US846268A - Violin-piano. - Google Patents

Description

No. 846,268. PATNNTND MAN. 5, 1907..y

I. II.. WATSON. VIOLIN PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 61906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED MAR. 5. A907.VY

LH. WATSON. VIULIN PIANO.

APPLIOATION PILED JAN. 6, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907 P. H. WATSON.

VIULIN PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED mlm, 190e..

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 NkNml mk HK ATTORNEYS 1HE Namws Ps1-Ens 20 wnsnmcmn. D, c.

FRANK HILLIARD WATSON, OF HUNTINGDON, TENNESSEE.

VIOLIN-PIANO.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Batented March 5, 1907.

Application filed January 6,1906. Serial No. 294,924..

T0 cir/ZZ whom t 71am/ concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HILLIARD WAT- sON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Huntingdon, in the county of Carroll and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and Improved Violin-Piano, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to musical instruments in which a traveling resinous band is moved against the strings on the operator playing the keys of the keyboard.

The obfect of the invention is to provide a new and improvedV violin-piano which is simple and durable in construction and arranged to insure the proper sounding of the treble and bass strings and to allow of conveniently placing the resinous band in position.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a cross-section of the improvement on the line l l of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a reduced plan view showing separate grooved rollers carrying separate resinous bands or belts for sounding the treble and bass strings of the piano. Fig. .4 is an enlarged plan view of the improvement. Fig. 5 is an enlarged crosssection of a rail and the means for pressing the endless band against the strings. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the driving device for the rollers over which pass the endless bands. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the means for pressing an endless band against a string, the means being in front when the key is pressed.

The treble strings A and the bass strings A are stretched in the usual manner over the sounding-board B of the piano, and the ends of the said strings are connected with the tuning-pins C and the hitch-pins C, of which the tuning-pins are mounted in the usual manner in the wrest-plank D, while the A hitch-pins C are secured on a metallic support D', both the wrest-plank D and the support D being secured in the usual manner to the back frame E of the piano, the several parts described being arranged within a suitable casing F. Now in order to sound the treble strings A and the bass strings A two separate and distinct resinous bands or belts G and G are provided, passing over grooved rollers H and H', provided at their ends with pulleys H2 H3, over which pass belts HA1 H5, (see Fig. 6,) also passing over pulleys H6 H7, secured to a crank-shaft HS, adapted to be turned by suit able pedal mechanism H9 or by a motor or the like.

By reference to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the pulleys H2 Hs are differently proportioned relative to the pulleys H3 H7, so that when the shaft HS is turned the rollers H H are rotated at different speeds of a predetermined ratio, so that a traveling motion vis given to the endless belts or bands G and G at a corresponding speed. The band G is preferably narrow in comparison to the broader band G, and the roller H is preferably rotated at ahigher rate of speed than the roller H to insure a proper sounding of the treble strings A and the bass strings A', respectively.

It is understood that for sounding the treble strings A in the proper manner it is desirable to have a comparatively narrow or light resinous band traveling at a high rate of speed, and for properly sounding the bass strings A a broader or heavier band traveling at a lower rate of speed is desirable.

The rollers H and H are j ournaled in removable bearings H10 toallow of conveniently removing either roller H or H through a suitable opening F in the corresponding endof the casing F. By this arrangement the replacing of a worn-out band by a new one can be facilitated.

Each of the bands G and G also passes over pulleys I, liournaled in bearings I, secured to the rear face of a rail J, made in sections, one for each band G G, each section being mounted to slide transversely on rods J secured to the back frame E of the piano, and each section of the said rail J is pressed in a forward direction by springs J 2, coiled on the rods J. The forward ends of the rods J are screw-threaded to receive thumb-nuts J3 to allow of regulating the position of the sections of the rail J, with a view to hold the bands G and G taut and also to allow of moving the sections of the rail J inwardly when it is desired to replace a worn-out band G or G by a new one. However, each of the IOO sections of tho rail .l is pressed forwardly by the springs di?, so as to hold the eorresponding band. (l or taut.

Each olE the pulleys l is set approximately at an. angle ot l'orty-iiye degrees (see rigs. t, 2, and l) to allow the upper run olI a band (i or G to pass transversely and at rigl to the soun(ling-board ll l'rom pulley l. to the top ol the eturesponding roller l'l and. ll and on ono side oll the string. the

bottom run oll the baud` returning and passing :trom the bottom ot the roller ll and ll/ to the bottom oll the next l`ollo\\'ing pulley l. At the ends ol eaeh roller ll or lll the band (l or G passes over separate pulleys l?, iournaled in brackets l, attached to the eorresponding seetion ol the rail l, the band extending trom one pulley l to the other, so that a oontinuous trayeling motion is giyen to the eorrespomling band (l or t/ on rotatt lng the roller lt or ll, and the upper runs ot the bands G and (r/ extend. elose to a correspondingstring A or and at right angles thereto. run ol` the band (t and t/ gradually in engagement with its string il or ,Y to sound the saine the lollowing arrangement is made: l

friction-roller li is adapted to engage the up- 5 per run ol the band (l or to press the said uwer run in. eneaeeimnt with the eorre-L spending string il or it, and the said lrietionroller l is piurmiled in an arm ly. attaelied to or .torming part ot a rock-shalt lil. disposed yertieally and mounted to turn in suitabley bearings lf. arranged on a rail li, seeured by braeliets lf to the easing lw or to the bael traine l5. lhe shalt; li] is pressed by a torsion-spring li. to normally hold the friction-roller li. out oll engagement with the upper run. ot the band (l or tif. and on the lower end ot the roeli-sha'l't li? seeured a grooved pulley N, on which winds a belt or l oordv NQ connected. with a hook-bolt X?, held in a. loyer t), it'ulerumed on the rail li, eaeh hook-bolt N2 ljieing proyided with a nut butting against the leyer G, so as to allow adjustment ot the hooly-bolt and the. oord. N to bring the rook-shi tt .lf3 normally in proper positionthat is. with the 'trietion-roller K out ol engagement with the upper run ol.E the band (l or tt. swinging motion is giy'en to the leyer t), then the eord Nl pulls on the pulley N to turn the shatt; lit againt the tension ol the spring l to more the trietion-roller .li in engagement with the upper run ol the band ttf .so as to press the said upper run against the string t y it angles the op ol' the Now in order to moye this upper E lllhen. howeyer, an upward- 1 owing to the trayel t former. Now when the liey P lis pressed then an upward-swinging inotion is giyen to the leyer t) to roel the shalt lig with :t yiew to press tlse upper run ot the band or t in engagement with the etu'responding treble or bass .string or to sound the same. The 'iaelf-roeler (Y: is proyided with a damper-springtl", engaging a damper-lewr tl, e: rrying the usual damper (V, normally enging the string or it being understood at on pressing the piano-hey l) the damper mo\ed out ol: engagement with the string at the time the string is engaged and sounded by the eorresponding upper run ol: the band t? or (gl/ when the instrument is in use7 a. eontinuous rotary motion is given to the rollers ll and ll, as prtwiously deseribed.. so that the bands and G are caused to trayel at a. dil'- lierent rate ot speed with the upper runs oli the said bands adjaeent to the eorresponding l strings A\ and it. rl"he perl'ormer on pressing l the keys l) eauses the eorrespmiding runs to be l'oreed oyerinengagement with the strings it and so as to soundl the same in liart mony with the keys pressed. l As shown in Fig. l, the rollers ll and ll/ are located direetlv under the rest-plank l) and between the strings ,Y and the baeltrame E. By this eonstruetion an exreedl ingly eo'mpaet sounding deyiee is proyided jwhieh talies up eomparatiyely little room and at the same time brings the sounding deyiee in the same relation to the strings to properly sound the same. ly making the eonneetion between the leys l) and the roel(- shz'rtt lijf in. the manner deseribed `very little ypower required on the part olE the per- Ylormer to leep the band (l or G in engagei ment with a string i alter the eorresponding key is pressed-that is7 yery little power is l required to hold the liey in a` pressed position. as then the arm li stands approximately at right angles to the band (et or (l. (See Fig. 7.) ll'hen the player releases the pressed key, the spring l returns the shalt ligand arm l to normal position to release y the band G or G.

The yiolin-piano shown and deseribed is yery simple and durable in eonstruetion/y Composed olt Compa-ratiyely lew parts not liable to get easily out ot order.

llaying thus deseribed my in'reiitioii7 l e aim as new and desire to seeure by Letters Patentl l. it yiolin-piano provided with a narrow l ga t i resinous trayeling band i'or engagennnt with the treble strings and a. broad resinous band lior engagement with the bass strings.

2. A yiolin-piauo haying a resinous trayeling' band lor engagement with the` stringsj a plurality ot inclined pulleys over whieh passes tl e said band, and a remoyable grooyed and driven .roller lor the said band.

3. A Violin-piano haring a resinous travel- IOS ing band i'or engagement with the strings, a plurality of inclined pulleys over which passes the said band7 and a removable grooved and driven roller jr'or the said band,

the latter extending transverse of the sounding-board and the said roller being arranged below the wrest-plank and between the strings and the back post of the violin-piano.

4. A violin-piano provided with an endless band for`r sounding the piano-strings, a grooved roller over which passes the band, inclined pulleys over which passes the said band, supports for the pulleys extending at one side thereof and means for keeping the said band taut.

5. A violin-piano provided with an endless band` for sounding the piano-strings, a grooved roller over which passes the band, inclined pulleys over which passes the said band7 bearings for supporting the pulleys and extending at one side thereof and springpressed means for keeping the said band taut.

6. A violin-piano provided with an endless band 'for sounding the piano-strings, a grooved roller over which passes the band, pulleys over which passes the said band, and a spring-pressed movable rail carrying the said pulleys.

7. A violin-piano provided with an endless band for sounding the piano-strings, a grooved roller over which passes the band, pulleys over which passes the said band, a rail carrying the said pulleys7 fixed rods for the rail to slide on7 and springs coiled on the said rodsand pressing the said rail for holding the said band taut.

8. A violin-piano provided with an endless band for sounding the piano-strings, a grooved roller over which passes the band, pulleys over which passes the said band, a rail carrying the said pulleys7 fixed rods ior the rail to slide on, springs coiled on the said rods and pressing the said rail for holding the said band taut, and adjusting-nuts screwing on the said rods against the said rail.

9. A violin-piano provided with a casing having an opening in its end, an endless band for sounding the piano-strings, a grooved roller over which passes the band, pulleys over which passes the said band, and removable bearings for removably supporting the said roller to allow of running the roller sidewise through the opening in the end or the piano-casing.

l0. A violin-piano provided with a resinous traveling band for engagement with the strings of the piano, a spring-pressed rockshaft disposed vertically and provided at its upper end with means for engaging the said band to press the latter against a string, a pulley on the lower end of said rock-shaft, a cord passing over the said pulley7 a lever, i an adjustable connection between the lever and the said cord7 and key-controlled means for imparting a swinging movement to said lever.

ll. A violin-piano provided with a resinous traveling band for engagement with the strings ol the piano, a spring-pressed rockshaft disposed vertically, a rail carrying i bearings in which the rock-shaft is mounted to turn, the said rock-shaft being provided at its upper end with means -for engaging the said band to press the latter against a string, a pulley on the lower end of said rock-shaft7 a cord passing over said pulley, key-controlled means for exerting tension on the said cord, the said means including a lever l'ulcrumed on the said rail7 and a device adjustable in the said lever and connected with the cord, and means `for adjusting the said device.

12. A violin-piano provided with a resinous traveling band for engagement with the strings oi the piano, a spring-pressed rocksha'lt, a friction-roller carried by said rockshaft for engaging the band to press the latter against a string7 a pulley on the said rock-shalt, a cord passing over said pulley7 a hook-bolt connected with the cord, a lever in which the hook-bolt is adjustably held, and means controlled by a piano-key for imparting swinging motion to the said lever.

13. A violin-piano provided with resinous traveling bands7 one for engagement with the treble strings, and the other for engagement with the bass strings, rollers over which pass the said bands, means for driving the i rollers at different speeds to cause the band for the treble strings to travel at a higher l rate of speed than the band for the bass l strings, inclined pulleys for the bands, to l pass over and spring-pressed rails carrying i the said pulleys, the rails being located opl posite the corresponding rollers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK HILLIARD VATSON.

litnesses C. M. VATsoN, O. C. GrLEs.

IOO

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