Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1591-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
In the drawings
Figure 1 is a top view of a type writer with the device attached.
Figure 2 is a top view of the key board.
Figure 3 is a detail end view of the paper cylinder and related parts.
Figure 4 is a front view of the same.
Figure 5 is a sectional view of one of the detachable rubber heads for covering
the ordinary key.
Figure 6 is a detail view, partly in section, of a detachable key.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the detachable rack bars.
In the drawings the device is shewn attached to the ordinary caligraph, but it
may be readily adapted to other type writers by slightly modifying the mechanism
described.
The main features of the type writer are unchanged, the actuating and lever
mechanism being substantially the same. The keys, however, instead of repre-
senting alphabetical characters, are marked with the various characters used in
music, such as whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, thirty-second and sixty-fourth
notes, in the various positions in which they occur, and other musical characters,
which will be readily recognized by a musician on the key board shown in
Figure 2. For convenience sake, the letter or other character, usually represented
by that key upon the type writer selected, is placed below the musical character,
in smaller size, and this is done, so that in setting up the machine, the operator
may know at once the place in which each key belongs, and this is true whatever
kind of key be used, whether the elastic thimble or cap shown in Figure 5, or the
ordinary screw key shown in Figure 6.
The cap or thimble shown in Figure 5 is made of rubber, and is intended to be
placed over the ordinary key head of the type writer, the musical character being
indicated on the top in the usual manner, and the key shown in Figure 6 has its
shank threaded, so that it will screw readily into a socket formed in the machine.
The ordinary type, of course, are removed from the type sockets of the levers, and
the musical character is inserted, corresponding with that upon the key head, or,
in some kinds of type writers, the entire mechanism of the type and levers to
which they are connected, might be removed, and another inserted, which would
accomplish the same result in a more expeditious manner.
In arranging the key board it must be borne in mind that some of the characters
have to be printed in a direction parallel with the lines of the music paper, that is,
they do not all, when imprinted, stand at right angles to such lines, as in the
case of ordinary matter. It therefore becomes necessary in arranging the key
board, in order to prevent the type from interfering with others, to set the levers,
which carry such characters, for instance, braces, slurs, rests and some others, as
early as possible parallel with the lines upon the music paper, that is at the right
and left sides of the circular frame in which those levers are carried. They are
ר

page_text: shown in Figure 1 thus arranged, and it may be found in practical use, that it
would be advisable to change the relative position of one or more of these keys
from that shown, but this would not be a departure from the principle of the
invention, which consists in arranging characters of this class at the sides of the
lever frame of the machine, to prevent interference in operation.
The paper cylinder is constructed somewhat differently, the pawl and ratchet
mechanism at the right hand end being removed, while the revolving mechanism
for spacing between the lines is located at the opposite end, and will now be
described.
Upon the end of the axle 1 of the paper cylinder 2, which is elongated, is
mounted a hand wheel 3, and, at 4, is an indicator, on whose inner face is a lug 5
adapted to engage with notches upon a circular rackbar 6, which is fastened upon
the outside of a disc 7, which is mounted on the axle of the paper cylinder, and,
on the upper face of this disc, is fastened a gauge plate 8, which is spaced into
divisions corresponding with the notches in the rackbar 6 and also with the various
steps upon the staff. There are enough of these spaces to cover an octave above
and an octave below, and the octave on the staff itself, practically 17 divisions.
Of course any number of these divisions may be made upon the gauge plate.
When paper is used of wider spaced lines, the rackbar 6 and gauge plate 8 may
readily be removed, and others of proper gauge attached. Several of these of
different sizes will be provided for this purpose.
The paper being placed in position, shown in Figure 1, the operator strikes
the proper key and imprints the end bar upon the paper, and then strikes the key
upon which the treble clef is indicated and imprints such clef upon the paper at
the right of the bar.
So far no rotary movement of the paper cylinder is necessary, for the bar and
clef whose types have been struck occupy the full width of the staff, and the
operator as yet has had no occasion to turn the hand wheel 3, which, mounted on
the axle of the paper cylinder 2, revolves both it and the disc 7, which carries the
gauge plate 8.
The indicator 4 is stationary, being rigidly secured to the crossbar 9 connected
with the frame which carries the cylinder 2. For convenience, the gauge plate is
set upon the disc so that 1 corresponds with the central line of the staff and thus
when the indicator stands at 1, and a key is struck, the type or character repre-
sented by that key would be struck upon the central line of the staff. Of course
the mechanism might be set so that 1 upon the gauge plate would correspond
with any other position, such as the first note of any particular key, or the first
line of the staff, but this is a matter of convenience for the operator.
The operator will then proceed as follows:-
The next character to be struck, as shown upon the paper, being E sharp, in the
fourth space of the staff, or position 4, the operator by the hand wheel revolves
the disc and cylinder until the indicator marks 4, and then strikes the proper key.
The next character to be made, being C sharp, which is in position 2, the
operator turns the hand wheel backward until is indicated on the disc, and then
strikes the key indicating the sharp and the impression is made in the space above
the central line of the staff. The next impression to be made is the time, which
is all indicated upon one key, g, and as this occupies the full width of the staff,
the operator turns the hand wheel and disc back to 1 and then strikes the proper
key. The next character to be made is two eighth notes respectively on the first
space of the staff, and the first space below the staff, and in that case the operator
turns the hand wheel and disc backward to 4 (the first of the notes being in
position 4, counting down), and then strikes the key.
6
This stroke causing the paper cylinder to move one space to the left, the operator
now moves it one space back again, and then strikes the key which indicates a short
stem quarter note, imprinting it directly below the eighth before struck, and in
the space below. The next characters to be made are the two bars or hooks which

page_text: connect the pairs of notes, which are made by duplicating the single bar key on
the key board, and the operator turns the hand wheel and disc forward, first to one
and then to three. This process is continued until the end of the line is reached,
it being remembered always that in ascending from any position the disc is
turned forward, and descending from any position the disc is turned backward in
every case. When the end of the line is reached, the operator turns the paper
cylinder completely around once, and this will bring it in position to begin the
next line.
Of course within the compass of the ordinary key board, every musical character
cannot well be contained, and any ones not often used may readily be added by a
pen, or a larger key board might be constructed, but this would be more expensive
and is not therefore desirable.
The principle of the invention is, however, the same, whatever the capacity of
the key board. Thus, one type might be used for two or even three notes above
each other, but such impression can be made from the key board shown, the notes
being separately made one above another, as hereinbefore described.
The mechanism, which revolves the paper cylinder, shown in detail in
Figures 3-7, may be used for ordinary typewriting, and, by removing the
musical type and replacing them with the ordinary kind and taking off the rubber
caps shown in Figure 5, the typewriter is again ready for ordinary work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a typewriter, a series of levers, keys connected therewith indicating
musical characters, musical type removably connected to such levers and adapted
to be operated thereby, substantially as shown and described.
2. In a type writer, a paper cylinder mounted on an axle having bearings in a
framework hinged to the machine, a disc rigidly mounted on such axle and a hand
wheel or similar device for rotating such cylinder and disc, substantially as shown
and described.
3. In a typewriter, a paper cylinder mounted on an axle having bearings in a
frame hinged to the machine, a disc also mounted on such axle, and a hand wheel
mounted on an extension thereof for rotating the parts, a gauge plate indicating
numbers secured to the face of such disc, and a stationary indicator connected to
the cross bar of the cylinder frame and registering with the gauge plate, all
combined substantially as shown and described.
4. In a typewriter, a paper cylinder mounted on an axle, a framework hinged to
the machine providing bearings for such axle, a disc provided with a gauge plate
with suitable numbers on its face also mounted on such axle, and means such as a
hand wheel for rotating the cylinder and disc by one and the same movement, an
indicator secured to the cylinder frame for marking the spaces upon the disc, a
circular rackbar connected to the side of the disc and having notches spaced to
correspond with the width of the lines upon the paper to be impressed, a projection
on the inside of the indicator adapted to engage with the notches of the rack bar,
all combined substantially as shown and described.
5. A typewriter, wherein the keys indicate musical characters, actuating levers
connected with such keys, removable type whose faces correspond with the marks
upon the key heads, the type whose characters are to be impressed substantially or
nearly parallel with the lines upon the musical paper arranged on the sides of the
lever frame, substantially as shown and described.
6. In a type writer, a detachable cap having any suitable character thereon for
covering the key head, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 19th day of January 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.