IMPROVE- MENTS IN PIANO-ORGANS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PIANO-ORGANS." A 'communication from abroad by the Firm of
Cäsaro, Donadoni, and Pohl, of Berlin, in the German Empire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th January 1882.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No. 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANO ORGANS." [A communi-
cation from abroad by the Firm of Cäsare, Donadoni, and Pohl, of Berlin, in the
German Empire.]
This invention relates to that description of piano organs in which the pins of
a barrel turned by hand actuates the ordinary hammer mechanism of a piano, and
the present improvements have for their object to enable such pianos to be played
upon both by means of the barrel and by the hands on the keys in the ordinary
manner.
For this purpose there is arranged beneath the part of each hammer lever
beyond the finger key a vertical rod the lower end of which rests on a lever
connected by another rod to a small bellows fixed on a horizontal air pipe, one end
of which communicates with a vertical main pipe or wind chest, into which air
under pressure is forced from a main bellows. There are a number of the horizontal
air pipes, one above the other connected to the wind chest, each pipe having a row
of the small bellows, so that although these are of much greater width than the
keys of the piano yet they are capable of being so arranged on the several
horizontal pipes that each key has its own bellows and actuating rod beneath it.
To each small bellows there is provided a valve closing an opening into the wind
pipe. To this valve is connected a vertical rod the upper end of which is situated
under the one end of a lever the other end of which carries a stud that is.
actuated by the pins on the barrel. Thus on the said lever being actuated by the
pins of the barrel it causes the rod to open the valve so as to admit air from the

page_text: wind pipe to the small bellows which in being raised, actuates the beforementioned
rods and levers connected thereto which in their turn actuate the corresponding
hammer lever of the piano, and the bellows in sinking again allows the rods and
levers to resume their former position this position being such that when the said
mechanism is not being actuated by the barrel, the hammer levers are free to be
actuated by the finger keys. Adjustable stops are provided for regulating the
height to which the bellows lift the levers that actuate the hammers.
For obtaining precision of action, particularly for notes of short duration, the
air admitted through the said valve does not pass directly into the bellows but into
a second chamber beneath it, in which is an opening communicating with the outer
air and closed by a second valve. This valve has a stem against which bears a pin
on the first valve when this is closed, but which is released as soou as this valve
opens. The result of this arrangement is that when the first valve opens to admit
air pressure to the second chamber and thence to the bellows, the second valve
closes the opening to the atmosphere, but as soon as the first valve closes, the
second valve opens and allows the air pressure to escape, causing the action of the
bellows on the hammer lever to cease. Both valves are kept in the closed position
by springs.
The barrel is rotated by a worm wheel and worm the spindle of which has
cranks that work the main bellows. In order to facilitate the removal of the
barrel for the introduction of a different one, the before mentioned levers carrying
the studs that are acted upon by the pins of the barrel are mounted on a pivotted
frame that can be raised up so as to move the levers out of the way when a new
barrel is to be inserted.
According to another improvement there is combined with the above described
arrangement mechanism whereby violin, flute or reed sounds may be made to
accompany the piano music. For this purpose the barrel is provided at any
convenient-point,-but-by- preference.at_the_two extreme ends with pins that act on
levers similar to those above described, which operate rods connected to valves on
a horizontal air pipe leading from the wind chest and carrying a number of organ
pipes or reeds, so that these are sounded on opening the valves. For producing
violin sounds a wire is employed bent so as to present its end to the mouth of an
ordinary organ pipe, so that the desired sound is produced by the vibration of the
wire. A slide or stop is provided for putting the last described mechanism in or
out of action.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th July 1882.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No. 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANO-ORGANS." A communication
from abroad by the Firm of Cäsare Donadoni and Pohl of Berlin in the German
Empire.
This Invention relates to that description of piano-organs in which the pins of a
barrel turned by hand actuate the ordinary hammer mechanism of a piano and
the present improvements have for their object to enable such pianos to be played
upon both by means of the barrel and by the hands on the keys in the ordinary
manner.
For this purpose there is arranged beneath the part of each hammer lever beyond
the finger key a vertical rod the lower end of which rests on a lever connected by
another rod to a small bellows fixed on a horizontal air pipe, one end of which
communicates with a vertical main pipe or wind-chest, into which air under
pressure is forced from a main hellows. There are a number of the horizontal air
pipes one above the other connected to the wind chest, each pipe having a row of
the small bellows, so that although those are of much greater width than the keys
of the piano yet they are capable of being so arranged on the several horizontal
pipes that cach key has its own bellows and actuating rod beneath it. To ench
small bellows there is provided a valve closing an opening into the wind pipe. To
this valve is connected a vertical rod the upper end of which is situated under the
one end of a lever the other end of which carries a stud that is actuated by the pins
on the barrel. Thus on the said lever being actuated by the pins of the barrel it
causes the rod to open the valve so as to admit air from the wind pipe to the small
bellows which, in being raised, actuates the before mentioned rods and levers
connected thereto, which in their turn actuate the corresponding hammer lever of
the piano, and the bellows in sinking again allows the rods and levers to resume
their former position, this position being such that when the said mechanism is not
being actuated by the barrel, the hammer levers are free to be actuated by the
finger keys. Adjustable stops are provided for regulating the height to which the
bellows lift the levers that actuate the hammers.
For obtaining precision of action, particularly for notes of short duration, the
air admitted through the said valve does not pass directly into the bellows, but
into a second chamber beneath it in which is an opening communicating with the
outer air and closed by a second valve. This valve has a stem against which bears
a pin on the first valve when this is closed, but which is released as soon as this
valve opens. The result of this arrangement is, that when the first valve opens to
admit air pressure to the second chamber and thence to the bellows, the second
valve closes the opening to the atmosphere, but as soon as the first valve closes,
the second valve opens and allows the air pressure to escape, causing the action of
the bellows on the hammer lever to cease. Both valves are kept in the closed
position by springs.
The barrel is rotated by a worm wheel and worm, the spindle of which has
cranks that work the main bellows. In order to facilitate the removal of the
barrel for the introduction of a different one, the before mentioned levers carrying
the studs that are acted upon by the pins of the barrel are mounted on a pivotted
frame that can be raised up so as to move the levers out of the way when a new
barrel is to be inserted.

page_text: According to another improvement there is combined with the above described
arrangement mechanism whereby violin, flute or reed sounds may be made to
accompany the piano music. For this purpose the barrel is provided at any
convenient point, but by preference at the two extreme ends, with pins that act on
levers similar to those above described, which operate rods connected to valves on
a horizontal air-pipe leading from the wind chest and carrying a number of organ
pipes or reeds, so that these are sounded on opening the valves. For producing
violin sounds a wire is employed, bent so as to present its end to the mouth of an
ordinary organ pipe, so that the desired sound is produced by the vibration of the
wire. A slide or stop is provided for putting the last described mechanism in or
Fig: 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a back view of the first hereinbefore
described mechanism with the key board. Fig: 2 shews a front view, Fig: 3 a
vertical section with the barrel, Fig: 4 an end view of the barrel with the crank 1
mechanism, Fig: 5 a front view of the same with the bellows. The apparatus
shewn in the drawings is arranged in the lower part of a pianino immediately in
front of the springs, in such manner that the heads of the pushing rods a a are
situated closely underneath the key levers, so that these can be actuated either by
means of these rods or by the finger keys when played upon by hand. The barrel A
is introduced through a side opening and can be adjusted at will by the arrange-
ment b Fig: 5 for playing any particular piece; it is rotated by the crank handle K
rotating a worm B gearing with teeth on the barrel, the shaft of the worm having
cranks E whereby at the same time the two bellows C and D are worked. The
air is propelled by these into the wind box F from which it passes through the
pipe G-into the passage-H.-From-this-passage branch. pipes, c. cl ce³ conduct the
wind into small bellows I above, each of which moves a thrust rod for actuating
the usual striking mechanism of the piano. As the bellows have a much greater
width than the keys they have to be arranged in four rows, the bellows for the
consecutive keys being placed in the consecutive rows, as indicated at Fig: 1, so;
that the consecutive bellows in each row correspond to every fourth key. Referring
to Fig: 3, the wind having entered the channel d, the valve g hereof, which is
kept closed by the spring his pressed open by the rod f actuated by the lever e
the other end of which carries a stud i that is actuated by the pins of the barrel.
The wind then passes through the opening k into a second passage above which
are arranged the bellows I communicating therewith by the openings O and O¹.
The passages and d are of course divided by partitions into separate compartments
each of which corresponds to one of the bellows. By the entrance of the wind the
bellows I is raised and in its turn raises the rod n by means of the arm m. The
rod n actuates the lever p which in its turn moves the thrust rod a that actuates
the hammer mechanism. The lever p also serves to regulate the stroke of the
bellows I, being limited in its stroke by the adjustable stop g. As under certain
circumstances, in particular with very short notes the valve y closes very rapidly,
a second valve r is provided in the passage, which permits of the escape of
the wind from the passage and bellows into the outer atmosphere through the
opening 8 as soon as the valve g is closed. The bellows I in this case sinks by
its own weight and that of the rod n, as the valve remains open by the action of
an arm t which rests upon an adjustable stud screwed into the valve g. If this
be opened the upper one sinks owing to the pressure of a small spring and thus
closes the communication between the bellows I and the outer air, so that the
entering wind can act thereon. In order to protect the pins of the barrel from
injury on its introduction into the piano, the bar w which carries the levers e can
turn on hinges at x, and is supported on two stops y. Fig: 6 shews a vertical
section and Fig: 7 a front view of the before described arrangement for combining
flute or violin sounds, with the ordinary string mechanism. For producing

page_text: violin sounds ordinary pipes are employed, above the mouths a (Fig: 6) of which
small brass plates b¹ are arranged in such manner as to be caused to vibrate by
the issuing air, thereby giving the peculiar tone required. The barrel A effects by
means of the lever e¹ and rod f¹ the movement of a valve g¹ which admits the air
pressure passing through passages H and into the separate compartments 1,
from which it passes into the respective pipes, if the slide x¹ be open. As the
levers e can only serve either for opening a pipe valve or for operating one of the
bellows I as before described, the pipe mechanism has been placed at the extreme
octave either to the right or to the left, or both, as these highest or lowest notes
are not generally used for dance music and the like. The corresponding end or
ends of the barrel is or are therefore provided with pins for actuating the pipes,
which can be put in or out of action by the slide x².
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner tho
same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents,
I claim
First. The use in Pianos or Pianinos of a series of bellows that work upwards,
and of which each one actuates the hammer mechanism of a particular tone by
means of a thrust-rod a, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Second. The arrangement of the pushing rods a in such manner that they operate
upon the hammer mechanism behind the end of the key, whereby both mechanisms
can work independently of each other, or both can be actuated at the same time.
Third. The use of pipes or harmonium reeds in combination with the mechanism
referred to in the previous claims, the valves of the pipes or reeds being operated
by the same barrel that works the piano mechanism, substantially as described
with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. of the drawings.
Fourth. The use in barrel pianinos of a barrel having at the middle part pins
for actuating the hammer mechanism while at one or both ends it is provided
with pins for actuating instruments such as pipes, harmonium reeds, drums, cymbals
and the like, substantially as herein described.
In Witness whereof I the said Charles Denton Abel have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twentieth day of July in the Year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.