IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOS AND PIANINOS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Friedrich Carl Glaser of Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia
and Empire of Germany, Engineer and Patent Solicitor for an invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOS AND PIANINOS " A communication to him by
Adam Battes a person residing at Cologne on the Rhine in the German
Empire
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Friedrich Carl Glaser at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th May 1882.
FRIEDRICH CARL GLASER of Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of
Germany, Engineer and Patent Solicitor "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOS AND
PIANINOS" [A communication to him by Adam Battes a person residing at
Cologne on the Rhine in the German Empire.]
This invention relates to the construction of Pianos and Pianinos having diagonal
and crossed strings.
Upright Pianos of present construction have the disadvantage that they require
to be placed against the wall, their height being such as to hide the performer from
the audience when placed in the middle of the room. Another disadvantage of the
present mode of construction is its inconvenience with regard to transport, a much
greater bulk having to be paid for than the actual mechanism occupies. Also,
the vibrations of the vertical or greatly inclined strings are of a very rigid nature
and prevent the production of a full sound. These disadvantages are obviated by
the following improvements, which are shewn on the accompanying drawings, in
which Fig. 1 shews a cross section of the instrument, Fig. 2 a part front view of
the same, Fig. 3 a sectional plan, and Fig. 4 an enlarged side view of the
mechanism.
The casing a with the entire mechanism can be removed from the lower part at
the line bb, and can be packed separately from such lower part, which in the case.
of exportation could be manufactured at the place to which the instrument is
exported. The entire lower part being free of mechanism, the spaces cc closed by
doors & may serve as cupboards or receptacles for music and the like.
d
The upper

page_text: casing contains the iron frame e on which the strings are mounted, and which is
connected by flanges f with the casing a. Beneath this frame is the sounding
board g secured to it by wood screws, h is the key board.
Fig. 4 shews the improved general arrangement of the mechanism, the hammers
being made to strike downwards, thereby affording by their weight increased force
to the blow. The strings k for bass and treble are secured by the tuning studs
passing through the frame e to a wooden tuning bar m situated below the frame e
and secured thereto by screws. nn are slides for supporting candles. o is a slit for
receiving the wooden bridge pieces of the tuning bar. fare the brass bearers for
the two upper octaves in the treble. In Fig. 4 a shews one of the keys b an arm
with two screws c and d passing through it, of which c serves to fix it to the key
while d serves to regulate it. e is a thrust lever pivotted to b and having a
regulating screw g, f is the stop to the same, i is the hammer base. k a regulating
screw to the same for raising the damper; 11 are the hammer stem and head; m the
hammer rest bar, n the hammer bearer, o the damper, p the damper socket g the
hammer socket; 1, 2 and 3 are small brass springs, of which I serves to bring the
thrust lever e under the hammer base again after striking, while 2 serves to raise
the hammer and 3 to depress the damper.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Friedrich Carl Glaser in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th November 1882.
1
FRIEDRICH CARL GLASER of Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of
Germany, (Engineer and Patent Solicitor) "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOS AND
PIANINOS " A communication to me by Adam Battes a person residing at Cologne
on the Rhine in the German Empire:
This invention relates to the construction of Pianos and Pianinos having diagonal
and crossed strings, and has for its object to reduce their cost of construction and to
render the instrument more easily transportable
Upright Pianos of present construction have the disadvantage that they require
to be placed against the wall, their height being such as to hide the performer from
the audience when placed in the middle of the room. Another disadvantage of the
present mode of construction is its inconvenience with regard to transport, a much
greater bulk having to be paid for than the actual mechanism occupies. Also, the
vibrations of the vertical or greatly inclined strings are of a very rigid nature and
prevent the production of a full sound. These disadvantages are obviated by the
following improvements which are shewn on the accompanying drawings in which
Fig 1 shews a cross section of the instrument, Fig 2 a part front view of the same,
Fig 3 a sectional plan, and Fig: 4 an enlarged side view of the mechanism, Fig. 5
shows a modified construction.
The casing a with the entire mechanism can be removed from the lower part at
the line b b and can be packed separately from such lower part, which, in the case
of exportation could be manufactured at the place to which the instrument is
exported. The entire lower part being free of mechanism, the spaces cc closed by
doors d may serve as cupboards or receptacles for music and the like. The upper
casing contains the iron frame e on which the strings are mounted, and which is
connected by flanges f with the casing a. Beneath this frame is the sounding
board g, secured to it by wood screws. h is the key board.
Figs: 4 and 5 shew the general improved arrangement of the mechanism, the
hammers being made to strike downwards, thereby affording by their weight
increased force to the blow
The strings k for bass and treble are secured by the tuning studs & passing
through the frame e to a wooden tuning-bar m situated below the frame e.and
secured thereto by screws; nn are slides for supporting candles. o are the slots for
receiving the wooden bridge pieces, of the turning bar m. p are the brass bearers
for the two upper octaves in the treble. In Fig 4 a shows one of the keys, b an arm
with two screws c and d passing through it, of which c serves to fix it to the key
while d serves to regulate it. e is the hopper pivotted to b, and having a regulating
screw. f' is the hammer base check; i is the hammer base; ka regulating screw to
the same for raising the damper; l. l. are the hammer-stem and head; m the hammer
rest bar, n the hammer rail, o the damper, p the damper socket, q the hammer
socket; 1, 2 and 3 are small brass springs of which one serves to bring the hopper e
under the hammer base again after striking while 2 serves to raise the hammer and
3 to depress the damper. Fig 5 shows a modified arrangement of the damper o, the
regulating screw k for the same and the hammer check f¹. The latter instead of
being attached to the arm b, as in the former case, is pivotted to the haminer-rail n
by means of a hinge joint r.-On depressing the key a the upward motion of tho
arm 6 will cause the regulating screw k attached thereto to strike the check f¹
whereby simultaneously the damper o is raised from the strings and the hammer
base and its hammer i checked.

page_text: This construction of the hammer-check causes it to operate without noise and
with great certainty.
Having thus described, the nature of the said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my correpondent I claim :-
In pianos and pianinos having crossed strings, the arrangement of the strings
with only a slight inclination from the horizontal line, in combination with an
arrangement of striking mechanism wherein the hammer is caused to strike
downwards, by which means the upper part of the instrument is rendered of
moderate height and capable of being transported separate from the lower part,
which is rendered available as a cupboard substantially as herein described.
In Witness whereof, I the said Friedrich Carl Glaser have hereunto set my
hand and seal this fifteenth day of November in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.
。
F. C. GLASER (L.S.)