IMPROVEMENTS IN UPRIGHT PIANOFORTE ACTIONS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Oetzmann and Thomas Luis Plumb, both
of 56, Great Russel Street, Bloomsbury, in the County of Middlesex,
Pianoforte Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
UPRIGHT PIANOFORTE ACTIONS."
Sealed the 19th January 1858, and dated the 25th July 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Oetzmann
and Thomas Luis Plumb at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 25th July 1857.
We, FREDERICK OETZMANN and THOMAS LUIS PLUMB, both of 56, Great
Russel Street, Bloomsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Manufac-
turers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN UPRIGHT PIANOFORTE ACTIONS," to be as follows:―
Our improvements consist in so constructing the "action" of an upright
pianoforte that the "hopper" which is supported from the back end of the
key shall take effect directly on the butt of the hammer, and cause it to strike
the blow without the intervention of a sticker or rod; a surface is also
formed on the hammer butt, which comes in contact with a part fixed to the
hopper when the hammer falls off, and so forms a check in its tendency to
vibratory motion. The hopper is a part :aised from the back end of the key,

page_text: and is fitted and regulated in the usual manner. The hammers are suitably
mounted on the hammer rail, and the contact parts of the hopper and butt
covered with leather or other suitable material.
Another part of our improvements in the action of such pianos is, the
mounting and applying the dampers on the back end of the keys, so that the
rise of that end of the key produced by the act of striking a note, removes
the damper from the string or strings struck by the motion of such key. In
order to remove the whole of the dampers from the strings by means of the
pedal, we mount the wholo keyboard, or as much of it as is necessary, so that
it can be slid bodily towards or from the strings, thereby removing the
lampers from or placing them in contact with the strings. This sliding action
is communicated by the pedal when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Octzmann and Thomas Luis Plumb in tho
Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
OETZMANN and THOMAS LUIS PLUMB, both of 56, Great Russel Street,
Bloomsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Manufacturers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS er most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Frederick Oetzmann and Thomas Luis Plumb, Her special licence that
we, the said Frederick Oetzmann and Thomas Luis Plumb, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Frederick
Oetzmann and Thomas Luis Plumb, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN UPRICET PIANOFORTE ACTIONS," upon tho
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Frederick Octzmann and
Thomas Luis Plumb, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-

page_text: cularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Frederick Octzmann and Thomas Luis
Plumb, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
Our improvements consist in so constructing the "action" of an upright
pianoforte that the "hopper" which is supported from the back end of the
key as usual, shall take effect directly on the butt of the hammer, and cause it
to strike the blow without the intervention of a sticker or rod; a surface is
also formed on the hammer butt, which comes in contact with a part of or
fixed to the hopper when the hammer falls off, and so arrests its fall and forms
a check in its tendency to vibratory motion. The hopper is a part raised from
the back end of the key, and is fitted and regulated in the usual manner. The
bammers are suitably mounted on the hammer rail, and the contact parts of
the hopper and butt covered with leather or other suitable material.
Another part of our improvements in the actions of such pianos is, the
mounting and applying the dampers on the back end of the keys, or it may bo
to the hopper block attached to the keys, so that the rise of that end of the
key produced by the act of striking a note removes the damper from the string
or strings struck by the motion of such key. In order to remove the whole of
the dampers from the strings by means of the pedal, we mount the whole key-
board, or as much of it as is necessary, so that it can be slid bodily towards or
from the strings, thereby removing the whole of the dampers from or placing
them in contact with the strings. This sliding action is communicated by the

page_text: a, a, is the key, mounted and fitted in the ordinary way; b, b, the hopper,
which in its action is similar to the ordinary hopper, excepting that instead
of taking effect on the sticker or rod, which usually transmits the motion to
the hammer, it effects immediate contact with the butt of the hammer in
giving the blow, and also acts as a check in the fall of the hammer from the
string, while the key remains depressed by the finger of the performer; c is
the hammer rail on which the hammer butt d is supported; it is mounted
between the forked parts of two plates e, secured to the rail c by a wire f
running throughout the length of the rail plates e, supports the butts of all the
hammers of the instrument, as well understood; 9 is the stem or shank, and
h the head of the hammer, as in ordinary. The butt d is formed, as clearly
seen in the Figure, with a point of contact for the fly b' of the hopper, such
that, when the key is depressed, it causes the hammer to strike the string i
as required, and also to fall off and release the hammer butt, in the manner
and precisely with the same effect as that produced by its falling off the
sticker in ordinary pianos. The black dotted lines represent the haminer in
contact with the string i, at which time the fly b' of the hopper will have fallen
off, as also represented in dotted lines. The note being struck, the hammer
immediately recedes from the string, but is checked and prevented descending
to the hammer rest s by a projection on the hammer butt, which comes in
contact with an inclined part 2 placed in front of the fly b'. The position of
the hammer in check is represented in red lines, and again at Fig. 2, in order
to render it more distinct. The hammer butt is covered at the parts of con-
tact of the hopper with leather p, p, or other material suitable to receive the
impact of the hopper fly b is a thick piece of felt which effects contact
with 1, between which and leather p of the butt the end of the fly is
received, as seen in Fig. 2. When the key a is released, the hammer h again
falls against the rest rails and the hopper resumes its position, as seen in black
lines in Fig. 1. The fly of the hopper is mounted as in ordinary pianofortes
with a regulating screw u and spring v, to throw it back into position, as well
understood.
the
In order to insure that the hammer will recede from the string i immediately
on striking the blow, we introduce a light wire spring w, the free end of which
bears against the butt d, and has the upper end fixed in the hammer rail c.
We may remark, that although only one hammer action has been described,
the action of the whole number of hammers of the instrument are of course
similarly fitted.
The second part of our Invention relates to improvements in damping,
which consists in applying the damper directly to the key, the motion of which

page_text: removes it from the string when striking a note, or it may be to the fixed part
of the hopper, which being fixed to the key, is in effect the same thing.
Fig. 1 represents the damper a affixed to the hopper block b, which we
prefer, as its proximity to the strings may be more easily regulated by means
of the screw y, on which it is mounted; is a small block to which the felt
or damping substance is attached. The dotted lines in Fig. 1 represent the
position of the damper when the key a is depressed by the finger of the per-
former, which permits the free vibration of the string. Instead of mounting
the damper as described, it may be affixed on a wire g, raised from the key, as
seen dotted. In order to remove the whole of the dampers from the strings,
we mount the keys a with the support and rest rails 1, 2, 3, on a frame or
base, which is free to slide towards or from the strings i, i, of the instrument.
This base is connected at each end by means of suitable rods and levers with
the loud pedal, so that when it is depressed the whole of the keys a, a, are
drawn, say, one-sixteenth of an inch forwards, and so withdrawing all the
dampers from contact with the strings i. When the pedal is released, suit-
able springs throw the keys and dampers back to their proper place, as will be
readily understood.
Hlaving described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the formation and arrangement of the hammer butts of upright
pianofortes to receive the impact of the hoppers, and the direct application of
the hoppers thereto to effect the motion of the hammers, as herein-before
described; we also claim the check action produced by the part of the butt
falling back on the hopper fly, as herein-before described.
Secondly, mounting the dampers of upright pianofortes on the key, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Frederick Octzmann and Thomas
Luis Plumb, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-third
day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-eight.
FREDERICK OETZMANN. (L.B.)
THOS LUIS PLUMB.
(L.S.)