improvements in or relating to rianofortes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th M-y, 1895-Accepted. 15th June 1895
improvements in or relating to rianofortes.
A communication from ERARD & Co., of 13, Rue du Mail, Paris, in the Republio
of Fiance
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained m
and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to that class of pianoforte actions wherein the soft-pedal-
effect is produced by shortening the strokes of the hammers and it has for its
object to do away with the lost motion which in pianofortes of tbat construction
results from the fact that when the soft pedal is depressed the "pilots" are moved
out of operative contact with the "pilot screws and a certain portion of the
movement of the keys thereby ren lered useless.
The pianofortes to which this invention is applicable though all belonging to
the same class may still be of various construction but to avoid complication
I have hereinafter, as an example described it as applied to the well-known
Erard action.
In the accompanying diawings
Fig 118 a vertical cross section showing as much of an Erard action as is
necessary to the clear understanding of the invention
Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner of connecting the soft pedal
with the devices to be operated by it
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A represents one of the piano strings or whes. B the corresponding spring-
pressed-lamper pivoted on the humor rail C and adapted to he operated by the
back and upturned end D' of the pilot lever D which is pivoted to the hammer
rail C by means of the two bars C. D is the "pilot" projecting from the
underside of the pilot lever D and through which the motion of the key E 18
transmitted to the hammer F Gis the pilot screw adjustable in the key E and
between which and the pilot D' 16 interposed a piece of felt or equivalent
material H.
The hammer F is pivoted to the bummer rail C by means of two bars and is
formed with the usual butt F¹ and check hammer the former (F) adapted to be
operated by the pilot lever D through the sticker 1 and the latter (F) to be
operated upon by the check J secured to the pilot lever D by an arm D³. The
sticker is pivoted to a bracket arm D' secured to the pilot lever D aud is provided
with an escapement arm 11 adapted to unpinge against an escapement button K
adjustable in a fixed rail K'
Lis an adjustable rail pivoted to the hammer rest or rest rail L' and adapted
by depressing the soft pedal, to be turned from the position in which it is shown in
full lines in Fig. 1 to that indicated in dotted lines in the same figure, so that the
stroke of the hammer F may be reduced to about half of that which it has when
the soft pedal is not moved.
The foregoing devices together with the necessary springs and pads are what
are ordinarily provided in the Eiard action and it will be seen by reference to the
dotted lines shown in Fig. 1 that when the soft pedal (which itself is not
represented in the drawings) is moved, the pilot D' is out of operative contact with

page_text: the pilot screw G so that the first portion of the ensuing depression of the key E
will have no effect on the bammer, and the key being to that extent loose will bu
lighter to move and the "touch" for that portion of its movement will be lighter
than the normal
To overcome this difficulty supplementary pilots M are provided each formed on
one end of a lever M' pivoted at M' to one of the ordinary pilots D³, springs M
being arranged to return these supplementary pilots M to their operative position
and hold them in that position when the soft pedal is not in use The supple
imentary pilots M are adapted to be operated upon by supplementary pilot screws G
one of which is fitted in each of the heys 1, each key in this arrangement carrying
two pilot screws one (G) for operating the ordinary pilot D' and the other (G³)
for operating the supplementary pilot M. The back ends of the levers M' extend
over a binged bar o rail N which at each operation of the soft pedal is moved
from the position indicated in full lines to that shown in dotted lines, the supple-
mentary pilot M, which normally is out of operative contact with the koy E, being
thereby lowered so that the duration of its motion for operating the hammer F will
comicide with that of the operation of the key. It will be seen that in this cou
stinction of the apparatus the pilots D' serve for the operation of the hammers when
the soft pedal is not used the supplementary pilots M then being in their moperative
position, and that when the soft pedal is used the pilots D' are moved away from
the pilot screws G and the supplementary pilots Mare, through the bar N and
levers M' moved into operative contact with the supplementary pilot screws G
Various means may be devised for operating the bai N in conjunction with the
pivoted ail L which latter as before described tilts the hammers F forward
towards the strings A. In Fig. 2 is diagrammatically indicated one incans for
effecting this. This comprises a rod (which is raised at each operation of the
soft pedal, au arm N pivoted to it, as by a slotted connection and igidly secured
on the pivot N of the bar N, a bell-crank lever P P the arm P of which, 18
connected to the upper end of the rod O and the other P with or adapted to
operate upon an arm L' secured on the pivot of the ail L. Other means of
operating the rail L and ba: N may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the sunl
invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1 In a pianoforte action the employment of a supplementary pilot for the
purpose described.
2. In a pianoforte action the combination with each hammer of two pilots
serving one for operating the hammer only when the soft pedal is not used and the
other only when the soft pedal is used substantially as described
3 In a pianoforte action proventing lost motion in the key when the soft pedal
18 used by providing for each key and hammer a supplementary pilot which when
the pilot proper is moved away from the key or pilot screw is itself moved nearer to
said key substantially as described.
4 In a pianoforte action the combination with a pilot such as D' of a combined
ampplementary pilot and lever such as M M³ pivoted to it substantially as descubed
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In a pianoforte action the combination with a pilot such as D' and a combined
supplementary pilot and lever such as M M' for each key and hammer of a pivoted
bar such as N for operating the series of supplementary pilots and levers substan-
tially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. In a pianoforte action the combination with a pivoted rail L for moving the
hammers nearer to the strings a series of pilots such as D' for transmitting motion
from the keys to the hammers when the soft pedal is not used a series of supple-
mentary pilots such as M for transmitting motion from the keys to the hammers
when the soft pedal is used and a bar such as N for throwing the supplementary
pilots into operative position of means for connecting the rail L and bar N so that

page_text: they may operate together substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
7. The combination with a pianoforte action in which the soft pedal effect is
produced by moving the hammers from their normal position nearer to the strings
of the complete mechanism for preventing lost motion in the keys substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 11ib dey of M.. 1905
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.