US900306A - Piano-action. - Google Patents

Description

S. R. PERRY.

PIANO ACTION.

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PIANO ACTION.

APPLIOAT ION nun NOV. 22. 1904.

900,306. Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

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SAMUEL R. PERRY, OF SORANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

PIANO-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

Application filed November 22, 1904. Serial No. 233,874.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL PERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Piano-Actions, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in piano actions in which a back checking device of peculiar powers is rigidly attached to the extended arm of each of the hammer butts and operates in conjunction with a back checking rail, a jack tripping rail and the jacks, by means of which the hammers of an action are slightly retarded in their movements toward the strings and held in check after they have struck the strings, in which also springs mounted on a roller provide a retracting force of varying power upon the jacks, all of which together with some minor improvements are more fully explained hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a section of my improved action as applied to an upright piano, showing the various parts in their normal positions or at rest, and an end view of the bar and the back-check rails and regulating rails attached thereto and of the spring rail. Fig. 2 repre sents the positions of the various parts after the key has been pressed and the hammer has retracted from the strings. Fig. 3 shows a horizontal view of a section of the continuous bar 12 bearing the back check rail on its top surface and the let-off or regulating rail on its lower edge, and the adjusting plates or cleats used to hold and regulate the rails. Fig. 4 is a perspective view and Fig. 5 a plan view of the hammer-butt showing the rib formed on its forwardly extending portion, which is made by frazing out each side of the hammer-butt. Fig. 6 is a view of the backcheck showing more fully the manner in which the cushions are attached thereto. Fig. 7 represents a portion of an iron bracket in general use in upright piano actions, but adapted to support the horizontal bar 12 as well as the action rail 7. Fig. 8 is a top view of the jack lever showing the frazings and hole through which the cord attached to the jack and the spring passes, and Fig. 9 shows the spring rail attached to the action rail by means of a flange adapted to the purpose.

In Fig. 1, 1 is the key resting upon the key frame 76. f. of which the upper lines only are shown.

2 is an extension connecting the key 1 with the jack lever 3.

4 is the jack jointed to the jack lever and operating under the straight under surface of the extended hammer-butt 5. The hammerbutts 5, the dampers 6 and the jack levers 3 are jointed to the rail 7 by means of the flanges A. B. (1, in the usual manner. Secured to the forwardly extending portion of the hammer-butt on its angular surface 8 is a back check 9 made of thin material, usually brass, and about one-quarter of an inch wide. Referring to Fig. 6, the lower end of the back check covered by the cushions 10 and 10 is first covered with sheep skin firmly glued to the brass and wrapped with fine thread. The shoe skin assumes a curved shape reaching rom e. to f. Upon the sheep skin the cushions 10 and 10 are glued, forming a firm and noiseless back check. The upper end of the jack 4 is formed with a circular projection 11 designed to come in contact with the back check cushion 10 as shown in Fig. 2. The bar 12 is made to extend the full length of the action along the face of the jacks and back checks, and may be held rigidly in place in any manner usual. I prefer to fasten the bar 12 to the iron brackets which support the action in the piano. section of such a bracket 30 is shown in Fig. 7. But in order not to complicate the drawings I show the bar 12 sustained in position by means of metal arms 13, a number of which may be screwed into the rail 7 and the bar 12 attached thereto by means of screws as shown at 14. This bar 12 is used to support in position the round back check rail, or

rails 15, and the regulating rail or rails 16.-

The back check rail 15 may be made in one length, or in sections of any length suitable to operate in conjunction with two or any greater number of acks and their corresponding back checks in succession. It is preferably made of metal in the form of a tube, is polished, and the tube filled Wholly or in part with hard wood. It may also be made in a cheaper form of wood doweling with the surface which is operated upon by the cushion 10, black leaded and polished. To the tube is riveted or soldered flat oblong pieces of brass or other metal as shown by 17 in Fig. 3 and in Figs. 1 and 2. One end of this plate of metal or cleat is slotted out as shown by 17, Fig. 3, so that a screw may pass through by which means the rails 15 and 16 are firmly held to the bar 12 and may be adjusted with relation to the jacks and back checks as found necessary to the proper working of the action. The foot 18 attached to the jack 4 is made of stout but flexible wire, the exposed end of which is shaped like a spoon and may be bent more or less if found necessary, to adjust it to the cushion on the rail 16. The upper end of the jack 4 is slotted out or has a hole bored through it and hushed 19. A wire 20 attached to the under side of the hammerbutt and bent to a line parallel thereto passes through the slotted portion or hole 19 of the jack. A cushion 21 is also attached to the under side of the hammer-butt and rests against the wire 20, and the upper end of the jack 4 presses against this cushion when the action is at rest. In the downward movement of the jack 4 the wire 20 is operated upon by the upper edge of the slot or hole 19 by which means the hammer 23 is quickly forced away from the string 24.

In order to make the hammer-butt 5 as light as possible, 1 fraze out each side of the forwardly extending portion, the frazing extending from back of the hammer-shank 26 to within a short distance of the hammerbutt heel 8 as shown by the curved line 22 in Figs. 1 and 2 and in Figs. 4 and 5. This frazing leaves a rib D having the general outlines of the upper surface of the hammerbutt which makes it light and strong and tends to keep it from warping. The heel 8 of the hammer-butt is formed at an angle to its straight under side, holding the back check 9 in position so that in operation the cushion 10 of the back check may come in contact with the rail 15 just before the hammer 23 reaches the strings 24, or at about the instant that the foot 18 of the jack 4 comes in contact with the regulating rail 16. Thus while the hammer is perfectly free to operate before the back check comes in contact with the rail 15, this contact is suflicient to exert a slight retracting influence upon the hammer, just before and directly after the hammer strikes the strings.

The springs 25 are mounted upon a round rail 27, which may be made to revolve more orless upon its center28 in order to strengthen or weaken as desired the back pull on the jacks 4. The rail carries one spring for each jack. The spring is attached to the jack by means of the cord 9, which passes through a hole h bored diagonally through the jack lever 3. See Figs. 1, 2 and 8. By this means in contact.

the tension on the spring may be varied and the jack 4 pulled. back toward the cushion 21 with more or less force, as desired, while at the same time the downward pull of the spring is exerted to replace the action in its normal position and. help balance the keys.

The spring rail 27 may be attached to the action rail 7 by means of a number of flanges, one I of which is shown in Fig. 9, and may be made to revolve as much as necessary to strengthen. or weaken the springs 25 by means of an arm J attached to the rail and connected to a draw stop L as shown, or it may be connected to a foot pedal in the usual manner.

The operation of the action is as follows: When the key 1 is pressed, its back end tilts up, forcing up the jack lever 3 and jack 4 by means of the extension 2. The jack 4 in contact with the cushioned under side of the hammer-butt 5 drives the hammer 23 to wards the strings 24. Just as the hammer arrives within. onequarter of an inch from the strings the feet 1.8 of the jack 4 comes in contact with the cushion on the rail 16 and the back check cushion 10 reaches the rail 15. Just at this time the contact of the cushion 10 with the rail 15 has a slight retracting force upon the hammer 23 because the back check 9 which carries the cushion 1.0 is rigidly attached at its upper end to the forward end of the hammer butt 5, at 8, and is made of material that will eXert a slight resisting force to the forward movement of the hammer when the cushion 10 and the rail 15 are The continued upward movement of the parts tends to force the round projection 11 on the upper end of jack 4 for ward to a contact with the inner side of the back-check cushion 10 and pressing the cushion tightly against the rail 15, holds the hammer in check after a blow until released for another stroke. So rapid is the movement of the jack, forced backward towards the cushion 21 by the spring 25 attached to the rail 27 and operating to retract the jack 4 by means of the cord 9 which passes through a hole H in the jack lever 3, and so instant the operation of the upper end of the jack 19 on the wire 20, that an exceedingly rapid movement of the hammer against the strings may be made. As each section of the rails 15 and 16 has but two or at most three adjusting plates or cleats 17, it will be seen that the adjustments necessary may quickly be made. Whatever small discrepancies may occur in which the feet 18 may be out of line can easily be adjusted by bending the feet up or down until the line is perfect.

Having thus fully described my invention, 1 make the following claims:

1. A piano action comprising an action rail, a bar rigidly sustained in position forward of and parallel with the action rail, back check rails mounted on the bar and ad justable to and from the action rail, and means to support the action rail and the bar, substantially as set forth.

2. A piano action comprising an action rail, a bar sustained in position parallel with the action rail, back check rails adjustably mounted on the bar, rails adjustably attached to the under side of the bar and means to support the bar and rails and the action rail, substantially as set forth.

3. A piano action comprising an action rail, a bar sustained in position forward of and parallel with the action rail, back check rails adjustably mounted on the bar, means to sustain the action rail and the bar, a series of hammers and hammer-butts jointed to the action rail, a series of jack levers jointed to the action rail, a series of jacks, each ointed to one of the jack levers, and a series of back checks, the upper end of each rigidly attached to the forward end of a hammer butt, said back checks extending downward between the jacks and the back check rails substantially as set forth.

L. A piano action consisting of an action rail supported in a horizontal position by two or more brackets, a series of hammers and hammer-butts jointed to the action rail, a series of jack levers jointed to the actionrail and a series of jacks each jointed to one of the jack levers and each jack provided with a circular projection and a foot, a series of back checks, the hammer-butts each having a back check attached to its forward portion, the back check extending downward facing its corresponding jack, a bar held in a horizontal position at right angles to and facing the jacks and back checks, means to sustain the bar, one or more back check rails adjustably secured to the bar and one or more regulating rails adjustably attached to the bar, substantially as set forth.

5. A piano action consisting in part of an action rail supported in position, a series of hammers and hammer-butts jointed to the action rail, and a series of jack levers jointed to the action rail, a series of jacks each j ointed to one of the jack levers, each 'ack provided with a foot, a series of depending back checks each attached to the front surface of one of the hammer-butts, a bar sustained in position at right angles to and facing the back check, and jacks, one or more back check rails adjustably secured to the bar and one or more regulating rails adjustably attached to the bar, substantially as set forth.

6. A piano action consisting of an action rail supported in position, a series of hammers and hammer-butts jointed to the action rail, a series of jack-levers ointed to the action rail and a series of acks each ointed to one of the jack-levers, each jack provided with a bushed hole at its upper end, a Wire attached to the under side of each hammerbutt, said wire extending in a line parallel with the underside of the hammer butt and passing through the bushed hole of its corresponding jack, in combination with a spring rail, springs mounted thereon, and each jack connected to its corresponding spring, whereby the jack in its downward movement forces the hammer butt from the strings, substantially as set forth.

7. A piano action consisting of an action rail, two or more brackets sustaining the action rail, a series of hammers and hammerbutts jointed to the action rail, a series of jack levers jointed to the action rail, and a series of jacks each jointed to one of the ack levers, in combination with a rail, a series of springs mounted thereon a loop of pliable material connecting each jack with its corresponding spring and means to support the spring rail, substantially as set forth.

8. A piano action consisting of an action rail, two or more brackets sustaining the action rail, a series of hammers and hammerbutts jointed to the action rail, a series of jack levers jointed to the action rail and a series of acks each jointed to one of the jack levers, in combination with a rail, a series of springs mounted thereon a 100 composed of cord or other pliable materiaFconnecting each jack with its corresponding spring, substantially as set forth.

9. In a piano action the combination of a spring rail j ournaled into flanges, the action rail, the flanges attached to the action rail, jack levers jointed to the action railand the jacks each jointed to one of the jack levers, springs mounted on the rail, a loop of pliable material attached to each jack, each jack lever having a hole bored through its body, through which the loop passes in connecting the jack to its corresponding spring, substantially as set forth.

10. A piano action consisting of an action rail, two or more brackets sustaining the action rail, a series of hammers and hammerbutts jointed to the action rail, a series of jack levers jointed to the action rail and a series of jacks each jointed to one of the jack levers, the jacks each provided with a bushed hole at its upper end, a wire attached to the under side of eachof the hammer-butts, the wire bent to assume a line parallel with the under side of the hammer-butt and said wire passing through the bushed hole of its corre sponding jack, in combination with a rail, springs mounted on said rail, a loop of pliable material attached to each of the jacks and each spring hooked into its corresponding loop, substantially as set forth.

11. In a piano action the combination of a rail, springs mounted thereon, an action rail supported in position, a series of hammerbutts jointed to the action rail, jack levers jointed to the action rail and jacks each jointed to one of the jack levers, a cord or other pliable material forming a loop attached to each of the jacks and connected to its corresonding spring, the jacks operating under the hammer-butts, the spring rail journaled in supports and means to move the spring rail, whereby the springs may be varied in tension, substantially as set forth.

12. A piano action consisting of an action rail, a bar running parallel with the action rail, two or more action brackets supporting the action rail and the bar, one or more back check rails attached to the bar and one or more regulating rails secured. to the bar, a series of hammers and. hammer-butts jointed to the action rail, a series of jack .levers jointed to the action rail and a series of jacks each ointed to one of the jack levers, a series of back checks each of which. is attached to the forward portion of a hammer-butt and extends downward between the back check rail and its corresponding jack, the jacks each provided with a feet, a rounded pro j ection and a bushed hole, a wire secured to the underside of each hammer-butt, the wire bent in a line parallel to said underside and operating through the bushed hole of the jack, a rail journaled in flanges and the flanges attached to the action. rail, springs mounted on the spring rail, a loop of pliable material attached to each of the jacks, said loop passing through the j ack levers and conneeted to its corresponding spring, substantially as set forth.

13. In a piano action the hammers and hammer-butts each hammer-butt having a forwardly extending portion, a back check comprising a main body of thin material its lower end covered on both sides with cushions and its upper end rigidly attached to the forward end of the hammer-butt, substantially as set forth.

14. In a piano action the combination of a spring rail suitably held in position, an action rail held in position, a series of acklevers jointed to the action. rail, a series of jacks, each j aek jointed to one of the j acklevers, springs mounted on the spring rail, a loop of pliable material attached to each jack, each jack lever having a hole bored through its body through which the loop passes in connecting the jack to its corresponding spring, susbtantially as set forth.

15. In a piano action an action rail supported in a horizontal position, a bar sustained in a horizontal position forward of the action rail, one or more back check rails adjustably mounted on the bar, and one or more rails adjustably suspended from the bar and means to support the action rail and the bar, substantially as set forth.

16. A piano action consisting of an action rail held in position as set forth, a series of hammer-butts and hammers jointed to the action rail, a series of jack levers jointed to the action rail and a series of jacks each jointed to one of the ack levers, a series of back checks each attached to the forward end of one of the l1Zll1'1I116l'*l)11l1lJS and extending downward in front of its COl'lt-BSPOIldlll" jack, one or more back check rails sustaine( in a horizontal position at right angles to the back checks, and one or more regulating rails sustained in a horizontal position at right angles to the jacks, substantially as set forth.

17. In a piano action a spring rail sustained in position, sprin s mounted thereon, a series of hammr-ir-butts, a series of jack levers and a series of jacks, each ack jointed to one of the jack levers, and each jack suitably connected to its corresponding spring for the purpose substantially as set forth.

1.8. A piano action comprising an action rail sustained in a horizontal position, a bar sustained forward of and parallel with the action rail, adjustable back check rails mounted on the bar, and adjustable rails suspended from the bar, means to hold the action rail and the bar in proper relation to each other, a series of hammers and hammer butts ointed to the action rail, a series of jack levers jointed to the action rail, and a series of jacks each jointed to one of the jack levers, a series of back checks each rigidly attached at its upper end. to the forward end of a hammer-butt and extending downward between its corresponding jack and the back check rail, the back check adapted to come in contact with the back check rail when the action parts are in operation, whereby a slight retracting influence is exerted against the forward movement of the hammer, substantially as set forth.

19. A piano action comprising an action rail sustained in a horizontal position, a bar sustained in position forward of and parallel with the action rail an adjustable back check rail mounted on the bar, and an adjustable rail suspended from the bar, means to support the action rail and the bar, a series of hammers and hammer-butts jointed to the action rail, a series of jack levers jointed to the action rail, a series of jacks each jointed to one of the jack levers, and the foot of each jack adapted to come in contact with the rail suspended from the bar, a series of back checks each rigidly attached at its upper end to the forward end of a hammer-butt, the back-checks extendin downward between the back check rail and the jacks, whereby when the action is in operation each back check is held in contact between its corresponding jack and the back check rail, and the hammer held rigidly after a blow substantially as set forth.

20. In a piano action a bar sustained in a horizontal position, a back check rail or rails adjustably mounted on the bar, and a regulating rail or rails adjustahly attached to the bar, the hammers and hammer-butts, each rail adapted to be adjusted to a series of jack 10 hammer-butt having a forwardly extended feet substantially as set forth. portion, the jacks and jack-levers, the jacks In testimony whereof I have signed my having feet and adapted to operate under lname to this specification in the presence of 5 the hammer-butts, a series of back checks, two subscribing witnesses.

each back check attached to the forward SAMUEL R. PERRY. portion of one of the hammer-butts, each Witnesses:

back check rail ada ted to be adjusted to a GEO. W. POWER,

series of back checks, and each regulating l IRA ORR.

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