IMPROVED MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR TURNING THE LEAVES OF MUSIC
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Snell at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st August
'
1875.
I, JOHN SNELL, of 90, Temple Strect, in the City and County of
Bristol, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR TURNING THE LEAVES OF MUSIC,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of an instrument for mechanically turning
over the leaves of music; it can be attached to pianos, organs, or
harmoniums, without in any way altering the present style of these
instruments; also this apparatus can be put on or taken off at pleasure.
The music stand can be made of any design or pattern, but I purpose
to make the ledge on which the music rests in a semicircular form, and
underneath this to fix the mechanism for turning the leaves.
A vacuum arrangement which I use consists in a small pair of india-
rubber bellows, which is inflated and connected by a flexible tube to a
pair of india-rubber dises, which are not inflated; this is to be fastened
under the keyboard of the piano or other instrument in a convenient

page_text: position, so that the operator may touch the lever with the knee; by so
doing the rubber disc is acted upon so that the air is drawn out from
the small pair of bellows, causing immediate collapse. A silk cord or its
cquivalent is attached to a pulley which has a radial arm attached to it,
on the end of which is fixed a pair of mechanical fingers; these
mechanical fingers take hold of another radial arm which is placed
between the leaves of the music to be turned; these radial arms, of
which there are as many as leaves to be turned, have guides fixed to a
semicircular piece which determines their motion, and there is a guide
to regulate the movement of the radial arm with the fingers. . A stop is
provided with a cord or its equivalent attached to the pulley of the.
radial finger arm. Two clips prevent the music from flying back when
placed on the instrument to be turued.
;
An appliance for turning the leaves of music without the vacuum
power is constructed thus:-A silk cord or its equivalent is passed over
two pulleys and connected to the pulley of the radial arm with the
fingers; this cord is connected at a ring to a knee lever without the
rubber discs, and sometimes I use in the place of arms a catch, or clip;
these are fixed on the bottom of the leaves by two springs. The fingers
of the radial arm take hold of catch in a similar manner as before
described. The guides of the radial arm with fingers have a greater
incline to disconnect the fingers, which are made longer than radial arm
with. fingers from the spring catch or clip. When the leaf of music is
turned over, this appliance may also be used with the radial arms, if
desirable.
F
'
2.1.0
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page_text: resting on the top of an arm, while the other finger slips in under said
arm and regains its position by a counterpoise weight. or ball fixed at
the end of the finger. Now the instrument is ready for turning over,
supposing knee to be pressed on lever, this immediately draws out the
air from the bellows and pulls the cord around the pulley, which draws
over the radial arm with fingers and leaf by means of the incline guide.
The radial arm with fingers is drawn down out of the way of arm just
turned over. By releasing the pressure from the knee lever the spring
in the hollow pulley exerts its force on the bellows, re-inflating them,
bringing back with it the radial arm with fingers in position to take hold
of the next arm and leaf, and so or
on.
MODE OF OPERATING THE NON-VACUUM APPARATUS.
Draw back the stop, as before described, place the music on the stand
with the catches or clips, one on each leaf, pass the elastic through the
middle and hook on the stud as before, placing them all on the right
side of the instrument, push back the stop, and then the fingers of the
radial arm with fingers engage themselves with the first catch or clip.
Now all is ready for turning over, press the knee as before on the lever,
and this pulls, the cord, turns around the pulley with the arm with
fingers, and takes with it the clip and leaf, by the arm with the fingers
sliding down the incline guides, disconnects itself from the leaf; by
releasing the knee pressure the spring in the hollow pulley replaces.
the arm with fingers in its former position, taking the next clip, and'
so on.