US889467A - Expression device for pneumatic musical instruments. - Google Patents

Description

No. 889,467. PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908.

E. DE KLBIST. EXPRBSSlON DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18. 1906.

2 SHEETS-$113131 1.

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E. DE KLEIST. EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE18, 1906.

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UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE DE KLEIST, or NORTHQIONAWANDA, NEW YORK.

EXPRESSION nnvrcn FORJPNEUMATIC M stoAL INSTRUMENTS. J

' I Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. June 18, 1906. Serial No. 322,164.

Patented June 2, 1908.

and useful Improvement in Expression Dev1ces for Pneumatic Musical Instruments, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the regulating devices employed in pneumatic musical instruments for causing the same to shade the music or play with expression, and more particularly to expression devices in which the desired effects are produced by varying the air tension or degree of vacuum in the Wind chest.

The object of my invention is the provision of an efficient and inexpensive expression device of this character which can be conveniently regulated and which is not liable to get out of order.

In the accompanylng drawings consisting of 2 sheets: Figure 1 is-a sectional front elevation of a self playing pneumatic piano, embod ing the invention, the piano action and ot or members not constituting a part of the improvement being omitted; Flg. 2

is a diagrammatic cross section of the wind e tracker board and the expresslon mechanism, on an enlarged scale, the plane of the section of the expression mechanism being in line 22, Fig. 4. Fig. 31s a front.

. view of the expression Imechanism; Fig. 4

is a rear view of the'said mechanism, with its rear board omitted. Fig. 5 is .a horizontal [section in line 5-5, Fig. .4.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts throughout the several views.

Aind1cates the WlIlCl chest containing a pneumatic action of any suitable construction and B the motor pneumatics Whichopmate the usual abstracts or stickers which tion, G -the travelingmusic sheet wound upon the rolls 71', h, and-I the usual tubes or of the rocking type shown.

conduits leading from the ducts of the. tracker board to the wind chest.

J is a valve box or case containing a plurality of inlet or flushing chambers j, y y' and an outlet or regulatmg chamber i the valve box being divided to formthese chambers by a longitudinal partition 70 and transverse partitions 7c The regulating chamber 3 is connected with the chamber of the wind board E by a tube 7'. Each of said flushing chambers communicateswith the regulating chamberby a port lformed in the longitudinal partition is and controlled by an automatic regulating valve Z of any suitable construction which opens toward the regulating chamber, an ordinary hinged orswinging valve being shown in the drawings. Each regulating valve is yieldingly held closed by a spring Z applied to its screw threaded stem Z between an adjustable button or nut Z and a bridge piece Z which spans the corresponding port Z, the valve stem' passing through s'ald port and bridge piece.

Each of the flushing chambers 7', j, is provided with a port m by which it communicates with the outer atmosphere and which is controlled by a valve m preferably These orts are preferably formed in the top of t e valve box and theirvalves m are normally closed by suitable springs, asshown. When one of the valves m iso cued-by he means hereinafter described, t 1e outer tmosphere enters the corresponding flushing chamber and by its pressure against the corresponding regulating'valve 1 opens the same to the extent permitted by its resistance spring l The atmosphere is thus admittedto the regulating chamber j and thence to the Wind board E and the wind chest, thereby dimimshing the tension or degree of vacuum in the latter, operating the motor neumatics withl correspondingly less force and causing the piano hammers to strike the strings more lightly.

.The springs Z of the regulating valves l are so tensionedor graded that they respectively; exert the necessary resistance upon the valves to produce different air tensions corresponding. for example to piano, mezzo forte and forte.

The regulating valve or .valves which have s rings of low resistance have a tendency to utter. To prevent this a liggt, supplemental spring Z is arrangedrto; ar aga t 'the outer end of the stem ior the adjusting nut of each of such valves, two of the valves being provided with such s rings in the construction shown in the rawings. If desired, onlythevalve of lowest resistance may be provided with such an auxiliary spring. These auxiliary springs do not interfere with the action of-the resistance springs of said valves, but simply serve to prevent vibration of the latter .while open.

N, N, N indicate a plurality pneumatics or bellows which respectively control the flushing valves m. In the construction shown, these pneumatics are mounted on a shelf a arranged above said valves and their upper movable boards act upon the tails of the valves through the medium of rods or stickers n, so that when one of said pneumatics is collapsed, the corresponding flushing valve is opened, while when the pneumatic is flushed, the valve is closed by its spring, in an obvious manner.

Each of the expression pneumatics N, N, N 2 is controlled by a row of perforations in the music sheet and a corresponding valve mechanism of the wind chest, like the valve mechanisms which control the motor-pneumatics of the piano hammers. In Fig. 2 is shown one of these valve mechanisms, which of expression comprises the customary double puppet valve 0, o, eontrollin the usual air and exhaust ports 0, 0 w ich communicate respectively with the air chamber 0 and the exhaust chamber F of the wind chest, the pneumatic being connected by a tube 1) with the exhaust and flushing channel p of the corresponding valve mechanism... When a perforation of the music sheet registers with the tracker duct correspondingto one of said expression pneumatics, the correspondin uppet valve is elevated or reversed in a wel own manner, placing said pneumatic in connection with the exhaust chamber of the wind chest and collapsing it, while when an imperforate portion of the music sheet passes over said duet, the puppet valve descends, placing the pneumatic in communication with the air chamber 0' of the wind chest and flushing it. It will be understood that the music sheet has a separate row of perfora-' tions for each of the expression pneumatics. With each expression: pneumatic preferabl cooperates a retaining pneumatic or bel ows g which locks the movable board of the expression pneumatic in its depressed position during the period it is to'remain collapsed, thereby avoiding the necessity of providing the music sheet with long slots for this purpose. In the construction shown, these retaining pneumatics are mounted vertically on a wall or board R secured to the front side of the valve box J and the movable board of each of the same is pro vidvd with a catch having a shoulder s which in tel-locks with a bar 8 carried by the movable board of the corresponding expres 'size and o sion pneumatic when the latter is collapsed and the retaining neumatic is expanded, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the retaining pneumatic is collapsed, its catch iswithdrawn from engagement with the movable board of the expression pneumatic, allowing the latter to expand to its former position. The catch of each retaining pneumatic is preferably provided above its main shoulder s with an auxiliary shoulder or stop s which interlocks with the bar 8 of the corres onding pneumatic when the latter is expan ed, thereby limiting the expanding movement of the expression pneumatic. The retaining pneumatlcs are controlled by separate rows of perforations in the music sheet and cod eratin valve mechanisms in the. wind c lest, identical with those which control the motor pneumatics and the expression pneumatics, the .letter t indicating the tubes which'connect the retaining pneumatics with the corresponding exhaust and flushing channels of t e wind chest.

, The operation of the expression mechanism is as follows: The pumps C are of such perated at such a speed as to produce an air tension or degree of vacuum in the wind chest sufficient to give a maximum force of stroke to the greatest number of piano hammers actuated at a time. So ong as none of the expression perforations of the music sheet register with the tracker ducts, the expression pneumatics N, N, N remain expanded and the flushing valves m remain closed. Under these conditions, the outer atmosphere is excluded from the flushing chambers 7', 1' and prevented from acting upon the regulating valves Z. The latter therefore all remain closed and the maximum air tension is produced in the regulating chamber and the wind chest, causing the instrument to play quite loud, say double forte. VVhen'a perforation in the music sheet controlling say the expression neumatic N registers. with the correspon ing tracker duct, the pneumatic is collapsed, openin the companion flushing valve m and a lowing the atmospheric pressure to act upon the corresponding reguating valve Z and open the same. The resistance'of this valve is such that when the same is opened the tension in the wind chest is reduced to the proper extent to produce a comparatively loud effect, say forte. Wheri the flushing valve controlled by the second expression pneumatic N is in like ,manner opened, the atmospheric pressure opens the corresponding regulating valve, t e resistance of which is such as to reduce .the air tension to the necessary extent to cause the instrument to say mezzo forte, while when the flushing valve controlled by the third pneumatic N is opened, the consequent opening of the play a degree softer,

pneumatics and three regulating va'ves are 1 erein shown, but it is obvious that a greater or less number may be employed, according to the number of shades of expression de sired. 1

While I have herein shown and described pneumatic means for controlling the flushmg valves, I do not wish to be-limited to that construction, as the same could be operated manually or by mechanical or other suitable means -without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a case having a plurality of flushing )orts and a plurality of corresponding regu ating ports, valves controlling said regulating orts and having resistance de vices of di erent tensions, valves controlling said flushing ports, and means for o crating said flushing valves, substantialy as set forth.

2. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a case containing'a plurality of independent flushing chambers each having an inlet or flushing port and an outlet or regulating port, valves controllingthe respective reguating ports and having resistance devices of different tensions, individual valves controlling said flushing ports, and means for operating the last-nanied valves, substantially as set forth.

3. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a case having a plurality of flushing ports and a plurality of corresponding regulating ports, valves controlling saidregulating ports and having resistance devices of different tensions, valves controlling said flushing ports, and pneumatics for operating said flushing valves, substantially asset forth.

4. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a case-containing a regulating chamber and a plurality of flushing chambers connected with the regulating chamber by individual regulating ports, each flushing chamher also having a flushing port, automatic valves controlling said regulating ports and having closing springs of different grades of resistance, valves controlling said flushing ports, and means for o erating the lastnamed valves, substantiaily as set forth.

5. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a case containing a regulating chamber and a plurality of flushing chambers connected with the regulating chamber by individual regulating ports, each flushing chamber also having a flushing port, bridge pieces extending across the regulating ports, valves controlling said regulating ports and having stems which pass through saidbridge pieces, adjusting nuts mounted on said stems, resistance s )rings applied to said valve stems between t e bridge pieces and said nuts, and valves controlling said flushing ports, substantially as set forth.

6. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a case containing a plurality of independent flushing chambers each having an inlet 'or flushing port and an outlet or regulating )ort, valves controlling the respective reguiating ports and having resistance devices of different tensions, valves applied to said flushing orts, expression pneumatics controlling t e last-named valves, and retaining pneumatics for locking the expression pneumatics in their collapsed position, substantially as set forth.

7. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a case containing plurality of independent flushing chambers each having an inlet or flushing port and an outlet or regulating port, valves controlling the respective regulating ports and having closing springs of different tensions, one or more of said valves being provided with auxiliary springs to prevent. fluttering thereof when open, valves applier to said flushing ports, and means for operating the last named valves, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 14th day of June, 1906.

EUGENEDE KLEISR Witnesses:

C. F. GEYER, E. M. GRAHAM.

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