Improvements in Electrical Organs.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 28th Apr., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrical Organs.
We, RICHARD PERCY STRAND, Organist, and DE BLAVIERE CARRITTE,
Merchant, and CHARLES ALFRED STOCKTON, Barrister-at-Law, all of St. John,
in the County of St. John, and Province of New Brunswick, in the Dominion of
Canada 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 an improved electrical organ whereby through the action
of an electric circuit produced by actuating a key electrically connected to an
electro-magnet attracting an armature adapted to operate through a lever and valve
the instrument is operated or played, and whereby the desired keys or manuals,
where more than one bank of keys or manuals is employed, may be readily
electrically coupled by the actuation of electrically-connected appliances, all
substantially as hereinafter more fully disclosed, and pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a broken transverse sectional elevation of our electrical organ.
Figures 2 and 3 are broken vertical sections thereof looking in reverse directions,
and
Figure 4 is a broken horizontal section of the same.
Figure 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the circuit-closer for the organ-action.
Figure 6 is a similar view of the circuit-closer or coupler for the manuals
or keys.
Figure 7 is a diagramatic view of our invention.
In the embodiment of our invention we employ a series of circuit-closers A AA,
one for each of the slides or plugs B of the coupler of the keys or manuals of the
instrument. These circuit-closers consist each of a rock-bar A', approximately
semi-cylindrical or segmental in cross-section and axially pivoted or hung by short
end gudgeons or pivots a in suitable bearings or supports a', secured upon a
common bracket or shelf a³, held or secured upon the inside of the front of the
instrument. These rock-bars are furnished with straps or plates of metal b,
wholly encompassing them, yet they need only be applied to the convex surface of
said rock-bars. These rock-bars are suitably connected to the slides or plugs B B
by right-angled links or roda c, whose lower ends are secured or fixed in the upper
flat sides of said rock-bars, while their upper ends are let into and turn in transverse
apertures in said slides or plugs.
CC are two series or sets of springs, consisting preferably of flat metal straps
or plates c', the lower set or series C being secured upon the horizontal portion of
the shelf or bracket a' and having upwardly curved or bowed portions or otherwise
adapted to provide for their normal engagement with the metal-covered convex
portions of the rock-bars A' of the circuit-closers A. The upper set or series of
springs or plates C' are secured or fastened at their upper ends to the vertical
portion of the shelf or bracket a³ and are provided with downward and rearward
inclined end portions standing normally slightly away from the metal-covered flat
portions of the rock-bars A', but adapted to have engagement or contact with said
metal-covered flat portions of said rock-bars when the slides or plugs B are pulled
outward.

page_text: CC refer to a second series of circuit-closers, one for each key of the row or
bank of spring-pressed keys or manuals D, and arranged adjacently thereto. The
circuit-closers consist each of a horizontal bar or arm d, fast to and projecting
from the inside of the front of the instrument and having upturned free or inner
ends or shoulders thereat, upon which inward extensions e of the keys or
manuals D normally rest. These key-extensions e are furnished at their inner free
ends with metal strips or plates, adapted as the keys or manuals B B are
depressed or actuated by the player to engage pendent metal strips or plates g, two
secured to the inner free ends of the two upper bars or arms d and one secured to
the shelf or bracket a³ above.
E E are electro-magnets suitably supported upon brackets or shelves h, secured
to the inside of the back of the instrument, and adjacent to the upper end of said
magnets are the armature-levers E, pivoted at their side edges to said brackets
and having their arms connected by wires or rods i to the valves or pallets of the
organ-action.
The two series of circuit closers and the electro-magnets are included in electric
circuits comprising a storage or primary battery F, and series or groups of
wires G, G G' G' G' Gʻ¨G" G, G and the binding posts and their
wires G* G'.
H is the pedal, normally standing out of contact with a series of metal plates or
springs K' K' K K, of which K K K are the terminals of a group of three
wires G, extending from the three upper springs C of the right hand three of
the series of circuit closers A of the couplers; and to the pedal is connected one
of the binding post wires G, and to this wire are connected the group of three
wires G³, connecting with the keys D¹ D² D³.
The group of three wires G connect with the three lower right-hand springs C
of the series of circuit closers A, two of which wires are connected to two springs g
one arranged in connection with the middle, and one in connection with the lower
of the key supports or arms d², d respectively, while the third wire leads to a
group of two connected wires G¹, said wires G connecting with the left-hand two of
the upper springs C' of the series of circuit closers A, and also with a single wire G*
leading to an end magnet E, and this wire G' is also connected to the spring g of
the upper key support or arm d'.
The group or series of two wires G* connect with the left-hand two of the lower
springs C of the series of circuit closers A, one of which wires is connected to one
of the springs g of the middle key support or arm while the other wire is
connected with one of the springs g of the lowest key support or arm d³.
The wire G connects one of the springs y of the key-support or arm ³ with the
magnet E. The wire G connects one of the springs g of the key support or
arm d' with the magnet E³. The wire G* connects the spring K of the pedal H
with the magnet E. The wire G7 connects the binding post with one of the
wires from each of the magnets E' E' E' E.
The manner in which the electrical devices work is; Supposing the pedal H
to be pressed down by the player and all the circuit closers A to be open, the
current will travel from the battery along the wire G to the pedal H, thence
along the spring K through the wire G to the magnet E, circulating through
the coils and out at the wire G' thence to the binding post to the battery.
The effect of this is that the magnet E' attracts its armature and pulls down the
valve.
Now supposing one of the circuit closers A connecting with one of the
springs K K K to be closed, the current will also pass along this spring, let us
say K and along the wire G to an upper right-hand spring C¹ of the circuit
closer A, passing to a lower spring of the said circuit closer, along the wire G to
the spring g of the key-support or arm d². Here it can get no further as the
key D is not in contact with said spring, but passes along wire G" to the
magnet E causing it to operate at the same time as E³.
These magnets are then said to be "coupled." It will readily be seen that by

page_text: closing the remaining two circuit-closers A, controlled by the pedal H magnets E¹ E
can also be caused to operate, or by closing any individual one of these circuit
closers A they can be caused to operate separately as may be desired.
The keys D', D2, D3 are manipulated upon the same principle. Take for
example the key D by causing it to make contact with the spring the current
will pass along the wires G* G, G and if the circuit-closers to which the wire G*
is connected are open the current will be passed to and will continue along the
wire G till it reaches the magnet E' which it will cause to operate in the manner
described. If however, the circuit-closer to which the wire G* is connected is
closed, the current will proceed along the wires G' Go to the magnet E causing it
to operate at the same time as E'.
In the event of the employment of a motor for blowing or actuating the bellows
an electrical generator could be belted thereto and the current thus be obtained.
The circuit may be also produced by a direct current of low voltage.
Among other advantages of our invention it is observed that an absolutely even
touch is obtained, and that the touch is no heavier when all the manuals or keys
are coupled than that of any single manual. The action is perfectly noiseless and
will always remain so, whereas a mechanical action, even if perfectly noiseless at
the outset or when new, will become very noisy after a few years' use. No
"ciphering" from action-sticking is experienced. The depth of touch remains
the same under all variations of temperature.
All other so-called "electric actions" are electro-pneumatic, and the part that
the electric portion figures is simply to open a small valve and admit air under very
high pressure. This requires the construction of a very intricate and expensive
action in addition.
No mercury-cups are used for contacts, which collect dust and soon become
unreliable, all the contacts being frictional and consequently keep themselves bright
and may always be depended on.
The keyboards may be placed at any distance from the organ. This is always
desirable, but rarely practicable on account of the great expense involved.
The instrument is exceedingly simple in construction, consequently not so
easily gotten out of order as complicated instruments of the kind, and is less
expensive.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inver
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The combination, with an electro-magnet and an armature-lever adapted to
actuate the valve or pallet, of a key having an inward extension and a fixed arm
or bar adapted to rest upon said arm or bar, and an electrical connection between
said parts, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination, with the keys, of an electric coupler therefor, comprising
rock-bars and means for actuating said.rock-bars, and electric connections between
said coupler and the keys, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. The combination, with the keys, of an electric coupler therefor, comprising
rock-bars and means for actuating said rock-bars, the series of springs having
metal contact with said rock-bars, and the groups of wires between said parts and
the electro-magnets and battery, with the armature-levers adapted to actuate the
valves or pallets, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of the keys having inwardly-extended portions, the fixed
arms or bars and bracket having metal contact with the latter, the electro-magnets
and the armature-levers connected to the pallets or valves, and the electric
connections between said key extensions, said arms or bars, and the electro-magnets,
substantially as set forth.
5. The combination of the electrically-connected keys, the electric coupler
therefor, the electro-magnets, the armature levers connected to the pallets or
valves, the series of springs or plates having electric connection with said coupler,

page_text: the pedal adapted to have contact with said springs or plates, and the electric
connections between said.keys, coupler, and electro-magnets, substantially as set
forth.
Dated this Seventeenth day of March 1896. *
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.