AN APPARATUS FOR HOLD- ING AND TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC OR MUSIC BOOKS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Ager, of Witham, in the County of
Essex, Gentleinan, for the Invention of "AN APPARATUS FOR HOLD-
ING AND TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC OR MUSIC BOOKS."
Sealed the 11th January 1854, and dated the 11th July 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Ager at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th July 1858.
I, GEORGE AGEN, of Witham, in the County of Essex, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN APPARATUS
FOR HOLDING AND TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC OR MUSIC BOOкs" to
be as follows:―
My improvement consists in a novel arrangement of mechanical
means for turning over the pages of sheets or books of music.
And for the better understanding of my Invention I will now
describe the same, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, & the letters marked thereon, the same letters applying to
like parts throughout.
Fig. 1, shows my improved apparatus before being arranged for
turning over one leaf; and Fig. 2, shows the same apparatus arranged
for turning over a leaf.

page_text: A, B, is a section of the foot or base of the wooden frame used as
the book stand or rest. A lever C, D, moves on a centre pin D, and
has two small perforations at a, b. To a, is fastened a cord, wire, horse
hair, or the like, of sufficient length. to stretch up to a ring at the
top of a centre standard or support for the back of the book, and
which cord is to be used for holding or removing the book leaves as
may be required; a cord is also attached to b, and is thence carried
through a hole c, in the frame A, B, and attached to a metal spring,
or to vulcanized india-rubber, d, e. E, is a spring catch operated upon
by pendant levers or keys.
Having thus described the construction of my inproved apparatus,
I would observe, that although I have only described one lever and one
spring catch, that any convenient number of these may be attached to
the foot of the book rest or other suitable part, according to the
number of leaves to be turned over by it, as one lever C, with its end
at a, is required for each leaf. These levers C, should be each one
shorter than the other in succession, and they are each turned towards
the right hand of the performer, & held there by a spring catch, a
leaf resting upon each cord while set ready for use; but as the
performer touches a key at the end B, of the frame, the corresponding
lever, cord, and leaf of music are carried over to his left hand side by
the action of the spring d, e, and so on with each leaf to which the
levers and cords of the apparatus are appended.
I wish it to be understood that I do not restrict myself to any
particular material or dimensions in the construction of the apparatus;
and I do declare that what I clam as my Invention is, namely,-
The peculiar arrangement of an apparatus for mechanically holding
and turning over the leaves of music or music books as described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Ager in the Great Seal Patent Office, on 3
the 11th January 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
GEORGE AGER, of Witham, in the County of Essex, Gentleman, send
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said George Agor, Her special
licence that I, the said George Ager, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Ager, 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,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN AP-
PARATUS FOR HOLDING AND TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC OR
Music Books," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Ager, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent ice within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Ager, do hereby de-
clare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
My improvement consists in a novel arrangement of mechanical
means of turning over the pages of sheets or books of music.
And in order that my Invention may be more readily understood
and carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued
by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, shows a front view of the instrument complete, constructed
according to my Invention. Figure 2, shews a longitudinal section
taken at the dotted line a, b, Figure 1. c, d, e, f, are four levers
turning freely on an axis at g. These levers, by means of the vulca-
nized india-rubber spring h, attached to them, as shewn in the Drawing,
have at all times a tendency to be drawn over by the springs h, to the

page_text: left hand side of the instrument. The levers c, d, e, f, are retained on
the right hand side of the instrument, with the leaves of the music
between them, by the spring catches or stops i, j, k, l, until released in
succession by the triggers c', d', e', f'.
In using the instrument, which may be affixed to a piano-forte or
music-stand; the levers c, d, e, f, are to be arranged on the right hand
side of the instrument, so as to be retained by their respective spring
catches or stops i, j, k, l; the cords m, m, (attached at one of their ends
to the outer ends of the levers c, d, e, f) are to be passed between
successive leaves of the music or book, and then hooked or otherwise
fastened at o', to the support or standard o, or the leaves may be
attached to the levers by means of the spring clips m', shewn in the
Drawing at Figure 3. The instrument being thus arranged, upon
pulling the triggers c, d, e, f, in succession, so as to remove the stops
i, j, k, l, the levers c, d, e, f, will be successively moved from right to
left, taking with them the leaves of the book or music by means of the
cords m, m, or spring clips m'.
Figure 4, shews a front view of a modification of the previously
described instrument. Figure 5, is a front view thereof, with the plate
or covering, removed to exhibit the mechanism; and Figure 6, is
a section taken at the line A, B, in Figure 5, the lever driver v, and
spring catch w, being removed.
In this arrangement of the parts the levers c, d, e, f, are similarly
acted upon by the springs h, so as to move them from the right hand
side of the instrument to the left, carrying with each of them a leaf
of music, the single plate or catch 7, being substituted for the series of
spring catches i, j, k, l, shown in Figure 1, and it retains the levers
c, d, e, f, by means of the projections c, d, e, f. These projections
being of different lengths, so that when the plate q, is moved a short
distance to the right by means of the lever or driver v, acting on the
rack v, attached to the plate g, the lever c will be released. The
end of the lever driver v, has a piece v*, turning on a pin joint in one
direction so as to pass freely over the teeth of the rack in its backward
movement; and by a series of actions on the plate q, all the levers
c, d, e, f, will in succession be released. w, is a spring catch, which
retains the rack v³, and plate q, as they are moved by the lever driver v.

page_text: To use this instrument the plate q, must be moved by the lever or
driver v, so as to allow of the whole of the levers c, d, e, f, being arranged
on the right hand side of the instrument; the spring catch w, is then to
be moved by the stud w', attached to it so as to release the rack v',
which is immediately drawn back by the vulcanized india-rubber spring
, so as to cause the plate q, to pass over the projections c, d, e, ƒ³,
and thus retain the levers c, d, e, f, on the right hand side of the
instrument; the cords m, are then to be arranged as previously
described.
The apparatus being thus arranged, the levers c, d, e, f, will remain
quiescent until, by pulling the triggers, attached to the lever or
driver v, the plate g is removed from over the projections c², ², &²,ƒ³,
in succession, one of the levers being released every time the trigger is
pulled.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would state that I am aware that levers
similar to c, d, e, f, have been before used with cords so as to turn over
the leaves of music; I do not, therefore, claim the same. But what I
claim is, the combinations of apparatus herein described for acting upon
and releasing such levers.
In witness whercof, I, the said George Ager, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
5 Witness,
J. G. TONGUE.
GEORGE AGER. (L.S.).