An Improvement in the Key-action of Accordeons.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1892-Accepted, 30th July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in the Key-action of Accordeons.
I, EUGEN KALBE of 13, Gips Strasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,.
trading as J. F. Kalbe, Accordeon Manufacturers, 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 to improvements in the keys of accordeons and has for its
object to avoid the defects to which such keys are liable as heretofore made, to
cheapen the cost of manufacture, and to enable the keys to be more readily.
dismounted for the purpose of repair, in case of a spring breaking.
:
In keys as heretofore made, the valve part is liable to be accidentally displaced
laterally so that the valve no longer properly covers the hole or holes it is intended
to close, and this in consequence of the want of lateral rigidity of the key lever
which is usually made of wire to which the valve is soldered in case of breakage of
any one of the key springs it is necessary in order to repair it to take the keyboard
casing to pieces in order to get at the key, and to avoid these defects I construct
and mount the keys as hereafter described, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, forming part of this Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is a front elevation of part of an accordeon keyboard shewing one of
the keys in position and one of the key sockets.
Figure 2 is a central section through the key.
Figure 3 is a similar view of a slight modification.
According to my invention the key-lever a and the back of the valve are
punched out of one piece of sheet metal, the blank being then stamped up of
channelled or U-form in cross-section so as to ensure transverse rigidity in all
directions and bent up by stamping in dies to the required shape so as to bring
the parts a bat right angles to each other, as shewn in Figure 2, the side flanges.
of the key lever a having cars c punched in them to receive the pivot wire f. The
handle portion d of the key-board is solid instead of being a box casing and is.
mortised to receive the keys as shewn at e and the whole of the keys are pivoted
upon a single wire, traversing the whole length of the part d or half the number
of keys are pivoted upon one wire inserted from one end of d and half upon another
wire inserted from the opposite end, so that in either case any key may be readily
dismounted by simply withdrawing the wire on which it is pivoted. By making
the key-lever of channelled form, with an ear c in each flange, a wide or double
bearing is provided which prevents lateral displacement of the valve, the channelled
sectional form of the lever preventing any bending of the lever itself. The spring g
by which the key is closed is contained within the mortise e and lies partly in the
channel or hollow at the back of the lever a and all the springs are kept in their
places by another wire (or two wires inserted from opposite ends) said wire or
wires traversing the curls of all the springs, so that, when any key is removed for
repair of the valve, the spring will not fly out whilst a broken spring may be
readily replaced by a new one by withdrawing the wire after dismounting the
lever as above described. Or the springs may be retained by the pivot wire, the
wire being dispensed with. The finger knob or key proper i is also formed by
stamping up a disc of metal to a cupped form, soldering a pinj in it, and rivetting
the pin to the lever a. By mounting the keys in open mortises, not only may the
keys be readily dismounted but the position of the pivot is brought more to the
front and consequently the valve works on an arm of shorter radius and therefore
lifts quicker and to a greater distance from the valve seat. The valve proper is
formed, as usual, of a strip of leather k cemented to the underside of the inetal
back b.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
1. The herein described construction of accordeon key lever of metal stamped
up of channelled section, the lever and the valve back being in one piece, as
specified.
2. Pivoting accordeon keys, made as specified in Claim 1, upon a wire traversing
two ears in the flanges of the lever, as described.
3. Pivoting accordeon keys, made as specified in Claim 1, within open mortises in
the key board handle and upon a wire common to a number of such levers and
withdrawable at will, as specified.
4. The combination, with accordeon keys made and pivoted as specified, of
springs behind them retained by a withdrawable wire traversing a number of them,
as specified.
5. Forming the finger knob portion of the key by stamping up a disc to cupped
form and securing the same to the lever by a pin soldered within the cupped knob
and rivetted to the lever, as specified.
DL:.
E. KALBE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.