IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson, of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and
323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS."
A communication from abroad by Moses Harris, of the City, County, and
State of New York.
PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th December 1881.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors
6 Lord Street Liverpool in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn
in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS." A communication from abroad by Moses Harris of the
City County and State of New York.
This Invention relates to wind instruments which are manually operated upon
or are mechanically played or controlled by means of one or more strips or sheets
of paper or other suitable material perforated to represent the different notes or
sounds it is desired to produce and caused to automatically pass over air ducts and
thereby control the action of the valves which determine the admission of air to
the reeds or pipes of the instrument whereby said reeds or pipes are made to
produce musical sounds.
In certain meclianical musical instruments of this character the perforated sheets
or strips are made to control the action of the valves or keys by means of a series
of jacks levers or key-moving fingers arranged on one side of said strip or sheet
to operate the perforations of such strip or sheet upon a series of push-pins or key-
moving rods arranged on the opposite side of said strip or sheet. But this
combination of devices is lacking in an essential element which would greatly
enhance its value by making it operate with invariable accuracy.
It is found if the perforated sheet or strip from any cause fails to run truly or
if the jacks or levers have any lateral movement whatever, that the noses of said

page_text: jacks will not fall through the perforations in the said strip or sheet, but will on
the contrary in such contingencies remain resting on the said strip as it passes
beneath them, and thereby fail to move the push-pins to operate the valves, or if
they do pass through said perforations will fail to fall upon the heads of the push-
pins.
This Invention consists in combining with the said jacks or levers and push-pins
or key-moving rods a laterally-moving perforated block or bar that holds the
upper ends of the push-pins in its perforations and at the same time embraces the
edges of the perforated sheet or strip so that when the said sheet or strip moves
laterally the said block or bar will move synchronously with it holding the push-
pins in their proper relative positions with the perforations in the said strip or
sheet.
And the Invention further consists in combination with the pressure chamber
and the sound producing devices of novel bellows valves arranged to close by
expansion from inward spring and air pressure against the sound-board bar and
thus shut off the air from the sounding pipes or reeds and to open the air passages
to them by collapse under exterior air pressure.
And it consists further in combination with said pressure chamber and bellows-
valves or pallets of double-action disc valves that determine or regulate the
communication between the pressure chamber and the interior of the bellows-valves
or pallets and between said bellows valves or pallets and the open air, said disc-
valves being operated by suitable levers.
The principal parts of my mechanism are as follows. A sounding board from
which projects at right angles a fixed rail through which are vertical tubes or
_perforations in which_the_push-pins move up and down,
In the top of this rail is a groove or mortise in which is fitted a bar or block so
that it can easily slide laterally.
Into the perforations in the said sliding block, the heads of the push-pins are
entered so that they may move with the said moving block.
The raised edges on the ends of the block are far enough apart to admit between
them the perforated music sheet or strip which rests upon and is designed to be
drawn over the face of said block being rolled upon one drum and from the other
drum in the ordinary manner.
The width of said strip or sheet is so nearly the same as the distance between
the block edges that if said strip or sheet in passing over the said block deviates
laterally in the slightest degree it will move said block with it and consequently
the heads of the push-pins so that the perforations in the block and the push-
pins will always be preserved in the same relative positions with the perforations
in the strip or sheet.
The jacks, levers, or key-moving fingers have their rear ends pivoted in a
vertically moving frame that swings on a pin extending from the sounding board.
The front ends of these jacks or levers are provided with downwardly projecting
noses that are designed to rest on the strip or sheet directly over the perforations
of the block so that as said strip or sheet is moved along the noses of said jacks
or levers fall by their own gravity through the perforations in said strip or sheet
upon the tops of the push-pins and cause the latter to operate to open the valves
that regulate the admission of air to the sounding devices.
To cause these jacks or levers to also preserve a constant relative position to the
perforations in the perforated music strip and to the push-pins, the box or frame
in which the said jacks or levers are pivoted is provided on either side with
downward projecting ears whose inner faces when the said frame is down, are in
contact with the edges of said music strip so that the jacks or levers and frame as
well as the sliding block and tops of the push-pins, are moved laterally by and
with the said strip and hence always preserve the same relative positions with
each other laterally so that the correct and effective action of each one of the parts
is assured. A stud projecting from the sounding board limits the downward
movement of the frame.

page_text: When the instrument is in operation simply as a mechanical musical instrument
the falling of the jacks or levers upon the push-pins causes the latter in their turn
to depress other levers (hereafter called second levers) that are pivoted on a post
and are held in equilibrium by springs moving between guide pins. The second
levers operate through their connecting pins to move certain levers (hereafter,
called third levers) in turn which through their connecting pins permit levers
(hereafter called fourth levers) which are attached to the bottom of the pressure
chamber, to fall; which movement of the fourth levers allows double-action
disc valves to full and close the upper ends of the tubes that connect the interior
of the pressure chamber with the outer air and to open the lower ends of said
tubes whereby the air pressure from the chamber into the bellows valve is cut off
and the air from said bellows valve permitted to escape into the open air through
a passage and tube while the pressure in the chamber presses upon the ribs of the
bellows-valve and collapses it which has the effect of drawing down the
bellows-valve top board and thereby allowing the wind pressure in the chamber to..
pass through the tubes into the organ pipes and cause them to sound.
When a perforation in the music sheet or strip has passed a jack or first lever,
the said first lever is then raised from the corresponding push-pin and the action of
the connected levers and valves is reversed so that the air pressure is shut off from
the organ pipes.
The bellows-valve or pallet consists of a small bellows formed with top and
bottom boards connected with each other by flexible leathern ribs. The upper side
of the top board is covered with soft leather and forms the valve which seats close
against the under side of the sound board bar and it is kept in this position when
at rest by a spring which passes upward from the fixed bottom board.
The back or tail end of the bottom board is hollow and is fitted into a mortise
in the wind bar through which a channel or passage is continued to the pressure
chamber through the communicating tube.
The front end of the bottom board is fixed sufficiently below. the top board to.
perinit the distension of the bellows valve nearly or quite to its full extent.
The position of the double dise valve determines the communication between the
interior of the valve and the pressure chamber and the outside air.
In a position of rest the top disc is open so that the compressed air from the
chamber is inside of as well around the valve and of course by its pressure.
holds the top board firmly against the sound-board bar. When in this position the
lower disc is closed and prevents the escape of the compressed air.
If the position of this disc valve is reversed by the lowering of a fourth lever,
the compressed air is at once stopped from entering the interior of the valve and
the pressure on the outside of said valve collapses it with the effect herein before.
set forth, the air from the interior of said valve escaping through a channel into a,
tube and thence into the outer air.
The pressure chamber is supplied with air under pressure from an air receiver or
regulator that is actuated by a spring and receives air from a force pump or
bellows which is provided with suitable ports and valves, the air from said receiver
passing through a wind trunk through the sounding board into said chamber.
horizontal bar extending from the sounding board limits the expansion of the said
receiver.
A
When it is desired to manually operate the instrument the music sheet or strip
and the jacks or first levers are removed or elevated so as not to affect the
movement of the push-pins and the keys which are ordinary organ keys fixed
with their inner ends in contact with the outer ends of the third levers are
manipulated in the usual manner with organ keys.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th June 1882.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors,
6 Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS." A communication from abroad by Moses Harris, of the
City, County and State of New York.
This Invention relates to wind instruments which are manually operated upon
or are mechanically played or controlled by means of one or more strips or sheets of
paper or other suitable material perforated to represent tho different notes or
sounds it is desired to produce and caused to automatically pass over air ducts and
thereby control the action of the valves which determine the admission of air to
the reeds or pipes of the instrument, whereby said reeds or pipes are made to
produce musical sounds.
In certain mechanical musical instruments of this character the perforated sheets.
or strips are made to control the action of the valves or keys by means of a series
of jacks levers or key-moving fingers arranged on one side of said strip or sheet to
operate through the perforations of such strip or sheet upon a series of push pins
or key-moving rods arranged on the opposite side of said strip or sheet-But-this-
combination of devices is lacking in an essential element which would greatly
enhance its value by making it operate with invariable accuracy.
It is found, if the perforated sheet or strip from any cause fails to run truly, or
if the jacks or levers have any lateral movement whatever, that the noses of said
jacks will not fall through the perforations in the said strip or sheet, but will on
the contrary in such contingencies, remain resting on the said strip as it passes
beneath them and thereby fail to move the push pins to operate the valves, or if
they do pass through said perforations will fail to fall upon the heads of the
push pins.
This Invention consists in combining with the said jacks or levers and push pins
or key moving rods a laterally moving perforated block or bar that holds the upper
ends of the push-pins in its perforations and, at the same time, embraces the edges
of the perforated sheet or strip so that when the said sheet or strip moves laterally
the said block or bar will move synchronously with it holding the push-pins in
their proper relative positions with the perforations in the said strip or sheet.
And the Invention further consists in combination with the pressure chamber
and the sound producing devices of novel bellows valves arranged to close by
expansion from inward spring and air pressure, against the sound board bar and
thus shut off the air from the sounding pipes or reeds and to open the air passages
to them by collapse under exterior air pressure.
And it consists further in combination with said pressure chamber and bellows
valves or pallets of double action disc valves that determine or regulate the com-
munication between the pressure chamber and the interior of the bellows-valves or
pallets, and between said bellows valves or pallets and the open air; said disc-
valves being operated by suitable levers.
Fig. 1 is a partly sectional front elevation showing the improvements applied to
a pipe organ, on line x x Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation of the organ on line y y Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a partial sectional side elevation on line Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a partial sectional plan view in line ww Fig. 1.

page_text: In the Drawings A represents the sounding board from which projects at right
angles the fixed rail A¹ through which are vertical tubes or perforations a in
which the push pins B move up and down.
In the top of this rail A' is a groove or mortise b in which is fitted the bar or
block C so that it can easily slide laterally.
.
Into the perforations c in the said sliding block C the heads of the push pins B
are entered so that they may move with the said moving block C.
The raised edges c¹ on the ends of the block Care far enough apart to admit
between them the perforated music sheet or strip D which rests upon and is
designed to be drawn over the face of said block C being rolled upon one drum D
and from the other drum D' in the ordinary manner.
The width of said strip or sheet D is so nearly the same as the distance between
the block edges c that if said strip or sheet D in passing over the said block C
deviates laterally in the slightest degree it will move said block C with it and
consequently the heads of the push pins B so that the perforations c in the
block C and the push pins B will always be preserved in the same relativo
positions with the perforations in the strip or sheet D.
E E are jacks levers or key-moving fingers the rear ends of which are pivoted
as shown at d in a vertically moving frame E' that swings on a pin d' extending
from the sounding board A.
The front ends of these jacks or levers E E are provided with downwardly
projecting noses that are designed to rest on the strip or sheet D directly over
the perforations c of the block C so that as said strip or sheet D is moved along
the noses of said jacks or levers E fall by their own gravity through the
perforations in said strip or sheet D upon the tops of the push pins B and causo
the latter to operate to open the valves that regulate the admission of air to the
sounding devices.
To cause these jacks or levers E E to also preserve a constant relative position
to the perforations in the perforated music strip D and to the push-pins B, the box
or frame El, in which the said jacks or levers E E are pivoted, is provided on
either side with downward projecting ears f' whose inner faces--when the said
frame E' is down in position shown in Fig. 1, are in contact with the edges of
said music strip D so that the jacks or levers E and frame E' as well as the
sliding block C and tops of the push-pins B are moved laterally by and with the
said strip D and hence always preserve the same relative positions with each other
laterally so that the correct and effective action of each one of the parts is assured;
a stud f projecting from the sounding board A limits the downward movement of
the frame E¹.
When the instrument is in operation simply as a mechanical musical instrument
the falling of the jacks or levers E upon the push-pins B causes the latter in their
turn to depress the levers F that are pivoted on a post F and are held in
equilibrium by springs F moving between guide-pins S, which levers F operate
through their connecting pins g to move the levers G in turn, which through their
connecting pins h permit the levers H which are attached to the bottom of the
pressure chamber K to fall; which movement of the levers H allows the double
action disc-valves I to fall and close the upper ends of the tubes J that connect
the interior of the pressure chamber K with the outer air, and to open the lower
end of said tubes J whereby the air-pressure from the chamber K. into the bellows
valve L is cut off and the air from said bellows valve L permitted to escape into
the open air through the passage L' and tubo J while the pressure in the
chamber K presses upon the ribs of the bellows valve L and collapses it, which
has the effect of drawing down the bellows-valve top board and thereby
allowing the wind pressure in the chamber K to pass through the tubes N into
the organ pipes O and cause them to sound.
When a perforation in the music sheet or strip D has passed a jack or lever E
the said lever E is then raised from the corresponding push-pin B and the action

page_text: of the connected levers and valves is reversed so that the air pressure is shut off
from the organ pipes O.
A bellows valve or pallet L. consists of a small bellows formed with top and
bottom boards i connected with each other by flexible leathern ribs . The
upper side of the top board is covered with soft leather and forms the valve
which seats close against the under side of the sound-board bar P and it is kept
in this position when at rest, by a spring m which pushes upward from the fixed
bottom board k.
The back or tail end of the bottom board is hollow as shown at k¹ and is
fitted with a mortise k³ in the wind bar P¹ through which a channel or passage L'
is continued to the pressure chamber K through the communicating tube J.
The front end of the bottom board k is fixed sufficiently below the top
board to permit the distension of the bellows valve L nearly or quite to its full
extent.
The position of the double-disc valve I determines the communication between
the interior of the valve L and the pressure chamber K and the outside air.
In a position of rest the top disc n is open so that the compressed air from
the chamber K is inside of as well as around the valve L and of course by its
pressure, holds the top board i firmly against the sound board bar P. When
in this position the lower disc o is closed and prevents the escape of the com-
pressed air.
If the position of this disc-valve I is reversed by the lowering of a lever H the
compressed air is at once stopped from entering the interior of the valve L and
the pressure on the outside of said valve L collapses it with the effect hereinbefore
set forth the nir from the interior of said valve L escaping through the channel L'
into a tube J and thence into the outer air.
The pressure chamber K is supplied with air under pressure from an air receiver
or regulator Q that is actuated by spring t and receives air froni a force pump or
bellows Q which is provided with suitable ports and valves u-the air from said
receiver passing through a wind trunk Q2 through the sounding board A into
said chamber K, a horizontal bar R extending from the sounding board A limits
the expansion of the said receiver Q.
When it is desired to manually operate the instrument the music sheet or strip D
and the jacks or levers E E are removed or elevated so as not to affect the move-
ment of the push-pins B B and the keys S-which are ordinary organ keys fixed
with their inner ends in contact with the outer ends of the levers G-are manipu-
lated in the usual manner with organ keys.
Having thus described the Invention as communicated to me I claim as new and
desire to receive by Letters Patent :-
1st In a wind musical instrument the combination with a perforated music
sheet and jacks, levers, or key moving fingers arranged on one side of it and push
pins arranged on the side thereof, of a perforated block embracing said sheet
and movable laterally substantially as herein shown and described whereby a
lateral movement of the said music sheet is imparted to the said push pins as set
forth.
2nd In a wind musical instrument the combination with a perforated music
sheet or strip arranged between jacks, levers, or key moving rods on one side and
push-pins on the other side of a laterally movable box or frame holding said levers,
jack, or rods, and embracing the edges of said sheet or strips substantially as herein
shown and described, whereby the relative lateral positions of the said jacks or rods
and music sheet are preserved as set forth.
3rd In a wind musical instrument the combination with the perforated music
sheet or strip D and push-pins B of the gravity-operated jacks, levers or key-
moving fingers E substantially as and for the purpose described.
4th In a musical instrument adapted to be played by means of a perforated
music sheet which controls the operation of valves to its reeds pipes or other
Bounding devices, the combination with the jacks or levers E pivoted in pivoted

page_text: frame E of the moving, perforated block C, push-pins B and connected levers
and wind regulating valves F. G. H, and I. respectively substantially as herein
shown and described.
5th In a wind musical instruinent the combination with the air pressure
chamber K escape tubes J air passages L' and pipe connecting tubes N of the
bellows valve or pallet L having a spring m and arranged within said pressure
chamber against the mouths of the tubes N substantially as herein shown and for
the purpose described.
6th In a wind musical instrument constructed and adapted to be operated
mechanically or manually, the combination with the air pressure chamber K and
escape tube J of the bellows valve or pallet L enclosed in pressure chamber K
and provided with communicating supply and escape passage L' substantially as
herein shown and described.
7th In a wind musical instrument the combination with the air pressure
chamber and contained bellows valve or pallet regulating the passage of air through
or upon the pipes or other sounding devices and communicating supply and
escape air passages, of a double action disc-valve for regulating the admission
and escape of air from said bellows valve, substantially as herein shown and
described.
8th. In a wind musical instrument the combination with the keys S sounding
pipes and pressure chamber K of the levers GH, connecting pins h, double-
action disc-valves I and bellows valves or pallets L provided with suitable air-
supply and escape passages L¹ J, substantially as herein shown and described.
9th. In a wind musical instrument the combination with the air-pressure
chamber and the valves or pallets regulating the admission of air through or upon
the sounding devices of double action valves substantially as herein shown and
described.
In witness whereof I the said William Phillips Thompson have hereunto set
iny hand and seal this Twenty third day of June in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.