Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Wind-chests for Organs or Similar Instruments.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Wind-chests for Organs
or Similar Instruments.
I, ALBIN HICKMANN, of Dachwig, near Erfurt, in the Empire of Germany,
Organ Builder, 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: -
The improved pneumatic wind chest for organs is arranged in such way that
separate registers are connected with one another by pipes in such manner that
the stops drawn sound in several octaves differing from each other by 12 semi-tones.
Owing to such a connection of each two registers with each other one register is
saved; only it is necessary in order to produce the continuous notes principal 8 feet
and principal 4 feet, to give one register 12 semi-tones more, so that it is then
possible to play 108 notes with 54 keys.
It is therefore only necessary to depress the keys on the key-board and to draw
one or more corresponding stops, in order to cause the sound corresponding to
the key depressed to be one octave deeper or higher, as desired.
The pipes are arranged in the hitherto usual rhythmical order, the valve of each
pipe may be played from two keys which is rendered possible by causing the pipe
valve to be controlled by two small bellows connected by a sticker and controlled
from the keyboard.
The alternative working of the playing bellows f which actuate playing valves
by means of stickers and of the register bellows r is obtained by arranging for each
playing valve two playing bellows f one over the other, these bellows being pro-
vided with projections or tails which are adapted to be locked by a bar of the
register bellows r.
The tails of the register bellows are for this purpose connected with the bar
whereby the playing bellows of a register are locked when said register is in the
position of rest, that is to say not drawn. When the register is drawn the register
bellows r rise whereby the tails of the playing bellows f are released. The working
is as follows:
-
The tails of the playing bellows engage with the sticker which when the organ
is played operates the valve of the pipe. Instead of one register several registers
may be arranged under the playing bellows and control the stickers of these
latter.
The accompanying drawing illustrates by way of example the simplest arrange-
ment according to the present invention. In this arrangement each two pitches
differing by 12 semi-tones is connected with the other.
Figure 1 shows the arrangement of pneumatic relays with the connection from
the first to the following 13th note and so on.
Figure 2 is a cross-section of part of the wind chest.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the same.
As shown the playing bellows f can be operated by means of two registers
arranged one under the other by means of their bellows r.
wind cheet is arranged as follame ·

page_text: The foundation or casing of the wind-chest consists of a frame a a with lateral
walls aa chest a2 and pipe block b into which the pipes are built in the usual
way.
.
Such arrangements form the wind chest k. ce are valve blocks, are playing
valves constituted by glass plates lined or surfaced with leather and operated
by means of the stickers d. The upper playing bellows f f have forked
tails with the forks of which engage the notches of the stickers d so that
the sticker is raised when the playing bellows f, without having their interior
filled with compressed air, are compressed by the air in the wind-chest k.
As soon therefore as one of the playing bellows f is acted upon the pipe-valve
is raised by means of the sticker.
In Fig. 2 one of the left hand stickers is shown as being pushed up, as when
its corresponding note is played, the other sticker being down, its note not,
therefore, being played. The bellows ff are connected by means of air pipes e¹ el
with their respective playing channels g.
These latter are in communication
with the atmosphere when the keys are operated for playing and in communication
with the wind chest k when the organ is not played, whereby the playing bellows
are operated in the herein before described manner. In Fig. 2 the central bellows
has been operated so that its valve is raised. The bellows on the left correspond
to a separate channel (of which there are usually 66 in an organ) and are not
operated.
Only the lower one of the two left hand bellows f, shown in Fig. 2, is connected
to the passage g, the one on the top being connected to the tubing n¹n through a
passage (not shown) located behind the bellows f, and is controlled by the valve i
of the note an octave above or below, as the case may be. As shown in Fig. 1 the
lower bellows is controlled by the passage 9, the upper one through the
tubing n¹ n².
The relay wind passage h is filled with compressed air when the relay is at
rest, the relay valve i then resting on its seat.
This valve i is raised by the relay bellows o when air is admitted through the
pipe n by depressing the keys, by means of the key-board-valve. The bellows o
are provided with an automatic outlet for compressed air constituted by a finely
perforated plate o¹. If the key-valve in the key-board is closed, the relay bellows
collapse, the relay valve i rests on its lower seat and the playing bellows f are
filled with air.
If the key of the key-board is depressed, compressed air is admitted into the
pipe n and raises the bellows which raise the valve i. The relay air passage h
is closed by the valve i, the playing channels and thus the passages el e¹ being
placed in communication with the atmosphere owing to the raising of the valve i.
The compressed air contained in the wind-chest k compresses the playing bellows f
in question. The latter raise the sticker d and open the playing valve v so that
the pipes, corresponding to the keys operated, speak.
The relay chambers for these sounds (principal sounds A Fig. 1) are connected
by means of pipes n¹ and n² with the relay chambers of the sound A', which in
the present construction is 12 semitones lower or higher (see Figs. 1 and 2). In
order to have the pitches A A¹ playing when desired by the players, the arrange-
ment of registers is such that the playing bellows f corresponding to the pitch A¹
remain without influence on the stickers d, until the corresponding register is
drawn.
The tones of the lowest octave are caused to sound by shutting off air from the
relay chamber h (Fig. 1) when the relay valve i is raised (Fig. 1). At the same time
the conduits g (Fig. 2) are relieved from the air-pressure by means of tube n¹, n².
Each of the notes of the lowest octave has two channels like y corresponding to it,
one channel is controlled by a key through the relay chest h and the other by
the relay chest of the octave below.
The tubing ¹n² is connected to the relay
pressure, as long as the valve i is not operated.
and both have the same wind-
If however the valve i is pushed

page_text: up, the relay h and the tubing n¹ n² are disconnected and the bellows f is freed from
pressure.
This arrangement is as follows:-
The registering arrangement is analogous to the arrangement of playing relays and
has a wind-passage u for the register-relays, a register valve and register-relay
bellows and is connected with the pipe w (Fig. 3). The register bellows r
in the wind-chest will be compressed similarly to the playing bellows f when
they are in their interior in communication with the atmosphere and exposed to
the pressure of air in the wind-chest k acting from the outside. In this case the
tails of the register bellows are raised and thus release the locking bars 2.
These locking bars serve to bring down at once the playing bellows and to
prevent them from rising. The locking bars come to lie on the tails f¹
of the playing bellows f and are sufficiently heavy that the latter cannot rise when
the bars 2 rest upon them. To the register bellows appertain wind-pipes e which
are separated from the passages el of the playing bellows and are filled with
compressed air through the register valve and pipe w.
If the register bellows are raised and thus the locking bars r² are also raised
the playing bellows are free to work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A pneumatic wind-chest in which one note is caused to speak in two or
several pitches differing by 12 semitones the relay-chamber of the pneumatic
playing apparatus differing by 12 semitones being connected with one another by
pipes and 2 whereby the interior air pressure in the bellows f of the playing
apparatus is relieved and the bellows are compressed, whereupon the pipe-valve v
immediately opens as soon as the corresponding stops are drawn and the playing
bellows released substantially as described.
2. A construction of the pneumatic wind chest of the character described in
which separate playing bellows f of a horizontal series are locked by means of
their register bellows by means of locking bars 2 secured to the latter said bars
holding down the tails fl of the playing bellows f and thus maintaining the latter
in a locked position until the register bellows are compressed by the air-pressure
in the wind chest k and thus raise the locking bars substantially as described.
3. A construction of the wind chest of the character described in which the
playing bellows f arranged in series one under another and provided with tails fl
are connected with the pipe valve by means of stickers which in the series of
upper playing bellows engage with notches or recesses formed in them with the
tails f of said bellows and rest on the tails of the lower series so that the playing
valve is opened when the upper or lower playing bellows collapse substantially as
described.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete pneu-
matic wind chest for organs or similar instruments substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of December 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.