US936851A

US936851A - Self-playing piano.

Info

Publication number: US936851A
Application number: US48335509A
Authority: US
Inventors: Earle B Bartlett
Original assignee: W W KIMBALL CO
Current assignee: W W KIMBALL CO
Priority date: 1909-03-15
Filing date: 1909-03-15
Publication date: 1909-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1926-10-12

Description

E. B. BARTLETT.

I SELF PLAYING PIANO. APPLICATION FILED MAB..15,19093 Patem'ea- 0ct.12,1909.

" on room 5 @ln' lhllllihltl ASSEGNQR- 1'0 "W. W". KIMBALL COMPANY,

F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 013 ILLINOKS.

SELF-PLAYING PIANO.

o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, l3. BARTLETT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sel't-Playing Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pianos and simi lar instruments provided with means where- 1 by they may be played automatically at will and its object has been to provide the levers which control the automatic mechanism with a device whereby the same may be cov ered when not in use and with convenient devices for operating such cover.

The nature of the invention l have fully disclosed below and will be understood from the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure l is a front elevation of the keyboard of a piano equipped with my inven tion; Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial section on line 22 of Fig. l and'l ig. 3 is a perspective of a portion or the folding lid. or cover used to cover the controlli levers of the automatic playing mechanism.

In equipping a piano with my invention, the controlling levers of the automatic playmechanism are arranged above the bed rail 3 of the keyboard in the usual manner. one of the levers being shown at 4 in Fig. 2. A. recess!) formed in the bed rail and adjacent parts into which the operating ends of the levers are ext-ended as seen at said figure. Above the recess 5 is a folding sec tion ('3 ot' the key slip 7. it is provided with a horizontal ledge 8 in trout so that when closed as in Fig. '2 it covers the open top of the rec ss and conceals the controlling levers This key slip section is hinged at 9 upon pivots projecting from its ends and extending into the adjacent parts of the key slip. By rocking this movable section 6 upon its pivots to the dotted position of Fig. 2, the recess5 is uncovered so that access can be had to the controlling levers therein, and the movable section is operated to accomplish this by the hand lever 10 and a connecting bar 11 extending from said hand lever to the plate 12 secured upon the end of the movable section, the joints uniting said hand lever to the connecting bar and to the movable section all being pivotal ones. T he hand lever is located beneath tjhekeyslf) Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. March 15,

Patented til-ct. 12?,

3909. Serial 1'10. 183,355.

and within the bed rail and need not be visible from the outside of the instrument. it is a swinging lever and is attached to a hinged bar 14 adapted to be turned from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the dotted position in said figure. \Vhen thus turned to the dotted position it sets close under the keys and locks them against movement so that at such times no manual playing can be done. In this change of position of the locking 14- which is accomplished by the hand lever, the movable section 6 is also opened so that the automatic playing mechanism can then be used. By reversing the hand lever the movable section 6 is closed and the key locking bar is turned down so as to release the keys.

By this construction while the piano may be used either manually or automatically as desired yet when the automatic mechanism is in use the keys are locked stationary, and when the instrument is played manually the automatic levers are concealed and can not be used.

I claim 2 1. The comhinatirm in a sell? playing key board instrument with the controlling levers of the automatic playing mechanism, of a hinged section of the key slip concealing said levers, and a concealed hand lover below the lteyboard n'lechani ally connected to and operating said hinged section.

2. The combination iu.a self playing in'-' striunent. with the keys and thecontrolling levers of the automatic mechanism, of a hinged bar for locking the keys while the automatic mechanism is in use. a hinged 9o front section of the key slip covering said controlling levers, and a hand lever concealed below the keyboard and. connected to the bar and to said hinged section and actuating both simultaneously.

3.. The combination in a self playing instrument with means for locking the keys and means for concealing the controlling levers of the automatic mechanism, of a single lever connected. both to the locking means 00 and to'thc concealing means and operatingthem simultaneously.

EARLE B. BARTLETT.

.Vitnesses: A. R. CROSMAN,

CHARLES C. DUNBAR.