Improvements in Piano Forte Actions.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Piano Forte Actions.
I, JAMES HARPER PHELPS, residing in Sharon, in the County of Walworth, in
the State of Wisconsin, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in piano forte actions.
I have heretofore devised an improvement in piano forte actions, described in...
the Specification of former Patent No. 22389 Dec. 22nd 1891 wherein each of..the
keys is adapted when struck to damp the adjacent keys not harmonizing with it....
In such action each key is provided with arms projecting laterally to each side and
preferably secured to the stickers, and also with pivoted levers which are so located
as to come in contact with said lateral arms when the latter are raised by the striking
of the key to which they are applied. The levers are also adapted to close the
dampers of their respective keys, so that when a key is struck the lateral arms of
such key will, through the medium of the pivoted levers of the adjoining non-
harmonizing keys, operate to close the dampers of the latter if they should be
open at the time.
My present invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of
piano forte actions embodying my said previous invention, and the leading feature
thereof relates to the manner of supporting the pivoted levers by which the
dampers are closed.
In the drawing 1 show a vertical cross section of my improved action.
D is
In said drawing A may represent one of the strings of the piano; B the damper;
b the damper bar; B¹ the spring acting upon the damper bar; C the loud pedal
bar, and the arm of wire operating the damper when the key is struck;
the pivoted lever supporting the jack N; E is the sticker; F the key and f the
rocking adjusting lever by which the action of the sticker is regulated; G is the
stationary supporting bar having in some constructions a connection g for holding
the sticker. The stickers are provided with horizontally extending arms H
corresponding to those of my previous construction and formed with recesses h¹
which prevent the keys from damping themselves by avoiding contact between
their arms and their levers J now to be described. Adjacent to each sticker is a
lever J pivotally supported on a block j supported from the bar G, such lever
extending over the arms H and passing between its own sticker and the sticker of
the next adjacent key. k is a spring inserted between each lever J and the
supporting bar, and said levers J have offsets m and bevel portions n. The damper
bars have extensions O, and a rod P is suspended at its ends and at intermediate
points upon cranks p, pivotally held upon the action frame by taller blocks j, said
rod acting to hold the series of levers J against action. M is the buffer for
engaging the toe of the jack and limiting its movement, and L is the block in which
the hammer is secured.
The supporting bar G in my previous construction supports the blocks ; directly,
but I prefer to make the bar in separate parts, or in other words to support the
levers J and their blocks upon a bar separate from the bar G and resting thereon.
This I find to be a great convenience as it enables the adjusting of all the levers J
vertically at the same time and also the positioning of them all upon their supports
before the latter are put upon the piano. This cross bar I illustrate at G¹, the
blocks being secured to it. In order that the bar G¹ may be correctly positioned
to bring the levers J to their proper plane, a filling place gl is preferably inserted
between bars G¹ and bar G, this filling piece being of the proper vertical dimensions
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to ensure the result stated. Screws i may be passed through the bar G¹ and the
filling piece into the lower bar and secure them all rigidly together.
The rod P by which all the levers J are held inoperative is acted upon by
spring so that its action when pressing upon the levers J may be more certain.
This spring has sufficient elasticity to permit the necessary changes in position by
the rod P.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 'I
claim is:
1st. The combination in a piano action of the levers J with supports for said
levers consisting of a bar G and a separate bar G' to which the levers are secured
and which is itself supported upon said bar G, substantially as specified.
2nd. The combination with the series of levers J and their supporting blocks j
of. bars G and G¹, and a filling piece inserted between said bars, substantially as
-specified.
3rd. The combination with the levers J of the locking rod P and the spring
acting upon said rod, substantially as specified.
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., October 24th A.D. 1892.
JAMES HARPER PHELPS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.