US668424A - Piano-action. - Google Patents

Description

No. 668,424). Patented Feb. I9, I90I.

M. STEINERT. PlANo AcTldN.

[Application led Oct. 2, 1900.1

Tm: Norms PETERS or. PNoYLlTuo.. WASHINGTON. D. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS STEINERT, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

-PIANO-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 668,424, dated February 19, 1901.

Application filed October 2, 1900.

To ir/ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Monnis STEINEET, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Im provementin Piano-Actions and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure l, a viewin side elevation of a pianoaction constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a broken perspective View showing the fork-like stop mounted in the fly.

Myinvention relates to an improvement in pianoforte-actions, the objects being to eli minate the harshness,violence, and limited tonal range characteristic of the present pianoforte and due to the fact that it is preminently an instrument of percussion, to permit the production in great variation of power and tone color of softvor whispering tones by performers who can bring to the instrument no more than ordinary technical training, and to make the instrument less mechanical and more musical by applying the force exerted by the performer less dynamically and in a way more analogous to the use of the joints and muscles of the arms, wrists, and hands in playing stringed instruments with a bow. In short, my invention aims to secure more intimate control of the instrument throughout its entire range of tone production without loss or substantial loss of power or responsiveness.

With these ends in View my invention consists in a pianoforte-action having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown the key 2 is provided with a regulating-screw 3, coacting with a cushioned buffer 4, depending from the lower face of the forward end of a fly 5, the rear end of which is pivotally connected with a butt 6, secured to and depending from a hammer-rail 7, mounted in the usual manner in skeleton metal action-frames S, of which one is shown. At its extreme forward end the said iiy is formed with a vertical slot 9 for the reception Serial No. 31,770. (No model.)

of the lower end of a jack 10, which is pivoted in Athe said slot and the upper end of which coacts with an impact-shoulder ll and a beveled operatingace l2, `formed upon the rear end of a balance-lever I3, pivotally mounted in a butt I4, secured to and projecting upwardly from a' hammer -lever rail l5, also mounted in the frame 8 and in other corresponding frames. (Not shown.) The said impact-shoulder ll and operating-face l2 are covered in the usual manner by a strip 13a of felt or equivalent material. The upper end of the jack coacts also with a cushion 15a, located directly to the rear of the shoulder 1l and placed in a large notch 16, formed iu the rear end of the balance-lever 13. The jack l0 is formed at itslowerend witha forwardlyprojecting arm 16, having a knob-like end 17 coacting with a 'felted regulating-screw 18, mounted in a regulating-screw rail 19, also supported in the action-frame 8. The jack itself carries a horizontally-arranged regulating or stop screw 20, coacting with a verticallyarranged fork-shaped stop 2l, mounted upon the upper face of the forward end of the y 5, as veryclearly shown in Fig. 2. A spiral spring 22, attached to the upper face of the iiy 5 and connected, through the crotch of the fork 2l, with the jack, exerts aconstant effort to draw the same rearward, so as to bring its upper end into registration with the impactshoulder ll of the ham mer-lever. This spring is extended when the piano is played by the coaction of the upper end ofthe fiy with the operating-face l2 of the balance-lever; but the engagement of the buffer 23 of the stop-screw 2O with the rear face of the fork 2l prevents the jack from being thrown too far forward or so far forward as to unduly extend the spring 22. The rear end of the balance-lever is formed with a nose 24, formed with a slot 25, which extends forward into the body of the lever and which is constricted or allowed to open, as may be necessary, by means of a screw 26, passed downward through a reinforcing-plate 27, located upon the upper face of the forward end of the said hammer-lever. The edges of the nose 24 are felted by means of a strip 28 of felt, which also extends into the slot 25, though not throughout the length of the same. The felted portion of this slot receives a pin 29, located in the rear end of the IOO hammer-lever 30, which is pivotally mounted in a butt 3l, secured to and project-ing above the hammer-rail 7, before mentioned. lt will be understood, of course, that the slot 25 permits the pin 29 to move back and forth in it, so as to form, in a sense, a loose articulation between the balance-lever and the hammerlever.

At its forward end the hammer-lever is provided with a hammer-head 32, furnished with a cushion 33, which strikes the string. My action is also provided with the usual hammer-rest rail Sal and back-check 35, these not requiring particular description. The hammer-rest rail 3l is provided with a rail or ledge 36, furnished with a regulating-screw 37 for each of the keys 2.

lu the operation of my improved piano-action the depression of the key 2 causes the jack to be pushed or lifted against the impactshoulder ll of the balance-lever 13, the forward end of which is correspondingly lifted, while its rear end is depressed, with the effect of correspondingly depressing the forward end of the hammer-lever and lifting the rear end of the hammer-lever, which causes the impingement of the hammer proper against its string, which is excited in vibration in quite a dilferent and far more musical way than if the hammer had been sent flying through the air and virtually hurled against it by the direct transmission of the power applied to the key to it instead of the indirect transmission of such power to it through the articulated system represented in my improved action by the jack, balance-lever, and

hammer-lever and their connections. After the initial impulse of the jack upon the impact-shoulder, as described above, the jack begins to immediately move outward and forward over the beveled operating-face l2 of the balance-lever, which it supports in such a position that the hammer proper is supported in a position of close proximity to the string. ln this position of the hammer the key may be operated through a very short stroke, so as to cause the hammer to strike the key again and again, not of course as powerfully as when the hammer was first impinged against the string, but in such a way as to excite the string in the production of soft pure tones, which may be beautifully colored at the will of the performer. On the other hand, if the key is entirely released directly after the impingement of the hammer upon the string the jack is immediately returned to its normal position under the impact-shoulder of t he balance-lever. When the key is so released, my improved action may be said to escape with substantially the quickness and absoluteness of pianoforte-actions now in use; but when the key is not so released, the hammer proper may, as aforesaid, be held up in a position of close proximity to the string, from which position it may be operated to produce a variety of beautiful tonal eects not before within the range of performers except those of the highest virtu osity. In my improved construction the application of the power, though indirect, is sufficiently forcible to produce tonal volume practically up to the limit of the instrument without the production of those disturbing overtones which so mar the effect of the present piano when played with power, not to say with violence. The impingement of the hammer u pon the string due to the indirect application of power eliminates the shock and noise and harshness of the action of the present pianoforte and confers upon my instrument the power of producing all tones,from the softest whispering tones to tones ofthe fullest power. My instrument also enables crescendo and diminuendo effects to be produced with equal perfection throughout its entire range, in which it also has the quality of perfect repetition. The touch of the instrumentis light, so elastic as to enable the player to connect his'notes in a beautiful legato, while the escapement of the action permits the customary absolute release of the hammer or a gradual release of the hammer at the will of the performer. Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of the action, however, lies in its ability to be used in the production of pure and carrying whispering tones, which may be produced in infinite variety of quality and color,well qualifying' the instrument to be used in the interpretation of compositions of a personal and intimate charactersuch, for instance, as those of Chopin. I may with propriety compare my improved piano-action, so far as it is articulated for an indirect application of power applied by the performer, to the articulated construction of the arm,wrist,and fingers of the hand through which the performer indirectly applies power to the keys. The presence of corresponding articulations in the action itself imparts thereto such elasticity and mobility that the performer is enabled to impose upon the instrument a large part of his own feeling and to produce a rapport between himself and his instrument necessary to a musical result. Such a rapport, except in a very limited extent,cannot exist between the performer and the present pianoforte for the reason that the same is a pure instrument of percussion, in which the control of the performer over the hammer is so fugitive that he cannot color the tone produced except he have at his command an amount of technique taking him out of the class of the average performer.

Having fully described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a piano-action, the combination with a key, of a hammer-rail, a fly connected at its rear end to the said rail, a jack mounted in the forward end of the fly, a balance-lever having its forward end formed for coaction with the upper end of the jack, and ahammerlever pivotally connected with the hammerrail and having its forwardly-projecting end IOO articulated with the rearwardly-extending end of the balance-lever.

2. In a piano-action, the combination with a key, of a hammer-rail, a fly connected at its rear end to the said hammer rail, a jack mounted in the forward end of the liy, a balance-leverhavingits forward end formed with an im pact-shoulder and an operating-face for eoaction with the upper end of the jack, and a ham mer-lever pivotally connected with the hammer-rail and having its forwardly-projeoting` end articulated with the rearwardlyextending end of the balaneedever.

3. In a piano-action, the combination with a key, of a hammer-rail, a fly connected at its rear end to the said rail, a jack mounted in the forward end of the fly, a balancedever adapted at its forward end to coaet with the upper end of the jack, a hammer-lever oon nectod with the balance-lever, a regulatingscrew carried by the j aok, and a stop mounted upon the forward end of the fly, and eoaetiug with the said regulating-screw for limiting the outward or forward movement of the jack with respect to the forward end of the balance-lever.

4. In a piano-action, the combination with a key, of a ham mer-rail, a dy connected therewith and operated by the key, a jack mounted in the forward end of the iy, a ham mer-lever,- and a balance-lever connected with the hammer-lever and having its forward end yprovided with a beveled operating face over which the upper end of the jack moves outward or forward in the operation of the action.

5. In a piano-action, 'the combination with a key, of a hammer-rail, a y connected at its rear end to the said rail, a jack mounted in' MORRIS STEIN ERT.

Witnesses:

FREDERIC C. EARLE, LILLIAN D. KELSEY.

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