US673027A - Keyed cithern. - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 30, I90I.

J. PARDUBA.

KEYED CITHERN.

(Application filed June 26, 1900.)

II II H II LILJI H II LII IL IL I1 II II II I UNITED STATES PATENT @rEicE.

JOHN PARDUBA, or NEwYonK, N. Y.

KEYED CITHERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,027, dated April 30, 1901.

Application filed June 26, 1900.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN PARDUBA, a citizen of the Empire of Austria-I-Iungary,residing in New York, in the borough of Manhattan and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Keyed Oitherns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention'relates to keyed citherns; and the object of the invention is to provide a cithern of this style which may be played in much the same manner as a piano and which is comparatively simple in construc tion and in which the successive operations of sounding and damping the strings are effectively and reliably performed, so that a superior musical instrument of this class is furnished.

The invention consists of a cithern provided with spring-actuated keys, each key being provided with a spring-actuated picker and a damping device on said picker; and the invention consists, further, in certain details of construction and combinations of parts,which will be more fully described hereinafter and finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan View of a cithern embodying my in vention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on line 2 2, Fig. 1,.drawn in a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through one of the keys provided with two pickers, and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are similar views showing a key provided with one picker in successive positions before and after sounding a string.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a cithern-body of the usual construction, and B a bridge extending transversely across the strings O at the front of the instrument. The strings G are secured in the usual manner to fastening-pins c at the front of the instrument and pass over an adjacent scale-rib d and thence to tuning-pins d at the rear of the instrument. Below the bridge B is arranged a key-rail D, which is supported at the ends upon the cithern-body and which carries the rear ends of a number of keys E. The keys are pivoted at their rear ends to the key-rail D and actuated by a spring I), that is attached Serial No. 21,632. (No model.)

to the key-rail D and that presses on the under side of each key E, as shown in Fig. 2. The key-rail is recessed for the rear ends of the keys, which are applied to a pivot-wire b, retained by metallic plates a on the key-rail, said plates being of L-shaped cross-section and each retained on the key-rail by a clamping-screw a. The outer end of each keylever is made of less thickness than the middle part and forms the key proper and may be faced at its under side with a felt strip 0'. The curved middle portion 6 of the key is preferably provided with figures and letters corresponding to the tone of the string which the particular key sounds when depressed, so that the instrument can be played according to the usual notation or according to an arbitrary notation expressed in figures. A stop-rail F, supported in any suitable manner and provided with a felt strip 0, serves to limit the downward movement of the keys. Each key-lever is provided at its under side with two lugs e, which are connected by a pin 6 to which is pivoted a picker 6 each picker being composed of an angular portion 8 having a backwardly-bent sleeve-shaped rear end 6 and an upwardly-extending arm e ,which is engaged by a suitable india-rubber or other spring 6 by which the picker is returned into normal position after having passed the string on the upward movement of the key. The picker is bent up of one piece of metal and provided with a filling f, of felt, that is located in the angular portion of the picker, and with a piece of felt f, placed upon the angular portion, the piecef serving to render the picker elastic and the piece f serving as a damper when the picker contacts with the string on the upward motion of the key, as shown in Fig. '7. The keys which sound the accompanying chords are preferably provided with two pickers, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to engage two strings at one time.

When the instrument is to be operated, the keys at the right-hand side, which sound the leading strings, are depressed,-so as to play the air of the piece, and the keys for the accompanying strings are depressed either siinultaneously or intermittently with the keys for the leading strings. During the depression of the key the inclined end of the picker passes over the string, and as the picker does not yield on the downward movement produces the vibration of the string and then passes below the same. The key is raised by the spring 5 into normal position, and there by the picker also raised above the string, as shown successively in Figs. 4:, 5, and 6. During the return the damper f contacts with the string and clamps it and the picker swings 011 its pin, thereby permitting the angular portion of the picker to pass the string and swinging the arm 6 outwardly against the tension of the spring 6 the latter returning the picker into normal position immediately the same has passed the string.

My improved cithern has the advantage that it can be played as a piano by any one familiar with that instrument and that the effectiveness of the cithern is greatly increased over the ordinary method of playing by means of a plectrum.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A cithern provided with spring-actuated keys, each key being provided with a springactuated picker, and a damping device on said picker, substantially as set forth.

2. A cithern provided with a plurality of piv oted and spring-actuated keys, each key being provided with a laterally-movable and spring-actuated picker applied to its under side, each picker having an angular portion, and a damping device secured to the picker above the angular portion of the same, substantially as set forth.

3. The com bination,\vith a cithern, of a keyrail supported on the same transversely of the strings, a number of pivoted and spring-actuated keys pivoted to said key-rail, some of the keys being provided with one pivoted and springactuated picker, and others of the keys provided each with two pickers for engaging simultaneously two strings of the instrument, and damping devices on said pickers, substantially as set forth.

4. A cithern provided with a plurality of pivoted and spring-actuated keys, some of said keys being provided each with a single pivoted and spring-actuated picker, and others of said keys being provided each with two of said pickers, and damping devices secured one to each picker, the pickers and damping devices of each two-picker key being adapted to pick simultaneously and damp simultaneously the two strings controlled by said key, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention 1 have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN PARDUBA.

\Vitnesses:

PAUL GoErEL, M. H. WUR'IZEL.

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