Year: 1886

page_text: I HEINRICH FRIEDRICH HAMBRUCH of Hamburg, Germany, Teacher, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the class of musical instruments, in which tunes are
played mechanically by means of reeds, pipes, metal tongues or strings; and the
object of my improvements is to produce such tunes by means of changeable
perforated sheets of card board, metal or other suitable material.
To carrying my invention into practice I place a perforated sheet, the perforations
of which are arranged in conformity with the melody to be played, upon a roller
or cylinder or between suitable guiding devices in such a manner, as to cause a
regular progress of the perforated sheet by a suitable gearing driven by hand or
other convenient power.
Before such perforated sheet I arrange a series of levers engaging with one end
into the perforations of the sheet and touching with the other end either metal
tongues or actuating upon the keys of the pipes, reeds or the string hammers.
Thus a metal tongue, reed, pipe or string may sound, as often as the corresponding
lever changes its position either lowered by dropping into a perforation of the
sheet or raised by the solid part of the latter.

page_text: Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments.
I HEINRICH FRIEDRICH HAMBRUCH of Hamburg, Germany, Teacher, 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 the class of musical instruments, in which tunes are
played mechanically by means of reeds, pipes, metal tongues or strings; and the
object of my improvements is to produce such tunes by means of changeable
perforated sheets of card board, metal or other suitable material.
To carry my invention into practice I place a perforated sheet, the perforations
of which are arranged in conformity with the melody to be played, upon a roller
or cylinder or between suitable guiding devices in such a manner, as to cause a
regular progress of the perforated sheet by a suitable gearing driven by hand or
other convenient power.
Before such perforated sheet I arrange a series of levers engaging with one .end
into the perforations of the sheet and touching with the other end either metal
tongues or actuating upon the keys of pipes, reeds or the string hammers. Thus
a metal tongue, reed, pipe or string may sound as often as the corresponding lever
changes its position either lowered by dropping into a perforation of the sheet or
raised by the solid part of the latter.
In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I will describe it with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which my improvements are shewn in
combination with a musical box, provided with a steel comb, the tongues of which
are tuned. Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of the box; Figure 2 is a plan
thereof partly in section; and Figure is a longitudinal section; Figure 4 is a
detail view shewing the touching lever in an other position than in Figure 1.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate modifications of the touching lever; and Figure 7 is
a back view of such modified lever. In figures 8, and 10 is shewn another
modification, the lever making a sliding motion besides the oscillating one.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
A sheet a of metal, card board or other suitable material is provided in con-
formity with the melody to be played, either with projections a³, as shown in
Figure 6, or with perforations a' as illustrated by the other figures. This sheet a
is placed upon a cylinder 6 rotated by hand or other convenient power.
Before the sheet a is arranged a series of bell crank levers, which touch with
one arm c¹ the metal tongues e, while the other arm c is pressed by means of springs d
towards the perforated sheet a, as shown in figures 1 to 4. As often as the lever
changes its position either by dropping its arm c into a perforation a³ of the
sheet a or when the arm c is raised by the solid part of sheet a, the nose c¹ will
touch the corresponding tongue e, once from beneath and once from above, thus
causing the tongue e to sound.
In some cases I dispense entirely with the pressing spring d and substitute
therefor a third arm c³ of the lever, this arm c³ being arranged in such a manner

page_text: As the
as to act in the opposite direction of the arm c as illustrated by figure 5.
points and of both arm c and c' are laying in different vertical planes
(figure 7), two parallel series of perforations a' must be arranged for each lever in
the sheet a, but these perforations are to be placed in such a manner that when
the point drops into a perforation a', the point must rest upon the solid part
of the sheet a thus producing a solid motion of the lever.
By using projections a' instead of perforations, as indicated in figure 6, these
projections are to be placed in the same manner as the perforations; but when
sufficient friction is obtained for the levers either on their pivots or by using
braking springs, the projections may form but points.
The lever c c as shown in three successive positions in figures 8, 9 and 10-makes
a double motion by the influence of the perforated sheet a: an oscillating one and
a sliding one. The oscillating motion serves to cause the touching of the steel
tongue e, when the arm c¹ descends; and the sliding motion prevents such touching,
when the arm c¹ swings upwards. The lever cc' is therefore provided with a
slit y¹, through which passes the pivot pin y. The spring d presses the arm c and
its nose x upon the perforated sheet a.
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. In mechanical musical instruments the combination of a changeable sheet a
of metal, card board or other suitable material provided with perforations a² or
projections a¹ in conformity with the melody to be played and a roller b or other
suitable means to cause a uniform progress of the sheet a with double armed
levers c c¹ and springs d, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In mechanical musical instruments the combination of a changeable sheet a
of metal, card board or other suitable material, provided with perforations a¹ or
projections al arranged in conformity with the melody to be played, and a roller b
or other suitable ineans to cause a regular progress of the sheet a with levers c c¹ c²,
provided each with two arms c and c² to obtain a solid motion of the lever and
with a third one c' to touch the corresponding tongue e of a steel comb or the
corresponding keys of stringed instruments, substantially as specified.
3. In mechanical musical instruments the combination of a changeable sheet a
of metal, card board or other suitable material provided with perforations a²
arranged in conformity with the melody to be played, and a roller 6 or other suit-
able means to cause a regular progress of the sheet a with the lever c c provided
with a slit y¹ and oscillating as well as sliding upon the pivot pin y, substantially
as described and illustrated in figures 8, 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Oth day of Octahan 1006