Improvements in Combined Pianofortes and Mechanical Musical Instruments.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Combined Pianofortes and Mechanical Musical
Instruments.
I, PAUL SIMON, trading as Ernst Holzweissig Nachfolger, of 23, Reichsstrasse,
Leipzig, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows;-
-
This invention consists in a combined pianoforte and mechanical musical instru-
ment. In the annexed drawing there is shown an upright piano with a mechanical
musical instrument having a music disk provided in it, so that the musical instru-
ment can be operated in a mechanical manner, or the pianoforte played by hand.
This combination of musical instrument with the piano has for its purpose to use
the sounding board of the piano also for the musical instrument and thus give to
the latter a more pleasant and fuller tone.
Fig. 1 shows the front view of the combined piano and the musical instrument,
the casing of the piano being partly removed.
Fig. 2 shows a section taken at A B of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 section C D of Fig. 1 with changed position of the driving mechanism
for the music disc and, Figs. 4 and 5 show in two views details of the same.
In this piano provided with mechanical musical instrument the latter is arranged
on the piano in such a manner, that the same stands in or at the sounding board
of the piano and this board comes also into effect for the musical instrument when
playing.
By this combination of the musical instrument with the piano not only a fuller
tone is obtained for the first but a special casing for the same is not necessary.
The piano as well as the musical instrument may be of any known construction.
The musical instrument is fixed in the middle of the upper part of the piano
with its base plate a on the frame 6 of the latter, so that the music sheet carrying
axle e takes its direction forwards. The music disc d put thereon is hidden by the
door G forming apparently a panel of the upper front wall of the piano, so that
exteriorly nothing is to be seen of the musical mechanism and for exchanging
the music sheet & the door G must be opened.
The driving mechanism E for turning the music disk is placed in the piano
according to the space at disposal, a spring driving mechanism E is used and in
Figs. 1 and 2 for example it is arranged in the under part of the piano in such
a manner that the same can be wound up from outside.
The music disc is turned by the axle n which is rotated by the driving
mechanism E, passes as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 between the piano keys s upwards
and is provided with a gearing o which reaches into perforations on the periphery
of the music disk. The base plate a of the musical mechanism is solidly con-
nected by the bolt k with the frame b carrying the sides and by the bolt m with
the sounding board 2 of the piano, in order that the resounding of the piano is
communicated completely to the musical mechanism. During the playing of the
musical mechanism the dampers of the strings are lifted from the latter by the

page_text: pedal and kept lifted off by fixing the pedal, in order to improve the timbre of
the musical instrument on being played.
Figure 3 shows that the spring motor E instead of being placed in the under
part can be arranged in the upper part of the piano and in this case the music
disk d is to be turned by the driven axle n with the gearing o in the same manner. 5
Dated this 9th day of August 1898.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
Improvements in Combined Pianofortes and Mechanical Musical
Instruments.
I, PAUL SIMON, trading as Ernst Holzweissig Nachfolger, of 23, Reichsstrasse,
Leipzig, 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 and ascertained in and by the following statement;
-
This invention consists in a combined pianoforte and mechanical musical
instrument.
In the drawing left with my Provisional Specification there is shown an up-
right piano with a mechanical musical instrument having a music disk provided
in it, so that the musical instrument can be operated in a mechanical manner or
the pianoforte played by hand or both simultaneously. This combination of
musical instrument with the piano has for its purpose to use the sounding board
of the piano also for the musical instrument and thus give to the latter a more
pleasant and fuller tone.
Fig. 1 shows the front view of the combined piano and musical instrument, the
casing of the piano being partly removed. Fig. 2 shows a section taken at A B of
Fig. 1. Fig. 3 section CD of Fig. 1 with changed position of the driving work for
the music disk and Figs. 4 and 5 show in two views details of the same.
In this piano provided with mechanical musical instrument the latter is arranged
in the piano in such a manner that its base plate is connected with the sounding
board of the piano and this board comes also into effect for the musical instrument
when the latter is playing.
By this combination of the musical instrument with the piano not only a fuller
tone is obtained for the first, but a special casing for the same is not necessary.
The piano as well as the musical instrument may be of any known construction.
The musical instrument is fixed in the middle of the upper part of the piano
with its base plate a on a frame b supported in the piano frame so that the music
sheet carrying axle c is directed from back to front. The music disk & put thereon
is hidden by the door G forming apparently a panel of the upper front wall of the
piano, so that exteriorly nothing is to be seen of the musical work and for changing
the music sheet & the door G must be opened.
The driving work E for turning the music disk is placed in the piano according
to the space at disposal. A spring driving work E is used and in Figs. 1 and 2
for example it is arranged in the under part of the piano in such a manner that
the same can be wound up from outside.
The music disk is turned by the axle n which is rotated by the driving work E
passing as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 between the piano keys 's upwards and is pro-
vided with a wheel o the teeth of which engage in perforations on the periphery
of the music disk. The base plate a of the musical instrument is solidly connected

page_text: by the bolt with the bridge h carrying the pianoforte strings and by the bolt m
with the sounding board p of the piano, in order that the sounding of the musical
instrument may be reinforced by the action of the sound board of the piano.
During the playing of the musical instrument the dampers are lifted from the
piano strings by the pedal and kept lifted off by fixing the pedal, in order that the
strings may vibrate in harmony with the musical instrument when the latter is
playing. Fig. 3 shows that the spring motor E instead of being placed in the
under part can be arranged in the upper part of the piano and in this case the
music disk d is to be turned by the axle n with the wheel o in the same manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:
1. The combination with a pianoforte of a mechanical musical instrument placed
within the casing of the pianoforte and having its base plate attached to the
sounding board of the pianoforte.
:--
2. The combination with a pianoforte of a mechanical musical instrument
placed within the casing of the pianoforte in the upper part thereof in front of the
pianoforte action, a rod k connecting the base plate a of said musical work to the
pianoforte string bridge and a rod m connecting said base plate to the sound
board ?' of the pianoforte.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London.