IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOPORTES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Molineux, of the City of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Pianoforte and Music Seller, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOPORTES."
Sealed the 23rd October 1860, and dated the 28th April 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Molineux at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
April 1860.
I, THOMAS MOLINEUX, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Pianoforte and Music Seller, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in applying to upright pianofortes certain improved
grand escapement actions, which are of great simplicity, and (when properly
regulated) are perfectly noiseless and incapable of blocking. The said escape-
ments also secure a firm and elastic touch, a perfect repeat, and the greatest
variety of tone that the instrument is capable of.
The nature of the Invention will be understood by reference to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of outline Drawings, in which two of
my escapements are represented.
In Fig. 1, a is the lever; b, the lever rail, c, the escapement rail; d, the
hopper butt; c, the set-off button, covered with felt or cloth; f, the hopper
fly; and g, the escapement button, covered with thin leather, having a smooth

page_text: surface outside. The escapement rail c is intended to be secured to the lever
rail b at the proper height, so that when the key is pressed down the button g
will come in contact with the escapement rail cat the point c', and slightly
above the centre of the said button g. In regulating, the set-off button e must
be turned in until the hammer slightly blocks against the string, then regulate
the escapement button g.
In Fig. 2, a is the lever; b, the lever rail; c, the escapement rail; d, the
hopper butt; e, the set-off button; f, the hopper fly; and g, the escapement
button, covered with thin leather, with a smooth surface on the outside. The
escapement button 9 must be placed so as to come in contact when the key is
pressed down with the hopper fly at the point f¹. The regulating is performed
the same as in Fig. 1.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Molineux in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th October 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, TноMAS
MOLINEUX, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Pianoforte
and Music Seller, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Molineux, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Molineux, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Thomas Molineux, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Molineux, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Molineux, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in the application to upright pianofortes of certain
improved grand double-escapement actions, which are of great simplicity, and
when properly regulated are incapable of blocking; they also secure a firm
and elastic touch, a perfect repeat, and the greatest variety of tone the instru-
ment is capable of giving.
•
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2
are views of two of my improved escapement actions for upright pianofortes.
In both figures A is the lower escapement button; B, the escapement rail;
C, the upper escapement button; D, the hopper butt; E, the hopper fly;
G, the lever rail.
In Figure 1, the escapement rail B is intended to be secured to the lever
rail G at such a height that when the key is pressed down the button C will
come in contact with the escapement rail at the point H.
In Figure 2 the escapement button C is attached to the rail B, which rail is
intended to be secured to the lever rail G, at such a height that when the key
is pressed down the hopper fly will come in contact with the button C at the
point I. In each arrangement the lower escapement button A is covered with
felt, cloth, or other suitable material, and the upper escapement button C is
covered with leather, cloth, caoutchouc, silk, or other substance adapted for the
purpose, and the parts II and I, where the buttons come in contact, are
covered with plumbago, French chalk, or other suitable substances, or the parts
II and I are covered with the aforesaid soft material, and the escapement
buttons C covered with plumbago, French chalk, &c.
In order properly to regulate the escapements shewn in Figure 1, the lower
escapement button A is adjusted so that by pressing down the keys the hoppers
will just carry the hammers close to the strings. The escapement rail B is
then made one-eighth of an inch narrower than the space between the hopper
fly and the lever rail, and of about the level, as shown in the Drawing, and
screwed or glued to the lever rail nearly close up to the levers. The upper
escapement button C is then regulated, so as to cause the hammers to fall off
about the thickness of a card from the strings; after which the lower buttons
are turned out just sufficient to make both act alike.
The escapement, shewn in Figure 2, is regulated in precisely the same way
as that represented in Figure 1.

page_text: By these improvements the hammers will be incapable of blocking; also
the touch and repeat (combined with the greatest power), will be superior to
what has hitherto been obtained in the upright pianoforte action, and being
simple in construction it will not be liable to get out of repair.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly under-
stood that I claim as my Invention, and which, to the best of my knowledge
and belief, has not been hitherto used within the realm, the application to
upright pianofortes of the improved double-escapement actions, as herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Molineux, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-nained Thomas Molineux,
in the presence of
THOMAS MOLINEUX. (L.S.)
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.