US801797A

US801797A - Pianissimo device.

Info

Publication number: US801797A
Application number: US22757704A
Authority: US
Inventors: Peter Krumscheid
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1904-10-07
Filing date: 1904-10-07
Publication date: 1905-10-10
Anticipated expiration: 1922-10-10

Description

PATENTED OUT. 10, 1905.

P. KRUMSOHEID.

PIANI$SIMO DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 7. 1904.

\ JEHTEIP.

WITHEEEE: cfiw Mam PETER KRUMSOHEID, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANISSIIVIO DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed October '7, 1904. Serial No. 227,577.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETER KRUMsoHnID, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pianissimo Devices, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to that part of a pianoaction that is connected to and governed by the soft pedal; and it consists in a peculiar mechanism by which the movement of the soft pedal is transmitted to the jack, causing the said jack to release the hammer partially before the adjustable stop on the regulating-rail begins to act, the object being to improve and simplify this feature of a pianoforte-action. This object I attain by the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation, showing a key, wippen, hammer, and connecting parts with my improvements attached; Fig. 2, details.

The drawings show the action of a grand piano; butI do not confine my device to this kind of a piano, as it will apply with a slight and obvious modification to an upright-action.

The hammer, wippen, key, and connected parts need not be especially described, as they may be of any approved style and make.

My improvement is in connection with the jack and may be described as follows: The jack A is pivoted to the support at B and has an arm O, as usual. My improvement in this case consists in the downward extension I), which is provided with a V-shaped recess E. Arms F are attached to the rod H, which extends in front of all of the wippens and is connected at its ends and intermediately, if desired, to rocker-arms K. These rocker-arms K are attached to a rocker-shaft L, which is journaled in the brackets, in which it turns freely. K is an arm extending from the rocker-shaft and is constructed to be operated by the lifting-rod R, which in turn is acted upon by the soft pedal T.

The operation of my invention may be explained'gas follows: When the piano is played in its full tone-that is, independently of the soft pedal the jack A will strike the hammerbutt P on the hammer-shank S with its full efiect inasmuch as it strikes the butt directly under its center, as shown in full lines. The arms F, which are very elastic and yielding,

do not extend quite to the end of the V-shaped recess E, so that the jack in its upward movement will not be affected by these arms when the soft pedal is not on. When it is desired to use my soft-pedal device, the pedal is depressed, thus throwing up the lifting-rod R, which, acting upon the arm K, the rockershaft L, the arms K, and the rod H, will force the yielding arms F F against the inner end of the recess E, and thus throw thelower end of the jack back and the upper end forward and out from immediately under the center of the butt P, as indicated by dotted lines. Now as the jack is thrown upward by the key its upper end will quickly slide out from under the center of the butt P, and thus partially release the hammer and lessen the blow to the degree desired. As the jack is thrown farther up to complete its stroke the arm C comes in contact with the regulating-button N and its upper end will be thrown entirely away from the butt, thus giving a complete release. Since the arms F are so constructed and inclined that their ends will not come incontact with the ends of the V-shaped recesses soon enough to act upon the jack until the required amount of motion has taken placeand as they yield upwardly, they do not prevent the arm 0 from comingin contact with the regulatingbutton N.

I claim In a pianissimo device a fixed regulatingbutton; a jack and mechanism connecting said jack with a soft pedal whereby the action of the said soft pedal will prevent. the said jack from acting with fulleifect upon the hammerbutt; and said soft pedal; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 4th day of October, A. I). 1904.

PETER KRUMSOHEID.

WVitnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, J OI-IN BUCKLER.