Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 23rd July, 1898
I, MELVILLE CLARK, of the City of Chicago, County of Cook, State of Illinois,
in the United States of America, Manufacturer of Musical Instruments, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement;-
-
In the drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a fore-and-aft section through the manual and wind-chest and action
of an organ having my improvements.
Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 is a detail section at the line 2-2 on
Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the wind-chest, recd-chambers and pneumatic
action of an organ having my invention applied to a plurality of reed-groups or
blocks mounted on the one wind-chest.
The leading feature of this invention relates to the structure of the reed-valves,
which are made to serve also as the motor pneumatics, so that they are termed
pneumatic valves," and the structure of the blocks which have the air passages
leading to such pneumatic valves, which are arranged so that the entire pneumatic
valve can be swung off its seat to obtain access to the reeds. A is the wind-chest
which is connected to the exhaust bellows, the upper terminal of which is shown
at B, and has mounted upon it the reed-blocks C C C etc., which have a plurality
of reed chambers C C C, ranged one in front of another, and communicating
with the wind-chest by throats C Cb Cb, leading from their lower ends respectively
horizontally to the wind-chest, such throats being therefore successively one under-
neath another, the upper end of the reed-block being cut off obliquely, forming
a sloping seat for the reed-valve. The primary pneumatics are mounted upon the
inner vertical face of a rabbeted block D, in which are formed air-passages Da,
opening into the primary pneumatics respectively, and connected by tubes 1b with
the tracker range P. Branch ducts 1° are also shown leading from the ducts Dª
through the unreduced base of the rabbeted blocks into the wind-chest, and con-
nected within the latter by tubes Dd to ducts E in the base-board E, said ducts E"
leading outward and opening at their outer ends in the rear of the manual where
they are respectively controlled by valves f at the rear end of levers F, which are
actuated at their forward ends by the keys G₁ of the manual.
I will describe the structure in detail:-
Opposite each primary pneumatic the wall of the wind-chest has an aperture A,
from which, in the substance of said wall, ducts Ab A lead either directly to the
motor pneumatics or to a point in the board at which tubes may be connected
to complete the communication with the several motor pneumatics which are to be
controlled by the one primary pneumatic. In whichever manner the communica-
tion is completed, these ducts Ab A lead ultimately to passages Ad out through
the wall of the wind-chest, on which, for convenience in making the connections
hereinafter described there are mounted exterior horizontal ribs A A etc., through
which the ducts Ad extend to their forward edges, and to said ribs, at the forward

page_text: at
edge, are hinged the backs or fixed walls H H H etc. of the motor pneumatics or
pneumatic valves, said backs having formed in them the ducts hh, registering with
the ducts Ad at the abutting edges of the ribs Ak, and said pneu-
matic backs H. Said pneumatic backs are hinged to the ribs
the upper side so that the pivot of the hinge is at an outer angle of the
junction between the two, so that the pneumatics are adapted to be folded back
to permit the withdrawal of the reeds from their respective chambers in the block.
The abutting edges of the pneumatic backs and the ribs A* are provided with
suitable packing L, so that when the pneumatic valves are on their seats, an air-
tight joint is formed at the hinge, and the air-ducts leading from the ports A to
the pneumatics respectively are continuous and tight. It is most convenient to
construct these pneumatic valves by first making the bellows portion of the device,
complete, with both its walls H and Hb and the flexible connection H between
them, the wall Hª being faced, as shown at Hd, to give it a proper surface to
seat over the reed-chambers, and the opposite wall Hb being apertured, as shown
at H°, to register with the aperture he in the pneumatic back H. The use of the
part Hb, however, is merely a matter of convenience, and it is to be considered
functionally as a part of the hinged back H, the entire pneumatic valve com-
prising such hinged back, which constitutes the fixed wall of the pneumatic, and
the bellows portion, whose front or moving wall constitutes the valve proper. It
will be noticed that this valve or moving wall of the pneumatic rises from its seat
not by a swinging movement, as would be the case if it were hinged at one edge
according to the customary construction, but on the contrary moves bodily away,
from the seat when the pneumatic is collapsed, thus affording all the reed-
chambers in the block equal opening, and giving them equal opportunity to sound.
Since this moving wall or valve portion of the pneumatic valve is connected to
the fixed wall only by the flexible bellows sides, it is desirable to guide it so that
it shall not, by lateral shifting of the position, fail to completely cover its seat in
the reed-block. This is accomplished by guide-pins c c, which protrude between
the several pneumatic valves and outside the outermost in each row, and guide
them in their fluctuating movement to and from their seats. In order that no
valve may fail to properly rest upon its seat, notwithstanding slight variations in
the thickness of the leather employed for the bellows sides, which might produce
a variation, I.provide at the lower forward edge of the block, the threaded studs C*,
and I extend the pneumatic back H, and notch the extension, as seen at H' so that
when it is swung down to position, the notch receives the threaded end of the stud,
and the extension of the pneumatic back lodges upon a nut C, and may be retained
by. the nut C; and said nuts may be adjusted on the threaded stud to insure the
proper seating of the valve as well as the retention of the entire pneumatic against
accidental displacement in shipment, or by jarring of the instrument when in use.
M is a swell box, which completely encloses the reed-block and also the pneu-
matic valves above the same. This swell is hinged at m, and adapted to be opened
and closed by any suitable stop mechanism, not illustrated, to modulate the tone.
For lesser modulations, the fixed portion of the swell box is provided with
apertures Mb Mb, which are covered by a valve Me, which may be opened and
closed by any suitable stop mechanism not illustrated. It will be seen that this
consolidation of the motor pneumatic with the valve permits such complete enclos-
ing of the entire group of sound-producing devices as to totally obscure the tone by
muffling, if desired.
In Fig. 3 I have illustrated merely the multiplication of the reed-blocks on a
single wind-chest, to show the adaptability of my improvement to such a structure
by providing a plurality of branch pipes gg leading off from the pipe G, all
extending within the wind-chest to the ducts Ad Ad respectively in the ribs A*,
corresponding to the several reed-blocks, whose respective pneumatic valves are
hinged to said ribs, as already described; and by this means, it will be per-
ceived that each primary pneumatic is easily qualified to control a plurality of
motor pneumatic valves located at any positions whatever on the wind-chest.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said inven
ion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
laim is:-
1. In a reed organ, the employment of motor pneumatics or bellows whose
noving sides constitute the valves for the reed chambers, the back of each such
ellows adapted to be fixed with respect to the valve seat and being releasable
nd movable at will away from the valve seat to afford unobstructed access to the
eeds and to permit their removal.
2. In a reed organ, the employment of motor pneumatics or bellows whose
moving sides constitute the valves for the reed-chambers respectively, the duct
from the primary pneumatic to such motor pneumatic in each instance being
formed in the back of the motor pneumatic and in a fixed portion of the wall of
the wind-chest, the pneumatic back being movably joined to said fixed portion at
a junction plane transverse to the duct.
3. In a reed organ, in combination with the wind-chest, the reed-block mounted
thereon having a plurality of reed-chambers opening upward through an outer
face of such block; motor-pneumatics having their backs adapted to be fixed with
respect to the face of the reed-block and releasable, and movable at will, their
moving walls being adapted to serve as valves to seat on said face; air ducts lead-
ing to the motor pneumatics respectively, having two mouths which open res-
pectively into the wind-chest and to the outer air; primary pneumatics mounted
outside the wind-chest carrying valves which control both said mouths, said
primary pneumatics having suitable communication with the wind-chest and suit-
able means for venting the same.
4. In a reed organ, in combination with a wind-chest, a reed-block mounted
exteriorly thereto having a plurality of reed-chambers opening upward through
an outer face of such reed-block; a motor pneumatic or bellows having its back
fixed with respect to such face and releasable and movable at will, and its moving
wall adapted to advance and retreat bodily with respect to the face of the block
and to seat thereon to operate as a valve to close the mouths of the reed-chambers;
a duct leading through such fixed back and communicating with the outer air
and with the wind-chest, and a primary pneumatic to control such communication.
5. In a reed organ, in combination with a wind-chest, a reed-block mounted
exteriorly thereto having a plurality of chambers opening upward through an
exterior face of such block; a motor pneumatic having its back hinged to the wind-
chest and adapted to swing toward said face of the reed-block and to be stopped
relatively thereto, and having its moving wall adapted to seat on such face and
operate as a valve over the mouths of the reed-chambers; an air-duct leading into
such motor pneumatic through the back thereof from the hinged edge, and com-
0 municating at such hinged edge with a duct formed in the wall of the wind-chest,
such latter duct leading to mouths which open respectively to the outer air and
into the wind-chest, and a primary pneumatic carrying valves which control both
said mouths.
6. In a reed organ, in combination with the reed chambers, motor pneumatics
15 having bellows whose moving sides constitute the valves for the reed-chambers
respectively, such bellows having the back adapted to be fixed with respect to such
seat, and adjusting devices by which the back is secured and adjusted with respect
to the seat, to seat the valve accurately thereon.
7. In combination with the wind-chest and the reed-blocks mounted exteriorly
50 thereon having a plurality of reed-cells in each block opening through an outer
face thereof; a motor pneumatic having its moving wall adapted to serve as a valve,
seating on such face, the back or fixed wall of such motor pneumatic being hinged
at one edge, and a threaded stud C adapted to engage the opposite edge of the
back, and nuts on said stud between which said edges engage, whereby said back
55 may be adjustably secured at said edge.
8. In a reed organ, in combination with a reed-block having a plurality o
chambers opening through one face thereof; a motor pneumatic whose moving wal

page_text: constitutes a valve seating on said face to close the mouth of the reed chambers,
and guide-pins c c, which engage opposite edges of the moving wall to guide the
same to a seat.
Dated this on day of Apri
MELVILLE CLARK.
By Herbert Haddan & Co.,
Agents to the Applicant,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.