AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE ACTION OF UPRIGHT: PIANOFORTES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mills, of 2, Lower Craven Place, Kentish
Town, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE ACTION OF UPRIGHT:
PIANOFORTES."
Scaled the 11th August 1857, and dated the 26th February 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mills at the.
Office of tho Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the.
26th February 1857.
I, WILLIAM MILLS, of 2, Lower Craven Place, Kentish Town, do hereby.
declare the nature of the Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE ACTION OF.
UPRIGHT PIANOFORTES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an improvement in the action of upright
pianofortes. For this purpose the escapement is arranged to work at the
upper part of the sticker in the following manner:-The lower end of.
the sticker rests on the key, and the sticker is retained correctly in position by
two pin-jointed links or connecting rods, one at the back and the other the
front of the sticker. At the upper part of the sticker on a step formed thereon
the escapement is attached or hinged, and it is constantly pressed backwards by
a wire spring, and the upper part of the escapement comes under a step or
notch at the lower part of the hammer. butt. The escapement has a projection.
towards its lower end near where it is attached to the sticker, and there is an
escapement button on a screw stem screwed into a fixed rail above such pro-
jection, so that when the sticker is raised by putting down the key, the upper
part of the escapement puts the hammer in motion, and is caused to escape
from the notch or step in the hammer butt by the projection on the escapement
coming in contact with the escapement button.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Mills, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MILLS, of 2, Lower Craven Place, Kentish Town, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Mills, Her special licence that I, the said William Mills, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Mills, my 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, uso, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE ACTION OF
ÚPRIGHT PIANOFORTES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Mills, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describo
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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Mills, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object an improvement in the action of upright
pianofortes. For this purpose the oscapement is arranged to work at the
upper part of the sticker in the following manner :-The lower end of the
sticker rests on the key, and the sticker is retained correctly in position by
two pin-jointed links or connecting rods, one at the back and the other at tho
front of the sticker. At the upper part of the sticker on a step formed thereon
the oscapement is attached or hinged, and is constantly pressed backwards by
a wire spring, and the upper part of the escapement comes under a step or
notch at the lower part of the hammer butt. The escapement has à projection
towards its lower end near where it is attached to the sticker, and there is an
escapement button on a screw stem screwed into a fixed rail above such pro-

page_text: jection, so that when the sticker is raised by putting down the key, the upper
part of the escapement puts the hammer in motion, and is caused to escape
from the notch or step in the hammer butt by the projection on the escape-
ment coming in contact with the escapement button.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,
which represents a vertical section of the action of an upright pianoforte
constructed according to my Invention. a is the key; 6 is the sticker, the
lower end of which rests on the key; c, d, are two links or connecting rods
jointed at their ends to the front and back of the sticker, and to the two fixed
bars e, f. On the upper end of the sticker, and on a step formed thereon is
applied the escapement 9, which is constantly pressed back by the spring h.
The upper part of the escapement comes under the lower end of the hammer,
butt, as shown. g' is a projection near the lower end of the escapement; and i
is an escapement button.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim
to any of the mechanical parts separately. But what I claim is the com-
bination herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mills, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-sevon.
WILLIAM MILLS. (L.S.)
25 Witness,
JAMES THEOBALD,
16, Furnival's Inn, in the City of London,
Gent".