IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Nicholson Wornum, of Store Street,
.
Bedford Square, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Manu-
facturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Nicholson
Wornum at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 1st December 1870.
I, ALFRED NICHOLSON WORNUM, of Store Street, Bedford Square, in
the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," to
be as follows :—
This Invention has for its object improvements in pianofortes, and
is applicable to those grand pianofortes in which the hammers are made
to strike down upon the strings. In my present construction of such
instruments the strings are passed under the "key frame" to the "wrest
pins" in front of the "keys." To this construction several objections
have been raised.
The present Invention consists in placing the "wrest pins" between
the "balance rail" of the "key frame," and the bridge pins of the
•

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Nicholson Wornum in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 1st June 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
NICHOLSON WORNUM, of Store Street, Bedford Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Pianoforte Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alfred Nicholson Wornum, Her special
license, that I, the said Alfred Nicholson Wornum, my executors, ad- :
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Nicholson
Wornum, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alfred Nicholson Wornum, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, on one
of their hands and seals,, 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 Alfred Nicholson Wornum, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same.
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its objects improvements in pianofortes, and
is applicable to those grand pianofortes in which the hammers are made
to strike down upon the strings. In my present construction of such

page_text: instruments the strings are passed under the “key frame" to the "wrest
pins" in front of the "keys." To this construction several objections
have been raised.
The present Invention consists in placing the "wrest pins" between
the "balance rail" of the "key frame "and the bridge pins of the
wrest plank, and constructing the keys so that the "wrest pins" may
pass up between the keys sufficiently to allow of the pins being turned
by the tuner.
-In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn so much of a piano-
forte arranged as above described as is necessary to shew clearly the
manner in which I prefer to carry out my Invention.
"
Figure 1 is a transverse section; and Figure 2 is a plan view with
some of the parts removed. In these. Figures A is the balance rail
carrying the pins upon which the finger keys are pivoted;, B; the wrest
plank carrying the 'wrest pins; and O, the bridge pins on the wrest plank
bridge for keeping the strings in place.
"
The general arrangement of the action for giving motion to the
hammers when the finger key is depressed is clearly shewn by the
Drawings, and with the exception of points of detail is similar to the
action described in the Specifications of former Patents granted to me,
so that it is unnecessary to give here any detailed description of it, but
in place of the back ends of the finger keys being of wood as here-
tofore usual, I now form them of metal by preference of brass; these
pieces of metal are marked D in the Drawings, they are each formed
at their back end with an enlargement as shewn in the plan view, at
the part where they act against the cranks which carry the hoppers,
and at their other ends they are formed with a screw pin projecting from
them, and these pins are screwed down firmly into the back ends of
the wooden finger keys. The central portion of each metal projection
D is comparatively narrow in width, and thus clear spaces are left
between the several metal projections of the finger keys for the wrest
pins to pass between as is clearly shewn by the plan view, Figure 2.
The wrest pins are as usual suitably formed at their upper ends to receive
a key by which they may be turned by the tuner: In place of the
wrest pins being carried up above the finger keys, as shewn at Figure 1,
the wrest pins might be shorter, so as not to appear above the keys so
long as the finger keys are as above described suitably formed to allow
of the key being passed down between them.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which I prefer to perform the same, I would have it understood that
what I claim as my improvements in pianofortes is, the placing the
wrest pins between the balance rail and bridge pins and so forming the
finger keys that spaces are left between them where the wrest pins are
situated, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Nicholas Wornum, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May, in
.
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
.