IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Jackson, of Orchard Street, Portman
Square, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Manufacturer, for the
"
Sealed the 3rd October 1862, and dated the 7th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Jackson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th April 1862.
I, THOMAS JACKSON, of Orchard Street, Portman Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Pianoforte Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in pianofortes. For these
purposes a spring is interposed between the end of the sticker or jack and the
hammer butt, which spring when employed in the action of an upright
pianoforte tends to bring back the hammer. At the front of the hammer
butt there is an additional piece or projection, which rests on the top of the
jack or sticker when the hammer is away from the strings. The spring
passes, by preference into and works in a slit in the upper part of the jack
or sticker, and it also passes into and works in a slit in the projection on the
hammer butt, and the upper part of the spring presses against a pin passed
across the slit in the projection on the hammer butt, so that when the

page_text: hammer rises to strike the strings the spring is deflected, and has a greater
tendency to bring back the hammer, and it prevents the hammer rebounding
when it is back from the strings.
In some cases. the damper is placed at the upper end of a lever, the lower
end of which is connected by a wire or link to the jack or sticker in such 5
manner that as the sticker or jack is moved upwards the damper is moved
away from the strings by its lever, and as the sticker or jack descends the
damper is returned to the strings by its lever.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Jackson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JACKSON, of Orchard Street, Portman Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Pianoforte Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Jackson, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Jackson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Thomas Jackson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Jackson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Jackson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement thereof, that is to say :-

page_text: This Invention bas for its object improvements in pianofortes. For these
purposes a spring is interposed between the end of the sticker or jack and the
hammer butt, which spring when employed in the action of an upright piano-
forte tends to bring back the hammer. At the front of the hammer butt there
is an additional piece or projection which rests on the top of the jack or sticker
when the hammer is away from the strings. The spring passes, by preference,
into and works in a slit in the upper part of the jack or sticker, and it also
passes into and works in a slit in the projection on the hammer butt, and the
upper part of the spring presses against a pin passed across the slit in the pro-
jection on the hammer butt, so that when the hammer rises to strike the
strings the spring is deflected, and has a greater tendency to bring back the
hammer, and it prevents the hammer rebounding when it is back from
the strings.
In some cases the damper is placed at the upper end of a lever, the lower
end of which is connected by a wire or link to the jack or sticker in such
manner that as the sticker or jack is moved upwards the damper is moved
away from the strings by its lever, and as the sticker or jack descends the
damper is returned to the strings by its lever.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,
which represents the action of one key of an upright pianoforte constructed
and combined according to my Invention. a is the key; b is the jack or
sticker, the lower end of which is connected to a lever c, which rests on the
key, as is shewn; d is a spring which is fixed at e, to the upper part of the
jack or sticker. The spring d is received into a slit formed at the upper end
of the sticker or jack. The upper end of the spring d passes into and works
within a slit formed in the projection of the hammer butt, as shewn. The
upper end of the spring presses against a pin f passed across the slit in the
projection on the hammer butt. By this arrangement when the hammer rises
to strike the string the spring is deflected, and has a greater tendency to bring
back the hammer. The spring also prevents the hammer rebounding when
back from the string; and by reason of the spring resting on the pin f in the
hammer butt, the weight of the action is connected with the hammer butt,
which renders the return of the hammer more certain. The projection to the
hammer butt when the hammer is back rests on the top of the jack or sticker,
and forms a check, as shewn. g is the damper, which is fixed at the upper end
of the lever h; the lower end of the lever h is attached to the sticker or jack

page_text: by a wire or link i, which is made in two parts, the ends of which respectively
are formed with left and right hand screws in order to the length of the wire j
being adjusted by a wood screw nut, as shewn.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
any of the parts separately; but what I claim is the combined arrangement
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Jackson have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
THOMAS JACKSON. (L.S.)