Improvements in or relating to Musical Boxes and the like.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 17th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Musical Boxes and the like.
I AUGUST SCHMIDT of Katharinenstrasse Leipzig in the Empire of Germany
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention to, be as follows:-
This invention relates to mechanical musical instruments usually known as musical
boxes in which sounds are produced by the tripping of vibrating tongues and the
object of the invention is to construct an instrument of this description capable of
being played by a slotted or perforated music sheet in place of a pin barrel such as
has been heretofore employed and thus capable of playing a practically unlimited
number of tunes. To this end the improvement substantially consists in a series of
trip levers adapted to be operated by slots in the music sheet for the tripping of the
respective tongues. A further improvement lies in the manner of damping the
vibration of the tongues.
The levers are provided with noses adapted to catch under or over the respective
tongues so that the depression or deflection of the lever by the passage of a slot or
sign in the music sheet causes the tripping of the tongue.
Near to each said nose is a damper adapted to lie upon the tongue and damp the
vibrating, therefore sounding, thereof.
Suitable stops, guides, or deflecting planes are provided whereby the lever avoids
the tongue on its return stroke to rest.
TOLL Ja of To 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Musical Boxes and the like.
I, AUGUST SCHMIDT of Markt. 8, Leipzig, 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 mechanical instruments usually known as musical boxes
in which sounds are produced by the tripping of vibrating tongues and the object of
the invention is to construct an instrument of this description capable of being played
by a slotted or perforated music sheet in place of a pin-barrel such as has been here-
tofore employed and thus capable of playing a practically unlimited number of
tunes. To this end the improvement substantially consists in a series of trip levers
adapted to be operated by slots in the music-sheet for the tripping of the respective
tongues. A further improvement lies in the manner of damping the vibration of the
tongues.
Referring to the accompanying drawings:
Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5 are sectional elevations of one of the tongues trip lever and
parts adjacent thereto in different positions, Fig. 2 is also a sectional elevation of
several of said trip levers as seen from the tongue side.
Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a modification.
Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 another modification showing more particularly the improved
manner of damping.
Figs. 12, 13, 14 third modification with dampers and Figs. 15, 16 and 17 a fourth
modification also with dampers. These modifications differ only in the shape of the
*trip-lever and the relative arrangement of the tongue and other parts hereinafter
described.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the figures.
p. represents one of a series of tongues adapted to vibrate when tripped and emit
sound in the known manner.-In front of each tongue p is placed a trip lever A
having the nose i adapted to impinge upon the point of the tongue p as hereinafter
described. B represents a floor or base board of a typical instrument.-C the cover
thereof, E a music sheet of circular or other known form having the slots F
therein.
The upper ends of the levers A project through a slit in the cover and impinge
with a certain pressure on the music sheet, said pressure being produced by springs h
upon the lower ends g or elsewhere on the levers.-The face of the lever A opposed to
the advancing music sheet is bevelled to form an inclined plane 6 and the opposite
edge a of the lever may or may not be levelled; the face 6 however preferably makes
a more or less sharp angle with the face a.
The bevelling may be plain as in Figs. 1 to 7 or curved as in Figs. 8 to 11. The
levers A are pivoted on a rail e passing through elongated slots f in a cross piece d
so that the requisite longitudinal movement is not impaired but only limited thereby
and the levers are permitted a certain amount of rotary movement. On each lever A

page_text: is also formed an inclined plane m and a relatively stationary abutment is combined
therewith; said plane and abutment being so contrived that as the lever is depressed
a rotary movement is given to the upper end thereof in a direction contrary to the
advancing music sheet.
The function of this mechanism with reference to Figs. 1 to 7 is as follows, the
mechanism being in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the point of the lever A abutting
on the material of the music-sheet, the latter is set in movement in the direction of
the arrow and the front edge n of a music slot passes over the point of the lever,
the lever A then moves upwards under the action of the spring h suddenly, if the
edge a is perpendicular to the music sheet (Figs. 6 and 7) or slowly if the said face
is inclined thereto, the lever in passing upward will be so held by the spring g that the
nose i passes free of the point of the tongue p. It will be understood that a suitable
rail k limits the rearward swing of the lever A. The lever A having thus arrived in
the position shown in Fig. 3, the rear edge o of the slot in the music sheet impinges
on the inclined surface band first moves the lever A on its pivot e so as to bring the
nose i over the tongue p and this rotative movement of the lever continues until the
face of the lever below the inclined plane m arrives against the abutment 7 (Fig. 4).
The further advance of the music sheet depresses the lever while holding it with the
plane m sliding on the abutment 1, the nose i impinges on the tongue p and moves off
the point thereof with sudden release of pressure whereby the tongue is left free
to vibrate and emit sound and the lever A following the direction given by the
abutment arrives in the position shown in Fig. 1. The time during which the
nose i rests on the tongue p determines the amount of deflection of the latter and
therefore the loudness of the sound given when the tongue is tripped, and this
time is adjustable according to the position of the abutment ; the said abutment
is therefore preferably a set screw capable of easy adjustment and the rail q (which
may be part with the rail k) carrying all the screws 1, is also adjustable, so that
the whole instrument may be simply adjusted for loud or soft playing.
The modification shown in Figs. 12, 13 and 14 differs from the movements
given to the lever A and the transferring of one of the functions of the abutment 7
to the spring h. The slotf of the lever A is substantially parallel to the music-sheet
in place of perpendicular thereto as heretofore, thus the abutment of the rear face of
the music slot on the plane 6 moves the lever longitudinally forward until said
movement is limited by the abutment on the plane m; further movement of the
music-sheet then moves the lever about its pivot e. If the plane m were inclined
the downward movement thereof on the abutinent would cause the lever A to move
back during its downward rotary movement but in this modification the plane m is
not so inclined and the spring h returns the lever by a more or less sudden move
ment into the position shown in Fig. 12. The passage f¹ to the slot f is for con-
venience in inserting or removing the levers A. Since the downward movement of the
point of the lever A causes in this case the upward movement of the nose i, the latter
may catch under the tongue as in fig. 14 during the upward and forward movement of
the point and trip the same during the rearward and downward movement of the
point. The nose i may likewise catch over the tongue as in figs. 15, 16, and 17 it will
then trip the latter during the upward movement of the point of the lever into the
music slot.
The improved manner of damping consists in providing at or near the nose i on
the lever A a brush or hair or tag of hairy material or the like D adapted to arrive
and rest upon the point of the tongue p and damp the vibrations thereof. In Figs. 8
and 9 the said tag D projects beyond the nose i in contact therewith and during the
upward movement of the lever A, abuts upon the under side of the tongue p and
remains in contact therewith during the upward position of the lever A; in figs. 10
and 11 the tag D does not project beyond the nose i and normally lies directed away
therefrom; in this case the tag impinges on the upper side of the tongue p when the
lever A is in the position shown in Fig. 10. In Figs. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 it is
likewise arranged in a relation to the nose somewhat similar to the arrangement shown
in Figs. 8 and 9.

page_text: With this damper it will be noticed that in Figs. 8 to 14 the damper is applied
during the entrance of the lever point into the note slot, and the note sounded on the
said point leaving note slot.
Whereas in Figs. 15 to 17 the note is sounded at the entrance of the lever point
into the note slot, and is damped on the said point leaving the note slot.
In the first case therefore the length of solid music sheet between slots regulates
the duration of the sound, while in the second case the length of the slot determines
the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
In mechanical music instruments :
1.) The combination with a series of tongues adapted to vibrate of a series of
levers having noses i adapted to trip said tongues and dampers D adapted to arrest
the vibration of said tongues substantially as set forth.
2.) The combination with a series of tongues adapted to vibrate, of a series of
levers having noses adapted to impinge on deflect and trip said tongues, together with
a series of individually and collectively adjustable abutments adapted by restriction of
said levers to limit the deflection of the tongues for the purpose set forth.
3.) The combination of a series of tongues with a series of pivoted levers A
having noses i planes m inclined planes 6 and slots f; abutments 7 and springs h
substantially as set forth.
1
1000