US727725A - Automatic playing attachment for musical instruments. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTBD' MAY l2 P. WULIN. AUTCMATI-C PLAIIINCr ATTACHMENT ICN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 23, 1902. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

N0 MODEL.

PATBNTBD MAY I2, 1903.

P. WNLIN. AIITQMATIG PLAYING ATTAGHMNNIIOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIATION FILED DEO. Z3, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-7SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES w Patented. May 12, 1903.

PATENT GEEICE.

PETER WELIN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,725, dated May 12, 1903.

Application filed December 23, 1902.A Serial No. 136,351. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER WELIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Automatic Playing Attachment for Musical Instruments, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to that class of automatic musical instruments which are operated by pneumatic tension and which are usually controlled by a perforated rn usic-sheet or strip of perforated paper.

The especial object of this invention is to more perfectly subdivide the operating'mechanisms of automatic instruments of this class, so that each note will be controlled by a distinct element or train of operative parts, eachVV of which is independently detachable and may be removed without affecting the other operative elements for the remaining notes.

To these ends this invention consists of the parts and the combinations of parts, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this speciication.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of suicient parts of an automatic musical instrument to illustrate the application of my invention thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the detachable elements, each of which includes a main pneumatic and the valves for controlling the same. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the arms carried by each pneumatic. Fig. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the main pneumatic detached from its valve-box. Fig. 5 isa bottom perspective view of the middle and upper sections of a valve-box, and Fig. 6 isa perspective View of the bottom section of a valve-box.

In the ordinary construction of automatic musical instruments of that class to which this invention relates it has heretofore ordinarily been impossible to obtain access to any one of the main pneumatics or to any one set of valves controlling such a pneumatic without dismantling the entire stack of main pneumatics and of controlling-valves therefor. To avoid this objection, I have shown a construction in a companion application for patent filed May 3, 1902, Serial No. 105,766, in

Vparts of the instrument.

which each of the main operatin g-pneu matics formsa detachable element which may be re'- moved without displacing the other operative It has also been proposed in some other constructions to employ sectional structures for the controllingvalves and primarypneumatics which will permit any one set of controlling-valves to be removed without displacing the other sections. The especial object of my present inventionis to extend this principle of sectional construction so that instead of simply being able to remove a main pneumatic or a section containing one set of controlling-valves an instrument constructed according to my invention will comprise a plurality of detachable elements, each of which contains within itself an entire controlling train for one note-that is, the main or motor pneumatic, the valves controlling the main or motor pneumatic, and the primary or actuating pneumatics for said valves.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a detail description of an apparatus embodying my invention, T designates the ordinary tracker-board or music-ran ge over which the sheet of perforated paper is drawn. The tracker-board T is provided with holes for cooperating with the perforations of the musicsheet, and extending down from each of the tracker-board holes is a small pipe P, which connects to a channel or perforation in a base-board B. The upper part of the baseboard B is provided with a suction-chamber, and openin g through the rear side of the baseboard B into this suction-chamber are the openin gs or suction-holes E. The detachable elements, each one of which combines in itself the operating-train for a single note, are detachably secured to the base-board B. Each of these elements, as herein illustrated, comprises a valve-box 10, with a main pneumatic 11, carried by and directly supported upon the valve-box. The movable section of each main pneumatic 11 is provided with a counecting-arm 15, which operates a springpressed lever through a connecting rod or wire 17, having the buttons 18 threaded thereon. The lever 16 is connected to strike or sound the note through any ordinary connections.

IOO

In practice l have applied my construction to an action located inside of a piano-casing.

The rear ends of the lever 16 and the operating-arm 15 are slotted and countersunk to receive the connecting-wire 17. I regard this as a desirable form ot attachment, as it permits the connecting-Wire 17 to be laterally displaced whenever one of the detachable elements is to be removed.

The clamping mechanism for holding the detachable elements in place may be of any desired construction, and, as herein illustrated, this mechanism comprises clamping bolts or wires 13, with a cross-bar 14, which may be clamped in place by nuts threaded onto the bolts 13. By means of this construction by loosening the claInping-bolts and laterally displacing the connecting-Wires 17 an elelnent containing a complete train of operating devices may be removed for repair or replacement, and I regard this as the essential and controlling feature of the automatic musical instrument constructed according to my invention, as it permits a much more perfect and reliable system of repairs than any of the other instruments of this class-that is to say, automatic musical instruments of the class to which this invention relates are frequently installed and used at considerable distances from the factory where they are produced, and it results from this that whenever an automatic instrument of this class needs to be repaired or renovated either the entire instrument has to be shipped back to the factory or else the repairs have to be made by unskilled labor and always without proper tools and littings. By the use of my construction, however, whenever any one note failsv to operate properly its entire train of operating mechanism may be removed as a single unitary element and shipped back to the factory for repairs, while at the same time by providing a few spare elements for replacing those Which are taken out for repairs the instrument may be kept in perfect order even While the repairs are being eected.

The detail construction of the operating parts contained in each of the detachable elements is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 to 6, inclusive, As shown, each valve-box comprises a lower section 20, containing a channel 21 for connection with the tracker-board channel. Secured on top of the section 20 is a suction-chamber section 22, havinga chamber 23 for connection with the suction-chan- -nel E of the base-board B. Secured on top of the section 22 is a section 31, containing the controlling-valves. These three sections, as Well as the bottom section of the main pneumatic, are fastened together with four screws, as indicated by dotted lines. The channel 21 for the base-section is connected with the suction-chamber 23 through the 0rdinary bleeding-passage 24, so that an air tension is ordinarily maintained in the channel 21 except when a perforation passes the opening in t-he tracker-board corresponding with this particular note, when an impulse of air will be admitted through the channel 21 to operate the primary pneumatic 25. The primary pneumatic 25 closes a normally open valve 26 and opens a Valve 27 to connect a chamber or passage 28 with the atmosphere. The passage or chamber 23, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5, is connected by channels 29 and 30 to a controlling-pneumatic 32, so as to admit an air impulse to operate the pneumatic 32 to raise the valve 33, shutting the connection between the main pneumatic and the atmosphere and opening a connection made in the construction of automatic mu sical instruments without departing from the scope of my invention as expressed in the claims. I do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the construction I have herein shown and described; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination in an automatic musical instrument of a main pneumatic, a controlling-pneumatic, and valves therefor, said parts being combined in an element detachably secured in place, so that the same may be removed without otherwise dismantling the construction.

2. The combination in an automatic musical instrument of a main pneumatic and controlling means for the main pneumatic, comprising a valve, a valve-operating pneumatic, and a primary pneumatic controlling the valve-operating pneumatic, said parts being combined to form a detachable element, which may be removed Without otherwise dismantling the machine.

3. As an article of manufacture, a detachable element for automatic musical instruments, comprising a valve-box, and a main pneumatic connected to and carried by the valve-box, said valve-box containing a valve, a valve-operating pneumatic, and a primary pneumatic controlling the valve-operating pneumatic.

4. In an automatic musical instru`ment,the combination of a base-board, a Valve-box detachably secured to the base-board, a main pneumatic mounted upon and carried by the valve-box, a lever or part to be operated, an arm carried by the movable section of the main pneumatic, and a connecting-wire fitting into slots in the arm and part, to be 0p- IOC IIO

1o Wire fitting into slots in the operating arm and piece to be operated respectively and nuts or abutments threaded onto the endsv of the connecting-wire. i

In testimony whereof I havehereulnto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing l5 witnesses.

. P. WELIN. Y Witnesses:

PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE, LOUIS W. SOUTHGATE.

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