IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING OR HAMMER ACTIONS FOR PIANOFORTES AND OTHER SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS Communicated to him by.
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Ambrose Brydges of the firm of Brydges & Cloy
Engineers and Patent Solicitors of 107 Königgrätzer Str. in the City of
Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING OR HAMMER ACTIONS FOR PIANOFORTES AND
OTHER SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS Communicated to him by Adolf Lexow of
Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Ambrose Brydges
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th December 1882.
EDWIN AMBROSE BRYDGES of the firm of Brydges & Co Engineers and Patent
Solicitors of 107 Königgrätzer Str in the City of Berlin in the Kingdom of
Prussia and German Empire "IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING OR HAMMER ACTIONS
FOR PIANOFORTES AND OTHER SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS a communication to me
from Adolf Lexow of Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire.
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This Invention relates to improvements in repeating or hammer actions for
pianofortes and other similar instruments with vertical hammers.
According to my said invention the guide pin is attached direct to the setting
off lever and the escapement stud at the lower end of the jack or hopper.
In order to carry out this said invention a suitable lever is employed in which a
regulating pin with button or a stop provided with a suitable screw for adjustment
is so arranged that the jack is thrown back after each stroke. In this manner the
immediate and unfailing return of the jack is attained without any clamping or
sticking of the jack head occuring as the device is arranged near the fulcium of
the said jack or hopper whereas by all other constructions the escapement of the
return of the jack is not so accurate or so absolutely certain and furthermore the
construction of the parts according to this said invention is greatly simplified.
The damper mechanism are in so far modified that the damper as well as the
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page_text: damper lever wire is arranged as near as possible to the fulcrum of the damper
lever so that even when the stroke of the damper lever wire is small the damper
will be moved a sufficient distance from the wires.
According to a modified arrangement of action the setting off lever is arranged
with a short inclined surface so that the regulating hopper pin attached to the
jack or hopper slides on the inclined surface of the setting off lever before the same
reaches its end position, all shocks or concussions are prevented and the escapement
is rendered so easy that the same is not to be felt. In consequence of this special
arrangement it is necessary that the spring should run through the lever. This
arrangement permits the greatest possible shortening of the jack and still allows
the regulating pin or screw to be easily accessible.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edwin Ambrose Brydges in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th June 1883.
EDWIN AMBROSE BRYDGES of the firm of Brydges & C° Engineers and Patent
Solicitors of 107 Königgrätzer Str in the City of Berlin and German Empire, and
of 6, St. Leonard's Terrace, Upton, in the County of Middlesex, IMPROVEMENTS
IN REPEATING
OR HAMMER
ACTIONS FOR PIANOFORTES AND
OTHER
SIMILAR
INSTRUMENTS a communication to me from Adolf Lexow of Berlin in the Kingdom
of Prussia and German Empire.
This Invention relates to improvements in repeating or hammer actions for
pianofortes and other similar instruments.
As is well known the so-called repeating actions of pianofortes and other similar
instruments consist of a combination of various mechanical parts for the purpose of
striking the wires and rapidly removing the hammer from the wires or strings and
for damping the tone or removing the dampers from the said wires so as to allow
the wires to vibrate freely under the stroke of the hammer in order that the waves
of tone may in no way be hindered or decreased as is the case when the dampers
are in contact with the wires. Various devices have been invented to effect this
purpose or purposes but many of the same possess considerable disadvantages
which I propose to avoid by employing my said improved action.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and to enable those
skilled in the art to carry the same into effect I will now proceed to fully
describe the said actions shown in the accompanying four Figures in order to fully
comply with the requirements of the Patent Law.
According to my invention as shown in Figure 1 which said Figure represents
the vertical section of a hammer mechanism the guide pin a is attached direct to
the setting off lever b and the escapement stud or lever c to the lower end of the
jack or hopper for which purpose the stud or lever c attached to the lower end of
the jack a hopper is employed on which a regulating pin with button or stop d
acts, which said button or stop is provided with a suitable screw for adjustment
and is so arranged that the jack k is thrown back after each stroke.
In this manner the immediate and unfailing return of the jack or hopper / is
attained without any sticking or clamping of the jack head occuring as the device
is arranged near the fulcrum of the said jack or hopper whereas by all former
constructions the escapement for the return of the jack or hopper is not so
accurate or so absolutely certain and furthermore the construction of the parts
according to this said invention is greatly simplified.
The damper part of the action is in this figure in so far modified in comparison
with the existing systems that the damper h and damper lever wire g are arranged
as near as possible to the fulcrum of the damper lever i so that even when the
stroke of the damper lever wire is small the damper will be moved a sufficient
distance from the wires to accomplish the desired result.
In the modifications shown in Figure 2 the guide pin a and the escapement
guide o are attached direct to the rail A and the escapement guide provided with
an inclined surface. The button or stop d which is adjustable on the threaded
wire is attached to the hopper or jack k and glides on the inclined surface of the
escapement guide and thus prevents all or any shock or blow and at the same time
renders the escapement absolutely certain.
In consequence of this arrangement of the parts the spring e must pass through
the lever so that a shorter hopper or jack can be employed than hitherto and
the adjusting screw to d can at all times be readily got at.

page_text: The arrangement of the damper part of the action varies from that already
described only in so far that the damper lever wire g is attached to an extension
of the lever which acts as fulcrum for the hopper or jack k at the one end and
near the fulcrum whereas the upper end acts on the damper lever i.
9
In the modification shown in Figure 3 the guide pin a is elongated and carries
the adjusting knob, stop or puppet p which regulates the movement of the wire
for the damper movement so that a greater motion can be given to the said
damper. The damper h is in this case withdrawn from the wires in a perfectly
horizontal direction.
The wire g acts on the lever i which is provided with a vertical arm u to which
the lever q is attached; the part which carries the damper wire is guided in the
lever q which said wire rests on a suitable guide which can be adjusted by means
of the screw w.
The position of the part and the damper / can also be adjusted by means of
the screw
8 whilst the spring t serves to secure the exact operation of the
damper h.
In order to vary the movement of the damper / and the stroke of the wire g
the latter is so arranged that the same can be readily adjusted at its upper and
lower ends. In the modification Figure 4 the guide pin a passes through a slot in
the hopper or jack and is made in the form of a two armed lever with its
fulcrum attached to the rail A. The left arm of this said lever is provided with
a stop which presses against the lower arm of the lever g to the damper h so that
as soon as presses against the damper h is removed from contact with the wires
but as soon as the pressure is removed from the key of the instrument the damper
is again brought into contact with the wires by means of the spring n.
เ
Having now described my said Invention and the manner in which the same is
to or may be carried into effect I wish it to be understood that what I claim and
desire to secure by Letters Patent is :-
1. On actions for pianofortes and other similar instruments the arrangement
and employment of a short lever or escapement stud c on the hopper or jack k
near the fulcrum of the same in combination with the adjustable stop or button or
puppet d for throwing back the jack or hopper k after such stroke and in combi-
nation with the special arrangement and employment of the guide pin a, on the
Betting off lever or butt b which is arranged to move in a slot in the jack or
hopper so as to guide the same substantially as described in the foregoing
specification and shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
2. The arrangement and employment of a short escapement piece o with
inclined surface so that the adjustable stop or button d can glide on the said
inclined surface and thus release the jack or hopper without the least blow or
concussion occuring and also the arrangement and employment of the spring e
which is guided in a slot in the arm f in order to attain that the length of the
hopper or jack k may be decreased as far as possible and so that the adjusting
stop or button d can be readily manipulated substantially as described in the
foregoing specification and shown in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
3. The arrangement and employment of the guide rod or wire a in combination
with the damper wire g which is regulated by means of the adjustable stop button
or puppet p in order to be able to effect a perfect adjustment of the damper and
the arrangement and employment of the lever i in connection with the vertical
lever and the slotted lever q which said lever carries the damper h by means of
the adjustable arm substantially as described in the foregoing specification and
shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The arrangement and employment of the adjusting screws by means of
which the distance of the damper h from the wires can be regulated, the guiding
of the wire to which the damper is attached by means of the guide which said
guide can be adjusted by means of the screw w and the arrangement and employ-
ment of the spring t in order to secure the exact operation of the damper according
to which said arrangements the damper can be withdrawn from the wires in a

page_text: perfectly horizontal plane substantially as described in the foregoing specification
and shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The arrangement and employment of the guide pin a which said guide pin
passes through a slot in the jack or hopper k and the arm x attached to the rail B
for carrying the adjustable stop button or puppet d in connection with the device
for withdrawing the damper h consisting of the arm and the spring n which act
in such manner on the damper lever g that the correct operation of the same is
attained substantially as described in the foregoing specification and shown in
Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The general construction, arrangement and employment of the parts of the
actions shown in the accompanying drawings Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and described in
the foregoing specification.
In Witness whereof I the said Edwin Ambrose Brydges have hereunto set my
band and seal this twentythird day of June in the year of Our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
Witnesses.
E STUTZER
ANTHONY STEFFEN
EDWIN A. BRYDGES (L.S.)