Improvements in Accordions.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 27th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Accordions.
I, JOHN FRANK STRATTON of 43 Walker Street New York, United States of
America, Importer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved accordion which
permits the performer to instantly bring the tremolo attachment into, or out of,
use without stopping the playing or using any of the fingers to manipulate the
mechanism as is usually done in accordions as heretofore made.
The invention consists of a gravity device adapted to connect, or disconnect,
with the fluttering valve commanding the air duct leading from the bellows to the
wind chest.
In accordions as heretofore constructed the tremolo device was actuated by the
performer manipulating, with one or more of his fingers or his hands, a separate
mechanism (usually called tremolo stop) connected with the fluttering valve of the
air duct and in order to do this during the execution of a piece of music the
playing had to be interrupted to enable the performer to set the tremolo device.
This stopping of the music could not well be avoided, no matter how much
dexterity was displayed by the performer, and necessarily caused a disagreeable
pause. To avoid the interruption of the music, to enable the performer to keep
on playing without stopping to set the tremolo device, and to instantly bring the
tremolo into, or out of, use, is the main object of the invention presently to be
described.
The accordion is provided with the usual wind chest covered by the reed board
and connected by an air duct with the interior of the bellows. The air duct is
adapted to be closed on top by the usual fluttering valve, which, when seated,
permits the performer to produce tremolo by compressing the bellows in the usual
manner. When the valve is unseated, the air passes freely from the bellows
through the duct into the wind chest and from the latter past the reeds of the
reed board without producing tremolo tones.
In order to hold the fluttering valve off its seat when the tremolo is not desired
and to permit the valve to seat itself for the tremolo, I provide a gravity device
having a bell crank lever pivoted in the wind chest. This bell crank lever has one
of its arms extending upward, the outer end supporting a weight and being limited
in its movement between two stop pins. The other arm of the bell crank lever is
preferably made in L-shape, the outer end being adapted to engage a pin on one
end of the fluttering valve. When the bell crank lever is in the one position, the
said arm is disengaged from the said pin so that the valve is free to open and close
when the accordion is played, to produce tremolo. When the operator desires not
to use the tremolo he tips the upper end of the accordion slightly towards
himself so that the bell crank lever changes its position, the weighted arm
swinging over against the other stop pin and the other arm engaging the pin of
the valve so as to lift the valve off its seat to permit the air from the bellows to
pass freely through the duct into the wind chest and through the reeds of the reed
board. When the performer again desires to use the tremolo, he tips the upper
end of the accordion, outward so that the bell crank lever again changes position
and this engages the pin so as to permit the valve to seat itself by its own weight.
When the accordion is now played, the tremolo is produced in the usual manner by
the fluttering valve.
Thus it will be seen that while the performer plays a piece of music he can
instantly chance the recular sounds to tremolo without interrupting the playing

page_text: as the slight tipping of the accordion does not hinder the playing of the keys or
drawing or pushing the bellows.
Dated this 23rd day of September 1890.
J. F. STRATTON
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Accordions.
I, JOHN FRANK STRATTON of 43 Walker Street, New York, United States of
America, Importer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved accordion which is
simple and durable in construction and permits the performer to instantly bring the
tremolo attachment into or out of use without stopping the piaying or using any
of the fingers to manipulate the mechanism, as is usually done in accordions as
heretofore made.
The invention consists of a gravity device adapted to connect or disconnect
with the fluttering valve commanding the air duct leading from the bellows to the
wind chest.
The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the
same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the figures.
Figure 1 is a face view of the improvement as applied, the reed board being
removed;
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a face view of the improvement in a different position from the one
shown in Figure 1.
In accordions as heretofore constructed, the tremolo device was actuated by the
performer manipulating, with one or more of his fingers or his hands, a separate
mechanism (usually called tremolo stop) connected with the fluttering valve of the
air duct, and in order to do this during the execution of a piece of music, the
playing had to be interrupted to enable the performer to set the tremolo device.
This stopping of the music could not well be avoided, no matter how much
dexterity was displayed by the performer and necessarily caused a disagreeable
pause.
To avoid the interruption of the music, to enable the performer to keep on
playing, without stopping to set the tremolo device, and to instantly bring the
tremolo into or out of use, is the main object of the invention presently to be
described.
The accordion A is provided with the usual wind-chest B, covered by the reed
board C and connected by the air duct D with the interior of the bellows E. The
air duct D is adapted to be closed on top by the usual fluttering valve F which,
when seated, permits the performer to produce tremolo by compressing the bellows
in the usual manner. When the valve is unseated, the air passes freely from the
bellows through the duct into the wind chest, and from the latter past the reeds of
the reed board without producing tremolo tones.
In order to hold the valve F off of its seat when the tremolo is not desired, and
to permit the valve to seat itself for the tremolo, I provide a gravity device G
having a bell crank lever H pivoted at I, in the wind chest B, as is plainly
shown in the drawings. This bell crank lever H has one of its arms H¹ extending
upward, the outer end supporting a weight H². The arm H is limited in its

page_text: movement between two stop pins J and J', secured to the inner wall of the
wind chest, as is plainly shown in the drawings. The other arm H³ of the bell
crank lever H is preferably made in L-shape, the outer end being adapted to
engage a pin K held on one end of the fluttering valve F.
When the bell crank lever H is in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the
arm H' rests against the said pin J, and the other arm H³ is disengaged from the
pin K, so that the valve F is free to open and close when the accordion is played,
to produce tremolo.
When the operator desires not to use the tremolo, he tips the upper end of the
accordion A slightly towards himself so that the bell crank lever changes its
position, the arm H¹ swinging against the stop pin J', and the other arm H³
engaging the pin K so as to lift the valve F off of its seat to permit the air from
the bellows to pass freely through the duct D into the wind chest B, and through
the reeds of the reed board C.
When the performer again desires to use the tremolo, he tips the upper end of
the accordion outward, so that the bell crank lever again changes position, and this
engages the pin K, so as to permit the valve F to seat itself by its own weight.
When the accordion is now played the tremolo is produced in the usual manner by
the fluttering of the valve F.
Thus it will be seen that while the performer plays a piece of music he can
instantly change the regular sounds to tremolo without interrupting the playing, as
the slight tipping of the accordion does not hinder the playing of the keys or
drawing or pushing the bellows.
In dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2 are illustrated the ordinary tremolo stop for
manipulating the fluttering valve F, the said means consisting of a string connected
with the valve and fastened to a block held on a rod passing through the end of the
wind chest to the outside, the outer end of the rod being provided with a button,
which, when moved outward, causes an upward movement of the block, so that the
valve F is held open by the string. When the button is pushed downward, the
valve F seats itself.
Other devices have also been put in use to accomplish the same result, but all
had to be manipulated by the performer's fingers, so that an interruption of the
music was necessary.
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,
1. In an accordion, a gravity device adapted to connect or disconnect with the
fluttering valve according to the position of the accordion, substantially as shown
and described.
2. In an accordion, a weighted lever pivoted in the accordion and adapted to
connect or disconnect with the fluttering valve according to the position of the
accordion, substantially as shown and described.
3. In an accordion, the combination with the fluttering valve, of a gravity
device arranged in the accordion and adapted to connect and disconnect with the
said fluttering valve according to the position of the accordion, substantially as
shown and described.
4. In an accordion, the combination with a fluttering valve, of a weighted bell-
crank lever held in the wind-chest and adapted to connect with or disconnect from
the fluttering valve, substantially as shown and described.
5. In an accordion, the combination with a fluttering valve, of a weighted bell-
crank lever held in the wind-chest and adapted to connect with or disconnect from
the fluttering valve, and stop pins for limiting the movement of the said bell-crank
lever, substantially as shown and described.
6. In an accordion, the combination with a fluttering valve provided with a pin,
of a weighted bell-crank lever adapted to engage, with one arm, the said pin, and
carrying a weight on its other arm, substantially as shown and described.

page_text: 7. In an accordion, the combination with a fluttering valve provided with a pin,
of a weighted bell-crank lever adapted to engage, with one arm, the said pin, and
carrying a weight on its other arm, and stop pins for limiting the movement of the
said bell-crank lever, substantially as shown and described.
Dated March 10th 1891.
J. F. STRATTON.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.