IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MEANS FOR REGULATING AND REGISTERING THE TENSION OF PIANOFORTE STRINGS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MODE OF AND MEANS FOR REGULATING AND REGISTERING THE TENSION OF
PIANOFORTE STRINGS."-A communication from abroad by Levi Lincoln
Tower of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th November 1866.
I, GEORGE HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MEANS FOR REGULATING AND REGISTERING THE
TENSION OF PIANOFORTE STRINGS," a communication, to be as follows:-
The nature of the said Invention consists, first, in the arrangement of a
lever supported at its front end upon a knife edge prop in combination with a
tension slide on the said lever operated by a screw for the purpose of
regulating the tension of the strings of pianofortes.

page_text: And, second, in the method of registering the tension of the strings by
means of a dial plate and indicator operated by the back end of the lever, in
consequence of the tension slide being moved out or in on it in the operation
of tuning the piano, thereby depressing or elevating the end of the lever, and
in doing so operating the pointer to register the tension or tone of the strings
of the piano.
But to describe the said Invention more fully I will refer to the accompany-
ing Drawings forming a part of this description, the same letters of reference
wherever they occur referring to like parts.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the mechanism as arranged in a vertical
pianoforte.
R, represents the frame; S is a cross bar, on which is secured knife
edge prop T, on the edge of which is adjusted the front end of a lever C at
right angles or nearly so to the prop. Through the head C2 of the lever is
inserted a set screw D, which is operated by a key to move a tension slide B
on the upper edge of the lever C. The object of this adjustment of the slide
is to. regulate the tension of the strings U which pass around it, and back
through channels I formed in the sides of the head piece C2, and thence
down over a roller bridge J secured to the face of the cross bar S to pins A
in the frame R where the ends of the strings are secured. It will be
apparent from this arrangement that by forcing the slide B.out or back on
the lever by means of the screw D the tension of the strings is readily
graduated to any tone or pitch note required to tune the piano, and' at the
same time register the tone on the dial plate L by means of the indicator or
pointer E operated by the outer end of the lever C when it is elevated or
depressed in consequence of the slide B moving out or back on it in the act
of graduating the tension of the strings. Thus if the indicator stands at zero
point and the slide B is moved out towards the end of the lever C it will
be depressed and the indicator moved one or more degrees to the left to
register the tension or pitch note of the strings; but if the pitch note is too
high and the slide retracted on the lever, then its point rises and carries the
indicator to the right of zero point one or more degrees to lessen the tension
of the strings to produce the required pitch note. It will thus be seen that
any pitch note of the strings once registered on the dial may be restored by
simple inspection on turning the set screw without reference to any previous
knowledge of music.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said George Haseltine in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Haseltine, Her special licence that I, the said George
Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such otliers as I, the
said George Haseltine, 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, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MEANS FOR REGULATING AND REGISTERING THE
TENSION OF PIANOFORTE STRINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said George Haseltine, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe 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 George Haseltine, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
in which the same letters of reference wherever they occur refer to like
parts:
The Drawing represents a perspective view of the mechanism as arranged
in a vertical pianoforte.
Letter A represents the frame of an upright pianoforte, though this is not
material, as a horizontal frame can be used equally well for the purpose of
attaching the apparatus thereto for regulating and registering. the tension of

page_text: the strings. Upon a cross bar B of the frame is secured a knife edge prop C,
on the edge of which is adjusted the front end of a lever D at right angles or
nearly so to the knife edge prop. Through the head E of the lever is
inserted a set screw F, which is operated by a key to move the tension slide G
adjusted upon the upper edge of the lever D. The object of this adjustment
of the slide is to regulate the tension of the pianoforte strings H which pass
around it, and back through channels I formed in the sides of the head
piece E, and thence down over a roller bridge J secured on the face of the
cross bar B to pins K in the bottom of the frame A where the two ends of
the strings are secured. It will be apparant from this arrangement of the
strings that by forcing the slide G out or back on the lever by means of the
set screw F the tension of the strings is readily graduated to any tone or pitch
note required to tune the piano, and at the same time is registered on a dial
plate L (by means of an indicator M secured to the frame A by a centre
pin N) by the motion of the outer end of the lever D when it is depressed or
elevated in consequence of the slide G moving out or back on it in the act of
graduating the tension of the strings. Thus if the indicator stands at zero P,
and the slide G is moved out towards the end of the lever D it will be
depressed and the indicator moved one or more degrees to the left to register
the tension or pitch note of the strings; but if the pitch note is too high and
the slide retracted on the lever, then its point rises and carries the indicator
to the right of zero point one or more degrees to lessen the tension of the
strings to produce the required tone. It will thus be apparant that any pitch
note of the strings once registered on the dial may be restored by simple
inspection, and restored again by turning the set screw without any previous
knowledge of music. For the purpose of sustaining the point of the lever in
position a spring R is attached to it having its lower end secured to the
frame A; reacting springs S are also attached to the indicator for the
purpose of keeping it in contact with the end of the lever.
Having now described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I will set forth what is claimed as new and Letters
Patent desired therefor,-
First, the use of the lever D, substantially as described, in combination
with the tension slide G and prop C, or their equivalents, substantially as
berein-before set forth.
Second, the use of the lever D in combination with the indicator M and
dial L, or other equivalent or analagous devices, for the purposes herein-
before set forth.

page_text: Third, the gineral combination of all the said several parts herein-before
described for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)