IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of the Firm of Herbert and
Company, Solicitors of Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS." A communication from abroad by Walter Freethy.
Abbot, of Montreal, in the Dominion of Canada, Instrument Manufacturer.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Herbert John Haddan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd March 1881.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS." A communication from abroad by
Walter Freethy Abbot, of Montreal, in the Dominion of Canada, Instrument
Manufacturer.
This Invention relates to improvements in mechanical musical instruments by
which valves to reeds, etc., are operated by levers through the perforated and
unperforated portions of a sheet of paper, or other suitable material, caused to travel
through the instrument, and consists,-
First. In arranging the series of levers so that their ends, which are operated by
the perforated strip of paper or other suitable material, are brought closer together
laterally than the ends which operate the valve mechanism, by which a narrower
strip of paper can be used.
Second. In arranging and locating under each reed in the wind chest, or between.
the wind chest and the reed, a supplementary chamber or wind chest having
suitable openings for the passage of air from the reed through said chamber to the
wind chest.
Third. In the arrangement and location in said supplementary air chamber or
wind chest of a valve over the opening or air passage leading from said supple-
mentary air chamber to the wind chest.
Fourth. In arranging a series of these supplementary air chambers in a board,

page_text: which board is constructed and arranged to be attached and detached at
pleasure.
Fifth. In the combination with such supplementary air chamber and a valve
located therein and the reed chamber of the ordinary swell board of a reed organ
placed over the entrance of the reed chamber, all as hereinafter described.
In the accompanying plate of Drawings this Invention is illustrated.
Figure 1 being a plan view of a mechanical musical instrument constructed
according to this Invention, showing a series of levers with the perforated paper
strip removed.
Figure 2 a longitudinal vertical section on line x, x, Figure 1, with the perforated
strip of paper in its position with the valve closed.
Figure 3 a similar sectional view to Figure 2, with the bellows and with the
valve open.
Figure 4, a horizontal section of the board provided with the supplementary air
chamber.
Figure 5, a cross section on line y, y, Figure 4.
Figure 6, a longitudinal sectional view of the swell board.
Figures 7, 8, and 9, detail views to be hereinafter referred to.
In the Drawings A represents uprights, to which are secured the horizontal
boards B and C; D is the wind chest between the two boards B and C; E, the
bellows, and F its exhauster; G is the reed chamber, and H the reed located therein,
all as ordinarily in reed organs and needing no particular description herein; Jis the
ordinary swell board of reed organs covering the entrance to the reed chamber G,
and having an aperture under which is placed a valve K; L is the perforated strip
of paper having perforations a, and arranged to travel through the instrument by
and between the feed rolls M and N, which feed rolls turn in suitable bearings in
uprights of the board B, and can be driven by the crank arm P or in any suitable
manner; Q, the operating levers.
Each lever Q is arranged to swing vertically on a pivot b in a groove c in a
cross bar d, between the uprights O, and at its end e has a wedge shape pro-
jection f on its upper side, which projection is in position to enter a perforation
in the perforated strip of paper as it travels through the instrument, the several
rows of perforations in the paper strip being coincident with the several ends e of
the levers Q.
The other end g of each lever Q extends to and lies under a shoulder h of a
lever R hinged at 7 on the upper side of the board B; m, a spring secured to
block n, and arranged to bear by its free end on the upper side of the lever R;
S, a supplementary air chamber or wind chest formed in a board T, which is in the
present instance located in the wind chest D and secured to the under side of the
horizontal board B, which board forms the upper side or wall of the supplementary
air chamber S; o, a passage in board B forming communication between said air
chamber S and reed chamber G; and p, a passage in the board T forming com-
munication between said chamber S and the wind chest D.
Projecting down from the under side of the lever R is an arm r, and it extends
through an opening s in the board B into the supplementary air chamber S to
bear upon the end t of the valve U, so that by the downward movement of the
lever R by its spring m the valve will be opened, and as the lever R is raised the
valve U will be free to close.
The paper strip in its travel through the instrument passes between the levers Q
and a horizontal board V, held in position by pins on the ends of said board
extending into the open slots w by means of a spring arm W, by which it can be
easily put in place or removed therefrom, and this board V holds the paper strip
in proper position for the levers Q to be operated upon by the perforations in the
paper strip.
The operation of the instrument is as follows:-
First enter the end of the strip of paper between the feed rolls, which end being
unperforated, as it preferably should be. a short distance will press the ends e of

page_text: the levers down, and correspondingly raising the levers R by which the valves U
are closed, then turning the feed rolls, the perforated strip of paper will be fed
through the instrument, at the same time with proper connections between the
bellows and the feed rolls or driving shaft, the bellows will be operated for the
sounding of the reeds.
As a perforation in the paper strip as it travels through the instrument comes
over the projection f of one of the levers Q, it enters said perforation, allowing the
spring m to depress the lever Q and through the arm r, opens the valve U, as
shown more particularly in section in Figure 3, when the reed can sound, and as the
unperforated portion of the paper strip comes over the said projections fit
depresses said lever Q and correspondingly raises the lever R and the valve U, then
by the air pressure from the reed chamber and its own weight falls and closes the
opening b when the reed will cease to sound.
When the swell board J is closed the only passage for the air to the reeds is
through the aperture under which is placed valve K, which is caused to vibrate
by the passage of the air to the reeds, producing a tremolo. It is evident that the
same effect can be produced by a valve placed above or below. any air inlet or
outlet to or from the reeds.
Each reed has a separate supplementary air chamber S, valve U, and lever R,
which are all arranged in the same plane vertically, and a lever Q, the series of
levers Qconverging from the levers R to the ends operated upon by the perforated
paper or other suitable material, as shown, for the purpose stated..
To produce by a reed a good and pure quality of tone combined with volume
and power, it is well known that it is essential that a large opening between the
reed and the wind chest should be under the reed, which large opening ensures a
free vibration of the reed which is requisite for these results, and that a small
opening under the reed has a tendency to hold and prevent the reed from
vibrating.
It is customary in the manufacture of reed organs in which the reeds are sounded
through the exhaustion of the bellows, and in which valves are used, for the valves
to be placed in the wind chest under the opening leading therefrom to the reed,
such opening being made large for the purposes above stated, and each valve being
held to its seat to close said opening by a spring which must be of a sufficient
power to overcome the exhaustive power of the bellows when operating the
instrument.
Other reed instruments operated: by the exhaustion of the bellows as aforesaid
have the valves located on the outside of the wind chest over the openings to the
reeds, which valves are. held to their seats by the air pressure above them caused
by the exhaustion of the air from the wind chest by the operation of the bellows.
When the valve is held by a spring to its seat considerable pressure is required
to open it against its spring, which. pressure is increased as one or more series of
reeds and valves are added to the first series, and when the valves are outside of
the wind chest and held to their seats by the air pressure, although the pressure
needed to open the valve for sounding the reed is much less than when the valve
is held by a spring, the reed speaks much slower, the tone produced is poorer in
quality, and in the use of the swell imperfect effects are the result.
:
In the first case although the reeds speak quickly and the tone is of a good
quality, the pressure required to operate the valves is a serious objection.
In this Invention these objections are obviated by the arrangement of the
supplementary air chamber between the reed and the wind chest, and locating
therein the valve over the opening leading from said supplementary air chamber
to the wind chest, substantially as herein shown and described.
The opening between the supplementary air chamber and wind chest can be
quite small, at the same time a large opening can be arranged between the supple-
mentary air chamber and reed respectively, thereby diminishing greatly the power
required to open the valve; at the same time with the large opening under the
reed, in combination with the supplementary air chamber, a good quality of tone is

page_text: produced with the requisite volume and power, the reed will speak quickly, and
combining with the same the ordinary swell board to the reed chamber a swell
effect is produced beyond that heretofore obtained.
Reducing the pressure to open the valve to reeds, as herein described, enables the
levers to be arranged in the form shown, that is, converging from the levers R
to the ends operated upon by the perforated paper or other suitable material, and
being closer together where operated upon by the paper strip a much narrower
strip of paper can be used, a result of importance in cheapening the manufacture of
the perforated strip, and in other ways.
The manufacture of the supplementary air chamber with the valve located
therein enables the openings o between said chambers and the reeds to be graduated
according to the size and tone of the reed, that is, for the reeds giving a low pitch
a larger opening than for reeds giving a higher pitch, and between a low pitch and
a high pitch corresponding sizes of openings.
In opening the valve U the most resistance is at the instant it commences to be
raised from its seat, and when the instrument is being operated, immediately the
valve is started from its seat, that instant the power required to open the valve is
reduced, and so on until the valve is fully opened, owing to the air escaping and
passing under the valve through the opening to the wind chest, thereby reducing
the air pressure in the supplementary chamber.
To lessen the power, required to start the valve its under side can have two
fulcra or pivotal points, as shown in detail in Figures 7, 8, and 9.
As the valve first begins to open it has for its fulcrum the point u, giving a
longer leverage on the arm end t, and as it continues to move the fulcrum is
changed to the one v, the air pressure then being reduced by the passage of the
air through the chamber S when the valve is farther opened on its fulcrum v.
In Figure 7 the valve U is closed, in Figure 8 opened on its fulcrum, and in
Figure 9 fully opened on its fulcrum v. The supplementary air chamber S for a
series of reeds are arranged in the board T, which is cut out for each chamber S
and its opening o, which is a simple, cheap, and desirable form of making these
chambers, and the board can be attached to the board B by screws or in any
manner desired for it to be detached and attached at pleasure to obtain access to
the valves U, and in lieu of being located in the wind chest can be above or
outside of the same, proper communication being arranged between it and the reed
chamber and wind chest.
The valve, instead of having two fulcra, as described, can have its under side
convex longitudinally, so that its fulcrum in its operation would be constantly
changing from the instant it commenced to open until fully open.
First. In a mechanical musical instrument, in combination with a lever arranged
to be operated upon by and through perforations in a strip of paper or other
suitable material or otherwise, a valve to a reed, etc., arranged in a chamber
between the reed and the wind chest, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Second. In a mechanical musical instrument, in combination with a lever
arranged to be operated upon by and through perforations in a strip of paper or
other suitable material or otherwise, the lever R having an arm r and a valve to a
reed, etc., arranged in a chamber between the reed and the wind chest, substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
Third. In a mechanical musical instrument a series of levers arranged to be
operated upon by and through perforations in a strip of paper or other suitable
material or otherwise when arranged and brought together, substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
Fourth. A board T, having a series of chambers S and openings p, substantially
as and for the purpose specified

page_text: Fifth. In a reed organ a valve located in a supplementary air chamber between
the wind chest and the reed, for the purpose specified.
Sixth. In a mechanical musical instrument a tremolo produced by means of a
valve attached by a spring or other suitable device in such a manner as to be
vibrated by the air passing through the aperture to or from the reeds.
Seventh. A valve U having two fulcra, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Eighth. In combination with a valve to a reed located in a supplementary
chamber between the wind chest and the reed the swell board J, when all arranged
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Haddan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of March, A.D. 1881.