IMPROVE- MENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Davis, of No. 18, Frith Street, Soho, in the
County of Middlesex, Professor of Music, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS."
Sealed the 22nd September 1859, and dated the 22nd March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Davis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
.22nd March 1859.
I, JOHN DAVIS, of No. 18, Frith Street, Soho, in the County of Middlesex,
Professor of Music, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows:-
I give a perpendicular movement, free from oscillation, to the piston rod of
the common rotary action valve by making a slot in the piston rod to enable
a pully to revolve freely on an axle, the said rod being attached to the pully
by a link, chain, or other contrivance. On the axle of the pully I fix two
forks, which convey the rotary or partly rotary motion by pressing the piston
rod direct to the valve. I employ the ordinary rotary action spring, and
use a rack and pinion to regulate it; but, when desired, spiral or other springs
may be used. By this arrangement the valve can be readily removed and
replaced without interfering with the action, and all the parts being enclosed
in a chamber, with the assistance of stuffing boxes, all dust and dirt is prevented
from entering.
By placing the piston used in the rotary action in a perpendicular or other.

page_text: position, and introducing an additional wind passage, I am enabled to obtain
the advantages of the rotary wind passages by means of a perpendicular
piston.
Altho' the description refers to a vertical movement, I do not limit myself
thereto, as my said improvements may be as easily worked horizontally, or
otherwise, if required, by altering the direction of the force accordingly.
In all wind musical instruments I use dust bands to prevent dust entering
the slides, dust guards or stops to prevent it entering by the bell of the instru-
ment, and a plug or cap to prevent it entering at the mouth-piece. I attach
a plug key or koys moving on rollers, or a rotary escapement, or a sucker and
sponge, to any instrument, by means of which the water accumulating in the
instrument is passed into a receiver whilst the instrument is being played; the
instrument at the same time being kept perfectly air-tight.
The last part of my Invention relates to drums. I make each head of the
drum so that it may be detached from the body just below the flosh hoop and
the body I make in divisions so as to fold together like a telescope, or to open
flat; the drum heads I fasten to the body by an angular slot; the drum heads
may be turned whilst detached, and by placing rollers on the hoop of the drum
head, and others to a rim of brass or other metal just below the flesh hoop,
passing wires over the rollers, the ends of which are fastened to a windlass or
screw, the drum heads can be braced or unbraced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Davis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
DAVIS, of No. 18, Frith Street, Soho, in the County of Middlesex, Professor
of Music, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year.
of Her reign, did, for, Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Davis, Her special licence that I, the said John Davis, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such other as 1, the said John
Davis, 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,

page_text: and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Davis, my executors or administrators, by an instrument 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 John Davis, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
My Invention consists, firstly, of various improved modes of giving a direct
rotary or partly rotary motion to the piston valves of cornets and other wind
musical instruments.
In one arrangement I give a perpendicular movement, free from oscillation,
to the piston rod of the common rotary action valve, by making a slot in the
piston rod to enable a pulley to revolve freely on an axle, the said rod being
attached to the pulley by a link, chain, or other contrivance. On the axle of
the pulley I fix two forks, which convey the rotary or partly rotary action by
pressing the piston rod direct to the valve. I employ the ordinary rotary action
spring, and use a rack and pinion to regulate it; but when desired, spiral or
other springs may be used.
In another arrangement I screw to the piston rod in the spring box a pin,
and pass it through a slot in the plate of the piston valve chamber, and also
into another slot in the valve itself, so that when the piston rod is pressed
down in the ordinary manner, a direct rotary or partly rotary action is communi-
cated to the piston valve. The spring box, in which the piston rod is enclosed,
is covered at the top and bottom to prevent the entrance of dust, and the-rod
is kept in its proper position by causing it to work through a plate fixed to the
spring box, which plate also forms the point of resistance to the spring; or I
use any other suitable contrivance for the purpose of keeping the piston rod
steady. One of the axles of the piston valve works in a hole in the face plate,
and the other axle in a hole in a plate fitting the chamber; the end of the axle
being screwed and furnished with a nut. A cap or cover is screwed on the
chamber so as to enclose the loose plate and also the screw and nut, thereby
preventing the entrance of dust, and also maintaining the piston valve in its
place.

page_text: I also accomplish the aforesaid object of giving a direct rotary or partly
rotary action to the piston valve from the motion of a piston rod by attaching
to the valve a toothed wheel or pinion, and causing it to be acted upon by a
rack on the piston rod, so that when the latter is pressed the valve turns one
way, the return movement being caused by a spring; or, I obtain the same
result by means of a crank pin attached to the piston rod, the other end working
in a hole in the centre of the shank attached to the piston valve.
By any of these arrangements I am enabled to withdraw the piston valvė
when required, without interfering with the action, and all the working parts
being enclosed in a chamber with the assistance of stuffing boxes and caps,
all dust and dirt is prevented from entering.
Although I shew my improved pistons in a vertical position, yet I do not
confine myself thereto, as they may be used in any other position. I also use
dust bands to prevent dust entering the slides, dust guards to prevent it entering
by the bell of the instrument, and a plug or cap to prevent it entering at the
mouth-piece.
In ordinary pistons I place three oblique passages to convey the wind
through the instrument in the same direction, thus avoiding acute bends and
obtaining a free circulation of the wind. By means of plug water keys moving
on rollers; or a rotary escapement, the water which becomes deposited in the
tubing whilst the performer is playing, is carried off; or the same effect may be
produced by a sucker and sponge, a receiver may be attached if required; the
instrument at the same time being kept perfectly air-tight.
The last part of my improvements relate to drums, the advantages being
lightness, easy of adjustment, equalized strain on the drum heads in tuning,
thereby preventing their being pulled on one side and so injured.
Some of the aforesaid improvements are so plain-and self-evident, that no
further description is needed, and the others will be clearly understood by
referring to the figures and letters on the accompanying two Sheets of
Drawings.
In Sheet 1, Fig. 1 represents a back elevation of a cornet with my second
mode of giving a direct rotary or partly rotary action to the piston valve, also
shewing my improved plug water key; Fig. 2, a front view of my improved
piston rods, spring boxes, and valve chambers; Fig. 3, a section of the spring
box, piston valve and chamber, with the piston rod in full; Fig. 4, a plan of
the valve chamber connected to the spring box, the top cover of the valve
chamber being removed; Fig. 5 a front view of the face plate; and Fig. 6 a
front view of the piston valve.
Figs. 7, 8, and 9, different views of one of the arrangements for working

page_text: the piston valve, by a rack and toothed wheel or pinion; and Figs. 10 and
11, views of another arrangement of the rack and pinion for producing the
same effect.
In Sheet 2, Fig. 1 represents an external elevation of my improved drum;
and Fig. 2 a plan of the same.
In Fig. 1, 2, 8, 4, 5, and 6, a represents the piston valve chamber; b, the
piston valve; c, the piston rod; d, the spring; e, the plate, through which
the piston rod works; fand 9, the caps or lids for excluding dust or moisture
from the spring box; and h, the pin, for giving rotary or partly rotary motion
to the piston valve; the pin h is screwed to the piston rod, and passes through
a slot i in the face plate k of the chamber, and also into another slot in the
valve, so that when pressure is given to the piston rod the valve rotates, one
of its axles m turning in the face plate k, and the other axle turning in the
loose plate n, through which it passes, and is kept close by a screw and nut o
which with the piston valve is maintained in their working positions by
screwing the cap p on the end of the chamber. The spring box containing
the piston rod is screwed to the chamber by the screws q. My improved plug
water key is shewn at r working on the fulcrum s, and kept tight by the
spring t. In Figs. 7, 8, and 9, the piston valve is shewn at u, having con-
nected with it a toothed wheel which gears into the rack won the piston
rud, so that when the rod is pressed, the valve partly turns one way, the spring
causing the return movement.
In Figs. 10 & 11, I shew another arrangement of rack and toothed wheel
but placed in different positions; the valve u has connected with it by a
square pin, the spur wheel y which gears into the rack on the piston rod.
In Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 2, representing one arrangement of my improved
drum, a is the frame or body made of any suitable length or diameter; b, the
flesh hoops; c, the loose heads or hoops which are kept tight in their places
by means of the cords or wires d, passing over rollers or pulleys e on the body,
and over rollers or pulleys f on the loose heads or hoops, and also through
holes in the pulleys 9, to the spindles of which are connected the worm wheels h,
gearing into the worms or screws i which are turned by the winged heads k so
as to turn the pulley g, and wind the cord or wires around them and thereby
obtain the amount of tightening required. The tightening may be effected
by means of one or more screws if the heads are tuned together.
Since lodging my Provisional Specification, I have found that one of
the parts therein, viz., "arranging the piston used in the rotary action in
a perpendicular or other position, and by introducing an additional wind
passago I am enabled to obtain the advantages of the rotary wind passages by

page_text: means of a perpendicular piston," to be old, I therefore wish it to be under-
stood that I lay no claim to it.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, I
would have it distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
construction or arrangement thereof, as such may be varied or modified without
departing from the principle of my Invention; but I claim,―
First, the general arrangement and combination of parts for giving a rotary
or partly rotary action to the pistons of cornets and other wind musical instru-
ments, with caps or covers for enclosing all the working parts and exluding
dust, &c., therefrom.
Secondly; the improved plug water keys.
Thirdly, the improvement in drums, as all such improvements are herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Davis, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-second day of September, 1859.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named John Davis, in the presence of
JOHN DAVIS. (L.S.)
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, Patent Agent,
123, Chancery Lane, London.