IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING PEDALS TO PIANO FORTES
Year: 1885

page_text: I FREDERICK HENRY BROWNE of 10a High Street Deal in the County of
Kent Organ Builder do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING PEDALS TO PIANO FORTES to be as follows:-
My invention relates to pedals which are to be applied to piano fortes to enable
the player to cause the bass or other notes thereof to sound at pleasure and to
allow of practice in the management and use of the pedals of organs and other
similar instruments and has for its object the fitting of these pedals and their
actions in such a manner that the apparatus will be more compact and efficient as
well as more simple in construction.
To carry out this object I make a frame for the whole series of pedals of any
convenient size and shape and in any suitable manner in or on which the pedals are
pivotted or hung in the usual or other manner along that side of the frame that
is parallel with or thereabouts and furthest from the piano forte. Underneath
these pedals and at right angles thereto or thereabouts I place a rail extending the
whole length of the frame and supported by the end pieces thereof or otherwise
and attached to this rail are a series of suitable springs one of which bears against
the underside of each of the pedals and raises the said pedal after it has been
depressed. This spring rail is not as is usual placed nearly under the free ends
of the pedals but is brought nearer to their centres and the said spring rail is so
formed and constructed that a series of levers can be and are pivotted or centred
on the underside thereof. One end of each of theses levers is connected and
attached by a rod or otherwise with one of the pedals while the other end is or
may be connected preferably by an adjustable rod with the corresponding key of
the keyboard in such a manner. that when the pedal is depressed the key is raised
causing the hammer connected thereto to strike the wires or these levers can
actuate another series of hammers or otherwise cause the notes to sound as may be
desirable.
Thus according to this my invention the pedals are brought much closer to the
levers and need not and are not raised so high as is usual above the floor and the
apparatus is much more compact and simple in construction as the pedals and
their actions are all contained and held in the pedal frame while as the said pedals
are not as is usual quite separate from the said actions but are combined therewith
the said apparatus is also more efficient.

page_text: I FREDERICK HENRY BROWNE of 10 High Street Deal in the county of Kent
Organ Builder 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 pedals which are to be applied to pianofortes.to enable
the player to cause the bass or other notes thereof to sound at pleasure and to
allow of practice in the management and use of the pedals of organs and other
similar instruments without entailing the necessity of a resort to the said organs.
and other instruments which may oftentimes be inconvenient or even impossible
of attainment and my object in this invention is the fitting of these aforesaid pedals
and their actions in such a manner that the apparatus shall be extremely efficient
in operation as well as very simple in construction and as the same is more compact
and of a smaller size than is usual this apparatus shall also be more convenient
for use.
In order the more clearly to explain my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed I refer to the accompanying drawing in which I have shewn a
very convenient and suitable form and arrangement of these my pedals and the
actions thereof as applied to an upright pianoforte.
Figure 1 is an elevation of one note of the pedals shewing also so much of the
pianoforte as is necessary. Figure 2 is a plan of the pedals.
A frame A is made for the whole series of pedals of any convenient size and
shape and in any usual or suitable manner in or on which the pedals Bare pivotted
or hung in the usual or other manner preferably and most conveniently as shown
at C along that side of the said frame A that is parallel with or thereabouts and
furthest from the pianoforte D. Underneath these pedals B and at right angles
thereto or thereabouts I place an horizontal rail E which rail E extends the whole
length of the frame A and is preferably supported by and secured to the end
pieces A thereof and attached to the said rail E are a series of springs F one of
which springs F bears against the underside of each of the said pedals B and raises
the said pedal B after the same has been depressed. This spring rail E is not as
is usual placed nearly under the free ends of the pedals B but is brought nearer to
their centres and the said spring rail is so formed and constructed that a series of
levers H can be and are pivotted or centred on the underside thereof in any
convenient and usual manner. One end of each of these levers H is connected
and attached preferably by the rod K with and to one of the pedals B and when
the pianoforte D is raised as is usual level or thereabouts with the pedals and the
frame thereof and is supported on the stand L or otherwise as may be desirable
the other end of the said lever H may be and preferably is connected by the
adjustable rod M with the corresponding key N of the keyboard of the said
pianoforte D so that when the said pedal B is depressed the said key N is raised
thus causing the hammer connected therewith to strike the wire or wires and
producing the required sound of the note or this end of the lever H may by a
similar rod M actuate one of another and separate series of hammers or otherwise
cause the note to sound as may be desirable.

page_text: Thus according to this my invention as herein before described and as shewn in
the drawing the pedals are brought much closer to the levers and need not be and
are not raised so high as is usual above the floor whereby the apparatus is rendered
more compact and of a smaller size than heretofore and as the one rail acts both
as a spring rail and as a lever beam or rail and the said pedals and their
actions are contained and held in and by the pedal frame the said apparatus is also
more simple in construction than heretofore while as the said pedals are not as is
usual quite separate from the said actions but are combined therewith the said
apparatus is also more efficient in operation than heretofore.
It is sufficiently obvious that I can in the same manner as is herein before
described and as is shewn in the drawing apply these my pedals and actions to any
or every other kind of pianoforte as I may choose and no further description is or
can be needed.
I have thus, described and have shewn in the accompanying drawing a very
convenient and suitable form and arrangement of these my pedals and the actions
thereof as is aforesaid but it is obvious that I do not limit myself thereto for the
Baid pedals can be made of such a form and arranged in such a manner whether
parallel with each other or in a radial manner or otherwise and the rail that acts
both as a spring rail and as a lever beam and the levers and other parts of the
action can also be made of such forms and be arranged and connected together and
fitted in such manners as may be most convenient and desirable and suitable in
each particular case.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that, what
I claim is
1. The rail E which carries both the springs of the pedals and the levers of the
action substantially as hereinbefore described and set forth.
2. The combination with the pedals B of the rail E the springs F the levers H
and the rods K and M substantially as and for the purposes herein before described
and declared.
3. The method of applying pedals to pianofortes substantially as herein before
described and shewn in the accompanying drawing.