IMPROVE- MENTS IN ORGANS AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR PRE- PARING OR PRODUCING CERTAIN ARTICLES TO BE USED THEREIN
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Michael Henry at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st January
1864. A communication from abroad by Joseph Antoine Testé, of
33, Boulevard Saint Martin, Paris, France.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ORGANS AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR PRE-
PARING OR PRODUCING CERTAIN ARTICLES TO BE USED THEREIN," communicated to me
from abroad by Joseph Antoine Testé, of 33, Boulevard Saint Martin, Paris,
France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to apparatus, which to avoid repetition I call the
cartonium, and which is intended for putting portions of musical instruments
in action. It is especially applicable to organs, harmoniums, and the like.
One or more perforated cards or similar material somewhat resembling the
cards of a jacquard are introduced into the instrument, and caused to move,
and as they move they act on pipes, reeds, strings, toothed plates, harmonica
plates, and other sounding or sonorous parts of the instruments, thus con-
stituting what may be called mechanical musical instruments. The perfora-
tions are longer or shorter according to the value of the note. The portions
of the cartonium which work the cards may be in connection with the keys
(in keyed instruments), or with other appliances on which the performer acts.
Various modes may be adopted for working the cards.
In order that the Invention may be understood I first describe an arrange-

page_text: ment for combining it with an organ. Here the stickers, trackers, trans-
mitting bars, or connections of the sound board are square and work in guides;
two independent pressures are exerted on them, the key board levers pressing
on them at top, and the cartonium levers bearing on them at bottom. The
bellows are connected and worked by a beam or lever, one pump being
depressed by a weight while the other rises. The cartonium has a hinged set
of keys carrying nozzles, which pass into a comb, and are actuated by the
cards, from these keys motion is transmitted to a fan-shaped or diverging
arrangement of arms or levers which communicate motion from the cartonium
to the sound board, this arrangement is suspended on a saddle piece, and
pressed against the sound board, transmitters, or connections by springs, the
driving and pressing barrels are clothed with caoutchouc, the latter and a
fluted or toothed cylinder rest on sliding bearings, and exert pressure by
springs. The cards work on a platform, and are introduced under the
cylinders by a double-action lever consisting of a shaft carrying a tooth or
pin, and a cam, the former engaging and depressing the trackers, stickers,
transmitting bars, or levers, and the latter raises a T-piece, which lifts the
.barrels. The instrument is worked by a treadle through gearing, for
example, by a ratchet wheel, which works a stud on the shaft, when the
treadle is moved in the right direction. The keyboard is raised and depressed,
and when depressed the keys engage the levers; when raised they release
them. A blank card is first inserted, and when brought forward by the treadle
a perforated card is introduced, which passes over the combs, and the trackers,
levers, stickers, transmitting bars, or connections pass through the per-
forations, the levers descend, and the pipes speak. In this arrangement
one treadle works the bellows, and a separate one drives the instrument so
that tone and rhythm can be modulated. The cartonium may be applied in
like manner to harmoniums, the reeds being in the air chamber. In one
arrangement the sound board valves are sustained by a spring, and the same
set of transmitters or connections serve for both key board and cartonium.
Levers actuated by the keys work the transmitters or connections. The comb
consists of two nippers or plates, in which is the axis of a set of rollers. A
inetallic band keeps the cards in a line. As the stickers, trackers, levers,
transmitting bars, or connections sink they bear against the rollers, and as
they rise they impinge against the comb, they are worked down by a double
lever which raises the T-piece and barrels, it is moved by cross bars actuated
by a rod passing through the cartonium guides. The ends of the fan levers
are forked. The cartonium may be applied in like manner to organs with free
recds and no keyboard. In one arrangement the keys work on a hinge or

page_text: axis, each key has a nozzle which passes into the comb, and a valve corre-
sponding to one of the mouths, which it closes when the card presses or comes
against the nozzle of the key, springs raise the keys when the perforations in
the cards permit. A double lever works the T-piece and depresses the keys.
For perforating the cards a machine may be employed consisting of two
lattice or cross-barred frames, between which the card is inserted, punches are
arranged in the openings or spaces of the upper frame, and are driven
through the interposed cardboard, which they cut at the edges of the openings
in the lower frame, and so punch the required holes. The frames may be
supported on a grid and hinged. The upper frame may be worked by a lever,
and the punches pressed down by a roller. The punches are arranged to
correspond with the required notes.