Improvements in or applicable to Pianofortes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 25th Oct., 1893-Accepted, 25th Nov.,
1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Pianofortes.
I, ALFRED JOSEPH HARLAND, of 106, Wenlock Street, in the County of
London, Pianoforte Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention relates chiefly to the mechanism of double action pianofortes in
which the two actions are operated from a single set of keys, the object being to
facilitate the playing and improve the tone of the instrument by lightening the touch
and allowing of a quick repetition.
In carrying out my invention I connect the two actions of the instrument by
means of rods, the upper ends of which are connected by levers to the stickers or
prolonges of one action, the other ends of the rods being connected to counter-
weighted levers or to bell-crank levers united by a connecting rod. The counter-
weighted levers operate the second action either directly or through the medium of
a key-lever.
The counterweight assists in counterbalancing the extra force which it has
heretofore been found necessary for the player to exert in striking the keys of
pianofortes having double actions when compared with those having single actions.
Where bell-crank-levers are used then one of the bell-cranks is counterweighted.
In order to sweeten the tone of the instrument I find it advantageous to arrange
the two sets of strings so that one shall be an octave higher than the other.
It will be obvious that my improvements can be adapted for playing upon threo,
four or more sets of strings from one or more sets of keys.
In some cases I employ only one set of bell-crank levers and rods and adapt
hammers to levers so as to strike the strings of the second action direct.
Or I can actuate one set of hammers direct from the other set by means of
rods carried over, under or through the wrest-plank or through perforations in the
sound-board.
In the arrangement where the hammers of the second action are placed at the
bottom part of the piano, the position of the sound-board and scale of the second
action is reversed, the hammers of both actions striking in the same direction.
Dated this 25th day of January 1893.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4. South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Pianofortes.
1, ALFRED JOSEPH HARLAND, of 106, Wenlock Street, in the County of
London, Pianoforte Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention relates chiefly to the mechanism of double action pianofortes in
which the two sets of actions are operated from a single set of keys, the object
being to facilitate the playing and improve the tone of such instruments by
lightening the touch and allowing of a quick repetition.
In carrying out my invention I connect each pair of actions by means of a rod,
the upper end of which is united by a lever to the sticker or prolonge of one
action, the other end of the rod being connected to a counter-weighted lever or to
one of a pair of bell-crank levers united by a connecting-rod.

page_text: The counterweights assist in counterbalancing the extra force which it has
heretofore been found necessary for the player to exert in striking the keys of
pianofortes having double actions when compared with those having single actions.
Where bell-crank levers are used then one of the bell-cranks is counter weighted.
In some cases 1 employ only one set of bell-crank levers and rods and adapt
hammers to levers so as to strike the strings of the second action direct.
Or I can actuate one set of hammers direct from the other set by means of rods
carried over, under or through the wrest-plank or through perforations in the
sound-board.
In the arrangement where the hammers of the second action are placed at the
bottom part of the piano, the position of the sound-board and scale of the second
action is reversed or turned upside down and the hammers of both actions in some
cases strike in the same direction.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a vertical section shewing so much of a double action pianoforte as
is necessary to illustrate the application of my invention thereto; and,
Figures 2 to 7 are sectional views illustrating the various modifications.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a indicates the framing or bracing of the instrument, b, the two sets of wires
or strings, c the finger keys, and d, d¹ a pair of actions which are to be operated
simultaneously.
In Figure 1 where the two actions are represented as being directly connected
by a rod, the said rod (which is indicated by the letter e) is at its upper end jointed
to the lever or link f which serves to retain the prolonge g of the action d in its
proper position relative to the key c and at its lower end to the counterweighted
lever which performs the same functions for the action d' as the key c performs
for the action d, the counterweight on the said lever serving to counterbalance
the weight of the action d to such an extent that only a minimum of power is
required to move it. With this arrangement it will be readily understood that
when the key c is depressed the action d will be directly operated thereby whilst at
the same time the action d' will be operated through the medium of the rod e. The
rod e instead of being directly connected to the counterweighted lever h may be
connected to one end of a lever i, the other end of which is adapted to bear upon
the lever h, as shewn in Figure 2, the said lever h represented in the said figure
being mounted in the same way as an ordinary key-lever.
In Figure 3 which represents the arrangement wherein bell-cranks are employed
j, indicate the said bell-cranks, and indicates the rod connecting them; the
rod e in this case is connected to one arm of the bell-crank lever j whilst the other
arm of the bell-crank j¹ is adapted to operate against the prolonge of the action d¹.
In this modification the counterweight is arranged in conjunction with the
lever j¹.
When I employ only one bell-crank lever I arrange the same as shewn in
Figure 4, in which case the lever of the action d' is provided with an arm l, as
shewn, against which one end of the rod k is designed to operate.
Instead of connecting the lever f directly to the sticker or prolonge g of the front
action as shewn in Figure 1, I sometimes provide the said lever with an adjustable
button in as shewn in Figure 5, the said button bearing upon the end of the
key-lever c, for facilitating detachment.
arm n to
The arrangement wherein the action d' is actuated by the action & through the
medium of rods carried over the wrest-plank is shewn in Figures 6 and 7. In the
arrangement shewn in Figure 6 the prolonge of the action d carries an
which one end of the rod e is connected, the other end being attached to one arm of
a bell-crank lever o, and a corresponding arm on the prolonge of the action d' is
connected by a rod e¹ to a bell-crank lever o'. These two bell-crank levers are
connected by a rod p in such a manner that when the action d is operated by the
ordinary finger keys o the action d¹ will be simultaneously operated.

page_text: The action d' shewn in Figure 6 is arranged upright or to correspond with the
first action as shewn in Figure 7, however, the action d' is arranged upside down,
the lever d' of the said action being provided with an extension q with which the
connecting rod p is connected.
In order. that in the arrangement shewn in Figure 7 the hammers of the
action d shall normally bear against the hammer rail they are provided with
weights r.
In the arrangement of my invention shewn in Figures 1 and 4 wherein the
action d' is placed at the bottom part of the piano the position of the sound-board
and string frame or scale is reversed or turned upside down. The action d' in the
arrangement shewn in Figure 1 is arranged below the bracing a so that the
hammers strike in the same direction as the hammers of the action d. By this
arrangement of the action d' the depth of the piano from back to front is not
increased as is the case when the action d' is arranged as shewn in Figures 6
and 7.
In order to sweeten the tone of the instrument I find it advantageous to
arrange the two sets of strings so that one shall be an octave higher than the
other.
Having now particularly described and 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 :-
1. In a pianoforte having two sets of actions operated from a single set of
keys connecting the pairs of actions by means of rods jointed to the stickers or
prolonges of one set of actions through the medium of levers and to the other
set of actions through the medium of counterweighted lovers or bell-crank levers
united by connecting rods, substantially as described by reference to Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In a pianoforte having two sets of actions operated from a single set of keys
arranging the second set of actions so that the hammers strike in the same direction
as those of the first set of actions, substantially as described by reference to
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In a pianoforte having two sets of actions operated from a single set of keys
the various arrangements of mechanism for connecting the two sets of actions,
substantially as described by reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated the 25th day of October 1893.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.