AN IMPROVED APPARA- TUS FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC, PART OF SUCH APPARATUS BEING APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Harry Nash, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Stamper and Piercer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARA-
TUS FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC, PART OF SUCH APPARATUS
BEING APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
aled the 8th August 1879, and dated the 11th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Harry Nash at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th February 1879.
GEORGE HARRY NASH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Stamper and
Piercer. "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC,
PART OF SUCH APPARATUS BEING APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention has for object the construction of a simple and efficient apparatus
for turning over the leaves of music.
The improved apparatus is constructed of a suitably shaped metal plate provided
at the back with a clamp and thumb screw for attaching it to the music desk or
stand. Near one end of this plate, and at the top and bottom thereof I fix or form
projecting brackets forming bearings to carry a vertical arbor or shaft on which
work a number of eccentrics or cams placed one above the other, each of such eccen-
trics carrying a horizontal arm made of wire, the inner ends of such arms being
turned down at right angles, so as to be rivetted or otherwise fixed to a projection
on its corresponding eccentric, each of such projections being shorter than the one
next below it, to allow the vertical ends of the wire arms to pass one another when
the arms turn, as hereinafter described. The outer ends of the wire arms are turned
up vertically and are provided with suitable spring clips for holding the leaves of
music to be turned. To the front of the herein before described metal plate I fix a
curved spring formed of sheet steel, German silver, or other suitable metal, and having
a number of blades corresponding to the number of the herein before described
eccentrics, the free ends of these blades pressing against the back part of the eccen-
trics so as to always tend to move them, and consequently the wire arms from the
right hand side to the left hand side of the apparatus. The right hand end of the
bereinbefore described plate is formed with an angle or return end having a hori
zontal slot in the same plane with the horizontal wire arms, and above this slot is
pivotted a slotted spring catch, the nose of the said catch or detent when in its
Pine R71

page_text: normal position extending across the front of the said horizontal slot, and the tail
end of this catch extends underneath the back part of the slot in the end plate.
Under the catch is a bell crank shaped lever, pivotted at its upper end to the said
_end_plate, and provided at its lower end with a projecting arm for allowing of
operating the bell cranked lever, as hereinafter described. On the left hand end of
the hereinbefore described metal plate I form a slotted guide for receiving and
holding the wire arms-as-they-turn-over the leaves of music, and behind the vertical
-shaft carrying-the-eccentrics-I-fix.a_square pin or upright on which is placed a
device for holding the back of the music.
This device consists of-a-square-rod-of-the-required-length-and-provided with a
number of spring clips placed at suitable distances apart. In front of this rod is
placed a flat plate, having lugs at the back which work over the square rod and
serve as guides. The said flat plate has a number of inclined slots through which
pass the spring clips on the square rod, and a spiral spring on this rod presses the
flat plate upwards so as to bring the narrow part of the inclined slots against the
clips and keep them closed.
I will now describe the action of my improved apparatus.
The herein before described device being fitted to the apparatus, the flat plate is
pressed downwards so as to open the clips, the back of the piece of music is placed
therein, and the flat plate being released, the spiral spring will carry it upwards
and close the clips, so that the music will be held securely. The leaves of the piece
of music are placed in the clips of the wire arms and the arms are moved into the
slot in the end plate and will be held in the slot by the catch or detent, the eccen-
trics of the arms compressing the blades of the spring so as to keep them in tension.
When a leaf is to be turned, the arm of the bell crank lever is lightly pressed
with the finger and the projection on the said bell crank lever will be pressed
against the tail end of the catch, the catch will be raised and will release the first
wire arm, which will be turned or carried over by the recoil of its spring acting on
the eccentric of the arm into the herein before described slotted guide, the arm in
its movement carrying with it the leaf of music. When the catch is raised to
release the arm a projection or catch on the bell cranked lever is brought in front of
the next arm so that only one arm is released at a time, and the pressure being
removed the catch is brought back to its normal position by its spring ready to
release the next arm when required, and so on.
The escapement arrangement for holding and releasing the arms is applicable for
other purposes such as, for example, for throwing machinery out of gear.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Harry Nash in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
August 1879.
GEORGE HARRY NASH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Stamper and
Piercer. "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TURNING OVER THE LEAVES OF MUSIC,
PART OF SUCH APPARATUS BEING APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention has for object the construction of a simple and efficient apparatus
for turning over the leaves of music..
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation; Figure 2, a back
elevation; and Figure 3, a plan of my improved apparatus, the various parts being
in the position they occupy when the apparatus is not in use; Figure 4 is a front
elevation; Figure 5, a plan, and Figure 6, an end view of the apparatus shewing
the parts in the position ready to turn over the leaves of music; Figure 17, an end
view shewing the position of the parts when a leaf is being carried over; Figures
8 and 9, detached elevation and plan of one of the arms for carrying over the leaves;
Figures 10, 11, and 12, elevations of the device for holding the back of the piece of
music to be turned; Figure 13, perspective view on a small scale of the improved
apparatus. All the Figures except Figure 13 are drawn full size, and similar letters
in all the Figures represent similar parts.
The improved apparatus is constructed of a suitably shaped metal plate a, pro-
vided at the back with a clamp b and thumbscrew c, for attaching it to the music
desk or stand. Near one end of this plate a, and at the top and bottom-thereof I
fix or form projecting brackets d, d, forming bearings to carry a vertical arbor or
shaft e, on which work a number of eccentrics or cams f, placed one above the other,
each of such eccentrics carrying a horizontal arm g made of wire, the inner ends of
such arms being turned down at right angles at gl, so as to be rivetted or otherwise
fixed to a projection f¹ on its corresponding eccentric f¹, each of such projections f¹
being shorter than the one next below it, as shewn, to allow the vertical ends g¹ of
the wire arms g to pass one another when the arms g turn, as hereinafter described.
The outer ends g³ of the wire arms are turned up vertically and are provided with
suitable spring clips h for holding the leaves of music to be turned.
To the front of the hereinbefore described metal plate a I fix a curved spring i,
formed of sheet steel, German silver, or other suitable metal, and having a number
of blades j, corresponding to the number of the hereinbefore described eccentrics f,
the free ends of these blades pressing against the back part of the eccentrics so as
to always tend to move them (and consequently the wire arms) from the right hand
side to the left hand side of the apparatus.
The right hand end of the hereinbefore described plate is formed with an angle
or return end k having a horizontal slot in the same plane with the horizontal
wire arms g, and above this slot is pivotted a slotted spring catch or detent m, the
nose m¹ of the said catch or detent when in its normal position extending across
the front of the said horizontal slot, as shewn in Figure 6, and the tail end m² of
this catch extends underneath the back part of the slot in the end plate k. Under
the catch is a bell crank shaped lever n, pivotted at its upper end o to the said end
plate k; and provided at its lower end p with a projecting arm or trigger q for
allowing of operating the bell cranked lever n. This lever has a projection n¹ for
raising the catch m, and another projection n² for preventing more than one arm
from turning at one time, as hereinafter described. On the left hand end of the
hereinbéfore described metal plate I form a slotted guide r, for receiving and holding
the wire arms g as they turn over the leaves of music, but this guide may if

page_text: required be extended in a semicircular form to the other end of the plate; behind the
vertical shaft e, carrying the eccentrics f, I fix a square pin or upright 8, on which
is placed a device for holding the back of the music.
This device, which_is_shewn detached_in_Figures 10, 11, and 12, consists of a
square hollow rod t, of the required length and provided with a number of spring
clips U placed at suitable distances apart. In front of this rod t is placed a flat
plate-v-having-lugs-wat-the-back,-which-work over the square rod t and serve as
The-said-flat-plate-has-a-number-of--inclined-slots-,-through-which-pass-
the spring clips u, and a spiral spring y on this rod presses the flat plate upwards,
so as to bring the narrow part of the inclined slots against the clips and keep them
closed, as shewn in Figures 10 and 11.
guides.
I will now describe the action of my improved apparatus.
The apparatus being fixed to a music stand or desk B (Figure 13), by means of
its clamp b and screw c, and the device shewn in Figures 10, 11, and 12 being
fitted to the apparatus by passing the hollow rod t over the upright the flat
plate vis pressed downwards so as to open the clips u, as shewn in Figure 12, and
the back of the piece of music C (Figure 13) is placed in the open clips, and the
flat plate v being released, the spiral spring y will carry it upwards and close the
clips, as shewn in Figure 10, so that the music will be held securely. The leaves
of the piece of music to be turned over are placed in the clips h of the wire arms g,
and the arms are moved into the slot in the end plate k, and will be held in the
slot by the catch or detent m, as shewn in Figure 6, the eccentrics f.of the arms g
compressing the blades ; of the spring as shewn in Figure 5, so as to keep the
blades in tension. When a leaf is to be turned the arm or trigger q of the bell
crank lever is lightly pressed with the finger, and the projection n¹ on the said bell
crank lever will be pressed against the tail end m² of the catch will be raised, as
shewn in Figure 7, and will release the first wire arm which will be turned or
carried over by the recoil of its spring acting on the eccentric of the arm into the
herein before described slotted guide r, the arm in its movement carrying with it
the first leaf of music. When the catch is raised to release the arm the projection
or catch n² on the bell cranked lever is brought; as shewn in Figure 7, in front of
the next arm, so that only one arm is released at a time, and the pressure being
removed the catch is brought back to its normal position by its spring z, as shewn
in Figure 6, ready to release the next arm when required, and so on for all the
arms.
In the Drawing I have shewn the apparatus provided with six arms, that is to
say, a number of arms sufficient for turning over six leaves of music, but it will be
understood that a larger number of arms may be employed if required, and in
Figure 7 two of the arms have been carried over and the third marked A is in the
act of turning.
The escapement arrangement for holding and releasing the arms is applicable for
other purposes, such as for example, for throwing machinery out of gear.
Having thus-described-my-said-Invention, and-the-best-means-1-am-acquainted-
with for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not con-
fine myself to the precise details herein laid down, and shewn in the Drawing,
as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar character of my
Invention, but what I do claim is,-
Firstly. The general arrangement and construction of the improved apparatus
for turning over the leaves of music, operating substantially as hereiṇbefore described
and represented in Figures 1 to 9 of the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The employment of arms having eccentrics in combination with the
peculiar construction of spring for operating the arms; as herein before described.
Thirdly. The peculiar construction of the escapement arrangement, consisting of
the slotted catch and bell cranked lever in combination with the slot in the end
plate for holding and releasing the arms, as hereinbefore described and represented
in the accompanying Drawing.
'

page_text: Fourthly. The construction and employment of the device for holding the back
of the piece of music, as herein before described and represented in Figures 10, 11,
and 12 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Harry Nash, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
GEORGE HARRY NASH. (L.S.)