A NEW OR IMPROVED GYROPHONE
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Marshall Arthur Wier, of Shepherd's Bush, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED GYROPHONE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Marshall Arthur Wier at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th September 1878.
MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER, of Shepherd's Bush, in the County of Middlesex:
"A NEW OR IMPROVED GYROPHONE."
The object of this Invention is to afford a means of instruction and amusement
for children and others by the aid of musical notes and sounds, and consists of a
musical top or gyrophone of any suitable material, so constructed that on being
spun in the usual manner, or made to rotate or gyrate rapidly by any other con
venient means, musical notes or sounds are caused to be emitted therefrom, which
notes or sounds can be easily varied at pleasure, and airs can be played, accompanied
or not by harmony. This effect is obtained by constructing the top or gyrophone
with any convenient number of openings in the disc of the top itself, in the thick-
ness of the disc, in the centre peg of the top (which may be hollow for that purpose),
or in any other convenient or suitable position, so disposed that as the top rotates
ór gyrates the air is caused to pass through those of the openings, which are
uncovered, as herein-after described.
A plate or plates, tube or tubes, of any suitable or convenient shape, and with
one or more openings or spaces in it or them, is or are fitted loosely over the before-
mentioned openings in the body of the top itself, and fitted with reeds (such, for
example, as those used in harmoniums, concertinas, or children's mouth organs),
whistles, or other sound-producing device, and which may be of any desired note or
pitch.
The openings are arranged in such manner that any one or more of the openings
in the body of the top and in the loose plate may be brought into such a position
as to leave a clear passage for the air through the reed or reeds.

page_text: It will be readily understood that the air passing rapidly through such openings
will cause the reed or other sound-producing device to emit musical notes or
sounds.
The gyrophone or top may be made to play any tune or number of tunes
automatically by arranging the openings and the plates or tubes, as the case may be,
so that they may be operated by any suitable arrangement of gearing, springs,
et cetera
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Marshall Arthur Wier in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th March
1879.
MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER, of Shepherd's Bush, in the County of Middlesex.
"A. NEW OR IMPROVED GYROPHONE"
The object of this Invention is to afford a means of instruction and amusement
for children and others by the aid of musical notes and sounds; and consists of a
musical top or gyrophone of any suitable material, so constructed that on being spun
in the usual manner, or made to rotate or gyrate rapidly by any other convenient
means, musical notes or sounds are caused to-be emitted therefrom, which notes or
sounds can be easily varied at pleasure, and airs can be played, accompanied or not
by harmony. This effect is obtained by constructing the top or gyrophone with any
convenient number of openings in the disc of the top itself; in the thickness
disc, in the centre peg of the top (which may be hollow for that purpose), or in any
other convenient or suitable position so disposed that as the top rotates or gyrates
the air is caused to pass through those of the openings, which are uncovered as
herein-after described.
of the
A plate or plates, tube or tubes, of any suitable or convenient shape, and with one
or more openings or spaces in it or them, is or are fitted loosely over the before-
mentioned openings in the body of the top itself; and fitted with reeds (such, for
example, as those used in harmoniums, concertinas, or children's mouth organs),
whistles, or other sound-producing device, and which may be of any desired note or
pitch
These openings are arranged in such manner that any one or more of the openings
in the body of the top and in the loose plate may be brought into such a position
as to leave a clear passage for the air through the reed or reeds.
1
It will be readily understood that the air passing rapidly through such openings
will cause the reed or other sound-producing device to emit musical notes or
Bounds.
The gyrophone, or top inay be made to play any tune or number of tunes
automatically by arranging, the openings and the plates or tubes, as the case may
be, so that they may be operated by any suitable arrangement of gearing, springs,
et cetera.
Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings represent respectively a section and plan of a
musical top or gyrophone constructed in accordance with my Invention. A is the
body of the top, in the disc B of which are formed openings B' provided with guide
vanes B² of a semi-conical or half-funnel shape; C is a loose plate lying on the

page_text: disc B of the top, and having slots or openings in it fitted with reeds in such manner
that one or more of them may be brought over the openings B₁ in the disc B of
the top...
It will be seen that on the top or gýrophone being caused to rotate rapidly the
loose plate C will rotate with it and air. will be drawn by centrifugal action through
any of the reeds that may happen to. be situated over either of the openings B³,
such air being caused to pass in the direction of the arrows (Figure 1), and that on
the plate C being held stationary for an instant, so as to change its position with
reference to the disc of the top; so as to bring other reeds over the openings B¹,
different sounds or notes will be emitted according to the pitch of the reed or reeds,
which may be over the opening or openings B₁ in the disé B of the topor
gyrophone.
Figures 3 and 4 shew in sectional plan and elevation another arrangement, in
which the disc D of the top is constructed with curved passages E, extending from
the circumference to near the centre, reeds F being fitted in such passages. G is a
tube fixed in the centre of the disc D, and having openings. H at its lower end cor-
responding to the passages E; I is a loose tube, slotted as shewn in Figure 4ª, and
fitting somewhat loosely into the tube G: When the tube I is in such a position
that the slot in its lower end is opposite one of the passages E a sound will be
emitted from the reed F in that passage when the top or gyrophone is caused to
rotate, that is to say, air will be drawn down the tube I through the slot in its
lower end; through the openings H, opposite to which it may happen to be, through
the reed F in the passage E; and out at the circumference of the latter, as shewn
by the arrow. By touching the upper end of the tubé I when the top is in motion
the position of the said tube I will be changed with reference to the passages E,.
and another reed will be brought into action, emitting a different sound or note.
In this way the top or gyrophone may be made to emit various sounds as it revolves
or gyrates.
Figures 5 and 6 are sections illustrating another arrangement of musical top or
gyrophone, in which J is a whistle or fife capable of being turned round in the
hollow spindle J' connected to the body of the top or gyrophone, the lower end of
which is fitted with a small pinion K, which gears into two slotted racks Larranged.
to slide on the pins M, and fitted at the ends with weights N, to which are attached
springs O.
:
The action of this arrangement is as follows:-When the top or gyrophone is
spun the weights N are thrown out towards the outer circumference of the disc of
the top by centrifugal force, carrying with them the slotted racks L; which turn the
whistle J by means of the pinion K.. As the speed of the top or gyrophone slackens
the centrifugal force decreases gradually, and the springs O slowly return the
weights N to their normal position. During such return the whistle J is slowly
rotated by the action of the racks L upon the pinion K, thus bringing one or more
of. the openings P opposite the holes Q in the hollow spindle J. When the top or
gyrophone is rotated a current of air passes in the direction of the arrow (Figure 6)
through the whistle J into the chamber forming the disc of the top, and thence
through the opening R in the bottom of such chamber in a manner similar to that
illustrated at B1, B2, in Figures 1 and 2.
It will be seen that by suitably arranging the relative positions of the openings P
of the whistle J with regard to those Q of the hollow spindle J¹, some of the
former may be covered and others uncovered so as to prevent or allow the passage
of air laterally into the whistle, or fife, and the top may thus be made to play an
air, which may be harmonized by arranging that two or more of the openings P
shall be opposite two or more of the holes Q at the same time.
One top or gyrophone may also be made to play various tunes by applying
different whistles to the hollow spindle J'.
Another arrangement is illustrated in Figures 7, 8, and 9, in which the disc is
similar to that shewn' at D, Figure 3, but with a chamber underneath somewhat like
that forming the disc in Figure 6. S is a cylinder, having slots T (seen more clearly

page_text: in Figures 8 and 9A) covered with reeds. This cylinder rests upon a circular
plate S', and is revolved along with the said circular plate by means of the pinion U,
weighted tooth wheels V, and springs W, which are actuated in a manner similar to
that described in relation to Figures 5 and 6. A current of air passes in the
direction of the arrow through the tube X into the interior of the cylinder S,
through one or more of the reed openings which are opposite to the passages Y,
and through such passage to the outer circumference of the top. It will be under-
stood that by removing the tube X attached to the cap Zand changing the cylinder S
various tunes may be played by the same top or gyrophone.
Figures 10, 11, and 12 illustrate an arrangement somewhat similar to that last
described, but for the cylinder S is substituted a horizontal circular plate a provided
with one or more slots a¹, and rotated by means of the pinion b, weighted tooth
wheels c, and spring d in a manner similar to that described in reference to Figures 7,
8, and 9, but instead of the reeds being placed in connection with passages Y, as in
Figure 8, they are arranged on a plate g, seen more clearly in Figure 13, which
shews the reeds arranged for producing a portion of the tune called "The Last Rose
of Summer." The current of air in this case passes, as indicated by the arrow,
through the tube e or through the openings e' in the upper part of the case to the
chamber f, thence through such of the reed openings in the reed plate gas may be
over the slot or slots a' in the plate a, and out through the openings and guide
passages h in the under side of the top or gyrophone.
It will be readily understood that instead of a top spinning or gyrating on a free
vertical axis the apparatus may be arranged to revolve in bearings placed hori
-zontally or in any other suitable position, and may be set in motion by clockwork
or any other suitable power.
++
Instead of the current of air through the apparatus being produced by centri-
fugal action, it may be produced by centripetal action, as, for example, by means
of curved guide vanes, as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 3, whereby the air would
be drawn inwards towards the centre, as the top or gyrophone revolved, in the
direction of the dotted arrow. This arrangement would necessitate the placing of
the reeds and slotted plates in the reverse order as compared with that shown in the
Drawings.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to or may be performed, I would have it understood that what I claim
as my Invention is,―
First. The construction of musical tops or gyrophones with reeds. or other sound-
producing devices, arranged in such manner that the air is drawn through them by
centrifugal or centripetal action, and various sounds, tunes, or harmonies produced
by the change of position of a slotted or perforated plate with regard to the said
reeds or other sound-producing instruments as the top or gyrophone revolves,
substantially as herein-after described, and illustrated in the Drawings.
Second. In musical tops or gyrophones, the employment of a slotted or perforated
disc, plate, cylinder, or tube moved and regulated by hand or by the centrifugal
action of weights and counterbalance springs, for the purpose of putting into or
taking out of action the reeds or other sound-producing devices, substantially as
herein-before described, and illustrated in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Marshall Arthur Wier, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
MARSHALL A. WIER. (L.S.)