IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTIONS OF UPRIGHT PIANOFORTES
Year: 1877

page_text: ”
LETTERS PATENT to Henry Witton, of Hanover Street, St. Peter's Street,
Islington, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE ACTIONS OF UPRIGHT PIANOFORTES."
Sealed the 29th December 1877, and dated the 7th July 1877.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Witton at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th July 1877,
HENRY WITTON, of Hanover Street, St. Peter's Street, Islington, in the County.
of Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTIONS OF UPRIGHT PIANOFORTES."
The Invention has for its object improvements in the actions of upright piano-
fortes, whereby I obtain a perfect check close to the string, non-liability to blocking
or getting out of repair, increased facility of regulation, simplicity of action, firmness
of blow, freedom of touch, and extreme delicacy of repetition, combined with
cheapness, compactness of the parts, and durability.
In order that the nature of my improvements may be readily understood, as
compared with ordinary upright pianoforte actions, I have represented at Figure 1;
of the accompanying Drawings parts of the ordinary upright action; at Figure 2 I
have represented an action constructed according to my Invention; and at Figures
3, 4, 5, 6, 7 I have represented details and modifications of my improvements.
In all the Figures like parts are marked with similar letters of reference.
a is the key; 6 is the stock or fixed portion of the hopper; c is the hopper fly;
and c¹ is the hopper block; d is the hopper pin; e is the hopper button; and fis
the hopper spring; g is the hopper lever or under hammer; g is the hopper lever
nose; h is the sticker; i is the hammer and hammer lever; and j is a string.
In the ordinary action, as represented at Figure 1, the escapement is obtained
by means of the hopper fly c being caused to travel from under the hopper lever or
under the hammer g by the motion of the key a, and thereby allowing the nose g¹
of the hopper lever g to fall behind the hopper fly c on to the hopper block c¹. This
escapement so long as the parts remain correctly adjusted leaves little to be desired,
but in consequence of the hopper pin & being placed so far from the point which it
Di C
:

page_text: has to regulate, and so near relatively to the hinge of the hopper fly, the slightest
wear of the cloths placed on the hopper button e affects the position of the upper
end of the fly e very considerably, whilst on account of the deferred and consequent
sudden and violent character of the "recovery" or return of the parts to their
normal state of rest when the finger is raised from the key, to which further
reference will be herein-after made, the amount of wear or "beat up" is so great
that practically the escapement cannot be depended upon for any great length of
time, and the action is liable at any moment to become "blocked," thereby holding
the hammers against the strings and preventing the proper vibration thereof.
By dispensing with the hopper block c¹ and placing the stock b in front of the
fly c, and by lengthening the stock b, I am enabled, according to my Invention, to
place the hopper pin d much nearer to the extreme end of the fly c, by which means
the position of the fly is not nearly so much affected by even. the same amount of
wear of the hopper button cloths; but as the recovery of my improved action,
although prompt in its commencement, is gradual, gentle, and noiseless, the wear of
the hopper button cloths is so reduced that "blocking" may be regarded as entirely
obviated thereby.
In the ordinary action there is no "checking" power whatever, and what little
steadiness the hammers may possess is usually obtained by a stiffness of the hinges
of the hopper lever g and sticker h, or by hanging the hammer at a more obtuse
angle with the strings, in consequence of which the "touch" loses much of its
freedom, and the "blow" a portion of its force.
'
In my improved action the "check" or fixing of the hammer, after "escapement,"
so that it may not by any rebound return to the string and so disturb its vibration
is effected by means of a lever & suspended in an angular position in front of the
sticker, one end of such check lever being acted upon by the upper end of the
hopper stock b, which causes the other end to bear upon the sticker notch hat
the moment that the "escapement" is in operation, thus effectually preventing any
rebound of the hammer. This "check" does not add to the weight of the "touch,"
but its action is in proportion to the heaviness of the play, and consequent require-
ments of the hammer, whilst it also helps to correct any tendency to blocking.
The "recovery
or return of the parts to their normal state of rest when the
finger is raised from the key is another point in which the ordinary action is
seriously defective.
""
is
When the key is depressed the entire hopper, in addition to its upward motion,
takes a slight motion forwards, or in the. direction of the player, and when the
"escapement" takes place in the ordinary action (see Figure 1) and the nose g¹ of
the hopper lever g falls behind the fly c on to the hopper block cl, a separation
occurs between the fly c and hopper button e of the hopper pin d, there being
at this moment a space between these two parts of somewhat less than one-sixteenth
of an inch. When the key is released from the finger and the "recovery" com-
mences, this space is rapidly increased as the stock of the hopper immediately
begins its retrogressive motion, whilst the fly c is prevented from following it by
the descent of the hopper lever g, which pressing on the hopper block c¹ rather
forces the fly c in the opposite direction, until the motion of the hopper lever g
arrested by the hammer i arriving at its rest, when the hopper fly c being acted
upon by a comparatively strongly compressed spring f shoots suddenly under the
hopper lever g, whereby its percussion is so great as to necessitate two stout
punched cloths being placed between the fly c and hopper stock b to deaden the
noise, which nevertheless is considerable. Thus it will be seen that in the ordinary
action there are two defects in the action of recovery of the fly which it is desirable
to obviate, one being the postponement of the recovery of the fly, whereby it is
rendered impossible to obtain a repetition of the blow until the key has quite
resumed its original or normal position, and the other being the violence with
which the fly c beats against the hopper button e, whilst the recovery is sometimes
altogether prevented by the friction of the lever against the fly.
The promptness, certainty, and gentleness of the "recovery" of my improved

page_text: construction of hopper are due to the following peculiarities in the construction and
operation of it and of the hopper lever or under hammer g-I form the hopper
lever g with a projecting arm g², in which I fix a button g³, which acts in combi-
nation with the top of the hopper stock b. The rate of motion of the hopper, stock,
consequent on its being nearer to the centre or point of rest of the key, is rather
less than that of the "fly" c, and the rate of motion of the lever. nose g¹ is con-
siderably less than that of the lever button g³, consequent on the former being much
nearer than the latter to the hinge or axis of motion of the hopper lever. In the
recovery the hopper stock 6 and the lever button gå resting. on it move at an equal
speed, and the. motion of the hopper fly a is somewhat greater, whilst that of the
lever nose is somewhat less. This difference enables the hopper fly a, directly
the finger has been released from the key, to commence its retrogression, so that the
player is enabled to repeat the blow with the greatest delicacy before the "recovery.".
is more than half completed, whilst the percussion of the hopper fly a is so much
reduced that one firm punched cloth is sufficient to prevent noise.
I also form the sticker in two parts, as has heretofore been done, but instead
of connecting the two parts thereof together and regulating the length thereof by a
screw.and nut, as heretofore, I connect the two parts thereof and regulate the length.
of the sticker by means of a right and left handed screw h, by which means I not
only facilitate the fitting up and subsequent regulation of the action, but afford a
simple means of compensating for the wear of all the points of, contact, as a slight
turn of the screw h¹ is sufficient to lengthen or shorten the sticker, as may be
required.
Instead of mortising each hopper stock b separately into a longitudinal mortise
hole in the key a, as heretofore, I, according to my Invention, form on the bottom
of the hopper stock bone, or preferably two, transverse tenons b¹, and I form
corresponding mortises a¹ in the keys, as shewn at Figures 3 and 4, by which con-
struction the tenons on the hoppers and the mortises in the keys can each be made
in the whole set at one operation, instead of necessitating each tenon and mortise
being made singly, as is the present practice.
The following are modifications in the construction of parts which may be
employed in carrying my Invention into effect:-Instead of screwing the hopper
pin & into the stock b, and fixing the button e on the end of the hopper pin d, and
causing the latter to pass freely through a hole in the hopper fly c, as shewn at
Figure 2, the hopper pin d may, as shewn at Figure 5, be screwed into the fly c,
and pass freely through a hole in the hopper stock b, and the button é may be
placed near the head of the pin d, in which case the hopper spring f may be placed
in front of the hopper, and be caused to bear against a loose washer e¹ provided
with a recess, in which the end of the spring f rests to retain the latter in correct
position. By this arrangement the hopper pin may be placed slightly nearer to the
end of the fly than in that shown at Figure 2, consequent on the button being
placed at the other end of the pin. In this case however the action of the hopper
pin d will be reversed as compared with the arrangement shown at Figure 2, unless
the screw thereon be cut in the opposite direction; or the hopper spring may be
placed between the hopper stock band fly c, in which case a little more space is
required between the stock and fly.
The prolongation of the hopper lever g beyond its nose g¹ may be effected by a
screwed pin g screwed into the front end of the lever g, as shewn at Figures 5 and 6,
the lever pin and button g³ being dispensed with. In this case the amount of fall of
the hopper lever g after the escapement has taken place is regulated by the projection
of the pin g' acting on the inclined surface of the stock b, as in Figure 5, or on a
regulating button 62 screwed into the upper end of the stock b, as in Figure 6. This
arrangement, although not affording similar facilities for regulation as that shown
at Figure 2, is more clastic in its action, as the pin g' can be made more or less to
partake of the nature of a spring, and is less costly.
The hopper levers g may be hinged with vellum in the ordinary way, or they may
be mounted on centres or axes of motion, as shown at Figure 2, in which case

page_text: I economise space, and obtain a more perpendicular action of the hopper and
sticker.
The check lever k, instead of being pivotted as shewn at Figure 2, may be sus-
pended by a vellum hinge, as shown at Figure 7.
.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode in which I
carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not claim generally
the placing of the hopper stock in front of the fly, as such has heretofore been done,
although not with the same purpose as that for which I employ such arrangement;
nor do I claim forming the lever or under hammer with a nose projecting beyond
the hopper fly, when such projecting nose is caused to act in combination with the
fly, as "long nosed" levers are in common use, but what I do claim is,-
Firstly. Constructing the hopper so that the hopper pin d and button e may be
caused to act on the hopper fly at a point much nearer the end and farther from the
hinge of the fly than heretofore, in manner and for the purpose substantially as
herein shown and described.
Secondly. I claim constructing the hopper lever with an arm g² projecting beyond
the nose g thereof to act in combination with the hopper stock, so that the descent
of the hopper lever immediately after the escapement of the hopper may be arrested
by such projection, or a button carried thereby, coming into contact with the top of
the hopper stock b or with a button fixed therein, in manner and for the purpose
substantially as herein shewn and described.
Thirdly. I claim the employment of a check lever so arranged that the stock of
the hopper in rising acts upon one end of such lever, the other end of which in its
turn acts upon the sticker, in manner and for the purpose substantially as herein
shown and described.
Fourthly. I claim the employment of a right and left handed screw to connect
the two parts of the sticker and facilitate adjustment and regulation thereof, in
manner substantially as herein shown and described.
Fifthly. I claim connecting the hopper stock to the key by transverse mortises
and tenons, in manner and for the purpose substantially as herein shown and
described.
And, Sixthly. I claim the combination of parts of my improved action for upright
pianofortes, substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Witton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
HY. WITTON. (L.S.)