IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TURNING LEAVES OF MUSIC
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clayton Mewburn of 169 Fleet Street in the City
of London Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TURNING LEAVES OF MUSIC" Com-
municated to him from abroad by Onnik Erganian and Ohanes Effendi
Torossian both of Constantinople Turkey
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clayton Mewburn at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th December 1882.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TURNING
LEAVES OF MUSIC" [Communicated to him from abroad by Onnik Erganian and
Ohanes Effendi Torossian both of Constantinople Turkey]
This Invention relates to apparatus for turning leaves of music and the improve-
ments consist in the arrangement of a turning lever actuated by a pedal, this lever
taking hold of and releasing automatically the leaf to be turned by means of
special mechanism the action of which is based upon the employment of a spring
barrel, a releasing device, and a grooved metal plate fitted in an opening formed in
the leaf to be turned.
The sheets or book of music are placed upon a board or support the lower part
of which has a bottom flange and is adjustable as to height according to the size
of the leaves of music. This adjustment is effected by side rods working in guides
and provided with pressure screws to fix them in the required position. Each leaf
of music is fitted with a small steel plate having a slot or groove therein so that
the leaf can be taken hold of by a cone of a hammer for turning the leaves. The
leaf having been turned, a lever causes the leaf to be released by the pressure of a
spring when this lever slides upon an inclined or bevelled rod after the half circum-
ference has been described. The hammer is supported by a horizontal rod about 8
inches long. A spring stronger than the spring of the lever above mentioned causes the
hammer to return to its first position after it has released the leaf. There is another
spring to diminish the blow of the hammer upon the board or music support and to
slightly lift the leaf taken hold of by the hammer. The horizontal rod is caused to
act by toothed gearing actuated by a lever which is itself worked by a pedal to which
it is connected by a cord. A spring barrel returns the horizontal rod to its normal
position when the pressure is removed from the pedal. There is a rod to separate
the leaf from the hammer, this rod being arranged to follow the greater or less
line described by the hammer. The sheets or book of music are held by springs
which take hold of the cover.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Clayton Mewburn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th June 1883.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TURNING
LEAVES OF MUSIC" (A communication to me from abroad by Onnik Erganion
and Ohanes Effendi Torossian both of Constantinople Turkey)
This invention relates to apparatus for turning leaves of music and the improve-
ments consist in the arrangement of a turning lever actuated by a pedal, this lever
taking hold of and releasing automatically the leaf to be turned by means of
special mechanism the action of which is based upon the employment of a turning
lever, a releasing device, and a grooved metal plate fitted in an opening formed in
the leaf to be turned.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings is a plan of the improved apparatus. Figure 2
is a vertical section of the same. Figure 3 is a view of a portion of the back
showing the plate which carries the actuating mechanism. Figures 4 and 5 are a
face view and a side view of the hammer at the end of the turning lever. Figures 6
and 7 are a face view and a side view of a modification of the hammer at the end
of the turning lever.
The sheets or book of music are placed upon a board or support A the lower part
of which has a hottom flange B aud is adjustable as to height according to the
size of the leaves of music. For this purpose the flange B is fixed to three
rods D D D working in guides in the board A. A screw C passing into a nut in
the board A allows of the flange B being moved up or down by turning the head
or knob F.
Each leaf of music is fitted with a small steel plate G having a slot or
groove a therein so that the leaf can be taken hold of by a cone I of a hammer J
for turning the leaves.
When a leaf has to be turned the two levers H and K will be in the position
seen in Figure 1. The end of the lever H is attached to a cord which is connected
to a pedal worked by the foot of the musician. This lever H is pivoted at b and
at its end is a finger c kept against the plate d by a flat spring f. The end of
this lever H is further connected to a helical spring g_fixed to the plate d. By
pressing on the pedal the musician causes the lever H to oscillate upon its fixed
point b and the finger c rising acts on the curved projection h of the lever K which
carries the hammer. While the lever K in drawing the leaf by its cone I makes a
turn equal to a little less than 180° the cord j fixed to the end of the lever H and
to the end of the lever i jointed to the hammer J at j¹ brings the lever i parallel
to J. In this movement the end of the lever i which is next the cone I and is
bevilled acts on a spring k carried by the cone I and causes it to lodge in a groove
in the cone.
At this moment the leaf which is being turned being no longer held
by the groove of the spring k will leave the cone I under the action of the
springs m and will deposit itself upon the left side of the board A. while the
hammer J turning upon its joint p on the lever K will place itself almost
parallel with the upper edge of the board A its lower projection n having passed
through the opening o.
When the pressure is removed from the pedal the levers H and K return to their
first position seen in Figure 1 the lever H under the influence of the helical spring g
and the lever K under the influence of the caoutchouc spring q which is fixed to
the lever K and to the board A. In this return movement the lever K will by its
cone I take hold of another leaf of the music and its blow will be diminished by
the spiral spring L. When the hammer is in the position seen in Figure 1 the

page_text: spring M is slack but when it is brought into the opposite position it will be
stretched and will have the effect of bringing back the hammer almost parallel
with the upper edge of the board A.
By
In the modification represented in Figures 6 and 7 the hammer J is composed of
two jointed pieces O P. The spring which holds the leaf of music is actuated by a
jointed piece Q turned by the pull of the cord j with the aid of the lever H.
this movement the jointed piece O can be brought upon the piece Q but when the
pedal is freed the flat caoutchouc spring R will bring back the two pieces so that
one forms a prolongation of the other.
The book or piece of music is held by the springs S S S.
Having now described the nature of the said invention as communicated to me
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as the
improvements in apparatus for turning leaves of music:-
:-
First The arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described and represented
in the annexed drawings in which a pedal imparts by means of a lever, a finger
and a curved projection a rotary movement to a lever which takes hold of and
releases the leaves automatically.
Second-The employment of a cone which with the aid of a spring takes hold
of the leaf to be turned the leaf being provided with a grooved or slotted plate,
substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the annexed drawings.
Third: The combination with the turning lever of a cone-carrying hammer
having a lever jointed thereto this lever being bevilled and acting on the spring
of the cone so that the leaf being no longer held is released by side springs
substantially as herein before described and represented in the annexed drawings.
Fourth: The modified arrangement of the cone-carrying hammer represented
in Figures 6 and 7 and hereinbefore described.
Fifth Constructing apparatus for turning leaves of music as herein before
described and represented in the annexed drawings.
In witness whereof I the said John Clayton Mewburn have hereunto set
my hand and seal this twenty sixth day of June One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
J. C. MEWBURN
L.S.)