US870744A - Stop mechanism for self-playing musical instruments. - Google Patents

Description

No. 870,744. PATBNTED NOV. 12. 1907. B. C. PECK.

STOP MECHANISM FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION nun APB.23,1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fig.1.

No. 870,744. PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

B. c. PEGK. STOP MECHANISM FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS;

APPLICATION FILED APR.23, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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Z5OII UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

BENJAMIN o. PEOK, OF-NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ROTH & ENGELHARDT, OF NEW YORK,

N. Y., A FIRM.

STOP MECHANISM FOR SELF-PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application filed April 23. 1907. Serial No. 369,769.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, BENJAMIN G. PEcK, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Stop Mechanism for Self'Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification. I i

This invention relates to an improved mechanism for opening the power-controlling .switch of an electrically operated piano or similar musical instrument by means of the perforations in the tunesheet. The switch-operating perforations of such sheet are the same as are used for actuating the'tone producers, so

that the width of thesheet need not be increased for the accommodation of additional switch-operating perforations, The construction is such that in order to open the switch, not a single, but two hammeroperating ducts of the tracker-bar must be simultaneously uncovered, said ducts'being so selected as to control adjoining notes which are not sounded simultaneously. If either one of such ducts is uncovered, without uncovering the other duct, the note corresponding thereto will be sounded, but no effect will be had upon the switch. When, however, both ducts are simultaneously uncovered, neither of the notes corresponding thereto will be sounded, but the switch will be opened. In this way the switch" is readily controlled by the sound-producing perforations of the music sheet, while a discord at the end of the music played is prevented.

/ In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the principal parts of my improved stop mechanism; Fig. 2 a rear view of part thereof;

Fig. 3 a vertical section on liiie 33, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a

.35 face view of the auxiliary bellows with the clac k' valve removed; Fig. 5 a similar view showing the parts in a different position; Fig. 6 a section on line 66,

Fig. 7; Fig. '7 alongitudinal section of the auxiliary bellows complete; Fig. 8 a detail of the locking means for the hammer-actuating bellows; Fig. 9 adetail of .part of the duct-bridge and tune-sheet, and Fig. 10 a diagram illustratingthe relative arrangement of the parts. i An auxiliary bellows 10 is arranged intermediate two key-operating bellows 11, 12, and the switch 13. The fixed board 14 of bellows 10 is provided with a pair of ducts 15, 16, that communicate by tubes l7, 18, with primary pneumatics intermediate bellows 11, 12, and bellows l0, and which will be hereinafter 50 more fully described. Ducts 15, 16 open into opposite sides of a common intermediate chamber 19 of board 14, which, in turn, communicates with the interior of bellows 10. Within chamber 19 is contained a movable member shown to consist of a valve or tongue 20 having a felted head 21 which projects across the inner ends of ducts 15, 16. This head is somewhat narrower than the width of chamber 19, and is free to be deflected laterally by suction within either one of ducts 15, 16, so as to draw the valve against such duct and prevent a vacuum to be formed in chamber 19 and bellows 10. If, however, suction simultaneously takes place in both ducts 15, 16, valve 20 will remain centered and suction will thus be produced in chamber 19 and bellows 10, to collapse the latter. This collapse of bellows 10 will actuate the switch 13 by an intermediate pneumatic 30, in manner hereinafter described. i

To fixed board 14 is hinged at 22, a clack-valve 23 influenced by a spring 24 and adapted. to normally 'close the opening of an elbow-shaped air inlet 25 formed in said board. Through the'free end of valve 23 passes the stem of an adjustable button or abutment 26 cooperating with a similar button or abutment 27 of movable board 28. When" bellows 10 is expanded (Fig. 1), valve 23 will close inlet 25. When, however, the bellows is contracted, valve 23 will be opened by buttons 26, 27, to admit air into inlet '25, (Fig. 7). This inlet communicates by tube 29 with a pneumatic 30, so constructed, that when air is-adnritted thereto by tube 29, an exhaust tube 31 will be placed under suction. The pneumatic 30 is preferably of the same construction as that shown in Patent No. 741,072,='granted to A. P. Roth, October 13, 1903.

Briefly stated, a common vacuum chest 32, from which air is constantly exhausted, is adapted to communicate with a channel 33 through a duct 34 controlled by a valve 35. The latter is actuated by a pin '36 on bellows 37, the intei 'ior of which communicates with tube 29 through duct 38'. Thus, if air is admitted to the latter, bellows 37 will expand to open valve 35 and simultaneously close a vent 39. In this way channel 33, and consequently tube 31 which communicates therewith, isplaced under vacuum. Tube 31 corn-' municates, in turn, with a bellows 40 which is adapted to open an electric switch by which the power is cut off from the instrument. This switch is preferably of the construction shown in Patent No. 786,899, grantedto A. I. Hobart, April 11, 1905. It consists, essentially, o f'a switch-knife 41 adapted to engage contacts 42 to close the circuit. When bellows 40 is collapsed, it will, by plunger 43, tilt knife 41 to open the switch and thereby stop the music. Knife 41 is held in its open position by a coin-operated lever 44, until the latter is tilted by the introduction of a coin through chute 45.

The switch-operating device above described may be used on any pneumatic instrument controlled by a music-sheet, the drawings showing it applied to an autopneumatic piano.

ing the switch have, in common with all the other hammer-actuating bellows 46, the functionto normally operate the hammers of the piano by means oi bellcrank 47 and abstract 48. Each of the bellows ll, 12,

- 46, etc., communicates through a tube 49, with a pneumatic 50, which-is in all respects similar to pneumatic 30. These pneumatics are connected by tubes 51 with two adjoining openings 52, 53, of the duct-bridge 54. When either one of these'openings is uncovered by the perforated music-sheet 55, such opening will admit air. into tube 51 and thereby place the tube 49 under suction in manner previously described, so that the hammer-actuating .bellows is collapsed and the note. is sounded. Y 1'; The two neumatics 50 which communicate with bellows 11, 12, respectively, are not only connected to such bellows, but also to bellows lOby the tubes 17 and 18; That is to say, pneumatic 50 of bellows 11 communicates through tube 17 with duct 15, whilev pneumatic 50 of bellows l2 communicates through tube' 18 with duct -16. In this Way, when two adjoining and laterally alined openings in the tune-sheet simultaneously uncover the two' openings 52, 53 of the duct- 4 bridge, air will, through tubes 51, be admitted to pneumatics 50, which will, in turn, simultaneously exhaust air in both of the ducts 15, 16. Inthis way bellows 10 will collapse to admit air through tube 29 into hel lows 37, and thus place tube 31 under suction, whereby bellows .40 will be collapsed .to tilt switch-kniie 41' by plunger 43. The playing of the'instrument will thus be immediatblystopped, which is the result desired.-

Means are provided for-preventing both bello'ws'll, 12;.irom being simultaneously collapsed, so that any discords produced by the simultaneous sounding of the two notes controlled bysaid bellows is prevented at the end of each piece ,ot' music played. These means are as follows: From each of the bellows 11, 12 projects a.hook 56. Intermediate bellows ll, 12 there is iulcrumed to a fixed support 57, a two-arm lever '58-- having cushionecbends 59, which extend acrossth'e paths of hooks 56, and are arranged at a slightdistance therefrom.' If air is exhausted from bellows 11 only, it is free to collapse, by reason of the play of lever 58,

in order to sound the note. In like manner, ii bellows 12 is collapsed alone, its note will be freely sounded. But, if both bellows are. simultaneously exhausted,

they will not collapse suiiiciently'to sound the notesf owing to the engagement"ortheir HGJRsEd with the headed ends 59 of lever 58. In this way the two pneu- " matics 50, 50 which are connected to bellows 11, 12 and also to bellows 10 will either sound one of the notes without sounding the other note, or they will open theswit ch tostop the piano, in which case neither of the notes willbe sounded, H Thus, it will be seen that the perforations of the duct-bridge that normally sound the notes, assume the additional function of shutting 0H the power at the end of thepiece played; without in any way impairing the true and correct rendering of such piece.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a bellows having a pair of ducts, and a valve adapted to be sucked against one and also against the other of said ducts, substantlally as specified.

2. 'In a device of the character described, a bellows having a pair of ducts that communicate with the interior of such bellows, combined with a valve adapted to be sucked against one and also against the other of said ducts, substantlally as specified.

5. In a device of the character described, a bellows hav-' ing a pair or ducts, an intermediate valve,-an air inlet,

and means fouopening said inlet upon the collapse of thebellows, substantially as specified.

6. In adevice of the character described, a bellows having a pair of ducts, an intermediate valve, an air inlet, a

clack-valve controlling the same, and. a pair of abutments for opening said valve upon the collapse of the bellows, substantially as specified.

7. In a device'ot' the character described, a bellows having a pair of ducts, and means for establishing communication between both of said ducts and the interior of the bell ws by a simultaneous exhaust chair from both ducts and fondisconnecting either of said ducts from said interiorv of the bellows by an exhaust or air from said duct unaccompanied by a simultaneous exhaust of air from the other duct, substantially as specified.

8. In adevice 01 the character described, a bellows having a pair of ducts, an intermediate valve, an air inlet, means for opening said inlet upon the collapse of the bellows, a switch, and means controlled by the air inlet for 7 opening said switch, substantially as specified.

9. In a device or the character described, a first bellows --having a pair of ducts, an intermediate valve, an air inlet, means for opening said inlet upon the collapse oi. the bellows, a second bellows controlled by the air inlet, and an electric switch having a movable member adapted to be actuated by said second bellows, substantially as specified 10. in a device of the character described, a pair of primary pneumatics, a first bellows, a hammer operated thereby, a second bellows, a switch operated thereby, means for operatively connecting the pneumatics with the first bellows, and means for operatively connecting said pneumatlcs -with the second bellows, substantially as specified. I I

11. In a device of the character described, a pair of primary-pncumatics, a 'pair of bellows, a pair of hammers operated thereby, means for operatively connecting the pneumatic-s with the bellows, and means for locking said bellows against 'simultaneous movement, substantially as specified.

12. in a device of the character described, a-pair ofprimary pneumatics, a pair olfHtirst bellowsjd pair of hammegs,operatedthefeliy a second bellows, a switch op- .erated thereby, means for operatively connecting the pneumatlcs with the pair of'first bellows, means for locking said bellows against simultaneous movement, and means for operatively connecting the pneumatics with the second bellows, substantially as specified.

13. In a device of thecharacter described, a pair of bellows, a pair of-hammers operated thereby, hooks securd 'tothe bellows, and 'a two-arm lever centrally pivoted between the bellows and arranged in the path or said hooks, substantially as specified.

' 14. In a device of the character described, a duct-bridge having a pair of adjoining openings, a switch, a pair of hammers, means controlled by the openings for opening 'the switch by the simultaneous uncovering or both such openings, and means controlled'by the openings for operating the hammers by the separate uncovering of such opcnlugs, substantially as specified.

'15. In a device of the character described, a duct-bridge having a pair of adjoining openings, auxiliary bellows having a pair of ducts controlled by said openings, a valve adapted to be sucked against either of said ducts, a

switch, and means controlled by said bellows for opening the switch, substantially as specified.

16. In a device or the character described, a duct-bridge having a pair of adjoining openings, a hammer, means or actuating the hammer, a switch, means for opening the switch, means for operatively connecting said openings to the hammer-actuating means, and separate means for connecting said openings to the switch-opening means, substantially as specified.

17. In a device of the character described, a duct-bridge having a pair of openings, a pair or pneumatics connected thereto, a pair of bellows controlled by the pneumatics, a pair of hammers actuated by said bellows, an auxiliary bellows also controlled by the pneumatics, and a switch controlled by said auxiliary bellows, substantially as specified.

18. In a device of the character described, a duct-bridge having a pair of openings, a pair of pneumatics connected thereto, a pair of bellows controlled by the pneumatics, a pair 0! hammers actuated by the bellows, an auxiliary bellows also controlled by the pneumatics, an additional pneumatic controlled by the auxiliary bellows, a switch, and a bellows tor opening the switch connected to the additional pneumatics, substantially as specified.

Signed by me at New York city, (Manhattan,) N. Y., this 22nd day of April, 1907.

FRANK v. Bnmsmz, Wmnnnl Scmmz.

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