Improvements in Keyboard Musical Instruments.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Keyboard Musical Instruments.
I, JOHN FRANKLIN BLACK, of Columbus, in the County of Cherokee, and State
of Kansas, United States of America, Gentleman. 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in keyboard instruments such as organs
and the like the object being to provide means whereby the pitch of the instrument
may be varied in half-tone steps to provide for the accommodation of the instrument
to the pitch of the voice or instrument with which the former is to be used, said
change of pitch being accomplished by a relative re-arrangement of the keyboard
with relation to the portions of the action of the instrument with which the keys
co-operate.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following
description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the
appended claims.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a keyboard constructed in accordance
with my invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the keyboard frame and attachments showing
portions of keys arranged thereon.
Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view to show the means for imparting longitudinal
movement to the frame.
Similar nunerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of
the drawing.
The keyboard embodies in its construction a laterally movable frame 1 which
may be provided with front and rear guide-pins 2 and 3 upon which the keys 4
are mounted, said keys being arranged at intermediate points in operative relation
with the usual pegs 5 for communicating motion to the air-valves. Any suitable
means for guiding this movable frame may be employed, the construction illustrated
in the drawings embodying a stationary open fraine & secured by means of retaining
screws, or their equivalents, to the frame of the instrument, the movable frame
being provided with clips 7 which are fitted to slide upon the front and rear
parallel bars of the stationary guide-frame 6.
In practice I prefer to employ means for automatically returning the movable
frame to a normal position, such means, for instance, as springs 8, whereby when
released the movable frame and hence the keyboard will be returned to a
predetermined position to give what may be termed the normal pitch of the
instrument; and also in connection with this movable frame I employ means for
imparting motion thereto against the tension of the sail returning devices con-
sisting of the above described springs, or their equivalents.
In the drawing
I have illustrated a slide 9 mounted for movement in the stationary guide frame 6
transverse to the direction of movement of the keyboard Fraine 1, and provided
with a beveled or cam face 10 to co-operate with a similar beveled or cam face 11
on the keyboard frame, whereby when the slide is moved forwardly, as by drawing
a stop 12 to which it is adapted to be connected, the frame will be moved to the
left or against the tension of the returning devices to bring the keys opposite or
in operative relation with different air-valve pegs.
Also, I may when it is desired to provide a still greater variety of pitches employ

page_text: an auxiliary slide 13 mounted as described in connection with the slide 9, but
provided with a beveled or cam face 14 of greater length than the corresponding
part of the slide 9, to co-operate with a beveled or cam face 15 on the movable
frame whereby when the stop connected with the auxiliary slide is drawn the
frame will be inoved through a distance equal, for instance, to twice the distance
accomplished by the operation of the slide 9. Hence, the returning devices may
be arranged to normally hold the keyboard frame in a position in which the pitch
of the instrument will be a semi-tone above concert pitch; the movement of the
slide 9 will actuate the keyboard frame to bring the keys respectively into operative
relation with the next lower air-valve pegs, to arrange the instrument to concert
pitch; and the operation of the auxiliary slide will still further move the keyboard
frame to the left and hence lower the pitch of the instrument to a semi-tone below
concert pitch. In the same way other slides, mounted as above described may be
employed to give any desired variety of pitch to the instrument.
In order to avoid interference between the keys and the air-valve pegs during
the movement of the keyboard frame from one position to another I preferably
employ a lift or trip, which in the construction illustrated, consists of a crank
shaft 16 mounted in the end bars of the movable frame and extending transversely
under the keys, whereby when turned the keys will be lifted above the plane of
the extremities of the pegs. Any suitable means for operating this trip may be
employed, such as a stop 17 connected with a crank-arin 18 on the crank-shaft,
said crank-arm being provided with an elongated wrist pin 19 to allow adjustinent
of the keyboard-frame without disconnecting the crank shaft from the operating
stop 17.
It will be seen that the essential feature of my invention resides in the fact that
the keys or manually operated devices, and the sound-producing devices, consisting
in the present instance of the above described air-valves, are capable of relative
adjustment to bring each key in operative relation with a different sound producing
device and hence vary the pitch of the tone produced by the manipulation of a
given key.
Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction
may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the
advantages of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a keyed instrument, the combination of sound-producing devices and keys
arranged respectively in operative relation therewith, and means for relatively
re-adjusting the keys and sound-producing devices to vary the pitch of the tone
produced by the manipulation of a given key, substantially as specified.
2. A keyed instrument having sound-producing devices, a keyboard including
keys arranged respectively in operative relation with said sound-producing devices,
and means for shifting the keyboard to bring the keys respectively in operative
relation with different sound-producing devices, substantially as specified.
3. A keyed instrument having sound-producing devices, a keyboard mounted for
lateral movement, and keys being arranged respectively in operative relati.m with
different sound-producing devices, means for cominunicating motion to the keyboard
to bring the keys respectively into operative relation with different sound-producing
devices, and yielding return devices for returning the keyboard when released to
its normal position, substantially as specified.
4. A keyed instrument having sound-producing devices, a laterally movable
keyboard having keys arranged respectively in operative relation with the sound-
producing devices, and a plurality of operating devices for communicating motion
to the keyboard to arrange the keys in operative relation with different sound-
producing devices, said operating devices being adapted to move the keyboard
through different distances, substantially as specified.

page_text: 5. A keyed instrument having sound-producing devices, a laterally movable
keyboard having keys arranged respectively in operative relation with the sound-
producing devices, a trip for temporarily disconnecting the keys from the
sound-producing devices, and means for imparting lateral movement to the keyboard
to bring the keys in operative relation with different sound-producing devices,
substantially as specified.
6. A keyed instrument having sound-producing devices, a laterally movable.
keyboard including a sliding frame, yielding devices for returning the frame when
released to its normal position, and an operating device for moving the frame
against said yielding devices, the same consisting of a slide mounted for movement
transverse to the frame and provided with a beveled or cam face to co-operate
with a corresponding face on said frame, substantially as specified.
7. A keyed instrument having sound-producing devices including pegs, a laterally
movable keyboard including a sliding frame and having keys arranged respectively
in operative relation with said pegs, means for communicating motion to the frame
to arrange the keys in operative relation with different pegs, and a trip or lifting
device including a crank shaft arranged under the keys and adapted to elevate the
keys out of operative relation with said pegs, and means for actuating the trip or
lifting device, substantially as specified.
Dated this 15th day of December 1896.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.