Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments or Hand Organs, and in the Perforated Music Sheets by which they are Operated.
Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by the firm of CH. F. PIETSCHMANN AND SÖHNE, of
28 and 28", Brunnen Strasse, Berlin, in the German Empire, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments or Hand Organs,
and in the Perforated Music Sheets by which they are Operated.
I, ERNEST DE PASS, of 68 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents, 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in mechanical musical instruments or hand
organs, and in the perforated music sheets by which they are operated.
Hand organs operated by means of perforated music sheets or bands, as hitherto
constructed, have the following defects:
1. The music sheets or bands cannot be conveniently replaced in the organ, and
2. The said sheets or bands are not properly guided in their travel within the
instrument while the latter is being played, so that the said sheets become easily
locked, and the instrument then ceases to be of any practical use.
In instruments where rollers are employed, one for winding up the music sheet,
while the other unwinds the same, it is requisite to change the rollers, or parts of
them, whenever a music sheet is to be replaced by another, which requires a very
careful manipulation in order that the instrument may continue to operate efficiently.
In instruments where endless music bands are used, one is limited to a constant length
of band.
According to this invention, and in order to enable a change of music sheets to be
effected in the easiest and most practicable manner possible, and to permit the use of
music sheets of suitable lengths, whether endless or not, the music box is placed
entirely outside the instrument, that is to say, on the side of the casing containing
the wind and the motor mechanism, the music sheets being guided in such a manner
that they can be simply hung over the music box. This arrangement allows, at the

page_text: same time, by opening or withdrawing a lateral door or valve, access to the sonorous
reeds and to the keyboard, and hence facilitates repairs, which, in instruments of this
class, as heretofore constructed, could only be effected with great difficulty.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a hand organ constructed
according to this invention, and Fig 2 a front elevation of the same, one of the side
flaps or covers having been removed." The music box, or box containing the reeds
and the keyboard, is carried, as shewn in fig. 1, at one side of the main casing or box
of the instrument which contains the bellows and the motor mechanism, and this
arrangement is effected in such a manner that the music sheet N, composed, by way
of example, of several flexible parts or members m, connected together, as hereinafter
described, may be hung upon the projecting music box, as clearly shewn in fig. 2.
The music sheet N is actuated or driven by means of the two rollers D and F covered
with india-rubber, the lower roller D being arranged within the music box A, and set
rotating by the crank handle C, with the aid of any suitable mechanism, or; as shewn
by way of example, by means of the toothed wheels f, g, the worm wheel e, and the
endless screw d. The upper roller F is mounted in a frame I, Fig. 3, connected to
the casing B, by means of the hinges k, and is capable of being firmly secured in
position by a hook or holt 1, or by other similar device, arranged upon the cover b, or
upon the box A. The music sheet N, is pressed upon the levers a of the key board,
by means of a rail h, likewise held by the frame I, Fig. 3. This rail h is capable of
moving in the said frame, and can be secured in position by the set screws i. It
further serves to regulate the power with which the levers a may be pressed
downwardly.
The cover b, which serves as a means of closing the side of the box A, is connected
to the latter by hinges, but it may however be fixed thereto by screws.
When it is required to place a music sheet upon the music box, the hook / is
released, the frame I, is raised, and the sheet is hung upon the said box. The frame I
is next lowered or folded over and secured in position; the instrument is then ready.
to be played. While the music sheet is being played out it hangs freely on both sides
of the music box A, and the parts or members thereof, which are taken up at X, are
laid automatically one upon another at Y, after having been played out. The music
sheet is guided so as to be laid down with perfect freedom, and its motion and
operation can be watched, while the size of the instrument is entirely independent
of the length of the sheet used. When music sheets of very great length are made
use of, sufficient room must be left below the box for the same, and in order to prevent
the sheet from spreading out behind or before the instrument, there is provided, by
the side of the music box, a moveable frame or drawer R (figs. 1 and 2) which
serves as a receptacle or support for the said music sheet, and which can be drawn
down after the instrument has been moved against the edge of a table. Within this
frame, or drawer, the sheet lays itself in folds in the manner of the leaves of a book,
and in such way that if cannot leave the said frame.
From the above arrangement it may happen that a fold or bend of the sheet,
formed of parts or members, may be drawn upwardly between the key board and the
rail h, and injury may be caused to the mechanism. In order to obviate such injury,
two blades or tongues G, G, figs. 1 and 2, fixed to the music box, prevent the passage
of such fold or bend, and the sheet rises up much more, while its adjoining member
falls back.
In order to easily manufacture music sheets of great length, the said sheets are
formed, as before mentioned, of several parts or members which are connected together
end to end by means of strips of parchment, pig's leather, or any other thin material
of the same nature.
Fig. 5 illustrates, on an enlarged scale, the mode of connecting together these
various parts or members.
The opposite ends of two of such parts or members m, are split, and the strips n,
which have been previously coated with some adhesive substance, are inserted in these
slits and the joint firmly pressed together. Fig. 4 shews an endless music sheet,
formed of parts or members m, connected in the manner above described. By means

page_text: of such connections, the ends of the parts or members can be so well joined together
that the passage of such connections, during the travel of the music sheet, has not in
the least any damaging influence upon the operation of the levers a.
Instead of rollers for feeding the music sheet, other contrivances may be used,
such as pin wheels, spur wheels, endless screws, and the like. In such cases the
roller F can be dispensed with.
Having now described the nature of the invention, and in what manner the same
may be performed, I declare that I clain, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondents :-
-
1. A mechanical musical instrument or hand organ operated by endless or other
perforated music sheets or bands actuated by means of rollers, or other suitable
mechanism, in which the music sheets are arranged to hang freely upon the music
box containing the key-board and the reeds, and projecting at one side of the casing
of the instrument, such music sheets being guided by a roller mounted in a frame
capable of being raised or lowered, substantially as described and as shewn in the
drawings.
2. In combination with the frame mentioned above, the moveable rail for regulating
the pressure with which the music sheet is pressed on to the keys, as described.
3. A music sheet formed of parts or members connected together by means of strips
of parchment, leather, or other similar substance, inserted into slits formed in the
opposite ends of the parts or members, as described and as shewn with reference to
figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.
4. The employment and arrangement of the blades or tongues G, G, for preventing
the folds of the music sheet passing below the frame.
5. The sliding frame R for receiving music sheets or bands of great length.