Improvements in Music-holders.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Aug., 1894-Accepted, 8th Sept., 1894
Improvements in Music-holders.
I, FREDERICK DAVID GROSS, Musician, in 5th Cavalry, United States Army,
located at Fort McIntosh, in the State of Texas, United States of America, 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:-
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in music-holders of
that class in which adjustable means are provided for holding one portion of a book
or leaf of music, and it has for its objects among others to provide a simple, cheap
and light music-holder of this class which will so hold the music that it cannot
slip out of the holder, will not become torn or damaged in any way, and the
clamping devices will not interfere with the clear view of the notes of the music.
A further object is to make the holder adjustable to accommodate any required
size of book and adapt it to hold a single leaf equally as well as a large book.
dispense with the employment of springs and make the lower or stationary clamp
so that it will normally remain open in position to receive the book by its own
weight. I may sometimes make the staff telescopic for convenience in transporta-
tion or storing the same. I propose to construct the holder of aluminum, but other
materials may be employed.
I
Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and the
novel features thereof will be specifically defined by the appended claims.
The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with
the letters of reference marked thereon form part of this Specification and
illustrate some of the various ways in which my invention may be embodied in
practical form, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved music holder, with the staff broken
away.
Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof showing slight modifications.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of another form.
Fig. 4 is an edge view showing the form illustrated in Fig. 3.
Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.
Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter A, designates the staff
which may be of any desired inaterial and of any required length; it is designed
for attachment to a tripod or to an instrument such as a cornet, clarionet, a drum
or the like; it may be of any preferred shape in cross section, square, round or
polygonal.
All of the various forms herein shown and hereinafter described embody the
essentials of the invention and are practically the same in their mode of operation,
differing only in the details of construction. Referring then to Fig. 1 B, is the
lower clamp which is stationary with relation to the staff as regards its distance
from the end thereof, but it is pivotally mounted upon the arched wire C, which is
suitably held to the rear face of the said staff in any suitable manner, its ends being
pivotally connected one near each end of the clamp as seen best in Fig. 1, at b.
This lower clamp is mounted with the preponderance of weight below its said pivot
so as to normally stand with its upper or clamping edge held away from the staff
by its own weight or gravity. It is provided upon its rear face with a tapered
socket B' as seen best in Fig. 2, through which the staff passes as seen in Figs. 1
and 2, and C is a thumb-screw held in the depending portion 6' of the lower
clamp as shown and designed to bear against the staff as seen best in Fig. 2 to tilt
the clamp. Normally this thumb-screw is turned so that the clamp is free to hang

page_text: down so as to throw its upper edge away from the staff to admit a book; when the
book is in position the thumb-screw is turned so as throw the lower edge of the
clamp away from the staff as seen in Fig. 2, and consequently the upper edge
against the book and grip the same, of course the screw being necessarily turned
more or less according to the thickness of the book to be clamped.
D is the upper clamp; it is provided with a tapered socket D' through which
the staff passes as seen in Fig. 2, this socket however being tapered inversely to
that of the lower clamp so that when tilted it will bring the clamping portion
against the book, as will be readily understood from Fig. 2. This upper clamp is
adjustably mounted on the staff and is held in its adjusted position by the thumb-
screw D which passes through the clamp and engages the staff as shown. In
clamping a book with this form, the lower edge of the book is placed in the lower
clamp which is then tightened in the manner above described, the upper clamp is
then adjusted on the staff until its lower clamping edge comes in the proper position
when the thumb-screw is turned to tilt the clamp so that it will clamp or grip the
top edge of the book, and if the notes are arranged close to the upper edge of the
book the extreme edge of the clamp may be adjusted so as to clamp the book
without hiding any of the notes. Or, if the notes appear close to the bottom edge
of the book or leaf the hook may be held by the upper clamp alone; either or
bath clamps may be employed as the necessaries of the case require. Suitable
means as a lug or pin a, may be employed, held in the upper end of the staff to
prevent displacement of the upper clamp.
I may sometimes make the staff telescopic as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2,
and in this case a set screw D³ is provided for holding the parts in their adjusted
positions.
In lieu of making the upper and lower clamps of sheet metal as illustrated in
Figs. 1 and 2 I may make them of wire as indicated in Fig. 3, in which case the
arched wire C is held to the staff the same as in the form shown in Fig. 1 and its ends
somewhat curved to bring them to the front of the staff as seen in Fig. 3 where
they are formed into eyes C³ in which is pivotally supported the lower clamp which
is formed of a single piece of wire with its lower cross portion held in said eyes
and its upper cross portion formed with a central depending loop or bend 6² to
engage the book at the centre to better hold the same. The ends of the wire are
bent around a cross rod or pin E as seen best in Fig. 4 and upon which they work
as on a pivot and in the extreme ends of the wire is held a pin E'.
The rod or pin E is held in a plate F one portion of which rides against the rear
face of the staff while its two ends are extended parallel with each other and at
right angles to its rear portion, the bend of the wire around said pin or rod lying
between the same and the front face of the staff as seen in Fig. 4.
On the pin E' is mounted a pawl G which is provided with a finger-piece G¹ the
other end being adapted to engage teeth g, on the staff as seen in Figs. 3 and 4.
In this form the plate F has a tilting movement upon the staff similar to that of
the sockets B and D in the form illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. In the form
illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 the upper clamp is also made of wire although I may
sometimes employ one clamp of wire and another of the form shown in Fig. 1.
When made of wire it is substantially a duplicate of that just described in
connection with the lower wire-clamp. It is formed preferably with a central loop d
as seen in Fig. 3, and a plate F¹ is employed in which is held a cross rod or pin
and the ends of the wire carry a pawl H with a thumb-piece H' as
Figs. 3 and 4.
seen in
may sometimes employ a pawl I in connection with the form shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, which, as shown in Fig. 2 is pivoted as at 1, on one corner of the
socket as seen at the lower clamp in Fig. 2; in this case the thumb-screw is
dispensed with and the staff should be toothed as seen at i¹.
The form of pawl may be varied; in dotted lines at the top of Fig. 2 I have
shown one of the numerous forins which may be adopted; in this instance the pawl J
has one end bent or coiled around the pin j, held in the socket D' and its other

page_text: end is adapted to engage the teeth of the staff, the longer arm of the pawl serving
both as a pawl and as a thumb-piece. The socket also may vary in form as shown
by dotted lines at the upper end of Fig. 2 where it is shown as having its upper
face curved as seen at Jand this curved portion is slotted to allow of the necessary
movement of the socket upon the staff.
Various other modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from
the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A music-holder comprising a staff, a holder supported for pivotal movement
and an adjustable clamp mounted for pivotal movement as set forth.
2. The combination with a staff, of a clamp mounted thereon for pivotal movement,
as set forth.
3. The combination with a staff, of a clamp mounted thereon for pivotal and
lengthwise movement on the staff, substantially as specified.
4. The combination with a staff, of a clamp mounted thereon and pivoted to
throw its clamping end away from the staff by gravity as set forth.
5. The combination with a staff, of a clamp mounted thereon for pivotal move-
ment and means carried thereby to engage the staff to hold the clamp in its adjusted
position as set forth.
6. The combination with a staff, of a clamp mounted thereon for pivotal move-
ment and provided with means for changing its position with relation to the staff to
clamp an article, as set forth.
7. The combination with a staff, of a clamp mounted for pivotal movement on a
tilting support on said staff, substantially as specified.
8. The combination with a staff, of a clamp mounted for pivotal movement, a
part carrying the clamp and mounted on the staff for a tilting movement, and
means for holding the clamp and part in any desired position, substantially as
specified.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1894,
.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.