IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC AND OTHER BOOKS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Langton Clarke, of No. 45, Westbourne
Terrace, Hyde Park, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC AND
OTHER BOOKS."
Sealed the 4th December 1868, and dated the 20th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Langton Clarke
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,, on the
20th June 1868.
I, JAMES LANGTON CLARKE, of No. 45, Westbourne Terrace, Hyde Park,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC AND OTHER.
Books," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for turning
over the leaves of music or other books. For this purpose I employ a frame
whose shape is an elongated parallellogram, applied at the top of the page, and
there held, and adjusted to its required position by means fully described
below. Across the middle of this frame is the axis or centres of a series of
arms equal in number to the leaves the instrument is required to turn over.
The arms are placed one above the other on their axis,. and are able to move

page_text: thereon through about half a circle, and each arm is connected with a spring
of vulcanized india-rubber, which tends constantly to draw the arm to the left-
hand side of the axis; when the arm is in this position, the point of connection
with the spring is at the back of it; but when the arm is turned over to the
right-hand side of the axis, the point of connection comes to the front, and the
spring is then doubled upon itself and lengthened by having to circle around the
axis. The vulcanized india-rubber may be attached directly to the arm, but
in order to save the spring from wear and for other reasons I prefer to fix
directly to the arm or to an eye fixed on the outer grooved edge of the rounded
shoulder of the arm or other similar contrivance a short length of catgut or
similar material, and to fix to this 'the vulcanized india-rubber, which then
does not have to circle around the axis, but is subjected only to a straight pull.
The further ends of the pieces of vulcanized india-rubber are all connected
with a plate, which is capable of sliding to and fro on the back of the same
frame which carries the axis of the arms; and in order to effect this sliding
motion of the plate, and to draw these springs simultaneously to and fix them
at any required degree of tension, I employ an adjusting screw, the thread of
which passes through a tapped projection on 'the right-hand extremity of the
plate, the head of the screw projects beyond the right-hand side of the frame-
work, and is enlarged and furnished with a milled edge. I provide further
for the adjustment of the tension of any particular spring either by adjusting
screws for each fixed on the sliding plate, or by parallel rows of holes drilled
in the sliding plate, into which a hook attached at the other end to the spring
may be hooked, or other similar contrivance. It is by the action of these
springs that the leaves of the music are turned over, and the screw and sliding
piece furnish a ready means of adjusting the tension of the springs as may be
required, and according as the leaves to be turned over are large or small,
light or heavy. The arms when they have been put over to 'the right-hand
side of the axis can be held there by a bolt, which slides vertically across the
frame; the bolt is moved down by hand, and then comes in front of the ends
of the arms and stops them. The lower extremity of this bolt is-furnished on
its upper side with a projecting knob, which enables the performer with the
forefinger of the same hand which turns over the arm to-slide the bolt over
the end of the arm, and the thumb of the same hand prevents its sliding too
far down. Each of the armis has fingers or flat blades fixed to it, which
descend downwards, so as to overlap the margins at the top of the pages of
the book. That part of the arms to which the fingers are attached is bent or
otherwise shaped, or the fingers themselves are bent and shaped so as-to allow
the sets of fingers to lie close one over the other and parallel to one-another.

page_text: I usually fix three fingers or blades to each arm, and in arranging the music
ready to be turned over when required, I first put over the uppermost arm to
the right-hand side of the axis, and there bult it; the last leaf of the music
I then put between the fingers, generally over the two nearest the axis, and
under the third. The number of fingers is not very important, but it is of
importance that the arm should have fingers on each side of the leaf, for if the
finger or fingers are only at the back of the leaf, the friction of the turning
leaf against the next is apt to draw it over after it, especially in a stiff or
imperfectly bound book, and the plan of having the fingers one over the other,
so as to nip the leaf and hold it as it were in pincers, is attended with two
defects; (1), if the leaf is not held very tight it is apt when turning to shift,
and the pinch, which was not powerful enough to keep it in its place, being
powerful enough to keep it from slipping back to its place when turned over,
causes it to double over the centre; (2), if it is held very tight there is great
inconvenience both in inserting and extracting the leaf. The last leaf of the
music being arranged as above explained between the fingers of the uppermost
arm, the next arm is put over to the right-hand side of the axis, and there
bolted, and the next leaf of the music is put into the fingers as before, and so
on, until all the leaves are arranged. It is not necessary to employ all the
arms; but only such a number of them as is necessary for the piece of music
which it is required to turn over. The bolt which retains the arms is made
with ratchet teeth upon it on one side, and on the frame is a bell-crank lever,
one end of which comes close up to the bolt, and has a spring click upon it.
The other end of the bell-crank lever has a cord attached to it, and this is
connected in any convenient manner with the foot of the person using the
apparatus. When this cord is pulled upon the bell-crank lever is moved, and
the click at the end of it acting against one of the teeth on the bolt raises it.
a step or the space between one tooth and the next, and so lets one of the
arms escape; this arm then moves on its axis from the right side to the left,
and carries the leaf of the music with it. When the cord is slackened a spring
brings back the bell-crank lever, the click being then allowed by its spring to
rise and pass over one of the teeth of the bolt; if the cord be then again pulled
upon the bolt will be moved another step and liberate another arm, and so on.
If it be desired to repeat any part of the music, it will be necessary only to turn
back the arms corresponding with the leaves to be repeated and again to slide,
down the bolt to hold them. In order to facilitate the operation of repeating,
a little lengthening bar is provided, made to fit on to the extremity of any of
the arms. Suppose that six arms having been disengaged it is wished to repeat,
the last three, i.e., Nos. 4, 5, 6, the lengthening bar will then have been fitted.

page_text: page
(when the music was first arranged) on the end of 4, and since the fingers
belonging to 5 and 6 cross over the arm 4, when 4 is turned over it carries 5
and 6 with it, and thus using only the left hand (the arms being bolted down
as above described), the performer can repeat any number of pages more
quickly and more certainly than he could turn back one leaf. in the ordinary
way. The position of the above described instrument is at the top of the
at the same angle as the music, and parallel with it, the axis of the arms in a
line with the centre of the book or music, and the undermost of the fingers
pressing lightly on the left-hand page. The instrument is (whatever be the
size or thickness of the music or book) adjusted to and held in the required
position by means of (1) a bracket attached to the centre of the top of the
desk by a clamp and binding screw, or otherwise conveniently held. The
upright bar of this bracket carries a sliding piece, through which, and at right
angles to the upright, passes a cross bar, to one end of which the instrument
is attached by screws or otherwise. The two bars thus passing through the
sliding piece can be pinched together in any combination of position by means
of one binding. screw on the sliding piece, and thus the instrument can be
adjusted to the various sizes and thicknesses of the music .or books. (2),
the same adjustment can also be effected by attaching the instrument by
parallel moving bars to a board, which acts as a music desk or book rest, the
ledge of which supporting the book is made moveable up and down by means
of parallel moving bars and a binding screw working in a slot, which enable
the performer to raise and lower the ledge, and fix it in the required position.
Although throughout this Specification I have spoken of turning over the
pages of music, it is evident that the same apparatus is applicable to turning
over the pages of other books, as may be required by invalids and others.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Langton Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th December 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LANGTON CLARKE, of No. 45, Westbourne Terrace, Hyde Park, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of. June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said James Langton Clarke, Her special licence that I, the said James
Langton Clarke, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Langton Clarke, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC AND
OTHER BOOKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Langton Clarke, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Langton Clarke, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for turning over
the leaves of music and other books. For this purpose I employ a frame
whose shape is an elongated. parallelogram, applied at the top of the page, and
there held and adjusted to its required position by means fully described below;
across the middle of this frame is the axis or centres of a series of arms equal
in number to the leaves the instrument is required to turn over. The arms are
placed one above the other on their axis, and are able to move thereon through
about half a circle, and each arm is connected with a spring of vulcanized
india-rubber, which tends constantly to draw the arm to the left-hand side of
the axis. When the arm is in this position the point of connection with the
spring is at the back of it, but when the arm is turned over to the right-hand
side of the axis the point of connection comes to the front, and the spring is
then doubled upon itself, and lengthened by having to circle around the axis.
The vulcanized india-rubber may be attached directly to the arm; but in order.
to save the spring from wear and for other reasons I prefer to fix directly to the
arm, or to an eye fixed on the outer grooved edge of the rounded shoulder of
the arm or other similar contrivance, a short length of catgut or similar material,
and to fix to this the vulcanized india-rubber, which then does not have to circle
around the axis, but is subjected only to a straight pull. The further ends of
the pieces of vulcanized india-rubber are all connected with a plate which is.

page_text: capable of sliding to and fro on the back of the same frame which carries the
axis of the arms; and in order to effect this sliding motion of the plate, and to
draw these springs simultaneously to and fix them at any required degree of
tension, I employ an adjusting screw, the thread of which passes through a
tapped projection on the right-hand extremity of the plate; the head of the
screw projects beyond the right-hand side of the framework, and is enlarged
and furnished with a milled edge. I provide further for the adjustment of the
tension of any particular spring either by adjusting screws for each fixed on
the sliding plate, or by parallel rows of holes drilled in the sliding plate, into
which a hook attached at the other end to the spring may be hooked, or other
similar contrivance. It is by the action of these springs that the leaves of the
music are turned over, and the screw and sliding piece furnish a ready means
of adjusting the tension of the springs as may be required, and according as the
leaves to be turned over are large or small, light or heavy. The arms, when
they have been put over to. the right-hand side of the axis, can be held there
by a bolt which slides vertically across the frame; the bolt is moved down by
hand, and then comes in front of the ends of the arms, and stops them. The
lower extremity of this bolt is furnished on its upper side with a projecting
knob, which enables the performer with the forefinger of the sanie hand
which turns over the arm to slide the bolt over the end of the arm, and the
thumb of the same hand prevents its sliding too far down. Each of the arms
has fingers or flat blades fixed to it which descend downwards so as to
overlap the margins at the top of the pages of the book. That part of the
arms to which the fingers are attached is bent or otherwise shaped, or the
fingers themselves are bent and shaped so as to allow the sets of fingers to lie
close one over the other and parallel to one another. I usually fix three
fingers or blades to each arm, and in arranging the music ready to be turned
over when required, I first put over the uppermost arm to the right-hand
side of the axis, and there bolt it; the last leaf of the music I then put
between the fingers, generally over the two nearest the axis and under the
third; the number of fingers is not very important, but it is of importance that
the arm should have fingers on each side of the leaf, for if the finger or fingers
are only at the back of the leaf the friction of the turning leaf against the next
is apt to draw it over after it, especially in a stiff or imperfectly bound book, and
the plan of having the fingers one over the other, so as to nip the leaf and hold
it as it were in pincers, is attended with two defects; (1), if the leaf is not held
very tight it is apt when turning to shift, and the pinch which was not
powerful enough to keep it in its place, being powerful enough to keep it from
slipping back to its place when turned over, causes it to double over. the

page_text: centre; (2), if.it is held very tight there is great inconvenience, both in
inserting and extracting the leaf. The last leaf of the music being arranged as
above explained, between the fingers of the uppermost arm, the next arm is
put over to the right-hand side of the axis, and there bolted, and the next leaf
of the music is put into the fingers as before, and so on, until all the leaves are
arranged. It is not necessary to employ all the arms, but only such a number
of them as is necessary for the piece of music which it is required. to turn over.
The bolt which retains the arms is made with ratchet teeth upon it on one
side, and on the frame is a bell-crank lever, one end of which comes close up
to the bolt and has a spring click upon it; the other end of the bell-crank
lever has a cord attached to it, and this is connected in any convenient manner
with the foot of the person using the apparatus. When this cord is pulled
upon the bell-crank lever is moved, and the click at the end of it acting
against one of the teeth on the bolt raises it a step, or the space between one
tooth and the next, and so lets one of the arms escape; this arm then moves
on its axis from the right side to the left, and carries the leaf of the music with
it. When the cord is slackened a spring brings back the bell-crank lever, the
click being then allowed by its spring to rise and pass over one of the teeth of
the bolt; if the cord be then again pulled upon the bolt will be moved another
step and liberate another arm, and so on. If it be desired to repeat any part
of the music it will be necessary only to turn back the arms corresponding with
the leaves to be repeated, and again to slide down the bolt to hold them.
order to facilitate the operation of repeating a little lengthening bar is pro-
vided, made to fit on. to the extremity of any of the arms. Suppose that six
arms having been disengaged it is wished to repeat the last three, i.e., Nos. 4,
5, 6; the lengthening bar will then have been fitted (when the music was first
arranged) on the end of 4, and since the fingers belonging to 5 and 6 cross over
the arm 4, when 4 is turned over it carries 5 and 6 with it, and thus using only
the left hand (the arms being bolted down as above described) the performer
can repeat any number of pages more quickly and more certainly than he
could turn back one leaf in the ordinary way. The position of the above
described instrument is at the top of the page at the same angle as the music,
and parallel with it, the axis of the arms in a line with the centre of the book
or music, and the undermost of the fingers pressing lightly on the left-hand
page. The instrument is (whatever be the size or thickness of the music or
book) adjusted to and held in the required position by attaching the instru-
ment by parallel moving bars to a board, which acts as a music desk or book
rest, the ledge of which supporting the book is made moveable up and down
by means of parallel moving bars and a binding screw working in a slot,
In

page_text: which enable the performer to raise and lower the ledge and fix it in the
required position. The same adjustment can also be effected by means of a
bracket attached to the centre of the top of the desk by a clamp and binding
screw, or otherwise conveniently held. The upright bar of this bracket carries
a sliding piece, through which and at right angles to the upright passes a
cross bar, to one end of which the instrument is attached by screw or other-
wise. The two bars thus passing through the sliding piece can be pinched
together in any combination of position by means of one binding screw on the
sliding piece, and thus the instrument can be adjusted to the various sizes and
thicknesses of the music or books.
.
Although throughout this Specification I have spoken of turning over
the pages of music, it is evident that the same apparatus is applicable
to turning over the pages of other books, as may be required by invalids and
others.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front view, Figure 2 a top view, and Figure 3 an edge view
of apparatus arranged according to my Invention.
a, a, are a series of fingers or flat blades fixed to arms b. I prefer that
three of such fingers should be attached to each arm, as shewn in the
Drawings; and although in the Drawings I have shewn the apparatus
capable of turning over twelve leaves of a music or other book, it will bo
readily understood that apparatus may be arranged in a similar manner to
turn over a greater or less number of leaves. The arms 6 are supported by
and capable of turning upon an axis e, carried by the rectangular frame d, and
each arm has a constant tendency to turn over to the left-hand side of the
axis, being connected to an india-rubber or other suitable spring e in the
following manner-Upon the boss b', at the inner end of the arm, is a
projection 6, having a hole therein, through which one end of a short piece of
catgut or other suitable material is passed, and there secured by a knot or
otherwise; the other end is formed into a loop, to which one end of a spring e
is secured; the other end of each of these springs is passed over one of the
studs projecting from the plate 9; and in order that a suitable tension to the
springs may be obtained, there are provided three or other number of such
studs or projections f in a line with each spring, over either of which they
be passed, or other suitable means may be employed; and for the purpose
of regulating the power of the springs to adapt them to turn over either light
may

page_text: or heavy, or large or small leaves, quickly or slowly, at the pleasure of the
performer, the plate g, to which the springs are attached, is made capable of
sliding in guides h in a direction to or from the axis c of the arms 6; for this
purpose the plate g has a tapped projection g¹ upon it, through which a screw i
passes; this screw is prevented from moving in the direction of its length by
passing through a projection d¹ carried by the frame d, and is furnished with
a milled head, by turning which in one or the other direction the plate gis
caused to approach or recede from the axis c. The arms 6 are so curved that
the fingers a may lie closely one over the other; a plan of one of the arms,
with its fingers, is shown in the sectional view Figure 4; or instead of curving
the arms b, they may be made straight, and the fingers a so formed at their
connections with the arms 6 that their lower parts, which effect the turning
over of the leaves, may lie closely one on the other. When arranging music
ready to be turned over when required, I first, with the left hand, put over
the uppermost arm 6 to the right, and theré secure it by drawing the bolt j
over the end with the forefinger of the same hand. The bolt is prevented
from being drawn too far down by the check piece j*, which comes against the
thumb when the bolt is far enough over. I then place the last leaf of the
music between the fingers over the two (numbered 1, 2,) nearest the axis c;"
and then under the third or outermost finger (3). The next arm b is then
turned over to the right, and there secured by passing down the bolt over its
erid ; and the next leaf is placed over the fingers 1, 2, and under the
finger 3, as with the previous one, and so on until all the leaves required for
use have been arranged. And in order to prevent a liability to threading the
leaves through the fingers a of two arms b, I prefer that the fingers a on one
arm 6 should be colored blue, and that those on the next should be bright,
and so on alternately. The bolt j is capable of sliding up and down freely
through a socket on the frame, and has ratchet teeth on one side; which are'
taken into by a click k carried by a bell-crank lever k, turning upon a pin carried
by the frame d; one end of a cord l is attached to the bell-crank lever k, and
the other end, after passing around a roller or pulley on the treadle m, is
secured to the music stand, or otherwise attached as convenient. A spring k*:
acts upon the bell-crank lever to cause it constantly to return to the position
shown in the Drawing when not otherwise acted upon. The click k turns
upon a pin at k³, and is pressed upon by a spring 2, as more clearly shown at'
Figure 5. Thus, when the cord l is pulled upon (which is conveniently done
by the foot of the performer acting on the treadle m), the bolt j is raised, and.
thereby an arm 6 released. As the bell-crank lever returns by the action of

page_text: the spring k* the click slips over another tooth of tho rack 7, ready again to
operate when another leaf is desired to be turned over. k, k³, are pieces of
india-rubber or other suitable material fixed on the frame d in order to
prevent any sound when the bell-crank lever k¹ is operated or released.
Figure 6 is a back view of the apparatus, showing some of the parts more
clearly. In order to facilitate the operation of repeating a portion of the
music, a lengthening bar 6* is provided, made to fit on to any of the ends 63 of
the arms b, and supposing it is desired to repeat the last four leaves, the
lengthening bar, when the music is first arranged, is placed on the end of the
fourth bar b, and when the time has arrived for repeating the portion of music
determined upon this bar is turned over to the right hand, carrying with it
the other three bars b; the bolt j is then passed over the ends 63 of those
bars b, and the operation of turning over the leaves is repeated as before.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, I have shewn the apparatus supported by a book or
music stand, and capable of adjustment to different sizes and thicknesses of
books in the following manner :-Upon the frame d are pin-jointed articulated
bars n, which are also pin-jointed, to a board o, and the apparatus is fixed at
different distances from the board o to suit different thicknesses of books by
the binding screw p, which passes into a projection from the frame d, sliding
in the slotted bar o¹. The slotted bar o' is capable of turning on a pin joint
at o³ when the screw p is removed to lie close upon the top edge of the
board o for facility of transport. The book is supported by resting upon the
adjustable ledge o³, which may be fixed at any required height on the board o
by means of parallel moving bars and a binding screw working in a slot; but
the means I prefer to employ are those shown in the Drawing. Here the
ledge o³ has fixed upon it two clicks o, which pass through slots in plates o³,
and take into ratchet teeth o' at the back thereof. Each of these clicks has
fixed to it a spring 07, in order to cause it constantly to bear towards the
ratchet teeth oº. When it is desired to raise or lower the ledge o³ to suit
different sizes of books, the front edge of the ledge is tilted up so as to free
the clicks o* from the ratchet teeth 0%, and then the ledge is capable of being
readily raised or lowered to the position desired; and when released the
springs o aid the clicks again to take into the ratchet teeth oº.
springs o' also cause the ledge o³ to run smoothly up or down when tilted.
On the board, in a line with the centre of the axis of the arms, are two
cords oº, oº. The cord o is used when working with unbound music. The
piece of music is creased in a line with, and say half an inch from, the back
edge; then the music is slipped under the cord so that the cord covers the
The

page_text: crease and holds the music securely, which then turns on the fresh axis made
by the cord instead of in the ordinary way. The cord 0° is meant to provide
for the emergency of bound music having torn away from the book back, in
which case the fingers would slip out of the leaf without turning it over. In
such a case the cordo is passed over the book about half an inch on the left
side of the centre of the book, and lying upon the last leaf of the piece to be
turned over; it is then made fast to two 'projecting pins o, or otherwise.
The bound music is thus held in precisely the same way as the unbound, a
fresh axis being given to the leaves to supply the place of the worn-out one.
There is a flap o" at the back of 'the board o capable of adjustment in order
to support the book at any required, angle, and to make it an independent
music stand when it is desired to be used on a table. u is a stud in the sliding
plate g projecting through a slot v in the frame d; for the purpose of enabling
the musician, by observing the position of the stud u in relation to a series of
figures on the side of the slot v, to ascertain the degree of tension to the
springs e.
Figure 7 is an edge view of another mode of supporting the apparatus with
facility of adjustment to different sizes and thicknesses of books. The frame d
is secured by the binding screw p to a bar 7 passing through. a sliding piece r,
which is capable of moving vertically upon a bracket s secured to the top of a
desk t, or otherwise by the clamp s¹ and screws. The bar q is thus capable
of being placed in any required position in relation to the top of the desk, and
there secured by the binding screw r¹ pinching together the bar q and the
bracket s. Figure 8 is a plan of the bracket and bar q with the sliding
piece r.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is the
general arrangement or combination of apparatus for turning over the leaves
of music and other books as herein-before described.
I also claim the peculiar arrangement of the fingers a for holding the leaves,
and the shaping or bending the arms 6 or the fingers a so as to allow the
fingers to lie close one over the other, as herein-before described.
I also claim the method of arranging the springs e with tension plate g and
screw i so that the tension of all the springs may be varied simultaneously to
suit the weight of the leaves to be turned, and so that the tension of any.
spring may be varied independently, as herein-before described.
I also claim the method of holding the arms 6 and disengaging them.
by means of a bolt or ratchet bar j crossing their ends, as herein-before
described.

page_text: I also claim the application of a lengthening bar or repeating stud 6* to the
end of either of the arms b, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, James Langton Clarke, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
JAMES LANGTON CLARKE. (L.S.)