Improvements in American Organs, Harmoniums, and other Reed Musical Instruments.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 17th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 27th Jan., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in American Organs, Harmoniums, and other Reed
Musical Instruments.
We ISRAEL BINNS and THOMAS BINNS of the firm of Binns Brothers of 20, 64
and 66 Chester Road, Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Musical Instrument
Manufacturers and Dealers do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
Our said invention relates to musical instruments in which the sound is produced
by reeds as for example in the case of the now well known American Organs and in
Harmoniums. As at present constructed American reed organs are usually or
frequently provided with a false front and imitation organ pipes, but the sounds are
produced entirely through the reeds, the imitation pipes being merely added to give
the appearance of an organ. According to our invention we produce an instrument
of an appearance and bulk similar to the American organ, but in which the whole or
a portion of the reed notes are accompanied or supplemented by organ pipes used
either in combination with or apart from the ordinary reeds whereby we obtain a
strength purity variety and volume of tone, not hitherto produced in this class of
instrument. These advantages are gained without increasing the bulk of the instru-
ment and without adding very materially to its cost. In carrying our invention into
effect when applied to an American organ the organ pipes or certain of them are or
may be placed in the position at present occupied by the existing imitation pipes or
in their vicinity and these organ pipes are placed in communication with a sound
board or box supplied with air from a separate collapsable receiver in the body of the
instrument, the said receiver being compressed by a constant weight so as to ensure
the delivery of air to the organ pipes at an unvarying pressure and thus to obtain an
equable quality of tone. The said receiver to supply the pipes is filled by the same
exhausting or pumping or forcing bellows or mechanism which is used to draw or
force the air through the ordinary and existing reeds or a separate air forcing
apparatus may be used. Each reed note in the instrument may have an accompany-
ing organ pipe the pipes and reeds being tuned so as to correspond exactly in tone
and pitch. In ordinary practice however we find it more convenient to provide

page_text: accompanying organ pipes for the notes in the middle and upper register only, as
organ pipes for the bass notes are not of so much importance for our purpose and
would be of too great length and bulk for application to the classes of chamber
organs or instruments to which our invention has mainly reference. We do not
however limit ourselves to the proportion of reed notes which may be accompanied
by organ pipes. The keys which govern the reeds are connected by pallets with the
sound board or box in connection with the organ pipes, so that the reeds and pipes
can he played in unison. We provide stops which can be manipulated by the
performer so that the reeds and pipes can be played together or apart from each other
and combination stops for the production of particular effects are also applied. The
ordinary knee swell, pedals, and other arrangements and stops common to existing
organs and reed instruments may be applied to our improved instrument.
improvements are applied to reed instruments other than the aforesaid American
organs such for example as harmoniums the organ pipes are supported on the upper
part of the body of the instrument or in any other convenient position either as a
part of or as an attachment to the instrument or they might be placed in a case or
frame apart from the existing instrument and connected therewith by means of pipes.
When our improved arrangements are applied to a harmonium, the ordinary
collapsable air receiver can be utilized to supply both the reeds and the organ pipes,
but to secure an even delivery of the air pressure we prefer that the receiver should
be compressed by a constant weight instead of the springs which are used for this
purpose.
When our
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page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in American Organs, Harmoniums, and other Reed
Musical Instruments.
We ISRAEL BINNS and THOMAS BINNS of the firm of Binns Brothers of 20, 64
and 66 Chester Road Manchester in the County of Lancaster. Musical Instrument
Manufacturers and Dealers do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings:
:-
Our said Invention relates to musical instruments in which the sound is produced
by reeds as for example in the case of the now well known American Organs and in
Harmoniums. As at present constructed, American reed organs are sometimes
provided with a false front and imitation organ pipes, but the sounds are produced
entirely by the reeds the imitation pipes being merely added to give the appearance
of an organ. According to our invention we produce an instrument of an appearance
and bulk similar to the American organ but in which the reeds are supplemented by
organ pipes adapted to be used either in combination with or apart from the reeds
whereby we obtain a strength, purity, variety, and volume of tone not hitherto
produced in this class of instruments. These advantages are gained without
increasing the bulk of the instrument and without adding very materially to its cost.
In carrying our invention into effect when applied to an American organ the organ
pipes or certain of them are or may be placed in the position at present occupied by
the existing imitation pipes or in their vicinity and these organ pipes are placed in
communication with a sound board or box supplied with air from a separate collapsible
receiver in the body of the instrument, the said receiver being compressed by a
constant weight so as to ensure the delivery of air to the organ pipes at an unvarying
pressure and thus to obtain an equable quality of tone.
In order that our Invention inay be clearly understood we will describe the same
more fully with reference to the accompanying drawing which represents a vertical
section taken on a line extending from back to front of an American Organ having
our improvements applied thereto. In the said Fig. a represents the row of keys,
the reed box, c the exhaust bellows and d the vacuum chest all these parts being
such as may be found in an ordinary American Organ. In the upper part of the
instrument are the pipes e and which we apply in accordance with our invention.
Of these the front rank e are intended to appear in sight and to constitute a part of
the ornamental front of the instrument. In some cases these exposed pipes appear
also at the sides of the instrument.
The rear ranks fare intended to be concealed and therefore need not be ornamented.
All these pipes are formed to speak and are provided with air by means of a wind
chest g. This chest. is connected by means of a passage h with the bellows c or is
otherwise suitably connected with the said bellows. The latter are adapted to fulfil a
double purpose namely to exhaust air from the chest d and to force the air or part of

page_text: it into the wind chest g, the air being forced through a valve at h¹ into the passage h
by the action of a spring instead of being discharged into the atmosphere as in
ordinary instruments. The air is conveyed from the said wind chest to the pipe sound
board. Each key a or each in a section of the keys is connected by means of a
sticker k with a lever / which is connected with the air valve m these parts being
similar to the corresponding parts in an ordinary pipe organ. The top board of the
wind chest is loaded with a weight g' which is calculated to impart a suitable pressure
to the air and as this weight is constant the air pressure is always the same.
If less
or more pressure is required the load g' may be decreased or increased as desired.
Each key in the key board may have an accompanying organ pipe the pipes and reeds
being tuned so as to suitably correspond in tone and pitch. In ordinary practice
however we find it more convenient to provide accompanying organ pipes for the
notes in the middle and upper registers only as organ pipes for the bass notes are not
of so much importance for our purpose and would be of too great length for ordinary
application. In cases wherein it might be considered to be desirable to provide pipes
for the bass or lower register we should obtain the necessary space for the pipes by
utilising the full height of the organ case at the back or at the sides or back corners.
We may apply more than one set of pipes in a single instrument so as to obtain a
variety of pipe effects. We provide suitable stops which can be manipulated by the
performer so that the reeds and pipes can be played together or apart from each other
and in a complete instrument combination stops for the production of particular
effects are also provided. The ordinary knee swell pedals and other arrangements
and stops common to existing organs and reed instruments may be applied to our
improved instrument. When our improvements are applied to reed instruments other
than the aforesaid American organs such for example as harmoniums the organ pipes
arc supported on the upper part of the body of the instrument or in any other con-
venient position either as a part of or as an attachment to the instrument. In some
cases the organ pipes may be mounted in a case or frame apart from the existing
instrument and connected therewith by means of wind passages. In the application
of our invention to a harmonium the ordinary collapsable air receiver may be utilised
to supply both the reeds and the organ pipes, but to secure an even delivery of the
air pressure we load the wind chest with a constant weight instead of employing
springs for this purpose as is usual.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what wo
claim is :-
(1.) The combination of parts forming the reed and pipe organ substantially as set
forth and indicated herein before and in the accompanying drawing,
(2.) In a combination reed and pipe organ the wind chest loaded with a weight
receiving wind from the bellows and delivering the wind at a regular pressure into
the sound board which supplies the pipes substantially as set forth and indicated.
(3.) In a combination harmonium and organ, a wind chest loaded to supply the
pipes with wind at an uniform pressure. substantially as set forth and indicated.
Dated this 16th day of December 1887.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.