Improvements in Actions for Combined Pianofortes and Organs.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Actions for Combined Pianofortes and Organs.
I, EZRA JOIN SPENCER, trading as Spence & Co., Pianoforte and American
Organ Manufacturers, 217 and 219, Hyde Road, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to allow the combined piano and organ to be
played separately or both at one time. I place the organ on the top of an ordinary
piano with side irons on hinges, and the stickers or connecting rods from the key
board work the reeds in the organ at the same time as the piano is being played.
If it is required to play the piano alone I draw a stop which causes cams or
rocking shaft to slightly lift the organ, thus lifting it out of reach of the sticker
or connecting rods of the key board and the piano can be played alone.
By pushing in the stop it allows the reeds to come into action of the stickers and
thus both instruments can be played at one time from the same keyboard, or if
the piano is required to be thrown out of action, I have a rail hinged to hammer
rest rail at back of hammers and worked by levers rods or canis which when
moved the piano is thrown out of action. Although I only mention cams levers
and rocking shafts I can cause the organ or piano to be lifted out of action by
electric, pneumatic or other power. And for convenience of tuning the piano I
place all the stickers or connecting rods in a frame which drops into slots or
recesses and is held in its position by springs or catches.
Dated this 9th day of October 1899.
Improvements in Actions for Combined Pianofortes and Organs.
I, EZRA JOHN SPENCER, trading as Spence & Co., Pianoforte and American
Organ Manufacturers, 217 and 219, Hyde Road, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particular! described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to allow the combined piano and organ to be
played either separately or both at one time. In the accompanying sheets of
drawings, similar letters illustrate similar parts. I shew one method Fig. 1,
Sheet I is a part section of piano and organ I hinge a organ bellows and sound
board a on the top of a piano b with side irons 2 and between the pallet and stem
of organ c, I place a frame d in which are stickers or connecting rods e which rest
on the keys of the piano so that on the draw stop g being drawn it pulls over

page_text: the rocking shaft h and allows the pallet stems c of organ to come into contact
of the stickers or connecting rods e. Thus the playing of the piano keys F causes
both the piano and organ to be played at one time.
Fig. 2 Sheet 2; shews a similar view on a larger scale with the draw stop G
pushed in, the rocking shaft h having raised the organ bellows and sound board a,
and pallet and stems c they are out of reach of stickers or connecting rods e which
then allow only the piano to be played.
On Sheet 1 Fig. 1, I shew a method by which the piano hammers are placed
out of action of the keyboard F, thus the piano being rendered inoperative, the
organ can only be played. I fix a transverse bar J which extends across the
piano frame in front of which is another bar K, hinged to the bottom of the bar J,
and connected by a bent rod L to another connecting rod M to lever N at one
end of piano. The dotted lines shew when the lever N is pressed down, it places
the hammers up to the piano wires 0, thus lifting the piano action out of contact
with keys F, thus allowing the player to play the organ only. Although I have
only illustrated these methods I may state for throwing the piano and organ in and
out of action it may be done in various ways, by cams, levers, screws, electric,
pneumatic, or by causing the frame holding the stickers or connecting rods to be
canted or placed at an angle to throw them in or out of action of keys, pallets or
stems.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
-
1st. The novelty of throwing the organ in and out of action with the piano.
2nd. The general arrangements of the methods shewn and described, or any
mere modification thereof.