Improvements in or connected with Organs and similar Musical Instruments.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 1st Feb., 1898-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1898
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES MORGAN, President of The Aeolian
Company, of 18 West 23rd Street, New York, in the United States of America.]
Improvements in or connected with Organs and similar Musical
Instruments.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to that class of organs and similar musical instruments in
which the bellows to operate such instruments are worked by the feet of the per-
former. In instruments possessing a large number of reeds, many of which may
be operated at the same time, a considerable quantity of wind is required to obtain
the proper quality of tones, and this renders playing on such instruments some-
what laborious especially to lady players. This invention has for its object to
overcome this disadvantage and to provide a device or arrangement by which a
more easy or natural motion of the fect is obtained and a larger quantity of wind
acted upon at each stroke.
According to my invention I pivot each pedal at its rear or inner extremity to a
swinging arm, mounted on any fixed part of the bellows or of the casing of the
instrument, and occupying such a position that it is situated preferably over and
somewhat behind the rear of the pedal when it is in its lowest position. At a
point near the middle of the pedal, on one side of the same, I pivot one extremity
of a lever which has its fulcrum at or about its middle where it is mounted on
any suitable part of the casing of the instrument, preferably at such a point as
will give it an inclination approximately the same as that of the aforesaid swing-
ing arm. The opposite extremity of the said lever is connected to the movable
portion of the bellows or to the pump or feeder of the bellows, according to the
nature of the blowing or exhausting device employed.
The distance from the fulcrum of the aforesaid lever to its pedal extremity is
approximately equal to the length of the swinging arm or support, so that the
pedal in its movement remains at a certain inclination or angle, which may if
desired be adjustable.
It will thus be seen that as the pedal is moved downward and inward by the
weight or pressure of the foot, the upper extremity of the lever draws the bellows
or feeder forward or outward, thereby operating the same. A spring tends to
return said bellows or feeder to its original position, and thereby causes the lower
extremity of the lever and the pedal to be moved outward to their full extent when
the foot is lifted.
The swinging arm and the lever may be pivoted to a bracket or framework on
which the footboard or pedal proper is secured; and such bracket may have an
arm or projection at the rear to which the swinging arm is connected so that the
pivot is situated somewhat beyond the extremity of the pedal.
If desired, instead of employing only one swinging arm or support and one

page_text: lever, for each pedal, I may employ two such arms and two such levers, arranged
one on each side of the pedal.
Dated this 6th day of May 1897.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or connected with Organs and similar Musical
Instruments.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:—
This invention relates to that class of organs and similar musical
instruments in which the bellows by which the wind is, supplied to the
instruments are worked by the feet of the performer. In instruments possessing
a large number of reeds, many of which may be operated at the same time, a
considerable quantity of wind is required to obtain the proper quality of tones,
and this renders playing on such instruments somewhat laborious especially to
ladies. This invention has for its chief object to overcome this disadvantage and
to provide a device or arrangement by which a more easy or natural motion of
the feet is obtained and which enables a larger quantity of air to be acted upon at
each stroke of the pedals.
According to my invention I pivot each pedal at its rear or inner
extremity to a swinging arm, mounted on any fixed part of the
bellows or of the casing of the instrument; and at a point near the middle
of the pedal, on one side of the same, I pivot one extremity of a lever which has its
fulcrum at or about its middle where it is mounted on any suitable part of the
casing of the instruments, preferably at such a point as will give it an inclination
approximately the same as that of the aforesaid swinging arm. The opposite
extremity of the said lever is connected to the movable portion of the bellows, or
to the pump or feeder of the bellows, according to the nature of the blowing or
exhausting device employed, so that as the pedal is moved inward the said
movable portion or feeder is moved outward.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect, I will proceed to describe the same fully with reference to the accompany-
ing drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section, taken between the pedals, of a portion
of an instrument to which my invention is applied.
Figure 2 is a front view, corresponding to Figure 1, with part of the casing of
the instrument cut away in order to show the operating levers.
Figure 3 is an underside view of the pedal.
A represents the main bellows, and A¹, A', are the pedal bellows or feeders.
B, B, are the swinging foot rests or pedals. C, is the casing or frame of the
instrument; and C is the middle board or stationary portion of the bellows.
Connected to each pedal, on one side thereof, is an operating lever e, that is
mounted at or near its centre on a rod c¹ carried in a bracket c, fixed to the casing C.
If desired, I may employ two such levers arranged one on each side of the pedal.
In cases where only one lever is used I prefer to connect the opposite side of the
pedal to the rod c¹ by an arm e' whose length is equal to that of the lower arm of
the lever e, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. A support or strengthening piece y is
provided between the adjacent extremities of the rods c¹, c.

page_text: The upper end of the lever e is linked or connected to the feeder A' by a flexible
or other connection a. The back or rear of each pedal is connected by a swinging
arın or link d, to the middle board C₁. The distance from the fulcrum of the
lever e to its pedal extremity is approximately equal to the length of the swinging
arm d; and hence the said swinging arm, together with the operating lever and
the arm e, will support the pedal in such a manner that when in action it will
have a parallel motion, that is to say, the angle or inclination at which the pedal
is set will be maintained constant throughout its stroke or swing.
This angle may, if desired, be rendered adjustable, by making the point of
connection of either the operating lever or the swinging arm to the pedal variable,
or by making the point of attachment of the said swinging arm to the middle
board variable. Or the lower arm of the lever e and the arm e¹ may be constructed
in two overlapping portions so that their length is adjustable.
The sustaining bracket or framework on which the pedal is mounted, is clearly
shown in Figure 3. It is provided with two enlarged portions or bosses b¹ through
which passes the rod to which the operating lever è and arm e¹ are connected;
it is also provided with a rearwardly projecting arm 6 to which the swinging
arm d is connected. This arm 68 is curved so as to bring its extremity to one side
of the pedal; while the arm on the other pedal is curved in the reverse direction.
The two arms thus occupy a central position close together, when the pedals are
in position, and lie out of the way of the bellows A A¹ when the pedal travels
inward. It will be seen that as the pedal is moved downward and inward by the
weight or pressure of the foot, the upper extremity of the operating lever draws
the feeder A forward or outward, thereby operating the same.
A spring f tends
to return said feeder to its original position, and thereby causes the lower extremity
of the operating lever and the pedal to be moved outward to their full extent when
the foot is lifted.
I may, if desired employ two swinging arms d for supporting the pedal at the
rear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim in pedal operated wind
devices for organs and similar musical instruments is:-
1. A pedal supported on oscillatory arms and adapted to swing inward, under
the pressure of the operator's feet, substantially as described and for the purpose
specified.
2. An operating lever having one extremity connected to the pedal and the other
extremity to the bellows, substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. The combination with the aforesaid operating lever of a link or swinging
arm which is constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described and
for the purposes specified.
4. The improved pedal device constructed and operating substantially as
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 1st day of February 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.