Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 25th July, 1887
Complete Left, 13th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 29th June, 1888
I ADAM SEPPE of St. Petersburg in the Empire of Russia, Manufacturer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
:-
This invention relates to repeating actions for pianofortes, an essential peculiarity
of such mechanism being that each hammer is balanced in such a manner that it
remains in suspension, and does not touch, as usually, the immoveable support or cross-
rail fixed to the case of the instrument. This mechanism, which by its simplicity is
superior to everything else in this branch offered to the present time, is applied to
each key, and provided with regulating screws, owing to which it becomes possible,
not only to regulate with mathematical precision the position and stroke of each part
of it, but also to adjust the tension of the spring equilibrating the hammer.
The repetition mechanism is as follows:-
The hopper, is provided with a swinging lever, one end of which has a cushion to
keep the hammer in suspense when the top end of the hopper is driven out by the
stop cushion from beneath the hammer. To the other end of this lever is fixed a
cushion on a regulating screw and a spring. The upper end of this spring is passed
through a projection of the hopper, whilst its lower end passes round a pin set in the
lever, and bending upwards, bears against the regulating screw.
Thus, by means of the regulating screw, the tension of the spring can be regulated
with precision, and consequently the hammer may be balanced to the required degree.
The upward stroke of the horizontal end of the lever is limited by a hook applied to
the end of a screw, which is screwed into a horizontal block fixed to the back of the
hopper. The downward stroke of the same end of the lever is limited by the cushion
before mentioned.
The lever may be replaced by a spring provided at its upper end with a cushion,
which supports the hammer, whilst the lower end of this spring is fixed directly to
the hopper. The tension of this spring is regulated by a screw, which, in this case,
passes through the hopper, and the movements of the cushion are limited by another
regulating screw, which likewise passes through the hopper..
A third regulating screw, which is passed through the upper block, secures
mathematical precision in the hammer's leaving the strings at the moment of the
stroke.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Repeating Actions for Pianofortes.
I ADAM SEPPE of St. Petersburg in the Empire of Russia, Manufacturer, 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:
This invention relates to repeating actions for pianofortes, an essential peculiarity
of all such mechanism being that the normal position of each hammer is in suspension,
and does not fall back, as is usual, onto the immovable support or cross-rail fixed to
the case of the instrument. This mechanism, which is applied to each key, is provided
with regulating screws, by means of which its action is regulated with mathematical
precision.
In the accompanying drawing are shown two forms of the repetition mechanism as
applied to.a horizontal pianoforte of English model.
In Figs. 1 and 2, A is the key, B a vertically adjustable bar fixed to the key A. by
two screws bb, which provide for the vertical adjustment of the hopper C, pivotted to
the bar at c* D is a hammer swinging on the pivots dd, held in the block E which
is provided with the tightening screw e. F is a cross-rail, on which are fixed the
hammer blocks E, and through which pass the screws G, provided, each with a butt
cushion. When the key is depressed to raise the hopper, and thereby lift the
hammer into contact with the strings, the projection of the hopper C, striking
against the cushion g, trips the hopper from the hammer, allowing the latter to drop
clear of the strings. The trip movement of the hopper is limited by the stop pin H
fixed to the key A, as shown in Fig. 1, or by the fixed rail H, Fig. 2, fixed to the
case of the instrument. I is the fixed cross-rail, & is the support for the hammer, usually
fixed to the end of the key.
All the aforementioned pieces offer nothing new, and represent the parts of an
ordinary key mechanism of English model.
The construction of the proposed repetition mechanism is as follows:-
In the arrangement represented by Fig. 1, the hopper C is provided with a
swinging lever, the upper end of which has a cushion for receiving the hammer
butt when the hopper Cis tripped by the cushion 9. To the other end of this lever L
is fixed the button M on the regulating screw m. N is a spring, the upper end of
which is passed through the projection c² of the hopper C, whilst its lower end passes
round the pin O, set in the lever L, and bending upwards, bears against the regulating.
screw P.
Thus by means of the regulating screw P, the tension of the spring N can be
regulated with precision, and, consequently, the suspended position of the hammer D
may be adjusted to the required degree.
The upward stroke of the horizontal end of the lever L is limited by the hook Q,
forming part of the screw 7, fitted adjustably to the tail piece 3 of the hopper C. The
downward stroke, of the horizontal end of the lever L is limited by the cushion M
before mentioned.

page_text: s is a regulating screw projecting downwards from the hammer block E immediately
above the cushion 7, and serving to arrest the lever L as it is carried up by the hopper,
and tip it clear of the hammer butt. When the hammer has struck the strings, and
the hopper is returning, preparatory to repeating the blow, the lever L, being now
freed from the stop s, will come again into contact with the hammer butt, and hold
the hammer suspended.
In the modification represented by Fig. 2, the lever L is removed, and replaced by
the spring L, provided at its upper end with a cushion 7, which supports the hammer
butt, whilst the lower end of this spring is fixed directly to the hopper C. The
tension of this spring is regulated by the screw P, which, in this case, passes through
the hopper C, and the movements of the cushion are limited by the regulating
screw m, which likewise passes through the hopper.
Besides the screws P and m, there is a third regulating screw s, which is passed
through the upper block E, and ensures, as in the first arrangement, the hammers
leaving the strings with mathematical precision after the delivery of the blow.
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:
The repetition mechanism applied to each key, and consisting essentially in the
addition to the hopper, of the lever L, with the spring N, or the spring L' alone, for
holding, by means of the cushion 1, the hammer D in suspension; the tension of the
spring and the position of the cushion 2, at different moments, being precisely regulated
by the three screws P, m and s, essentially as described and represented in the
drawing annexed.