IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Taylor, of No. 1, Wellington Cottages,
De Beauvoir Town, Kingsland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PIANOFORTES."
Sealed the 25th January 1859, and dated the 27th July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Taylor at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th July 1858.
I, ALEXANDER TAYLOR, of No. 1, Wellington Cottages, De Beauvoir Town,
Kingsland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PIANOFORTES," to be as follows, for glass to be used instead of wood in
the back or case of the pianoforte, glass in substance being stronger than
wood, and more able to resist the sound, and not so liable to absorbe the
tone as wood; it will be the shape of the sounding board; the thickness will
be determined by the size of the pianoforte; the glass will be from inch
to 4, 5, or 6 in. thick, according to the size of the pianoforte, but I cannot
be bound to the size of the glass; it is the introduction of glass in the
manufacture of pianofortes by having a frame made to receive the solid glass,
and iron or wooden bars at the back to resist the pull of the strings in
front, thereby gaining the equilibrium, as shown in the Drawing annexed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
TAYLOR, of No. 1, Wellington Cottages, De Beauvoir Town, Kingsland, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Alexander Taylor, Her special licence that I, the said
Alexander Taylor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Alexander Taylor, 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 PIANOFORTES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Alexander Taylor, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Alexander Taylor, 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, that is to say, it relates to certain improvements in the materials
used, and in the mode of constructing various parts of pianofortes, the object
of these being to give greater strength to the instrument in places where
such is most required; to improve the tone, which is at the same time
-rendered-both-more-powerful-and-more-soft_and_sweet,_while_the_bad_effects
resulting from the expansion and contraction of the materials composing the
piano in extreme climates is obviated and avoided.
First, then, the material which I propose to introduce into certain parts of
the piano is glass; and this I propose to use in such thicknesses as to prevent
any danger of fracture with ordinary care:

page_text: I will begin, therefore, by enumerating the various parts in pianofortes
which I propose to make of glass..
I propose,, then, in some cases to form the case of the piano, or such parts
of it as may be most conveniently made of plate glass; there is no doubt but
that the whole case could be made of glass; but as this would be very,
expensive, I would suggest that only the sides, top, lid, and part of the front.
should be made of plate glass, the various parts being cast separately and then
cemented together. Next I propose that the legs, either the whole or part,:
may be formed of glass, preferably hollow. I now come to the interior,
portions of the piano; and here I would remark that, although I have
proposed making the outside case and the legs of glass, the following improve-
ments are applicable to pianofortes with the ordinary cases and legs. The
first improvement, then, in the interior, consists in forming a back of plate
glass; which I suspend freely between the top and bottom tie bars, and in front
of the ordinary framed back. The thickness of this glass may vary greatly, but-
that which I prefer is from one and a quarter inches to two inches; they may,
however, range from three-quarters of an inch below to two inches above these
dimensions. There are a great many ways in which it may be suspended;
and therefore I do, not confine myself to any particular method; in many cases
it will be sufficient to retain it in its place by placing it between the upper and
lower tie bars of the frame; in other cases it may be bolted to one of the.
framed stretchers forming the back, care being taken to use elastic or soft leather
washers between between the head of the bolt and the back. A modification.
of this construction which I propose is to form the tie rods or bracings of the
present framed backs of hollow or solid glass rods, or solid or hollow square
bracings; this, for general purposes, would be more expensive however than
the last. Both of these constructions last mentioned are intended and may
be applied to pianofortes having all their other parts of the ordinary,
construction.
The second part of my improvements in the internal part of the piano
consists in forming what is usually called the sounding, board of plate glass;
or, referring to the plate glass back last mentioned, I propose to make it form
and fulfil the functions of a sounding board, or, as I term it, a crystal resonant
plate. On this plate I fix, by means of glue or other similar substance, the
upper or "rest plate bridge," which is of the usual form; in like manner and
in the usual position I fix the lower or "belly bridge." A portion of the glass
plate in the locality where the "bent side" is placed, is grooved or hollowed
out to allow that last-mentioned part to be introduced. In some cases the low

page_text: corner may be cut away from the plate, and the "bent side" fixed in the
usual manner, and of the ordinary materials.
The third of my improvements in the internal construction consists in
introducing, as in the first case, a suspended plate glass back; but in the front
of this, and suspended to it, either by means of a bridge glued to its face or
other suitable means, I fix another sounding board or crystal resonant plate,
which may either be of wood or glass; it will be apparent that this upper
sounding board, whether of wood or glass, need not be of larger area than that
comprized between the upper and under bridges, which are fixed upon it, and
over which the strings pass, the bent side being formed in the usual manner.
may mention that I prefer the glass plates, whether for back or sounding.
board, to be formed concave or convex.
I
The fourth of the aforesaid improvements consists in forming the "rest
plank" (when such is made of a separate piece), or at least that part of it on
which is set the upper bridge, of glass. By this arrangement I get a greater
compass and sweetness of tone.
Finally, the fifth and last part of my aforesaid improvements consists in
forming the heads of the hammers for striking the strings, of glass, shod or
covered, however, with soft leather or other similar material.
In order more clearly to illustrate generally the mode in which I use and
apply the above mentioned principles of construction to the manufacture of
pianofortes, I have appended the accompanying Drawings; nevertheless I
wish it understood that for different kinds of instruments modifications of
the said principles of construction or their equivalents may be used, the main'
features remaining the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section through the back or sounding chamber of an
upright piano, where a is my plate glass back, which is suspended from one of
the binders of the ordinary framed back, the remaining parts of the piano
being of the ordinary construction.
Figure 2 is a similar section, shewing the same when the suspended glass
back is used itself to form the sounding board, or, as I term it, the crystal
resonant plate; a-being-the-resonant-plate,-b-the-rest_or_upper_bridge, c the
rest plank, d the lower bridge, e the bent side, f the ordinary framed back;
the general form, arrangement, and position of the parts being nearly the
same as in ordinary instruments.
Figure 3 is a similar section, shewing the suspended glass back, with a
suspended glass or wooden sounding board or belly.

page_text: Figure 4 is a sectional elevation, shewing the front of the sounding board,
the arrangement being either that of Figure 2 or Figure 3.
Although in these Figures the glass back is shewn suspended to the
ordinary framed back, in one instance by means of a bolt, and in another by
means of two bridges m and n, yet I do not mean to claim these modes
particularly, but simply introduce them to illustrate a general method of
effecting that object.
Having now described my Invention, and particularly ascertained the
nature of it, and how the same is to be effected, I wish it understood that I do
not confine nor restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which
I have referred to, as variations may be made in the main features without
deviating from the general principles involved and described; but what I
claim as new, and wish secured to me by the before in part recited Letters
Patent is,
First, constructing the cases of pianofortes, or the principal parts of such,
of pieces of plate glass, and connecting them so as to form a whole case.
Second, forming the legs or supports of pianofortes, or parts of such, of solid
or hollow glass.
Third, the introduction and application of a suspended plate glass back,
made either flat, or concave, or convex, into pianos, substantially as described
under that part of this Specification headed "first of the internal improve-
ments," and illustrated in Figure 1 of the Drawings appended thereto.
Fourth, the introduction, application, and use of backs composed of hollow
or solid tubes, or hollow or solid square bars of glass, as described in the same
part of the Specification as the last-mentioned claim.
Fifth, the construction of pianofortes having what is called the sounding
board formed of a suspended glass plate, substantially as described under
that part of this Specification headed "second part of my improvements
in the internal construction of pianofortes," and illustrated in Figure 2 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Sixth, the construction of pianofortes having a suspended glass back, and
also a suspended sounding board either of wood or glass, substantially as
described in that part of this Specification headed "third of my improvements
in the internal construction of pianofortes," and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4
of the Drawings appended thereto.
Seventh, the construction of the "rest plank," or that part of it under the
rest or upper bridge, of glass, as described in the Specification under the
heading "fourth of the said internal improvements.",

page_text: Eighth, the construction of the heads of the hammers of glass, and covered
with leather or other similar materials in the manner described.
Ninth, the construction of pianofortes by combining any one or more of
these said claims, either with the pianos now made or with each other; that
is, to introduce into the said manufacture one or more or all of them..
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Taylor, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, in the year One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
ALEXANDER TAYLOR. (L.S.)
Witness,
JAMES WRIGHT,
21, Bridge Street, Blackfriars,
London.