CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1852

page_text: LAMBERT'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
LAMBERT, of Hampstead Road, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of January,
in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Lambert, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, and authority, that I, the said Thomas Lambert, my exors, adors,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said Thomas Lambert, my exors,
admiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her
Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in
the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
PIANOFORTES;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that I,
the said Thomas Lambert, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calender months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Lambert, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following instrument in writing,
reference being had to the figures and letters therein contained and to the
Drawings thereunto annexed (that is to say):
:--
My Invention of improvements in pianofortes, which has reference to certain
alterations in the mechanical movement known as the action, consists in the
adaptation to the jack or hopper of an adjusting screw head of peculiar form,
the regulating action of which is brought to bear upon a bevelled surface end
of the under lever in such manner that, when the particular key or note is
struck in connection with it, the motion so communicated may be made to act
at all times with greater uniformity in producing a more perfect repete than
hitherto; but in order that my said Invention may be more readily understood
and carried into effect, I will now proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed, which set forth such portions only of my repeter check action as are
necessary for the explanation of my improvements (that is to say):
-
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the action; Fig. 2, an enlarged front view
of the jack or hopper separately shown; Fig 3, a side view thereof; Figs. 4, 5,
and 6, different detached views of the regulating head; and Figs. 7 and 8,
vertical side views of the jack or hopper of the present construction. In each
Figure the same letters of reference denote similar corresponding parts; A, A,
represents one of the keys of the instrument; B, B, the jack or hopper; C, C,
the regulating or adjusting screw head; D, D, the buffing leather secured
thereto; E, E, under lever bevelled off as in manner shown; F, F, lever
rest or leather for receiving the lower end of the back sticker G, G, in
which it works; H, H, hammer butt and centre; I, I, the hammer head;
J, J, the check; K, K, the check lever; L, L, front sticker; M, M, damper
wire; N, N, lever crank damper; 0, 0, under lever rail; P, P; hammer
rail and rest; Q, Q, check lever rail. I would here just briefly remark
before proceeding to point out more clearly the leading features of theso my
said improvements, that I am aware it has long been the practice to employ,
in connection with the jack or hopper as aforesaid an adjusting screw head,
but of the different form to those employed by me, seen at Fig. 8. It having
been the custom to bevel the outer edges or upper surfaces of the screw jack
head as aforesaid, and leave the end of the said under lever square, whilst
the plain bevelled edges of the adjusting jack head are brought to bear upon
the said square ends buffed and leathered for the purpose of preventing the
noise consequent upon its being struck by the jack or hopper head. By

page_text: constant use, however, the leather is found to heat up and become thereby
comparatively useless for the object intended. It is in obviating this that my
improvements consist, to effect which I remove the leather and place it upon
the jack head; I also cause the lower surface of the under lever to present
at the outer end an obtuse angle to the regulating jack head as aforesaid, so
that the verticle movement of the same when put in action by the key may
be free to slide up the said angle or inclination, and exert at all times a greater
uniformity of the working parts free from the objections of the beating up of
the leather as heretofore, whereby a more perfect repetition of the hammer
upon the string or wires is obtained.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be carried into effect, I would have it understood that I make
no claim to the employment of the bevelled under lever separately, as the same
was included in a former Patent, granted to me on the 29th of April, in the
year 1848, nor to adjusting screw head in connection with the jack, the same
having before been used; but that which I do claim as new and of my said
Invention is, firstly, the buffing of the said jack or hopper head as aforesaid,
in place of the under lever as heretofore.
Secondly, the application of the adjusting or regulating screw head buffed
as aforesaid, in combination with the plain bevelled under lever.
And, thirdly, the sliding action of the said buff jack head (of the form shown)
upon the smooth uncovered bevelled end of the under lever, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lambert, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two..
THOMAS (L.S.) LAMBERT.
THOMAS (L.S.) LAMBERT.
Enrolled the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.