Year: 1892

page_text: g designates a star wheel supported in suitable bearings, there being one-such
star wheel to each magnet on the board f and to each string of the instrument;
and each star wheel is so constructed and arranged as that when it is turned to the
extent of one of the teeth formed on the periphery thereof, it will pick the string
which it is intended to sound.
.h is a ratchet wheel connected with the star wheel g, and arranged to be actuated
by a pawl or dog i, connected with an arm j attached to the armature of the electro
magnet, arranged upon the board, all as is most clearly represented in Figure 4. It
will be understood, of course, that there is a ratchet wheel / connected with each
star wheel 9.
k designates a sheet of fibre board or fibre paper, or other non-conducting
material, provided with slotted apertures throughout the major portion of the
breadth, and small holes m upon one side thereof.
n designates a series of fingers pivoted upon a bar or other suitable support o,
the free ends of said fingers being arranged to drop down into contact with a
series of fingers p secured upon a bar g, extending between standards r.
Connected
with the fingers n and p are wires st of an electric circuit, so arranged as that the
circuit may be closed when the finger n rests upon the finger p, and be broken
when said finger n is raised from the finger p. From each finger n its wire sextends
to a thimble u which projects through the baseboard under the head of the banjo,
and said thimble is in electrical connection with a wire which extends to one of
the electro magnets on opposite sides of the neck of the instrument.
+
The return wire, which is in electrical connection with each magnet, is the wire,t,
which, as before stated is connected with each of the fingers p.
The wires from certain of the fingers n (in the present instance the lower five
fingers n shown in Figure 3) extend to the electro magnets on the plate f, said
magnets being also in electrical connection with the return wire t.
w designates what may be regarded as an electric motor which is adapted to
rotate a roll, upon which is placed a roll y.
z are guideways, arranged on a line coincident with the bight beton the rolls ty
and having a construction suited to guide the edges of the music sheet as it may
be passed forward from between the rolls . y.
Another roll or rod may be placed in suitable position beyond the rolls x y to
keep the sheet down in position in the guideways.
The use of my invention may be described as follows:-
Supposing a sheet k of music to be placed in the guideways z, entered between
the rolls xy, and the motor to have been set in operation, as the sheet is passed
forward in the direction of the arrow, Figure 5, the free ends of the fingers n
falling within the lines of slots / will drop through the said slots into contact with
the opposite fingers p, closing the circuit through the said fingers, energizing the
electro magnet in said circuit, with the effect of depressing its armature d and
depressing a string at a fret on the neck of the instrument by the descent of the
finger e thereon; and as the free ends of the five fingers represented on the lower
side of Figure 3, meet and drop through the holes m of the sheet k, they will in like
manner effect the closing of electric circuits therethrough, resulting in the energizing
of the magnets on the board or plate f, and the turning of the star wheels g to the
extent of one tooth, through the medium of the ratchet wheels h, dog i, arm j and
armature of the electro magnet, and picking the strings.
In this way it will be seen that a sheet of music k may be prepared so as to
close the frets and pick the strings of a stringed musical instrument with absolute
correctness.
I will not herein attempt to explain all of the ways in which I have contem-
plated effecting the energizing of the electro magnets to close the strings at the
frets and to pick the said strings, nor do I think it necessary to describe the various
constructions or arrangement of means which I may employ, as it is obvious that
these may be altered or changed without departing from the nature or spirit of my
invention. For example, the magnets for operating the string-depressing means

page_text: at the frets may be arranged below the neck of the device, and pickers of a
different form from star wheels may be employed over the head of the instrument.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is-
1. A stringed musical instrument, comprising in its construction movable fingers
arranged over the strings at the frets, which fingers are adapted to be depressed
upon the strings to close the frets, as described.
an
2. A stringed musical instrument, comprising in its construction movable fingers
arranged over the strings at the frets, which fingers are embraced within
electric circuit, whereby by the closing and breaking of the circuit the fingers may
be depressed upon the strings, and be freed therefrom, as described.
3. A stringed musical instrument, comprising in its construction pickers arranged
in juxtaposition to the strings, an electro magnet and its armature, and actuating
mechanism intermediate of the armature and pickers for moving the latter, as
described.
4. A stringed musical instrument comprising in its construction movable fingers
arranged over the strings at the frets for closing the strings at the frets, and
movable pickers arranged over the strings at the head of the instrument, for picking
the strings as described.
5. The combination, with a musical instrument and its strings, of an electro
magnet, its armature, and a string-depressing finger connected with the armature
and arranged over the string, as described.
6. The combination, with a musical instrument and its strings, of a star wheel
arranged in proximity to a string so as to pick the same, a ratchet wheel connected
with the star wheel, an electro magnet and its armature, and a dog or pawl con-
nected with the armature and adapted to engage and actuate the ratchet wheel, as
set forth.
7. The combination, with the fingers p and the pivoted fingers n, both within an
electric circuit and means, as rolls, for passing a perforated sheet between the free
ends of the fingers, as described.
8. A banjo provided with movable fingers for depressing the strings at the
frets, and means, as a movable star wheel, for picking the strings at the head, as
described.
Dh: L 1
D
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.