Improvements in Harmonicas or Mouth-organs and like Free-reed Instruments.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1892-Accepted, 23rd July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Harmonicas or Mouth-organs and like Free-reed
Instruments.
I, CHARLES FREDERICK STAHLECKER, of 8, Christopher Street, Finsbury
Square, in the County of London, Commission Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention (a communication to me by Anton Richard Breinl, of
Graslitz, Bohemia, Manufacturer) and in what manner the same is to be performed,.
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to harmonicas or mouth-organs and like free-reed instru-
ments and consists in the application to the same of a damper or mute or dampers
or mutes adapted to close the passages communicating with one side of the reeds
for the purpose of varying or modulating the tone of the instrument.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
―
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a mouth-organ having a damper or mute
applied thereto according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan :
Figure 3 is an end elevation; and,
Figure 4 is a section on the line a, Figure 1.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are a side sectional elevation, an end sectional elevation and
a plan respectively illustrating a modification of my invention.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
u indicates a mouth-organ of ordinary construction; b, the reeds of the
same; c, c the passages for conveying the air to the reeds; and d, d the passages
or openings through which the air which passes the reeds escapes.
e is my damper or mute which as shewn in Figures 1 to 4 is made of sufficient
size to directly cover the openings d, d as indicated most clearly in Figure 2 where
the said openings are represented by dotted lines. This damper or mute e is
pivotted at to a small bracket and its projecting end g has arranged in conjunc-.
tion with it a bell-crank-lever h, one end of which bears against the said projection
whilst the other acts as a finger-piece, the depression of which serves to move the
damper or mute to close the openings d, d; is a spring which normally retains
the said damper or mute in its open position.
The instrument shewn in Figures 5, 6 and 7 (which illustrate the application of
my invention to a harmonica or mouth-organ having a plate or shield j for increasing
the resonance of the instrument) is provided with two dampers or mutes e, e which
are applied to the openings at the ends of the shield into which the passages d, d
open instead of directly to the said passages as herein before described.
Each of these dampers or mutes is represented as provided with an arm or lever k
both of which are designed to be acted upon by a stud or pusher to depress the
said arms or levers to operate the dampers or mutes and close the ends of the
shield, but it will be obvious that any other suitable arrangement may be employed.
m is a spring which acts upon the arms or levers k, k to normally hold the dampers
or mutes in an open position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven--
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A harmonica or mouth-organ or like free-reed instrument having a damper or
mute or dampers or mutes adapted to close the passages communicating with one.
side of the reeds or the ends of a shield covering the said passages, substantially as

page_text: 2. The manufacture and use of the improved harmonicas or mouth-organs herein-
before described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 and Figures 5 to 7 of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of June 1892.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.