PNEUMATIC LEVERS 4
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Carling of Hitchin in the County of Herts for
an Invention of
PNEUMATIC LEVERS
4
IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING
"
OF ORGANS
THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Carling at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th August 1882.
WILLIAM CARLING of Hitchin in the County of Herts
APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE PNEUMATIC LEVERS OF ORGANS
"
"
IMPROVEMENTS IN
My invention relates to the construction and arrangement of apparatus for
working pneumatic levers such as are employed in organs for moving the larger
valves and stops. For this purpose I provide a chamber or vessel in which a
partial vacuum is formed and maintained by an exhausting bellows, pump, or
otherwise. From this chamber I make a passage leading to a number of ports
corresponding with the number of pneumatic levers that are to be worked, and
beside each of those ports I form another port connected by a pipe or passage to
one of the pneumatic levers. Over each pair of ports I fit a slide having a cavity
in its middle part and I connect this slide by suitable levers and rods with one
of the keys or pedals or stop handles of the organ, so that on depressing the key
or pedal or moving the stop handle the slide is shifted to such a position that
its cavity puts the two ports into communication with one another. When this
occurs, air immediately passes from the pneumatic lever connected with the one of
the ports to the vacuum chamber and the pneumatic lever collapses, moving the
valve or stop connected to it. When the key pedal or handle is allowed to rise or
return, the slide connected to it moves back still covering the port leading to the
vacuum chamber but uncovering the port leading to the pneumatic lever so that
air can return to the lever allowing it to become distended and the valve or stop
that had been moved by it to return to its former position. When very rapid.
return movement of the pneumatic lever is desired, the slide may be arranged to
put into communication with its port a third port supplied with air under pressure
from the wind chest of the organ, or all the slides may be enclosed in a case in
communication with the wind chest.
"

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Carling in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
February 1883.
WILLIAM CARLING of Hitchin in the County of Herts. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE PNEUMATIC LEVERS OF ORGANS
"
My invention relates to the construction and arrangement of apparatus for
working pneumatic levers such as are employed in organs for moving the larger
valves and stops. For this purpose, I provide a chamber or vessel in which a
partial vacuum is formed and maintained by an exhausting bellows, pump, or
.otherwise. From this chamber I make a passage leading to a number of ports
corresponding with the number of pneumatic levers that are to be worked, and
beside each of those ports I form another port connected by a pipe or passage to
one of the pneumatic levers. Over each pair of ports I fit a slide having a cavity
in its middle part and I connect this slide by suitable levers and rods with one of
the keys or pedals or stop handles of the organ, so that, on depressing the key or
pedal or moving the stop handle, the slide is shifted to such a position that its
When this occurs,
cavity puts the two ports into cominunication with one another.
air immediately passes from the pneumatic lever connected with the one of the
'ports to the vacuum chamber, and the pneumatic lever collapses, moving the valve
or stop connected to it. When the key pedal or handle is allowed to rise or
return, the slide connected to it moves back, still covering the port leading to the
vacuum chamber, but uncovering the port leading to the pneumatic lever, so that
air can return to the lever allowing it to become distended and the valve or stop
that had been moved by it to return to its former position. When very rapid
return movement of the pneumatic lever is desired, the slide may be arranged to
put into communication with its port a third port supplied with air under pressure
from the wind chest of the organ, or all the slides may be enclosed in a case in
communication with the wind chest.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews one of set of organ keys, arranged
to act on a large valve or pallet through a pneumatic lever worked by partial
vacuum under control of a slide according to my invention. A is the key which
may be connected either directly, or through such pulls and levers B and C as may
be necessary for convenience of arrangement, to a slide D which governs two
ports E and F, the one opening from a channel or trunk G, in which a partial
vacuum is maintained, and the other leading by a pipe or channel H to a small
bellows K which operates as a pneumatic lever to work a large valve or pallet L.
In the position shewn of the slide D, the aperture F is open to the air and the
pneumatic lever K is inert. On depressing the key A the slide D is moved
towards the left so as to put the ports E and F into communication with one
another. The pneumatic lever K being now subjected to exhaust, collapses,
opening the valve L. On releasing the key A the slide D is moved back by a
spring and the port F being again opened to the air, the valve L is free to
close, expanding the bellows K. It is to be understood that the channel or trunk G
extends lengthwise along the row of keys having a number of ports such as E
governed by slides such as D arranged side by side, one for each of the keys A.
Instead of a slide such as is shown in Fig. 1; a sliding valve may be employed, as
shewn in Fig. 2, this valve consisting of a cylindrical stem M with longitudinal
grooves along it, and with a facing of leather or other suitable packing at each end,
to seat on either end of a tube N in which the stem is guided free to slide. When
the trunk G is charged with compressed instead of rarefied air, the slide valve may

page_text: be modified as shewn in Fig 3, where the grooved cylindrical stein M has its
leather facings made to project over the ends of the tube N. Fig. shews the
arrangement which I adopt for working a stop slide by the action of exhaust on a
double pneumatic lever K connected to the stop slide O. On pulling or pushing
the knob P the slide D is moved so as to put one or other of the ports F or F¹ in
communication with the exhaust trunk G. These two ports communicate by
tubes or channels ff' respectively with the two compartments of the double
pneumatic lever K, one or other of which is caused to collapse, pulling or pushing
the stop slide O as the case may be.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim :-
For working the pneumatic levers of organs, the use of slide valves governing
ports, whereby tubes or channels leading to the pneumatic levers can be put in
communication with with a trunk or channel, in which the air is rarefied or
compressed, substantially as herein described.
In Witness whereof, I the said William Carling have hereunto set my hand
and seal this ninth day of February in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-three.
W. CARLING (LS.)