Patent GB-191105839-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to the Winding Mechanism of Automatic Musical Instruments.
Inventor: DREHER PHILLIP JACOB
Filed: 1911-03-08
Granted: 1911-10-19
Abstract: 5839. Dreher, P. J. March 8. Feeding webs.-In an automatic musical instrument, a long endless tune-sheet is adapted to be gripped at different parts by winding- rollers of special construction. The rollers are mounted in a frame which is rotatable in order to bring different sections of the tune-sheet into operation. Means are also provided for preventing the speed of the tune-sheet increasing owing to the increase in the effective diameter of the take-up roller. As shown in Fig. 16, the rollers 8 are carried by a frame 9 which is mounted on trunnions 10. Before commencing to play a series of tunes, a double thickness of the tune-sheet A is wound upon the front roller 8, the loop a being held by the spring-pressed jaw 8<a> of the roller. From the front roller 8, the tune-sheet passes over the guide 6 and tracker-bar 5, round the slides 158, 159 to the rear roller 8, whence it passes to the front roller 8. A loop a of the tune sheet is held by the jaw 8<a> of the rear roller, the looping-blade 15 being normally in the raised position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 11. During the playing operation, the tune sheet A is wound on to the rear roller 8, its upper half passing over the tracker-bar 5 and causing notes to be sounded in the usual manner. When the tunesheet has been completely transferred from the front roller to the rear roller, the loop a is disengaged from the front roller, so that the tune-sheet assumes the position shown by the dotted line b, Fig. 16. At the same time, a tune-sheet aperture causes the collapse of a bellows 38, Fig. 4, so that the bell-crank 36 disengages a spring-pressed pin 32 from a recess in the frame 9, and slides a loose spur-wheel 29 along its spindle 10 until it engages a clutch member 30 fast on the spindle. The spindle 22, which is driven by a suitable motor, carries a worm 24 driving a worm-wheel 25 on a spindle 28 carrying spur-wheels 26, 27. The spurwheels 26, 29 being now in gear, the spindle 10, together with the frame 9, are rotated through an angle of 180 degrees. The pin 32 then engages another recess in the frame 9. The positions of the rollers 8 are thus reversed, the tune sheet passing freely over the guide during the operation. The bell - crank 36 also operates levers 142, 143, causing a detent to disengage a tooth on a spring-pressed bar 109, which slides a spur-wheel 46, Fig. 2, into engagement with its clutch-member. The spindle 21 is then driven from the shaft 22 through the worm and worm-wheel 24, 25 and spur-wheels 27, 39, 42, 45, 46, so feeding the looping-blade 15 downwards by means of the pinions 20 and racks 19. The part 145, which is attached to the blade 15, is provided with a number of grooves, in each of which a cam is arranged for operating a plunger. The heads of the plungers are pivotally mounted so that they can rotate idly or be operated by the cams according to the direction of movement of the blade. When the looping- blade 15 has moved from the point d to the point e, Fig. 16, the cam p on the part 145 engages the plunger P, Fig. 28, causing it to move outwards. The movement is communicated through the rod 151 and lever 152 to a bar 89, which causes a spring acting upon the rod 78 to be compressed, and also to a rod 101, which effects the release of a catch engaging a tooth on the bar 93. The bar 101 is then moved by spring-action until a pin 96 enters the path of an extension of the jaw 8<a> of the empty roller 8, while a pin 97 is moved into position to engage a recess 98 in a wheel 53. As shown in Fig. 36, the path 98<a> to the recess 98 is stepped in order to prevent too abrupt a movement of the pin 97. When the extension of the jaw 8<a> engages the pin 96, the jaw is opened, and at the same time the pin 97 locks the wheel and roller 8 against rotation. The movement of the bar 101 is communicated through a lever 106 to the rod 78, which slides the pinion 54 along its spindle to de-clutch it. When the blade 15 has entered the jaws of the roller 8, the cam q operates its plunger Q. The movement is transmitted through the rod 153 and lever 154 to return the bar 93 and pins 96, 97 to their initial positions, although the gear 54 still remains de-clutched from its spindle. When the blade 15 has completed its downward movement, the cam r engages the plunger R, the movement of which is transmitted through the rod 155 to the bars 118, 133. The pressure of a spring is thus removed from the bar 109, and a catch disengages a tooth on the bar 122, which thereupon slides a pinion 45 by spring action and clutches it to its shaft. At the same time, the pinion 46 is de-clutched by the action of the lever 140, the spring pressure on the bar 109 having been previously removed in the manner described. The shaft 21 is then driven in the opposite direction through the spur-wheels 39, 42, 45, 50, 52, 51, so that the blade 15 moves upwards to its normal position. During the upward movement of the blade, the cam s operates its plunger S, and the movement is transmitted by the rod 156 and lever 157 to release a tooth on the bar 78 from a detent which normally engages it. The bar 78 shifts the pinion 54 into engagement with its clutch by spring action, so that the spur-wheel 53 and roller 8 are driven through the friction-wheel 60 and intermediate gearing. The movement of the plunger S also compresses a spring which normally acts upon the bar 122. When the blade 15 has completed its upward movement, the cam t has engaged the plunger T, the movement of which is transmitted through the rod 136 to a lever 135. The lever 135 operates a detent to release the bar 122, causing the gear 45 to be de-clutched by spring action. In order that there shall be sufficient slack in the tunesheet when it is engaged with the roller 8, the tune-sheet passes between slides 158, 159, which are capable of horizontal movement. The slides 158, 159 are connected by a cord 161, which passes over a pulley on the spindle 21, so that, as the blade 15 moves downwards, the guides 158, 159 move towards each other into the position shown in Fig. 16, thus unwinding some of the tune-sheet from the front roll 8. Upon the up-stroke of the blade 15, the parts 158, 159 return to their normal position, leaving a certain amount of slack in the tune-sheet. A spring 166 acts as a brake upon the front roller. As the tune-sheet A is wound upon the rear roller 8, the roller 61, Fig. 16, moves outwardly. This movement is transmitted by curved racks 65, pinions 67 on the shaft 68 and bevel wheels 70, 71 on the shaft 69 to a pinion 72, Fig. 1, which shifts a rack 75 to the right. The rack is connected by an extension 77 to a frictionwheel 60, which is thus moved towards the axis of its driving-disk 39, for the purpose of reducing the speed of the wheel 60 and roller 8 to compensate for the increase in the effective diameter of the roller. When the tune-sheet has been transferred from the front to the rear roller, the frame 9 is again rotated through 180 degrees and the other operations are repeated, the apparatus being then adapted to play the tunes on the other half of the tunesheet..