AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to. Magnus Volk, of Brighton, in the County of
Sussex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TURNING
OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC."
Sealed the 5th November 1872, and dated the 27th July 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Magnus Volk at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th July 1872..
I, MAGNUS VOLK, of Brighton, in the County of Sussex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF Music," to be as follows, that is to say :-
The object of my Invention is the construction of a better and cheaper
apparatus for turning over the leaves of music than those hitherto
constructed.
My improved apparatus is constructed of a rectangular box or frame,
the bottom and back of which are made of wood, the top being formed
of a plate of brass or other suitable metal. One end of the box or
frame is left open, the other end is of brass or other metal, a space being
left between its upper part and the top plate for the
herein-after
purpose

page_text: described. In the box or frame I place a number of arms made of wire.
The inner ends of the arms are turned down at right angles and enter
holes in the centre of the bottom of the box or frame, and are furnished
with spiral springs, which always tend to move the arms from right
to left. The arms are of sufficient length for their outer ends to
extend a short distance beyond the end of the box, and are furnished
with vertical holders or forks for holding and carrying round the leaves
of music when the arms move from right to left. The inner ends of
the arms are arranged one above the other so as to allow them to turn,
but their outer ends are on the same level. In the front part of the
apparatus is a lever which works on a pivot at or near its centre. The
inner end of the lever is free, and the outer end passes through a slot
in the end plate, and is provided with a vertical bar for raising the
arms, as herein-after described. A steel catch is provided for holding
the arms in position until they are raised by the lever, which latter is
brought back to its normal position after being moved by means of a
spring.
The action of this improved apparatus, when fixed on a piano, organ,
or other musical instrument is as follows:-The music is placed on the
top plate of the apparatus, the arms of which are brought to the right
hand end of the apparatus, their outer ends passing into the opening
between the top and end plates of the box or frame, and are kept in that
position by the catch; the leaves of the music to be turned are placed
in the holders or forks. If the free end of the lever be now pressed
down its outer end will be raised and its vertical rod will strike against
and raise the end of the first arm above the catch, and the arm will be
carried round by its spring, and its fork moving with it will carry round
the leaf it holds. The lever is carried back to its normal position by its
spring, ready to raise when pressed the next arm, and so on until all the
arms have been moved.
The number of arms may be varied according to requirements, and
the holders or forks are fixed thereto, so that they may be turned down
when the apparatus is not in use. To facilitate the placing the leaves
of the music in the holders or forks the first fork is shorter than the
one next behind it, each one increasing in length towards the back one,
which is the longest.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Magnus Volk in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MAGNUS
VOLK, of Brighton, in the County of Sussex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Magnus Volk, Her special licence that
I, the said Magnus Volk, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Magnus Volk, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TURNING
OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Magnus Volk, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Magnus Volk,, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say
The object of my Invention is the construction of a better and cheaper
apparatus for turning over the leaves of music than those hitherto
constructed.
My improved apparatus is constructed of a rectangular box or frame,
the bottom and back of which are made of wood, the top also being of
wood, or it may be made of brass or other suitable metal. One end of
the box or frame is left open, the other end is of brass or other metal, a

page_text: space or slot being left between its upper part and the top of the frame
for the purpose herein-after described. In the box or frame I place a
number of horizontal arms, made of wire. The inner ends of the arms
are turned down at right angles and enter holes in the centre of the
bottom of the box or frame (or into a metal box fitted into the frame),
and are furnished with spiral springs, which always tend to move the
arms from right to left, or watch springs and barrels may be employed
instead of spiral springs. The arms are of sufficient length for their
outer ends to extend some distance beyond the end of the box, and are
furnished with vertical holders, clips, or forks, for holding and carrying
round the leaves of music when the arms move from right to left. The
inner ends of the arms are arranged one above the other, so as to allow
them to pass one another in turning; the outer ends are on the same
level. In the front part of the frame of the apparatus is a lever which
works on a pivot at or near its centre. The inner end of the lever is
free, and the outer end passes through a slot in the end plate, and is
turned up or is provided with a vertical bar for raising the arms, as
herein-after described. A spring catch is provided for holding the arms
in the herein-before described slot until they are raised by the lever,
which latter is brought back to its normal position after being moved by
means of a spring.
To make my Invention better understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1
is a plan, Figure 2 a front elevation, and Figure 3 an end elevation of
my improved apparatus; Figure 4, a horizontal section on line A, B,
Figure 1; Figure 5, section on line C, D, Figure 4; and Figúres 6, 7, 8,
In the
and 9, details of the box for receiving the ends of the arms.
Drawing only four arms are shewn, but it will be understood that this
number may be increased. Similar letters in all the Figures represent
similar parts.
a, a, a, is the frame of wood; b, the end of same, of brass or other
metal; c, the space (forming a slot) left between the top of the end 6
and the under side of the bar d fixed to the top of the frame. The slot c
is of sufficient depth only to allow the arms to pass freely therein;
e, e', e, es, are the arms, and 9, 9, 9, 9, the inner ends of the same,
furnished with spiral springs.h, h, h, h. The box in which the ends of
the arms work is placed in a mortice cut in the bottom of the frame, and
is formed of a piece of sheet brass or other suitable metal bent into the

page_text: shape shewn in section at Figure 6, a small bar being soldered on the
bottom to strengthen it if required; the front plate j is also soldered on
and allows of the box being fixed to the frame a by screws, as shewn in
Figure 2. In the top of the box are cut the notches or slots k, Figure 8,
one slot for each arm, a corresponding number of holes being made in
the bottom of the box. These slots and holes are for receiving the
ends g, I, I, g, of the arms. The plate 1, shewn in plan at Figure 7, and
end view at Figure 9, is then slid on the top of the box, as shewn in
Figure 6, thereby keeping the arms in position; by this arrangement
the arms may be easily placed in or removed from the box. One end
of each spiral spring is fixed to its arm and the other end to the box.
Instead of employing a box for receiving the arms, the ends thereof
may work in holes cut in the bottom of the frame a; m, m³, m², m³, are
the clips or holders at the outer ends of the arms. The inner ends of
the arms are arranged one above the other, as shewn in Figures 2 and 5,
so as to allow them to pass one another in turning; n, n¹, is the lever
pivoting at o; the outer end of the lever passes through the slot p in
the end plate b, and is turned up at right angles at n¹; q is the spring
of the lever n; r is the steel catch pivoting at r¹; only sufficient space
is left between the catch and the end of the bar d to allow one arm to
pass out of the slot at one time. A spring, shewn in dotted lines in
Figure 3, serves to keep the catch against the pin s, when the arms are
in or being moved out of the slot c, but allows of its being depressed
when the arms are moved into the slot c; t is a spring clip for holding
the centre of the music at the back; u, u, small clips for holding the
fly leaves or covers of the music; v, Figure 3, guide.
The action of the apparatus when placed on a piano or other instru-
ment, or on a stand, is as follows:-The arms e, e¹, e², e³, are moved
from the position shewn in Figure 2 to that shewn in dotted lines at
Figure 4, the catch allowing them to pass into the slot c, and will hold
them in that position until raised by the lever n, n¹; the back of the
music is placed in the clip t, and the fly leaves in the clips u, u. The
leaves of the music are then placed in the clips m, m², m², m³, the first leaf
being placed in the clip m of the arm e, and so on. If the free end of
the lever n be depressed by the finger, its outer end n¹ will be raised,
and will come into contact with and raise the first arm e over the catch r,
and the arm and with it the leaf of music held by its clip m, will be
carried round by its spring into its normal position, shewn in Figure 2.
"

page_text: .
As soon as the arme has been raised over the catch r, and the lever
being relieved from pressure, the next arm e¹ will be brought by its
spring against the catch r, and can be raised and moved in a similar
manner to that described for the arm e, and so on for the remaining
arms until they have all been moved. One end of a cord may be attached
to the free end of the lever n, and the other end of the cord be con-
nected to a suitably placed pedal to allow of the lever being worked by
the foot.
When watch springs and barrels are employed instead of spiral springs,
the barrels are all placed on one vertical arbor, which should be in a line
with the clip t, and the inner ends of the arms are fixed to the barrels ;
the outer ends of the springs are hooked to the barrels. in the usual
manner, and their inner ends take on to hooks on small collets, which are
pinned to the arbor. A lever may, if required, be adapted to the apparatus
for moving the arms from their normal position into the slot c.
Having now described my Invention, and the best means I am
acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein laid
down, but what I claim is,-
-
Firstly. The general arrangement and construction of the apparatus
for turning over the leaves of music, as herein-before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The mechanism for holding and discharging the arms,
consisting of the spring lever n, n', and catch r, or their equivalents, in
combination with the slot c, as herein-before described and represented
in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Magnus Volk, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
MAGNUS VOLK.. (L.S.)
Witness,
JOHN HAMMERSLEY.