Improvements in Pneumatic Musical Instruments.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1895-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
Improvements in Pneumatic Musical Instruments.
I, ROBERT ALLEN GALLY of 1002 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, New York,
U.S.A. Manufacturer, 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:―
My object is to construct a low cost combined self playing reed organ, and I
therefore conform as nearly as possible to the regular style of horizontal action and
its usual stop work, key work, case and bellows, and construct the necessary
additional parts in as simple form as is efficient, allowing the usual easy access
to the reeds and other parts, and also to all parts and adjustments of my additional
mechanism.
Referring to the drawings:-
Fig. 1, is a transverse section of the organ.
Fig. 2, is a modified form of the bellows tension device.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section at end of action, showing detail of portion of A.
of Fig. 1, and
Fig. 4 is a detail of pneumatic socket board.
I place my music rolls a b behind the sheet music desk c of the ordinary style
case. These rolls pass the automatic-paper d over the vent openings e of grooved-
board to operate the self-playing pneumatic apparatus. I attach this grooved-
board at or near the rear line of the action and rising therefrom, this arrangement
allowing room for access to the reeds and for the movement of the ordinary style
fallboard f, and the grooved-board being attached near the back edge of sounding
board, does not affect the free vibration of the sounding board. I turn the top
of the grooved-board g toward the front of case to allow the roll a to clear the
case panel and also bring the rolls a and b into convenient view and reach through
the desk opening.
The operation of the music-sheet perforations is to admit air through vent e to
inflate pneumatic 1, closing valve m and opening valve n, so that the secondary
pneumatic u is inflated to move lever y and permit valve w to open the movements
of these parts being reversed when the unperforated part of sheet closes operating
vent e, the return or exhaust vent e" which as shewn in Fig. 1 is a perforation in a
thin plate then allowing pneumatic to collapse by exhausting duct d" and thus
establishing equilibrium of pressure on both sides of pneumatic diaphragm l. It
has always been the practice to place the return-vent near the pneumatic,
but I locate my return-vent ell near to the operating-vent e, and by so
doing give to both vents an approximately equal resistance of the duct "
when either operating or returning the pneumatic 7; the return-vent being
near the operating-vent is very promptly overcome by the latter; and the duct is
required to be only sufficiently large to pass enough air at one time to operate the
pneumatic and at another time to return the pneumatic, while in the case of the
common form of placing the return-vent near the pneumatic the duct is required to
be enough larger to pass through its entire length not only sufficient air to operate
the pneumatic but also enough more at the same time to overcome the return-vent.
With return-vent near operating-vent I am able in practice to use one-half the size
of bore of leader on a given distance than with return-vent at end with pneumatic,
thereby saving space and material. It is immaterial whether the operating-vent
is controlled by a music-sheet or by a key-valve or other valve, and I do not limit

page_text: myself in this, but claim the arrangement of the wents in their relative positions as
described, whether used on self-playing or manual apparatus, and whether for
reedorgan, pipeorgan, piano-player or other musical instrument having pneumatics.
Nor do I limit myself to any particular kind of musical instrument in the application
of any of the several features of pneumatic and other mechanism herein set forth,
my purpose being to use such devices in whatever kinds of musical instruments
they may be desirable.
To save in number of parts usual in a pneumatic action and the consequent
trouble of matching and packing the many parts, I form in or place on the grooved-
board g my primary pneumatics l, and fasten the valve-board j to the grooved-board,
so that they together form a complete removable section containing air-chest k..
When the double-valve board is attached to rear face of grooved-board as shown
in Fig. 1, the valves and adjustments are easy of access from rear of instrument,.
which is very convenient.
I construct my primary pneumatics as follows:-
The valve-rod o is screwed into centre of pneumatic and the inside valve m is
run onto same screwthread. The outside valve n is free from the valve-rod and
so placed on the board j that the valve-rod may be reached and turned to adjust
the relative positions of the rod, inside valve and pneumatic without opening
the chest. To guide the valve-rod and hold the inside valve to properly cover the
inside port p, I bore the inner port p, lower than the outer port p', so that the
valve-rod resting by its weight at bottom of port p will centre the inside valve m
with the port p, the curve of the outer port pl keeping the valve-rod horizontally
centred.
The pneumatic located at A in Fig. 1 is shown in detail in Fig. 3. It is worked
from one of the primary pueumatics to serve a large quantity of air to the main
pneumatic q. This secondary pneumatic is placed on the sounding-board hand
conveniently connected to power-pneumatic y, which in this instance operates the
swell lids by sticker s. The valve-rod being vertical it is necessary to use a
different mode of guiding it than when horizontal as in board j. The valve-hole pl
is bored straight through the board and the rod r is adapted in its shape to guide
itself in the valve-hole. The particular form of rod here shown, an eye, is very
convenient to make and use, and facilitates the turning of the rod when adjusting.
This method of guiding the rod may be used when the rod is not perpendicular.
The power pneumatic operates lever to open the swell-lid s by sticker s¹
working through sounding-board h, the lever being fulcrummed on an adjustment
screw-wire which extends through the sounding-board and allows setting of the
position of the lever without opening the action.
The
I place all my power pneumatics u, Fig. 1, on one face of a single board v inside
the main wind-chest, the pneumatics being on the side toward the valve-board h, and
alternated in two or more lines. The pneumatic u operates the valve w by means
of lever y, having its fulcrum between the pneumatic and the valve.
fulcra may be attached to sounding-board h. The valve springs a¹ and the
levers y and their fulcra z may all be attached to board v, the entire main pneumatic
system then being complete in one removable section as shown in Fig. 1. The
board attaches the rear of the action to communicate to the primary pneumatic
valves, thus leaving the sounding-board h free to vibrate.
The stem of fulcrum z is threaded and is screwed into board v, a simple means
for attaching, adjusting and removing the lever y. I make the lever y to work
loosely on the stem of the fulcrum 2, hearing against the fulcrum when worked by
the pneumatic, but bearing away from the fulcrum and moving freely on it when
worked by the key pushpin e¹. This is desirable, as it is difficult to adjust the
manual key and pneumatic to make exactly the same stroke.
For easy adjustment of amount of throw of levers y which are inside a chest,
I use checks ¹ extending through the wall of the chest, that the throw of the
levers may be regulated without opening the chest.
To reduce thickness of a pneumatic board such as v, and obviate danger of leakage

page_text: between preumatics and ducts, I cut the pneumatic sockets a¹ with slanted or
curved sides as shown in Fig. 4, front sectional view. This allows the full size
of the socket at surface of board and room for ample leather to sag into socket and
secure sufficient power, while increasing the stock of wood between sockets and
hetween sockets and alternate ducts leading to the other line of sockets,
and permitting the alternate ducts u¹¹ to be placed between the lower parts of the
adjacent sockets u'.
The reed valve w is opened by movement of lever y when actuated by the
pneumatic u, and is also opened by pushpin c¹ when operated by the key d
To give the proper touch to the key and yet have the coupling easy and the
pneumatics as small as possible, I make the spring a¹ only strong enough to close
the valve w and raise the pushpin e and coupler-wire ", and add another spring e
under the key d but not affecting the pushpin or couple-wire. When the key is
depressed and the coupler is on, the coupler-wire works the octave pushpin and
valve with only the added resistance of the octave valve spring a', but not working
the octave key and octave spring e'. Keys d' are levelled by resting on
springs e which are guided in saw-kerfs in rail r¹. Screws t' added facilitate the
levelling.
It is desirable in many organs, and especially those which are pneumatic or
self-playing, to have an even tension of wind at all times, and as the change of fold
on a common bellows varies the tension, I arrange the movement of the bellows to
alter the resistance of the spring and compensate the variation of air tension which
would otherwise occur. Many forms of mechanical leverage may be utilized in the
application of this system to various cases.
The bellows in Fig. 1 shows a desirable form of construction for an ordinary
exhaust bellows. The lever L turns on a stationary pivot at 12 and is connected to
hellows-board B by short lever T.
The spring S is placed to bear against lever L and through lever T resist the
movement of bellows-board B. As the bellows closes and tension of air would
increase from change of position of fold F, the lever T more easily overcomes the
spring resistance as it approaches to the position shown by the dotted lines, the
spring pressure on the bellows-board being thus decreased to compensate the variation
of air tension which would otherwise occur from the change of fold F. The form
of leverage may be varied to suit to the particular form of bellows used. By
careful calculation the spring itself may be made to act without levers, as shown in
Fig. 2, where by having the bearing points m', n', of the spring S₁ placed at the
proper angle to the line of movement of the point m¹ the leverage of the spring is
decreased as the bellows is closed, as shown by the dotted lines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. A horizontal reedorgan action having a grooved-board placed at or near the
rear line of, and rising from the sounding-board, for the purpose set forth.
2. A horizontal reedorgan action having a grooved-board placed at or near the
rear line of, and rising from the action, the grooved-board being turned forward at
the top to facilitate the placing of the rolling parts.
3. An upright grooved-board rising at or near the rear line of a horizontal
sounding-board, and the double-valve board attached to the rear face of the
grooved-board to allow easy access to the double-valves from the rear of
instrument.
4. A two-port pneumatic valve with a horizontal valve-rod guided by having
the one port perpendicularly out of centre with the other.
5. A valve rod having its portion which is within the valve hole bent into an eye
to touch at one time two opposite points on the circumference of the valve-hole
and thereby guide the rod and its valve or valves to their positions to control the
port or ports.

page_text: 6. An external valve free from the valve-rod, the valve-rod adjustably connected
to the inner valve and pneumatic, and adjustable from the outside.
7. A return vent connected with the duct nearer to the operating-vent than to
the pneumatic.
8. A. return-vent placed in line with or adjacent to operating-vent and accessible
through operating-vent.
9. A pneumatic-board having several lines of pneumatics alternated on the face
of the board towards the valve-board, the pneumatics operating the valves by levers
having fulcra between the pneumatics and the valves.
10. A pneumatic-board inside the main wind-chest to operate the sounding valves,
the pneumatic-board communicating at edge of main wind-chest to primary valves
outside the chest.
11. An action-lever inside a chest, having its fulcrum extending through the wall
of the chest to allow adjustment from outside.
12. A valve lever operated by a key-tracker at one end and by a pneumatic at
the other, a fulcrum placed between, the lever bearing against the fulcrum when
worked by the pneumatic, but bearing away from the fulcrum when worked by key,
to allow free movement of the key.
13. An adjustable check to limit the throw of a lever inside a chest, the check
extending through the wall of the chest for adjustment from the outside.
14. A sounding valve operated by a pneumatic and seated by a spring, the same
valve also worked by a pushpin and key, an extra spring to uphold key from pushpin,
and the coupler working from the key to the octave pushpin and valve without
moving octave key and its spring.
15. A spring placed to directly uphold a manual-key, the spring being checked
in its rise, and the key resting on the spring and held to its normal level thereby.
16. A spring placed to uphold a manual-key, the spring being checked in its rise
by an adjusting-screw, and the key being held to its normal level thereby.
17. A spring acting on a bellows by means of leverage, the movement of the
bellows-board shifting the leverage to alter the force of the spring against the bellows
to compensate the change or area or position of the bellows-fold or the increased
tension of the spring.
18. A bellows-spring having its bearing points on a line at an angle to the
line described by the moving point, the angle being changed by the movement. of
the bellows, thereby altering the spring force against the bellows and compensating
the change of area or position of the bellows-fold or the increased tension of the
spring.
Dated this 16th day of July 1895.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97 Newgate Street, London, Agent for Applicant.