I find by the use of this device that with the lightest blows and lightest hammers excellence of checking is assured.

P represents a hinged rail faced with felt and pivoted at p to the frame B for the purpose of limiting the travel of the hammei shank N and of the hammer carried there'- by. This pivoted rail is adjusted from the outside of the piano in the ordinary way, and I do not claim this specific construction as new; but I prefer to use the improved construction illustrated in Fig. 4, in which the rail P consists of a wooden strip 19 faced with felt and held in a channeled metallic strip 19 by the rods 19 being passed through both and riveted at the top. The bottoms of said rods 13" then pass through the pivot-holes 19 At the back of this metallic strip 19 ad j Listing-screws p are arranged, one of which screws into a portion of each of the frames B and is locked at the desired position by the thumb-nut p.

The hammer-shifting rails P and the damper-lifting rod S are to be operated by the pedal in the usual manner.

The damper-lever Q, is pivoted at q to the rear end of the cross-piece D and is normally pressed forward by the spring Q, which holds the damper Q on the string. This damper is provided with the usual felt pad (1 against which the spoon K presses whenever the jack is moved upward, as in striking a note.

Q represents a pivoted tongue which is attached to the lower end of the damper-lever and is normally held in the vertical position by means of a weak spring q". The back of this tongue is normally pressed against the projecting end q of the damper-lever, and its backward travel about the pivot is limited thereby, while it may be pressed forward against the spring R represents the sostenuto rod, which abuts against a metal blade R, which is pivotally connected by means of the rods 0" to the frame B. The rod R passes through a suitable guide r, connected to the framework of the piano. Now if while any note is struck the sostenuto pedal be pressed down the blade R will be forced up, so that it will be in the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 and will hold the damper-lever so that the damper will be clear of the string. This will not prevent the same note from being struck an indefinite number of times nor will it prevent any other note from being sounded, for the spoon K of the actions of the other strings will press the lower end of the damper-lever forward when the key is struck, causing the pivoted tongue to strike the blade R, when it will simply relieve against the light tension of the spring q, resuming its originally straight position when the key is released, thus allowing any number of dampers to be withheld from the strings and at the same time permitting ease of operation of the other keys. In this way it will be seen that not only can any note be struck while the sostenuto pedal is down, but the same note may be struck over and over again.

The herein-described mechanism enables the operatorto strike the same note with great facility and frequency, and that irrespective of the position of the various pedals. These and the various other advantages of the herein-described construct-ions will readily suggest them selves to any one skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a piano-action, the combination with mechanism for operating the hammer, of an adjustable stop located normal to the line of travel of the back-check and adapted to check the said back-check at the desired limit of its motion toward the cooperating part of the hammer, substantially as described.

2. In a piano-action the combination with a piano-key, of an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap; a jointed jack operated by said rod, a hammer operated by said jointed jack, a hammer-check provided with a covering on one face of soft yielding material and adapted to strike said friction-cap, and means for adjustably connecting the hammer-check to the hammer, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a piano-action, the combination with a piano-key, of an operating-rod moved thereby and provided withafriction-cap; a jointed jack operated by said rod, a hammer operated by said jointed jack, a hammer-check provided with a covering on one face of soft yielding material and adapted to strike said friction-cap, and a wire screw-threaded at one end and adjustably connecting the hammercheck to the hammer.

4. In a piano-action, the combination with an action-frame and a stop carried thereby, of a piano-key, an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap, a sleeve adjustably mounted on said rod and adapted to strike against said stop and so limit the motion of said rod, a jointed jack operated by said rod, a hammer operated by said jointed.

jack, and a hammer-check connected to said hammer and adapted to strike against said friction-cap, and to be checked thereby, substantially as described.

In a piano-action, the combination with an action-frame and a stop carried thereby, of a piano-key, an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap, a sleeve adjustably mounted on said rod and adapted to strike against said stop and so limit the motion of said rod, a jointed jack operated by said rod, a hammer operated by said jointed jack, a hammer-check provided with a covering on one face of soft yielding material and adapted to strike said friction-cap, and means for adjustably connecting the hammer-check to the hammer, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. In a piano-action, the combination with an action-frame and a stop carried thereby, of a piano-key, an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap, a sleeve adjustably mounted on said rod and adapted to strike against said stop and so limit the motion of said rod, a jointed jack operated by said rod, a hammer operated by said jointed jack, a ham mer-check provided with a covering on one face of soft yielding material and adapted to strike said friction-cap, and a wire screw-threaded atone end and adj ustably connecting the ham mer-check to the hammer.

7. In a piano-action, the combination with a piano-key and an operatingrod moved thereby, of a pivoted jack-lever operated by said rod and provided with a projecting arm; a jointed jack pivoted to said jack-lever, an arm projecting from one member of the said jointed jack in the line of travel of the projecting arm of the jointed jack, an adjustable button secured to one of said arms and adapted to strike the other, whereby said jointed jack may be bent at the desired instant and a hammer-butt and hammer operated by said jointed jack, substantially as described.

8. In a piano-action, the combination with a piano key and an operating-rod moved thereby, of an arm rigidly attached to said rod, a pivoted jack-lever pivotally connected to said arm, and itself provided with a projecting arm, a jointed jack mounted above said jack-lever and operated thereby, an arm projecting from the lower member of said jointed jack, an adjustable button mounted therein and adapted to strike said projecting arm on the jack-lever at the desired instant and thus to bend said jack,and a ham mer-butt and hammer operated by said jointed jack, substantially as described.

9. In a piano-action, the combination with an action-frame and a stop carried thereby, of a piano-key, an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap, a sleeve adjust-ably mounted on said rod and adapted to strike against said stop and so limit the motion of said rod, a jointed jack operated by said rod and provided with a cam-shaped head; a hammer-butt operated by said jointed jack, and provided with a recess n with sides sloping and faced as shown, to receive said head; a hammer connected to said hammer-butt and a hammer-check connected to said hammer and adapted to strike against said friction-cap, and to be checked thereby, substantially as described.

10. In a piano-mation, the combination with an action-frame and a stop carried thereby, of a piano-key, an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap, a sleeve adjustably mounted on said rod and adapted to strike against said stop and so limit the motion of said rod, a jointed jack operated by said rod, and provided with a cam-shaped head; a ham mer-butt operated by said jointed jack, and provided with a recess 91 with sides sloping and faced, as shown, to receive said head, a hammer connected to said hammer-butt, a hammer-check provided with a covering on one face of soft yielding material and adapted to strike said friction-cap, and means foradjuslably connecting the ham mercheck to the hammer, substantially as and for the purposes described.

11. In a piano-action, the combination with an action-frame and a stop carried thereby, of a piano-key, an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap, a sleeve adjustably mounted on said rod and adapted to strike against said stop and so limit the mo tion of said rod, a jointed jack operated by said rod, and provided with a cam-shaped head, as shown, a hammer-butt operated by said jointed jack, and provided with a recess a with sides sloping and faced, as shown, to receive said head; a hammer connected to said ham mer-butt, a hammer-check provided with a covering on one face of soft yielding material and adapted to strike said frictioncap, and a wire screw-threaded at one end and adj ustably connecting the hammer-check to the hammer.

12. In a piano-action, the combination with ajoint-ed jack provided with a cam-shaped head and means for bending the said jack, of a hammer-butt provided with a recess adapted to engage the cam-faces of said jack-head, substantially as an for the pn rposes described.

13. In a piano-action, the combination with a jointed jack provided with a cam-shaped head pointed at m fiat at m, and rounded at m of a hammer-butt provided with a recess n, having sides a and n sloping as shown, and adapted to engage the faces of said jackhead, substantially as and for the purposes described.

let. In a piano-action, the combination with a jointed jack and a rod for operating the same,of an adjustable sleeve mounted on said rod and adapted to strikea fixed stop and thus to check the action at the desired limit of its upward travel, substantially as and for the purposes described.

15; In a piano-action, the combination with a jointed jack of a pivoted jack-lever and mechanism for operating the same, means for causing said jack-lever to push said jack forward during the early part of the stroke and to cause the member of the jack pivoted to the jack-lever to rotate in unison with the jack-lever toward the end of the stroke, substantially as and for the purposes described.

16. In a piano-action, the combination with a jointed jack of a pivoted jack'levcr and mechanism for operating the same, an arm projecting from the said lever, and a similar arm projecting from the adjacent member of the jack and adapted to be struck by the first arm toward the end of the stroke, substantially as and for the purposes described.

17. In a piano-action the combination with a key, of an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap; a jack-lever operated by said rod and a jack operated by said lever, a hammer operated by said jack and a hammer-check con uected to said hammer and adapted to strike against said friction-cap, and be checked thereby, substantially as and for the purpose described.

18. In a piano-action the combination with a piano-key of an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap; a jack operated by said rod, a hammer operated by said jack, a ham mer-eheck provided with a coveringon one face of soft yielding material and adapted to strike said friction-cap, and means for adj ustably connecting the hammercheck to the hammer, substantially as and for the purpose described.

19. In a piano-action, the combination with a piano-key of an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a friction-cap; a jack operated by said rod, a hammer operated by said jack, a hammer-check provided with a covering on one face of soft yielding material and adapted to strike said friction-cap, and a wire screw-threaded at one end and adjustably connecting the hammer-check to the hammer, substantially as described.

20. In a piano-action, the combination with a fixed stop of a pianokey, an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a frictioncap, a sleeve adj ustably mounted on said rod and adapted to strike against said stop and so limit the motion of said rod, a jack operated by said rod, a hammer operated by said jack, and a hammer-check connected to said hammer and adapted to strike against said friction-cap, and to be checked thereby, substantially as described.

21. In a piano-action the combination with a fixed stop of a piano-key, an operating-rod moved thereby and provided with a frictioncap, a sleeve adjustably mounted on said rod and adapted to strike against said stop and so limit the motion of said rod, a jack operated by said rod, a hammer operated by said jack, a hammer-check provided with a covering on one face of soft yielding material and adapted to strike said friction-cap, and means for adjustably connecting the hammer-check to the hammer, substantially as and for the purpose described.

22. In a piano-action, the combination with a fixed stop of a piano-key, an operating-rod ing the hammer-check to the hammer, sub- 10 stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J. W. DARLEY, JR.

Witnesses:

WM. E. MESSERSMITH, A. WAGNER.

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