Improvements in Electro-pneumatic Organs.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 25th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 31st May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electro-pneumatic Organs.
I, THOMAS CASSON of Denbigh in the County of Denbigh Bank Manager do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
In electro pneumatic organs, as they are usually constructed, the movement of a
drawstop or coupling drawstop makes an electrical contact whereby a current of
electricity is transmitted to an electro-magnet.
This magnet attracts an armature which is a valve or works valves whereby a
pneumatic lever is brought into operation to open a valve or set of valves for
causing a set of pipes to sound. My invention relates to the arrangement of
electrical contacts for organs of this kind in such a manner that by the movement
of appropriate stop-pulls or pushes various combinations of stops can be brought
into operation by the depression of any one set of the keys or pedals.
As an
illustration of this arrangement I will assume that there are two main contact
pushes, each of which can make contact, while the other breaks contact. A current
can thus be transmitted to the one or the other of two other sets of subsidiary
contacts each consisting of two, three or more drawstops pulls or pushes, which in
their turn, can be moved so as to make or break, contact, transmitting current
when they make contact to one or another of sets of conductors leading to the
electro-magnets which work the valves of the pneumatic levers. These pneumatic
levers work the wind valves which bring whole stops of pipes or groups of stops
of pipes into condition for being operated when the key or pedal appropriated to
any note of these stops is depressed.
Each set of the drawstop & coupling contacts for a manual organ may have a
separate set for the corresponding pedal organ, the main contacts being so arranged
that a pedal push adjacent to the manual may bring into action the pedal set
appropriate to the set then in operation on the manual. In this manner I am
enabled, by the use of suitable sets of main and subsidiary contacts worked by
drawstops, to prepare and effect combinations of stops and couplers subject to the
action of one key board or one set of pedals.
I further arrange for the manual key action to work in octave, suboctave or unison
pitch at will. In conjunction with certain of the conductors I arrange contacts
whereby the key action can be made to operate notes of varying pitch concurrently
with the stops brought into operation by the same conductors. Thus by one
conductor a given group of stops may be arranged to come on with unison key
action, and by another conductor a group, which may consist of the same or of other
stops and couplers, may be made to come on with the octave action. In this manner
the stops such as those of 16 feet in one group may become stops of 8 feet in the
other, and others in proportion, and thus by using the stops in varying pitch the
resources of the organ can be greatly extended without material increase of size or
cost. The actions in pitch that are not brought on automatically by the conductors
may be drawn on as stops by the conductors. The contact slides may be worked by
hand as pulls or pushes or by the feet as pedals.
Dhi 1 1
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electro-pneumatic Organs.
I, THOMAS CASSON of Denbigh in the County of Denbigh, Bank Manager 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 electro pneumatic organs as they are usually constructed, the movement of a
draw, stop or coupling drawstop makes an electrical contact whereby a current of
electricity is transmitted to an electro-magnet.
This magnet attracts an armature which is a valve or works valves whereby a
pneumatic lever is brought into operation to open a valve or set of valves for causing
a set of pipes to sound. My invention relates to the arrangement of electrical
contacts for organs of this kind in such a manner that by the movement of appro-
priate stop-pulls or pushes various combinations of stops can be brought into operation
by the depression of any one set of the keys or pedals. As an illustration of this
arrangement I will assume that there are two main contact pushes each of which can
make contact while the other breaks contact. A current can thus be transmitted to.
the one or the other of two other sets of subsidiary contacts each consisting of two
three or more drawstops pulls or pushes which in their turn, can be moved so as to
make or break contact transmitting current when they make contact to one or another
of sets of conductors leading to the electro-magnets which work the valves of the
pneumatic levers. These pneumatic levers work the wind valves which bring whole
stops of pipes or groups of stops of pipes into condition for being operated when the
key or pedal appropriated to any note of these stops is depressed.
Each set of the drawstop and coupling contacts for a manual organ may have à
separate set for the corresponding pedal organ, the main contacts being so arranged
that a pedal push adjacent to the manual may bring into action the pedal set
appropriate to the set then in operation on the manual. In this manner I am enabled
by the use of suitable sets of main and subsidiary contacts worked by drawstops, to
prepare and effect combinations of stops and couplers subject to the action of one key
board or one set of pedals.
I further arrange for the manual key action to work in octave, suboctave or unison
pitch at will. In conjunction with certain of the conductors I arrange contacts
whereby the key action can be made to operate notes of varying pitch concurrently
with the stops brought into operation by the same conductors. Thus by one conductor:
a given group of stops may be arranged to come on with unison key action, and by
another conductor a group, which may consist of the same or of other stops and
couplers, may be made to come on with the octave action. In this manner the stops
such as those of 16 feet in one group may become stops of 8 feet in the other and
others in proportion, and thus by using the stops in varying pitch the resources of the
organ can be greatly extended without material increase of size or cost. The actions
in pitch that are not brought on automatically by the conductors may be drawn on as
stops by the conductors.
The contact slides may be worked by hand as pulls or pushes or by the feet as
pedals.
The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically an arrangement according
to my invention of main and subsidiary contacts for bringing into action the stops for
three divisions of one manual keyboard of an organ, grand marked G, swell
marked S, and choir marked C, with corresponding pedal stops marked Gp, Spand C p
respectively. The main contacts, which may be of any known kind, are shewn as
being slides moved by knobs G¹ S' C' making or breaking contact at G² S³ C²
respectively.
From each of these main contacts, wires lead to a number of subsidiary contacts of
which there are shewn 9 for G various numbers for S and C. Notwithstanding that
any of these subsidiary contacts may be made, no current can be transmitted by them
unless the corresponding main contact be also made.

page_text: Thus though two of the subsidiary contacts for S, namely 3 and 5 are made, these
are ineffective because there is break of the main contact at S2. On the other hand
the subsidiary contacts 1, 2 being made for C, and the main contact C² being also
made, these are effective. The main slides G¹ S'C' may be interlocked as shewn by
sloping catches engaged by latching arms of a rocking shaft R so that on pushing in
one of the slides G₁ or S', the latch holding C' is released allowing C₁ to be driven
out. When there are pedal divisions G p, Sp, C p they might be operated by main
and subsidiary contacts as described for the manuals. In order however to avoid
multiplicity of main contacts, there may be a single slide P₁ by which contact may be
made at P3 for a second set of main contacts G³ S8 C3 on the slides G' S¹ C¹. Thus
when contact is made at P³, and any one of the slides such as C' makes contact at C³,
the corresponding subsidiary pedal contacts C p are made effective. In like manner
couplers for manuals or pedals or for unisons, octaves or suboctaves may be com-
manded by main contacts rendering the subsidiary contacts for each effective or
ineffective according as the main contacts are made or broken.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I claim :
In an electro-pneumatic organ, connecting the set of subsidiary contacts for bringing
into action the separate stops of each division, to the source of electricity through a
main contact by the making or breaking of which all the subsidiary contacts of the
set are rendered effective or ineffective, substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of April 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.