Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 4th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 5th Apr., 1887.
I, AMBROSE PAGE STOAKES JONES of Dymchurch in the County of Kent, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved musical instruments adapted to be played either
by hand on a keyboard, or mechanically, the tones being produced by friction on glass,
china, or metal bell-shaped sounders.
The improvements are as follows:-In a casing of wood or other suitable material
are arranged a pair of parallel shafts, one mounted at each side of the casing; one of
these shafts is actuated through suitable gearing by a hand crank or a foot pedal.
On the shafts are mounted one or more corresponding pairs of pulleys, each pair
connected by a band or belt of india-rubber or other suitable material. A receptacle
holding a sponge saturated with water, or other convenient moistening device, is
arranged near each belt to wet the outside surface of the latter. The keyboard is
situated in front of the instrument and lies parallel to the revolving bands, said board
may be fashioned as in pianofortes, and consists of a series of levers, some of these
levers preferably alternate ones are pivoted at their extreme ends in the casing and
carry a small roller adapted to press down the lower part of either of the revolving
belts as required, when the key is depressed. The other or intermediate keys are
pivoted about at their contre and are either themselves provided with similar rollers at
their inner extremities for pressing upward part of one of the belts above the pulleys,
or may be adapted to press upward a second series of levers carrying the said rollers.
A series of bell shaped sounders of successive tones (and, if necessary, half tones) are
fixed on convenient supports above and below the rovolving belts, being arranged
vertically with reference to the respective rollers of the keys to which their tones
correspond. These bell shaped sounders are however placed at an angle, so as to
present part of their rims towards the revolving belt, to be sounded thereby.
On pressing down any key on the keyboard the respective roller presses the
revolving belt outward against the corresponding sounder, so that the belt rubs against
the latter and causes it to vibrate so as to give the requisite note.
Dated this 9th day of Inna 1886

page_text: I, AMBROSE PAGE STOAKES JONES, of Dymchurch in the County of Kent, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said 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 consists in a musical instrument adapted to be played either by hand
on a key board, or mechanically, and in which the notes or tones are produced by the
vibration of bell shaped sounders.
Referring to the accompanying drawings which show an instrument embodying my
invention, Fig. 1 is an interior diagram or elevational view of the instrument.
Fig. 2 is a plan view showing partly the mechanism by which the keys operate
the sounders.
Fig. 3 is a side sectional elevation, showing the mechanism more completely.
Fig. 4 is a detail section showing a method of mounting the sounders, by which
space is economised, but which is preferably employed only for the sounders
constituting the lower notes.
B are bell shaped sounders of glass, china, porcelain or metal. There may be
any number of these according to the range of the instrument, and they may be
arranged in gradations of tones or half tones as desired. The sounders are supported
on columns fixed to the sounding boards O in such a manner, that a portion of the
edges of the sounders are brought into close proximity with one or more revolving
belts HH, so that these may be pressed against any one or more of the sounders by
the action of mechanism operated by mechanical means or by hand through the
respective key or keys E of the key board. For this purpose, each key lever either
carries a roller e or operates such a roller through intermediate mechanism. On
depressing the key, the respective roller is either raised or depressed as the case may
be and presses the belt outward on to the respective sounder, causing the sounder to
be rubbed by the belt so as to emit a sound. The belts are preferably made of
rubber and their action is improved by moistening their surface with water; for this
purpose a device M consisting of a water tank containing a revolving drum, is so
arranged near each belt, that water is transferred by the drum to the bolt as it passes
over the tank.
When many sounders are used they may all, or some of them, be arranged as
shown in Fig. 4 and on the left of Fig. 1. A is a revolving shaft, on which a
shoulder a is formed, below this shoulder, the shaft A is provided with a screw thread
for a suitable distance, the sounders being fixed at suitable distances along the shaft
between nuts bb, a damper or washer c of non-resonant material such as cloth or
rubber may be placed between each. The rollers e may in this case be arranged on
the key levers E so as to press the belt K upward against the edges of the sounders.
The belt K is likewise caused to revolve and is provided with a moistening device L.
When both methods of mounting are used in the same instrument, the last mentioned

page_text: method is preferably used for the base and lower notes. To prevent the belts H¹ H²K
from touching more sounders than those, for which keys are depressed, stop rods N
are arranged between the sounders, so that only a sufficient portion of the belt is
deflected to operate the respective sounder.
It is understood that the key levers may be so shaped as to bo operated by a
revolving pin-cylinder or other mechanical means; such an instrument may be
operated by pedals D¹ D' or by hand through a suitable crank.
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 :-
In musical instruments:
1. A series of bell shaped sounders in combination with a belt for operating the
sounders by friction against their edges.
2. A series of bell shaped sounders in combination with a moistened belt for
operating the sounders by friction against their edges.
3. A series of sounders B in combination with a belt, and rollers e for bringing the
belt into contact with the respective sounders as and for the purpose set forth.
4. A series of sounders B in combination with a belt, rollers e for deflecting said
belt, and stop rods N for limiting the portion of belt, deflected.
5. The combination of a series of sounders B with a belt adapted to revolve,
rollers e and key levers E operating said rollers, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
6. The combination of shaft A adapted to revolve and a series of sounders B fixed
on said shaft, with belt K rollers e and key levers E substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
7. The combination of sounding boards O and a series of sounders B fixed to
columns P mounted obliquely on said boards with a belt or belts EI H2 adapted to
revolve, rollers e and key levers E substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1887.