CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS AND ADDITIONS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES AND OTHER KEYED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1816

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
DAY, of Brompton, in the County of Middlesex, Lieutenant on Half Pay,
of His Majesty's Eleventh Regiment of Foot, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Sixteenth day of
November, in the fifty-seventh year of His reign, did, for Himself, His
heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Day, my exors,
adors, and assigns, His special licence and authority, that I, the said
John Day, my exors, admiors, and assigns, during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS AND ADDITIONS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES
AND OTHER KEYED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS;" in which said Letters Patent there
is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Day, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Day, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
references or descriptions thereof; that is' to say :-
A frame, to which is affixed musical, glasses: and apparatus necessary for
striking them, is inclosed in a case of wood, which is added and attached to
pianofortes and other keyed musical instruments, and acted upon by means of
pedals and machinery in such manner as the tones of the glasses and piano-
forte, or instrument to which they are attached, may be sounded conjointly or
separately at pleasure, as herein-after described.
Figure 1 represents the musical glasses as affixed in the frame, with the
apparatus for striking them (taken out of the outward case). A, A, the glasses,
which are blown or formed partly conical, and for the lower notes half globular,
a hole being made, when formed, in the center of each glass to place it on the
rod. The glasses are tuned by grinding them to produce the tone required,
they are then affixed upon two iron, brass, or other metal rods, having a screw
thread from one extremity to the other, divided in the middle; each glass is
separately screwed on the rod with a brass or other nut, putting cloth, or any
other soft substance applicable to the purpose, between the glass and nut.
The rods, with the glasses affixed to them, are then screwed into the frame in
two parallel lines, in number according to the compass or extent of the scale
required. The glasses are placed on the rods in the following manner: sup-
posing the lowest note on rod B to be F, the lowest note on the opposite rod C
will be F sharp, the second glass on rod B will be G, and the second glass on
the rod C will be G sharp, and so regularly ascending by whole tones on cach
rod to the highest note.
Figure 2 shews the section of the action and two of the glasses represented
in Figure 1, as applied to a grand pianoforte. A, A, the glasses. B, B, ham-
mers hinged on one rail in opposite directions, faced with leather or any other
suitable substance. C, C, dampers, one screwed into the lever, and the oppo-
site one into the hammer but. D, D, the levers with the regulating buttons
and lifters screwed into them. E, the ruler of a grand pianoforte, with holes
bored through to allow the dampers, made of sufficient length from highest
note of the glasses downwards) to pass through F, the damper acting upon the
lever. A thick wire is passed through the rest plank and bottom of a grand
pianoforte, so as to move freely, which wire rests on a lever or spring, so that
the upper end of the wire, having a brass or other metal head, stands two or
three inches above the rest plank, the wire lever and spring is connected with
the pedal. The frame containing the glasses is hinged at the back in an out-
ward case; holes or an apperture is made in the bottom of the case underneath

page_text: the levers D, D. Another hole" is "made so as to allow the wire before
described in the rest plank, to pass through. The case is then placed upon
the grand pianoforte, so that the apperture made in the bottom of it may come
directly over the ruler. The wire in the rest plank coming in contact with the
5 frame opposite to where it is hinged, prevents its falling sufficiently low to be
affected by the damper of the pianoforte; by pressing the pédal the wire and
frame lowers to bring-the 'levers belonging to the glasses close to the lampers
of the pianoforte; when-the key is pressed both the pianoforté 'and glasses"
sound together; and, in order that the keys' may act upon the glasses-alone, a
slip of wood is hinged to the hammer beam of the pianoforte; and by means of
a pedal. that slip of wood is brought in contact with the stickers that lift the
haminers, and press them out of the notch in the butt of the hammer, so- that
the pianoforte cannot sound.
"
Figure 3 represents my improved outward case for a 'cabinet pianoforte
particularly, formed with projecting cornice and pediment, supported by
pillars, or, if convenient, may be supported by brackets. Behind the cornice,
in front, the frame described in Drawing Figure 1, is hinged, which frame
rests upon a spring fixed underneath the back damper rail to prevent that side
of the frame laying close to the pianoforte. A wire is. hooked to the frame
close to the spring, and passes through the pianoforte -down to the. bottom,
where it is attached, to a pedal to bring on the, glasses.at pleasure.
Figure,4 shews the, action of the glasses when applied, to the cabinet piano-
fortc. A, A,.the dampers screwed into the levers B, B, in opposite directions;
C, the regulating button screwed into sticker D; E, the lever to which the
sticker is glued; F, rail. on top of pianoforte action frame, supporting the
sticker frame of the glass action; G, wire extending, from. stickers, of piano-
forte to those of glass action; these wires may be.screwed, into the stickers of
pianoforte in the ordinary way. for lifting the dampers.H, the hammer of
pianoforte-detached from.its sticker. I, damper of pianoforte, which, by means.
of a small spring K, causes the hammer to return. .L, a slip of wood screwed
to the hammer rail, to which the dampers are, fastened. M, M, the hammer
rail of the pianoforte, divided as far as the glasses extend, for the purpose of
lifting up by means of a pedal to throw the pianoforte hammers out of the
power of their stickers.
Figure 5 shews the action of the glasses when applied to a square piano-
forte. The frame described in Figure 1, is hinged to the bottom or under-
neath the pianoforte; the opposite side of the frame is supported by lying on
a spring fastened inside to the bottom of a case which covers the frame. A
pedal forces the spring down for the purpose of making the glasses sound. The

page_text: difference in this action and others herein-before described is, that, instead of
dampers or stickers raising the glass action, holes or an aperture is made in the
bottom of the pianoforte, and wire A, having a screwed thread on either end,
is passed through holes in the leaver and hammer rail, and through the aper-
ture in the pianoforte up to a forked hook B; two nuts are screwed upon this
wire below, one to support the wire and the other to pull up the lever; another
nut is screwed on the wire above, so that the forked hook screwed into key C.
will pull up the wire, and put the action below in motion when the key is
pressed down. To prevent the pianoforte sounding I hinge a slip of wood
underneath the hammers, and, by a wire psssing through the bottom communi-
cating with a pedal, the hammers are thrown up to the strings, which prevents
the instrument sounding. This latter method is applicable to grand and cabinet
pianofortes instead of those herein-before described, when found convenient.
The frame to which musical glasses and apparatus are affixed, as described in
Figure 1, is inclosed in a case of wood when attached to pianofortes and other
instruments. The case to be formed according to the size and shape required
to contain the frame.
set my
In witness whereof, I, the said John Day, have hereunto subscribed and
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the fifty-seventh
of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventeen.
year