Improvements in and connected with Levers for the Actions of Keyboard Musical Instruments.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Levers for the Actions of
Keyboard Musical Instruments.
I, FRANCIS BRYAN BOYES, of 25 Press Gasse, Wieden, Wien 4, in the Empire of
Austria, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to piano levers which may especially be applied to the Janko
key-board and to the horizontal English mechanisms.
My improved lever principally consists of an inclined bar forming two knees or
angles at its centre part and having its fulerum between these angles. One arm of
the lever is connected with the key-board and the other with the actions.
In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying drawing,
in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the different figures and
in which:
Fig. 1 is a plan view of several piano levers, lying one aside the other,
Fig. 2 is a sectional view,
Fig. 3 a side view, and
Fig. 3 a perspective view of the lever bed.
Fig. 4 represents a safety device for the screws of such bed.
A a A represent the lever obliquely arranged within the instrument, being
conveniently made of any suitable material other than wood by preference of metal,
in order to prevent the usual warping or shrinking of wooden parts. The lever A a A
is connected at its ends A A by means of screws either with the wooden arms B
bearings the keys, and with the arms C going to the action not shown in the drawing.
The lever A a A at its support a is bent so that the key-board as well as the row of
hammers of the action lies parallel to the pivots of the lever A a A. Each
pivot (shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 & 3*) passes through the bent part of the lover
and is situated in a bed D of the construction shown in Fig. 2, 3, & 3.
This bed D is provided with a longitudinal slot c for the lever A a A and two
other slots d d through which the pivot passes, which is then fixed by means of
screws ff. The pivots for each lever are so arranged, as to stand vertically to the
keys, that is to say, parallel to the key-board marked by the line M N in Fig. 1,
thereby producing both a correct touch and a precisely vertical fall of the single
levers without any lateral movement. Of course the arms A A of the lever A a A
are arranged in a slanting position to the key-board M N.
The screws ff may further be secured by two plates g g¹ (Fig. 4) one of which lies
below, the other upon the screw-heads, and which plates are pressed together by
another screw h, fixing them at any convenient position. The plates g g' are provided
with screw-threads, and the screw h engages therewith.
In consequence of the bending of the lever A and in consequence of supporting it
by a pivot parallel to the key-board M N and vertical to the keys any lateral injuring
of the lever pivot-inevitable till now with the common inclined transmission levers-is
prevented. Any lateral friction is also avoided and the piano-lever gets a completely
vertical motion without shaking or disturbing its bed.
The bed itself of the lever is arranged so as to produce a very correct motion of the
lever A and to make the latter very sensible.
1 do not confine myself in carrying my invention into effect to pianos only, but I
may use my improved lever in connection with key instruments of any kind.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
nvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
In piano levers for key-instruments :
1. A double inclined lever A o A
the orma A A of which being arranged in e

page_text: slanting position to the key-board and the part a of which lies vertical to the
key-board and bear the axle blying parallel to the key-board, for the purpose as
described.
2. A double inclinded lever A a A the arms A. A of which being arranged in a
slanting position to the key-board and the part a of which lies vertical to the
key-board and bears the axle b lying parallel to the key-board, which axle is
secured in a bed D, having the slot c and d d by screws f f for the purpose as
described..
3. A double inclined lever A a A the arms A A of which being arranged in a
slanting position to the key-board and the part a of which lies vertical to the
key-board and bears the axle blying parallel to the key-board, which axle is
secured in a bed D, having the slots c and d d by screws and by the screw h,
with plates g g', for the purpose as described.
Dated this 13th day of March 1890.
FRANCIS BRYAN BOYES.
By Rayner & Cassell,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.