US987575A - Pneumatic-action for musical instruments. - Google Patents

Description

0. HIGEL. PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1909.

987,575. Patented Mar. 21, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 l l l l I l A I b. C Mm? p4 P? Em 0T FIG.2 0!

WITNESSES. INVENTOR.

O. (V; HIGEL O. HIGEL. PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1909.

Patepted Mar. 21, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

O! IN VEN TOR o. H/GEL,

0. HIGEL,

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1909.

987,575. Patented Man21, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 84 4 fly,

UNITED sTA'r s PATFNT orrron- OTTO HIGEL, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR 10F ONE-HALF 'lCi- GEORGE CHARLES HEINTZMAN, 0F TORONTO, CANADA I PNEUMATIC-ACTION FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

v i Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 17, 1909. I Serial No; 436,656.

To all whom it may camera:

Be it known that I, O'rro HIGEL, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, in' the Province of Ontario, Canada, have"in-.

vented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic-Actions for Musical Instruments, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to pneumatic actions for musical instruments. 1

It consists in improved details of construction, comprised chiefly of metal, the general object of which is to i'mprove'the operation and durability of the apparatus, as

board tube and vent chamber. Fig. 4 is a front view of a 'portion of the action, the end being in section to show' particularly the means of connecting the vacuum chambers together nd the tubular connections between the pri in chambers. -Fi 5 is a perspective detail of the preferred orm -of valve casing-for the primary pneumatic valve. Fig. 6 isa perspective detail artially broken away showe ing parts of t e secondary valve chamber separated. I v

Referring to' Fig. 1, A represents the tracker board formed in the usual manner, and with a series of assageways A. One of a series of tubes is shown depending fromthe rear of theboard, these tubes being preferabl made of metal.

The vent c amber C has a cover D with passagesD, corresponding in number w th the primary valves. It is provided with passages;= (Fig. 3) which communicate with the primaryvaouum chamber, and is secured to a bar E, shown in Figs. 1 and 8. A seriesof vents F are attached on the inside of the vent chamber cover, at the pasereinafter described and I as shown in Figs.2 and 4. my and secondary vacuum g made ofwood, which is liable to swell and shrink in atmospheric chan es. Metal chamhers, however, do. not a 0rd proper sure phragms which have been heretofore ems sages F. The cover of the vent chamber Patented Mai-.21, .1911.

is held detachably b screws'D, -Dflso that I dust may be remove if necessary. A series.

of metal tubes G form extensions of the passages D in thecover of theventcham-j I g by tubes G, preferably offmetahjrforming f" a continuous passag'e v,

As shown clearly in Fi '1, H indicates the primary vacuum cham r, and I,, I5,*= I the secondary vacuum. chambers. The low- P which has orifices, J registering with orifices I in the lowest vacuum chamber (Fig; 4). A washer 2 of rubber orother suitable material is interposed betweenthetop lot her, and these are connected, to the tubes-B est secondary chamber rests on 'a 0st J and bottom of chamber, to render the oints tight. The vacuum chamber. I. rests on a hollow post L, supported on chamber I. -The ports or orificesK, K? register with openings Iand I in thechambers,

respectively, asshown in Fig. 4, and washersB- and 4 areinter osed here'alsof Hollow posts L',-similar primary chamber Hand the secondary chamber I. A r0d.5 threaded into a bar 5 connects the chambers and hollow posts, and

holds them at the ends in proper position.

The vacuum chambers are closed at both M, secured with interposed washersnfib"; 6? and 6 to brackets 7, 7", 7 and 7 by screws,

y formed conhectthe 7 ends alike by metal plates M,- M,*-M"

Vacuum' chambers have ber of metal, and have placed within on the bottom asheet of wood orequivalent fibrous material, in which the orifices may be made,

and which affords at all points .a suitable surface for attaching the diaphragms, the Y etter for this purpose wood or fiber beingv metal. I thereby avoid the special faces forattaching the 'di aphragms; To avoid bothob'ecti'ons in'asimple and efiective way, I have formed the vacuum .cham

vol

V I form the valve casing with a flange on its ble diaphragm is attached to the wood, covers the cavlty of the enlargement A and rests at the margins on the wooden surface.

Primary valve casings N are secured 011 the top of the primary vacuum chamber. This is shown in place in Fig. 1, and detached in Fig. 5. Each has a vertical chamber and the ordinary nipple N on one side for connection with the tube 0 As heretofore made, these Valve casings have been formed to screw into the top of the valve chamber. This makes difficult the securing of an airtight joint, and also the alinement of the nipple with the projecting tube with which it is to be connected. Instead of this lower'end, adapted to rest on the top of the chamber, and to be connected therewith by screws with an airtight interposed packing. Holes are made .in the flange, and corresponding holes are threaded into the top on which it rests, these so registering as to bring the nipple into proper alinement with certainty, and without special care, when the screws are inserted in the holes. Also the joint is certain to be tight. The casin may be made in one piece and cheaply; an

may be quickly and certainly put in place. The primary valve N, which is located in this casing, is provided with a bottom N on top of which is a yielding washer. N, and at the bottom it has a stem N carryin a button N, which normally rests on t e diaphragm Q (Fig. 3). An enlarged continuation N 8 of the stem N, extends up through the casin and carries at its button b having on its un er face a washer N. This rests normally on the valve casing, but the stem N is long enough in relation to the casing to permit the proper movement of the valves. The passage through the stem N opens as usual into the annular space between the stem and the interior walls of the casing. The passage from the orifice Q, below; the diaphragm Q is formed by the nipple Q,

tube Q, and nipple C to the passa e D in the rear of the .vent chamber. assages from the rimary vacuum chamber to the vent cham r are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 at C, and the series of vents'and orifices fromthe vent chamber to, the passage D The front top bar of the frame is shown at O, in which the tubes 0. are inserted, and

[ these form a continuation of the vertical passages 0 in thebar O, further continuation of'the passa e being formed b metal tubes 0 insert in the assage projectin downward, as s own'in Figs. 1 and 3. ith these tubes 0 are connected metal tubes P by flexible tubes P of rubber, and the tubes P are in connection with the metal elbows P. As shown in these figures also, these elbows form communicationwith manner.

upper, end aand" the recess in the vacuum chamberI under the Eliapjhragm therein. Similar elbows P and through similar rubber tubes and connections, respectively, with the recesses in the vacuum chambers I and I. P and P are similar connections, as shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 1 and 3 show the connections be tween the elbow P and the vacuum chamber I consisting of nipple 9, elbow 10 connected to the bottom of the vacuum chamher, nipple 10 and tube 11 covering and connecting both nipples. These parts are shown on, a larger scale, and in section in Fig. 3. The connections at the bottom of chambers I'- and I are the same. These figorm connections and by elbows 10, a

urcs also illustrate the arrangement of the primary vacuum chamber with its valve chambers, over the secondary vacuum chambers with thenvalve chambers, and the direct communication between them. Fig. 3

washer packing and securing screws.

The main art of the secondary valve casing R is made in one piece of metal like the prunary valve casing, but differs somewhat as' its place and connections require. It is connected. with or forms part of the arcshaped tube S, which leads to the motor pneumatic T (Fig. 1% operating in the usual The ,tube lower end whereby it is secured to the top of the motor pneumatic, in connection therewith, as shown. The casing R has an upper laterally extended flange R on which rests with interposed packin R a dish-shaped cover R having a centra openin R. Over this is located aplate preferably of fiber,

R. It has a guide hole, and. is held to the casing by the screws which hold the cover has a flange S on its these are rovi ed with suitable yielding washers, and U- These valves act in the usual manner. These valves operate vertical] When atmospheric pressure is admitte through the opening in the tracker bar, the diaphra expands u wardly, and thus lifts the vafv cutting o communication between the atmosphere and the'motor eopening inthe pneumatic. When tracker bar is closed the diaphragm and valve drop, allowing air to enter the motor pneumatic... When the valve is pushed upwardly and held against the dish shaped cup, communication is established between tom of the vacuum chamber, as hereinbefore described. Italso has the series of orifices, 1n this case marked V, located at suitable distances throughout the length of the bar, and corresponding in number and location to the secondary valves and, as there are three secondary vacuum chambers and one prlmar ,the number of secondary valves in each the three is one third of the number of the primary. The construction will be clear from the drawings and previous description, the commun cation from the chamber underneath the diaphragm W being through the elbow 10 and passage shown at 9, to the passage P. The diaphragm W is secured to the wood or fiberiby' glue, cement, or'in'any convenient way. It is normally in contact with the button U. The other secondary vacuum chambers with their co-acting valves and casings have the same construction as hereinbefore. described, and the connections of such chambers by tubes to the primary vacuum chamber set vertically over them are the same, by the same form of tube, the lower having the longest and the top the shortest.

There is a second bar 0 located beneath the bar 0, and upon bars 0 and Ois sup-.

ported a trans arent late (preferab; of y the vent chamber cover to the vent chamber Wlll celluloid) for c osing t e major part 0 action, and yet permitting inspection,

Similar bars and screens are provided, as

. scribe its operation-;and utility.

When the music 'sheet asses over the tracker board and air is adinitted throu h its perforations to the tracker .ducts', t e vacuum existing in the tube G and passa eways communicating therewith'to the diaphragm Q is broken, the primary valves orced upwardly and the air allowed to pass through the valve casing N and passageways N and'communicating passageways hereinbefore described to the recesses beneath the diaphragms W,the'reby forcing up'the double valve U and U thus closing the orifice in the plate-R, thereby producing a vacuum in the arc-shaped tubes and cor-re sponding motor neurnatics thus operating.

on the action in t 1e usual manner. It will be seen from the construction I have described that all the essential co-acting arts upon which the air tightness of my evice and the production of vacuuni'is assured are made of metal except the seats and a valve stem havingupper and for'the diaphragm within the vacuum chain bers, which are preferably made of wood or other material to which the leather diaphragm may be afiixed, so as to insure a lasting air tight joint. It will also be seen that my action is constructed with the primary vacuum chambers vertically above the secondary vacuum chambers and that, therefore, the primary and secondary valves are assisted in'their action by gravity and thus less liable to leak.

The primary and secondary valves are connected by metal tubes and elbows and the flexible rubber connecting tube in front of the bar thereby forming a simple, permanent and durable form of protection, which will obviate the necessity of separating the entire action; should any notes become silent through foreign matter getting under the valve seats, and this allows the cause of the trouble to be simply and instantly located and rectified as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

The form of connection of the secondary valve casing to the power pneumatic is very advantageous, as it avoids any liability of leakage, and at the same time provides a shorter-and smooth passage of the air from the pneumatic to the valve, and thus reduces the friction on the column of air passing therethrough to a minimum.

Thevalve casings belng madeof metal and being vertically disposed, may be readily separated at the top should any defect occur therein, which is an important desideratum.

The simplicity. of the connection of the be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, as if dust should accumulate, the cover may be easily removed, and thereby allow the vents to be cleaned.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination wlth the m n pa.

-mary vacuum chamber rectangular in'cross section, of a metal valve casing secured to the top of the vacuum chamber. having its orifice vertically disposed, and aflan lower washered buttons, and a ni ple leading from the vertically disposed ori ce in theprlmary valve casing, a secondary metal vacuum chamber -d1s osed beneath the rimary vacuum chaml ena front bar provi ed with a right angular orifice, a ni ple extending from the horizontal portion 0 the orifice 0p-' posite the nipple in the valve casing and a rubber tube c'onnectirfg the aforesaid mpples a nipple extending from the lower portion of'the right angular orifice, elbows connected to the bottom of the secondary vac- .uum chamber, a bar located in front of such elbows, a second set of elbows located in front ofthe bar, ni ples' extending into both elbows opposite one other, an encompassing ed. top,

flexible tube for the nip les, metal tubes extending up from the ro'nt elbows and a flexible encompassing tube connecting. the vertical extending metal tube with the nipples extending from the orifices in the front bar as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a pneumatic action for musical inst-ruments, the combination with the secondaryvacuum chamber arranged horizontally of a valve-casing arranged vertically superimposed upon the secondary vacuum chamber, a motor pneumatic and a support therefor extending from the valve casing.

3. In a pneumatic action-for musical instruments, the. combination with 'the secondary vacuum chamber, of a secondary valve casing superimposed upon the secondary vacuum chamber and having the double "operating valve working vertically therein,-

a motor pneumatic and an are shaped tube integral with the valve casingfor supporting the motor pneumatic as and for the purpose specified. I v

4:. In a pneumatic player, the'combina tion with the secondary metal vacuum chamber casing rectangular in cross section, a passageway leading upwardly to the valve casing of theprimary vacuum chamber, and

a bar of fibrous material extendin length wise of the casing and provided wit an orifice registering with the passageway leading totheprimary valve casing, a flexible diaesm'ns phragm cementedon to the bar and closing the orifice, a valvecasin provided with a flanged bottom and pac 'ing surrounding the opening in the top of the vacuum chamber,-a top'provided with a central orifice, a double acting valve located between the top and bottom of the valve casing, a motor pneumatic and a tube leading from the valve casing to the motor pneumatic as and for the purpose specified.

'5; In a pneumatic action for musical instruments, a secondary valve casing having a cylindrical portion and an integral are shaped tube forming part of the same and extending from the valve casing to the m0- tor pneumatic and 'rovided with means for fastening-it to such pneumatic as and for the purpose specified.

6. In a pneumatic action for. musical instruments, the combination with the vacuum chamber casing made of metal; of :1 dia phragm-bar made of fibrous material suitably secured to the bottom of the casing and extendingcontinuously from end to end of the casing, and having orifices and seats for the diaphragms, as and for the purpose specified.

. orTo HIGEL. Witnesses:

B. Born,

R. Comm;

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