Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments Operated by Means of Perforated Music-sheets.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments Operated by
Means of Perforated Music-sheets.
I, FRIEDRICH ERNST PAUL EHRLICH, residing at Gohlis near Leipsic, kingdom
of Saxony, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OPERATED BY MEANS OF PERFORATED
MUSIC-SHEETS," to be as follows:-
My invention relates to mechanical musical instruments in which the notes are
produced by reeds having valves that are actuated by the medium of a perforated
inusic-sheet, and the improvement consists in the combination, with the levers of
the said valves, of a cylinder provided with grooves registering with the beaks
of the valve-levers, and of means for keeping the music-sheet, after having been
placed around the cylinder, in contact therewith while the cylinder is rotated.
Moreover the improvement comprises mechanism which allows the cylinder to be
rotated independently of the driving-gear when a music-sheet is to be laid on the
cylinder.
In musical instruments operated by means of perforated music-sheets the faculty
of repeating a melody without stoppage has hitherto only been attained by sheets
forming endless bands or circular disks, the rows of perforations whereof return
to the starting-point. Other sheets have always required a readjustment in the
instrument when the tune which they produce is to be played over again, and this
necessarily causes a pause in the music,-which is often undesirable. By means of
my invention this inconvenience is avoided.
The music-sheet is laid around a cylinder having grooves that register with the
beaks of the valve-levers. The cylinder is provided with means for attaching the
sheet thereto and allowing it to be removed with facility, as for instance with turn-
buckles to which correspond holes in the sheet. The sheet is thereby kept in
contact with the surface of the cylinder during its rotation.
Another means for the same purpose consists in enclosing the cylinder in a drum
having such diameter that between the inner surface of the drum and the outer
surface of the cylinder a space will be left having just sufficient width for slipping
the music sheet thereinto. The drum is provided with a door for inserting the
sheet, and with a slit for the beaks of the valve-levers. For preventing the sheet
from being displaced on the cylinder, it, is hooked on studs m fixed to the latter.

page_text: The cylinder is operated by means of a worm and worm-wheel as usual. But,
between the worm-wheel and the cylinder there is a coupling or other similar
device adapted to allow the cylinder to be disconnected from the worm-wheel, or,
in general, to be freely rotated in one or in both directions, when the music-sheet
is to be exchanged. For the purpose of preventing the beaks of the valve-levers
from interfering with the latter operation, means are provided whereby the levers
may temporarily be locked in the required position.
CARL PIEPER,
Agent for the said Friedrich Ernst Paul Ehrlich.
Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments Operated by
Means of Perforated Music-sheets.
I, FRIEDRICH ERNST PAUL EHRLICH, residing at Gohlis near Leipsic, Kingdom
of Saxony, 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 mechanical musical instruments in which the notes are
produced by reeds having valves that are actuated by the medium of a perforated
music-sheet, and the improvements consist in the combination, with the levers of
the said valves, of a cylinder provided with grooves registering with the beaks of
the valve-levers, and of means for keeping the music-sheet, after having been placed
around the cylinder, in contact therewith while the cylinder is rotated. Moreover
the improvements comprise mechanism which allows the cylinder. to be rotated
independently of the driving-gear when a music-sheet is to be laid on the
cylinder.
On the annexed sheet of drawings Fig. 1 shows in sectional elevation according
to line V V X X of Fig. 2, a musical instrument to which my invention is applied.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on line Y Z of Fig. 1, a portion of the music-sheet being
removed. Fig. 3 is a view of the disengaging device. Figs. 4 and 5 represent a
modification of the invention.
In musical instruments operated by means of perforated music-sheets, the
faculty of repeating a melody without stoppage has hitherto only been attained
by sheets forming endless bands or circular disks, the rows of perforations whereof
return to the starting-point. Other sheets have always required a readjustment in
the instrument when the tune which they produce is to be played over again, and

page_text: this necessarily causes a pause in the music which is often undesirable. By means
of my invention this inconvenience is avoided.
As shown by Figs. 1 and 2, the music-sbeet d, which is of rectangular form, is
laid around a cylinder c, having grooves that register with the beaks of the levers p,
to which the valves q are attached. The cylinder is provided near its ends with
turn-buckles j, (which may consist in small hooks screwed into the cylinder) and
the sheet at its corners with holes t, corresponding to the said turn-buckles, so that;
when the sheet is slipped with its holes upon the latter, and the buckles are
suitably turned, the sheet will be kept in contact with the surface of the cylinder.
According as the ends of the sheet are made to overlap each other or not, two or
four turn-buckles will be required. The holes t must of course be so adjusted
relatively to the buckles j that the sheet, when put on the cylinder, will present
its perforations to the beaks of the levers p.
The sheet and the cylinder are actuated by a crank e' through the medium of
the shaft e, worm e¹ and worm-wheel f, the said shaft at the same time operating
the bellows of the instrument, which, however, are not shown, because they do not
form a part of the invention. In order to allow the cylinder to be rotated by hand
independently of the gearing f, e, when a sheet is to be removed or put on, the
cylinder is coupled to the worm-wheel f in such a manner that it may be disengaged
therefrom. The device shown for this purpose in the drawing, consists of a disk u
arranged to slide on a feather fixed to the shaft i, and having a number of holes
with any one of which may engage a.pin w screwed into the worm-wheel f. With
the disk u, which is grooved, engages a lever v acted upon by a spring v' in the
direction towards the cylinder, whereas another spring, v³, fixed to the lid l, and
strong enough to counteract the force of v³, presses lever the other way. Con-
sequently, when the lid is closed, and the disk u has been pushed by means of
spring and lever with one of its holes on the pin w, the rotation of shaft e will
be transmitted through e¹, f, w and u to the shaft i; whereas, when the lid is
opened for exchanging a sheet, the horizontal arm of the lever v is relieved of the
pressure of the spring v2, and the vertical arm of the same together with the disk u
is pushed towards the cylinder, so that u will be disengaged from the pin w. The
cylinder, which is fixed on the shaft i, may then be rotated by the small hand-
wheel keyed on outside of the instrument. The spring 2 has the special
purpose of allowing the lid to be closed even when a hole in u does not register
with the pin w, the subsequent rotation of ƒ soon fetching the pin opposite to a
hole, whereupon spring v2 will cause the parts to engage with each other.
For the purpose of keeping the beaks of the valve-levers p out of the way, when
a sheet is to be exchanged, there is a cranked bar r, extending along the front of
the vertical arms of the levers p, and fitted with a handle, by which it may be
turned so as to press against the levers and to keep their beaks at some distance
from the cylinder.
In the modified arrangement shown by Figs. 4 and 5, the cylinder c is enclosed
in a drum or casing a, having such diameter that between its inner surface and the
outer surface of the cylinder a space will be left having just sufficient width for
slipping the music-sheet thereinto. The drum is provided at the top with a door b
for the insertion of the sheet into the said space and the removal of the same, and
at its side there is a slit through which the beaks of the levers p press against the
music-sheet. For preventing the sheet from being displaced on the cylinder, it is
hooked on studs m fixed to the surface of the latter. By means of the said drum
or casing also, the music-sheet is kept in contact with the surface of the cylinder
during its rotation.
This arrangement may be varied by adding to the cylinder c an auxiliary
cylinder parallel to the former, and by making the casing b oblong so as to enclose
both cylinders, and providing it on the inside between the latter with guides
adapted to conduct the music-sheet from one cylinder to the other. The sheet
being then laid around both cylinders, may have a length exceeding that of the
periphery of the cylinder c.

page_text: For preventing the sheet from slipping, rollers may be used that are pressed
against the cylinders by the medium of springs. The auxiliary cylinder, serving
only to carry and guide the music-sheet, may have a plain surface.
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
1. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination, with the valve-levers ?
provided with beaks, and a cylinder c having grooves registering with the said
beaks, of a perforated music-sheet d laid around the cylinder c, and means for
causing the sheet d to rotate with the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
2. The combination, with the valve-levers p having beaks, and the grooved
cylinder c, of a drum or casing a enclosing the cylinder c and provided with a
door b, a perforated music sheet & inserted between the drum or casing and the
cylinder, and means for causing the sheet d to be drawn along by the cylinder c,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. The combination, with the valve-levers p, grooved cylinder .c fixed on the
shaft i, a perforated music-sheet, and means for keeping the sheet in contact with
the surface of the cylinder, of mechanism for disengaging the cylinder from the
driving-gear ƒ, e¹, and rotating it independently thereof by means of its shaft i,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.