Year: 1886

page_text: I DAVID FITZGERALD DOWNING of No. 8 The Arsenal Woolwich in the County
of Kent Captain in Her Majesty's Royal Regiment of Artillery do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention to be as follows:
My Invention has for its object to provide a simple and efficient arrangement or
mechanism for regulating the strength of tone of a pianoforte by altering the
distance through which the hammers move to strike the strings while preserving
the depth of touch and contact between the parts. According to my Invention
I make each key or digital lever operate upon the arm which operates the hammer
by means of a strut or connection or intermediary device the position of which can
be adjusted as desired to give the requisite movement of the hammer. For this
purpose I prefer to make the said intermediary device of a bar or wire with rollers
at each end for bearing respectively on the digital lever and the arm to which it
conveys movement-This arm is curved or inclined downwards towards the centre
on which the digital lever turns so that as the intermediary device is moved
towards this end it raises the arm and so causes the hammer and its operating
mechanism to be set at a less distance from the strings which it strikes so that 'the
said hammer moves through any desired space corresponding to the force with
which the blow of the hammer on the strings is to be given. In order to adjust
all the intermediary devices at one and the same time they may be mounted in
supports or brackets from a transverse bar common to them all and capable of
being moved by a pedal or any other suitable action. The intermediary device
may be hinged or pivotted to one of the parts between which it transmits move-
ment but I prefer the arrangement hereinbefore described.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the said David Fitzgerald Downing.

page_text: Improvements in Pianofortes.
I DAVID FITZGERALD DOWNING of No. 8 The Arsenal Woolwich in the County
of Kent Captain in Her Majesty's Royal Regiment of Artillery do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, referring to the accompanying drawing :-
•
My Invention has for its object to provide a simple and efficient arrangement or
mechanism for regulating the strength of tone of a pianoforte by altering the
distance through which the hammers move to strike the strings while preserving
the depth of touch and rendering this more fluent. According to my Invention
I make each key or digital lever A operate upon the arm B which operates the
hammer by means of a strut or connection or intermediary device C the position of
which can be adjusted as desired to give the requisite movement of the hammer by
altering the leverage so that the depressing of the digital lever by a constant
amount may communicate a greater or less motion to the hammer, according to the
adjustment of the pedal I also by introducing rollers where parts would otherwise
be required to slide upon one another avoid friction and so improve the touch.
For this purpose I prefer to make the before mentioned intermediary device of a
bar or wire with rollers D at each end for bearing respectively on the digital lever
and the arm to which it conveys movement. This arm is usually pivotted at one
end and carries or actuates the parts operating the hammer. The communication
between the hammer being at one constant point on the arm and the arm being
pivoted at one end, the amount of motion communicated to the arm by the digital
lever (whose motion is constant) will depend on the position of the intermediary
device with reference to the pivots of the arm and digital lever respectively. It is
necessary however that the hammer should always be raised to the same position
(viz. close to the string) when the digital lever is pressed down and to effect this
I introduce a curved surface or surfaces against which the roller or rollers of the
intermediary device bear, and so formed that whatever the position of the rollers
along the surfaces of the arm and digital lever, the highest (or most forward)
position that the hammer attains remains the same-The curve or curves as at É
may be attached to, or formed on either the digital lever, or arm or both and the
nature of the curve or curves will depend upon the relative position of the pivots
of the arm and digital lever and the proportions of the operating parts generally,
the object to be attained remaining the same. Nor do I restrict myself to the
precise position of the intermediary device and its attendant surfaces with reference
to the piano action-as that the digital lever should form one surface for the
rollers of the intermediary device to play upon the accompanying drawing shows
but one method of application my object being to introduce a device which should
be applicable to all forms of piano actions where suitable positions may be found
for effecting the alteration in leverage as described the position as stated in the
foregoing description is however that usually most convenient. I also consider the
introduction of rollers as a means of avoiding friction a novelty admitting of wider
application than that hereinbefore assigned to them and look upon their use as a

page_text: special feature of my invention for improving the touch. The surfaces against
which the rollers bear may be padded to avoid noise and the intermediary device
may contain a means for longitudinal adjustment between centre and centre of the
rollers to compensate for wear of parts concerned, or a means of adjustment may
be applied to either of the surfaces involved. In order to operate all the inter-
mediary devices of the different notes at one and the same time, they may be
connected by any suitable mechanism as at F to a transvers bar G common to
them all which is mounted in supports or brackets and capable of being moved by
a pedal or any other suitable action. The intermediary device may be hinged or
pivotted to one of the parts between which it transmits movement, but I prefer
the arrangement hereinbefore described.
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.
First. The use of curved surfaces substantially as and for the purpose described.
Second. The use of rollers to avoid friction when sliding motion is required in
a Piano action,
Third. The use of rollers as applied to the intermediary device described.
Fourth. The introduction of a moveable intermediary device substantially as
& for the purpose described.