IMPROVEMENTS IN HINGES FOR PIANOFORTES AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
STEWART, of Osnaburgh Street, Regent's Park, in the County of Middlesex,
Pianoforte Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fourth day of May, in the fifth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Stewart, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said James Stewart, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Stewart, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HINGES FOR PIANOFORTES AND OTHER PURPOSES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said James
Stewart, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in
Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part in recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Stewart, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):
In applying hinges to parts of pianofortes, as well as to some other pur-
poses, it is found that the shrinking of the wood disarranges the accurate
shutting or closing of the parts hinged together, and it is desirable to provide
some means of compensating for the shrinkage of the wood, and my Invention
consists in so forming the bearings of the pins or axes of the flaps of hinges
(which are to be used in connecting parts of a pianoforte or other articles
similarly liable to derangement by shrinkage), that the pins or axes may slide
or move in their bearings, and yet be supported thereby, and turn therein.
And in order that the Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference being used used throughout to indicate similar
parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a plan of a hinge according to my Invention, to be used for
the cover or lid of a square pianoforte and other purposes above described;
Figure 2 shews an edge view thereof; Figure 3 shows the parts separately
in plan and edge view; and Figure 4 shows part of a transverse section of
the upper part of the case of a square pianoforte, having the lid or cover
hinged by means of the hinges shown at Figures 1 and 2. The hinges used to
the flap at a and b are of the ordinary construction, it being sufficient to apply
hinges, according to my Invention, at the back at d, to compensate for the
shrinkage to which the woodwork of the lid or cover of the instrument will
be liable; e, f, are the two flaps of the hinge. The pin or axis g is fixed in
the flap e, and the other flap f has the bearing h formed thereon, which, in
place of being cylindrical to fit the axis or pin g, is oblong, thus allowing the
pin or axis g to move or slide therein as the shrinkage of the wood takes place,
as will readily be understood on examining the Drawing. Figure 5 shows the
plan, and Figure 6 an edge view, of another hinge constructed according to my
Invention, the pin not being fixed to the flap, but inserted in the usual manner.
Figure 7 shows the flaps, in plan and end view, separately. Figure 8 shows
part of a transverse section of the upper part of the case of a cabinet piano-
forte, having the hinge shown at Figures 5 and 6 applied thereto, the only
difference in this hinge to that above described being that, in this hinge, the axis
or pin has two bearings on the flap e, and it will be evident that hinges may
be made with more bearings than two according to my Invention, the bearings
not being cylindrical to fit the pin or axis, but allowing of the pin or axis

page_text: sliding therein, to compensate for the contraction or shrinkage of the wood.
In Figure 8, the parts are hinged together by ordinary hinges at a, and the
parts are hinged together at d with hinges according to my Invention.
It will be evident that the hinges above described may be used in other
cases where the parts hinged together are liable to be deranged by shrinkage
in a similar manner to pianofortes.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I
claim is, the mode herein described of constructing hinges by forming the
bearings for the pins or axes in such manner as to allow of the flaps moving to
and from each other by the sliding of the axes or pins in their bearings, as
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Stewart, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.