Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 1st Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 19th Oct., 1888
We, WILLIAM GEORGE ACKERMAN and GEORGE HENRY BEST, both of West Street,
Bridport, in the County of Dorset, Watchmakers do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to mechanical musical instruments of that class in which a
travelling music sheet or disc is employed and has for its chief object to provide
improved means for regulating or controlling the admission of air either to the
sounding devices or to pneumatic apparatus for operating the valves of such
sounding devices.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a plan showing the application of our invention to a mechanical
musical instrument in which the air is drawn through the reeds by suction and in
which the valves for allowing the passage of air through the reeds are operated by
pneumatic apparatus.
Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same on the line x, x, and
Figures 3 and 4 are views of detail.
a is the case of the instrument and bare reeds which are normally prevented from
sounding by the valves c.
The operation of each valve c is effected in a well known manner through the
medium of the expansible chamber d which when it expands owing to the suction
and to the admission of air through the passage e and e¹ in a well known manner
acts upon the adjacent lever and opens the valve.
The entrance of air to the passage e to allow the respective reeds in connection
therewith to sound is controlled by levers y acted upon by suitable projections upon
a metal or other disc h.
Each of these levers is fulcrumed at i, and at one end j is shaped so as to fit
closely over the mouth of the passage e, its underside being preferably faced with a
piece of buff or other suitable material. The said levers are normally held to their
seats by their own weight assisted by the air suction and are only raised therefrom

page_text: l
when their ends are acted upon by projections on the disc has indicated by dotted
lines in figure 3, wherein the lever is also shown in dotted lines as being
correspondingly raised.
The advantages of using levers of the kind hereinbefore described are that they
work very freely, that very little power is required to operate them and that therefore
the discs are not injured as was so frequently the case heretofore when they were used
in combination with levers for controlling the sounding of the sounding devices.
Another great advantage of the improved levers is that they can be made very small
and so occupy very little space thereby enabling discs of small size to be employed.
Also they can be manufactured very inexpensively as they do not require any springs
in connection with them to hold them against their seats.
The disc having projections thereon for operating the levers at the proper times
is preferably operated through the medium of the pinion m which gears into openings n
formed in the edge of the disc as shown in figure 4. This pinion is rotated by the
worm o driven from the crank shaft p through the medium of the shaft and bevel
wheels, or by a belt or any other suitable mechanism.
In order to enable dises of different sizes to be used according to the length of the
tune to be played we make the centre upon which the disc rotates, adjustable. As
shown in figures 1 and 2 a slide s carrying the centre t, is adapted to move in
guides u by means of a screw v. By arranging the driving pinion min line with the
direction of movement of the slides it is obvious that the said pinion may be employed
for rotating discs of different sizes, as indicated by dotted lines in figure 1.
To maintain the disc in its proper position relatively to the reeds at the point.
where the projections act upon the sounding devices we employ the pivotted bar w,
which, when the disc is applied, is adapted to lie above the same in the position
indicated in figure 2. When the said har is in the position shown in figure 1 the
dise can be removed from its pivot.
Although we have described our invention as applied to a mechanical musical
instrument in which the sounding devices are reeds, we wish it understood that we
do not limit it to this application as it is obvious that it may be applied to instruments
having pipes or other wind sounding devices. Also although we have shown the
levers as employed for controlling the admission of air to pneumatic apparatus for
operating the sounding devices, it is obvious that they may be employed for controlling
the passage of air to the sounding devices themselves.
Dated the 3rd day of December 1887.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments.
We, WILLIAM GEORGE ACKERMAN and GEORGE HENRY BEST, both of West
Street, Bridport, in the County of Dorset, Watchmakers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to mechanical musical instruments of that class in which a
travelling music sheet or disc is employed and has for its chief object to provide
improved means for regulating or controlling the admission of air either to the
sounding devices or to pneumatic apparatus for operating the valves of such sounding
devices.
In the drawings accompanying our Provisional Specification,
Figure 1 is a plan showing the application of our invention to a mechanical
musical instrument in which the air is drawn through the reeds by suction and in
which the valves for allowing the passage of air through the reeds are operated by
pneumatic apparatus.
Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same on the line a, a, and
Figures 3 and 4 are views of details.
a is the case of the instrument and are reeds which are normally prevented from
sounding by the valves c.
The operation of each valve e is effected in a well known manner through the
medium of the expansible chamber d which, when it expands owing to the suction
and to admission of air through the passages e and e¹ in a well known manner, acts
upon the adjacent lever and opens the valve.
The entrance of air to the passage e to allow the respective reeds in connection
therewith to sound, is controlled by levers y acted upon by suitable projections upon
a metal or other disc h.
Each of these levers is fulcrumed at and at one end is shaped so as to fit closely
over the mouth of the passage e, its underside being preferably faced with a piece of
buff or other suitable material. The said levers are normally held to their seats by
their own weight assisted by the air suction and are only raised therefrom when their
ends are acted upon by projections on the disc has indicated by dotted lines in
figure 3, wherein the lever is also shown in dotted lines as being correspondingly
raised.
The advantages of using levers of the kind hereinbefore described are, that they
work very freely, that very little power is required to operate them, and that there-
fore the discs are not injured as was so frequently the case heretofore when they
were used in combination with levers for controlling the sounding of the sounding
devices. Another great advantage of the improved levers is that they can be made
very small and so occupy very little space thereby enabling discs of small size to be
employed. Also they can be manufactured very inexpensively as they do not require
any springs in connection with them to hold them against their seats.

page_text: The disc having projections thereon for operating the lovers
at the proper
times is preferably operated through the medium of the pinion m which gears into
openings n formed in the edge of the disc as shown in figure 4. This pinion is
rotated by the worm o driven from the crank shaft p through the medium of the
shaft and bevel wheels or by
9
a belt or any other suitable mechanism.
In order to enable dises of different sizes to be used according to the length of
the tune to be played we make the centre upon which the disc rotates, adjustable.
As shown in figures 1 and 2 a slide s carrying the centre is adapted to move in
guides by means of a screw c. By arranging the driving pinion m in line with
the direction of movement of the slide s it is obvious that the said pinion may be
employed for rotating discs of different sizes, as indicated by dotted lines in
figure 1.
To maintain the disc in its proper position relatively to the reeds at the point.
where the projections act upon the sounding devices we employ the pivotted bar w,
which, when the disc is applied, is adapted to lie above the same in the position
indicated in figure 2. When the said bar is in the position shown in figure 1 the
disc can be removed from its pivot.
Although we have described our invention as applied to a mechanical musical
instrument in which the sounding devices are reeds, we wish it understood that we
do not limit it to this application as it is obvious that it may be applied to instruments
having pipes or other wind sounding devices. Also although we have shown the
levers as employed for controlling the admission of air to pneumatic apparatus for
operating the sounding devices, it is obvious that they may be employed for
controlling the passage of air to the sounding devices themselves.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a mechanical musical instrument in which the sounding devices are operated by
air suction, a series of levers each of which is adapted to be depressed at one end by
means of a rotating disc or sheet while the other end thereof is arranged to control
the supply of air to one of the said sounding devices or to pneumatic apparatus for
operating a valve in connection with the said sounding device, substantially in the
manner set forth.
2. In a mechanical musical instrument in which the sounding devices are operated
by air suction, a series of levers adapted to close a corresponding series of passages
by their own weight, the said levers being operated to allow the passage of air
through the said passages by means of a disc or sheet having a series of projections
thereon corresponding with the tune to be played, substantially as described.
3. In a mechanical musical instrument the sounding devices of which are operated by
air suction, a series of fulcrumed levers, in combination with a rotating disc or sheet,
substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
4. In a mechanical musical instrument, a moveable centre for carrying the discs for
operating the devices for controlling the sounding of the sound producing devices,
substantially as described, for enabling discs of different sizes to be used in a single
machine.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.