Improvements in Upright and Horizontal Pianos.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 25th May; 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Upright and Horizontal Pianos.
HERMANN RICHARD SCHREIBER 14 Hanway Street, Oxford Street, London, W.
Pianoforte Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
To produce greater power & improve the quality of tone in upright & horizontal
pianos, I provide a resonance or soundbox, consisting of one or more sounding
boards, made of wood or any other suitable material or materials, which is placed
underneath the instrument in such a manner, as to form the fundamental basis of
the piano, the upper part of the instrument to rest partly or entirely on the said
soundbox, thus producing, when the instrument is played resonant vibrations, &
the effects above mentioned.
Soundboxes as above described are also applicable separately, that is to say,
without being incorporated in the piano.
I further purpose to use hollow bracings or supports of the wrestplanks in upright
or horizontal pianos. These hollow bracings are also to be made of wood or any
other suitable material or materials, instead of solid not hollowed wood, such as
are now universally employed.
.
The soundboxes as described above, are to be applied either together with the
hollow bracings, or each separately.
Dated this 14th day of July 1893.
HERMANN RICHARD SCHREIBER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Upright and Horizontal Pianos.
1, HERMANN RICHARD SCHREIBER, of 14, Hanway Street, Oxford Street,
London, in the County of Middlesex, 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 and accompanying
drawing, that is to say :-
My invention has for its object a novel method of construction of pianos by
which greater power is obtained and the quality of tone is improved in upright
and horizontal pianos.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of my invention, Figure 1 being a
transverse vertical section, and Figure 2 a front view of an upright piano.
In order to put my invention in operation, I provide a resonator or sound box,
consisting of one or more sounding boards a', a², of wood or any other suitable
material or materials the said resonator being placed underneath the instrument in
such a manner as to form a fundamental part of the base of the piano, the upper
part of the instrument resting partly or entirely on the said soundbox, thus
producing when the instrument is played, resonant vibration with the effects above
mentioned of greater power and improved quality of tone.
The resonator or soundbox A is made preferably of suitable thin wood, and is
adapted to the dimensions of the lower part of the instrument and' to the length
of the strings. The upper sound board a',- which constitutes the most effective
part-is slightly arched as shewn, and supplied with ribs or stays r, r.

page_text: It is set in vibration through the support and casing of the piano, and the air
beneath it is also set in motion and communicates its vibration to the bottom a².
The upper sound board a¹ is also set in vibration more or less by the vibration
of the air in the space s, which acts downward.
By means of the greatly increased resonance obtained through the soundbox
described, the tone of the piano possesses a rounded fullness combined with a great
increase of power.
The effect obtained by the improved resonator is less strong but otherwise not
materially altered if the bottom a² be omitted.
Soundboxes as above described may also be applied separately, that is to say.
without being incorporated in the piano.
In some cases I use not only the improved sound-box described, but also hollow
bracings or supports for the wrestplank in upright or horizontal pianos. These
hollow bracings I also make of wood or any other suitable materials.
The improved sound boxes described above may be used either together with such
hollow bracings, or separately.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In pianos, the soundboard or resonator A arranged in the lower part of the
instrument, which soundboard or resonator, by the vibrations communicated to it
through the frame and casing of the piano, and by the vibrations communicated to
it by the vibrating air above it, improves the quality and strength of the tone of
the instrument, substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 14th day of April 1894.
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.