Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments.
Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by CHARLES ADAM KUSTER, of Brooklyn, County of
Kings, and State of New York, Organ Builder.]
Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool 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 stateinent :-
The invention has relation to that class of mechanical devices employed for striking
the keys of an ordinary piano or organ or other keyed instrument and for operating
the pedals or other accessories of the instrument through the medium of air currents,
which are governed or regulated in their flow by a perforated strip of paper or
analogous material, or by a revolving cylinder provided with projecting pins.
The objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the construction and
arrangement of the parts comprising the pneumatic action and parts connected
therewith, so as to insure the requisite duration, rapidity, and intensity of the stroke
or touch, to perfectly regulate the tone or pitch, to make the improved device readily
adjustable in connection with any ordinary piano, or other such instrument, and to
construct the whole that it will be compact and durable in all its parts, certain and
efficient in its various operations, and not liable to get out of order. To accomplish
this, the improvements involve certain new and useful peculiarities of construction,
relative arrangements or combinations of parts, and principles of operation, all of
which will be herein first fully described and then pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification
Figure 1 is a vertical section and partial elevation of a device constructed and
arranged for operation in accordance with this invention, the same being shown as
applied in position to operate upon the keys and pedals of an ordinary piano.
Figure 2 is a front elevation and partial sectional view showing the pumps,
reservoir, bellows, pneumatic action, and valves, omitting parts above.

page_text: Figure 3 is a top or plan view showing the tracker, and means for operating the
paper rollers, the top of the machine being removed.
In all these Figures like letters of reference, wherever they occur, indicate
corresponding parts.
A A are two bellows which are moved by the feet of the operator and called pumps.
They serve to exhaust air from other parts of the machine, and are each supplied with
a pedal as B hinged as at a.
The pedals are connected with the pumps by arms as b from which they may be
detached at any time, and being detached the pedals may be pushed into the casing of
the machine at the bottom, where they are entirely out of the way.
Each of the pumps A is kept normally closed by a suitable spring as at c the
movements of the pedals serving to overcome the force of the spring e and to open
the pumps by which air is exhausted in a manner well understood.
Above the pumps are three reservoirs CC1 and C2 in the form of bellows, and from
these the air is exhausted by the pumps which communicate with a chamber d
extending below and over C and C, as plainly shown, suitable valves being
provided as indicated.
Above the reservoirs are three valves e¹ e³, e³, each held seated by a light spring,
the valves el and e³ covering ports which communicate with reservoirs C and C and
the valve e covering a port which communicates with reservoir C (through the
bottom) and also with the pneumatic actions.
D1 D2 and D³ are the "pneumatics" so called being in the form of bellows and
serving to open valves e e e when by exhaustion of air therefrom either or all or any
two of the pneumatics are sufficiently closed. The valves e¹ e²e are located in a
chamber marked E and as said valves are raised from off their seats they permit
exhaustion of air from chamber E in quantity, and rapidity, according to which of the
valves are opened, thus determining the degree of the stroke or touch which is to be
communicated to the keys of the piano, the reservoirs with which the parts under the
valves communicate being of varying sizes or capacities.
From chamber on each side trunks or branches as E¹ extend up to the chamber
within which the action F F are located.
These actions are in number one for each key of the musical instrument to bo
played upon, and they operate as valves to permit exhaustion from the corresponding
bellows as F, F, which move the hammers as G, G, through suitable connections.
The hammers G are arranged so as to strike the white and black keys in their
proper order, and are held out of contact with the keys by light springs as at 9, the
force of which is to be overcome.
H represents one of the white keys and I one of the black keys of any piano.
K is the tracker which is perforated according to the number of notes and expres-
sions, and from each note perforation a small tubo leads to and communicates with
its corresponding action F. L is the perforated paper moved over the tracker.
When any perforation in the paper uncovers an opening in the tracker, air is allowed
to enter the action under the influence of the pumps opening the valve, which permits
the air to be drawn from the corresponding bellows connected with the striker, and
thus to strike the required key.
At h, h, h, are tubes which correspond in number with the pneumatic. By opening
one of these air is admitted to the corresponding action R which opens the valve
therein, and permits the air to be exhausted from the corresponding pneumatic D¹ D'
or D³ under the influence of the pumps which are kept constantly moving.
Thus the stroke is under control of the operator and may be regulated at pleasure.
The regulation is accomplished by suitably perforating the paper. Tubes i, i permit
the flow of air to actions S similar to R, and these (when the tubes are open) permit
air to be exhausted from bellows as M (also called pneumatics), which when closed
press down the pedals as N of the instrument, and thus serve to regulate the tone.
Instead of employing the strip of perforated paper, a cylinder containing pins or
projecting points may be substituted therefor, arranged at suitable intervals upon its

page_text: surface, and these being made to open suitable valves at the proper times will answer
all the purposes of the perforations in the paper. The cylinder may be revolved by
any suitable means.
The machine is mounted upon castors and is made adjustable thereon, so that it may
be brought to any required height to correspond with any instrument. O is a castor
mounted in a cross piece of the machine, and (2 is a threaded rod accessible from
the interior and connecting with the castor. By turning the rod ()² the machine may
be raised or lowered as required.
P is the crank by which the perforated paper is moved over the tracker. This
stands in place of any device for moving the paper the same being connected with the
rollers Q, Q, in any suitable manner. The machine may be enclosed and any arrange-
ment of shelves for music etcetera provided. The improved device thus constructed
and arranged is simple and effective in operation, and well calculated to answer the
purposes or objects of the invention as previously stated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
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 :-
1st. In an instrument of the character herein set forth, the combination with the
pumps of the foot pedals hinged at their outer ends made detachable from the pumpз
and arranged to slide within the casing, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
2nd. In an instrument of the character herein set forth the three reservoirs of
graded capacity the same being combined with the pumps and the pneumatics which
operate the valves upon the reservoirs, substantially as shown and described.
3rd. In an instrument of the character herein set forth, the pumps, the reservoirs,
pneumatics for operating the valves leading to the reservoirs, the pneumatic actions,
the pneumatics connected with the key hammers, the bellows serving to operate the
pedal striker and the tubes leading to said bellows, and the travelling perforated paper,
or equivalent revolving cylinder combined and arranged, substantially as shown and
described.
4th. The combination of the pumps, the reservoirs, the pneumatics for operating
the valves leading to the reservoirs, the pneumatic actions governed by the travelling
perforated paper or equivalent revolving cylinder, the pneumatics connected with the
hammers, and the hammers all constructed and arranged for operation, substantially
as shown and described.
5th. The herein described mechanical musical instrument having the pumps, the
sliding detachable foot pedals for operating the same, the three reservoirs, the
pneumatics for operating the valves upon the reservoirs, the pneumatic actions for
operating the strikers, the travelling perforated paper or equivalent revolving cylinder
governing the flow of air, and the key and pedal strikers the said parts being
combined and arranged within a casing mounted upon adjustable castors, substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
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