Improvements in the Action of Mechanical Pianos.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 5th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 6th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Action of Mechanical Pianos.
I, PAUL EHRLICH, of Gohlis near Leipsic in the Kingdom of Saxony,
Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Various arrangements have been proposed for effecting the mechanical_playing
of stringed instruments, such as pianos by means of changeable perforated music-
sheets; but those instruments in which the stroke of the hammer is effected by the
use of draw-bands (strings) and friction-rollers are liable to quick wear and tear
and consequent incompleteness of tone.
This invention relates to improvements in such instruments, whereby this evil is
remedied, the hammer lever being worked not by the intermittent friction between
a roller and band, but by the direct pull of the band attached to the playing lever,
and the hammer-lever. And where cogged or friction wheels are used, I give the
various parts gearing with one another, such a position when at rest, that any
destructive wear and tear of their respective parts is entirely avoided.
To the end of the lever actuated by the pivoted nose which enters the per-
forations of the music-sheets in the well-known manner, is attached a cogged or a
smooth-surfaced frictional sector, which by the movement of the said lever is brought
into contact with a cogged or frictional rotative roller. To the sector and actuated
by the same is attached a draw-band communicating with a hammer lever, the pull
on this lever being effected by the quick partial rotation of the sector, gearing with
the rotating roller, and attached to the playing lever. The hammer is thus brought
in contact with the piano wires. When the nose of the playing lever is pressed out
of the perforations of the music sheet, the sector falls back to its original position,
ready for the next note.
Dated the 20th day of July 1892.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Action of Mechanical Pianos.
I PAUL EHRLICH of Gohlis near Leipzig in the Kingdom of Saxony Germany,
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 :-
Various arrangements of mechanism have been proposed for effecting the auto-
matic or mechanical playing of stringed instruments such as pianos, by means of
changeable perforated music-sheets but in those arrangements in which the stroke
of the hammer is effected by the use of bands and friction rollers the working parts
soon become worn and cease to cause the instrument to sound correctly.
My invention relates to improvements in such mechanism whereby this incon-
venience is remedied the hammer-lever being actuated not by the intermittent
friction between a roller and a band but by the direct pull of a band or connection
oy which motion is transmitted from the mechanism controlled by the music sheet
to the parts acting upon the strings. Moreover I cause the various parts gearing
with one another to occupy such a position when at rest that destructive wear and
tear of these respective parts is entirely obviated.

page_text: And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure of the accompanying drawings represents in elevation and partly in
section the action of an automatic or mechanical piano shewing only such parts as
are necessary to explain the invention.
Figure 2.illustrates a modified arrangement of the parts controlled by the music
sheet and
Figure 3 illustrates another modification in which the mechanism acts upon the
strings through the keys of an ordinary keyboard instrument.
..As represented in Figure 1 a band or cord a is attached at one end to a point
near the circumference of a toothed or cogged sector pivotted on a bracket r
attached to a playing lever y. At its other end the said band a is attached to a
hammer lever F. is a roller or cylinder also cogged or provided with teeth
corresponding to those on the sector and revolving continuously in the direction
indicated by the arrow. The lever y is pivotted at to a-bracket on the frame of
the instrument and is connected at its upper end by means of a link lever and
link to a lever d the nose of which is acted on by a perforated music sheet V the
said lever d being pivotted in the well known or usual manner to a rail e. t is
the hopper pivotted to the lever F and actuating a hammer causing it to strike
the wires or strings s of the piano.
When the nose of the lever d enters a hole in the perforated music sheet V the
lever y vibrates upon its pivot and the sector is moved towards and gears with
the teeth of the rotating roller or cylinder C and thereby receives a rotary motion
which causes it to assume the position represented in dotted lines at b. By these
means a sudden jerk or pull is transmitted to the lever F through the band or
cord a and the hanumer is caused to strike the wire s. When the required sound
or duration of tone has been produced the nose of the lever d is pressed out of the
music sheet, thereby causing the sector 6 (owing to the return of the lever y to its
original position) to come in contact with an adjustable tripping stop whereby
it is caused to fall back or return to its original position ready for the next note.
According to the arrangement illustrated in Figure 2 the roller or cylinder U
acts upon a sector the said cylinder and sector being unprovided with teeth, the
friction between their surfaces when in contact being sufficient to rotate the sector
causing the latter to exercise the required pull on a lever such as F in Figures 1
or 3 through the band a. The action is in other respects the same as that herein-
before described with reference to Figure 1 and in both cases the sector when
moved into the position shewn in dotted lines is out of the influence. of the roller or
cylinder C.
Figure 3 illustrates the mechanism arranged for use with keyboard instruments
in which the levers Fact upon the hammers through the keys one of such keys
being shewn at G in the drawing.
Motion is transmitted to the lever F in the same way as in the arrangement
hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 as will be readily understood on
reference to the drawing the same letters of reference being employed to indicate
parts performing the same functions in both arrangements of the mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
. 1. In the action of mechanical pianos the parts by or through which the strings
are struck consisting of toothed or other revolving rollers or cylinders acting in
combination with corresponding sectors gearing intermittently therewith and bands
or connections transmitting motion from the said sectors to the parts acting upon
the strings substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the improvements
in the action of mechanical pianos substantially as hereinbefore described and.
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated thin th
J
1 1000
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.