IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES BY MEANS OF AN UPWARD AND DOWNWARD BEARING OF THE SOUNDING BOARD BRIDGE, OR STRING SUPPORTING SOUNDING BOARD."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Nye, of No. 9, Arlington Street, New
North Road, Islington, London, North, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PIANOFORTES BY MEANS OF AN UPWARD AND DOWNWARD BEARING OF THE
SOUNDING BOARD BRIDGE, OR STRING SUPPORTING SOUNDING BOARD."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Nye at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th September 1879.
"
WILLIAM HENRY NYE, No. 9, Arlington Street, New North Road, Islington,
London, North. IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES BY MEANS OF AN UPWARD AND
DOWNWARD BEARING OF THE SOUNDING BOARD BRIDGE, OR STRING SUPPORTING
SOUNDING BOARD."
Namely, by means of an upward and downward bearing of the sounding board
bridge or string supporting sounding board. The simple and novel plan of my
Invention is in stringing the instrument under and over the sounding board bridge
instead of as in the old plan of placing the strings over the sounding board bridge.
I commence in the extreme treble with a downward bearing note over the
bridge. The next note I pass under the bridge, and so on alternately to the end of
the long bridge, then I commence again at the bass bridge in the same way,
finishing with two downward bearing notes, there being an odd note in a seven
octave pianoforte. I place the downward bearing notes at each end of the bridges
to secure the ends of the bridges from parting from the sounding board.
By my system I divide the strain on the sounding board by the tension of the strings
being up and down, thereby it is string supporting, and the proper bearing of the
strings is always retained, and the tone of the instrument is preserved. Where the
upward bearing notes are passed through the bridge the under part of the bridge
is cut away and a small metal plate is fixed in the bridge, and the hitch pins are
passed through the plate into the bridge; the usual hitch of the string is thus
obtained as in the downward bearing notes with pins on the top of the bridge. The
bridges being cut away and the sounding board being left free at the bottom gives
it greater freedom, and thereby increases the volume of tone. The greatest
31

page_text: importance in my Invention is that the instrument will not lose its tone by the
sounding board not being able to sink or rise, therefore, it will keep better to one
pitch which is a great advantage as pianos flatten and sharpen in cold and heat,
and more particularly in changeable climates, the strings will also keep to their
original bearing. To secure the bridges from pulling away from the sounding
board a thin hard wood is glued at the back exactly under the sounding board
bridges, and then secured with screws that come into that part of the bridge which
comes to a joint on the sounding board, thereby binding it to the sounding board,
and it is also strengthened by the downward bearing notes pressing on the top of
the bridge. This system of mine I contend will be superior to the cross strung iron
frame pianos now. made by English and foreign makers, there the strings are divided
into two or three sections to divide the strain on the back or frame, but all the
strings are placed on the bridges thereby pressing down the sound board. It is
thought by some makers that a thin sound board produces a better tone, but if that
is done it must be sprung more round with the usual bars at the back to
counteract the downward pressure. But in my plan I can use a thin sound board
if I so desire without any fear of its sinking or rising.
The strings are easy to replace, especially in the treble part of the instrument,
where they are always most likely to break in all pianos; in the centre and bass
a little more care will be required to replace a string. The spaces of the next
notes will indicate when the string is hitched on the upward bearing notes, the
note on the top of the bridge being a pattern to adjust by.
Being a pianoforte maker and tuner I have had good opportunity to notice in my
practice the bad defect, viz., the sinking of the sound board, and my Invention
I contend will remove that long and well known defect.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Henry Nye in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
March 1880.
"
WILLIAM HENRY NYE, of 9, Arlington Street, New North Road, Islington,
London, North. IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES BY MEANS OF AN UPWARD AND
DOWNWARD BEARING OF THE SOUNDING-BOARD BRIDGE, OR STRING-SUPPORTING
SOUNDING-BOARD."
Pianofortes as ordinarily arranged are more or less liable to get out of tune, and
one fruitful source of this evil is the bridge of the sounding board over which tho
strings pass, and all pressing upon the same side thereof cause the belly of the
sounding board to collapse, more or less, which alters the tension of the wires and
of course puts the instrument out of time. Now the main feature of my Invention
is designed to get over this objection by arranging the strings, and therefore the
pressure upon both sides of the sounding board bridge, and the details of my
Invention will be easily understood by reference to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation at the treble end; Fig. 2 is a
sectional elevation at the base end; Fig. 5, another sectional elovation at the treble;
Fig. 8, an clevation (treblo end) showing wrest pins B2 at top, wrest plank
bridge B¹, sounding board bridge Ċ with strings passing over and under, and the
usual fastenings of strings at the bent side or bottom; and Figs. 3, 4, 6, and 7,
sections of my improved sounding board bridge. Similar letters represent similar
parts in the different views. Fig. 1 shows in section the customary arrangement of
sounding board A, wrest plank B, wrest plank bridge B¹, wrest pins B³, the attach-
inent for the wires at the other end, and the sounding board bridge C, and hitch
pins C¹. The strings D pass both over and under the bridge, as is clearly shown, so
that while one wire (or set of wires for one note) presses it towards the sounding
board, the next presses it away from the sounding board and thereby obviates the
usual tendency to collapse. In Fig. 5 the bridge C is formed entirely of metal, and
so offers a firm hold for the hitch pins C¹ although so light in section; Fig. 3 is a
longitudinal section of the bridge only upon line A, B, Fig. 8; and Figs. 4, 6, and 7
are similar views of the different forms of bridge. In Fig. 3 the bridge is made of
wood. The hitch pins C on the top are fixed securely in the body of the wood (the
strings lying against them in the ordinary way), and those on the underside are
fixed in small metal plates let into suitable recesses in the bridge and held by screws,
the under strings passing through the recesses also and bearing against the pins as
before, all this is clearly shown in the Figures; Fig. 4 is like Fig. 3, with this
difference, that the upper portion of the bridge is formed of a thin metal plate, the
pins being let into this above and below alternately as required; the plate is
secured to the body of the bridge by screws, and recesses are formed for the under
strings and pins as before. In Fig. 6 the bridge is divided being all wood and the
two portions united by screws, as shown, and the pins driven into the top piece
above and below, and recesses left in the under portion, as before; Fig. 7 shows a
very important arrangement, because by it I obtain for the pins the stability of the
metal top combined with the better quality of tone of the all-wood bridge. The
bridge is divided much as in Fig. 6, only the top portion is thinner, the recesses are
formed as before, and the pins are placed top and bottom as in the other views; the
essential feature of this design is the long pins C¹ which pass through both portions
of the wood, and thereby obtain a perfectly firm hold although the upper portion of
the wood is only thin.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention and
the best method known to me of carrying it into effect, I wish it to be understood
that what I claim and desire to protect under the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
1st. The manufacture of pianofortes in which the strings are arranged to pass on

page_text: both sides of the sound board bridge, whereby the strain upon the sound board is
wholly or partially done away with, substantially as set forth and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
2nd. The manufacture of sound board bridges for pianofortes having a metal plate
or face E into both sides of which the hitch pins are driven, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth and shown in Fig. 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
3rd. The manufacture of sound board bridges for pianofortes provided with
recesses E¹ for the passage of the strings and for the lower hitch pins, substantially
as and for the purposes set forth and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
4th. The manufacture of wooden sound board bridges for pianofortes formed in
two portions, whereof one carries the hitch pins arranged alternately upon both its
sides, and another is recessed for the passage of the strings and for the lower hitch
pins, substantially as and for the purposes set forth and shown in Fig. 6 of the
accompanying Drawings.
5th. The manufacture of wooden sound board bridges for pianofortes in two
portions through the external and preferably thin portion E and spaces or recesses
El, whereof hitch pins pass diagonally, or otherwise, into the next and preferably
thicker portion for the purpose of more effectually supporting and securing said
pins in their places, substantially as set forth and shown in Fig. 7 of the accom-
panying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Nye, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
WILLIAM HENRY NYE. (L.S.)
Witnessed by
ALFRED J. BOULT,
of the Firm of Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Patent Agents,
323, High Holborn, London,
and 6, Lord St. Liverpool.