RESERVE COP with Church, Chamber, and similar Organs.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Nov., 1888
RESERVE
COP
with Church, Chamber, and similar Organs.
I, HENRY FORDHAM, 43 Argyle Square, Kings Cross, W.C. Organ Builder,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to, and is based upon the Specification of my
Invention No. 2507 dated 20th February of the present year, in which I have
described an arrangement for regulating the swell pedal and mechanism connected
therewith by means of a suspended rod formed with a toothed rack, and provided
with a sliding tube or sheath, fitted to one side of which latter is a stud or spindle
the end of which is tapped to receive a nut; said stud or spindle passing through a
hole formed in the depending side of the pedal and being secured thereto by the nut
beforementioned, said depending side of the pedal being formed with a laterally
projecting tooth engaging with the toothed rack of the suspended rod aforesaid.
Now, in accordance with my present Invention I dispense with the sliding or
sheath encasing the suspended rod and which moves correspondingly with the upward
and downward movement of the pedal, and I make said pedal without the depending
side and projecting tooth which engages with the rack upon said suspended rod as
described in the specification of my Invention of prior date above referred to, and
in lieu thereof I form a slot or hole in the pedal, into which takes the suspended
rod with toothed rack formed upon one side thereof, said rod differing from that
described in the specification before referred to inasmuch as the rack is now formed
upon the reverse side of the rod to that described in my former Specification. I
employ also, in accordance with my present Invention, a curved, flat spring secured
to the frame or case of the organ, so as to press outwards the suspended rod, the
pressure being applied to the upper part of said rod upon the same side as that on
which is formed the toothed rack; and, to compensate for any loss of tension by
said spring I may provide at the top of the suspended rod an adjusting set screw or
like device. A spiral spring is secured to the pedal and frame or case of the organ,

page_text: by means of which the step of the pedal will always be maintained at the top of the
toothed rack, thus leaving same ready for depressing by the foot of the performer--
when not engaging with the teeth of the rack aforesaid.
The modus operandi is as follows:-assuming that the pedal is retained in its
normal position of rest by the spiral spring connecting the pedal with the case or
frame of the organ, the action of the foot of the performer will depress said pedal
which can be retained at any required position; a slight lateral movement of the foot
against the suspended rod enabling the teeth of said rod to engage with the
corresponding edge of the step of the pedal, the foot may then be removed, the
tension of the spiral spring aforesaid sufficing to keep the teeth of the rack in gear
with the step of the pedal. When it is desired to disengage or release the latter from
the rack, the pedal is slightly depressed by the foot, whereupon the curved, flat
spring pressing against the upper end of the suspended rod-releases the rack from
the step of the pedal and effectually serves to prevent the latter again engaging
with the toothed rack until the lateral movement is imparted by the foot to the
suspended rod as before described.
From the foregoing it will be seen that I am enabled to produce a device simple
and efficient in action, by means of which the performer is enabled to securely lock
the swell pedal and its connected parts within the limits of their traverse.
Dated this 17th day of August 1888
JAMES STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers,
20, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: Improvements relating to the Swell Pedals Employed in Connection
with Church, Chamber, and similar Organs.
I HENRY FORDHAM of 43 Argyle Square Kings Cross in the County of
Middlesex Organ Builder 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 thereof that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements upon an invention for which Letters Patent
were granted to me dated the 20th day of February 1888 No. 2507.
Part of the invention for which I obtained the said Letters Patent consisted of means
for retaining the swell pedal and consequently the venetians or shutters in any
desired position within certain limits thus permitting the performer to remove his
foot from the pedal leaving the venetians or shutters more or less open and employ
his foot for other purposes.
In that arrangement the swell pedal was provided with a laterally projecting tooth
which engaged with a toothed rack formed upon a pendent rod such rack being
normally held in gear with the pedal tooth by means of a spring so that in order to
disengage the rack from the tooth it was necessary that the performer should move
the rack out of gear by a lateral pressure or movement of his foot and it was also
necessary that he should retain his foot in that position so long as he desired to move
the pedal freely and independently of the rack.
This arrangement had the disadvantage that the performer was constantly required
to keep the parts out of gear whereas it was sometimes only at long intervals that he
required to hold the pedal down for any length of time and, with that object, allow
the parts to become locked and this imposed upon the performer an irksome and
unusual duty.
Now according to my present invention 1 obviate the necessity for any continued
lateral pressure of the foot and I so arrange the parts that the rack is normally held
disengaged from the pedal but is capable of being moved into gear therewith when
desired by a slight lateral pressure or movement of the foot, when the pedal will
be locked in its then position until it is disengaged by the performer again placing
his foot upon and thus slightly depressing the pedal for the purpose of opening or
closing the swell in the act of playing the instrument.
By these means 1 give the performer the same free and uninterrupted use of the
pedal that he is accustomed to in an ordinary organ but I at the same time enable
him to lock the swell pedal and connected parts in any desired position within the
usual limits of their traverse.
And in order that the said Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more fully to
describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a swell pedal and connected parts illustrating my
invention.
Figure 2 is an end elevation, and
Figure 3 is a plan thereof partly in section.
Figure 4 is a part sectional end elevation illustrating the application of an
adjustable stop to the rack rod.

page_text: Figure 5 is a side elevation partly in section showing part of the rack rod and the
pedal separately the rack rod being in its normal position and
Figure 6 is a plan thereof.
Figure 7 is a transverse section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 6.
Figure 8 is a similar view but showing the rack in the position it would assume
when engaged with the pedal.
Figure 9 is a plan of the pedal separately.
Figure 10 is an end elevation partly in section illustrating a modification in which
either foot is capable of acting upon and locking the pedal and showing the parts in
their normal position and
Figure 11 is a side elevation thereof partly in section.
Figure 12 is a transverse section of part of the pedal and rack rod showing the rack
engaged with the pedal.
Figure 13 is a plan of the pedal showing the rack rod in section.
Figure 14 is a plan of the pedal separately.
Figure 15 is a side elevation partly in section of part of a pedal and rack rod of
modified construction the rack rod being in its normal position.
Figure 16 is a transverse section and
Figure 17 is a plan thereof.
In the several figures of the drawings like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference but Figures 5 to 17 are drawn to an enlarged scale for the sake of
clearness.
I will first describe the device represented at Figures 1 to 9.
a represents the case or frame of the instrument which is provided with a bracket a¹
upon which a rack rod b is at its upper end hung with capability of swinging upon
a pin or centre b¹.
Between the bracket a¹ and the rack rod 6 is interposed a plate spring 62, or it
might be any other suitable form of spring, the upper end of such spring being fixed
to the bracket a¹ and the lower or free end thereof constantly acting to turn the rack
rod upon its pin or centre b¹.
A stop 3 covered or "bushed" with leather or other suitable material limits the
movement given to the rack rod b by the spring b².
I sometimes employ an adjustable stop for this purpose as represented at Figure 4
and I may arrange such stop at a suitable distance either below the pin or centre b¹
as represented by the full lines or above it as shown by the dotted lines whichever
may be found most suitable.
This adjustable stop 63 consists of a leather or felt buffer cemented' to a wood or
other disc 6 fixed to one end of a screw threaded pin or spindle 65 which is screwed
through a block 66 the other end of such spindle 66 being provided with a milled' wheel
or button 67 to facilitate adjustment.
The adjustable stop 63 shown by the dotted lines is similar in construction but in
that case the spindle 65 screws through the rack rod b. and the buffer takes an
abutment against the bracket a¹.
The rack rod at its lower end is formed upon its inner side with a toothed rack 6³
and the teeth of this rack which are slightly undercut are formed only partly through
the rack rod from back to front or are otherwise so arranged that they are concealed
from view and that the foot of the performer will be prevented from coming into
direct contact therewith and this part of the rack rod b passes through a slot c³ formed
in the swell pedal c and it is curved in conformity with the arè described by the
pedal in its traverse.
The pedal c is mounted upon a centre of motion c¹ carried by a bracket a² projecting
from the frame of the instrument and it is by a pin joint connected to a rod
pin jointed to one end of a lever the other end of which is keyed upon a shaft it
supported in brackets 3; another lever i³ is at one end keyed upon the shaft and
at the other end is pin jointed to a rod' which is connected with the swell pedal
mechanism.
I have marked the connections from the pedal c to the swell' mechanism with the

page_text: same letters as are employed in my former specification above referred to in order that
the relative positions of the parts may be clearly understood.
At one end of the slot c³ in the pedal c is formed a bevelled tooth c¹ of less width
than the slot c³ and an extension c³ of such slot formed at the side of such tooth
receives that part 6 of the rack rod which forms a covering to the teeth of the
rack 68.
The tooth c of the pedal is preferably covered with a strip c of leather, felt or
other suitable material in order to prevent any noise in working and this strip c
may be sewn in place or it may be lapped around the tooth c and each end is perforated
and passed over a stud e and held in place by a pin or cotter e passing through a
transverse hole in the stud c².
A similar provision is made to prevent the rack 6 coming directly into contact
with the sides of the slot c³ in the pedal c and to deaden sound.
With this object a horseshoe shaped piece of leather, felt or other suitable material c³
is secured to the underside of the pedal by means of studs c² and pins or cotters c³ and
the material c is so arranged that it overlaps the slot c³ to a slight extent and thus
forms a "bushing" and takes the wear of the rack rod b.
The rack rod bis so arranged relatively to the pedal slot c³ that when it is forced home
against the stop 6 by the spring 62 it will occupy a central position in such slot (as
clearly shown at Figure 7) so that the pedal c can be freely moved without risk of its
tooth e engaging the rack 68; or I may employ an adjustable stop 63 such as that
represented at Figure 4 in order to compensate for any warping or alteration of the
parts and ensure the correct relation thereof.
When the performer desires to hold the swell venetians or shutters open for a time
he depresses the pedal c to the required extent and by a slight lateral movement of his
foot moves the rack rod 6 until the rack 68 engages the tooth c of the pedal c, the
parts assuming the position shown by the enlarged view at Figure 8 and by the dotted
lines in Figure 2 when owing to the natural tendency to rise of the pedal c and
the slightly undercut formation of the teeth of the rack 68, the pedal c and rack
rod band consequently the venetians or shutters will be locked in the position in
which they happen then to be and the performer may employ his foot for other
purposes.
Immediately that the performer again places his foot upon the pedal c the
rack 68 will be released from the tooth c¹ of the pedal c and the rack rod b by
the action of the spring 62 will resume its normal position leaving the pedal c free
to move.
At Figures 10 to 14 I have shown a device similar in action to that hereinbefore
described but in this example I have so arranged the parts that the performer may
employ either of his feet to act upon the swell pedal.
For this purpose I hang the rack rod 6 upon a pin or centre 61 carried by a
bracket a¹ from the frame a of the instrument arranged in a central or other
convenient position beneath the keyboard and I employ two springs 62 one acting
upon each side of the rack rod b and I necessarily dispense with the fixed stops b³.
In order to obviate the difficulty of making two springs 62 of precisely equal power
without which the rack rod 6 would not normally be held in a correct central position
and in order to ensure the rack rod 6 being so held, I interpose between the springs b²
and the rack rod 6 upon each side thereof a bar or stop 63 which turns upon a
centre 6** fixed to the bracket a¹ and comes against a fixed pin or stud 6*
projecting from the bracket a' so that however unequal in power the springs b
may be, the rack rod 6 will always be returned to and held in a true central
position.
The rack rod b is furnished with a toothed rack 68 upon each side thereof and
the slot of the pedal c is formed of corresponding size and the pedal c is provided
with a tooth c and co-acting parts at each end of the slot to engage with the
rack 68.
By these means a performer may by a slight lateral movement of either foot
whichever may for the time being be disengaged cause one of the toothed racks 68

page_text: to engage with its respective tooth c as represented at Figure 12 and thus lock
the pedal c and its connected parts in any desired position as hereinbefore explained.
The device represented at Figures 15, 16 and 17 is a simple modification of the
means for locking together the pedal and rack rod and although 1 have shown it in
connection with an arrangement of parts similar to that lastly herein before described
it will be evident that it may also be employed in connection with a single acting pedal
and rack: rod of the kind firstly herein described.
In this example the rack rod b has a number of holes or recesses 68 formed therein
in lieu of teeth and the pedal c is provided with a corresponding stud or pin e* at each
end of the slot c³ in lieu of the form of teeth shown and described with respect to the
previous figures.
In my provisional specification I inadvertently described the employment of a
spring connected by one end to the frame or case of the instrument and by the other
end to the pedal in order to maintain the same in its raised or normal position except
when otherwise acted upon by the foot of the performer; but although this might be
necessary in some classes of organs it will be evident upon referring to my said
former specification that it is quite unnecessary when my present invention is employed
in connection with the arrangement of mechanism therein described as provision is
there made for bringing all the parts together with the swell pedal back to their
normal position.
I would here remark that I have herein shown and described the best means that I
am at present acquainted with for carrying my invention into effect but I do not
confine myself thereto as such may be considerably varied without departing from the
peculiar character of my invention and I would have it understood that my invention
is not limited in its application to the particular arrangement of swell mechanism
described in my said former specification as it is equally applicable to swell pedals
employed to actuate the ordinary arrangement of swell venetians or shutters.
I would further remark that since filing my provisional specification I have found
that the means therein described of regulating the tension of the plate spring
employed to keep the rack normally clear of the pedal tooth do not possess sufficient
útility to warrant my giving any further description thereof and I have therefore
omitted to fully describe such means and I now desire to disclaim and I do hereby
disclaim the same as forming part of my invention.
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
In combination with the swell pedal of an organ, a pendent rod capable of being
caused by a movement of the foot of the performer to engage with and hold the
pedal in any desired position all in manner substantially as herein shown and described
and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 90th day of September 1888
HENRY FORDHAM.
By White & Woodington,
27, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.