US711158A - Pneumatic motor for mechanical musical instruments. - Google Patents

Description

'Patbnted Oct. I4, I902,

(Application filed lept'. 1Q, 1901.\

2 Shanta-:Shat I.

(Nu Iodal.)

Indeni'of No. 7||,|5s. Patented Oct. I4, 1902-.

u. r. HALL. PNEUMATIQ MDTOR'FOR MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

, (Application filed se t. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY FLETCHER HALL, OFCAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PNEUMATIC MOTOR FORMECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 711,158, dated October 14, 1902.

Application filed September 12, 1901. Serial No. 75,241. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LHENRY FLETCHER HALL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Motors for Mechanical Musical Instruments; 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 pneumatic motors for mechanical musical instruments and the like, and is more particularly adapted for use in operating the musicsheet rolls of self-playing instruments.

The object of my invention is to provide a motor of the class specified having a rotary shaft connected to the several pneumatics, a rotary valve actuated by said shaft to connect the said pneumatics individually and successively with the main bellows and with. the atmosphere, a graduated tempo-slide in-' terposed between the rotary valve and the main bellows to produce even and uniform variations in the speed of the motor-shaft, a rewind mechanism for reversing the travel of the music-sheet without changing the direction of rotation of the motor, and connections between the rewind mechanism and the temposlide, whereby when said rewind is actuated the tempo-slide will be opened fully to drive the motor at its maximum speed to enable the rewindin g to be accomplished at a greater speed than the unwinding.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the motor and appurtenant devices employed in connection with the music-sheet rolls of an automatic musical instrument. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the motor. Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections on lines 3 3 and 4 4, respectively, of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail View of the rotary valve. Fig. 6 is a section on line 6 6, of Fig. 4.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, A represents a shelf or support on which the motor mechanism is mounted. It is of course obvious that said shelf orsupport A may be attached to the instrument or apparatus to be actuated by standards or brackets of any approved or convenient form. So cured adjacent to one end of the shelf A is a block B, which in turn supports a channelblock 0, upon the top of which are mounted the bellows or pneumatics D, D, D and D Through the body of the block 0 is a series of parallel channels at, d,d and (1 which are in communication with the corresponding pneumatics D, D, D and D The block 13 is provided with a series of channels 6, 6', e and c opening into the channels d, (1, (Z and (Z respectively, in the block 0, and said channels 6, 0, c and e terminate in orifices opening through the side of the block B and circularly disposed with reference to a bearing 0, which receives the end of a crank-shaft I, said crank-shaft being journaled in an opposite standard 0, which supports the block 0. The block B is also provided with a circular series of small orifices e, which are arranged concentric with the bearing. c and between it and the terminal orifice of the channels 6, c, 6 and c Said perforations a pass through the block and establish communication between the cham ber H of the valve II and the enlarged rectangularchamber E on the opposite face of the block 13, which chamber. is in communication with the wind chest or exhauster designed to operate the pneumatics D, D, D and D The several pneumatics D, D, D and D are connected with cranks on the shaft I by pitment', 2', 2' and i and as said cranks are regularly disposed on the shafts in quadrature it will be seen that as each pneumatic is exhausted it will impart a rotary motion through its particular crank to the shaft. Secured to the shaft I is a circular valve I-I, engaging block B and having two cavities or recesses H H in its face, the former of which recesses is generally segmental in shape, with an annular extension 11 embracing the central boss H of the valve, while the latter recess H is that of a segment of an annulus and'isprovided with a series of orifices H As thevalve I-I rotates the larger recessed portion H connects the channels leading to the several pneumatics D, D, D and D successively with the perforations e and thence, by way of the chamber E and outlet G and connecting-pipe G, to the wind chest or exhauster.

The function of the smaller recess ,exhauster I provide a tempo-regulator F,

which is, in effect, a throttle-valve and which comprises a thin flat plate preferably of vulcanite or indurated fiber which passes through a suitable slot in the end of block B and hasan air-tight seating between two thin packing-strips f f which are preferably faced with felt or similar material to make an airtight joint with the slide. The valve F is provided with a perforation F generally elliptical in form, which communicates with a gradually-flaring longitudinal perforation F, as shown more particularly in Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be observed that there is a slight space left between the face of the throttle-valve or tempo-slide and the adjacent wall of chamber E, inwhich the orifices e terminate, and, further, that in the position shown communication is completely shut off between said channels 6 and the portion of the chamber E which communicates with the outlet G. Upon withdrawing the tempo-slide the orifice or port F will pass beyond the seating-strips f f and establish communication between the pneumatics and the wind-chest. Further and successive outward movement of the slide will gradually increase the amount of the opening F, which is interposed in the path of the air from the pneumatics to the exhauster, and thereby gradually and evenly increase the speed of the motor. A corresponding inward or closing movement of the slide will produce a steady and gradual reduction of the speed of the motor until the slide-is fully closed, when the motor will stop.

Fixed to the shaft I-is a sprocket I, which is geared to a corresponding sprocket on a counter-shaft I. Said shaft I is journaled at one end in a bearing Kin such manner as to permit the shaft to have a slight vertical movement about said bearing K. The opposite end of the shaft I is journaled in a sliding plate P, which is secured to the standard K by screws P P, which engage suitable slots in said plate P. To the end of said shaft I is secured a pinion 1 which is normally held in engagement with the driving-gear M of the usual take-up roll M. The plate P is held in its elevated position to cause pinion I to engage gear I by means of a flat spring T, which bears against the lower end of said plate P. It will thus be apparent that as the shaft I is rotated by the successive exhaustion of the pneumatics D, D, D", and D it will impart a rotary movement to the shaft 1 which'in turn actuates the take-up roll M through the intermediate gearing, whereby the music-sheet is unwound from the roll L onto said roll M in the ordinary and wellslide by a pin 3.

known manner; A' second sprocket I is mounted upon the shaft I andis connected by a sprocket-chain 1 to a small sprocketwheel J, loosely mounted upon the stub-shaft J, which carries one end of the music-roll L. Secured to the face of the sprocket-wheel J is a clutch portion J which is adapted to engage a mating portion J fast to said stubshaft J. An annular recess about said clutch member J 2 receives the fork o of a shifting lever O, which lever is pivoted at o to a bracket on the standard K. Extending laterally from the lever O is a finger 0, which engages the top of the slide P, so that when the lower end of the lever O is moved to the right the finger 0' will force the slide P downward against the tension of spring T and disengage the pinion I from the gear M at the same time the clutch member J is moved to the left into engagement with its mating member J and the roll L is actuated in a direction to rewind the music-sheet. The actuating means for the shifting lever 0 comprises a link Q and a lever B, pivoted at some appropriate point on the supporting mechanism, as at R, which lever B terminates in a thumb-piece 0, extending above the shelf A.

For the purpose of operating the temposlide to regulate the speed of the motor, and consequently the time of the music, I provide a bell-crank lever S, which is pivoted to the shelf A at s and is connected to the tempo- The opposite end of the bell-crank lever S is provided with a projecting pin S, which engages a slotted cam S and said cam is reciprocated'to rock the bellcrank S by means of a rod S which terminates in a knob or handle S which is secured to the upturned end of said rod S which passes through a suitable slot in the shelf A. As the rod S is moved to the right the cam S engaging the pin S of the bell-crank lever S, causes said lever to move the tempo-slide in a direction to open the passage between the pneumatics and .the exhauster, as above described. Moving said. rod in the opposite direction will of course have the eifect to gradually close the tempo-slide.

In order to increase the speed of the rewind mechanism over the maximum speed of the take-up roll, I employ in addition to the multiplying sprocket-gear I I, and J means for fully opening the tempo-slide when the rewind mechanism is thrown into operation and at the same time establishing a connection by way of said tempo-slide between the pneumatics and the main bellows or wind-chest. At B in Fig. 1 I have shown a passage which leads directly to the main bellows or exhauster, which passage is closed when the motor is running normally-bya suitable valve connected by the rods r r to the shifting lever B of the rewind mechanism. On the rod S I provide a pin or like projection S", which lies in the path of the lever in the forward movement of the latter, so that when said lever B is shifted to throw the rewind mechanism into operation it engages the pin S and moves the rod S in a direction to fully open the tempo-slide and at the same time opens the valve connected to the rods 1' 1- which establishes a communication through the passage B between the pneumatics l), D, D and D and the main bellows, so that the motor is driven at a highly-increased speed during the rewinding of the musicsheet.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a pneumatic motor for mechanical musical instruments and the like, the combination of a main block havinga series of longitudinal channels therein, a series of pneumatics mounted on one face of said block and communicating with said channels, a second block provided with a series of channels forming continuations of said longitudinal channels and terminating in ports opening in the side of said second block, a chamber in said second block connected with a wind-chest and having orifices adjacent to the said ports, and a rotary valve engaging the side of said second block to control communication between the pneumatics and the Wind-chest.

2. In a pneumatic motor for mechanical musical instruments and the like, the combination of a main block having a series of longitudinal channels therein, a series of pneumatics mounted on one face of said block and communicating with said channels, a second block provided with aseries of channels forming continuations of said longitudinal channels and terminating in ports opening in the side of said second block, a chamber in said second block connected with a wind-chest and having orifices adjacent to the said ports, a shaft operated by said pneumatics, and a rotary valve on said shaft engaging the side of said second block, said valve having an airinlet and a recess to connect the respective pneumatics with the atmosphere and with the wind-chest successively.

3. In a pneumatic motor for mechanical musical instruments and the like, the combination of a main block having a series of longitudinal channels, each opening through the top of said block at one end and through the bottom of the block at the other end, a series of pneumatics on the top of said block and communicating with the longitudinal channels, a second block secured at right angles to the main block and having a series of channels connecting with the channels in the main block and terminating in ports in the side of said second block, a shaft operated by said pneumatics and having a bearing centrally disposed with respect to said ports, said second block also having a chamber connected to a wind-chest and a series of orifices opening through its side between the shaft-bearing and the ports, and a rotary valve on said shaft engaging the side of said second block to control communication between the pneumatics and the wind-chest.

4. In a pneumatic motor for mechanical musical instruments and the like, the combination of a block having longitudinal airpassages, a series of pnenmatics on one side of said block communicating with said passages, a second block having channels communicating with said passages and terminating in lateral ports in said second block, said second block also having a chamber connected to the wind-chest and opening through the second block adjacent to the said ports, a rotary shaft operatively connected with said pneumatics, a valve on said shaft having a recess and an air-inlet in its face engaging the side of said second block adapted to suecessively connect said pneumatics with the wind-chest and with the atmosphere, alternately, and a regulator-slide in said second block controlling the flow of air to said Windchest.

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

H. FLETCHER HALL. Witnesses:

FRANK E. RILEY, EDWARD L. RAND.

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