IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC CYLINDER PIANOS
Year: 1884

page_text: We ALLESSANDRO CAPRA and GIOVANNI BATTISTA RISSONE both of 30 Great.
Warner Street Clerkenwell in the County of Middlesex Mechanical Piano
Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AUTOMATIC CYLINDER PIANOS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the arrangement and construction of
automatic or self acting cylinder pianos and consists in an improved method of
arranging and combining the spring barrel or actuating mechanism with the pin
barrel or cylinder (on which the tunes are arranged) to act upon the mechanism
and hammers which strike the strings of the instrument.
Heretofore the spring barrel and mechanism combined therewith has been
arranged at the end or in a line with the cylinder or pin barrel thereby
occupying considerable space in the direction of the length of the case of the
musical instrument or piano and rendering it almost compulsory to employ a
comparatively short cylinder and thus limiting the effective musical power of the
instrument.
Now according to our improvements we mount or arrange the spring barrel and
actuating mechanism below the cylinder or pin barrel which can thus be made to
correspond in length with the length of the key board or series of notes comprising
the automatic piano.
This space hitherto occupied by the spring barrel and actuating mechanism is
thus utilized to increase the range of the instrument and render it more effective.
The handle at the front for playing the instrument is dispensed with a better
tone is also produced.
The actuating mechanism is so arranged as to be capable of adjustment in order
to drive the cylinder or pin barrel at different rates of speed to suit the music being
played.
T

page_text: We, ALESSANDRO CAPRA and GIOVANNI BATTISTA RISSONE both of 30 Great
Warner Street Clerkenwell in the County of Middlesex Mechanical Piano
Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AUTOMATIC CYLINDER PIANOS" 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 improvements in the arrangement and construction of
automatic or self acting cylinder pianos and consists in an improved method of
arranging and combining the spring barrel or actuating mechanism with the piu
barrel or cylinder (on which the tunes are arranged) to act upon the mechanism
and hammers which strike the strings of the instrument.
Heretofore the spring barre) and mechanism combined therewith has been
arranged at the end or in a line with the cylinder or pin barrel thereby occupying
considerable space in the direction of the length of the case of the musical
instrument or piano and rendering it almost compulsory to employ a comparatively
short cylinder and thus limiting the effective musical power of the instrument.
Now according to our improvements we mount or arrange the spring barrel and
actuating mechanism below the cylinder or pin barrel which can thus be made to
correspond in length with the length of the key board or series of notes comprising
the automatic piano.
The space hitherto occupied by the spring barrel and actuating mechanism is
thus utilised to increase the range of the instrument and render it more effective.
The handle at the front for playing the instrument is dispensed with a better
tone is also produced.
о
The actuating mechanism is so arranged as to be capable of adjustment in order
to drive the cylinder or pin barrel at different rates of speed to suit the music being
played.
And in order that our improvements may be clearly understood and readily
carried into practice we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of our improved automatic cylinder piano showing
the driving mechanism in position with regard to the pin barrel. Figure 2 is a
front view of the driving mechanism. Figure 3 is an end view of the mechanism
we employ for driving the pin barrel at different speeds and Figure 4 is a diagram
showing the pitch lines of the gearing of the driving mechanism-a a is the case
of the instrument and b is the pin barrel these are arranged in the manner usual
in automatic pianos.
In order to give the requisite motion to the pin barrel b we make use of the
following mechanism.
c is a strong spring barrel which by by means of a cord or chain and the usual
train of wheels gives motion to a shaft d on which is a pinion e the teeth of which
gear with a ring of teeth on end of the pin barrel b. By arranging the parts in
the manner shown the pin barrel b can be made much longer than usual thus giving
the instrument greater range of compass.
In order to drive the pin barrel b at different speeds to suit the music being
played we make use of the following parts.
g is a shaft projecting through the end of the case of the instrument and having
fixed on it a handle a¹ the onnosite end of the shaft a carries a disc a² on which is

page_text: a ping which is received in the fork of a forked lever h. The lever h is pin jointed
to the bar i to the underside of which is secured a spring blade ¹ having at its
end a pad of soft material which is pressed by the spring against the surface of a
roller k carried by the axis of the fly ; which is driven by the usual train of gear
and in order to prevent noise we find it advantageous to make the wheel marked
of some material other than metal ebonite or some like material answers well.
When it is desired that the music shall be played slowly the pad carried by the
spring blade is caused (by turning the handle g¹ in one direction) to exert a
greater pressure on the roller k thus retarding the axis of the fly j on the other
hand when the music requires to be played quickly by turning the bandle gl in the
opposite direction the roller k is relieved from the pressure of the pad carried by
the spring and the whole power of the mechanism is absorbed in driving the
instrument. The spring blade ¹ is capable of exerting sufficient pressure on the
roller k to stop the instrument entirely or the bar might carry a stop to come
against a pin carried by the roller k. By these means a great range of speed is
given to the instrument thus enabling all classes of music being properly and
effectively played a condition hitherto unattainable in musical instruments of this
class.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner of performing
or carrying the same into practice we would have it understood that we make no
claim to the application of self acting mechanism consisting of the spring barrel c
and pin barrel b to automatic cylinder pianos neither do we claim any of the parts
separately which are well known and in common use. But what we claim is :-
First. The improved arrangement combination and application of the spring
barrel c and self acting mechanism by placing the same below the pin barrel b (of
full compass) substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and represented in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Secondly. We clain the improved arrangement and application of mechanism or
apparatus for regulating and driving the pin barrel at different speeds substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and represented in the Drawings
hereto annexed.