US851894A

US851894A - Key-action.

Info

Publication number: US851894A
Application number: US28947005A
Authority: US
Inventors: Martin Miller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1905-11-28
Filing date: 1905-11-28
Publication date: 1907-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 1924-04-30

Description

PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

M. MILLER.

KEY ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28. 1905.

WITNESSES: lzvl/gzvfo/e 7 A TTOR/VE yS MARTIN MILLER, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

KEY-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

A li ation m d November 28.1905. Serial No. 289.470.

T0 (DZ/Z who/2'1, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Key- Action, of which the following is a s )eciiica tion.

The object of the invention is the provision of certain new and useful improvements in the action, whereby the hammer is permitted to rebound from the string and remain in its inactive position while the free end of the key is depressed. In this connection, it is proposed to materially simplify the action so as to reduce to the minimum the liability of the same getting out of order, and at the same time to insure the prompt and effective response of the hammer to the depression of the key.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view thereof of the key action. Fig. 2 is a view of the action with the key depressed. and the hammer in engagement with the string. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the key depressed with the hammer in its normal position.

Like characters of reference designate cor responding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The sounding element of the present instrument includes a hollow sounding board or box 1 having strings stretched thereon in any suitable or approved manner. It is proposed to support the sounding element in an upright position by means of a base which includes a bottom 2, a back 3, and opposite ends 4, the top and front of the base being open or closed as desired. Each of the ends 4 is provided with an upright slot 5 intersecting its top edge and constituting a seat for the reception of the bottom of the sounding element, whereby the latter is supported in an upright position and may be conveniently assembled with the base and removed therefrom without disconnecting any fastening devices.

In connection with the sounding board and strings, it is essential, to the most effective operation of the instrument, that each string be struck by its hammer at a point one-seventh of its length from the bottom thereof, wherefore I have provided a construction best shown in Fig. 5 of the drawhand end of the bottom of the sounding ings, wherein it will be noted that the left the adjacent seat 5 and support tne sounding element in an upright position. The strings pass around and are connected to the bottom of the sounding board in any appropriate manner, and are decreased in length from left to right and are proporti ned so that the horizontal striking line of the series of hammers, designated by the dotted line Aii, in Fig. 5, is one-seventh of the length of each string from the lower end of said string.

The hammer 7 of the present invention carried at the upper end of a hammer bar 8 which latter is provided at its lower end with a hammer block 9 fulcrumed upon a horizontal support 10, preferably in the nature of a rod or bar extending between and carried by the ends of the base. Normally, the head of the hammer rests against a stop rail 11 carried by the ends of the body in front of the sounding heard, there being a dead cushion 12 provided upon the rear side of the rail for engagement by the hammer head to prevent rebounding of the hammer therefrom. This cushion consists of a case having a suitable filling, such for instance, as sand. which is non-elastic and therefore the hammer does not tend to rebound from the rail.

For each hammer there is a key 13 of the usual type which is fulcrumed intermediate of its ends upon a rod or bar 14 extending be tween and carried by the ends of the base. The inner free end portion of the key is provided with a longitudinal upright socket or slot 15 in which is disposed an upright jack 16 which has its lower end pivoted within the socket as at 17, there being a spring 18 located in the socket and bearing against the front wall thereof and the front edge of the finger to yieldably maintain the latter in an upright position.

In the normal. condition of the action, as illustrated in Fig. i. of the drawings, the upper end of the finger is received within a seat or notch 19 formed in the lower portion of the front edge of the hammer block 9, with the hammer resting against the cushioned stop rail 11. When the free end of the key is cepressed, as in E driven torward bv the v niv r" -H: 0t pen 0 in tne 110M117, i 9 nntii the shonider or r 1. ,7 the finger or met: 16 out of he notch or s 19, the bioek 9 being out away, as at 20 in order that the ok may continue to rise after it is reiez' so '1 troln the notoh 1O h n the hznniner rebounds from. the spring, the block 9 forces the jack if; ronrn'zn'dl upon its pivotat support 17 in order that said 1 not interfere with the on) the hannne". Upon 'nner one d into 01 h initue'ioe of tripping n t nil/1* from the 1 J 1 .i r0111. ti 1, I seen that the pr snnnte and I tectivo, as t i:

we lie the he; I renm' sound jiYQi1 out by the string 1 or the i2111liner but is stein an d i It Wi l he noted t of the seat 19 is in'gnne the jack 16 so as to oil" or extension at th is of :t ion ongngo to the striking of the hdnnner has the string, as ii Fig. 2, tilClQiJY to force the jack 16 out of the seat Without the f employment The advantage of this feature is to prevent 1 hnn ing of the jack in the seat and, t0 discon- V (t the ke 1nd the imnnnor in. order that the latter may he tree to rebound from the 7 after striking the some.

.Hm'ing thus des is ehi-iniod is:

key action COHLP'I'iSiNQ a key pivotniiy vorted for nn'inuztl operztt attached diroe i to move positively and hodiiy it spring: h airing at one end 2 he 21nd at its other end ugnii'lst and having a tendonor to expand natty of the key or surfaces reotmn uhn'ly dis ate-h other, at Yer nnnvr biOfk pivoted ad the hammer jack, it SL1i Stz1H- mnnner stein zittzu'hod to the :t hznnnier carried by extraneous ibed the invention, Wtlitt to the hev,

on and Uni ,len lly 01on- 1 it the point of merger the convex side U )(1 the side snhstztntinlly "diet niti'i the StGlH of the hznnmer h estiinoin that I claim the foregoing as 1 my on; i have hereto urthxed ni signature esenro o't two witnesses.