Improvements in Tune Sheet Apparatus for Mechanical Organs and Pianos.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 20th Mar., 1909-Accepted, 5th May, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tune Sheet Apparatus for Mechanical Organs and
Pianos.
I DANIEL IMHOF, of Vöhrenbach, Black Forest, Germany, and No. 110, New
Oxford Street, in the County of London, England, Musical Instrument Maker,
lo hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
The large mechanical organs and pianos that are used with roundabouts, and
that often play continuously for hours, are either worked by means of tube barrels
having a screw motion, or by long perforated tune sheets which are folded
together.
The latter are raised by the playing mechanism and after being led over the
keys or levers of the instrument are folded together again. When the playing
of a piece is completed, a fresh tune sheet is introduced by the attendant. These
perforated tune sheets are made of card board and the separate sections. are
connected together by hinge-joints.
According to my present invention 1 employ in place of such folded tune
sheets, a long endless tune sheet, so arranged that during a certain time of any
desired duration, a program or series of tunes are played in succession by mcaus
thereof, without requiring any changing of the tune sheets.
For this purpose an endless perforated tune sheet of thin sheet brass is
stretched over groups of rollers as I will describe with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.
Fig. 1 shews a part sectional elevation of the frame with rollers over which
the endless sheet is stretched. Fig. 2 shews a cross section of the frame, Fig. 3
a plan view of the frame with the upper group of rollers; Fig. 4 is a horizontal
section through the frame and Figs. 5 and 5" shew a detail of the mechanism for
guiding the tune sheet.
A frame is constructed about 3 feet in height and 3 feet in width, which is
to contain an endless tune sheet of about 25 yards in length, containing from
eight to twelve tunes, which are consequently played in continuous succession.
The frame is preferably built up of wood uprights C and cross-bars b, the back
and front frames being united together by the connecting pieces d. Between
these frames are arranged the wooden rollers a a some of which are formed with
flanges, in order that the tune sheet may be correctly guided thereon. These
rollers have steel axes passing through them with thin steel trunnions, so that
they may run easily and not offer much resistance to the travel of the tune sleet.
The lower group of rollers is only partially carried in the cross beam b, the
greater part thereof being carried on the struts & in order to enable as great a
length of tune sheet to be used as possible.
The upper group of rollers is carried by a special frame t which is held in
loops fixed to the main frame, and can be adjusted vertically by means of
screws 2.
This arrangement is necessary for enabling the proper tension to be put upon
the tune sheet.
Tis part, of the organ framing below which are the bellows and g g are

page_text: supports for the wind chest and other parts of the organ. The instruments can
be arranged either behind the frame or partly at the sides thereof.
As the tune sheet is closed in itself, the frame together with the tune sheet
can be removed and replaced by another one having different tunes when
required.
The tune sheet passes across from the bottom roller a on the one side of the
frame to the other bottom roller on the other side; in order that this part of the
sheet may not sagg down while the frame is introduced and removed it is made
to pass over two additional guide rollers rr, carried by the frame.
The driving mechanism of the organ is situated upon the plate T and can
either be worked by hand or by a motor.
Only those parts of the mechanism are shewn which move the tune sheet for-
ward namely the roller N covered with caoutchouc, which is rotated in the
direction of the arrow, and the adjustable roller p above the same, the tune sheet
being passed between these rollers and kept by pin frictional contact with N.
The latter consequently draws the tune sheet over the fluted roller m, above
which are the key levers for actuating the valves in the wind chest F.
The front frame plate of the driving gear has a horizontal slot as indicated by
the dotted lines, so that on raising the pressing roller p, and lowering the fluted
roller m, the tune sheet will be free to move out through the said slot, when the
frame together with the tune sheet is drawn outward in the direction at right
angles to the plane of the drawing.
1 and 2 are small rollers serving to hold the tune sheet down somewhat on
each side of the roller m-so as to cause it to lie closely on the latter.
For preventing the tightly stretched metal tune sheet from giving out disturb-
ing sounds during its travel, the one side thereof has preferably a sheet of paper
pasted upon it.
Hotel this led day of l 1900
Improvements in Tune Sheet Apparatus for Mechanical Organs and
Pianos.
I DANIEL IMHOF, of Vöhrenbach, Black Forest, Germany, and No. 110, New
Oxford Street, in the County of London, England, Musical Instrument Maker,
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 follow-
ing statement:~
The large mechanical organs and pianos that are used with roundabouts, and
that often play continuously for hours, are either worked by means of tube barrels
having a screw motion, or by long perforated tune sheets which are folded
together.
The latter are raised by the playing mechanism and after being led over the
Keys or levers of the instrument are folded together again. When the playing
of a piece is completed, a fresh tune sheet is introduced by the attendant. These
perforated tune sheets are made of card-board. and the separate sections are
connected together by hinge-joints.
According to my present invention I employ in place of said folded tune
sheets, a long endless tune sheet, so arranged that during a certain time of any
desired duration, a program or series of tunes are played in succession by means
thereof, without requiring any changing of the tune sheets.
For this purpose an endless perforated tune sheet of thin sheet brass is

page_text: stretched' over groups of rollers as I will describe with reference to the drawings
accompanying my Provisional Specification.
Fig. 1 shews a part sectional elevation of the frame with rollers over which
the endless sheet is stretched. Fig. 2 shews à cross section of the frame, Fig. 3
a plan view of the frame with the upper group of rollers; Fig. 4 is a horizontal
section through the frame and Figs. 5 and 5ª shew a detail of the mechanism for
guiding the tune sheet.
A frame is constructed about 3 feet in height and 3 feet in width, which is
to contain an endless tune sheet of about 25 yards in length, containing from
eight to twelve tunes, which are consequently played in continuous succession.
The frame is preferably built up of wood uprights C and cross-bars b, the back
and front frames being united together by the connecting pieces d. Between
these frames are arranged the wooden rollers a a some of which are formed with
flanges, in order that the tune sheet may be correctly guided thereon. These
rollers have steel axes passing through them with thin steel trunnions, so that
they may run easily and not offer much resistance to the travel of the tune sheet.
The lower group of rollers is only partially carried in the cross beam b, the
greater part thereof being carried on the struts in order to enable as great a
length of tune sheet to be used as possible.
The upper group of rollers is carried by a special frame which is held in
loops fixed to the main frame and can be adjusted vertically by means of
screws i.
This arrangement is necessary for enabling the proper tension to be put upon
the tune sheet.
Tis part of the organ framing below which are the bellows and g g are
supports for the wind chest and other parts of the organ. The instruments can
be arranged either behind the frame or partly at the sides thereof.
"
As the tune sheet is closed in itself, the frame together with the tune sheet
can be removed and replaced by another one having different tunes when
required.
The tune sheet passes across from the bottom roller a on the one side of the
frame to the other hottom roller on the otlier side; in order that this part of the
sheet may not sag down while the frame is introduced and removed it is made
to pass over two additional guide rollers rr carried by the frame.
The driving mechanism of the organ is situated upon the plate T and can
either be worked by hand or by a motor.
Only those parts of the mechanism are shewn which move the tune sheet for-
ward namely the roller N covered with caoutchouc, which is rotated in the
direction of the arrow, and the adjustable roller above the same, the tune sheet
being passed between these rollers and kept by p in frictional contact with N.
The latter consequently draws the tune sheet over the fluted roller m above
which are the key levers for actuating the valves Y in the wind chest F.
The front frame plate of the driving gear has a horizontal slot as indicated by
the dotted lines so that on raising the pressing roller and lowering the fluted
roller m, the tune sheet will be free to move out through the said slot, when the
frame together with the tune sheet is drawn outward in the direction at right
angles to the plane of the drawing.
1 and 2 are small rollers serving to hold the tune sheet down somewhat on
each side of the roller m so as to cause it to lie closely on the latter.
For preventing the tightly stretched metal tune sheet from giving out disturb-
ing sounds during its travel, the one side thereof has preferably a sheet of paper
pasted upon it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In mechanical organs and pianos worked by means of tune sheets, the use

page_text: of an endless tune sheet adapted for playing a series of tunes and mounted on
rollers in a frame which can be introduced into the instrument, where the tune
sheet is propelled by means of a caoutchouc roller N against which it is pressed
by a roller p, substantially as described.
2. In tune sheet apparatus such as is referred to in the first claim mounting
the one set of rollers over which the tune sheet is stretched in an adjustable
frame regulated by screws for straining the tune sheet substantially as
described:
3. In tune sheet apparatus such as is referred to in the first claim, preventing
the metal tune sheet from giving off disturbing noises, by pasting paper on one
side thereof substantially as described.