IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOUTH- PIECES OF WIND INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Kay, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOUTH-
PIECES OF WIND INSTRUMENTS."
Sealed the 14th September 1869, and dated the 20th March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Kay at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th March 1869.
I, JOHN KAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MOUTH-PIECES OF WIND INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows, that is to
say:
This Invention relates to improvements in the form of a certain part
of the cupped mouth-pieces of wind musical instruments. It consists in
forming the outer part of the flanch, or that part which is applied to
the lips, of a curved form, the convexity of the curve being outwards.
Curves of various forms may be adopted, or a combination of curves may
be used in the same mouth-piece. The improved form of the mouth-piece
is not limited to any particular form of cup, and it may or may not be

page_text: chamfered off between the convex face and the cup itself. The improved
mouth-piece may be made of the materials usually employed for that
purpose. By means of this improvement in the forms of the outer part
of the mouth-piece the act of playing a wind instrument becomes less
fatiguing to the player than with the other forms of mouth-pieces &
hitherto in use.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Kay in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
KAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the
year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Kay, Her special license that I, the
said John Kay, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Kay, my executors, administrators, or
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOUTH-PIECES
OF WIND INSTRUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Kay, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 John Kay, 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

page_text: the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
My said Invention relates to improvements in the form of a certain
part of the cupped mouth-pieces of wind musical instruments. It
consists in forming the outer part of the flanch, or that part which
is applied to the lips, of a curved form, the convexity of the curve being
outwards. Curves of various forms or a combination of curves may be
used in the same mouth-piece. The improved form of mouth-piece is
not limited to any particular form of cup, and it may or may not be
chamfered off between the convex face and the cup itself. The improved
mouth-piece may be made of the materials usually employed for that
purpose. By means of this improvement in the forms of the outer part
of the mouth-piece the act of playing a wind instrument becomes less
fatiguing to the player than with the other form of mouth-piece hitherto
in use.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood,
I now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, reference being had, for the sake of more complete
clucidation, to the explanatory Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto
appended, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
On the annexed Sheet of Drawings two forms of the mouth-piece are
shown. Of one form Figure 1 is an elevation; Figure 2 a plan of the
upper part; and Figure 3 a transverse section showing the interior shape
or contour of the mouth-piece.
In the example now referred to that part of the mouth-picce which is
applied to the lips of the user of the instrument is somewhat elliptical,
as is visible at Figure 2, and at Figures 1 and 3 the curved form of the
end or flanch of the mouth piece is indicated by the line a, a, whilst in
Figure 2 the chamfer extending between the curved surface a and the
interior of the cup 6 is marked c.
At Figures 4, 5, and 6 are shown respectively in elevation, plan, and
section another mouth-piece, which differs from the preceding only in
the form of the edge d, which in this case is circular.
At Figure 7 is shown in clevation another form of mouth-piece, but
in which the improvements herein-before set forth are shown applied.

page_text: As herein previously set forth the form of the curve a, a, may be
arranged of various degrees of convexity, or it may consist of a com-
bination of different curves, and the interior form of the cup of the
mouth-piece may differ from that shown in the Drawings, and the
chamfer c may or may not be employed.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be
used or practically carried into effect, I wish to observe in conclusion
that what I consider novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the construction of the mouth-pieces of wind instruments
with a curved flanch or termination and with or without a chamfered
portion situated between the curved flanch and the cup, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Kay, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.