Improvements in Planoforte Actions.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 11th May, 1893-Accepted, 17th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Planoforte Actions.
I, HENRY WITTON, of 21, Sharsted Street in the County of London, Pianoforte
Tuner and Regulator, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements on the invention forming the subject
matter of my former Patent No. 8784 of 1889. The present improvements have
special reference to the height adjustment of the fly jack or sticker (hereinafter
termed the transmittor) to the space it is required to occupy between the upper
surface of the key and the notch or nose of the hammer butt; also to what is known
as the over damper, and to the action frame.
According to this invention I now increase or diminish the height of the
transmittors by means of screw tapped pins operating buttons or blocks attached to
the upper or lower ends of such transmittors as hereinafter more particularly
described.
Where the transmittor is centred or hinged to the key or its attachment so that
the whole is removable from the interior of the pianoforte apart from the action
frame and remaining part of the action, I fix the adjusting pin and block to the
transmittor at a point near its upper end, and the transmittor, instead of being in a
direct line from the "
27
centre to the notch of the butt, is placed at a slightly
backward angle towards the "balance block," of the hammer butt, against which
block it operates as a "check" after "escapement," and the communication between
the transmittor and the notch or nose of the butt is completed by the aforesaid
adjusting pin and block projecting from the transmittor at an opposite angle either
from its inner side, or from a rebate thereon, so as to terminate at a suitable
distance from the checking point of the transmittor. By thus inclining the
transmittor I am also enabled to centre it directly to the block attached to the key,
instead of requiring a flinge" piece as described in the Specification of my said
former Patent.
<
When the transmitter is connected with the action frame so as to be removable
with it apart from the key I attach the adjusting pin which is screw tapped its
entire length to the lower end of the transmittor by passing it through its lower end
or through a projecting foot at a slight angle approximating to the arc motion of
the key and I fix to the lower end of such pin a button which rests upon the key.
When the lower end of the transmittor is connected with a rail behind by means
of a double hinged or centred arm, in order to prevent this arm pushing the
foot
transmittor to too great an angle, I centre such arm to the before mentioned "
at a point more forward than the adjusting pin, which is caused to pass freely
through a clearing hole in the arm.
"
In cases where the adjusting block is placed at the upper end of the transmittor
I attach the leather and cloth coverings required between it, and the hammer butt,
to the top of the block instead of on the nose of the butt as hitherto.
I sometimes hinge the transmittor to a flinge which is screwed to the block
attached to the key whereby I am enabled to adjust the transmittor in cases where
it becomes warped or otherwise gets out of plumb.
The over damper is operated in the ordinary manner by means of a wire
connected either with the hammer butt, the transmittor, or the block attached to
the key, but instead of hanging it under the damper rail as has hitherto been
generally done, I, in order to obtain a greater motion of the damper head from the
string place the damper body above the said rail whereby the distance of the head

page_text: from its centre is increased without encroaching upon the space required for the
tuning pins.
"
I support the action frame upon side blocks fixed inside the ends of the piano at
or near the lower edge of the hammer rail. Preferably I dowel or pin the hammer
rail directly to such blocks using a height adjusting screw pin the "standards,'
either of wood or metal, being fixed to the hammer rail, and extending upwards to
carry the rest and damper rails, and only extending downwards in cases where a
rail is required below the hammer rail.
"
When the soft pedal effect is required to be produced by shortening the "blow
I support the rest rail by metal cranks attached to the ends of the hammer rail so
as to be operated by a pedal pole passing through one or other of the before
mentioned side blocks.
Dated this 11th dow of
1002
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pianoforte Actions.
1, HENRY WITTON, of 21, Sharsted Street, in the County of London,
Pianoforte Tuner and Regulator, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements on the invention forming the subject
matter of my former Patent No. 8784 of 1889. The present improvements have
special reference to the height adjustment of the fly, jack or sticker (hereinafter
termed the transmitter), to the space it is required to occupy between the upper
surface of the key and the notch or nose of the hammer butt; also to what is
known as the damper action and to the action frame.
In the accompanying drawings:
:-
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 are sectional elevations of pianoforte actions or parts
thereof illustrating some of my improvements.
Figure 4 is an elevation of a part of the mechanism shewn in Figure 4 and
drawn at a right angle thereto.
Figure 5 is an elevation of part of a pianoforte action illustrating a modification.
Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar or corresponding parts.
According to this invention I now increase or diminish the height of the
transmitters a by means of what are known as "pilot" screws or pins b, (Figures 1,
2, 3, 4, 6 and 7) operating buttons or blocks c attached to the upper or lower ends
of such transmitters as hereinafter more particularly described.
C
Where the transmitter a is centred or hinged to the key or to its attachment
such for instance as to the block din Figure 1, so that the whole is removable
from the interior of the pianoforte apart from the action frame and remaining part
of the action, I fix the pilot pin b and block e to the transmitter a at a point near
its upper end, and the transmitter instead of being in a direct line from its pivot or
"centre" d to the notch e of the hammer butt, is placed at an angle from the
vertical, that is to say, backward towards the "balance block" g of the hammer
butt, against which block g, through the medium of the check h, it operates as a
"check after "
escapement," and the communication between the transmitter a
and the notch or nose e of the butt is completed by the aforesaid adjusting pilot
pin band block c projecting from the transmitter a at an opposite angle from a
rebate thereon, (or from some other suitable part) so as to terminate at a suitable
distance from the checking point of the transmitter a. By thus inclining the
transmitter I am also enabled to centre it directly to the block d attached to the
key instead of requiring a connecting piece such as the fork shown in Figure 17
of the drawing and described in the Specification of my said former Patent.

page_text: In extremely short actions in order to provide a greater distance between the
centre of the transmitter a and the butt fI find it advantageous as illustrated in
Figure 2 to increase the angle of the transmitter that is to say I place it at right.
angles to the vertical so that it lies horizontally, parallel with the keyj it being
hinged to a plug or dowel d entering a hole in the said key j, instead of to a block
fixed thereon. The rear end of the transmitter a is weighted at k (or it may be
provided with a spring) to bring the block e into the notch e of the hammer butt f,
and the escapement motion is communicated by a "return" pin I fixed to the key j
and provided with a button m, somewhat similar to those described in the
Specification of my said former Patent and illustrated in Figure 19 thereof,.
acting upon the front end of the transmitter a. The pilot pin rises from the upper
surface of the transmitter a near the centre, and the pilot block c is adapted also to
act as the check, in which case the height adjustment is effected either by screw
threading the pilot pin bat either end with a right and left hand thread
respectively, as shown by the full lines, or by "cranking" the pin b as shown by
the dotted lines so that the block c can be ". set up or down as may be required by
slightly bending the said pin. Or the check h can be carried on a separate pin as
shewn in Figure 3.
When the transmitter a is connected with the action frame so as to be removable
with it apart from the key j as shewn in Figure 4, I attach the pilot pin b which as
shewn is screw threaded its entire length, to the lower end of the transmitter by
passing it through a projecting foot at the lower end of the transmitter at
slight angle approximating to the arc motion of the key; and I fix to the lower
end of such pilot pin a button c which rests upon a notched surface or groove in
the key.
When the lower end of the transmitter a is connected as shewn in Figure 5 with
a rail o behind by means of a double hinged or centred arm or link p in order
to retain the vertical position of the transmitter, I centre such arm to the before
mentioned "foot" at a point q more forward than the pilot pin b which is caused
to pass freely through a clearing hole r in the arin between the centres or hinges q
and s.
In cases where the pilot block c is placed at the upper end of the transmitter a,
as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 I attach the leather and cloth coverings t
required between it and the hammer butt f, to the top of the said block instead of
on the nose of the butt as hitherto.
I sometimes as shewn in Figure 6 hinge the transmitter a to a flinge which is.
adjustably screwed to the block attached to the keyj whereby I am enabled to.
vertically adjust the transmitter in cases where it becomes warped or otherwise
gets out of plumb.
The over damper v is operated in the ordinary manner by means of a wire w
connected either with the hammer butt as in Figure 1, the transmitter a as in
Figure 4 or the block d attached to the key j.
The upper or lower end of the wire is "hooked" into the hammer butt f
Figure 1 or the over damper Figures 4 and 4 as the case may be, while the
other end which is screw threaded for the necessary distance passes through a
bushed hole in the over damper v Figure 1 or in the block y Figure 4 fixed to
the transmitter a and is furnished with a regulating stud or button z z¹ a portion
of which rebated or reduced to about one third of its diameter, passes also through
the bushed hole and protects the cloth forming the bushing from the friction of
the screw thread of the wire w.
Instead of hanging the damper v under the damper rail as has hitherto been
generally done, I, in order to obtain a greater motion of the damper head from the
string, place the damper body above the said rail, as shewn in Figures 1 and 4
whereby the distance of the head from its centre is increased without encroaching
upon the space required for the tuning pins.
Or as shewn in Figure 7 I may employ an under damper centred to the further
end of the hammer butt flinge a' which is lengthened and placed in a vertical

page_text: position. This damper is operated by means of a wire w hooked into the rear end
of the damper body v similarly to the wire in Figure 4 and descending behind the
hammer rail through a socket rail c¹ to near the end of the key ; where it
terminates in a regulating button . The socket rail c' is attached to the action
standards e by means of centred or hinged arms and so can be acted upon by
the forte pedal pole (not shewn) to lift the dampers through the medium of a
cranked portion w¹ of the wire w.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a pianoforte action adjusting the height of each transmitter in relation to
the notch of the butt by the use of a pilot pin and block rising from a point near
the upper end of such transmitter or from its upper surface, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
2. The transmitters of pianoforte actions centred or hinged directly to blocks or
plugs fixed to the keys, either angularly or horizontally substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 of the accompanying
drawings and for the purpose specified.
3. In a pianoforte action placing the covering required between each hammer butt
and pilot block upon the said block instead of on the notch of the butt, substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 of the accom-
panying drawings.
4. In a pianoforte action attaching the transmitters by means of adjustable
flinges to the blocks fixed to the keys, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In a pianoforte action having transmitters connected with the keys and with
action frame so as to be removable with it apart from the keys in the manner herein
described with reference to Figure 4 connecting the transmitters to the keys by
means of pilot pins passing through their lower ends and carrying buttons resting
in notches or grooves in the keys substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In a pianoforte action having transmitters connected with the action frame so
as to be removable with it apart from the keys but attached at their lower ends to
a back rail by means of double hinged or centred arms or links, passing the pilot
pins through clearing holes in such arms or links at a point between the two hinges
or centres, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 5 of
the accompanying drawings.
7. In a pianoforte action having over-dampers, placing the bodies of the dampers
above the damper rail, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 1 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
8. In a pianoforte action a damper wire hooked at one end and furnished at the
other with a regulating button partly rebated or reduced to enter a bushed hole,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
9. In a pianoforte action the combination of the horizontally placed transmitter a
centred to the key j of the pin l and button m for communicating the escapement
motion, and the adjustable pilot pin b and block c adapted also to act as the check,
substantially as set forth with reference to Figure 2.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.