Improvements in Apparatus for Re-producing Tunes in Musical Boxes or other Musical Instruments of a similar kind.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Re-producing Tunes in Musical
Boxes or other Musical Instruments of a similar kind.
I, ELLIS PARR, of Long Lane, Aldersgate Street in the City of London,
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR RE-PRODUCING TUNES IN MUSICAL BOXES OR OTHER MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS OF A SIMILAR KIND" to be as follows:-
My invention relates more especially to musical boxes in which the revolution of
a barrel provided with projecting pins suitably arranged produces tunes corre-
sponding with such arrangement of the pius by the action of the latter upon the
free ends of tongues or springs properly tuned, and fixed at their other ends.
It has for its object a novel method of making and arranging the surface of the
barrel and the pins carried upon such surface, so that the tunes played by their
contact with the vibrating musical tongues may be readily and quickly changed as
and when desired.
In order to put my invention into operation, I take a strip of leather, cardboard,
or other sufficiently flexible material, and I puncture this strip with holes into
which I then insert pins of wire or other suitable material.
When the pins have been so inserted, I take the flexible strip which carries them
and I wind or wrap it round the periphery of the barrel of the musical box, in
which periphery no pins are fixed, the diameter of the barrel having been turned
down or reduced so that when the flexible strip has been wrapped round it the
wire pins are in the proper position when the barrel revolves to strike the vibrating
springs in the proper sequence and combination to produce the desired tune for
which the pins have been arranged.
I prefer to make the flexible strip of such length that when wrapped round the
cylinder its ends meet, and I fix it in its position by screws or clamps or other
equivalent means.
Sometimes, however, instead of fixing the strip to the surface of the barrel,
I make it of considerably greater proportional length, and I make it pass over the
surface of the barrel only, it being afterwards coiled round or stretched upon the
surface of one or more additional barrels or cylinders suitably arranged. In this
method of construction it will be seen that the strip may be of any desired length,
and it is only stretched over the surface of the principal barrel whilst its pins are
operating upon the vibrating tongues.

page_text: The strip may either be endless, or its free end may be re-introduced to the
cylinders by means of which it is stretched over the surface of the barrel, after its
full length has passed over the latter; and the tune will then recommence.
By my invention ordinary musical boxes, though having one barrel only, may be
readily made to play any tune, and the removal of one of the flexible strips with
its properly arranged pins, and the substitution of a different one can be very
quickly and easily accomplished.
The invention may be applied not only to ordinary musical boxes, but to organs
playing either upon strings or pipes, or with little modification it may be adapted
to mechanical pianos, the pins operating upon the mechanism by which such
strings or pipes are sounded, instead of upon vibrating tongues, and in such cases
a flexible surface provided with pins as described may sometimes be used and
made to pass through the instrument instead of a revolving barrel as first
described.
The flexible strip may be of leather, indiarubber, thin wood, cardboard, canvas
cemented, or any other suitable material and the pins may be of any metal or
other suitable material, proferably insorted from the back and provided with heads
by which when passed round the barrel described they are held sufficiently rigidly
in their places.
Or, instead of pins, projecting tongues may be formed by cutting or punching
out of the flexible strip, to which they are left attached at one end, the tongues
being then turned up at right angles to the surface of the strip. Or the material
may be punched or pressed from the back so as to form protuberances upon the
front of the strip which act upon the vibrating tongues or other mechanism
described.
•
Dated this 11th day of December 1884
EDWARDS & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Re-producing Tunes in Musical
Boxes or other Instruments of a similar kind.
I, ELLIS PARR, of Long Lane, Aldersgate Street, in the City of London,
Merchant, 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, and accompanying Drawing, that is to say :-
My invention relates more especially to musical boxes of the ordinary well
known kind, in which the revolution of a barrel provided with projecting pins
suitably arranged produces tunes corresponding with the particular arrangements
of the pins, by the action of the latter upon the free ends of vibrating tongues or
springs properly tuned and fixed at their other ends..

page_text: My improved apparatus has for its object a novel method of making and
arranging the surface of the barrel and the pins carried upon such surface, so that
they can be readily removed, replaced, or changed, the particular tunes produced or
played by the action of the pins upon the vibrating tongues being thus also readily
and quickly changed as and when desired.
For this purpose I take a strip or sheet of leather, cardboard, or other sufficiently
flexible but stiff material, and I puncture this strip or sheet with holes into which
I insert in their proper places pins of metallic wire or other suitable material.
When the pins have been so inserted, I take the strip or sheet which carries them,
and I wind or wrap it carefully round the periphery of the barrel of the musical
box, in which barrel no pins or studs of any kind are fixed, its diameter having
been turned down or reduced to such a size that when the flexible strip or sheet
has been wrapped round it the wire pins remain adjusted in the proper position
when the barrel is made to revolve, to, strike the vibrating tongues in the proper
sequences and combinations to produce the desired tune for which the pins have
been arranged.
The flexible strip or sheet is preferably of such length that when wrapped round
the barrel its ends meet, and it may be fixed in its position by screws, clips or other
equivalent means.
In the accompanying drawing, which is in illustration of my invention, figure 1
represents the barrel of an ordinary musical box, a being the barrel turned down
to such a diameter that when a flexible strip or sheet b, shewn in figure 4, provided
with projecting pins in the proper positions, is wrapped tightly round the barrel a
as shewn in figures 2 and 3, its ends meet and can be held in position by a hori-
zontal plate and screws, or other fastening, at c.
Instead of fixing the flexible sheet to the plain surface of the barrel in the
manner described and shewn, it may be made of considerably greater length in
proportion to its width, and arranged so that it does not surround the barrel, but
passes over one part of its surface only, such part of the barrel being adjusted in
close proximity to the vibrating tongues which are to be struck and sounded, so
that the pins operate upon them at the part of the strip which is supported by the
barrel, the remaining part being coiled loosely round or stretched upon the surface
of one or more additional barrels, and it may be either endless so that it continues
to operate upon the tongues as long as the cylinder is made to rotate and to draw
the strip forward, or the leading end of the strip may be introduced into the
apparatus and fed over the surface of the barrel until its entire length has passed
through, when it can be re-introduced or a fresh one substituted. Guides and
stretching cylinders are arranged where necessary to ensure the accurate passage of
the strip and the proper contact of the pins with the tongues.
The flexible strip may be of leather, india rubber, thin wood, cardboard, canvas
cemented, or other suitable material, and the pins are of metal or of other suitable
material, inserted from the back and provided with heads by which when passed
round the barrel as described they are held sufficiently rigidly in their places; or
they may be fixed by any other convenient equivalent means.
Instead of separate pins inserted as described, projecting tongues may be formed,
as illustrated in figure 5, by cutting or punching them out of the flexible strip or
sheet, of metal or other material capable of being so treated, to which they are left
attached at one end as shewn, the tongues being then turned up at right angles to
the surface of the strip so as to form projections which strike the vibrating
tongues. Or, the sheet may be punched or pressed up from the back, as illustrated
in figure 6, in order that protuberances may be formed on its surface which serve
to strike the vibrating tongues as required.
The cylindrical surface of the barrel carrying the pins or projections by which
the vibrating tongues are struck, may be itself removeable and changeable without
the use of a separate flexible sheet. In figures 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, the barrel a of a
musical box is shewn revolving upon a spindle d, and a separate hollow cylinder
is shewn at b which can be fitted endways upon the barrel a. This hollow cylinder b

page_text: may be of woed, metal, or other suitable material, and its periphery is provided
with pins properly arranged as shewn, so that when it is fitted upon the barrel and
the latter is made to revolve the corresponding tune is played, whilst to change the
tune the hollow cylinder b is slipped off and another having its pins properly
arranged for a desired tune, is substituted for it.
In order to facilitate the removal and replacing of the hollow cylinders, the
spindle d upon which the barrel a revolves, is shown strongly supported at one end
only, so that the hollow cylinder b can be withdrawn or replaced endways without
interfering with the remainder of the apparatus.
This method of arrangement is more especially applicable to small instruments
having comparatively short barrels.
The hollow cylinder b may be of any desired thickness, or the entire barrel a
may be made removeable in the way described, the pins being fixed upon its cir-
cumference without the addition of a separate hollow external cylinder.
By my invention ordinary musical boxes, though having one barrel only, may be
readily made to play any tune or any number of tunes, and the removal of one of
the moveable surfaces having its properly arranged pins, and the substitution of
another having a different set of pins, can be very quickly and easily accomplished.
The details of the mechanism and apparatus by which the invention is put in
operation, and the materials of which the several parts are composed may be varied
more or less to suit different circumstances, and the invention may be applied not
only to musical boxes but to organs playing either upon strings or pipes; or with
little modification it may be adapted to mechanical pianos, the pins operating upon
the mechanism by which such strings or pipes are sounded, instead of upon
vibrating tongues, and in such cases a flat removeable and changeable surface
provided with pins as described may sometimes be used and made to pass through
the instrument instead of a revolving barrel as described and shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The removeable and interchangeable strip, sheet, or cylinder b provided with
pins, projections, or protuberances, arranged and operating substantially as and for
the purposes described and shewn in the drawing.
Dated thi 11th
100