A MECHANICAL VOLTI SUBITO, TO ASSIST THE PLAYER OF MUSIC QUICKLY TO TURN THE LEAVES OF MUSIC BOOKS WHILE PLAYING;
Year: 1828

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ABRAHAM
Louis, of Dean Street, in Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mechanic,
send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Abraham Louis, having, after much labour, study,
and expence, found out and invented "A MECHANICAL VOLTI SUBITO, TO ASSIST
THE PLAYER OF MUSIC QUICKLY TO TURN THE LEAVES OF MUSIC BOOKS WHILE
PLAYING;" and whereas, on representing the same to His present Majesty
King George the Fourth, His said Majesty, by Letters Patent, bearing date
at Westminster, the Tenth day of December, in the ninth year of His reign,
hath given and granted unto me, the said Abraham Louis, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, the special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority of His
said Majesty, that I, the said Abraham Louis, my exors, admors, and assigns,
and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or
deputies, servants, or agents, shall and lawfully may make, use, exercise, and
vend my said Invention within that part of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Abraham Louis, my
exors, adiñiors, and assigns, or any of them, shall in my or their discretion seem
meet, and that I, the said Abraham Louis, my exors, adññiors, and assigns,
shall and lawfully may have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity,
and advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by
reason of the said Invention, during the term of fourteen years from the date
of the said Letters Patent; and it is by the said Letters Patent provided that
if I, the said Abraham Louis, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the

page_text: nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to
be inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next
immediately, after the date of the said Letters Patent, then those Letters
Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should
utterly cease, determine, and become void, any thing therein-before contained
to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said
Letters Patent inrolled in the High Court of Chancery may more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Abraham Louis, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in the Plans and Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
description, that is to say:-
I take a piece of mahogany in the shape represented by the Figure marked
A, and at the upper part of it affix a plate of brass, in the form shewn by
Figure No. 1, by screws to it. At the top of this plate of brass and part of it
is an elevated portion with a notch, shewn in Figure No. 2 and No. 2 b.
Through this elevated part I pass two steel spindles; one with a shoulder,
shewn in Figure No. 4, and the other without, as in No. 5; the former as an
axis to carry the arms, and the latter to serve as a rest to them, and to admit
of the action of the carriage plate and sliding bar No. 9, 10. The length of
these spindles is proportioned to the number of arms which the former is
intended to carry; and I insert the other ends of these spindles into a bridge or
cloth, shewn in Figure No. 3, which is fastened at one end by a flank, through
which a screw is passed into plate No. 1, and elevated and open at the other, to
admit of the action of the carriage plate and sliding bar No. 9 and 10. Upon
the spindle No. 4 I place as many picces of brass as are intended to be used
in the volti, which I call arms, and are represented in Figure No. 7, and an
eliptical wheel attached by screws to each arm, and shewn in Figure No. 6.
This wheel turns vertically half or nearly half a circle. I make one part of
the rounded end of each arm of the same size as the wheel, and the other to
project about the eighth of an inch, as shewn in Figure 7 c, to receive when
the lever is moved the elevated end of the sliding bar No. 10. To the brass
plate No. 1 I affix by a screw at one end so many well-tempered steel springs
shewn in Figure No. 8 as are equal to the number of arms. At the other end
of each spring I form a hammer-like point, which rests on the left side and
near the summit of each wheel, and by pressing upon it turns it backwards when
the lever is struck to the top; and near the small end of each arm I affix a small
brass spring d; and in the small end of each arm I insert and fasten by a pin

page_text: the wire or keeper, shewn in Figure 12, which is inserted between the leaves
of the music book when the volti is set, and by the action of the brass spring
upon it, as shown in Figure 7 e, it may be opened and shut like a pen knife.
Below the bridge or cock, No. 3, I place a brass carriage plate, in the form
shewn in Figure No. 9, the upper edge of which is level with the upper edge
of the bridge or cock. This carriage is moveable up and down on the two
screws, which are shewn at the upper end of the internal openings in it, and
is kept in its position by the tops of the screws overlapping the sides of the
plate adjoining each opening. To and across the top of this carriage plate
I place a small steel sliding bar with a pin in it, as shewn in No. 10, the sinister
end of which is elevated for the purpose of striking the projecting end of each
arm. This sliding bar moves on the two screws represented in the internal
openings of it, and is kept in position by the heads of these screws overlapping
its interior sides in the same manner as the carriage plate. To the dexter end
of this sliding bar I affix on a pivot, and fasten by a pin, one end of the brass
bar, Figure No. 18, and the other end of the bar I affix in the same manner to
the upper end of the lever No. 11 on the carriage plate No. 9.
I affix on a
pivot, and fasten with a pin at the lower end, the brass bar, with a button at
the top, shewn in Figure No. 14, which has a shoulder near the upper end, as
shewn in the same Figure, the upper part of which shoulder is to be inserted in
the notch in Figure 2, and to rest against the inner edge of No. 2 when
the volti is set. In this brass bar, and just below the lower edge of the said
shoulder, I insert a small steel pin, as shewn in No. 14 a; this pin,
when the lever is struck, is caught by the pin in the sliding bar No. 10,
and the shoulder is thus freed from the notch Letter b, in 1, 2, and the
carriage plate allowed to ascend. To keep the upper part of this bar, which
is not fixed, in its position, I affix the curved steel spring shewn in Figure 15
to the carriage plate by a screw at one end, that the other may press on this
bar. To draw the carriage plate and sliding bar upwards to the arms in suc-
cession so often as the lever is struck, I use the brass spiral spring, Figure 16,
the upper end of which is pinned on the pivot at the top of Figure 1, shewn
in Figure No. 2, and the lower end on a pivot at the lower end of the carriage
plate; and to draw back the lever to its position after it has been struck, I use
the brass spiral spring shewn in Figure 17, one end of which is pinned to a
small steel pivot inserted into the projecting part of No. 1, and the other to
To move the volti I use
a similar pivot in the upper end of the lever No. 11.
the lever No. 11, which turns slightly on the pivot (f) on No. 1, of which the
upper end is level with the upper edge of the plate No. 1, and the lower end
has a button which projects from the lower end of the volti, and is to be struck

page_text: when used. To the upper part of this lever the bar No. 13 and the spiral
spring No. 17 are attached. The volti, being constructed as before described,
is covered by another piece of mahogany, Figure B, like the first mentioned,
up to the bridge or cock No. 3, and for use the carriage plate is forced down
by the button at the top of the bar No. 14, whilst the arms are on the sinister
side. Then the arms are turned towards the dexter side of the volti, and
the wires No. 12 inserted in the leaves of the music book, one within each
leaf, to the full number of the arms. Then, when the lever is struck, the
projecting part of the round end of the arm immediately over the sliding bar
is caught by the elevated end of the sliding bar, and moved to the right, and
by the action of the spring on the eliptical wheel the arm wire and leaf of the
book are instantaniously turned to the left, and the arms in succession are
turned in the same manner until the whole are turned, and then the volti must
be reset by forcing down the carriage plate and sliding bar whilst the arms
remain on the left side of the volti, and turning the arms to the right, and
again inserting the wires between the leaves of the music book. The arms
may be increased to twelve or a greater number.
Although I have above described the formation of the volti, in the manner
and with the materials which I at present use, yet I lay claim to all the forms
and materials into which it may be disposed, and with which it may be properly
constructed, according to the principles which I have hercin-before disclosed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Abraham Louis, bave to this Specification
set my hand and seal, the Fifth day of February, One thousand eight
Inrolled the Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine.