Improvements in Pianofortes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Pianofortes.
JOHN CHARLES WARD, of "The Retreat," Haverstock Hill, N.W., in the County of
London, Organist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
The object of the invention is to render the tuning arrangements in my Angelute
Pianofortes (see Patent No. 1828, dated May 1, 1876) more convenient to the tuner
by making the tuning pins to be more accessible than they have hitherto been in
these instruments, in which the strings and mechanism appertaining to the notes A,
B, C, D, F, and G, are placed on one side of the frame; and those appertaining to
the notes Bb, C, D, E, F and G, are placed on the other side thereof; whilst the
key-board is arranged above, so as to command equally well the mechanism on both
sides of the frame.
The invention also aims at simplifying the manufacture of these instruments by
rendering unnecessary the long pins passing through the wrest-plank in connection
with the strings on the rear side of the frame, as hitherto used.
It further secures the advantage of allowing freer egress of the tone of the
instrument by way of the top.
To secure these results I place the wrest-plank substantially in a horizontal
position at the top of the frame. The tuning pins are arranged therein in a vertical
position, or nearly so: And in conjunction with this arrangement I employ keys so
cut away, or narrowed for a portion of their length, that the implement used for
tuning may pass down conveniently between them to reach the tuning pins.
My invention may be carried out variously according to the form of the frame,
wrest-plank, or pins employed; its main feature being that by more nearly
approximating the arrangements for tuning to those found in horizontal pianos, it
disposes of the inconvenience hitherto attendant upon the tuning of my pianos
consequent upon the positions of the wrest-plank and pins.
Dated thin 10th
1807
I, JOHN CHARLES WARD, of "The Retreat," Haverstock Hill, N.W., in the County of
London, Organist, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to render the tuning or wrest-pins in my Angelute

page_text: Pianofortes (see Specification of Patent No. 1828, May 1, 1876) more accessible to
the tuner than they have hitherto been in these instruments, which differ from all
other pianos in that the strings and mechanism appertaining to the notes
A, B, C, D, F, and (r, are placed on one side of the frame, whilst the like
appliances proper to the notes A, C, D, E, F, and G, are placed on the other side
thereof; and the key-board is arranged above, so as to command equally well the
mechanism on both sides of the frame.
The invention also simplifies the fabrication of these instruments by removing the
need for the long wrest-pins hitherto required to pass through the wrest-plank in
connection with the strings on the rear side of the frame.
The invention moreover secures the advantage of freer egress being given to the
tone by way of the top.
To obtain these results I place the wrest-plank in a horizontal position-or nearly
so on the top of the frame: the wrest-pins being arranged in the plank in a vertical
position or nearly so. And in conjunction with this arrangement I employ keys
and their auxiliary levers, so reduced in width for a portion of their length that the
implement employed for tuning purposes may pass down conveniently between
them to reach the tuning pins.
Where desirable I also provide openings in the key-blocks for the same purpose.
The following full description of my invention and the mode of carrying it out
incidentally involves, for the sake of clearness, the recapitulation of some details
which have already been more fully described in my original specification before
referred to.
Fig. 1. shews a plan of the lowest octave of the key-board of one of my full-compass
pianos of the minimum length, and in which the bass key-block is left intact: an
arrangement which in this drawing incidentally serves to indicate in two instances
the length of the openings required in the key-board where the instrument is tricord.
In the middle of each
The keys a and a¹ are centred at their further ends a².
key is a regulative screw b.
To the front of the screws beach key is recessed for a certain distance to about
one half of the usual width. The recess in the one key faces the recess in the next
one; thus forming the openings c through which the wrest-pins A, B, C, D, F, G,
To the rear of the screw b similar
are seen in the wrest-plank beneath, (see Fig. 2.)
openings c¹ discover the wrest-pins A, C, D, E, F, G, beneath and from the
latter openings the keys are narrowed c² for the remainder of their length so as to
further give egress to the sound.
Fig. 2. is a transverse view, shewing incidentally improvements in those appliances
used for working ordinary upright pianoforte actions in connection with my piano-
fortes which are fully shewn in Fig. 7, of my former specification referred to above.
In this figure, for convenience, the white key a represents all those keys-whether
white or black-which operate the auxiliary levers 62; whilst the black key a¹
represents all the other keys--whether black or white-which operate the levers 63:
and the wrest-pins are arranged so as to shew the form of wrest-plank requisite where
the instrument is tricord.
The keys a and a¹ are shewn strengthened at their further ends by increased depth
of material. Obviously they may be elsewhere so strengthened: whilst by the use
of metal instead of, or in combination with wood in their manufacture, greater
strength may be obtained in the keys, concurrently with enlargement of the
openings c, c¹, c².
The screw b, in the middle of the key, bears upon the sticker b¹.
to the auxiliary lever 62 which carries the rod b.
This is hinged
The latter is attached at its lower
end to the bottom lever of the action employed on the front side of the instrument,
which it operates when the key is depressed.
The action on the rear side is operated in exactly the same way by means of the
auxiliary lever b³ on the depression of the key a¹.
For the guidance of the tuner the positions of the respective wrest-pins are
indicated on the keys at c c¹.

page_text: Beneath the auxiliary levers 62 63, and placed horizontally on the top of the frame d
is the wrest-plank d¹ (clothed in metal) holding the wrest-pins A, B, C, in its fore
part, and A, C, D, in its rear part.
From the wrest-pin A the string e is shewn passing to the stud e
from the wrest-pin A the string is shewn passing to the stud e.
strings may be made to pass to the reverse sides when desirable.
Guide-pins, not shewn in the drawing, are employed when requisite.
and likewise,
Obviously the
When openings c c' are made in the bass key-block, and the instrument is nowhere
tricord, the wrest-plank need not be overhanging.
My invention may be carried out variously according to the form of the frame,
wrest-plank, or pins employed; or as the key-board may be fixed or movable, without
departing from the distinctive character of the invention; the main feature of which
consists in that it provides-as approximately shewn in the drawings-a new position
for the wrest-plank in these pianos, in combination with a modification of the key-
board which renders the tuning pins accessible so that the instruments may be
tuned from the top.
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. A keyboard for pianofortes provided with openings, as c and c¹, substantially as
shewn in the drawings Fig. 1. and Fig. 2. and for the purposes set forth.
2. In a pianoforte in which the strings and the appliances for sounding the same
are on both sides of the frame, and the keys are above, the combination of a wrest-
plank placed approximately in a horizontal position on the top of the frame, with a
key-board provided with openings for giving access to the wrest-pins, substantially
as described above, and as shewn in the drawings Fig. 1. and Fig. 2.
Dated this Eleventh day of December 1897.