A NEW OR IMPROVED AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER of 3 Palace Grove Upper Norwood in the County
of Surrey Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for A NEW
OR IMPROVED AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT to be as follows:-
In this invention I employ a scale of reeds with the necessary dividing cells and
air ducts in conjunction with a bellows to be worked by hand as in a "concertina."
This Instrument is constructed as follows: A box of suitable shape has fixed to its
base a scale of reeds with the necessary dividing cells and air ducts. Over this a
sound board is placed fixed to two sides of the box, which is hinged or pivoted to
open upward and backward. To one side of the box is also fixed a pulley
containing a coiled spring; a roller having a pulley attached thereto is pivoted
between the two sides of the box. A string or cord is fastened at one end to the
pulley containing the spring and being wound round it several times it then
passes once round the pulley of the roller and thence of the box and through the
bellows attached thereto, it is then fastened to the other end closing the bellows.
The pulley of the roller has a ratchet wheel attached to it and a ratchet catch and
spring are conveniently placed on the side of the box to take into the ratchet
wheel. A valve is placed in the base of the box to allow the air to escape when
collapsing the bellows or it may be placed in the blank end of the bellows.
I employ an endless band of paper or tune band folded in pleats and having holes
punched in it to allow the air to pass through the air ducts to the notes in the
scale piece or an endless band of paper without pleats, in which case the paper
band hangs on the outside of the box. To obtain the necessary grip upon the
endless band of paper to cause it to be drawn through, I employ a piece of strong
smooth paper, one end of which is fastened to the scale holder, it then passes under
the roller and up one side of the box where it is attached to a piece of wood held
to the side of the box by a rubber or other spring, or a slip of wood may be caused
to press against the underside of the roller by a spring. Two or more grooves are
made in the roller into which pins project from the sound board to prevent the
paper band being wound upon the roller. These grooves & pins will not be
required when the paper band hangs on the 'outside.
The instrument may be made to play the tune when the bellows is both
expanded and collapsed by connecting the spring pulley with the roller pulley by
means of a pair of cog wheels. The ratchet wheel in this case may be attached to
"

page_text: the spring pulley instead of to the roller pulley and the cog wheel may carry the
ratchet click, the cogwheel being loose upon the spring stud, or a ratchet wheel
may be attached to the cogwheel fixed to the roller, the rollor pulley carrying the
ratchet click, the roller pulley in this latter case being loose upon the roller, and
revolving backward when the bellows is collapsed. The action will be, that when
the cord is pulled or relaxed, the roller will be always turned in one direction,
thus giving a continuous inotion to the paper whether the bellows be expanded or
collapsed. Leather flap valves are placed at convenient and suitable places to
cause the air to pass to the reeds whether the bellows be expanded or collapsed.
By employing in one scale piece a suitablo duplicate set of reeds, the above 1
arrangement of valves will not be necessary, but simply leather flap valves behind
the slot of each note as is usual in the "concertina."

page_text: I MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER of 3 Palace Grove Upper Norwood in the County
of Surrey Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for NEW OR
IMPROVED AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
In this invention I employ a scale of reeds with the necessary dividing cells and
air ducts in conjunction with the bellows to be worked by hand as in a concertina,
this instrument is constructed as follows. A box of suitable shape has fixed to its
base a scale of reeds, Fig 1 at A with the necessary dividing cells and air ducts,
over this a sound board B is placed fixed to two sides C, C, of the box which is
hinged or pivoted at D, to open upward and backward To one side of the box is
also fixed a pulley E containing a coiled spring a ruller P, having a pully G,
attached thereto is pivoted between the two sides of the box, a string or cord H is
fastened at one end to the pulley E containing the spring and being wound it
several times it then passes once round the pulley G, of the roller F and then
through a hole in the base of the box, and through the bellows attached thereto.
It is then fastened to the other cud closing the bellows, The pully G of tho
roller F has a ratchet wheel I attached to it and n ratched catch K, and spring are
conveniently placed on the side of the box to take into the ratchet whel I. A
valve L is placed in the base of the box to allow the air to escape when collapsing
the bellows or it may be placed in the blank end of the bellows at M. I employ
an endless band of paper or tune band N folded in plats and having holes punched
in it to allow the air to pass through the air ducts to the notes in the scale A or an
endless band of paper without pleats, in which case the paper band hangs on the
outside of the box a shewn in dotted lines at W. It will be seen that on expanding
the bellows the cord H is pulled and the roller F is caused to revolve and the
spring inside the pulley E wound up. Upon collapsing the bellows the ratchet
click K takes into the ratchet wheel F of the roller pulley and prevents it
revolving, the string therefore slips upon the roller pulley and is rewound upon tho
spring pulley. To attain the necessary grip upon the endless band of paper to
cause it to be drawn through I employ a piece of strong smooth paper P, Fig 1,
one end of which is fastened to the scale holder A it then passes under the roller
and up one side of the box where it is attached to a piece of wood R held to tho
side of the box by rubber or other spring, or a slip of wood may be caused to
press against the underside of the roller F by a spring. Two or more groove 3.
Fig 2&3 are made in the roller F into which pins T, project from the sound board
to prevent the paper being wound upon the roller, these grooves and pins will not
however be necessary when the paper band hangs on the outside of the box, To
place the endless band or tune band in its place the sound board together with
roller spring &c attached thereto and forming one piece is tipped backward the
endless band of paper is then passed round the sound board which is then turned
down into its place and fastened by a hook and eye The paper is then folded up in
its place on the top of the sound board and the cover put on a strap is then passed

page_text: over the top, into which one hand is placed, a similiar strap is attached at the other
end for the other hand.
In playing a tune the bellows is expanded until a pause in the tune takes place,
when the bellows is quickly and suddenly collapsed and again expanded to play
more of the tune. The instrument may be caused to play the tune when the
bellows is both expanded and collapsed by connecting the spring roller with the
roller pully by means of a pair of cogwheels, the ratchet wheel in this case may
be attached to the spring pulley instead of the roller pulley and the cog wheel
may carry the ratchet click, the cogwheel being loose upon the spring stud or a
ratchet wheel may be attached to the cogwheel fixed to the roller. The roller
pulley carrying the ratchet click. The roller pulley in this case being loose upon
the roller and revolving backwards when the bellows is collapsed, th action will be
that when the cord is pulled or allowed to return by the force of the spring the
roller will always be turned in one direction thus giving a contineous motion to
the paper whether the bellows be expanded or collapsed Fig 4 shews the action of
the pully and cogwheels the scale piece A Fig 1 being removed upon pulling
the cord H the pully G & spring pulley F, are revolved the spring wound up
and the roller F turned to draw the paper through, upon relaxing the cord the
ratchet click K¹ attached to the back of the spring pulley E takes into the ratchet
wheel Wattached to the cogwheel L' which is geared to the cogwheel M¹
attached to the roller G', and causes the roller F to revolve in the same direction as
when the cord was pulled The cord slips upon the roller pulley in returning Fig 5,
shews the action of the pully & cogwheels the scale piece A Fig 1 being removed,
before pulling the cord H¹ the pully G¹ and spring pully E' are revolved the spring
wound up and the roller F turned by the ratchet wheel N¹ taking in to the
click O. Attached to the cogwheel M-which is fixed to F¹ thereby turning it
upon relaxing the cord, the pully G₁ revolves backwards the ractchet wheel P
attached to the spring pulley takes into the click R' attached to the cogwheel S¹
and by this means giving moton to the roller F in the same direction as when the
cord is pulled, Leather flap valves are placed at convenient and suitable places to
cause the air to enter and sound the reeds whether the bellows be expanded or
collapsed, a valve V is placed on the underside of the scale piece A Fig 1 to admit
air into the bellows a valve V' in the side of the scale piece A leading to the outer
atmosphere a vave V admitting air from the bellows to the box A valve V³
admitting air to the box from the outside, By employing in one scale piece a
suitable duplicate set of reeds the above arrangements of valves will not be
necessary but simply leather flap valves, behind the slot of each note as is usual in
the concertina.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 4
I claim is
In automatic musical instruments the employment of a cord wound round a
roller and spring pulleys for the purpose of causing the tune band to be drawn
over the air ducts leading to the notes to be sounded substantially as described and
illustrated in the drawings.