An Improved Mechanism for Mechanically Played Musical Instruments.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1893-Accepted, 2nd June, 1893
An Improved Mechanism for Mechanically Played Musical
Instruments.
I, PHILIPP VON HERTLING of Rolls Chambers, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 relates to a mechanism for actuating the metallic teeth or tongues,
arranged in the form of a comb, of musical instruments operated by a travelling
note sheet and is designed to enable the striking wheels to be driven direct from
note sheets provided with perforations all of which are of one simple form.
The novel feature of the invention consists in that the striking wheels, which are
pressed by a spring so as to cause the teeth of the same to bear against the note
sheet, are mounted to turn and move with play upon a rod or spindle, so that in
addition to a turning movement, they may also perform an up and down movement.
Hitherto the striking wheels have been mounted so as to be capable of turning
round upon their axes only, and were acted on by a spring which tended to turn
the wheel round on its axis, the consequence being that when a tooth of a striking
wheel was about to be pressed or slid out of a note perforation the spring at once
acted to turn the striking wheel quickly round upon its axis so that the next
following tooth of the same was driven forcibly against the note sheet thereby
occasioning a disturbing noise. In the mechanism of this invention this evil is
removed by mounting the striking wheel so as to be displaceable when in contact
with the note sheet and by applying the spring not so as to have a tendency to
turn the wheel round but so as to keep it pressed against the note sheet.
In the drawing
Figs. 1 and 2 are sectional side views of the mechanism in different positions.
a is the striking wheel mounted on rod or spindle d common to all the striking
wheels. The bore a¹ of the wheel is considerably larger than the diameter of the
rod on which it is carried so that not only may the wheel turn on its axis but also
be displaceable thereon. b is a spring so fixed underneath the wheel frame that it
tends to press the striking wheel against the note sheet. This latter therefore glides
over the teeth of the wheel as shewn in Fig. 1. If now upon the forward travel of the
note sheet a note perforation in the same arrives over a tooth, say tooth 1, of the
striking wheel, this tooth will be pressed into it in consequence of the pressure
exercised by spring b against the wheel which at the same tine is lifted up. Upon
the further travel of the note sheet it carries tooth 1 with it thereby turning striking
wheel a round on its axis so that tooth 3 strikes steel tooth c. Tooth 1 is then slid
or pressed out of the note perforation striking wheel a being at the same time
pressed downwards and so turned round that tooth 5 is brought to bear against
the note sheet and bring spring b to tension.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
In mechanically played musical instruments of the kind referred to, a striking
mechanism in which the teeth of the striking wheel a are caused to engage in
perforations of the note sheet by the action of a spring b in the manner that the

page_text: striking wheel mounted on its bearer so as to have play thereon, is pressed by
spring 6 against the note sheet, substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 21st day of April 1893.
CAPITAINE & VON HERTLING,
89, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.