Improvements in or applicable to Pianofortes and like Instruments.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1899
2000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Pianofortes and like Instruments.
";
I, SAMUEL HARRIS OXTON, of Albert Buildings, 12, Preesons Row, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Artist and Designer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto the key boards of pianofortes and like instruments having keys have
usually been made with the keys set in a straight row parallel to each other and
at right angles to the front of the board, the result being that the keys at the
extreme end of the board are difficult to reach by a player seated opposite to
the centre of the instrument, and the striking of such keys entails a strained
position of the hands.
Now the object of my invention is to overcome these disadvantages, and the
invention consists in the employment of a keyboard shaped in a curve concave
to the player, the keys of such board radiating as from the centre of the circle
of which the curve is a segment, the keys at the extremities being thus brought
within easy reach of the player, and as the curve of the board follows the natural
sweep of the performers arms, the higher and lower octaves can be struck with
the same ease as the middle ones.
The said keyboard can be adjusted to the action of an ordinary instrument by
the keys operating on levers placed below the keyboard and varying in length as
required from the centre to the ends.
It can also be applied for economy of space to a special instrument made with
the sound board curved and the wires and action also arranged in curves corre-
sponding with that of the key-board.
In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a plan of so much of a pianoforte of the ordinary construction as is
necessary to explain my improved arrangement of the key board and balance
levers, and Figure 2 is a section of the same at the line A-B. CC are the keys
of the diatonic scale, and D D are the keys which form the chromatic scale.
neither of which operate directly upon the action, but press, when struck upon the
balance levers E E which act upon the hammers in the usual way. The keys CC
and DD are pivoted on the keyboard F and require to be weighted or acted upon
by springs at the inner end to aid their return to position after being struck.
The balance levers E E would be pivoted on the base board G or the under side
of the keyboard F and would have no connection with the keys except at the
point H.
Dated thin 24th dor of August 1899

page_text: 2
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Pianofortes and like Instruments.
I, SAMUEL HARRIS OXTON, of. Albert Buildings, 12, Preesons Row, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Artist and Designer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
Hitherto the keyboards of pianofortes and like instruments having keys have
usually been made with the keys set in a straight row parallel to each other and at
right angles to the front of the board, the result being that the keys at the extreme
ends of the board are difficult to reach by a player seated opposite to the centre
of the instrument, and the striking of such keys entails a strained position of
the hands.
Now the object of my invention is to overcome these disadvantages, and the
invention consists in the employment of a keyboard shaped in a curve concave
to the player, the keys of such board radiating as from the centre of the circle
of which the curve is a segment, the keys at the extremities being thus brought
within easy reach of the player, and as the curve of the key board follows the
natural sweep of the performer's arms, the higher and lower octaves can be
struck with the same ease as the middle ones.
The said keyboard can be adjusted to the action of an ordinary instrument by
the keys operating on levers placed below the keyboard and varying in length as
required from the centre to the ends. It can also be applied for economy of
space and variety of shape to a special instrument made with the sounding board
curved, and the wires and action also arranged in curves corresponding with that
of the keyboard.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the drawing filed with my Provisional
Specification in which Fig. 1 is a plan of so much of a pianoforte of the ordinary
construction as is necessary to explain my improved arrangement of the keyboard
and balance levers, and Fig. 2 is a section of the same at the line marked A-B.
C-C are the keys of the diatonic scale and D D are the keys which make up the
chromatic scale, neither of which operate directly upon the action, but press when
struck upon the balance levers EE which operate upon the action in the usual
way. The keys C C and D D are pivoted on the keyboard F and would require
to be weighted at the inner ends or acted upon by springs to aid their return to
position after being struck. The balance levers E E would be pivoted on the base
board G or the under side of the keyboard F and would have no connection with
the keys except at the point H.
In the foregoing description I have assumed for the sake of clearness that the
curve of the keyboard would be a segmental curve, but such need not neces-
sarily be the case, as it may be made on the same principle with a curve other
than segmental, or the curve might be confined to the two end portions of the
keyboard.
In the case of combination with the special curved action it would not always
be necessary to introduce the balance levers below the keyboard, as the keys
might be made to operate direct upon the action in the usual way. The same
remark would apply to its application to pianofortes of the description known as
grand."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
1. A pianoforte or other like keyed instrument having a keyboard curved in

page_text: any curve concave to the player, the keys radiating from such curve and operating
on the action of the instrument by means of levers placed below the keyboard.
2. The improved pianoforte hereinbefore described with reference to the draw-
ing filed with my Provisional Specification.
3. An improved pianoforte formed by combining my curved keyboard with a
sounding board, arrangement of wires and action all formed in curves correspond-
ing to the curve of the keyboard, with the keys working either directly upon the
action or indirectly as described by means of levers placed below the keyboard.
Dated this 24th day of November 1899.
SAMUEL HARRIS OXTON.