Improvements in or relating to Rotary Musical Toys.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Rotary Musical Toys.
I, EDWIN RALPH MCCALL, of Rochester County of Monroe, United States of
America, Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention relates to rotary musical toys, which produce sounds by the action
of air upon metallic vibrating tongues; the toy being caused to rotate, alternately
in opposite directions by means of twisted cords.
The invention consists in the arrangement of a tongue plate in the frame or shell
of the toy; in improved methods of uniting the parts together to prevent the cords
being broken when twisted and in fitting radial plates to prevent vortex action of
the air in the toy.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascertained,
reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a plan view, Fig. 2 is a side view, Fig. 3 is a, back view of the tongue
plate shewing the plates in section.
Fig. 4 is a side view of the toy, partly in section.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the tongue plate, and Fig. 6 is a side view of the same,
showing the method of fixing the wire eyelets to receive the twisting cords.
The body of the toy is formed in halves a and a' each half being of the form
shown in the drawings; which form may be modified and made to other approximate
patterns. The two parts are united by overlapping, as shewn in Fig. 4. The
tongue plate b, formed of metal or other suitable material, is provided with slots c,
covered by tongues d of suitable size and elasticity. The tongue plate 6 is shown
in Fig. 4 fitted in the recess a² in the shell a. The tongues d are caused to
vibrate by the air entering by the holes e in the shell a', while the toy is being
rotated.
The air escapes through the openings f in the periphery of the shell.
h
The tongue plate bis fitted with two wire loops or eyelets g. h. attached on
opposite sides, as shewn. These wires may be fixed by means of solder, but
preferably by bending over without the use of solder. The eyelets or loops
also pass through the shell plates as a², in order to attach the plate b to the shell,
and to receive the cords k. k', by means of which the toy is rotated. The cords are
arranged in pairs, or in groups of pairs k. k, and are attached to the eyelets or
loopsy by a knot or knots or otherwise. By this arrangement the cords of a
pair, or those of a corresponding group of pairs are twisted in opposite directions,
so that when the cords are twisted, for the purpose of rotating the toy, the cords of
one pair, or one half of the cords of a group are twisted together, while, at the
same time, the other cord of the pair, or other half of the cords of a group, are
untwisted. This arrangement tends to prevent the breaking of the cords from
repeated twisting.
To regulate and control the flow of the air, which causes the metallic tongues d
to vibrate; that is to say, to prevent vortex action inside the shell, I fit a fly 1,
consisting of a pair of radial plates, as shewn in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The fly 7 is
preferably formed of one strip of metal, and fixed by bending and folding the same
in and over the wire of the loop has shown in Figures 3 and 4, thus avoiding the
use of solder; the heat required in soldering being detrimental to the temper of
the metallic tongues.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In musical toys operating by alternate rotation in opposite directions, the
combination of two shells or casings a a', a tongue plate b, wire loops or eyelets gl
connecting the two shells and utilised for the attachment of the twisted cords k k k¹k',
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. In musical toys as aforesaid, the combination therewith of the fly 1, for
preventing vortex motion of the entering air substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the drawings.
3. In musical toys as aforesaid, the improved arrangement of cords for setting
the toy in rotation in opposite directions; such cords being disposed in pairs, or
groups of pairs, kk k¹ k¹, in such a manner that the cords of one pair, or the
corresponding cords of the groups of pairs, are twisted in opposite directions, in
order to prevent breakage of the cords by repeated twisting, substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
4. The general construction, arrangement and combination of the several and
respective parts, together forming my invention of improvements in or relating to
rotary musical toys, substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the
drawings.
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent.