IMPROVEMENTS IN ORGANS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Kenwrick Kenelm Bishop, of No. 250,
Marylebone Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ORGANS.”
Sealed the 9th May 1871, and dated the 14th December 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Kenwrick
Kenelm Bishop at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 14th December 1870.
.
I, CHARLES KENWRICK KENELM BISHOP, of No. 250, Marylebone
Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORGANS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of
large organs or organs having heavy "wind pressure," the object being
to secure a light touch without having recourse to the complicated and
expensive apparatus known as the pneumatic. I propose to effect this
in the following manner:-The valve or pallet which when depressed
admits the compressed air into the upper channel to the pipe, instead of
being connected directly, as heretofore usual, with the key is attached

page_text: by a wire to a corresponding pallet enclosed by a flexible leather envelope
immediately below the upper pallet and outside the wind chest. This
lower pallet communicates with the compressed air chamber by a small
aperture covered when the key is at rest by a small valve which I shall
call the backfall valvo. When the key is depressed by the ordinary
organ mechanism it opens the backfall valve and the compressed air
rushing through the aperture carries down the lower or envelope pallet,
which in turn takes down the upper pallet. Thus the resistance of the
upper pallet is overcome by the stronger pressure downwards on the
envelope pallet. When the backfall valve is closed the upper pallet is
caused to close by a spring or otherwiso, whilst the air remaining in the
envelope pallet is allowed to escape through a vent provided for the
purpose.
•
In place of working the backfall valve directly from the key in some
cases I connect the lever which carries the valve by a wire with the
armature of an electro-magnet which is put into action by the act of
depressing the key. Also where the pallets or valves of organs are
worked by electro-magnets, in place of employing metal points on the
key to dip into cups containing mercury to make contact when the key
is depressed, I cause the key when depressed to press the end of a metal
spring down on to a metal plate, the spring. being coupled with one pole
of the battery, whilst the plate is coupled with the other pole of thọ
battery. When the key is released the spring returns the key without
the aid of an additional spring.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Kenwrick Kenelm Bishop in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 14th June 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, OHARLES
KENWRICK KENELM BISHOP, of No. 250, Marylebone Road, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
'

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said Charles Kenwrick Kenelm Bishop, Her
special license that I, the said Charles Kenwrick Kenelm Bishop, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles Kenwrick Kenelm Bishop, 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORGANS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Kenwrick Kenelm Bishop, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument 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 Scal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Kenwrick Kenelm Bishop,
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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of
large organs or organs having heavy "wind pressure," the object being
to secure a light touch without having recourse to the complicated and
expensive apparatus known as the pneumatic.
My improvements are shown in the Drawing hereunder annexed.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section and Figuro 2 a transverso
section of the wind chest of an organ having valves arranged according
to my Invention applied to it.
•
A is the ordinary valve or pallet, which when depressed admits
compressed air from the wind chest B into the channel O leading to the
organ pipe. This pallet or valve, in place of being connected directly
with the key, as heretofore for the most part usual, is attached by a wire
to a corresponding pallet D immediately below it and on the under sido
of the wind chest. This lower pallet is enclosed by a flexible leather
envelope and communicates with the wind chest by a small aperture E
covered when the key is at rest by a valve F which I call the backfall
valve. This valve is carried by a lever G, the back end of which is by
the ordinary mechanism connected with the finger key. When the key

page_text: is depressed it opens the backfall valve F, and the compressed air
rushing through the aperture E carries down the lower pallet D which
in turn takes down the upper pallet A. Thus the resistance of the upper
pallet is overcome by the stronger pressure downwards on the pallet D.
When the finger key is no longer depressed the backfall valve is closed 5
by the spring F¹, and a vent valve H is at the same time allowed to open
for the escape of the compressed air contained in the envelope pallet D;
the upper pallet is then free to be closed by a spring A³ acting upon it.
The valve H is, as shewn, connected by a wire with the lever G, so that
when the backfall valve is opened the valve H is drawn up to its seat, and ]
the passage of air from the envelope pallet is thereby prevented so long as
the backfall valve is raised. The upper surface of the envelope pallet D
is made hollow as shewn so as to allow the compressed air as it enters
by the aperture E to at once act upon the whole surface of the valve.
In place of working the backfall valve directly from the key as above 1
described I in some cases connect the lever G which carries the back-
fall valve by a wire with the armature of an electro-magnet which is
put into action by the act of depressing the key.
Another improvement relates to organs in which the pallets or valves
are worked by clectro-magnets. For this purpose in place of employing,
as heretofore, metal points below the key to dip into cups containing
mercury to make contact whenever the key is depressed, I cause the
key (as shewn at Figure 3 of the Drawings) when it is depressed to
press down a metal spring L on to a metal plate M, the spring being
coupled by a wire L', as shewn, with one pole of a battery, whilst the
plate M is coupled by a wire M³ with the other pole of the battery.
When the key is released the contact spring L returns the key without
the aid of an additional spring. The rubbing to and fro of the end of
the spring L upon the plate M whenever the key is depressed ensures
the keeping clean of the parts of them which thus rub against onc
another, and ensures their proper action.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim as
my improvements in organs is,-
1. The combined arrangement substantially as herein described and
shewn at Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings annexed by which air is
admitted from the wind chest to the envelope pallet D and the organ
pipes.

page_text: 2. The coupling the lever F of the combined arrangement shewn at
Figures 1 and 2 with the armature of an electro-magnet.
3. The combination with the-finger key of an organ of a spring L
which acts both to return the keys to their normal position, and also
whenever the finger key is depressed to complete the electrical circuit,
substantially as herein described and shewn at Figure 3 of the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Kenwrick Kenelm Bishop,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
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