IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTE ACTIONS
Year: 1884

page_text: GEORGE GREEN & CHARLES SAVAGE North Road, Cattle Market, Islington,
Middlesex, Pianoforte & American Organ Manufacturers do hereby declare the
nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTE ACTIONS to be as
follows to reduce or lessen friction or rubbing of parts of Pianoforte actions by
the introduction of centred wheels or rollers, or parts of wheels & rollers & thereby
obtaining a smoother & more elastic touch to the keys.
We will now proceed to describe our inventions more fully-
1 As an escapement or set off to prevent hammers from blocking against
strings, we place a centred wheel or roller on a rail behind the stickers & put a
tapped pin through the sticker at the required angle on end of which is a button
& as the sticker rises, the button touches the wheel or roller which revolves with
it & throws sticker forward thus obtaining the escapement or set off, or reverse
these by placing wheel or roller on back of sticker & as the sticker rises, the wheel
or roller touches a bevelled rail. & throws the sticker forward thus obtaining the
escapement or set off or we bevel back of sticker or place a piece of wood or any
other material on back of sticker to the required bevel & put the wheel or roller
on a rail & as the sticker rises this bevel touches the wheel & throws sticker
forward thus obtaining the escapement or set off.
2ndly In front escapement actions we place these wheels or rollers over the set
off arm instead of using a fixed button.
3 We place a roller or wheel on top end of sticker instead of using a black
leaded end or we reverse these by putting the roller or wheel into the bainmer
butt, or any part of an extended Hammer butt.
4 We use these wheels or rollers in the ordinary sticker action to obtain the
escapement by using it in connection with the hopper instead of sticker as
described in No. 1.
What we particularly claim as our invention is the introduction of wheels or
rollers or parts of wheels or rollers into Pianoforte Actions & their uses as before
described. We do not bind ourselves to the precise details or positions.
Dated this 7th day of January 18S4
GEORGE GREEN.
CHARLES SAVAGE.

page_text: We GEORGE GREEN and CHARLES SAVAGE, North Road, Cattle Market, Islington,
Middlesex, Pianoforte and American Organ Manufacturers do hereby declare the
nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTE ACTIONS and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
The object of this system of Escapement or set off is to reduce or prevent
friction between moving and abutting parts of the pianoforte action for actuating
the hammers for effecting the striking of the "strings" or wires.
According to our improved system in order to better prevent the hammers
blocking against the strings and the escapement parts from working with friction,
we employ a roller or wheel surface to engage or operate the part whereby the
movement of the key lever is imparted to the hammer butt to cause that hammer
to strike the strings, as that part is moved forward for the striking blow, whereby
the part so operating the hammer is caused to escape or is set off from the hammer
butt instantaneously that the blow is effected and so as not to block the hammer to
the wire although the key remains down.
The position in which the roller or revolving surface is applied to perform its
function on engaging with or coming in contact with the other part will vary with
the form of the particular pianoforte action to which it is applied thus the roller
may be applied with means of regulation on the sticker or jack and come against
a projection or part of a rail behind it or the projection may be a button on a
screwed pin passing through the sticker or jack so as to be adjustable and the wheel
roller or revolving surface may be applied to the fixed rail but other modifications
in the method adopted in applying this device will be obvious to any one skilled
in this art when the improved system has been once made apparent.
In front escapement actions we apply these wheels rollers or revolving surfaces
over the set off arms instead of using a fixed button to each as is now practised.
Or we apply a roller or wheel or revolving surface at the top end of the sticker
instead of employing a black leaded end or we reverse this arrangement of the
parts by applying the revolving surface to the hammer butt. Ŏr instead of
applying the revolving surface as described in the arrangement first before
described we sometimes apply the revolving surface so as to operate in connection
with or against the hopper in ordinary sticker actions to facilitate escapement.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings shews parts of the action of a pianoforte of an
ordinary upright type in which figure. a is the sticker. the haminer butt.
key lever. d the fixed rail. e is the revolving surface against which the button
or lumpf on the adjustable screwed pin a¹ passing through the sticker a comes in
contact and is thrown off thereby in the rising of the end of the key lever c,
carrying with it the sticker a and operating by its top end the hammer butt b, to
cause the striking blow to the wire.
c the
Figure 2 shews a similar revolving surface e applied to the fixed rail d of a
pianoforte action but with the part which operates against the revolving surface c
constituted by an inclined piece f which is held adjustably by the screwed pin a¹.
Figure 3 shows another modification in which the position of the revolving
surface e and the inclined piece f are reversed or transposed-the inclined piece
being formed on or applied to the fixed rail d and the revolving surface is carried
by the adjustable part a² of the sticker a and regulated or adjusted by means of
the screwed pin a¹.
In each figure the same letters indicate like parts so far as they occur.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is; in pianoforte action escapement or set off arrangements the substitution
of revolving surfaces for rubbing or sliding fixed surfaces as and for the purpose
set forth.