IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANO- FORTE ACTIONS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Stewart, of 69, Tottenham Court Road, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANO-
FORTE ACTIONS."
Sealed the 2nd March 1860, and dated the 6th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Stewart at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th September 1859.
I, JAMES STEWART, of 69, Tottenham Court Road, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PIANOFORTE ACTIONS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in pianoforte actions. In.
arranging the actions of upright pianofortes according to my Invention, the
flys or hoppers are mounted on blocks fixed at the ends of the key levers, and
they act directly or without the intervention of stickers on the hammer butts.
On the back of each of the flys or hoppers a projection is fixed which comes
in contact with a button or stop, fixed on a screw, passing in an inclined
position through the block on which the fly or hopper is mounted, and thus
the fly or hopper is prevented entering too far under the hammer butt. At the
upper part of the projection from each fly or hopper an incline is formed,

page_text: which when the key is depressed and the hopper raised. comes against an
adjustable button carried by a screw fixed in the hammer rail, and this button
is so placed as to come against the incline just as the fly or hopper should
escape from the hammer butt, and thus ensures its doing so. As the hammer
rail carries both the hammer and the buttons which ensure the escapement,
any warping which takes place in the hammer rail will not impair the action
of the instrument, for any change in the position of the hammer butts will be
shared by the upper escapement buttons.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ann Stewart, of 1, Regent Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Widow and Executrix of the said James Stewart, deceased,
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANN
STEWART, of 1, Regent Square, in the County of Middlesex, Widow and
Executrix of James Stewart, late of 69, Tottenham Court Road, in the
County of Middlesex, who departed this life on or about the Eighth day of
January, One thousand eight hundred and sixty, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
him, the said James Stewart, Her special licence that he, the said James
Stewart, his executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as he, the
said James Stewart, his executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTE ACTIONS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that he, the said James Stewart, his executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under his, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ann Stewart, as such executrix, as
aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in pianoforte actions. In
arranging the actions of upright pianofortes according to this Invention the
flys or hoppers are mounted on blocks fixed at the ends of the key levers, and
they act directly or without the intervention of stickers on the hammer butts.
On the back of each of the flys or hoppers a projection is fixed which comes
in contact with a button or stop fixed on a screw, passing in an inclined
position through the block on which the fly or hopper is mounted, and thus
the fly or hopper is prevented entering too far under the hammer butt. At
the upper part of the projection from each fly or hopper an incline is formed,
which when the key is depressed and the hopper raised, comes against an
adjustable button carried by a screw, fixed in the hammer rail; and this
button is so placed as to come against the incline just as the fly or hopper
should escape from the hammer butt, and thus ensures its doing so. As the
hammer rail carries both the hammers and the buttons which ensure the
escapement, any warping which takes place in the hammer rail will not
impair the action of the instrument, for any change in the position of the
hammer butts will be shared by the upper escapement buttons.
And in order that the said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto

page_text: It will be seen that as the hopper rises, when the key is depressed, the
incline on the upper part of the projection c¹ on the hopper comes against
the button h³, and as the rise of the hopper continues, its end is thrown from
under the hammer butt by adjusting the position of the button h'. This effect
may be produced either sooner or later, as may be desired. i is a damper,
jointed to the damper rail j, and actuated by a projection on the hammer butt,
it is furnished with a spring and operates in the usual manner; k is a check
rail to stop the hammer as it returns from the string.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ann Stewart, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
ANN STEWART. (L.S.)
Executrix to the late James Stewart.