IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paul Ehrlich, resident at Gohlis near Leipsic, Saxony,
German Empire for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paul Ehrlich at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd August 1882.
PAUL EHRLICH, resident at Gohlis near Leipsic, Saxony, German Empire,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
The present invention relates to that class of mechanical musical instruments
which are sounded by the passage of a perforated music sheet across the levers
operating the valves of reeds or pipes, and it consists firstly in the employment of
a perforated disc of circular form or of a number of discs of semi-circular or other
suitable shape instead of the ordinary endless strip or band hitherto used in such
instruments.
.
This disc is made of thin sheet-metal, card-board, paper or similar material, and
punctured in such a manner as may be desired to produce a given tune. It is
rotated by a suitable shaft which has motion imparted to it from the mainshaft or
otherwise. The main shaft also operates the bellows of the instrument.
The levers of the valves are provided each with a projecting stud or finger, which
is guided by a grate and which bears with a slight pressure against the under
surface of the rotating disc; but when in the rotation one of the perforations in
the disc comes opposite to one of the said fingers, this finger enters into the
perforation thus permitting the valve to open and the note to sound. When
the perforation has passed on, the sound is stopped until an other perforation
coincides with one of the fingers, and so on during the whole time of playing.
In case the piece be too long for one disc, a number of semi-circular discs may
be used which each contain a part of the notes and which may be inserted in
consecutive order according to the progress of playing.
It is desirable that the perforations to produce a bass tone be of greater length
than the perforations of the descant notes. In the object of my invention this is

page_text: easily attained by arranging the bass holes near to the periphery and the descant
holes around the centre of the disc.
The second part of this invention relates to the arrangement of the reeds and
valves, and to the combination of the bellows with an auxiliary bellow in the
interior of the instrument.
The levers of the valves are contained in a chamber hermetically separated from
the interior of the instrument, but communicating with the atmosphere. It is
desirable that these levers should be in close proximity to each other, as in this
case the length of the line formed by their projecting fingers, and consequently the
diameter of the rotating disc, may be considerably reduced. To this effect the
reeds are placed in a vertical range one above the other, but slightly alternating
with each other, so that the levers of the valves may pass freely without interfering
in their movements.
The reeds communicate with the main-chamber of the instrument. This
chamber is hermetically closed and contains the bellows and the driving mechanism.
The air sucked in by the bellows, fills up the interior of the said chamber and also
an auxiliary bellow or collapsible bag combined therewith for the purpose of
maintaining a constant pressure in the interior of the instrument.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Paul Ehrlich in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th January 1883.
PAUL EHRLICH, resident at Gohlis near Leipsic, Saxony, German Empire
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
This invention relates to that class of mechanical musical instruments in which
the notes or sounds are produced by the passage of a perforated sheet or surface
across the levers operating the valves of reeds or pipes, and it consists substantially
in the employment of a perforated disk of circular form or of a number of like
semi-circular disks, instead of the ordinary strip or band hitherto used in such
instruments.
The invention is represented on the annexed sheet of drawings. Fig. 1 is a
sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 a sectional plan of the instrument. Fig. 3, x, y z
are three diagrams showing the relative position and arrangement of the air-holes
in the reeds or pipes. Fig. 4 is a plan of a perforated circular disk; Fig. 5 a top-
view of a part of the instrument; Fig. 6 a top-view of the instrument with seini-
circular disks, one of which only is shown, and Fig. 7 a like view with both
semi-circular disks in their place.
The disk a is made of thin sheet metal, card-board, paper or other suitable
material, and perforated in the manner required for producing a given melody.
The same is carried by a plate b forming the head of the vertical shaft c, and
provided with a driving-pin or pins engaging with holes in the disk. The shaft c
is slowly rotated from the main-shaft c¹ by worm-wheel gearing or otherwise.
The main-shaft also operates the bellows and k¹ by means of a crank and
connecting rods. h are the pipes or reeds.
The valve-levers d, which have their fulcrum at 8, are provided each with a
projecting stud or finger, which bears by virtue of a spring n against the under side
of the disk a, so that when, during the rotation of the disk, a perforation thereof
comes opposite to one of the said fingers, this finger enters into the perforation,
thus permitting the valve to which it belongs, to open, and, the note to sound.
In order to prevent the fingers of the valve-levers from lifting the disk and
from coming out of line with the perforations with which they are to register, the
grates or combs e and e¹ are arranged, the former being fixed to a bar f Figs. 1
and 5, the latter to the top of the chest p. The disk a rotates between these
grates, while the fingers of the valve-levers are guided in the slits between the
bars thereof, the said slits registering with the perforations of the disk when these
are in a line with the fingers. The latter are thus always guided accurately into
the corresponding perforations. The bar fis hinged at one end to the chest p, while
at the other end it is secured in such a manner that it may with facility be
released and lifted, in order to allow the disk a to be exchanged. It may, when
hinged at one end, also be kept in its place by a spring in the manner of a clasp-
knife.
The valves and their levers are arranged in a compartment 9 hermetically
separated from the rest of the inside space of the instrument, and communicating
with the outer air by the holes g, g¹, g², g³ &c.
In case a piece of music be too long for one disk, a number of semi-circular
disks A, B, C &c. Figs. 6 and 7, may be used, each of which contains a part of the
notes, and which may be inserted into the instrument one after the other without
interrupting the playing. The bar f with the grate e is in this case by preference
made of a length as not to reach to the centre of the plate b, as otherwise it would
prevent, or at least render difficult the exchange of the disk-parts.

page_text: In perforated music sheets of all kinds it is desirable that the perforations for
the lower notes have a comparatively greater length than those for the higher ones.
Considering that in the circular disk the length of the perforations for notes of the
same duration must be in proportion to the distance of these perforations from
their centre of rotation, the disk presents the advantage that the aforesaid condition
will be naturally fulfilled simply by the arrangement of the reeds and the valves
in such a manner that the outer perforations will correspond to the lower notes,
the inner ones to those of higher pitch.
In order to reduce as much as possible the diameter of the disk, the valve-
levers d must be brought together as close as possible. To this effect the reeds or
pipes are placed in vertical ranges, but each reed or pipe is shifted laterally by
so much in respect to the one which is below or above it, as is required for
allowing the valve-levers to pass freely by the side of each other.
For the purpose of reducing the requisite lift of the valves, I prefer to provide
each pipe or reed with two air-holes as shown in section by Fig. 1, and in front
view by Fig. 3 x, or with three holes as in Fig. 3 y, and to form the valve of as
many separate bars, each of which is adapted to cover one of the said holes. The
valves may also be arranged in the manner of slide-valves, and in some cases two
valves may be connected together in order to produce double notes; see Fig. 3 2.
In Figs. 3x and 3 y is also shown the relative position of the air-holes of the
different reeds; I, II, III being the first range, IV, V, VI the second, &c.
The reeds communicate with the main chamber T of the instrument. This
chamber is hermetically closed and contains the bellows k, k' and the driving
mechanism. The air sucked in by the said bellows is delivered into the chamber T
with which is combined the regulating bellows l. The bellows k, k¹ may, however,
also operate in the contrary manner by sucking the air from the chamber T; the
pipes or reeds and the regulating bellows having, in this case, of course to be
arranged accordingly.
Having thus described the nature and object of my invention, and the manner
in which it is to be carried out in practice, I hereby claim as new and important
features of the same:
1., In a mechanical musical instrument, the rotative music sheet a, consisting of
a disk perforated in accordance with the notes to be produced and co operating
with the valve-levers d, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2., The combination with the valve-levers d of a perforated disk consisting of
two parts A and B, either of which may be exchanged, as. and for the purpose
specified.
In Witness whereof, I, the said Paul Ehrlich, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twelfth day of January in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three