IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE MEANS OF ACTUATING MUSICAL BOXES, MECHANICAL ORGANS OR PIANOS, AND OTHER SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS FOR PLAYING MUSIC." SP
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Grant Dudley, of the Town and County of
Carmarthen, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE
MEANS OF ACTUATING MUSICAL BOXES, MECHANICAL ORGANS OR PIANOS,
AND OTHER SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS FOR PLAYING MUSIC."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Grant Dudley at the
. Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th August 1881.
68
JAMES GRANT DUDLEY, of the Town and County of Carmarthen. 'IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE MEANS OF ACTUATING MUSICAL BOXES,
MECHANICAL ORGANS OR PIANOS, AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS FOR PLAYING
MUSIC'
The objects of this Invention, which has reference to improvements in or
relating to the means of actuating musical boxes, mechanical organs or pianos,
and other instruments for playing music, are to dispense with the usual arrange-
ments of actuating mechanism, which are in constant need of re-winding up; to
provide such arrangements of actuating mechanism as will advantageously utilize
electricity as the actuating and motive agent, and which will be at all times ready
for action, and shall keep the instrument playing for any required time.
This is provided by using a small electro motor having a rapid rate of rotation,
and by so combining it with suitable mechanical gear as to transmit and reduce
its rate of rotation to a suitable speed, and also obtain the necessary motive power
to actuate the cylinders or barrels which contain the pins which lift the teeth of
the comb or the keys of the keyboard of the musical instrument.
According to a very advantageous modification of carrying my Invention into
practical effect, as adapted, for example, to a musical box, I arrange the armature
of a small electro motor of any usual construction, giving, say, 1500 (more or less)
revolutions per minute upon a shaft with which it revolves, the shaft carrying an
endless screw,
which gears with and actuates a worm wheel having, say, 30 teeth,
and the shaft of which also carries an endless screw, which gears with and actuates
a larger worm wheel having, say, 50 teeth, and which revolves with and is fixed to

page_text: the same shaft or axis which carries the cylinder containing the pins which lift the
teeth of the comb or the keys of the keyboard. According to this arrangement
the cylinder would make one revolution to 1500 revolutions of the armature and
its endless screw, and thereby obtain a slow regular movement of rotation with
sufficient power to overcome the resistance offered by the keys.
In connection with such an arrangement of driving mechanism I find it of
advantage to affix to the frame carrying the parts thereof an adjustable spring,
which presses sideways at either end of the cylinder and acts as a brake thereupon,
thereby preventing any shake between the wheel, teeth, and screw threads by
keeping the teeth banked against the propelling side of the screws.
According to another modification the actuating mechanism consists of a com-
bination of wheels and pinions, or an endless screw or screws, with a wheel and
pinion, or a train of wheels and pinions, and which may be substituted for the
endless screws and worm wheels hereinbefore referred to for the same object of
obtaining a slow and powerful movement of rotation for the cylinder from an
electro motor having a comparatively weak power, but possessing a rapid rate of
rotation.
The motor is fitted with an improved commutator, which is noiseless in its action.
The commutator consists of a toothed wheel cut in halves diametrically, each half
being insulated from the other and from the shaft of the armature upon which it
is fixed and with which it revolves. One extremity of the wire surrounding the
armature is metallically attached to one half, the other end to the other half.
Two toothed wheels left solid, and which are insulated from each other, revolve on
studs, and are fixed directly opposite each other, the teeth of both wheels gearing
with those of the commutator. One of the solid wheels is metallically connected
with the positive pole of the battery, the other wheel with the negative pole, the
current being conducted from the teeth of one wheel to one half of the commutator
through the armature coil to the other half, which will be in connection with the
other solid wheel, and thence to the battery. A rocking lever is also applied to
set the instrument in motion. This lever has a small movement of rotation on a
fixed stud. One end of the lever is fitted with a deer-foot joint, the end being
thin enough to enter the space between two teeth of one of the train wheels, the
lever being placed so as to allow the joint to come in contact with the teeth of the
wheel to be moved. By moving the lever in one direction the end of the joint
catches the teeth, moving the whole mechanism in the reverse action. The joint
slips over the teeth; a slight spring keeps the joint in the proper position. This
lever is also utilized to close and break the circuit of the electrical current. When
moved to one side it forms part of the circuit, when moved to the other side the
circuit is broken by a disconnection. -

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Grant Dudley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
February 1882.
JAMES GRANT DUDLEY, of the Town and County of Carmarthen. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE MEANS OF ACTUATING MUSICAL BOXES,
MECHANICAL ORGANS OR PIANOS, AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS FOR PLAYING
MUSIC."
The objects of this Invention, which has reference to improvements in or.
relating to the means of actuating musical boxes, mechanical organs or pianos, and
other instruments for playing music, or to dispense with the usual arrangements.
of clockwork, springs, weights, and other actuating mechanism which are in
constant need of re-winding up; to provide such arrangements of actuating
mechanism as will advantageously utilize electricity as the actuating and motive
agent, and which will be at all times ready for action, and will keep the instrument
playing for any required time.
This is provided by using a small electro motor having a rapid rate of rotation,
and by so combining it with or putting it in mechanical connection with the
cylinder or barrel of the musical instrument by suitable wheel gearing as to
transmit and reduce its rate of rotation to a suitable speed, and also obtain the
necessary motive power to revolve or actuate the said cylinders or barrels which
contain the pins, which lift the teeth of the comb or the keys of the keyboard of
the musical instrument.
According to a very advantageous modification of carrying my Invention into
practical effect, as adapted, for example, to a musical box, I arrange the armature
of a small electro motor of any usual construction, giving, say, 1500 (more or less)
revolutions per minute upon a shaft with which it revolves, the shaft carrying an
endless screw which gears with and actuates a worm wheel having, say, 30 teeth,
and the shaft of which also carries an endless screw which gears with and actuates
a larger worm wheel having, say, 50 teeth, and which revolves with and is fixed to
the same shaft or axis which carries the cylinder containing the pins which lift
the teeth of the comb or the keys of the keyboard. According to this arrange-
ment the cylinder would make one revolution to 1500 revolutions of the armature
and its endless screw, and thereby obtain a slow regular movement of rotation
with sufficient power to overcome the resistance offered by the keys.
In connection with such an arrangement of driving mechanism I find it of
advantage to affix to the frame carrying the parts thereof an adjustable spring,
which presses sideways at either end of the cylinder, and acts as a brake thereupon,
thereby preventing any shake between the wheel-teeth and screw-threads by
keeping the teeth banked against the propelling side of the screws.
According to another modification the actuating mechanism consists of a com-
bination of toothed wheels and pinions, or an endless screw or screws and worm
wheel or wheels with a wheel and pinion, or a train of wheels and pinions, and
which may be substituted for the endless screws and worm wheels hereinbefore
referred to for the same object of obtaining a slow and powerful movement of
rotation for the cylinder from an electro motor, having a comparatively weak
power but possessing a rapid rate of rotation.
The motor is fitted with an improved commutator which is noiseless in its
action. The commutator consists of a toothed wheel cut in halves diametrically,
each half being insulated from the other and from the shaft of the armature upon
which it is fixed and with which it revolves; one extremity of the wire surrounding
the armature is. metallically attached to one half, the other end to the other half.

page_text: Two toothed wheels left solid, and which are insulated from each other, revolve on
fixed studs, and are placed directly opposite each other, the teeth of both wheels
gearing with those of the commutator; one of the solid wheels is metallically con-
nected with the positive pole of the battery, the other wheel with the negative
pole, the current being conducted from the teeth of one wheel to one half of the
commutator, through the armature coil to the other half, which will be in connection
with the other solid wheel, and thence to the battery. A rocking lever is also
applied to set the instrument in motion; this lever has a small movement of
rotation on a fixed stud; one end of the lever is fitted with a deer-foot joint, the
end being thin enough to enter the space between two teeth of one of the train
wheels, the lever being placed so as to allow the joint to come in contact with the
teeth of the wheel to be moved; by moving the lever in one direction the end of
the joint catches the teeth moving the whole mechanism; in the reverse action the
joint slips over the teeth, a slight spring keeps the joint in the proper position;
this lever is also utilized to close and break the circuit of the electrical current,
when moved to one side it forms part of the circuit, when moved to the other side
the circuit is broken by the disconnection.
It will of course be understood that a wheel of one of the combinations herein-
before mentioned or of any other equivalent combination of gearing is fixed on
and revolves with the shaft carrying the barrel, and that these combinations are
used to transmit and augment the motive power derived from the motor instead of
receiving motive power from the barrel as the governing train would do were the
instrument to be actuated with a weight or spring.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, and in order that my Invention may be distinctly
understood, I have annexed hereunto one Sheet of Drawings illustrative of a very
advantageous arrangement and combination of means and appliances for carrying
my Invention into practical effect, and I have marked the same with figures and
letters of reference corresponding with those in the following description or
explanation thereof, that is to say,-
On the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the combi-
nation immediately hereinbefore referred to. A is a worm wheel of, say, 125 teeth
(but it should be understood that the numbers of teeth in the various wheels vary
according to the size and kind of the instrument to be fitted) fixed on the barrel
axis K, and is placed in gear with the endless screw B on a supported spindle X,
and by which it is driven. C is a spur wheel having (say), 160 teeth fixed on the
shaft of the endless screw B, and in gear also with a driving pinion D of (say),
.10 leaves which is fixed on the same shaft Y, as is the armature and commutator L.
L³ of the motor E is the inducing coil connected by each end of its wire to the
armature and commutator at L, L2, as shown; F is the field magnet; G are the
brackets or cocks for supporting the various parts; and H is the bed plate. N shows
the pressure spring that presses on the side of barrel A' to keep the teeth banked
against the propelling side of the screws, with its support and adjusting screw.
Fig. 2 is a plan view, and represents the commutator and rocking lever herein-
before mentioned. L, L³, are two halves of a spur wheel which are fixed on an
ebonite disc carried by the armature shaft, being insulated from each other and
from the shaft; M, M², are two other spur wheels which gear with L, L³, and
revolve on fixed studs 0, 0, which are placed opposite each other, and are con-
nected with the wires from the battery +, and the current being reversed by each
half of the commutator alternately coming in contact with the two pole wheels M
and M² as it revolves. The number of teeth in the wheels is not arbitrary, and
may be varied to suit particular circumstances, but high numbers are preferred.
.R is the axis of the said rocking-lever P which has a limited movement between
two fixed pins Q. R³ is the said deer-foot joint shown in gear with the spur
wheel C, a slight spring S keeping the joint in position. By moving the lever P
by means of its knob T the wheel C is caused to move and the motor is thus

page_text: The
started, the electric circuit being closed by a projection Y' of the lever making
contact with the fixed disconnection 2, 2, thus completing the circuit.
reverse movement of the lever P stops the instrument by causing a disconnection
in the circuit.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I would remark in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein before in part
recited Letters Patent is,
The application and use of the intermediary arrangements or combinations of
gearing, such as or equivalent to those herein before described, to and for the
purpose of communicating motion from an electro magnetic motor to musical boxes,
mechanical organs or pianos, and other similar instruments for playing music,
substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated on the accompanying
Drawings.
I also claim the novel and peculiar construction and arrangement of the noiseless
commutator, substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated on the
accompanying Drawings.
The construction, arrangement, and method of operation of the rocking-lever for
the purposes of starting and stopping the motor and the instrument, and for closing
and breaking the electrical circuit, substantially as hereinbefore described, and as
illustrated on the accompanying Drawings.
And the use and application of the pressure spring, for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Grant Dudley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.
JAMES GRANT DUDLEY. (L.S.)