Improvements in and relating to Pianos and like Musical Instruments.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Pianos and like Musical
Instruments.
1, HERMANN GEISLER, of Schenkendorf, near Königs-Wusterhausen, in the
Empire of Germany, Book-keeper, 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 a musical instrument having a keyboard the arrangement
of which renders it possible to sound, besides strings, or strings and reeds, also
electric bells.
In the accompanying drawings such an instrument is represented,
Figure 1 is a transverse section through one of the black keys;
Figure 2 a longitudinal section ;
Figure 3 a diagram of the electric bell with its conducting wires, and
Figure 4 a longitudinal section of a modification of a simplified mechanism.
For the sake of clearer illustration the mechanism for operating the strings or
reeds, which are shaped as in known instruments, has been omitted.
By means of each key a an olectric contact may be closed, whereupon a goug or
a bella attuned to the string or reed, is sounded by electricity. For this purpose
I fix to the underside of each key a a small metallic plate b to which is joined the
conducting wire c leading to the electromagnet w of the corresponding gong or
bells.
In a transverse direction beneath the keys a are arranged two rods d and e of
insulating material the rod d being so situated that a vertical contact pin formed
upon it is directly below the forward end of each of the white keys and the rod e
Bo that its pin f' is below the forward end of each of the black keys. The rods d
aude are connected with each other by a lever mechanism hereinafter describor, in
such a manner that they may be raised or lowered at the same time. From these
pins, the conducting wire c' leads to the battery g.
The movement of the lever mechanism, which effects the raising and lowering of
the rods d and e, takes place by pedals or in the case of organs by registers. This
lever mechanism consists of two bell-crank levers h, h, and i, , which are pivoted
at their vertices. The horizontal lever arm h¹ of the bell-crank lever h, h³, acts
upon the rod d provided in front below the white keys, while the horizontal lever
arm of the bell-crank lever i, i, acts upon the rod e provided at the rear below
the black keys. The vertical lever arms h and i of the bell-crank levers h, h',
and i, i, are connected with each other by a jointed rod A. Between an extension
of the lever arm, and the pedal or the register is provided a jointed connecting
rod m.
On depressing the pedal or on pulling out the register the lever
mechanism passes to the position indicated in dotted lines Figure 1. By this
means the pins f, f, are caused to move within vertical guides o, made in a plate
or board situated between the keys a and the rods d and e, and make contact with
the metallic plate b on the depressed key. The circuit is thereby closed and the
gong or bell is sounded.
When the pedal is released or the register pushed back the lever mechanism
will return to its original position and the pins, will recede from their position

page_text: of contact with the metallic plates. Thus the electric belle may be thrown in and
out of engagement as desired during the playing of the instrument.
By a special changing device the hammer during the depression of the key can
be made to strike the gong or bell once only or to vibrate in contact with it.
For this purpose all the conducting wires e passing from the keys as shown at
Figure 2 are fixed to a sliding rod and terminate in a flexible metallic strip q.
When the slide p is moved to the right hand side, the metallic strip 9 will come
into contact with the conducting wire r, the current passing in this case through
the hammer to the electro-magnet w. As long as the key is depressed the hainmner
will strike after the manner of Wagner's hammer against the gong or bell r.
When on the other hand the sliding red is moved to the left hand side, the
metallic strip q will come in contact with the conducting wire leading directly to
the clectro-magnet, and in this case the hammer is attracted only once by the
electro-magnet w, and the gong or bell will be struck once only.
The poles v, v, of the battery 9 are joined to the distributing barst and u.
From the distributing bar the conducting wires c' pass to the pins f,f; and the
conducting wires leading from the electro-magnet wo to the battery g are joined to
the connecting bar u.
The battery and bells may be placed at any desired distance from the key-board.
For each sound there exist one or two attuned gongs or bells.
All the gongs or bells are placed in a cupboard; the lattor is furnished with
louvred doors the louvres being adapted to be opened or closed during the playing
by a suitable lever in connection with a pedal, thereby putting more or less a
damper on the sound of the electric bells.
The
3.
The engaging and disengaging device may also be constructed in any suitable
manner for combining it with the changing device as shown at Figure 4.
lever mechanism in combination with the rods d and e is in this case dispensed with,
and the contacts, metallic plates b and pius f,f, are closed each time during the
depression of the keys. On the other hand the sliding rod p, to which the
conducting wires c are joined, is provided with pedala,, or with a handle
In the first case (that is to say with pedals) the sliding rod p is always held by
springs p' so that the metallic strips q will be midway between the conducting
wires r and sand will not touch them. By this means the bells are thrown out of
engagement. When any one of the pedals ',, is depressed the metallic strips g
come into contact with either of the conducting wires r or s on the right or left
hand side. Thus the bells will sound at the will of the player a single blow or in
a vibrating manner. After the release of the pedal the sliding rod is caused by
the spring p' to again occupy such a position that the metallic strips q will no
longer touch the conducting wires rors, and the bells will not sound even if the
contact is closed by the keys.
In the construction with the handle y the pedals 1, 1, and the springs pare
dispensed with. By turning the handle y either to the left or to the right or to a
horizontal position, the metallic strips q are brought into or out of contact with the
conducting wires ŕ or s.
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 :-
A musical instrument in which by the depression of the koys a electric bells are
sounded besides strings or reeds, characterized by small metallic contact plates-b
provided on the keys a and which by the depression of any of the keys are brought
into contact with pins f, f', secured in roda d and e capable of being raised or
lowered by levers h, ', and i, i, by means of a pedal, whilst by the displacement
of a sliding rod p the metallic strip y on said sliding rod comes into contact with
a conducting wirer or s either on the right or left hand side, thereby causing the
hammer, attracted by an electro-magnet w, to make a single stroke or to vibrate

page_text: against the bell, substantially as described with reference to the annexed
drawings.
Dated this 28th day of February 1895.
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agent,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant.