Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May. 1888.
Complete Specification Left, 18th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Nov., 1888
'-
I, FREDRICK JEWELL, of No. 11 Dennetts Grove, Peckham in the County of
Surrey, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of fitting an arrangement of reed plates to ordinary peg or
whip tops so that the rapid rotation thereof will produce a musical sound.
The
manner.
peg or whip top is of the usual shape and constructed in the following
The body is preferably made in two parts an upper and a lower part which are
glued or otherwise fastened together horizontally. In the centre of the lower part, a
circular or other suitable recess is made into which a plate having one or more
vibrating reeds is secured the same being protected by a perforated wooden or other
plate fixed into a suitable recess formed in the upper part of the top. The recess in
the upper part is made in such a manner that music can be heard on the top being
caused to rotate rapidly and, in some cases, a mouth piece is inserted through the
upper part by means of which musical sounds can be produced by the person or child
blowing down the same. In the side of the body of the top a circular or other shaped
hole or holes are cut and continued obliquely through to the centre of the top, to form
a channel or channels through which the air may pass.
The rotation of the top causes the air to enter the top hole, and passes the same
through the reed or reeds thus producing the music and expels the air along the
channels and through the side hole or holes as aforesaid.
It will he readily understood that the top hole may be bored through to meet the
holes bored from the sides and a reed or reeds placed therein, so as to obviate the
necessity of making the top in two parts.
"
CASTLE SMITH,
Per F. W. G..
Invention Office,
"
54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Figure 4 is a plan with the " crown removed.
"
Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 3 and
Figure 6 is an elevation partly in section of a
improvements applied thereto.
whipping top" having my
In the several figures of the drawings like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference.
a represents the body of the top which according to the drawing is assumed to be
formed of box wood but which may be made of other kinds of wood or of metal or of
any other suitable material: and is a removeable portion of the top which is
represented as being formed of metal but which may be formed of other suitable
material and which part I will call the
" crown."

page_text: The body a of the top is formed with a cavity or chamber a therein in which is
fitted the reed plate e carrying two vibrating reeds or tongues el which by acting in
unison form a musical chord; or the plate e might be fitted with a greater or lesser
number of reeds according to circumstances.
C
The reed plate c is securely fixed in position upon a seat a² by means of nails, pins
or screws or it might be otherwise secured in place.
The "crown" of the top may be made removeable; or after the reed plate e has
been fixed in position, the
be cemented or otherwise secured to the
body a of the top.
crown
b
may
Or the "crown" might be formed in one piece with the body a of the top and
in order to allow of the reed plate e being placed in position within the cavity a¹ the
body a might be formed in two parts divided (for example) horizontally at about its
centre and such two parts might be cemented or otherwise joined together after the
introduction of the reed plate c.
29
The crown which serves as a guard or protector to the reeds c¹ is formed with
a number of vertical holes therethrough in order to admit a current or currents of
air to the reeds c¹, one hole being placed axially of the top and the others being
arranged around in a circle and such crown bis preferably so proportioned and
arranged as to leave a small air space or chamber a³ between its underside and the
reed plate c.
::
A number of horizontal holes conduits or channels 'a' are formed through the sides of
the body a of the top and lead from the cavity or chamber a beneath the reed plate c
through the body a of the top to the outside thereof so that in the revolution of the
top a current of air will be induced as hereinafter explained.
These holes, conduits or channels at are preferably arranged at a tangent to the
vertical axis of the top as represented by the full lines in Figure 5 or if preferred
they may be caused to radiate therefrom as shown by the dotted lines in the same
figure.
When the top is set in motion in the ordinary manner a current of air will be
drawn in through the hole or holes in the "crown"; it will thence pass through
the vibrating reeds c¹ into the cavity or chamber a' beneath the reed plate c and will
finally be drawn out through the holes conduits or channels a' in the body a.
I am aware that some other classes of tops such as "humming tops" have been
caused to produce musical sounds by passing a current of air through a vibrating reed
or reeds during the revolution thereof but such tops have been very large and
cumbersome and have been spun or rotated by means of a length of string wound
round a spindle and then drawn off by one hand the top being held by means of a
central spindle or holder grasped by the other hand.
::
In musical tops the necessity for the use of such a central spindle or holder is a
very great disadvantage inasmuch as it prevents the employment of an axial or central
air hole or way in the " crown of the top and consequently a free air passage to the
reeds for although air holes or ways are provided arranged in other positions it will
be evident that in the revolution of the top the supply of air therethrough must be
much broken up and interrupted thus preventing the successful application of musical
reeds to tops of small size.
"
27
Now by adapting the musical principle to an ordinary throw down "peg top” or to
a "whipping top" I am enabled to dispense with the use of a central spindle or holder
and to form an air hole or way in the crown of the top coincident with the vertical
axis thereof thus providing for the passage of a direct and uninterrupted current of
air to the reed or reeds.
I am thus enabled notwithstanding the smallness of the body as compared with
other musical tops to produce an efficient musical top of the character and dimensions
of an ordinary "peg top" or "whipping top" and which in consequence of the great
velocity (as our experiments have proved) with which tops of these classes revolve,
will emit unusually powerful musical sounds and 1 thus render such tops much more
attractive and amusing than heretofore.

page_text: I would here remark that I do not confine myself to the precise number or
arrangement of the air inlets and outlets nor to the number or position of the reeds as
it will be evident that such details as these may be varied without departing from the
peculiar character of my invention.
I would further remark that since filing my provisional specification I have
discovered that the application of a mouthpiece therein described to a top does not
possess such an amount of utility as to render it desirable to make any claim thereto
and I therefore desire to disclaim and I do hereby disclaim such arrangement.
Having now particularly described' and ascertained the nature of my said Inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. A musical top consisting of an ordinary throw down "
"
peg top" or whipping
top" furnished with one or more vibrating reeds and suitable holes or conduits to
convey a current of air to and from such reeds substantially as herein shown and
described.
2
2. A musical top consisting of an ordinary throw down "peg top" or "whipping
top formed with a cavity within the boily a thereof and one or more outlets
conduits or channels at through such body and provided with a reed plate c carrying
a vibrating reed or reeds c¹ protected by a crown or cover formed with a number
of air inlets holes or ways therein all in manner substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose stated.
22
L
FREDERICK JEWELL.
By White & Woodington,
27, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.