IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR BELL AND CLOCK CHIMES, SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO KEYED, AUTOMATIC, OR OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Gillett and Charles
Bland at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 20th January 1869.
We, WILLIAM GILLETT and CHARLES BLAND, both of Croydon, in the
County of Surrey, Church and House Clock Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM
FOR BELL AND CLOCK CHIMES, SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO
KEYED, AUTOMATIC, OR OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to improvements in the mechanism or apparatus
employed for bell or clock chimes, or for setting in motion strikers or
other appliances for playing upon bells, drums, or other instruments in
automatic or keyed organs or other musical instruments.
In mechanism of the description above referred to the hammers or
other appliances have been placed in readiness for action by raising
them, or otherwise placing them in readiness by means of separate
mechanism in constant movement while the chiming or musical action
is required. When the hammers or other appliances are raised in this

page_text: manner by separate mechanism they are retained by a catch or other
suitable contrivance, and the keys of the instrument, or the pins or
surface of a chime barrel, or other automatic contrivance are only
employed for releasing such hammers or other appliances when
.requisite ; thus the finger of the performer, or the pin of a barrel, or other
automatic contrivance is relieved from the mechanical labour of setting
the hammer or other appliance in movement, and is merely required to
release the hammer or other appliance at right moment.
Where separate mechanism is employed, as above described, for
raising or otherwise moving or preparing hammers or other appliances
for action, according to one part of our Invention, we arrange rotating
or other cams or moving contrivances (which we prefer to be rods or
bars arranged around a central axis) at the end of the levers upon which
they act. This cam or moving contrivance we so arrange as to act
directly upon the lever which is connected with and actuates the
hammer or other appliance, in place of upon a lever kept in constant
movement. We arrange a tumbler or moveable piece at the end of the
lever for the cam or moving contrivance to act upon, in order to move
the lever and place the hammer or other appliance in readiness. After
the lever has been so acted upon the tumbler moves away from the cam
or other moving contrivance, so as to allow the lever to move and the
striker or other appliance to act when released by the key barrel or
other contrivance. After the hammer or other contrivance has acted
upon the bell or other instrument the tumbler, by coming in contact
with a suitable surface or projection, is moved into such a position that
the rotating cam or other moving contrivance at the end of the lever will
come in contact with the tumbler and again move the lever and set thé
hammer or other appliance in readiness.
In mechanism of the character above described, as hitherto arranged,
if the finger key or contrivance by which the hammers or other appli-
ances are released is too long in operation, or if by any accident the
holding and releasing catch or contrivance does not return at once, the
mechanism for placing the hammers or other appliances in readiness
being in constant movement causes a repetition of their action at times
when they are not required.
Now according to another part of our Invention we so arrange the
releasing mechanism that the hammer or other appliance can act but
once each time it is released by the catch or other holding and releasing

page_text: mechanism. After the lever by which the hammer or other appliance
is actuated has been released and acted once, and after the lever has
been again acted upon by the moving cam or contrivance so as to raiso
or otherwise prepare the hammer or other appliance for action, if the
holding and releasing catch or contrivance has not returned into a
position to catch and hold the lever, and so prevent the return of the
hammer or other appliance, the lover is caught, according to this part of
our Invention, by a second catch or contrivance by which it is held until
the return of the holding and releasing catch or contrivance. The
lever is then released by the catch or contrivance by which it was
temporarily held, and the lever is caught and held by the holding and
releasing catch or contrivance in connection with the finger key, barrel,
or other contrivance by which the hammer or other appliance is released
when again required.
:
In mechanism of the character above described the hammer or other
appliance has been hitherto released beforo the holding and releasing,
catch or other contrivance has ceased to be noted upon by the key or the
pinned barrel or other contrivance which acts upon the releasing catch
or contrivance.
Now according to another part of our Invention we so construct and
arrange the parts of the mechanism that the lever and hammer or other
appliance are caused to act immediately after the finger key or barrel
or other contrivance has acted upon the holding and releasing catch, by
this means preventing the hammer or other appliance from acting moro
than once for each movement of the finger key or catching and releasing
contrivanco; by this means also precision is ensured in the time when
the hammer or other appliance is brought into operation.
The mechanism for carrying this part of our Invention into operation
may be variously arranged, but according to one part of our Invention
we form the holding or releasing catch. or contrivance or the lever with
two ledges or holding surfaces or projections. When the catch or con-
trivance is moved by the key or pinned barrel or other contrivance a'
projection or holding part upon the lever or the catch passes from one
ledge surface cr holding part to the other ledgo surface or holding párt,
and is held there until after the finger key or the pin or acting part
upon the barrel or other automatic surface ceases to act upon the catch
or other contrivance, and the lever is then released, and the.hammer.or
other appliance caused to act, the projection or holding part upon the

page_text: lever or catch passing between guiding surfaces upon the catch or lever..
After the hammer or other appliance has acted the lever by which it
is actuated is acted upon by the cam or other moving contrivance, and
the projection or holding part upon the lever or catch is again caught
and held by the holding and releasing catch or contrivance passing
between suitable guiding surfaces upon the catch or lever, the projection
or holding part upon the lever or catch being caught and held by the
ledge or holding part upon the catch or lever, from which it is after-
wards first to be released as above described.
According to another part of our Invention we form the holding and
releasing catch or contrivance above referred to after the manner of a
bell-crank lever, and act upon it directly by the pinned barrel or other
automatic contrivance. We also provide regulating screws and guides
for the holding and releasing catch or contrivance, and act upon such
contrivance by means of springs or weights, or both springs and weights,
so as to cause it to return after being acted upon by the finger key,
pinned barrel, or other contrivance.
In mechanism of the character before referred to, where it is desired
to repeat the same note quickly, two or more hammers or other appli-
ances are provided for each bell or instrument, and the hammers or other
appliances are caused to act alternately or successively so as to produce
a rapid repetition of the same note.
Now according to another part of our Invention, where two or more
hammers or other appliances are employed for repeating the same note,
as above described, we so arrange and construct the parts that the
hammers or other appliances can be released and caused to act succes-
sively or alternately by means of the same key, the note being repeated
cach time the key is touched, but by a different hammer or appliance.
The mechanism may be variously arranged when carrying out this
part of our Invention, but according to one part of our Invention wo so
arrange the parts that each movement of the key moves a cam or star
wheel a suitable distance, so that projections upon the wheel will act
successively or alternately to release one of the hammers or other
appliances each time the key is touched.
When chiming bells by means of mechanism if the bells are struck
in rapid succession the vibrations of the bells cause a confusion of
sounds, and according to another part of our Invention we arrange

page_text: dampers, which are removed from the bells by suitable mechanism
when the hammer or striker falls and strikes the bell, and are brought
in contact with the bells when the hammers or strikers are raised, so as
to prevent the confusion of sound caused by the continued vibration of
the bells.