USRE635E - Improvement in organs - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

VVYILLIADI SUMNER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN ORGANS.

l*Specilcation forming part of Letters Patent No. 10,580, dated February 28, 1854; Reissue No. 635, date 1 December 14, 1858.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM SUMNER, of Worcester, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Organs and other Like Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the acconr panyi'ng drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2' is a vertical section at A c, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a crosssection at B b, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section at G c, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical sec tion at D d, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical section at E e, Fig. 5.

The same letters refer to the same parts in all the iigures.

In organs as heretofore constructed each key can be made to sound one note in each of a series'of stops, and the number ot' stops can be regulated'at pleasure by shutting oft' or opening them; but when a given number of stops are opened each key that is touched sounds a note in each of the stops.

The object of my invention is to enable the performer to playoue or two notes in one or more stops, those notes to be governed by or connected tothe 4extreme key touched on either or both sides or hands without reference tothe number of keys touched at once; and to this end the nature ot' my invention consists in making said extreme key on either side to .prevent the operation ot' the .other keys touched at .the same time upon said series; andto do this I make a wind-chest having one main passage leading from the bellows, and branches leading therefrom to every pipe in one or more stops, which branches are each governed by a valve which, when opened to admit the Wind from the main passage, will at the saine time shut ott' the wind from all the valves beyond it, or shall close or retain closed the other valves on either side. In this way, no matter what may be the number of keys touched, only one note in each stop having this arrangement will be sounded, and that either on the eXtreme left for the bass or the extreme right for the treble, the others being prevented by the same act from sounding.

The object of the second part of my inven tion is to operate the pedals which play the sub-bass, and sometimes the basses, by the action of the keys in a similarmanner, and` as a direct connection from the keys to the pedals or their levers wouldbring too much labor on the keys, I interpose a series of auxiliary bellows governed by valves, which valves are governed in turn by the keys in the manner before stated, and the bellows give the power to work the pedals and sound the proper note, thus relieving the keys and accomplishing the object as before.

The accompanying drawings represent so much ofthe machinery of an organ of the usual construction as will be useful in explaining a connection of my improvements, such as the series of keys a and the usual wind-chest b, which conducts the wind frozn the main bellows c by a pipe, d, to the series of pipes e'for any required number of stops. At the ri ght-hand side there is one of my improved wind chests, f, for the treble, which receives wind from the main bellows by the pipe g, the aperture of which is governed in the usual manner by a sliding stop, Je. The main passage consists of a series of chambers, f one for each note in the scale-and the bottom of each chamber has two apertureshy and k-one to receive the wind and the other to permit it to pass to the next chamber-and one aperture, l, at the top leading 'to a channel communicating with a pipe, m, or a series of pipes, if there be more than one stop. In each channel there isa hinged valve, n, which, when borne up, closes the aperture Zat top, and when drawn down opens this aperture l and closes the aperture la at bottom, which prevents the wind from passing to the chamber beyond. Each valve is connected by a rod, o, with a spring-lever, p, below, the tension of whose spring q tends constantly to keep the valves up against theaperture at top, and this lever is in turn connected by a rod, r, with a corresponding key, a.

From the foregoing it will be seen that all thekeys connected with the valves in the chest will, when touched, operate the corresponding valves; but as the wind comes in from the right-hand side, and the touch of the keys draws down the corresponding valve to open the aperture at top, and at the saine time closing the apertures k at bottom through Athe pedals. play with thc keys the notes of which herewhich the wind passes to the. next chamber on the left, the consequence will be that, no matter what number of keys connected with this chest may be touched at once, the one on the extreme right alone lwill sound a note, because the valve connected therewith in the act of opening the aperture at top to admit the wind to its pipe or pipes,at the samc time closes the aperture at bottom, which leads to the next chamber on the left side of it, and hence from all beyond it. In this way, no matter what may be the number of parts played, the treble only--that is, the note on the extreme right-will b e sounded in the extrav stop or stops connected with this chest,-so that at the pleasure of the performer he can give predominance to the treble.l

It will be obvious from the foregoing that a like arrangement can be employed for the left i r bass side by reversing its operation, so that the extreme left note only will be sounded; and it will also be obvious that, if desired, the extra stop or stops can be so arranged in connection with my invention that the note pro- 'duced by the cxtreme left keytouched will vary one or more octaves from that sounded in the usual stops. The main bellows connects by apipe, a', with another wind-chest, b', having one main passage, c', through which. the wind passes from left to right and from this main passage there are a series of branches, d', with a valve, e', at the juncture of each branch with the main passage,`each branch connecting with one of a series of auxiliary bellows, f. At the bottom of each key there is a rod, h', drawn up by the tension of a spring,

g', and this rod is in turn connected with one arm of a rock-shaft, z', the other arm of which isconnected with a corresponding valve, e', in the chest hf, so `that when the keys a are pressed down the corresponding valves in the chest will be operated to open the branches leading to the auxiliary bellows, and closing the main passage, so that t-he wind from the main bellows can only pass into the branch which corresponds with the extreme left of n the keys touched, on the principle before explained. The wind is thus admitted from the main bellows to the corresponding auxiliary' bellows, and will lill it and force down its iiap, which is connected, byarod, j, with a pedal, lc. of a series connected in the usual way with the sub-bass or other pipes usually played by In this way I am enabled to tofore, for the want of sufficient power in the fingers, had to be played with the feet, and to sound only that note which corresponds with the extreme left key touched, no matter what number of keys may be touched at one and the same time to play the usual stops. The return of the auxiliary bellows is self-acting. In the bottom iiap there is an aperture, s', of less capacity than the aperture which admits the wind from the branch of the Wind chest; and below this aperture there is a Valve, t, on the end of an arm hinged to the frame, and the forward end of this arm rests on a bracket, a', attached to the ap, so that when resting on the bracket the aperture is open, and this arm works between two frictionplates, e o', so that when the wind rushes into the bellows, the esca pe-aperture being smaller th an the inlet, the iiap will be suddenly forced down onto the valve, which closes the aperture until the iap is entirely forced down. y In the upper plate of the bellows there is a small aperture or vent, fw',which permits a slight escape of wind, and just enough to permit the Hap, after the required time, to rise, and so soon as it begins to rise it leaves the valve t', to permit the air to rush out, and the ap and the pedal connected therewith to return to its foriginal,v position, the bracket at the same time carrying up the arm and valve t',

I have used the terms auxiliary bellows to designate the apparatus which receives the wind from the main bellows to work the pedals, although, strictly speaking, they -are not bellows, but pneumatic flaps, and therefore any apparatus which will secure an equivalent action from the wind can be substituted for them and although I have stated that the wind is supplied bv the main bellows, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to i of either of the two kinds of valves above described, as any valve or valves which by the action of the keys will open the ,branches and close the main passage, or in any way prevent the wind entering any other branch or pipe than the one corresponding to the extreme key touched, may be substituted for thosede-y scribed. Nor do I wish to limit myself to any particular construction of the parts by` which I accomplish the results attained.

I have described two variations or modifications of the windchest and valves, and it is obvious that others may be made, or the controlling-power made in the connections orbetween the keys and valves by the mere substitution of equivalents, without departing from the principles and character of my invention. Nor do I wish to be understood as limiting'l myself to the application of my invention to organs, as it is equally applicable to other in# struments wherein it is desirablel to play with shall enable the extreme key touched on either side, or both, when operating'itself shall prevent all the others from operating in the stop or stops connected therewith, in the manner and for the purposes as above set forth and described.

2. In combination with a wind-chest operating substantially as above described, the emy ployment of auxiliar;T bellows connected and combined with the main bellows and pedals, substan tially as and for the purposes described.

3. Controlling and operating the escapevalve by means of friction on the arni or its equivalent, in the man ner and for the purposes above set forth and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

Y WILLIAM SUMNER.

Witnesses J. E. HITCHCOCK, JAs. G. ARNOLD.

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