Improvements in Piano Stools.
Year: 1895

page_text: IDate of Application, 8th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1896-Accepted, 6th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Piano Stools.
I, CARLO BRIZZI, of 100, East 83rd Street, New York, in the County and
State of New York, United States of America, Professor of Music, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved indicator, more
especially designed for use on piano stools, to indicate whether or not the seat of
the stool is at the proper height for the player to occupy the proper position
relative to the piano for conveniently executing the music.
The invention consists principally of a dial or graduated plate held on the stool
leg, and a marker controlled by the seat and indicating on the said plate.
The piano stool is of the usual kind in which a threaded spindle carrying the seat
From the lower end of
screws up and down in a central post carrying a fixed nut.
the spindle extends a square rod engaging a pinion turning with the said rod but
permitting the latter to move up and down in the pinion when screwing the seat up
or down, by turning the latter in the usual manner. The pinion is held on the
under side of the post and is supported on a frame secured to the post and legs and
the said pinion is in mesh with gear teeth formed on a graduated dial mounted to
turn on a stud secured in the frame and carrying at its upper end a pointer. The
graduation is preferably provided with consecutive numerals, say from 1 to 25, "but
other suitable characters may be selected. The dial can be placed horizontally,
obliquely, or in any other desired position, as long as it is visible to the player.
Now, when the seat is in its uppermost position, the dial stands with its numeral !
under the pointer and when the seat is screwed downward then the dial is turned
and as the seat is screwed down the dial is revolved so as to bring the numerals
under the pointer. When the seat is its lowermost position the dial has made
nearly a complete revolution with the nuneral 25 standing under the free end of
'the pointer. As all the intermediate positions on which the seat may be left
are indicated by the pointer on the corresponding numeral, so that a player when
once knowing the numeral at which the seat should stand to suit his own conveni-
ence in playing, can at all times see at a glance by looking at the dial pointer
whether the seat is in the proper position for him to occupy while playing.
In a modification, a graduated plate is employed and fastened to the post carried
by the legs and on the seat is secured a downwardly extending framework carrying
a band forming a marker or pointer to indicate on the graduation of the plate, it
being understood that the said ring is somewhat larger in diameter than the post so
as to be free to move up and down with the seat as the latter is screwed up or
down. By the arrangement described the ring at all times indicates on the
graduation of the plate the position of the seat so that the player can see at a
glance whether the seat is in the proper position or not, and if the latter is the case
he turns the seat in the proper direction until the marker indicates the required
numeral on the graduation.
Call 1805
A. M. & W M. 'CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Piano Stools.
I CARLO BRIZZI, of 100 East 83rd Street, New York, in the County and
State of New York, United States of America, Professor of Music 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 :-
In piano stools as heretofore constructed the player was obliged to turn the
seat and seat himself several times before finding the seat at the proper height for
playing.
The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved indicator, more
especially designed for use on piano stools, to indicate whether or not the seat is at
the proper height for the player to occupy the proper position relative to the piano,
for conveniently executing the music.
The invention consists principally of a dial or graduated plate held on the
stool leg, and a marker controlled by the seat and indicating on the said plate.
The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the
same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement as applied;
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same;
Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the same, on the line 3-3 of
Figure 1; and
Figure 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of the improvement.
The piano stool is of the usual kind in which a threaded spindle carrying the seat
screws up and down in a post A' carrying the fixed nut B, as is plainly shown in
the drawings. From the lower end of the spindle C extends a square rod E,
engaging a pinion F turning with the said rod, but permitting the latter to move up
and down in the pinion, when screwing the seat D up or down, by turning the
latter in the usual manner. The pinion F is held on the under side of the post A'
and is supported on a frame G secured to the post and legs as indicated in the
drawings, and the said pinion F is in mesh with gear teeth H' formed on a dial H
having a graduation H2, and mounted to turn on a stud G¹ secured in the frame G
and carrying at its upper end a pointer I adapted to iudicate on the graduation H2.
This graduation H is preferably provided with consecutive numerals, say from 1
to 25, as shown in Figure 3, but other suitable characters may be selected. The
dial H can be placed horizontally, obliquely, or in any other desired position, as long
as it is visible to the player.
Now, when the seat D is in its uppermost position, the dial H stands with its
numeral under the pointer 1, and when the seat D is screwed downward, the
dial H is turned on its stud G₁ by the action of the pinion F engaging the gear
teeth H', the said pinion being turned by the rod E secured on the spindle C.
Now, as the seat D is screwed down, the dial H will revolve so as to bring the
numerals under the pointer 1, and when the seat is in its lowermost position, the
dial has made nearly a complete revolution with the numeral 25 standing under
the free end of the pointer I. Now, all the intermediate positions on which the
seat may be left are indicated by the pointer I on the corresponding numeral, so
that a player when once knowing the numeral at which the seat should stand to
suit his own convenience in playing, can at all times see at a glance by looking at
the dial pointer, whether the seat D is in the proper position for him to occupy
while playing.

page_text: In the modified form illustrated in Figure 4, a graduated plate J is employed
and fastened to the post A' and on the seat D is secured a downwardly extending
framework K carrying a band L forming a marker or a pointer to indicate on the
graduation of the plate J, it being understood that the said ring L is somewhat
larger in diameter than the post A¹, so as to be free to move up and down with the
seat D, as the latter is screwed up or down.
-
By the arrangement described, the ring L at all times indicates on the graduation
of the plate J the position of the seat D, so that the player can see at a glance
whether the seat is in the proper position or not, and if the latter is the case, he
turns the seat in the proper direction until the marker indicates the required
numeral on the graduation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,-
1. The combination with the support and the adjustable seat having a spindle
constructed to screw into the support, of an indicator controlled by the seat and
indicating the position thereof, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the support and the adjustable seat having a spindle
constructed to screw into the support, of a stationary part attached to the support
and a movable part operatively connected with the seat to move in unison therewith,
the said stationary and movable parts conjointly forming an indicator, substantially
as described.
3. An indicator for piano stools, comprising a rod held on the spindle of the
stool, a pinion mounted to turn with and to slide on the said rod, a graduated disk
formed with gear teeth in mesh with the said pinion, and a fixed pointer indicating
on the said graduated disk, substantially as shownjand described.
4. An indicator for piano stools, comprising a rod held on the spindle of the
stool, a pinion mounted to turn with and to slide on the said rod, a movable part
formed with gear teeth in mesh with the said pinion, and a stationary part forming
an indicator with the said movable part, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.