Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application. 22nd Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1899
I, FRANK VICTOR NEUVILLE, Wood Carver, of 805, East 147th Street, in the City
and State of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:--
This invention relates to an improved combined piano plate and back; the objects
thereof being to produce a durable structure of this class adapted to resist the strain
of the strings and to afford greater purity of tone to the instrument than similar
backs now in use.
In the practice of my invention, I use a hollow piano back constructed of metal and
comprising the plate, uprights, and a recess, all of these said parts forming a homo-
genious structure, they being cast together; or welded in such a manner as to leave
no open joints, whereby the tone of the instrument is improved. A compartment.
between the plate and the back uprights, admits of the sound waves having free
movement to the rear of the plate and said plate is of a shape and contour adapted
to stand the strain of the piano strings, and it is lightened to a sufficient extent by
having apertures cut therethrough; these said apertures not only lighten the
structure, but they are so placed as to allow bridges which are secured to the sounding
board to pass beyond the surface of the plate for the purpose of engaging the strings
as will be hereinafter described.
The sounding board composed of any suitable material is preferably attached to
the rear of the plate by means of sidestrips, which are tapered upon their inner
surfaces to engage the convexity of the board, the strips and the board being securely
attached to the plate by means of screws, or the sounding board may be otherwise
attached to the framework if desired. The plate is supplied upon its front surface
with integrally formed tail-bridges, and the rest-plank which is composed of wood is
secured to a recess by means of bolts and nuts. This said rest-plank contains the
tuning pins for attachment respectively to the bass and treble strings. Upper
bridges are also secured to the face of said rest-plank.
As a means for securing the back to the piano casing, a wooden frame is connected
around the four edges thereof, and the whole is enclosed by means of a thin wooden
backing adapted to throw the sound waves in a forward direction to increase the
volume of the instrument.
In stringing up the device, bass strings are secured at their lower ends to the pegs
upon the tail-bridges. They are then strung over the bridges secured to the sound-
ing board to the tuning pins on the rest-plank. The treble strings are connected at
their lower ends to pegs on the tail-bridge on the front surface of the plate and they
are strung over bridges on the face of the rest plank to the tuning pins for attach-
ment of the bass strings. By the use of this structure, a great number of heavy
strings may be used without danger of bending the plate, because of its integral
formation with the rear uprights.
It will be noted that the plate is cut away at each side thereof at places where
metal could not be advantageously employed, and the sounding board is of a contour

page_text: to fit the said cutaway portions, thus leaving a space around the sounding board,
whereby waves of sound are not obstructed.
In securing the combined back and plate to the piano box or casing, the walls of
said casing are glued or otherwise fastened to the edges of the frame, whereby no
direct contact between the plate and the piano box is necessary, and a strong-toned
instrument is produced, which owing to its peculiar construction obviates the
necessity of placing the piano with its back to a wall in order to get the maximum
of tone therefrom.
The casing or piano box is composed of rough wood coated with an ornamental
covering of compressed fibre, having raised ornamentation thereon and formed
integrally therewith. This coating is produced from an original wooden pattern, by
an electro-plating process, whereby the grain of the wood is accurately imitated and
a piano-box having the appearance of a solid wooden structure is produced. A
structure of this character is adapted to be cheaply produced by covering the original
designs in wood, and then reproducing an electro-plate therefrom, which is suitably
backed in metal to produce a solid die. This die is impressed into the fibre coating
on the piano box, while the said coating is in a plastic condition. Then after it
hardens, an exact reproduction of the original pattern is produced, even to the grain
of the wood.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1898
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
I, FRANK VICTOR NEUVILLE, Wood Carver, of 805, East 147th Street, in the City
and State of New York, United States of America, 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 relates to an improved combined piano plate and back; the objects
thereof being to produce a durable structure of this class adapted to resist the strain
of the strings and to afford greater purity of tone to the instrument than similar
backs now in use.
The invention will be hereinafter fully described and specifically set forth in the
annexed claims.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a
front elevation of my improved device. Figure 2 is a vertical sectional elevation
taken on the line x-x of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the
line y-y of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of an upright piano
having my improvement attached thereto and showing portions of the case broken
away.
In the practice of my invention, I use a hollow piano back constructed of metal
and comprising the plate A, the uprights A', and the recess A2, all of these said
parts forming a homogeneous structure, they being cast together; or welded in such
a manner as to leave no open joints, whereby the tone of the instrument is improved.
The compartment A³ between the plate A, and the back uprights A¹, admits of the
sound waves having free movement to the rear of the plate, and the said plate is of a
shape and contour adapted to stand the strain of the piano strings, and it is lightened
to a sufficient extent by having apertures cut therethrough; these said apertures
not only lighten the structure but they are so placed as to allow the bridges B¹
and B2 which are secured to the sounding board B, to pass beyond the surface

page_text: OI the plate for the purpose of engaging the strings as will be hereinafter
described.
. The sounding board B, composed of any suitable material, is preferably attached
to the rear of the plate A, by means of sidestrips b, which are tapered upon their
inner surfaces to engage the convexity of the board, the strips and the board being
securely attached to the plate by means of screws 1; or the sounding board may be
otherwise attached to the framework if desired. The plate A is supplied upon its
front surface with integrally formed tail-bridges A4 and A5; and the rest-plank 1, com-
posed of wood is secured to the recess A2, by means of the bolts a and nuts a¹. This
said rest-plank contains the tuning pins C and C¹, for attachment respectively to the
bass and treble strings. Upper bridges C² and C³ are also secured to the face of the
said rest-plank.
As a means for securing the back to the piano casing, a wooden frame D is.
connected around the four edges thereof, and the whole is enclosed by means of a
thin wooden backing D¹, adapted to throw the sound waves in a forward direction to
increase the volume of the instrument.
In stringing up the device, bass strings E are secured at their lower ends to the
pegs e upon the tail-bridges A4. They are then strung over the bridges B¹, and C²
to the tuning pins C. The treble strings F are connected at their lower ends to the
pegs f, of the tail-bridges A5, and they are strung over the bridges B² and C³ to the
tuning pins C. In the drawings, I have only shown one bass and one treble string,
but it is obvious that any suitable number may be added; and by the use of this
structure, a great number of heavy strings may be employed without danger of
bending the plate A, because of its integral formation with the rear uprights as
clearly shown in the drawings.
It will be noted that the plate A is cut away at each side thereof at places where
metal could not be advantageously employed, and the sounding board B is of a
contour to fit the said cutaway portions, thus leaving a space around the sounding
board, whereby the waves of sound are not obstructed.
In securing this combined back and plate to the piano box or easing, the walls of
said casing are glued or otherwise fastened to the edges of the frame D, whereby no
direct contact between the plate and the piano box is necessary, and a strong-toned
instrument is produced, which owing to its peculiar construction obviates the
necessity of placing the piano with its back to a wall in order to get the maximum
of tone therefrom.
The casing or piano box 2, is composed of rough wood 3, coated with an orna-
mental covering of compressed fibre 4, having raised ornamentation 5 thereon and
formed integrally therewith, as illustrated by Figure 4 of the drawings. This coating
is produced from an original wooden pattern, by an electro-plating process, whereby
the grain of the wood is accurately imitated and a piano-box having the appearance
of a solid wooden structure is produced. A structure of this character is adapted to
be cheaply produced by covering the original designs in wood, and then reproducing
an electro-plate therefrom; which is suitably backed in metal to produce a solid die.
This die is impressed into the fibre coating on the piano box, while the said coating
is in a plastic condition. Then after it hardens, an exact reproduction of the origina
pattern is produced, even to the grain of the wood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my sai
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A combined piano plate and back, comprising a hollow metallic structure having
a longitudinal recess in the upper portion thereof, and a rest-plank engaging said
recess, substantially as shown and described.
2. In a combined piano plate and back, the combination of an open-work plate
having tail bridges thereon, and an open-work back formed integrally therewith, and
a recess for receiving the rest-plank, and a backing and frame enclosing the said
structure, substantially as shown and described.

page_text: 3. In a combined piano back and plate, the combination of a plate and rear up-
rights formed integrally with each other, and an integrally formed recess and a rest-
plank secured therein, and a sounding board connected to the rear of this said plate,
the said plate being supplied with tail-bridges, and the sounding board having
intermediate bridges projected from the face thereof, the rest-plank being supplied
with upper bridges, substantially as shown and described.
4. In a piano, the combination of a box embodying a rough frame-work having an
exterior coating of compressed fibre thereon, and a combined back and plate com-
prising a hollow metallic structure encased in a wooden backing and frame, substan-
tially as shown and described.
5. A piano box composed of rough wood, the exterior surface thereof being coated
with compressed fibre having panels or other ornamentation formed integrally there-
with, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 11th day of Dasamba 1000
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.