Improvements in Musical Boxes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 10th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 15th Nov., 1890 ·.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Musical Boxes.
I, JOHANN SCHÜNEMANN of 50 Markusstrasse, Berlin in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
11
This invention relates to musical boxes in which sounds or tunes are made by the
vibration of metallic tongues, through suitable mechanism set in operation by the
movement of a perforated music sheet.
The object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism for vibrating
the tongues and controlling dampers for the latter.
The music sheet is caused to travel between two boards having for each note row
a slot, over which is pivoted a lever having two inclined projections engaging in the
slot and adapted to enter and leave the holes in the music sheet as the latter passes
under the lever. The latter is pressed downward by a spring and its pivotal pin
engages in a hole or slot in the lever near to the first projection thereon met by the
music sheet boles, so that the lever has a certain amount of free movement on its
pivotal pin. The upper forward end of the lever is turned up to operate the vibration
of the tongue and the control of the damper which is mounted on a spring the end of
which is always in contact with the upturned end of the lever.
As the music sheet advances, the projection on the lever nearly under the pivot of
the latter falls into the first hole in the sheet, this allows the lever to fall down so that
the end can pass clear of the vibrating tongue when the second projection falls
into the music slot and the lever vibrates on its pivot. The trailing end of the music
slot will then arrive against and press upward the first projection, lifting the lever
with its end behind the vibrating tongue and the trailing end of the slot moves
onward to lift the second projection on the lever by which the latter is vibrated and
caused to strike the end of the tongue and vibrate the latter. This movement
of the lever will also press away the damper from the tongue and permit it to
sound.
Dated this 15th day of January 1890.
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Musical Boxes.
I JOHANN SCHÜNEMANN of 50 Markusstrasse, Berlin in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to musical boxes in which sounds or tunes are made by the
vibration of metallic tongues, through suitable mechanism set in operation by the
movement of a perforated music sheet.
The object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism for vibrating
the tongues and controlling dampers for the latter.
The music sheet is caused to travel between two boards having for each note-row
a slot, over which is pivoted a lever having two inclined projections engaging in the
slot and adapted to enter and leave the holes in the music sheet as the latter passes
under the lever. The latter is pressed downward by a spring and its pivotal pin
engages in a hole or slot in the lever near to the first projection thereon met by the
music sheet holes, so that the lever has a certain amount of free movement on its
pivotal pin. The upper forward end of the lever is turned up to operate the vibration

page_text: of the tongue and the control of the damper, which is mounted on a spring the end of
which is always in contact with the upturned end of the lever.
As the music sheet advances, the projection on the lever nearly under the pivot of
the latter falls into the first hole in the sheet, this allows the lever to fall down so that
the end can pass clear of the vibrating tongue when the second projection falls
into the music slot and the lever vibrates on its pivot. The trailing end of the music
slot will then arrive against and press upward the first projection, lifting the lever
with its end behind the vibrating tongue and the trailing end of the slot moves
onward to lift the second projection on the lever by which the latter is vibrated
and caused to strike the end of the tongue and vibrate the latter. This move-
ment of the lever will also press away the damper from the tongue and permit it to
sound.
The accompanying drawing illustrates the method of carrying this invention into
practice, Figs. 1 to 4 being sections showing the parts in different positions.
The music-sheet a is supposed to move between two guide-plates bb¹ following
the direction of the arrow. In each of the guide-plates is a slot and within that
of the upper plate rests in Fig. 2 at a non-perforated place of the music-sheet the
lever having two sharp projections i and e. The spring presses this lever
downwards.
The lever resembles a hook with the angle i and carries at the other end the nose n.
If during the motion of the music-sheet a one of the sound-causing holes arrives
underneath the lever, the angle c will first enter the longitudinal hole. This falling
in is allowed by the lever being journalled with a longitudinal hole upon its pivot o
and this latter permits therefore a lowering of the lever under the pressure of the
spring into the music sheet.
The nose n is lowered likewise with the lever and can thus return underneath the
prong m when upon the proceeding of the music sheet the lever angle i falls also into
its hole, for with the lowering of the angle i the lever moves by a short curve on
pivot o.
The lowering of the angle i into the music-sheet takes place only gradually because
of the inclined end-line of the lever is not a true part of a circle around the pivot o,
but is a curve with increasing radius; thus during the proceeding of the music-sheet
the curve slides down on the front edge r of the perforated hole; Fig. 4. In the
meantime the rear edge s of the hole has arrived underneath the angle c and has
raised the same again by riding under its oblique angle-sides, upon the music sheet.
Thereby the nose n is raised again to touch the prong, when the lever swings forward
again. This takes place as soon as the rear edges of the music sheet lifts the
projection Fig. 1.
The nose n has still to perform a second task. Shortly before the touch of the
prong the same has to be perfectly at rest, otherwise a rattling noise disturbing
the music would be heard, which results from the point of the prong touching in its
vibrating motion against the approaching nose. In order to keep the prongs
perfectly steady a damper d of soft cloth is placed upon a spring g parallel to the
prong. The end of the spring g rests upon the head surface of the nose n and is
never quite out of contact with the same. During the motion of the nose the
damper d is pushed away more or less from the prong, the damper only touches
the prong at the moment when the nose is placed further back (Fig. 1) in order to
be moved off immediately as soon as the nose advances in order to give room to the
prong for its vibration.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
In musical boxes having vibrating tongues.
1) A coring of damnase
11 1

page_text: tongue vibrating device, said spring being lowered with its pad upon the tongue
shortly before each sounding and quickly removed therefrom.
2.) The combination with a series of vibrating tongues and dampers of a lever
having its pivot o in a slot and having two inclined projections e and i and a sound-
giving projection n, said lever being adapted to be influenced by a slotted music-
sheet a to operate each tongue and damper substantially as set forth.
Dated this 10th day of October 1890
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.