IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1853

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Talbot Ashen-
hurst at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 17th March 1853.
I, JOHN TALBOT ASHENHURST, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES" to be as follows:-
The bracings or back supports to be hollow tubes or boxes made of
timber or other equally light and strong material, and perforated in
the front or other parts: these to be made square, oblong, angular,
circular, or otherwise. The bottom for the bracings to rest upon to be
concave, forming a number of small cells or compartments opening

page_text: each into the other for the transmission of sound. The strengthening
bar on the back of the sounding board to be hollow tubes, with
openings in front of the sonnding board. The bridges on sounding
board to be hollow, forming tubes or boxes, and, instead of the wires
resting on those bridges, metallic studs to be introduced, with slots
for the wires to pass through and rest upon. The rest plank to be
concave, forming a number of small compartments, and shaped to
suit the scale, and placed horizontally on the tops of the back bracings.
The bridge on rest plank to be of metal, composed of a slotted plate,
a quadrant piece being attached to each slot for the wires to rest
upon, which might be raised or lowered, ns required, by means of
perpendicular screws. The wires to pass over to any part of top of
rest plank or back of case, and attached to rest pins or tuning screws.
From this point or thereabouts tension rods to be introduced to pass
down the back through the bottom, and the metallic plate secured
by screw nuts. Valves or keys may be used to open and shut the
openings or perforations aforesaid. Key bottom to be formed of hollow
compartments
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of the before-mentioned Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by
the said John Talbot Ashenhurst in the Great Seal Patent Office.
on the 17th November 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I.
JOHN TALBOT ASHENHURST, of Upper John Street. Fitzroy Square, in
the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Fer reign, did, for Elerself. Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Talbot Ashenhurst, Fler special
licence that I, the said John Talbot Ashenhurst, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Talbot Ashen-
hurst, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: 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 PIANO FORTES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Talbot Ashenhurst, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 eight calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Talbot Ashenhurst, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:
The nature of my Invention consists in constructing pianofortes with
the following improvements applied thereto, viz., instead of the bracings
or back supports being solid timbers, as usual, they are to be hollow
tubes or boxes, perforated in the front or other parts, made of timber
or other equally light and strong material: these to be made square,
oblong, angular, circular, or otherwise. The bottom for the bracings to
rest upon to be concave, forming a number of small cells or compart-
ments opening each into the other for the transmission of sound. The
strengthening bars on the back of sounding board, instead of being solid
as hitherto in use, to be hollow tubes, with openings in front of sounding
board. The bridges on sounding board to be hollow, forming tubes or
boxes, and, instead of the wires resting on those bridges, metallic studs
to be introduced, with slots for the wires to pass through and rest upon.
The wrest plank to be concave, forming a number of small compart-
ments, and shaped to suit the scale, and placed horizontally or other-
wise on the tops of the back bracings. The bridge on wrest plank to be
of metal, composed of a slotted plate, a quadrant piece being attached to
each slot for the wires to rest upon, which can be raised or lowered, as
required, by means of perpendicular screws. The wires to pass over

page_text: to any part of top of wrest plank or back of case, and attached to rest
pins or tuning screws. From this point or thereabouts tension rods to be
introduced to pass down the back through the bottom and the metallic
plates secured by screw nuts. Valves or keys may be used to open and
shut the openings or perforations aforesaid. And key bottom be formed
of hollow compartments.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
And in what manner the said Invention is to be performed or carried
out as I consider most preferrable.
Fig. 1. is a front view; Fig. 2. a back view; Fig. 3, a section
through the line a,b; and Fig. 4, a section through the line c, d. A, are a
few of the moveable bridges over which only the wires B, pass from the
pins c, in the bottom to the pins (', in the top wrest plank; these bridges
are moved up and down by the means of the screws and nuts f; these
serows pass through the projecting front edge g, of top metal plate, or
plates D, shewn on a larger scale in Figs. 5, 6, and 7. Fig. 5, being a
front view Fig. 6, a section; and Fig. 7, a plan. The bridges A.
placed on the quadrant piece thereof aforesaid have each a short tenon-
shaped end to fit into the slots E, which slots serve as guides when the
bridges are moved up or down by the screws f. Although the Drawings
shew the arrangement described, I prefer that instead of the regulating
screws f of the moveable bridges being fixed in the bridges, and tightened
or regulated by means of nuts, as shewn, they may be formed with solid
heads to fit the tuning key, the bridges being drilled and tapped with a
corresponding thread to fit the screw; in this case the whole screws
turn the bridges, being the nuts, and so are rendered capable of being
moved up or down by turning the screw by the head. The tops of the
plate or plates are slotted likewise at F, to allow the wire to pass right
through and back to the wrest pins or pegs c. c, Fig. 3, on the top of
the wrest plank, in which they are fixed, and round which pins the
wires are fastened and wound up or tightened; these plates are fastened
to the front edge and top of the wrest plank by screws passing through
he holes and into the side and top of wrest planks; the bent piece C

page_text: to which the shorter wires are fixed round the pegs or pins is held to the
bottom plate H, by means of the rods and nuts T, the top end being fixed
to G, in any convenient manner. The wires in passing over the bottom
bridge J, are held in their places by reason of their being in notches in
studs K, which are fixed in the bridge (better shewn in Figures 10, 11,
and 12); these studs are made in the manner shewn, so that each stud
is notched to allow two or more wires to pass through them; these
studs are set in pairs as in Figs. 1, 10, 12, and 13, and, so that the
wires may take a zigzag direction between them, the niches are cut
obliquely in both in a plan and side view, and are set in an opposite
direction to each other (as may be seen in the full and dotted lines in
Fig. 11). Fig. 10, is a plan of part of bridge; Fig. 11, an edge view,
and Fig. 12, a section which shows the bridge hollow; Fig. 13, is one
of the studs. The top and bottom wrest planks are made hollow, as
shewn in Figs. 2, and 3, at i; and j, k, is the belly or sounding board,
to the back of which the hollow bars 7, are attached; a section of one
of these hollow bars on an enlarged scale is seen in Figs. 8, and 9;
A, the belly, and 7, the bar; the belly, or sounding board, is made with
holes m, (seen in Fig. 9, and in dotted lines an, in Fig. 8, or perfora-
tions.) into each bar to allow the sound to issue from them. These
holes are supplied with valves n, so that they may be kept open or shut
at pleasure by means of the rod O, and the joint and arm p, which is
attached to valve; the rods O, are acted on by means of treadles, but
not shewn in the Drawings; one treadle may be made to open or
shut the whole of the valves, and likewise the valves on the hollow
bracings at the same time; the perforations or holes m, in the belly
are partly shewn open and partly shut by the valves in Fig. 1. The
dotted circles P: in Fig. 2, shew the holes in the hollow bracings; q, "
are tie rods or bolts for keeping the top and bottom wrest planks firmly
on the hollow bracings, between which the bracings are fixed. The
key board S, is likewise made hollow, as shewn in Fig. 3, with holes
for the emission of sound.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare I am aware that metallic

page_text: tubular bracings not perforated have been formerly tried, and therefore
I claim the Invention of improvements in pianofortes of the nature
and character as herein set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Talbot Ashenhurst, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of Novem-
ber, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Signed and sealed in
my presence,
JOHN TALBOT ASHENHURST. (L.S.)
F. W. CAMPIN,
156. Strand.