IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTION OF UPRIGHT PIANOFORTES "
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lambert, of No. 4, Harrington Square,
Hampstead Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTION OF UPRIGHT PIANOFORTES "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lambert at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th February 1871.
I, THOMAS LAMBERT, of No. 4, Harrington Square, Hampstead Road,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTION OF UPRIGHT PIANOFORTES," to be
as follows:-
In carrying out my improvements I apply a strip or bar of lead, zinc,
tin, or such like soft metal across the upper end of the hopper in order
that in that part acting on the under side of the under lever or the
leather thereto creaking noise may be prevented.
Also I apply to the key a check formed of a piece of wood with a
hollow surface thereto, such hollow surface being clothed with felt or

page_text: other suitable soft material adapted to receive a somewhat corres-
pondingly formed and felted or suitably clothed surface to act as a
counterpart affixed to the front end of the under lever. The check or
part thereof carried by the key is by preference connected to that key
by a wire stem, and the counterpart thereof is connected to the under
lever by a shank.
I also apply a spring to the counterpart carried by the under lever,
the outer end of which spring acts in a groove in the front of the check
applied to the key to facilitate the "repitition" of the hammer to the
string. The stickers connected at one end to the butt of the hammer and
at the other end to the upper portion of the under lever are each formed
in two parts with screw connection between them for the purpose of
regulating the length of such stickers and thereby of affording facility
for raising or lowering the under lever for correct relating to the hopper.
This screw connection may be obtained by a pin or wire, one end of
which is tapped to screw into one end or portion of the sticker whilst
the other end of it simply passes into a hole or socket in the other part
of the sticker, there being a head between these parts for such portion
of the sticker to rest on and to facilitate the screwing of the tapped
portion of the wire into or from one portion of the sticker, or the head
may be formed as a nut or button with a thread through it corre-
sponding with that on the wire to obtain the desired variation.
I also apply a piece of cord, braid, or other suitable material to the
butt of the hammer and to a spring from a front rail to act just above
the axis or centre of motion of the hammer for the purpose of bringing
it back to the rest rail. A convenient method of applying this piece of
cord, braid, or other suitable material is by passing one end of it into
a hole in the side of the "butt" and hooking the other end on to the
spring, and in order to vary the power of the springs attached thereto I
apply the series of them in the rail which is supported on centres so as
to be capable of rocking and of being set as required by screw stops.
By these means greater precision and delicacy of action of the parts are
obtained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Lambert in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I, THOMAS
LAMBERT, of No. 4, Harrington Square, Hampstead Road, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Lambert, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Lambert, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Lambert, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTION
OF UPRIGHT PIANOFORTES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Lambert, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Lambert, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
In carrying out my improvements I apply a strip or bar of lead, zinc,
tin, or such like soft metal across the upper end of the hopper in order that
in that part acting on the under side of the under lever or the leather
thereto creaking noise may be prevented.
Also I apply to the keys checks formed of a piece of wood with a
hollow surface thereto, such hollow surface may be clothed with felt or
other suitable soft material adapted to receive a somewhat corre-

page_text: spondingly formed and felted or suitably clothed surface to act as a
counterpart affixed to the front end of the under lever. The check or
part thereof carried by the key is by preference connected to that key
by a wire stem and the counterpart thereof is connected to the under
lever by a similar wire stem or a shank. The stickers connected at one
end to the butt of the hammer and at the other end to the upper portion
of the under lever are each formed in two parts with screw connection
between them for the purpose of regulating the length of such stickers,
and thereby of affording facility for raising or lowering the under lever
for correct relation to the hopper. This screw connection is obtained:
by a pin or wire, one end of which is tapped and firmly screwed into
one end or portion of the sticker whilst the other end of it simply
passes into and so as to be capable of sliding in a hole or socket formed
for it in the other part of the sticker, there being a nut or button on
the screwed portion of the stem to rest against one portion of the sticker,
by turning which one way or the other, will, as the case may be, shorten
or lengthen the sticker.

page_text: ment therein by the screw stem as is well understood, and the inside
of this button for that next the check e is clothed with felt or other
suitable material. The object of this check is to prevent the rebound
of the hammer to the string when the key is acted upon.
The stickers 9 connected at one end by the flexible connection h to
the butt of the hammer i, and at the other end by the flexible con-
nection to the upper portion of the under lever d, are each formed
in two parts which are connected together by a stem 1, such stem being
formed with a thread thereon to receive an adjustable nut or button m,
or with a head by which the stem / may be screwed into one of the
parts of the sticker g. I also apply this means of adjustment to the
hopper or jack by dividing the same into two parts, adjustable in
relation to each other by the application thereto of a screw stem 7 and
nut or button m for the purpose of affording facility for the raising or
lowering of the upper part of such hopper or jack in relation to the
lever or other part acted upon by it. n is a guide affixed to the lower
part of the hopper or jack o and acting against the upper part thereof
to prevent that upper part from turning when moved either way by the
action of the button m.
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim
is, the adaptation or combination of means acting for the purposes
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lambert, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.