Improvements in the Manufacture of Tune-strips or Cards for similar Musical Mechanical Organs, Pianos, and other Instruments.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1897-Accepted, 15th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Tune-strips or Cards for
similar Musical
Mechanical Organs, Pianos, and other
Instruments.
I, ANSELME ANDRE MARIE GAVIOLI, of 2 bis Avenue de Taillebourg, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of tune-strips or cards in the form of
hinged leaves designed to be perforated for use in mechanical organs, pianos and
other similar musical instruments, whereby the leaves as the tune-strips or cards issue
from the instrument are caused to automatically lay or fold themselves in the required
direction with unerring regularity.
The strips when folded form a kind of volume of the shape of a rectangular
parallelopiped occupying minimum of space and having the successive leaves
superposed after the fashion of the bellows of an accordion.
In carrying out my invention I take a strip of cardboard or other suitable
material of rather larger width than the finished tune-strip; a length of the strip
is measured off equal to the width of the leaves or volume to be formed from the
strip, and along a line at a right angle to the sides of the strip a cut is made
with a knife about half way through the thickness. Then along a line parallel
with the aforesaid line and distant the width of a leaf, the strip is cut so as to
detach the double leaf. On the upper face of this leaf in which is the first named
cut and at each side only, two small strengthening pieces of linen or like fabric are
cemented, care being taken to slightly lift the fabric where it crosses the cut, whereby
a slight swelling or hinge is formed which is not cemented to the card.
The leaves are then folded one over the other, with the cut and the strengthening
pieces outside and, taking the hinge for the base, the rectangle of the double leaf
is made true by means of a knife and a square and, at the same time, the exact
required dimensions are given to the leaf.
Any required number of double leaves are produced in the above described manner,
and the leaves are placed upon one another with the hinges alternating. The faces of
the contiguous double leaves in contact are cemented together and, when the required
number of double leaves have been placed upon one another and cemented, there will
remain at the top and bottom of the pile a single leaf of half the thickness of the other
leaves. These two single leaves are cut off and the required volume of the shape of a
perfect rectangular parallelopiped remains. The leaves of this volume are all of a
double thickness of cardboard and are superposed after the manner of an accordion
bellows.
It will be understood that the folding one over the other of two successive leaves
in a given direction takes place with great ease, whilst it is impossible for the
folding to take place in the opposite direction in consequence of the abutment of
the consecutive edges of the leaves, if the horizontal position were exceeded, and
in consequence also of the resistance opposed by the strengthening pieces interposed
between the said edges.
Each leaf may comprise three thicknesses of cardboard; it is then only necessary

page_text: to interpose a single leaf between the adjacent faces not yet cemented of two con-
tiguous double leaves and then to join the three successive thicknesses by cementing
together the said faces and the single leaf.
Dated this 21st day of May 1896.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
.
"COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Tune-strips or Cards for
Mechanical Organs, Pianos, and other similar Musical
Instruments.
I, ANSELME ANDRE MARIE GAVIOLI, of 2bs Avenue de Taillebourg, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Manufacturer, 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 the manufacture of tune-strips or cards in the form of
hinged leaves designed to be perforated for use in mechanical organs, pianos and other
similar musical instruments, whereby the leaves as the tune-strips or cards issue
from the instrument are caused to automatically lay or fold themselves in the
required direction with unerring regularity.
The strips when folded form a kind of volume of the shape of a rectangular
parallelopiped occupying a minimum of space and having the successive leaves
superposed after the fashion of the bellows of an accordion.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference to
the accompanying drawing in which the several figures represent the different
stages in the manufacture of a tune-strip or card according to my invention.
In carrying out my invention I take a strip of cardboard or other suitable material
of rather larger width than the finished tune-strip; a length of the strip is measured
off equal to the width of the leaf or volume to be formed from the strip, and
along a line (y-2) at right angles to the sides of the strip A a cut is made with
a knife about half way through the thickness. Then along a line (u-v) parallel
to the aforesaid line (y-z) and distant the width of a leaf, the strip A is cut so
as to detach the double leaf a, b, (Figures 1 and 2). On the upper face of this
leaf that is to say on the face having the notch or cut y-z, and at each side only
of the said cut, two small strengthening pieces c, and d of linen or like fabric
are cemented, care being taken to slightly lift the fabric where it crosses the cut,
whereby central portions or hinges c and d are left which are not cemented to
the card.
The leaves a and b are then folded one over the other, with the cut y-z and
the strengthening pieces c and d outside (see Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6) and, working
from the hinge line, the double leaf a, b is made of true rectangular shape and
of the required dimensions by means of a knife and a square.
Any required number of double leaves a', 6' are produced in the above described
manner, and the leaves are placed upon one another with the hinge lines (y-)
alternating. The faces of the contiguous double leaves in contact are cemented
together as shewn in full lines in Figure 8 and, when the required number of
double leaves has been superposed and cemented, there will remain at the top and
bottom of the pile a single leaf of half the thickness of the other leaves as shewn in
Figure 8. These two single leaves are cut off and the required volume of the
shape of a perfect rectangular parallelopiped remains. The leaves of this volume
are all of a double thickness of cardboard and are superposed after the manner of

page_text: an accordion bellows. Figure 9 shews the card half extended to clearly indicate
the arrangement of alternate hinges and strengthening pieces c' and d' of linen or
other suitable fabric.
It will be understood that the folding one over the other of two successive leaves in
a given direction takes place with great ease, whilst it is impossible for the folding to
take place in the opposite direction in consequence of the abutment of the consecutive
edges of the leaves, if the horizontal position were exceeded, and in consequence also
of the resistance opposed by the strengthening pieces interposed between the
said edges.
Figure 10 shews the card or tune-strip fully extended either to be perforated or as
it is when in use in a mechanical musical instrument.
Figure 11 is a view of a card or tune-strip of the same construction as that
described with the exception that each leaf is made of three layers or thicknesses of
cardboard. In this case a single leaf x is interposed between the adjacent faces 1, and /¹
of two contiguous double leaves before they are cemented together and the three layers
or thicknesses are then cemented together.
Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15 are views drawn to a larger scale to better illustrate the
manner in which the tune-strips are formed, Figure 12 being a half-plan of a tune-
strip and Figures 13, 14 and 15 views similar to Figures 9, 10 and 11 respectively.
In these figures o shews the layer of cement by which the thicknesses of cardboard
are held together.
My improved tune-strip or card as it leaves the musical instrument and falls into a
box or receptacle will be automatically folded which would be impossible if the leaves
could be folded one upon another in both directions. Nevertheless I advantageously
arrange above the box or receptacle and beneath the tune-strip a shaking device to
ensure the regularity of the automatic folding operation. The linen strengthening
pieces hereinbefore described protect the leaves from injury by the beating action of
the device which might otherwise in time wear the said tune-strip.
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. In the manufacture of folding tune-strips or cards for mechanical musical
instruments, cutting through half the thickness of rectangular sheets of cardboard or
other suitable material, cementing bands or strips of linen or the like over the notch
thus formed in each sheet and then cementing a series of these double folding leaves
together in such a manner that the hinges are alternately above and below,
substantially as herein before described.
2. A folding tune-strip or card made as described in the preceding claiming
clause and wherein each leaf comprises three thicknesses of cardboard, a single
strip x being interposed before the adjacent faces of two double leaves have been
cemented together, substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 11 of the
accompanying drawing.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.