US925777A - Tracker-bar. - Google Patents

Description

J. J. KLEIN. TRACKER BAR.

APrLIoATIoN FILED 00124, 19ml.

Pateted June 22,1909..

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UNl'lED STATES PATENT OFFEOE.

JAMES J. KLEIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CONRAD R.

SCH UMACHER,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRACKE R-B AR.

Specification of Letters Izatent.

Patented June 22, 1909.

v.Application led ctober 24, 1908. Serial No. 459,324.

To all whom it maycoacer'n:

Be it known that I, JAMES J. KLEIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates ot' America, and a resident ol the borough ol' the Bronx, in the city ol' New York, county of N ew York, and State oi' New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tracker- Bars, ot' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to' pneuniatieally operated automatic players l'or pianos or other musical instruments, and has for its ob j eet to render the playing device adjustable, whereby it may be operated from sheets of roll in usic having diiferently spaced lines of perl'orations and designed to play different nurnbers of notes. i

in the accompanying sheet of drawings, l'ornis a part oi' this application, the

piano player which embodies my invention.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the tracker-bar, tubes and tube-head on the line l-I ol' Fig. 3, showing the series of sixtylive channels which are used with music having the more widely spaced lines ol' perforations. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the saine parts on the line II-ll oll Fig. 3, showing a series ol' eighty-eight channels which are used with niusic having more closely spaced lilies olI perforatioiis. Fig. 2J is a cross-section through the same parts on the lines lll-lll ol Figs, l, 2, and 5. l"ig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the line IVY-1V ol' Fig. 3, showing the tube-head and slide. Fig. 5 shows the face oll the ti'ackerbar.

Piano players have been heretofore iiianul'actured with a compass ol' either (i5 or 88 notes, and the perl'orated roll music l'or either compass olI player has not been suited to the other by reason ol a different spacing ot' the openings in the bai' over which the music tracks, as nell as by reason ol' the dilln order to render an automatic player adaptable to either kind ol' inns-ir', a tracker-bar A is provided with two series ol openings ranged in two lines along its lare, the upper series u having (i5 holes i and being more widely siniced, while the:y lower series l) has HH holes, but is so inueh niorc closely spin-ed that it offlupies a less distance on the bai'. rl`he upper series is adapted to register willi sixty-live note music and the lower series is adapted to register 1 with eighty-eight note music. Rcarwardly extending from the upper row ol' 65 lace openings, is a series ol' 65 channels c converging to a lesser spacing at the rear. On account el converging they are iiarrower at the rear but are made deeper so that the cross-section will not be lessened. Rcarwardly extending l'roni the lower row el' 88 lace openings, and divided oil' l'roni the upper series by a central wall, is a series ol- 8S 65 channels d divergiiig to a spacing or pitch at the rear, which is the saine as the spacing ol' the other series, and the rear ends of channels Afor corresponding notes in the two series are brought opposite. The series ol 88 chan- 70 nels has eleven at the lel't end ol' the tracker'- bar l'or the bass, and twelvel at the right end l'or the treble, for which there are-iio corresponding channels iii the other series. The channels are closed by covers B B, a suitable packing, as oll cloth with shellac, being interposed.

A tube-head C carries S8 tubes e, cach of. which communicates with the middle ol a Y short transverse channelfin the tube-head, the spacing being the saine as that'of the rear end of both of the series ol channels in the tracker-bar. lhe short channels constitute the openings of the tube-head. A slide i) lits a longitudinal channel above the transverse channels in the tube-head, and has two series ol perloi'ations g lt with equal spacing thc same as the spacing ol' the tubehead channels and the rear ends ot the tracker-bar channels. They correspond in 9o iiuinber to the tracker-bar channels. They alternate in position and areso placed that either series may be brought opposite the ends oll the corresponding series ol' channels and all the channels of the series brought into eominunieation with the corresponding openings ol.' the tube-head, and theslide at the saine time brought to cover those portions ol' the openings which lie along the line of the other seiics of openings in the slide. loo 'lhc slide is interposed between the tubehead and the tracker-bar, and the tube-head and ti'iu-.ker-bar are drawn toward cach other by screws 'i i, springs being interposed undcr the screw-heads so that the ion pressure may be limited to that necessary to -keep the joints air-tight, and not interfere with the free operation of the slide. lhe slide luis a short rack /c at either end which is engaged by a pinion l on a shaft m, the shaft iio of air-channels terminating in the face of the tracker-bar in two differently spaced series of holes, and terminating at the rear of the tracker-bar in two series oi' openings of the saine spacing, and in combination a tubehead with a series of openings therein, a

f slide interposed between the rear of the tracker-bar and tube-head having two series of perforations one of which is adapted to register when in one position with one series ot' channels and the openings of the tubehead and the other of which is adapted to register when in the other position with the other series of channels and the openings in the tube-head, and means for shifting the slide-from one position to the other, substantially as described.

2. A tracker-bar provided with two series side of either series of tracker-bar openings' of air-channels'unequal in number terminating in the face of the tracker-bar in two dii'- ferentlT spaced series of holes, and tcrininat? ing at the rear of the tracker-bar in two series of openings of the saine spacing, and in combination a tube-head with a series of Iopenings therein equal in number to the greater series oi' air-channels, a slide vinterposed between -the rear oi the trackerbar and tube-head having two series ol perforations one ot which is adapted to register when in one position with one series oi chan- A nels and the openings of the tube-head and the other of which'is adapted to register when in the other position with the other series of channels and the openings in the tube-head, and when connecting the series of channels of lesser number cutting eff the excess openings of the tube-head, substantially as described.

3. A ti'acker-bar provided with two series of air-channels terminating in the face of the tracker-bar in two diierently spaced series of holes, and terminating at the rear of the tracker-bar in two series of openings of the same spacing, and in combination a tubehead with a series of openings therein, a slide interposed between the rear oi the tracker-bar and tube-head having two series of perforations one of which is adapted to register when in one position with one series of channels and the openings oi' the tube head and the other of which is adapted to register when in the other position with the other series of channels and the openings in the tube-head, a pini-on engaging the slide to shift the same, a pinion-shaft, and a lever at the face of the tracker-bar connected with the pinion-shaft, the connections being such that movement oi the lever handle to the eileots the combination oi' that series of openings with the openings in the tube-head, substantialljT `as described.

Signed by me at lNew York, NY., this 22d day oiL October, N08.

JAINES J KLEN.

Witnesses i SAMUEL W. BALCH, HUGH H. Sarnen.

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