Mechanical Musical Instruments
Year: 1886

page_text: I GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, N° 4, South
Street, Finsbury, in the county of Middlesex Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention (a communication from abroad by Emil Gustav Sturm
of Leipzig, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer of Mechanical Musical
Instruments) to be as follows:
This invention relates to improvements in mechanical musical instruments or
autophones, the improvements having reference more particularly to the mechanism
for feeding or propelling a music sheet or strip to the guiding tray or plate which
presses upon the underside of the said sheet or strip and to the construction of the
key board levers.
In carrying out the invention the feeding mechanism of the music sheet or strip
is arranged centrally between the key board levers which are thus evenly placed
at each side of the said mechanism.
The said mechanism serving to feed or propel the music sheet or strip consists of
a worm wheel or screw fixed to the crank handle of the instrument and projecting
out of the case of the instrument a sufficient distance to allow of it engaging with
the corresponding slots in the music sheet or strip. The said slots are formed
inclined so as to correspond with the form of the worm or screw thread.
It will be easily understood from this arrangement that when the screw is
rotated by means of the crank handle and the music sheet or strip is engaged with
it, the latter will be slowly propelled or fed.
The music sheet is securely held by the guiding tray or plate lying across it
against the covering plate of the case and in order to prevent undue friction
between the music sheet or strip when moving over the key board and the said
guiding tray or plate the latter is provided with rollers situated over the pointed
ends of the key board levers and comes into direct contact with the said music
sheet or strip. The said rollers are fitted on both sides of the guiding tray or
plate. The rollers on one side of the said tray may be mounted loosely upon a
common shaft or they may be made in the form of fluted rollers. The guiding
tray or plate may be fixed by means of hooks or hinges or in any other suitable

page_text: manner to the top plate of the case of the instrument. By providing the guiding
tray with rollers, scarcely any friction is caused by the motion of the music sheet
or strip over the key board levers, and the said rollers are rotated by the motion
of the music sheet or strip. The said sheet or strip consequently bears very
lightly and wil therefore not wear out so soon as has been the case with sheets or
strips used on ordinary guiding trays.
The music sheet or strip will also be steadied in its motion by engaging with the
screw and by means of the lateral guides.
The levers of the key board consist of two parts. One part is of an angular
form and is pivotted and engages with the music sheet or strip and its rear end is
bent at a right angle. The other part oscillates upon a suitable centre and is so
arranged as to form an obtuse angle with the first named or angular part. It
carries at its lower end a valve and its upper end which is hook shaped engages
with a slot in a flange on the said angular part. A spiral spring operates in such a
manner upon the said angular part of the lever as to raise the said valve from its
seat and depress the horizontal arm of the angular part of the lever, when the
pointed end of the lever meets with a slot in the music sheet or strip.
By means of the above described arrangement of key board levers formed in
two parts as described an exceedingly light motion of the valve is obtained.
Dated this 10th day of February 1SSG

page_text: I GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, N° 4 South
Street, Finsbury, in the county of Middlesex l'atent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention (a communication from abroad by Emil Gustav Sturm
of Leipzig, m the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer of Mechanical Musical
Instruments) 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 improvements in mechanical musical instruments or
autophones, the improvements having reference more particularly to the mechanism
for feeding or propelling a music sheet or strip to the guiding tray or plate which
presses upon the upper side of the said sheet or strip and to the construction of the
key board levers.
In order to enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a vertical section
of part of a mechanical musical instrument constructed according to this invention
and figure 2, is a plan of the same; figure 3, represents a plan and edge view of
the guiding tray or plate. Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
In carrying out the invention the feeding mechanism of the music sheet or strip
is arranged centrally between the key board levers which are thus evenly arranged
at each side of the said mechanism.
The said mechanism serving to feed or propel the music sheet or strip A consists
of a worm or screw a, fixed to the extension b, of the crank handle of the
instrument and projecting out of the case of the instrument a sufficient distance
to allow of it engaging with the corresponding slots d, in the music sheet or
strip A. The said slots d, are formed inclined so as to correspond with the form
of the worm or screw thread a.
It will be easily understood from this arrangement that when the screw a, is
rotated by means of the crank handle and the music sheet or strip A is engaged
with it, the latter will be slowly propelled or fed.
The music sheet A is securely held by the guiding tray or plate B (shewn
detached in figure 3) lying across it against the covering plate of the case and in
order to prevent undue friction between the music sheet or strip A when moving
over the key-board levers and the said guiding tray or plate B, the latter is
provided with rollers f, situated over the pointed ends of the key-board levers h,
on those parts of the guiding tray which usually come into direct contact with
the music sheet or strip A. The rollers f, are arranged equally on both sides
of the guiding tray or plate B. The rollers f, on one side of the said tray may be
mounted loosely upon a common shaft or (as shewn in the drawing) they may
be made in the form of a single fluted roller. The guiding tray or plate B may be
fixed by means of hooks or hinges or in any other suitable manner to the top plate
of the case of the instrument. By providing the guiding tray B with rollers f
scarcely any friction is caused by the motion of the music sheet or strip A over the
key board levers h, i, and the said rollers are rotated by the motion of the music

page_text: sheet or strip A. The said sheet or strip consequently slides very lightly and will
therefore not wear out so soon as has been the case with sheets or strips used on
ordinary guiding trays. The music sheet or strip A will also be steadied in its
motion by engaging with screw a, and by means of lateral guides g, g.
The levers of the key board consist of two parts as shewn in figure 1. One
part h, is of an angular form and is pivotted at 4, and engages with the music
sheet or strip A and its rear end is bent at a right angle at h². The other parti
oscillates upon a centre i, and is so arranged as to form an obtuse angle with the
first named or angular part h. It carries at its lower end a valve k, and its upper
end which is hook shaped engages with a slot in the flange ², on the said angular
part h.
A spiral spring m. operates in such a manner upon the part i, of the
lever as to raise the valve k, from its seat and depress the horizontal arm of
the angular part of the lever h, when the pointed end of the lever h, meets with a
slot, in the music sheet or strip A.
By means of the above described arrangement of key board levers formed in two
parts and i, as described an exceedingly light motion of the valve is obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a mechanical musical instrument the use of a worm wheel or screw a,
engaging directly with the music sheet or strip so as to feed or propel the same
and the arrangement of guiding tray or plate G consisting of rollers f, fluted
transversely and serving to hold down the music sheet or strip substantially as
herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
2. In a mechanical musical instrument constructing the key board levers in two
parts and i, connected together in such a manner that the hook like end of the
part i, engages in the flange or bent extremity of the part h, for the purpose of
rendering the motion of the key board lighter than heretofore substantially as
herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
3. The improved mechanical musical instrument herein before described and
represented in the accompany drawing.