Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 14th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 4th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments.
I, ERNEST PAILLARD, Manufacturer, of Ste. Croix, Canton de Vaud,
Switzerland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to that class of musical instruments wherein the music is
produced by the action of a rotating note barrel upon flexible tongues to vibrate
the same, and has for its object to improve the construction of such instruments:
To this end my invention consists in providing instruments of this general class
with a conical or substantially conical note barrel and in hinging or pivotting the
main shaft of the mechanism of the instrument in such a manner as to facilitate
the ready removal of the note barrel from the instrument and replacing the same.
Hitherto it has been customary in this class of instrument to employ a note
barrel of cylindrical form, but by my invention the increased circumference of that
portion of the note barrel nearest the base of the cone permits the placing of a
greater number of note pins, thus greatly facilitating the actuating of the tongues
torming the treble which in most musical compositions, require to be actuated many
more times than the tongues constituting the bass.
The note barrel may be rotated by any suitable or ordinary clock movement
mounted on a suitable base or bed-plate upon which is also mounted the comb
having teeth or tongues with which may co-operate star wheels in the usual
manner.
These star wheels may be mounted on a suitable shaft carried in bearings on
standards mounted on the base. In one of these standards one end of the note-
barrel shaft may be secured in place a swinging cap and a spring bearing thereon,
and serving to hold the same firmly in engagement with the top of the standard.
The note-barrel shaft is hinged or otherwise pivotted to the clockwork shaft so
that the former may be swung into various positions when desirable.
The note-barrel as before mentioned may be of conical or substantially conical
form, but for all practical purposes a note-barrel of the form of a truncated cone
(frustum) will be found very efficient, the essential feature being that the surface
of the note barrel should be the surface of a cone. This note-barrel may be made
solid or hollow as desired and preferably consists of a sheet metal barrel having
note-playing pins or projections, or depressions stamped, punched or bent up as
desired. The pins or depressions or equivalent are adapted to co-operate with the
tongues of the comb (with or without intervening mechanism) to produce the
music. The barrel is rigidly secured to the main shaft so as to rotate therewith by
any suitable fastening, such for instance as a clutch.
When it is desired to remove the barrel, the movable bearing-cap may be swung
aside to free the end of the main shaft and the hinged section thereof may be
swung upon its pivot, when the barrel may be removed and another substituted for
it after which the shaft may be again swung into place and secured as before.
I do not berein limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement described
as the devices, their construction and their arrangement may be greatly varied
without departing from the spirit of my invention.
Dated this 15th day of May 1894
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments.
I, ERNEST PAILLARD, Manufacturer, of Ste. Croix, Canton de Vaud,
Switzerland, 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 :-
My invention relates to that class of musical instruments wherein the music is
produced by the action of a rotating note barrel upon flexible tongues to vibrate
the same, and has for its object to improve the construction of such instruments.
To this end my invention consists in providing instruments of this general class
with a conical or substantially conical note barrel and in hinging or pivoting the
main shaft of the mechanism of the instrument in such a manner as to facilitate the
ready removal of the note barrel from the instrument and replacing the same.
Hitherto it has been customary in this class of instrument to employ a note
barrel of cylindrical form, but by my invention the increased circumference of that
portion of the note barrel nearest the base of the cone permits the placing of a
greater number of note pins, thus greatly facilitating the actuating of the tongues
forming the treble which, in most musical compositions, require to be actuated
many more times than the tongues constituting the bass.
In the drawings, forming part hereof;
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the mechanism of a musical-box embodying my
invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion of the same; and
Fig. 3 is a detail end clevation of the note barrel showing a mode of securing
the main shaft in its bearing.
Figures 1 to 6 relate to the playing-projections of the note-barrel, and will
be hereinafter again referred to.
With reference first to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, A is any suitable or
ordinary clock movement, and B is the main shaft of the same which serves to
rotate the note barrel. This movement A may be mounted on a suitable base or
bed-plate E, upon which is also mounted the comb D, having teeth or tongues d
with which may co-operate star wheels d' in the usual manner.
These star wheels d' may be mounted, as shown on a suitable shaft e carried in
bearings on the standards CC' mounted on the base E. In the standard C one end
of the note-barrel shaft may be secured in place by a swinging cap c and a spring e
bearing thereon, and serving to hold the same firmly in engagement with the top
of the standard. The note-barrel shaft a is hinged or otherwise pivoted at 6 to
the clock-work shaft B so that the former may be swung into various positions
when desirable.
The note-barrel F as before mentioned, may be of conical or substantially conical
form; but for all practical purposes a note-barrel of the form of a truncated cone
(frustum) will be found very efficient, the essential feature being that the surface
of the note-barrel should be the surface of a cone. This note-barrel may be made
solid or hollow, as desired, and preferably consists of a sheet metal barrel having
note-playing pins or projections, or depressions stamped, punched or bent up as
desired. The pius or depressions or equivalents are adapted to co-operate with the
tongues of the comb (with or without intervening mechanism) to produce the
music. The barrel is rigidly secured to the main shaft so as to rotate therewith by
any suitable fastening, such for instance as a clutch at g.
When it is desired to remove the barrel F, the movable bearing-cap c may be
swung aside to free the end of the main shaft and the hinged section a thereof may

page_text: and another substituted for it after which, the shaft may be again swung into place
and secured as before.
With reference now to those figures of the drawings which are appropriated to
the playing-projections of the note-barrel, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal
sectional view of my improved playing projection, taken in a plane transverse to
the barrel axis.
.
Figure 2bs is a plan view of the same.
Figure 3b is a rear perspective view and
Figure 4 a side perspective view of the same.
Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of tooth, of a slightly modified
shape, but of the same general construction.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a barrel provided with such projections.
The arrow indicates the direction in which the projection is to travel for
operating the notes of the musical-box.
The note-playing projection consists of a tongue F' struck up from a piece F³ of
sheet metal, of which the note-barrel F is formed.
To form said tongue a piece of sufficient size is punched up or otherwise moved
out of the plane of the sheet leaving an opening F in the plate, as indicated
in Fig. 1bis
This opening is quadrilateral in shape and the tongue remains connected that is
integral with the plate at one end only of said opening F*.
The tongue is bent up or outward on a gentle S curve, as shown in Fig. 10 so as
to extend partly over the opening formed by cutting or punching out the tongue.
It will be observed that the tongue F¹ is curved in the direction of its length
only, that it is disconnected or severed from the plate at its raised front end and
along its sides and is connected with the plate only at its lower end or base.
It is not curved transversely of its own length but forms at its free end a straight
working edge or face at right angles to the length of the tooth and parallel to the
plate from which said tongue was struck up.
The working end of the tongue strikes the teeth or prongs of the star wheel d'
squarely and cannot slip on the same, and the tongue has a strong abutment directly
opposite its working end or face.
Owing to the special shape of the tongue the pressure is transmitted from the
working end to the abutment, without bending the tongue in any part of its length
gr at its abutment, in the same manner as the line of force remains within a properly
constructed arch.
The note shown in Fig. 5 is of a slightly different shape but in all other
respects is substantially like the one described above.
do not herein limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement
described, as the devices, their construction and their arrangement may be greatly
varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.
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. A note-barrel for musical instruments of substantially conical shape as
described.
2. A. note-barrel for musical instruments smaller at one end than at the other
and gradually tapering from the larger to the smaller end substantially as described.
3. In a musical instrument of the class described the combination of motor
mechanism a two-part jointed shaft one of the shaft sections being connected to the
motor mechanism together with a note barrel removably secured upon the other
section of the shaft, substantially as described.
4. In a musical instrument of the class described the combination of a hinged
main shaft with a conical note-barrel mounted thereon substantially as described.
5. In a musical instrument of the class described the combination of a main shaft

page_text: having a hinged section with a conical note-barrel mounted upon said hinged section
substantially as described.
6. Playing-projections of the note barrel constituted by struck-up tongues
substantially as described.
7. The mechanism of a musical-box substantially as and for the purposes
described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
8. The bearing for the shaft a substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of February 1895.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.