Patent GB-149952-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in player mechanism for musical instruments
IPC: G10F1/02
Filed: 1920-07-17
Abstract: 149,952. Watson, W. A., and Eustis, W. Aug. 19, 1919, [Convention date]. Expression-controlling; actions; exhausting air; bellows, arrangement of; wind trunks; player-pianos; wind instruments; tempo-regulating; winding-mechanism. - A pneumatic playing-apparatus for upright pianos, applicable in part to grand pianos and organs, comprises a removable unitary section formed bv a wind chest on which are mounted the actions for varying the expression together with their control manuals. The windchest 15, Fig. 3, on which the control actions are mounted, carries a rectangular frame 19, 22 in which the manual controls are mounted, and is arranged below the key-bed. To this wind-chest is detachably secured by screwed rods 29 an upper wind-chest structure consisting of wind-chests 23, 24, 25, which carry the playing-pneumatics 43 and valves 46, Fig. 9, of ordinary construction, and which are provided with end cheeks or " headers " 26 having inclined felted flanges 28 abutting against similar flanges 27 on headers 16 on the wind-chest 15. There are five manual controls :-(a) Sustaining-mechanism. The rod 49, Fig. 4, is raised to raise the dampers 48 by a rod 62 lifted by a bell-crank lever 61, 56, operated by a link 55 from an arm 54 on moving the manual control 50. The rod 49 may also be independently lifted automatically by the uncovering of a pipe 73 by a side perforation in the tune-sheet, thus admitting air to ordinary valves mounted in carriers 72 in the wind-sheet 15 and operating a pneumatic 66 sup. porting a lever 67. The rod 49 may also be raised in the ordinary way by the pedal. (b) Divided hammer-rail action. The two rods 77, Fig. 6, are operated respectively from the treble or bass manual controls 79, 78 opening a valve as 83 to admit air to a valve as 85 mounted in the windchest 15 which operates a pneumatic as 86. (c) The treble or bass may also be rendered soft by a manual control as 120, Fig. 9, which admits air through a valve 118, valve 114, Fig. 11 and pipe 105 to the underside of a diaphragm 103 thus closing a valve 95 in the header 16 and leaving communication only through a by-pass 99 controled by a pneumatic 96. Thematic or solo notes may then be accented by the uncovering of a pipe 108 by side-holes in the tune-sheet so that the suction acting on the diaphragm 107 mounted in the wind-chest 15 may open the valve 111 and draw down the diaphragm 103, thus suddenly opening the valve 95. (d) The tempo manual control is connected by a link and rock-shaft to the valve slide-rods of a governor of ordinary construction. (e) The re-wind manual control 132, Fig. 12, by an arm 150 and link 134 operates a rock-shaft 183 to shift the music-roller gears, and by an arm 144 opens a valve 143 which by a diaphragm 141 closes a valve 139 cutting off the wind-chest 15 and allowing full suction to be exerted through the motor wind-trunk 125. The reservoir 36 forming part of the exhausting attachment is detachably secured to a neck depending from the wind-chest 15. The action may be attached to the case by vertical webs on the flanges 27. All except the flexible parts are preferably of metal, sheet metal when possible coated with nickel, enamel, &c. Specification 161,530 is referred to.