An Improved Method of Controlling Certain of the Stops and Couplers in an Organ.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 6th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 25th Nov., 1899
An Improved Method of Controlling Certain of the Stops and
Couplers in an Organ.
I, ROBERT HOPE-JONES, M.I.E.E., Consulting Electrical Engineer, of 4, Berners
Street, London, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
"
In playing an organ difficulty has been very generally experienced in con-
trolling the stops & couplers affecting the pedal department & in bringing them
or certain selections of them into or out of use at the moment that a change in
the number or power of the manual stops & couplers in use is made. Now accord-
ing to this invention the composition pedals, keys or pistons used for operating
the manual stops & couplers or any or either of these latter are made with a
"double touch that is to say they are so made that upon first pressing any of
the aforesaid composition pedals, keys or pistons, the pedal, key or piston so
pressed will move for a considerable portion of its travel & in doing so will bring
on (preferably through the medium of pneumatic or electro-pneumatic agency)
a stop or coupler or a combination of stops or couplers or both of the manual
in use.
Upon pressing the pedal key or piston much more firmly it will com-
plete its stroke & in so doing will bring into operation such stops & couplers
affecting the pedal organ as may be deemed to form a suitable bass to the stops
in use in the manual.
As an instance of one way in which this invention may be carried out, the
following may be cited.
A composition pedal of the ordinary type may be provided with a spring tend-
ing to keep it in its upward or normal position. When this pedal is depressed
by the foot of the performer it will establish one or more electrical contacts
which operating through suitable mechanism (of the adjustable type or otherwise)
will bring into operation say two soft Sft stops on the choir organ.
When the pedal has completed this first part of its stroke it will be brought
to rest against a very strong spring which may already be under tension or other-
wise.
If the organist desires he can then press upon the pedal very firmly so that
the said strong spring will be caused to give way. This will result in a second
set of electrical contacts being made whereby electric current is allowed to pass
to mechanism (adjustable or otherwise) designed to bring into operation say the
softest stop on the pedal organ together with the choir to pedals coupler, at
the same time that it takes in all other stops & couplers belonging to the pedal
organ.
If the swell organ were coupled to the choir organ, when the above named
composition pedal was used electric current would be permitted to flow through
a contact made by the last movement of the composition pedal and by way of a
contact made upon drawing the swell to choir coupler which current would
operate mechanism to bring out the swell to nedals coupler.
The above is given only as an illustration of one way in which this invention
may be carried out. It is obvious that the application of the principle of con-

page_text: trolling the pedal organ by means of a second movement of the composition
pedal, composition key, or combination piston may be affected in numerous well
known ways.
The principle of the double touch combination movement is also
useful in an organ in other ways, for instance a double touch piston may be
provided for bringing out certain solo stops, say the clarionet on the choir &
the orchestral oboe on the solo. This combination piston may be fitted with a
second touch capable of providing a suitable accompaniment of one character of
tone on the swell & a suitable accompaniment of another character of tone on
the great & a pedal stop or stops calculated to form an appropriate bass.
Dated this 7th day of January 1899.
An Improved Method of Controlling Certain of the Stops and
Couplers in an Organ.
I, ROBERT HOPE-JONES, M.I.E.E., of 44, Grove Avenue, Norwich, in the County
of Norfolk, Consulting Electrical Engineer, formerly of 4, Berners Street, London,
in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
In playing an organ difficulty has been very generally experienced in con-
trolling the stops and couplers affecting the pedal department and in bringing
them or certain selections of them into or out of use at the moment that a
change in the number or power of the manual stops and couplers in use is made.
Now according to this invention the composition pedals, keys or pistons used for
operating the manual stops and couplers or any or either of these latter are made
with a 66
double touch" that is to say they are so made that upon first pressing
any of the aforesaid composition pedals, keys or pistons, the pedals, key or piston
so pressed will move for a considerable portion of its travel and in doing so will
bring on (preferably through the medium of pneumatic & electro-pneumatic
agency) a stop or coupler or a combination of stops or couplers or both of the
manuals in use. Upon pressing the pedal, key or piston, more firmly it will
complete its stroke & in doing so will bring into operation such stops & couplers
affecting the pedal organ as may be deemed to form a suitable bass to the stops
in use in the manual.
As an example of the manner in which this invention may be carried into effect,
but without in any way binding myself to this particular application, I will
describe the following application which will be made more clear by reference
to the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of a double touch composition pedal.
Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section of a double touch composition piston.
In Figure 1A, A, is a pedal pivotted on a centre pin C and terminating in
an electrical contact bar D. This pedal is actuated by the pressure of the foot
upon the toe plate B against the resistance offered in the first place by the wire
spring E and secondly by the compression of the second spring F through the
pivotted lever G upon which the pedal descends. The contact pins H, I, J, K & L
are electrically connected by wires to the electro-pneumatic actions which govern
& control the action of the stops & couplers & the stop keys in the console.
The action of this pedal is as follows:
The pedal A is kept in its upward or normal position by the tension of the
spring E, when this pedal is depressed by the foot of the performer it will estab-
lish electrical contacts through the contact pins & wires H, I which operating

page_text: through suitable mechanism (of the adjustable type or otherwise) will bring into
operation say two soft stops on the choir organ. When the pedal has com-
pleted this first part of its stroke it will be brought to rest against the wooden
pivotted lever G which is upheld by the spring E If the organist desires he
can then press upon the pedal very firmly so that the spring F will be caused
to give way.
This will result in the contact bar D making a second set of elec-
trical contacts with the shorter contact pins J, K, L, whereby electrical current
is allowed to pass to mechanism (adjustable or otherwise) designed to bring into
operation say the softest stop on the pedal organ & the choir to pedal coupler,
at the same time that it takes in all other stops and couplers belonging to the
pedal organ.
If the swell organ were coupled to the choir organ, when the above named com-
position pedal was used the electric current would be permitted to flow through
à contact made by the last movement of the composition pedal & by way of a
contact made upon drawing the swell to choir coupler. This current would
operate mechanism to bring out the swell to pedal coupler.
The above is given only as an illustration of one way in which this invention
may be carried out. It is obvious that the application of the principle of con-
trolling the pedal organ by means of a second movement of the composition pedal,
composition key or combination piston, may be effected in numerous ways.
The principle of the double touch combination movement is also useful in an
organ in other ways, for instance a double touch piston may be provided for
bringing out certain solo stops say the clarionet on the choir & the orchestral oboc
on the solo. This combination piston may be fitted with a second touch capable
of providing a suitable accompaniment of another character of tone on the great
& a pedal stop or stops calculated to form a suitable bass.
One of the many applications of this principle is shown in Figure 2 where A
is a double touch combination piston operated by the pressure of the finger. Bis
a metal spring in tension against the piston A, carrying an electrical contact or
contacts in connection with a battery B¹. C is another metal spring also held
in tension & carrying electrical contacts C¹ C² ¹² & D), D¹ are metallic electrical
contacts.
The action of this piston is as follows:-
When the piston A is pushed in by the finger the spring B is pressed back
until an electrical contact is made between && the piston is brought to rest
by the spring C. By means of the electrical contact or contacts made by this
first touch certain stops may be brought on in the organ say the clarionet on the
choir & orchestral oboe on the solo. If the organist desires it he may press the
piston sufficiently firmly to overcome the resistance offered by the second spring C,
when further contact or contacts will be made between & D & the electrical
current operating through suitable mechanism (of the adjustable type or other-
wise) may be made to provide a suitable accompaniment of one character of tone
on the swell & a suitable accompaniment of another character of tone on the
great & a pedal stop or stops calculated to form an appropriate bass.
Having now particularly described & 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:
For the better control of an organ, the use of a double touch composition or
combination pedal key or piston the first movement of which controls the tone
of the manual or manuals & the second movement of which provides a suitable
bass or accompaniment to the tone or tones employed.