A Leaf Turner for Sheet Music and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1899
A Leaf Turner for Sheet Music and the like.
I, FRANZ JOSEF CHRIST, of Solmstrasse, 2, Berlin, in the German Empire,
Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
--
This invention consists of a leaf turner for sheet music and the like, and may
be applied to an existing musical instrument provided with a ledge for holding
the music after the manner of an ordinary piano. My invention is, moreover,
portable and can be folded into a small compass.
For the purpose of understanding this invention, I have attached hereto a
sheet of drawings on which
Figure 1 shows a front view,
Figure 2 a view of Figure 1 as seen from the underside.
Figure 3 an end view of Figure 1, looking in the direction of arrow, showing
the apparatus folded up, and
Figure 4 a view, on an enlarged scale, of part of the actuating mechanism.
Referring to said drawings, a b c d are levers threaded on a vertical axis e,
capable of turning thereon and separated by guide blocks e¹. In plan the ends
of said levers working on the axis e are of the shape of discs with sector-shaped
pieces cut away therefrom except for portions near the centre as shown at f,
Figure 2, the object of cutting away such portions being to enable the spring
strips 9 (Figure 3) to enter them for the purpose hereinafter described. To the
levers a b c d are attached spring pieces i, provided at their extreme free ends
with inclined blocks j, wedge shaped or inclined to the horizontal plane. Attached
to the part A is a vertical plate 7 carrying part of the actuating mechanism as
follows. In Figure 1 is shown at V a push which may consist of a vertical piece
with a right angle extension at its lower end for pressing down with the finger
or other means. Pivotted to the upper part of said push V is a lever which
works at its extreme end on a pin p¹. At a suitable point in said lever q, say
midway, is fixed a stud p, extending rearwardly through a slot o, and being
secured to the lever n on the reverse side of the plate l. Referring now to
Figure 4, V shows a guide behind which the push V works, a pawl attached to
the free end of the lever n and controlled by a flat spring r¹, 21 the pin on which
Baid lever n (and lever q, Figure 1) swings, and a spring for returning lever n
to its normal position. Working on a pin s fixed in the plate is a star wheel m
provided with arms or strikers m² m² m³ m² of unequal fengths. Superposed on
said star wheel m and working therewith is a spur or cam wheels, the periphery
of which is stepped as shown, the stepped portions engaging with the free end
of the pawl r, a spring u being provided for preventing backward movement of
said wheels. The plate is toothed at one end as shown at a¹ a² a³ a', the

page_text: upper edges of said teeth being inclined towards the front of plate 1, that is, in
the opposite direction to the inclined blocks j above mentioned.
Attached to the levers a b c d are hoops or turners C, and fastened to the
part B are pieces zy Z, which serve to receive and hold fast the leaves of music
or the like. The portion B may be connected to the part A by means of a
hinge w, so that the apparatus may be folded up into a smaller compass when
required (see Figure 3).
The action of my invention is as follows. The hoops or turners C are first
placed between the leaves to be turned over. Upon the push V being depressed,
the lever n and pawl are likewise depressed through the medium of lever q
and pin p. The spring r, causing the free hooked end of the pawl to press
upon the periphery of the spur or cam wheel snow falls into the next step.
During the depression of the lever n, the springt becomes compressed, but
immediately upon release of the downward pressure on push V, the spring t,
tending to return to its normal position, carries upward the push V, levers
and n and pawl r, and the hooked end of said pawl, having travelled round the
periphery of the spur wheel s¹ into the next step or notch, in its travel upward
gives the spur wheels and star wheel m a partial turn. The two wheels m
and are prevented from turning back by the spring u. As the star wheel m
rotates, its arms or strikers in turn release the inclined blocks j, the length of
each arm or striker being such as to reach its corresponding inclined block j,.
that is, the shortest arm or striker m³ will reach the inclined block attached to
the lever d, the arm m² the lever c and so on.
The turning of the leaves is effected as follows. The inclined blocks ; nor-
mally lie with their larger ends in contact with the back vertical faces (shown
more clearly in Figure 4) of the teeth or projections a¹ a² a3 a4 of the plate ..
Now upon the star wheel m being turned as above described, the blocks are
successively caught or struck by the arms or strikers m¹ m³ m³ m' and are thereby
lifted (the spring pieces i" giving" sufficiently to allow this lifting without raising
the levers a b c d) on to the upper surface of the corresponding teeth in the plate l,
which being inclined in the opposite direction tend to start the radial motion of
the levers and turners one by one. The spring 9, pressing on the corner of the
segment f (Figure 2), is now enabled to come into play (having been inoperative
hitherto) and causes the corresponding hoop or turner C to swing round. As
each arm or striker comes round, a similar operation is gone through, and thus
the leaves of music or the like are turned over. The hinge of the book should
lie, if possible, in line with the vertical axis e.
It will easily be seen that I may employ any convenient number of turners
by multiplying the different parts of the mechanism as required, the principle of
the invention remaining the same.
The turners may be turned back by hand, when they will be ready for use
again.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A leaf turner characterised by levers such as a b c d working at one end
on a vertical axis and provided at their other ends with spring extensions and
inclined blocks arranged to catch behind a series of teeth such as a a² a³ a to
be released therefrom in succession by means of a star wheel such as m where-
upon they swing round under the action of springs such as g taking into the
recesses such as f said star wheel m being actuated by means of a lever such
as n and a pawl such as substantially as and for the purposes described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. The method of operating the leaf turner which consists in releasing the
levers a bed and turners C by lifting the inclined blocks j through the medium
of the star wheel m spur wheel s¹ springt pawl r levers 7 and n and pin p and

page_text: push allowing springs 9 to come into play for the purpose of operating the
turners C substantially as and for the purpose described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.