Improvements in Planos.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th July, '894-Accepted, 18th Aug., 1994
Improvements in Planos.
I, HERMAN WAGNER, Piano Manufacturer of 102 Rothebühlstrasse, Stuttgart
in the Empire of Germany, 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 has for its object a piano in which the board carrying the keys
is rotatable about a horizontal axis in such a manner that when the piano is in use
the board can be let down and when out of use it can be folded back against the
front of the instrument. In the latter position there is no portion projecting at
the front so that the piano has the appearance of a cupboard suitable for artistic
decoration and takes up less space. Moreover there is no longer any necessity of
a lid to shut down on the keys, for the key board in its closed position shuts
directly against the front of the piano, just as the raised flap of a secretaire
wardrobe. The novel contrivance is such that the keyboard on being let down
spaces are at the same time left free which spaces allow the full tone of the piano
to come into play and that further by the aid of a pedal partially raising the
keyboard it is rendered possible to attain pianissimo to absolute dumb play.
In the annexed drawings-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the novel piano with the keyboard open.
Figure 2 is a side elevation.
Figure 3 is a section of the same the arrangements for setting the parts covering
the sound openings at work being shown in full lines the fixed mechanism being
shown in dots.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the piano shut i.e. with the keyboard folded
back.
and
Figure 5 is a section similar to Figure 3 but with the piano in this position,
Figure 6 shows diagrammatically the connection between the dumb pedal and the
keyboard.
The board a carrying the keys b, turns on trunnions c fixed in the sides of the
piano case. When the keyboard is turned into the vertical position (Figures 4
and 5) its edges come into contact with stops so that further turning in this
direction is made impossible. The upper or front edge of the keyboard then lies
against the under edge of a slide e, which is guided in side grooves d; the slide e
when the keyboard is brought forward out of the position shown partially covers
the opening above the keys, and at the same time leaves free an upper sound
opening (Figure 1). Moreover a small sound opening z remains beneath the
slide e.
For the purpose of causing the slide e to shift upon the closing of the keyboard,
the former is connected on each side to the inner or under end of the board a by
a strap, which passes over a roller h. When therefore the keyboard is brought
into the position shown in Figure 3 the inner points of attachment of the straps
turn upwards a quarter of a circle, the straps therefore on the other side of the
roller are so loosened that the slide e can move down by its own weight, and take
the position shown in Figure 3. This uncovers a gap u above the slide producing
a sound opening, and at the same time a sound opening vis formed under the key-
board a, since the portion a' of the keyboard beneath the horizontal axis reaches
inwards as shown in Figure 1. The said piece a³ finally in the opening movement
comes into contact with a stop i (or two side stops) as shown in dots in Figure 2,
whereupon the keyboard is held by its weight in its proper working position..

page_text: As will be seen by comparing Figures 3 and 5, the opening of the keyboard into
its working position moves the end of each key into contact with the mechanism
operating the hammers. When shut the keyboard takes such a position in front of
the mechanism that the ends of the keys do not come into contact with it.
In Figures 3 and 5, it is also shown, how letting down the keyboard can at the
same time move a rod, which causes the partial raising of the lid of the piano and
the consequent enlargement of the sound opening u. The rod k is flexibly con-
nected with the underside of the piano lid, it is loosely guided by a piece l, and its
free end lies in the path of an abutment o on the inner end of the keyboard. When
the latter therefore is moved in the direction of the arrow in Figure 5, the rod k
is lifted and the piano top correspondingly opened (see Figures 2 and 3).
As before explained the ends of the keys are only in working position against
the mechanism operating the hammers when in the position shown in Figure 3. It
follows that any lifting of the front of the keyboard removes the ends of the
keys from the mechanism and so impedes the production of sound. This circum-
stance is utilized for the arrangement of a pedal in the way shown in Figure 6.
The dumb pedal stop, or the rod p connected with the pedal, carries at its upper
end (which is guided by a fixed pin s) a forward projecting nose 9 which forms a
stop for the inner end of the board a just as the fixed part i seen in Figure 2 does.
When therefore the pedal n is depressed against the action of a spring to a certain
extent, it by means of the abutment 9 causes the outer end of the keyboard to be
raised correspondingly increasing the distance of the ends of the keys from the
mechanism whereby piano play is rendered possible. By further depression of the
pedal pianissimo to complete dumb play is produced, for finally the keys when
struck no longer reach the mechanism.
There is still to remark that the upward movement of the slide has the further
effect of concealing the mechanism from the player, so that he is not troubled by
the sight of the moving parts. Above e only the tuning board and the upper
strings are visible. The three large sound openings at vz and u and at the top of
the piano greatly increases the sound of the instrument so that a fullness of tone is
attained nearly equal to that of a grand piano.
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 :-
1. The combination with a piano with folding keyboard of the slide e substan-
tially as described.
2. The method of actuating the slide e substantially as described.
3. The method of raising the lid of the piano by the rod k substantially as
described.
4. Regulating the amount of sound produced by raising the keyboard more or less
substantially as described.
5. Pianos substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 10th day of July 1894.
HERMAN WAGNER,
Piano Manufacturer, Stuttgart.