Improvement in Pianos,
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1891-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1891
DIEVITICATION.
Improvement in Pianos,
I, WILHELM BIEGER of 47 Kaserneustrasse, Stuttgart, 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 relates to pianos and has for its purpose to enhance the sonorous
effect thereof by reducing the rather large empty space, lying direct above the
hammers between the front side and cover of the casing and the sound board, to a
minimum by inserting a niche, whereby the vibrations produced by the striking of
the hammers on the strings act more powerfully within the space thus narrowed
and are moreover allowed to leave the instrument in front direct by means of
"closeable "apertures provided in the bottom side of the niche.
Reference being had to the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a cross section and
Fig. 2 a front view of a piano with the improved device applied thereto.
The niche N is open on the front side of the piano and closed above by the lid d of
the piano in the rear by the vertical or somewhat inclined side n' lying direct before
the tuning pins and at the bottom by the horizontal or also somewhat inclined
side n² lying direct above the hammer line. This bottom side ² of the niche N is
provided either with large sound openings adapted to be closed or with single
Haps equal in number to the keys of the piano, the respective flap being opened
simultaneously with the striking of the hammer and allowing the sound produced
direct below the flap to leave the piano casing immediately, while the niche N serves
to strengthen the sound.
The automatic opening of the flaps & is effected by rods a provided at the end of
lever and having its guiding in a suitably placed rail c. The flaps k close by their
own weight or by small springs pressing thereon.
A principal advantage of the niche arrangement and of the improvement in the
sound action produced thereby consists in the circumstance that the piano casing
does not require to be made higher or deeper, as only an insertion and no building
up takes place and that the cost of manufacture is the same as with any ordinary
piano, except when single flaps are employed in which case the additional expense
is not considerable. Also existing pianos can be supplied, without any expense to
speak of, with my niche arrangement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In pianos, the reduction of the space for the mechanism characterised by the
insertion of a niche (N) with open front side, the top side being formed by the
lid (d) of the casing, the rear side by a board (n') lying direct before the tuning
pins and the bottom side by a board (n³) lying direct above the hammer line and
provided either with "closeable" sound openings or with a closing flap for each
key which flap automatically opens with the striking of the key and closes at the
termination thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 21st day of Jul❤ 1901
WILHELM BIEGER.
By Huelser & Co.,
His Agents.