A New or Improved Musical Attachment for Toys.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 3rd May, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Musical Attachment for Toys.
A communication from abroad by MAX DANNHORN, of Kohlenhofstrasse, Nürnberg,
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer of Metal Articles.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.L.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, 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 invention herein described and shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings
relates to a musical arrangement in which sounds are produced by the revolution of
a cylinder driven by means of a movable toy or in some other way, and is in fact
very much on the principle of the so-called pin cylinder movements already well
known for similar purposes, the object of the invention being to enable the action of
the musical parts to be brought about with much less expenditure of power, and
further to make the construction of the same more suitable as regards mode and cost
of production for toys in which the devices are intended to be employed.
In place of the steel comb used in the pin cylinder machines for producing tunes,
a metal plate a is employed in this arrangement, which is provided with a number of
slits e which are covered in the usual manner by metal reeds or tongues affixed to
The slits c run into narrower ones d through which the studs or pins, for sounding
the metal tongues b, act on the same.
the plate a.
On each side of the plate a, a bracket or support. is secured in which the
cylinder w, made of wood or any other suitable material, is placed. This cylinder
has around its circumference a number of studs or pias s arranged near each other,
preferably in a spiral form, and is driven by means of a spur wheel z or in any other
suitable manner from the toy in question. On turning the cylinder in the direction
indicated by the arrow, the pins s catch in regular sequence-corresponding to their
arrangement on the circumference of the cylinder w-and, through the slits d, on the
tongues b and raise their front ends in a direction perpendicular to the plate a. On
the further revolution of the cylinder, the respective pins disengage the tongues after
having raised the latter to a certain height, whereby they spring back to their former
position and a musical note is produced. By continuing to revolve the cylinder all
the pins come one after another in contact with the tongues, and it is possiblo
by a suitable arrangement of the pins to produce the playing of any required
melody, and by the employment of longer or shorter pins to yield louder or
softer notes. This arrangement of tongues fastened on a plate and lifted perpen-
dicularly by means of a revolving pin cylinder affords mainly, in addition to a
cheaper and simpler mode of construction, the further advantage of setting
the same in action with a much less expenditure of power than is required in the
instruments fitted with a steel comb, and therefore musical arrangements of the
construction described above are specially suitable for toys in which only a slight
amount of power
for driving the cylinder is available, especially in tops, etcetera,
etcetera, and similar rotating toys.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :--
In musical attachments for toys the arrangement of separate metal tongues b on a

page_text: board a which is provided with slits a covered by the said tongues and having
narrower slits & in prolongation thereof through which pins s arranged on a revolving
pin cylinder w rise up and set in vibration the tongues aforesaid in suitable succession,
substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of March 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.