TUBULAR PNEUMATIC EXHAUST
Year: 1886

page_text: .
MARTIN HETHERINGTON Hadrian Road, Wallsend Newcastle-on-Tyne County of
Northumberland do hereby declare the nature of my invention for WORKING ALL
THE VALVES OF AN ORGAN BY A TUBULAR PNEUMATIC EXHAUST ACTION, to be
as follows:-
For every stop of pipes I provide a separate sound-board, this simply consists of
a narrow long chest, having a hole pierced where the pipe stands.
Underneath the hole is a small valve with a sticker attached, the bottom of
sticker passes through another hole in the bottom of Sound-board pouched with
leather; & works freely up or down.
The Sound-boards are placed, as many as may be desired, side by sidė.
Underneath the sound-boards, transverse, I place as many Pneumatic flues with
flexible tops, as there are keys.
These flues are in communication with the key apparatus by means of a tube,
which may be any distance from the Organ.
When they keys are at rest, the flues are always inflated, which presses against
the pouch on pipe valve and keeps it closed.
The moment a key is depressed the flue is exhausted, consequently the pipe-valve
drops, allowing the wind to go to pipe.
This is effected by means of a covered tube sliding over a tube with slots cut
out. On the key being depressed by the performer the covered tube slides over
the slots, cutting off the wind, and exhausting the flues through a small outlet.
On the key being released the covered tube is forced back by the air behind it
closing the outlet, and filling the flues through the slots.
The Stop action is worked by placing a small Pneumatic Chest with a flexible
bottom, at one end of soundboard, just over the valve where air enters soundboard.
When the chest is charged with air it closes this valve, & exhausts soundboard;
and when the small chest is exhausted the soundboard is charged.
The Pneumatic Chest is in communication with the Draw stops by means of a
tube actuated in the same manner as the keys.
For the Combinations I place a flue same as described for keys, under the small
stop chests that I wish to combine; by touching a small button in the key strip,
inflates the flue, and the top of flue being in contact with a small Tubular Valve
in the stop chests exhausts them, thereby, causing the stops to speak.

page_text: EXPLANATION OF FIGURES USED IN ACCOMPANYING DRAWING.
Fig. I. A. The key on being depressed raises a sticker B working a crank C,
which presses in a tube D, sliding over a slotted tube E, cutting off the wind from F,
which is at the same pressure às in Wind chest, exhausting the wind in G, through
a small outlet H.
Fig. 2. shewing the action in front of keys A, the keys. B. stickers. H; the
outlets, K. the stop outlets.
Fig. 3. L, a long narrow flue with a flexible top, placed transversely underneath
Soundboard M, charged with air from F conveyed by the tube G.
N, a sticker with a piece of wood screwed on the top to form a pipe valve. O, a
guide rail for the sticker to work freely through, pouched with leather at P,
and having a round piece of wood Q, attached to it; larger in area than the
bottom of sticker, resting on the flexible top of flue at L, being charged with air,
forces the sticker upwards, cutting off the wind from pipe at R.
When the key A, Fig. I, is depressed by the performer, the air in the flue L, is
exhausted through the tube G; consequently the sticker falls down, & the wind in
the Soundboard M, passes into the pipe R, thereby causing it to speak.
Fig. 4 shewing end section of Pneumatic flue L. Side section of Sounboard M,
also Draw Stop, & Combination Action.
A, Windtrunk made strong enough to support all the Sounboards having
a round hole bored in the top to correspond with another bored in the bottom
of Soundboard.
B. Slotted tube, the same as in E, Fig. I, but on a larger scale, with a covered
tube, C, forced up by the wind from A, allowing it to pass through the slots to
soundboard M.
11
D, a small Pneumatic Chest with a flexible bottom, larger in area than C.
When the stop is drawn, D, is exhausted by the same arrangement as shewn at
Fig. I. D, being exhausted, C, is forced up by the pressure of the wind in A, the
wind then passes through the slotted tube at B, into the Soundboard M.
When the stop is pushed in, D, becomes inflated presses down C, and exhausts
the Soundboard M, through outlet S.
E. is a Combination flue, same as shewn at L. Fig. 3. and stretches under as
many Stop Chests as I may wish to combine, and is exhausted or inflated by means
of a small button actuating a tube, same as that at E. Fig. I.
When E is inflated all the stop chests are exhausted, consequently all the sound-
boards are filled with air.
Invention ;
my
I claim to
The Pedal Action is on the same principle as Key Action.
Having thus described the nature, and, working of
entirely dispense with slides, Springs, and a Complication of Channels, by my
Tubular Pneumatic Exhaust Action.
;
Dated this Fourteenth day of January 1886.

page_text: space will permit, these channels or flues G are arranged in one row on the same
horizontal plane. If not, they are arranged in two rows one below the other. The
flues G are of sufficient length to extend under the whole of the soundboards.
Their width may be about one and a quarter inch and depth about one and a
quarter inch. The said flues have flexible tops G¹ formed of sheep-skin or other
suitable material pressed down and hanging loosely between the bars G which
form the sides of the flues and glued to the said bars, a bead G³ being sprigged
upon the top of each bar G³ to hold the leather G' more securely thereto. The
bottoms G of the said flues G may be of wood or of stout calico with stiff brown
paper glued tightly over it, so as to render the flues air-tight. To the underside
of the flexible tops G₁ of the flues G and just underneath the pipe valves are
glued pieces of wood F about two inches long by one and an eighth inch wide
and a quarter of an inch in thickness. Between the flues G and each soundboard A,
under the centre of the strip B and running longitudinally therewith is fixed
a guide-rail E, through which guide-rail and under each pipe valve passes a sticker
wire D having a button D1 at each end. The flues G are charged with air from
windchests or exhausted, through pipes I by the key action as shown in figure 1
and as hereinafter explained. When the flues G are inflated the pieces of wood F
on the flexible tops of the said flues press against the lower buttons D¹ of the
sticker wires D causing the said sticker wires to rise and their upper buttons to
force the pipe valves upward and keep the passages A¹ closed. The moment a key
is depressed its corresponding flue is exhausted and the air inside of the sound-
board A forces down the leather cup C and opens the passage A¹ to the pipe. The
area of the pieces F being greater than that of the cups C the same pressure
of wind in the flues G as in the soundboards A will lift the said pieces F quickly.
In figure 1 I have shown the means for charging and exhausting the flues G by
the key action. At the back of the key-board and above the level thereof I
arrange a series of air-chambers J one for each key. The said air-chambers are
circular holes of about two and a half inches deep, formed in a piece of wood of
about three inches thick, in such positions as to be above their respective keys.
At the back of the said air-chambers is arranged a windchest H charged at sound-
board pressure, and air is admitted from the said windchest to the said air-chambers
by means of tubes L inserted through the centre of the backs of, and extending
into the said air-chambers. The said tubes L have slots L' formed in their sides
and are fitted with tubular caps or covers M closed at their outer ends, the said
covers M sliding upon the tubes L within the air-chambers J. The said air-
chambers communicate with the pipes I leading to the flues G by means of
passages J, the pipes I being inserted into the said passages through the back
of the board in which the air-chambers are formed. The passages J₁ are formed
by boring from the edge K³ to the air-chamber J and afterward plugging up the
portion J.
In front of the air chambers J is secured a board K having holes or
outlets K' of about half the diameter of the air-chambers J the said outlets being
so arranged as to be over the centre of the air-chambers and through which
holes or outlets the said air-chambers communicate with the external atmosphere.
When the key N answering to any air-chamber is at rest the pressure of the wind
⚫ in the windchest H and tube L forces the cap or cover M forward on the tube L
so that the head of the said cover comes against the board K, acts as a valve,
and closes the outlet K¹, the slots L' of the tube L being then opened or uncovered.
Air enters through the said alots into the air-chamber J and from thence passes
through the pipe I to the corresponding flue G. When the key N is depressed it
raises the sticker O which acts upon a crank lever P.. The upper end of the said
crank lever carries a button and is so curved that when the key is depressed the
said button enters the outlet K¹ forcing the cap or cover M completely upon
the tube L. The slots L' are thus closed cutting off the supply of air from the
windchest H and the outlet K¹ is opened, thus exhausting the corresponding flue G
through the said aperture and causing the pipe valve B¹ to open.

page_text: I employ similar air-chambers, with similar means of exhaust and supply for
working the pedal, stop and combination actions as hereinafter described.
Figure 2 is a front view showing the arrangement of the air-chambers and their
outlets both of the key and stop actions. Figure 1 is a section of the two lower
rows of air-chambers with their fittings and supply chest H. The two upper rows
of air-chambers, the outlets K¹ of which are shown in figure 2, are of precisely
similar construction to those shown in figure 1 and are supplied by a separate
windchest H.
The soundboards A are all supplied with wind from the main wind-trunk Qas
shown in figure 4., The said wind-trunk is arranged at one end of the sound-
boards A and transversely thereto, the ends of the soundboards resting on the
said wind-trunk which is made strong enough to support them. The wind passes
from the wind-trunk Q to each soundboard A through a tube Q1 inserted through
the top of the wind-trunk Q and bottom of the soundboard A. The said tube
extends into the interior of the soundboard and the portion of the said tube
within the soundboard has slots Q' formed in its sides. A tubular cap or cover R
closed at its upper end is fitted upon the portion of the tube Qwithin the
soundboard A and when the said cap or cover is fully pressed down upon the said
tube it effectually closes the end of the said tube and the slots Q. The top of the
said cap or cover R carries a valve disc R¹ which, when the said cap or cover is
raised, closes the exhaust passage S of the soundboard. Over the said exhaust
passage and elevated slightly above it on suitable supports I arrange a small
pneumatic stop-chest T (one for each soundboard). The said chest has a flexible
bottom T¹ of sheep-skin or other suitable material which is distended, or inflated
when the chest T is charged with wind. To the underside of the flexible
bottom T is secured a disc T' of greater area than the top of the cap or cover R,
and under the centre of the said disc T' is a sticker T working through a guide-
rail T, the other end of the said sticker acting upon the valve disc R¹. The
chest T is charged (at soundboard pressure) and exhausted by the stop action
through the pipe U as hereinafter described. When the stop is pushed in, the
said chest is charged with wind and the flexible bottom T¹ and disc T' acting upon
the sticker T3 force down the valve disc R and cap or cover R so that the latter
closes the slots Q' in the tube Q₁ cutting off the supply from the wind-trunk Q,
the soundboard A being at the same time exhausted through the exhaust passage S.
When the stop is drawn the chest T is exhausted, the pressure of the wind in the
trunk Q forces up the cap R upon the tube Q1, the valve disc R¹ closes the exhaust
passage S and wind is admitted to the soundboard A through the slots Q³.
Figures 5 and 6 show the means I employ for charging and exhausting the stop-
chesta T by the stops. The pipes U from the said stop-chests communicate with
air-chambers of precisely similar construction and provided with similar means of
supply and exhaust to those previously described and illustrated in figure 1 for
the charging and exhausting of the flues G by the keys. The stops K operate
levers Ks which are connected to the caps or covers which slide upon the slotted
tubes, as shown in figure 5. The stops and levers are so arranged that when
drawn their corresponding air-chambers are exhausted and consequently the
corresponding cheat T is exhausted through its pipe U and the said air-chamber.
When the stop is pushed in, wind is admitted to the air-chamber, ita exhaust
outlet is closed, and the corresponding chest T becomes charged. Figure 2 shows
the levers splayed out from the stops to the outlets K³ of their respective air-
chambers.
For combination of stops I employ a flue V extending transversely under the
chests T of the stops I wish to combine. The said flue V is of similar construction
to the flues G and has a flexible top V₁. The stop-tubes U enter the stop-chests T
through the tops of the said stop-chests and the ends U of the said tubes project
3 vertically into the said chests as shown in figure 4. Upon the end U of each
pipe U in the combination is fitted a sliding cap or cover W and in the bottom of

page_text: the chest T immediately under the said tube and its cap, is formed au exhaust
passage through which works a sticker V³ whose lower end is attached to a
disc V (of greater area than the bottom of the cap W) carried on the flexible
top V of the flue V, the upper end of the said sticker acting upon the cap or
cover W. The flue V is inflated at soundboard pressure or exhausted through a
pipe V. When the said flue is inflated all the stickers Vs carried by the discs V*
on the said flue force the caps or covers W in the corresponding chests T upward,
closing the slots Us in the pipes U, cutting off the supply of wind to the chests T
and exhausting the said cliests through the passages X, thus allowing wind to enter
the corresponding soundboards from the wind-trunk Q. When the flue V is
exhausted all the caps or covers W of the combination are, by the pressure of
wind through the pipes U, forced down upon the exhaust passages ✗ closing the
said passages and. opening the slots U³ in the pipes U. The chests T thus become
charged and the corresponding soundboards exhausted. The flue V is inflated and
exhausted through the pipe V by an air-chamber of the same construction as
previously described and shown in figure 1 for inflating and exhausting the flues G
the cap or cover upon the slotted tube being in this case operated by a small stud
or push in the key strip.
The soundboards of the pedal pipes, their valve mechanism, the flues for
operating the said valves and the means for charging and exhausting the said
flues are all of precisely similar construction to those described and shown in
figures 1 and 2 with relation to the key action, the stickers for working the cranks
(as in figure 1) being operated by levers, the outer ends of which are depressed by
the pedals.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First: The general construction and arrangement of my improved tubular
pneumatic exhaust organ action, whereby I am enabled to work the key, pedal,
stop, and combination actions with one pressure of wind, substantially as herein
set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Second-The means for operating the pipe-valves substantially as herein
described and illustrated in Figure 3.
Third: The construction and arrangement of the air-chambers J, with con-
nections, and means for supplying air to, and exhausting the said air-chambers,
substantially as herein described and shown in figure 1, for the purposes set forth.
Fourth: The means for controlling the admission of air to, and exhausting the
soundboards, substantially as herein set forth and illustrated in figures 4, 5 and 6.
Fifth-The means for effecting combinations of stops substantially as described
and illustrated in figure 4.
Dated this 10th day of December's 7000