IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Frederick Greiner and James Henry Carr
Sandilands, of No. 1, Golden Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Pianoforte Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES.'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Frederick Greiner
and James Henry Carr Sandilands at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 9th May 1862.
We, GEORGE FREDERICK GREINER and JAMES HENRY CARR SANDILANDS, of
No. 1, Golden Square, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Makers, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES," to be as follows:--
This Invention of improvements in the construction of pianofortes consists
of further improvements on the Invention of the said George Frederick
Greiner, for which a Patent was granted to him, dated 4th October 1859,
No. 2239.
The object of the first part of these improvements is the more correct
adjustment of the unison of each choir of the pianoforte, by means of a slotted
อ
screw with nut and collet, as shewn in Fig. No. 1.
Fig. No. 2 is the same principle applied to the common plan of tuning.
The second part of these improvements is to procure a repetition in grand
action of pianoforte, by means of a lever spring working on an axle, by which
means the hammer is assisted in its blow on the strings.
In Fig. No. 3, the black lines in plan shews the hammer at rest, and the
red lines shews the blow delivered.

page_text: Fig. No. 4 is a section of upright bracing for cottage pianofortes, shewing
new plan of iron spur bracing, by which means upright pianofortes
are made to resist the pull of the strings more effectually for extreme climates.
The red ink in plan shews the ironwork.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Frederick Greiner and James Henry Carr Sandi-
lands in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th November 1862. .
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
FREDERICK GREINER and JAMES HENRY CARR SANDILANDS, of No. 1, Golden
Square, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing late the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ns, the said George Frederick Greiner and James Henry Carr Sandilands,
Hér special licence that we, the said George Frederick Greiner and James
Henry Carr Sandilands, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said George Frederick Greiner and James Henry Carr
Sandilands, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said George Frederick Greiner and James Henry Carr Sandilands,
or one of us, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or one of our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to. be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Frederick Greiner and James
Henry Carr Sandilands, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawings,
that is to say:

page_text: No. 2239.
The object of the first part of these improvements consists in regulating
each choir of the pianoforte, which consists of two or three strings, by a series
of metal bars A, which are screwed up by nuts B, with a more correct adjust-
ment of the unison of each choir of the pianoforte, by means of a slotted
screw C, with nut and washer.
Figs. No 1 shew the side and top views.
Fig. 2 shews the usual plan of fixing the strings, and tuning each string
separately with the slotted screw D), for the string to pass with washers and
nut E. In this, we claim especially the Invention of the slotted screw and
washer.
The second part is improvements on the well known and simple action used
by Messrs. Broadwood and others, which is known to have a heavy touch and
no repetition.
Our improvement is to give a lighter touch, and repetition without compli-
cation. This action we obtain both by merely altering the spring of the
action, which we call a lever spring; one arm acts as a spring on the jack,
and the other acts as a lever on the hammer. This is effected by the spring
working on a axle F, Fig. 3, the short arm G acting on the jack, and the
long arm H acting on hammer, which is regulated by a screw and loop I, by
which means the hammer is freed when the blow is given. The red lines
shew the blow when given, and black lines the hammer at rest.
In this we
claim the Invention of the lever spring H.
Fig. 4 is a section of upright bracing for cottage pianofortes, shewing a
new plan of iron spur bracing, by which means upright pianofortes are made
to resist the pull of the strings more effectually for extreme climates. The
red ink in plan shews the ironwork. In this, we claim the iron spur marked
K in plan.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Frederick Greiner and James
Henry Carr Sandilands, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand cight
hundred and sixty-two.
GEORGE FREDERICK GREINER.
JAMES HENRY CARR SANDILANDS.
(L.S.)
(L.S.) '