AN IMPROVED REDUCED SCALE KEY-BOARD ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS AND OTHER KEY-BOARD INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Melville Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th January 1877 A com-
munication from abroad by Edwin Eshelby, of Whitestone, in the County of
Queen's, and State of New York, United States of America
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent "AN IMPROVED REDUCED SCALE KEY-BOARD ATTACHMENT FOR
PIANOS AND OTHER KEY-BOARD INSTRUMENTS" A communication from abroad by
Edwin Eshelby, of Whitestone, in the County Queen's, and State of New York,
United States of America
The object of this Invention is to furnish an improved key attachment for pianos,
organs, and other key-board instruments, which will enable children and others
having small hands to span an octave in playing
The Invention consists in the combination of a set of keys made narrow or upon
a reduced scale, with the ordinary keys of a key-board instrument, in the com-
bination of the detached case or frame and key-board, the narrow keys, the con-
necting bars, the levers and their supporting board, with the case or frame, the
key-board and the koys of a key-board instrument, in the combination of the
buttons or screws and pins with the detached case or frame, and the case of
frame of a key-board, and in the combination of the weighted bar, the rods
and the hinged plates, with the buttons, the levels, and the board that supports
said levers, as herein-after fully described.
According to this Invention the case or frame of the attachment is so formed as
to fit against the front of the instrument, where it is secured in place by buttons
pivoted to the under side of the key-board of said attachment, and which catch upon
screws or pins attached to the under side of the front of the instrument. The keys
of the attachment are made narrow, so as to occupy much less space than the
ordinary keys, the centre key being straight and the inner ends of the keys upon
each side of it bent outward at an angle, each outer key having a greater angle
than the adjacent inner keys, so as to correspond with the keys of the instrument
To the inner ends of these narrow keys or to blocks 01 buttons attached to said keys
are hinged the lower ends of bars, the upper ends of which are pivoted to levers
which are pivoted to supports attached to the lower side of the board secured to
the case of the attachment. To the inner ends of said levers buttons are attached
by means of screws or other adjustable means, to strike upon the ordinary keys of
the instrument and operate them A heavy or weighted bar is placed in front of
the forward edge of the board above referred to, and has vertical cross slots formed

page_text: in it to receive screws by which it is connected to the edge of said board To this
weighted bar are attached the upper ends of two 1ods, the lower ends of which rest
upon plates which are hinged to the inner edge of the key-board of the attachment,
in such positions that when the buttons are turned out to lock the attachment in
place they may raise the plates and push the rods upward, raising the weighted bar
away from the levers
When the buttons are turned back to unfasten the attachment from the instru-
ment, the bar drops upon the rear ends of the levers, and by its weight raises the
forward ends of said levers, so that the attachment may be moved up to and away
from the instrument without having the buttons of the levers strike or rub against
the keys of the instrument.
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