Improvements in Vertical Pianoforte Actions.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vertical Pianoforte Actions.
I JULIUS BLÜTINER Pianoforte Manufacturer of Leipzig in the Empire of
Germany 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 :-
This invention relates to vertical pianoforte actions in which the hopper acts
upon the hammer through or by intervention of a pivoted bar or jack hanging from
the hammer butt and having a nose for engagement of the hopper, and it consists
in an improved construction more especially intended for the separate guiding and
elastic support of this hammer-jack.
The hammer-jack is connected to a self-acting spring which can be adjusted in
such a manner that by only gently striking the keys, the whole key-action is set in
full operation.
The construction which is made for this purpose can be understood with the aid
of the annexed drawing, in which
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section of the action, when the keys are at rest.
Fig. 2 being a back view and Fig. 3 a front view of the same.
Fig. 4 is a section showing the manner in which the action operates, when the
keys are touched gently and abruptly.
Fig. 5 shows the effect of a hard touch.
The jacks A engage by means of a pin s with the bar S being thereby safely
guided. The hopper H is angularly shaped and is pivoted at t. It is provided
with an adjusting button for easily regulating it.
To its upper part it has a spring loop fattached, the object of which is to pull
the end N of the hopper H, so that it reaches up to the nose n of the bar A. To
assist in this a helical spring f¹ is attached underneath the heel of the hopper but
this spring may be dispensed with, as the action would remain effective, if this
spring should break. The spring not only causes the hopper H to pass back
underneath the nose n of the jack A, but it also prevents the hopper from receding
too far. To give the jacks A an elastic seat and at the same time render them
adjustable, a spring g is attached to each jack A and passes through the jack and
terminates in a button h. This, when the jacks A move, touches the button i,
which is attached to regulate the vibration of the hammer. The spring g and the
button i not only lessen the striking distance of the jack A, but also always cause
the hopper H to stop immediately, whereby reliable repetition is assured.
The chief characteristic of the invention therefore lies in the fact, that the
jack A as well as the hopper receives a cushioned seating, which, nevertheless
renders hard and soft touch equally possible without any danger of the effect being
incomplete.
The co-operation of hammer and hopper with the aid of the bar or jack A,
which rests on the adjustable spring g and which is guided by the pin s, in every
respect answers the purpose, as it assures a reliable repetition with any kind of
touch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
In a mortical ninnoforte revetition action for the wurpose of securing a sure

page_text: repetition with any kind of touch, the hammer jack or bar A provided with the
nose (n) and fastened to the butt of the hammer, in combination with the elastic
spring (g) with buttons (h) and (i) and the angularly shaped hopper H adapted by
means of springs such as fand f¹ to be moved up to the nose n of the jack;
substantially as described and specified.
Dated this 16th day of March 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London, Agents for Applicant.