Patent GB-190107642-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to Automatically-operated Reed and Pipe Organs.
Inventor: CROOKS JAMES WILLIAM
Filed: 1901-04-13
Granted: 1901-06-22
Abstract: 7642. Crooks, J. W., and Veazie, W. April 13. Automatic instruments; organs.-The invention is shown as applied to a reed instrument in which wind is blown through the reeds but it is also applicable to reed suction and to pipe instruments. Two or more groups of stops, corresponding to the manuals and pedals of an ordinary organ, are provided, two such groups with their corresponding reeds 23, 24 being shown in the present instance, and the invention mainly consists of means for coupling, automatically or non-automatically, the group 24 to the group 23, which last constitutes the chief group. Corresponding to each group of reeds is a channel 31, which is permanently inflated and contains the reed pallets 32, each having a pneumatic 35. The pneumatics 35 corresponding to the reed group 23 are connected by vertical ports 37 with chambers 40 arranged in two staggered rows in boxes 41, and are kept inflated from continuous passages 43. The pneumatics corresponding to the group 24 are likewise connected by ports 115 with chambers 112, one of which lies adjacent to each of the chambers 40, and communicates with it by a port 111 closed by a pallet 110. The tracker-board 50 and the tunesheet are enclosed in an airtight chamber 54, which is fed with compressed air, so that, when an opening in the tracker-board is uncovered, a pneumatic 53 is lifted. This operates a secondary pneumatic device contained in a box 63, and this in turn operates a pneumatic 69, which actuates the valves shown on a spindle 71 in the chamber 40. This shuts off the chamber 40 from the channel 43, and opens it to the outer air, thus emptying the corresponding port 37 and causing a reed of one of the main groups to sound. When, however, a separate series of openings in the tune-sheet uncovers a hole which is allotted to them in the tracker-board, a special wind trunk 77 is charged by pneumatic apparatus, which is not shown, causing continuous channels 75 to be charged, and these in turn charge chambers 98. Fig. 8 shows the device in plan. The consequent operation of pneumatics 102 places one of the arms, made flexible for the purpose, of a bell-crank lever 104 over a collar 106 on the spindle 71, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, and thus, when the spindle 71 comes to be actuated as before described, the bell-crank lever is operated and the pallet 110, with which it is connected, is opened. Thus the corresponding port 115 is opened to the chamber 40, and so to the outer air, and one of the reeds of the secondary group is sounded. There is also a non-automatic device for permanently coupling both groups of reeds. This consists of a slide 101 operated by a draw-knob or equivalent, which cuts off the chambers 98 and opens ports 138 to the channel 75. This keeps a series of pneumatics 140 permanently inflated, and the pallets 110 lifted. The channels 75 must of course be charged all this time, and this is effected by a pallet, operated by the same stop as the slide, which uncovers the special coupling-port already referred to in the tracker-board. The instrument may also be played by keys 155 in the ordinary way. These operate pallets 156, which take the place of the trackerboard and tune-sheet.