Year: 1886

page_text: We FRIEDRICH ERNST PAUL EHRLICH of Gohlis near Leipsic and GUSTAVE
A F MULLER of Berlin 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 :-
This Invention relates to musical boxes or mechanical musical apparatus wherein
musical sounds are produced by the vibration of tuned tongues forks or other like
sound producing agents and the Invention consists essentially in the improved
arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described whereby the said
musical boxes or apparatus are enabled to play an unlimited number of different
tunes by means of readily changed music sheets, discs plates bands or their equi-
valents as hereinafter explained In apparatus constructed according to this
Invention the sound producing agents are operated either by coming in direct
contact with projections or their equivalents on the music sheets or by the action
of intermediate mechanism controlled by the said sheets and the apparatus may be
operated either directly by hand or by the intervention of a spring or otherwise.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall now.
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1. 2 and 4 of the accompanying drawings illustrate in vertical section
different forms of apparatus constructed according to this Invention and in which
the sound producing agents are caused to vibrate by coming in direct contact with
the music sheets,
Figure 3 illustrates in vertical section and plan an apparatus in which the sound
producing agents are operated indirectly by the music sheet by the intervention of
intermediate mechanism and the remaining figures illustrate modifications of
details of apparatus constructed on this principle.
In the apparatus illustrated in figures 1. 2 and 4 interchangeable music sheets
(corresponding to different airs) are employed provided with pins or elevations
and depressions the relative positions of which are determined by the music to be

page_text: played and wherein these pins or elevations are caused to act directly upon the
metal tongues when the instrument is playing.
According to the arrangement illustrated in figure 1 a series of metallic tongues e
are fixed to a plate or support e¹ in a case ḍ and the music sheet consisting of a
disc a provided with concentrically arranged pins or projections is placed upon a
carrier plate on a spindle b¹ which can be rotated by a handle f¹ operating
a spindle g and a worm and worm wheel g¹ The music sheet must possess
sufficient stiffness (being made of metal for example) so. that when rotated to
cause the annular rows of pins to pluck or act upon the tongues e the sheet shall
not be liable to be distorted but will remain in the same plane-By operating a
fixing device such as the thumb nut c¹ the music sheet or disc a can be removed
and another disc introduced in its place with the greatest facility and rapidity.
Figure 2 illustrates a modified form of the apparatus in which the case dis
made in the form of a vase with a cover c A music sheet or disc a provided with
suitably adjusted projections is secured upon a spindle or pillar 6 fixed in the base
of the case and is secured or held down at its edges or periphery by a projection on
the interior of the cover which prevents the disc from rising out of its place-The
metallic comb of tongues e is fixed in the interior of the case The body d of the
vase forming the case is capable of rotating being supported on antifriction balls
for example and has a slow rotary motion imparted to it by a motor spring
arranged at f acting on suitable intermediate gear g g₁ By these means the
tongues e are caused to travel round the under surface of the disc a and are
brought in contact with the projections on the latter in such a manner as to
produce the tune required-The vase is composed of any material that is
favourable to the production of the musical sounds and may be made to promote
the resonance or effectiveness of the instrument by providing it -with suitable
reverberating surfaces or vibrating bodies and by forming suitable holes in the
sides or cover-It is evident that this apparatus may be worked directly by hand
by simply substituting a crank handle for the motor spring f.
Figure 4 illustrates another form of apparatus embodying this Invention-In
this case the music sheet a is in the form of an endless band or cylinder which is
inserted into the body of the vase and fixed in position therein The comb e is
firmly attached to a revolving plate h on a spindle 62 working in bearings provided
in the case and having a slow rotary motion imparted to it by a spring and gear
at f and g¹ so that the metal tongues are brought in contact at the proper times
with the projections on the music sheet and are thereby caused to emit the desired
sounds.
Another and somewhat more complex arrangement is illustrated in vertical and
horizontal section in figure 3 in which the metal tongues are arranged upon a
stationary plate h¹ and a music sheet a provided with perforations corresponding
to the tune is fixed in the body of the vase or case and revolves slowly therewith
the motion being produced by means of a pinion g² operated by driving gear f
and travelling round an internal toothed wheel g³ fixed to the under side of the
stationary plate h¹ thus causing the case d and sheet e to move relatively to the
plate hand tongues e The music sheet being provided with perforations in this
example is supported at the back by a corrugated plate so as to enable it to resist
the pressure of the pins or fingers i the corrugations in which plate correspond
with the lines of perforations in the music sheet. In place of this corrugated
plate the inner cylindricial surface of the case d may be provided with grooves
corresponding to the depressions in the aforesaid plate. The fingers i are pressed
by springs k and are guided by a grating and by the arms m of cranked levers
m m¹. The arms m¹ of these levers form springs and are thickened at m² near
their extremities which act upon the 'tongues e and dampers n are also attached to
the said levers at m².
When one of the pins or fingers & coincides, with an unperforated part of the
music sheet as indicated in the drawing the corresponding damper n is in contact

page_text: with the tongue and the arm m' is separated by a short interval from the edge of
a fixed bar or support o but when the finger i falls into one of the perforations in
the sheet a the flexible lever arm m' is thrown against the support o with sufficient
force to cause it to bend slightly so that its extremity strikes the corresponding
tongue e after which the arm immediately springs back out of contact with the
tongue but not sufficiently to apply the damper n. The normal interval between
the spring arm ml and the support o is so regulated that when the spring arm m¹
is moved slowly into contact with the said support the damper is taken off but
the extremity of the arm m³ does not touch the tongue e
The latter is con-
sequently enabled to continue sounding its note so long as the pin or finger i
remains in the hole in the sheet a that is to say until it is damped by the action
of the damper n which is brought into contact with the tongue when the hole has
moved past the finger i.
Although the dampers n are not absolutely necessary in the arrangement illus-
trated they are indispensable when tuning forks are employed to produce the sound
as in the arrangement illustrated in figure 3a. In this case the extremity of the
arm m¹ is provided with a suitable hammer. This arrangement of mechanism may
also be employed in combination with bells as indicated in figure 3b.
Figure 5 illustrates another form of the mechanism which in this case is arranged
to exert a pulling or plucking action on the tongues. In this arrangement a
cranked or excentric spindle p continuously rotated by the driving mechanism
imparts a reciprocating motion to as many rods q as there are tongues Each of
these rods is provided with a projection or nose q¹ and is connected at one extremity
with a link suspended from the extremity of a lever carrying fingers or pro-
jections i operated by the music sheet. When a hole in the latter coincides with
one of these fingers or projections i the extremity of the corresponding lever r¹ and
link drop sufficiently to enable the nose q³ to act upon the end of the corre-
sponding tongue e and cause the latter to speak or sound the desired note.
Immediately thereafter unless the air requires the same note to be repeated, the
finger or projection i is pushed out of the hole in the music sheet and the lever l
raises the link r so that the tongue e ceases to be in the path of the nose q'.
2
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate in side and front elevation respectively a modified
form of the mechanism lastly herein before described; In this case the continuously
rotating spindle p imparts a reciprocating motion by means of a crank pin p¹ and
a connecting rod p³ to a transverse bar t connected to a series of rods q connected
to and controlled by the fingers i by the intervention of links r and levers r¹. So
long as the fingers i do not enter any of the holes in the music sheet the projections
or noses q on the corresponding rods describe a curve 8¹ figure 6 and cannot
reach the tongues but when the fingers enter the holes the parts ir rand
assume the positions indicated by the dotted lines so that the noses q¹ describes a
curve 8 figure 6 which is intersected by the tongues e and come in contact with the
latter so as to cause them to utter the corresponding notes. The mechanism is so
adjusted that at the moment when the fingers i fall into the holes the nose q' is
always situated either above or below the tongue e and the holes in the sheet a
(except when the same note is to be struck twice. or more in succession) are so
small that the finger is always pushed out of the hole before the nose q¹ has
travelled round to the tongue in the following stroke of the connecting rod.
the other hand when a note is required to be repeated a second time or oftener in
succession as in trilling, the corresponding hole in the sheet a must be of such
length that the finger i may remain therein for a sufficient length of time to enable
the nose q¹ to act upon the tongue in the backward as well as in the forward stroke
or strokes of the reciprocating bar.
Од
A simple device for operating the tongues e is illustrated in figures 8 and 9. To
the shank of the finger i operated by the music sheet there is hinged or jointed a
nose u which can be turned in one direction only, its movement in the opposite
direction being prevented by a projecting surface vaituated in the same plane as

page_text: the shank of the finger i. When the finger i coincides with a bole in the music
sheet a, a spring k pushes up the finger and the nose u rising with the finger and
acting as if rigidly attached to the shank catches the end of the corresponding
tongue causing it to sound-it remaining above and out of contact with the tongue
so long as it is necessary for the latter to vibrate. At the conclusion of this period
the finger i is pushed out of the hole and caused to move downwards whereupon
the inclined under surface of the nose u comes in contact with the tongue and
damps the vibrations. The nose u then turns upon its binge, as indicated by the
dotted lines, sliding over the tongue e and afterwards falling back to its original
position. In the modification illustrated in figure 9 the nose u, which in this case
may be made of hard close grained wood, is connected to the shank of the finger i
by a slender flexible strip w of metal or a strip of parchment or other like material
may be employed for the same purpose. It is advantageous to cover the inclined
surface of the nose, which comes in contact with and slides over the tongue on the
downward motion, with-leather or other material not liable to injure the tongue.
Any suitable form of music sheet may be used in apparatus constructed according
to this invention. The music sheets may be in the form of discs or circular or
angular sheets leaves plates or bands of metal or other suitable material. The
rows of projections pins or holes may form concentric circles or parallel, straight or
equidistant, crooked or irregular lines; the sole indispensable condition being that
the exchangeable music sheet employed shall be capable of being caused to travel
steadily or regularly past the row or line of fingers, or that the latter shall be
capable of travelling in a similar manner past the music sheet.
From an inspection of figure 2 of the accompanying drawing it will be under-
stood that a musical box or mechanical musical instrument or apparatus constructed
according to this invention admitted of being enclosed in a hollow case susceptible
of tasteful decoration such as a vase or urn forms an elegant ornament for a room.
The vase form is at the same time highly favourable to the advantageous pro-
duction of the sound.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First A musical box in which sound producing agents such as the tuned
tongues e herein before described are operated directly by pins or equivalent pro-
jections on removable interchangeable music sheets, discs plates bands or the like
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 1, 2 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
Second: A musical box in which sound producing agents such as the tuned
tongues e or forks or bells (figures 3 and 3b) or the like are indirectly operated by
means of removable or interchangeable music sheets discs plates bands or the like
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9
of the accompanying Drawings.
Third: In a musical box of the class referred to in the preceding claiming
clause a lever having a spring arm (m¹) and jointed to the pin or finger operated
by the music sheet the said arm acting in combination with a support or rest o for
the purposes of operating the tongues e or their equivalents substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Fourth-In a musical box of the class referred to in the second claiming clause
operating the tongues e or their equivalents by means of a nose or projections (u)
having a reciprocating motion continuously imparted to it and being so arranged
in combination with pins or fingers (i) operated by the music sheet as to be
'incapable of acting on the said tongues except at the times when the said pins or
fingers coincide with holes in the said sheet substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in figures 5, 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Fifth-In a musical box of the class referred to in the second claiming clause
a nose or projection (u or w) hinged or otherwise attached to the shank of the pin
or finger operated by the music sheet in such a manner as to enable the said nose
or projection on the return of the said pin or finger after acting on the tongue e to
turn upon its hinge or other connection and slide over the tongue or its equivalent
and act as a damper to the same substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.
'