Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1887
Complete Left, 13th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 13th Jan., 1888
RESERVE
I, JOSEPH DANIELS, of 23, Bishopsgate Street Within, in the city of London,
Professor of the Banjo, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in banjos the object of the invention being
mainly to improve and increase the tone of such instruments.
For this purpose I adapt to the hoop of a banjo a metal casing or box and make the
said hoop in one piece with the said casing so that they together form what may be
termed a "sound-pan;" the side or rim of this pan is turned inwards and upwards,
and over the edge of the upwardly extending part which forms the hoop is placed the
parchment or vellum which is strained or stretched by a straining hoop the tension
being obtained and regulated by means of screws which pass through the straining
hoop and into the inwardly extending part of the pan. Openings are provided in
the upwardly extending part or hoop of the pan to allow of the sound passing
out. A ring or baffle may in some cases be placed between the straining hoop
and the turned in part of the pan, and in some cases the back or bottom of the pan
may be omitted.
'
I connect the tail piece to the straining hoop by means of an adjustable hinge and
I provide a tension spring, which can be regulated by a screw, for keeping the front
end of the tail piece down so as to insure the strings being held tight on the
bridge.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Banjos.
I, JOSEPH DANIELS, of 23 Bishopsgate Street Within, in the city of London,
Professor of the Banjo, 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 improvements in banjos the object of the invention being
mainly to improve and increase the tone of such instruments.
For this purpose I adapt to the hoop of a banjo a metal casing or box and make
the said hoop in one piece with the said casing so that they together form what may
be termed a "sound-pan." The side or rim of this pan is turned inwards and
upwards, and over the edge of the upwardly extending part which forms the hoop is
placed the parchment or vellum which is strained or stretched by a straining hoop
the tension being obtained and regulated by means of screws which pass through the
straining hoop and into the inwardly extending part of the pan. Openings are
provided in the upwardly extending part or hoop of the pan to allow of the sound
passing out.
A ring or baffle may in some cases be placed between the straining
hoop and the turned in part of the pan, and in some cases the back or bottom of the
pan may be omitted.
I connect the tail piece to the straining hoop by means of an adjustable hinge and
I provide a tension spring, which can be regulated by a screw, for keeping the front
end of the tail piece down so as to ensure the strings being held tight on the
bridge.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
how it can be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing in
which
Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section, and
Figure 2 a plan of the hoop end of a banjo constructed according to my
invention.
Similar letters in both the figures indicate similar parts.
a, a, a indicate the metal casing or box which I make in one piece with the hoop b
of the banjo so that they together form a sound-pań.
c is the straining hoop whereby the parchment or vellum d is strained or stretched
over the edge of the upwardly extending part bor hoop of the sound-pan, the said
straining hoop being cased with metal as shewn in Figure 1.
e, e, e are the screws for producing and regulating the tension of the parchment or
vellum d, the said screws passing through the straining hoop c and into the inwardly
extending part a³ of the sound-pan.
fff are the openings provided in the upwardly extending part or hoop 6 of the
sound-pan a, a, a² to allow of the sound passing out.
g is the ring or baffle which I, in some cases, place between the straining hoop €
and the turned in part a² of the sound-pan.

page_text: h is the hinge whereby I connect the tail piece i to the straining hoop c the said
hinge being formed with a slot j through which a screw k passes into the straining
hoop c. By loosening this screw it will be obvious that the hinge h can be adjusted
to any required position in which it can then be secured by tightening up the
screw.
7 is the tension spring for keeping down the front end of the tail piece i so as to
ensure the strings m m m being held tight on the bridge n; the spring / bears on the
inwardly extending part a² of the sound-pan and on the underside of the tail piece i
as shewn in Figure 1; o is the screw for regulating its tension.
It will be obvious that I can, as herein before mentioned, in some cases, omit the
back a of the sound-pan when the sound holes f, f, f will not be required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A banjo, the hoop of which is formed in one piece with a metal casing or box
so that the said hoop and casing form a sound-pan for improving and increasing the
tone of the instrument substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a banjo, the use of an adjustable hinge for connecting the tail piece to the
straining hoop, in combination with a tension spring for keeping down the front end
of the tail piece substantially as herein before described.
3. The improved banjo consisting of the parts constructed and combined sub-
stantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 13th day of December 1887
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.