US980554A - Controlling device for piano-playing attachments. - Google Patents

Description

R. W. PAIN. CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR PIANO PLAYING ATTACHMENTS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1910.

980,554, Patented Ja 3, 1911.

w Inventor.

.4 by Atty v in all the. figures: Fi

-- end 10 of which also ROBERT W. PAIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONTROLLING-DEVICE FOR PIANO-PLAYING ATTACHMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an.'3, 191.]

Application filed June 28, 1910. Serial No. 569,306.

To all whom'it mayroncem:

Be it known that I, ROBERT \V. Pam. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Devices for Piano-Playing Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in controlling devices for piano playing attachments and the object of my invention is to provide a new and improved instrument of this kind which is provided with the usual lever to be moved by the left hand for the purpose of applying the forte pedal mechanism of the piano and with an additional levercarried by said forte lever which additional lever, when desired, serves for operating the mechanisms which controls the tension of the air which operates the playing mechanism, thus enabling the operator to shift the forte pedal lever andb means of thesame hand also to contro,

when desired, the means to regulate the tensionof the air, all of which is simple in construction, compact and efl'ective and reliable in use.

In the accompanying drawings in which like letters of reference indicate like parts re 1 is an elevation of part of the mechanism of a piano player device showing my improvements. Figs. 2 and 3 are detall views. I

, The piano player mechanism 1 which may. be of any desiredtype is provided with a lever 2 ivoted at 3 to swin in the vertical plane, t e upper handle en 4 of this lever rojectingthrough the vertical slot 5 in the bottom 6 of the music box.

"By means of the lever 2 a suitable mechanism for depressing or operating the orte pedal mechanism is actuated butfilus this is very well known and forms no part of the present invention it need not be described. The lever 2'is provided with a rigid laterally projecting arm 7 to which at 8 an L shaped lever 9 is pivoted, the 'upper handle rojects through the slot 5 in the bottom 0 the music box and said L shaped lever 9 is guided in its movement by a pin 11 projecting from. said L shaped lever 9 through the longitudinal slot 12 in the rigid arm 13 secured on the lever 2. On the free end of the lower shorter arm of the L shaped lever 9, an adjustable button 14 is mounted which projects from the bottom surface ofsaid lever for a purpose to be set forth hereinafter. A- lever 15 is pivoted at 16 to the front wall of the player mechanism, inside of the casing, and

'at its free end is connected by a downwardly extending link 17 withone end of a lever 37 pivoted at 38 and connected by a rod 39 with an arm 18 of a rock shaft 19 extending through the casing 20 containing the valve 21 which controls the passage'of air from the player mechanism to the main wind chest in the well known manner, which valve at one end is connected with the movable board 22 of the bellows 23 which. is held; in

open position by a spring 24. The fulcrum of this valve 21 is formed by a pin 25 on the free end of the arm 26 of the shaft 19 within the casing 20. This valve 21 is opened and closed by the bellows 23 which closes the valve to a greater extent as the tension increases and opens it when the tension decreases and is provided to maintain anormal tension in the player wind chest. By changing the fulcrum this normal tension can be .varied and as the arm 26 is swung down the fulcrum of the valve 21 is also lowered and the normal opening of the passage controlled by the valve 21 is increased and thus louder playing is produced. A spring 40 serves for pulling downward that end of the lever 37 connected with the rod 39.

The lever 15 carries the cam block 27'.di rectly below the horizontal arm of the L swung to the right. The upper surface of this camblock is curved on a se mental line shaped lever 9 and upon which cam having its center at the pivota point 3 of y applying the forte pedal device without in any way changing the position of the lever 15. However, when the handle end of the lever 9is pressed toward the handle end of the lever 2 the button 14 is lowered and if now the lever 2vwith the lever 9 in the position just described are swung to the right the button 14 acting on the cam edge of the cam block 27 depresses the same more or less according to the'distanee that the handle end of the lever 2 has been moved toward the handle end of the lever 9 and thereby the with ters Patent is 1. In a key musical instruments, the combination a manual lever for actuating the forte pedal, and a valve for adjusting the air tensionin the playing mechanism, of a lever 'the manual lever,

pivoted on said forte lever and mechanical means for transmitting motion from said additional lever to the above mentioned valve, substantially as set forth.

2. In a pneumatic player attachment for key musical instruments, the combination with a manual lever for actuating the forte pedal, and a valve in said mechanism, for controlling the tension of the air in the playing mechanism, of a pivoted rod connected with said valve for adjusting the same, and a supplemental handle lever pivoted to the manual lever for actionupon the rod connected with .said valve, substantially as set forth. A k 3. 'In a pneumatic player attachment for with a manual'lever for operating the forte pedal mechanism, and a valve for controlling the tension air in the playing mechanism, of a pivoted rod connected to said valve, a

cam plate on said rod the cam edge of which.

is on a radius exten ing frgm'the pivot of a supplemental lever pivoted to the manual lever and mounted to, act on the said cam plate, substantially as set forth.

I Having described my invention what I claim as new-and desire to secure by Letpneumatic player attachment for key which the handle end of 'of a valve for controlling the air tension in mental lever pivoted to the musical instruments, the combination with a pivoted manual lever for actuating the pedal mechanism, and a music box provided in its bottom with a slot through which the handle end of said lever projects, of a valve for controlling the air tension in the player mechanism, a pivoted rod con nected with said valve, a supplemental lever carried by the said manual lever, and having its upper end also extending throu h the slot in the bottom of the music box a jacent to the handle end of the manual lever, and a cam plate on said rod, on which cam plate the supplemental lever can act, substantially as set forth. c

5. In a pneumatic player attachment for musical instruments, the combination with a pivoted manual lever for actuating the pedal mechanism, and a music box pro-. vided in its bottom with a slot through said lever projects,

the player mechanism,

I a'pivoted rod connected with said valve,

an L shaped su1pplemanual ever, and having its upper end also extending through the slot inthe bottom of the music box adj acent' to the handleendof the/manual leverfand'a cam plate on said rod, on which cam plate the supplemental lever can act,

substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 21st day of June A. D. 1910.

ROBERT'W. PAIN.

Witnesses:

OSCAR F. GUNZ, R. G. BREEN.

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