Improvements in and connected with Vibrators and Resonators,
Year: 1899

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Vibrators and Resonators,
I, THEODORE FRANCIS SMITH, of Pall Mall American and Colonial Exchange,
Carlton Street, Regent Street, London, S.W., Professional Musical Artist, 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:-
-
My invention consists of a combined vibrator and resonator for producing
musical tones on being struck or otherwise set in vibration, and for reinforcing
such tones. The pitch of the musical tone to be produced is governed by the
amount and disposition of the material which forms the vibrator" portion of
my device and which is first set in vibration to originally form the desired
tone.
The object of my invention is to provide a musical note or tone-producing
device in the form of a combined vibrator and resonator, which will, when set
in vibration emit a richer and fuller tone than any similar device heretofore in
use, owing to the peculiar method of combining my vibrator and resonator for
securing the sympathetic vibration of an enclosed column of air simultaneous
with the vibration of the vibrator in which the vibration is originally induced by
some positive mechanical means such as by striking, or by the use of a violin
bow, or in some suitable manner. I am well aware that vibrators have before
been used for producing musical tones, and I am also well aware that resonators
have before been used in conjunction with such vibrators to reinforce the musical
tones so produced, but I am not aware that such vibrators and resonators have ever
heretofore been constructed in which the two are combined and formed of one
integral piece in which the resonator portion is so proportioned as to be tuned
in unison with the portion constituting the vibrator or vibrating tine or prong.
In order that my invention may be more fully understood, I will now proceed
to describe same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my device.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the dotted line xx of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a modified form of the device, and
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of same.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several
views.
Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings a represents a cylinder made of
metal, wood, glass, or other suitable vibrating material furnished with a single
tammal ninna with the soid exlinder a

page_text: at one end of the latter, the tine or prong being so proportioned as to vibrate
in unison with the column of air enclosed in the cylinder portion a, and which
is preferably closed by means of a plug c (Fig. 3) or the bottom of this cylindrical
portion may be formed integral with the cylinder a. The device is preferably
suspended from or supported by a rod or strand such as d passing through a
hole or perforation f, said hole or perforation being located at some nodal or
non-vibrating point or points in the device. The dotted line y y (Fig. 3)
represents the extent of the vibrator or tine portion of the device, while the dotted
line z z represents the extent of the resonator or cylinder portion of the device.
When a scale or range of varying tones is desired, duplicate devices are provided
differing only in size (preferably in length), in all cases it being essential that
the cylinder or resonator portion of the device which encloses the body of column
of air and thus acts as a resonator, be properly proportioned to the amount and
disposition of the material in the time or vibrator portion of the device, so that
the two will vibrate in unison with each other, so that the column of air enclosed
in the cylinder portion will, by sympathetic influence, be set in vibration by the
vibratory action of the tine or vibrator portion, and thus reinforce the tone of
the latter.
The tine or vibrator is originally set in vibration and caused to emit a tone
by being struck or by having a bow drawn across it, or in any other suitable
manner. To secure a double vibration of the resonant column of air, it is
confined at its base by the bottom or plug c (Fig. 3) but this may be omitted
without departing in any way from the principle of my invention, but in cases
where it is so omitted, the resonator must, in any given case, be made twice
as long in order to produce a note of the same pitch, other things being equal.
In order to raise the pitch of the note produced by the vibrator or tine, it is
preferable to take away some of the material of which the tine is composed at the
point thus shortening it, while if it is desired to lower the pitch of the note,
it is preferable to take away the said material at the edge or edges of the tine,
thus making the tine or prong slimmer or more slender, while preserving the
same length.
The pitch of the resonant column of air is varied by shortening and lengthening
the cylinder or resonator portion of the device, and if it is desired to do this
without changing the pitch of the time or prong, it may be effected by taking off
or adding material at the lower or free extremity s of the cylinder, thus
shortening or lengthening the resonant column of air enclosed by the said
cylinder. is the non-vibratable strand or rod hereinbefore referred to, serving
as a means of suspending or supporting the device is and located at a nodal or non-
vibrating point in the device. In practice I find the nodal point f near the
free end of the vibrating time or prong b, to be the preferable point of support.
In the modified form of my device shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the lower portion m
of the cylinder, m the extent of which is indicated by the dotted line oo, forms
the resonator portion of the device. Just above the resonator portion m the
cylinder is weakened by forming in the side thereof an opening n of suitable
size and form in such a manner as to allow the upper end of the cylinder of
which the device is formed and the extent of which is indicated by the dotted
line qg, to freely vibrate when set in motion in a suitable manner, thereby
forming the vibrator portion of the device, while the said opening n also admits
of air freely passing to the resonator m. This form of device may likewise
be supported by a non-vibrating strand or rod passing through a hole or per-
foration or holes or perforations 7 located at a nodal or non-vibrating point in the
device.
In order to raise the pitch of the note produced by the vibrator portion of
the device, it is preferable to take away some of the material of which it is
composed at the point, thereby shortening it, while in order to lower the
pitch it is preferable to take away some of the material at the sides n¹ of the
opening n as indicated by a dotted linen (Fig. 5).

page_text: 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:
1. A musical tone producing device consisting of a tube of cylindrical,
rectangular or other suitable shape in cross section, and made of suitable vibrating
material provided at one end with a projecting vibrating tine or prong formed
integral with the said tube and tuned in unison with the column of air enclosed
within the said tube, substantially as set forth.
2/. A musical tone producing device consisting of a shell of tubular, rectangular
or other suitable shape in cross section, constructed of suitable vibrating material
formed of one integral piece and longitudinally cut away at one end so as to form
a pronged vibrator at the one end, and a resonator at the other end tuned in
unison with each other, substantially as set forth.
3. In a musical tone producing device, the combination of a resonator and
vibrator made of suitable vibrating material and formed in one integral piece and
tuned in unison, substantially as set forth.
4/. In a combined vibrator and resonator, a vibratile shell shape at one end
in a manner to contain a resonant body of air tuned to the same pitch as the
vibrating shell, substantially as set forth.
5/. In a vibrator and resonator, a vibratile shell shaped at one end in a manner
to contain a resonant column of air confined at one end and tuned to the same
pitch as the vibrating shell, substantially as set forth.
6/. In a musical tone producing device, a vibratile shell shaped at one end in a
manner to form a vibrator for originally producing a musical tone and shaped at
the other end in a manner to contain a resonant body of air tuned to the same
pitch as the said vibrator and adapted to re-inforce the tone of the latter, sub-
stantially as set forth.
7/. In a musical tone producing device, the combination of a vibratile shell
shaped at one end in a manner to form a vibrator for originally producing a
musical tone and shaped at the other end in a manner to contain a resonant body
of air tuned to the same pitch as the said vibrator and adapted to re-inforce the
tone of the latter, with means of supporting or suspending the said device located
at a nodal or non-vibrating point in the said device, substantially as set forth.
8/. In a musical tone producing device the combination of the vibrating tine
or prong and the resonator a formed integrally with the said vibrating tine,
with the part e for confining the bottom a column of air contained within the
resonator a, substantially as herein described and shown with reference to Figs. 1
to 3 of the accompanying drawings.
9. In a musical tone producing device the combination of the vibrator b
and resonator a with a means of support or suspension located at a nodal point
in the said device, substantially as set forth, with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the
accompanying drawings.
10/. The specific construction of a musical tone producing device, substantially
as herein described and shown with reference to Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
11. A combined vibrator and resonator consisting of a vibratile shell, so
shaped at one end as to form a resonator m, and at the other end a vibrating
portion p, substantially as herein described and shown with reference to Figs. 4
and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
12. A musical tone producing device consisting of a vibratile shell furnished
with a suitable opening such as n in such a manner as to convert one extremity of
the vibratile shell into a hollow body m designed to contain a resonant, body of
air, and the other end into a vibrator or a vibrating part or portion p and tuned
in unison one with the other, substantially as herein described and shown with
reference to Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
13. In a musical tone producing device, the combination of the resonator m
and the vibrator portion p, with a means of support or suspension located at a

page_text: nodal point of the said device, substantially as herein described and shown with
reference to Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of May 1899.
F. G. CASSELL
(Of Cassell & Co.),
22, Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, London, W.,
Agent for the Applicant.
F. G. CASSELL
(Of Cassell & Co.),
22, Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, London, W.,
Agent for the Applicant.