Improvements in Musical Boxes.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Musical Boxes.
I, CHRISTIAN LANDENBERGER, of 91, Aldersgate Street in the City of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates more especially to musical boxes of the kind in which
vibrating musical tongues are caused to vibrate by means of suitably arranged
projections upon the lower face of a changeable disc which is caused to revolve
above them by means of spring mechanism, by hand, or by other means, so as to
produce any desired tune by using the appropriate disc. It has for its object a
method of combining with such revolving disc and vibrating musical tongues, a
device by which the free vibration of all or any part of the vibrating tongues, may be
more or less damped or prevented, an effect being in this way obtained resembling
more or less the tones produced by a banjo, harp, zither, and the like.
For this purpose I arrange under the row or "comb of vibrating musical
tengues which are sounded by the projections below the revolving disc, a damper
or pad of any suitable material, which can be pressed up against the lower surface
of the vibrating tongues or lowered from it as desired.
I make this pad or damper of paper in the form of a cylindrical roll, or a cylinder
or bar, of compressed pulp, or of leather, or of wood or other material covered with
leather, or of wood or other suitable material, which may be varied according to
the character of the effect which it is desired to produce, or even in some cases of
metal, such as a fixed or loose wire or spring, or tongues. I arrange this pad or damper
upon an arm or arms, or frame, which carries it, in such manner that it can be
raised and pressed against the lower surface of the vibrating tongues or lowered
and withdrawn from them, by means of a lever or handle, or other equivalent
means. I prefer to make this lever of light elastic material, such as spring steel,
and I arrange a fixed number of notches or catches by which it can be fixed in any
desired position, so as to press with greater or less force against the vibrating
tongues, as desired.
The apparatus described may be varied more or less. For instance, the damper
described may be made to act upon some only of the vibrating tongues,--the upper
or lower notes respectively, for instance; or two such damping devices may be
used, either or both of which may be used, each acting upon some of the tongues.
Or instead of one, two or more combs or sets of musical vibrating tongues may be
used, arranged in suitable positions under the revolving disc, which is provided
with corresponding properly arranged projections, the whole or part of the notes
in each set being affected by one or more of the adjustable dampers.
In this way a very great number of varying effects may be produced during the
piaying of a tune, by putting the desired dampers into or out of operation; and
I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement,
which may be varied more or less to suit varying circumstances.
I am aware that a damper somewhat of the kind described has been applied to
ordinary musical boxes having revolving cylinders provided with pins or teeth,

page_text: but my invention consists in the novel combination of one or more such damping
devices with a revolving disc having projections by which vibrating musical
tungues are actuated.
Doted this 17th day of October 1896
I, CHRISTIAN LANDENBERGER, of 91, Aldersgate Street, in the City of London,
Merchant, 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, and accompanying drawing, that is to say:
My invention relates more especially to musical boxes of the kind in which
vibrating musical tongues are caused to vibrate by means of suitably arranged
projections upon the lower face of a changeable disc which is caused to revolve
above them by means of spring mechanism by hand, or by other means, so as to
produce any desired tune by using the appropriate disc. It has for its object a
method of combining with such revolving disc and vibrating musical tongues, a
device by which the free vibration of all or some of the vibrating tongues, may be
more or less damped or prevented, an effect being in this way obtained resembling
more or less the tones produced by a banjo, harp, zither, and the like.
For this purpose I arrange under the row or "comb" of vibrating musical
tongues, which are sounded by the projections below the revolving disc, a damper
or pad of any suitable material, which can be pressed up against the lower surface
of the vibrating tongues or lowered from it, as desired.
I make this pad or damper of paper in the form of a cylindrical roll, or a cylinder
or bar, of compressed pulp, or of leather, or of wood or other material covered with
leather, or of wood or other suitable material, which may be varied according to
the character of the effect which it is desired to produce, or even in some cases of
metal, such as a fixed or loose wire or spring, or tongues. I arrange this pad or damper
upon an arm or arms, or frame, which carries it, in such manner that it can be
raised and pressed against the lower surface of the vibrating tongues or lowered
ond withdrawn from them, by means of a lever or handle, or other equivalent
I prefer to make this lever of light elastic material, such as spring steel,
and a number of fixed notches or catches may be arranged, by which i can be
fixed in any desired position, so as to press with greater or less force against the
vibrating tongues, as desired.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of my invention, Figure 1 repré-
senting in plan, and Figure 2 in end view the essential parts of a musical box of
the kind described, having my improved apparatus applied to it.
a is the row or comb of musical vibrating tongues, which are sounded by means
of projections below the changeable disc c which is made to revolve in the usual
way by clockwork or other means. The projections & act upon loose star wheels d,
b
the teeth upon which cause the vibration of the tongues, in the well-known way.
e is the damper or pad, one end of which is carried by the lever f, which turns
upon a centre g, the outer end of the lever f, at f', being raised or lowered as
desired, so as to withdraw the pad e, as shown in Figure 2, or bring it into contact
with the lower side of the tongues a, as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2, as
desired.

page_text: In the drawing the pad, which is shewn separately in plan in Figure 3, and in
end view in Figure 4, is made of a roll of a sufficient number of thicknesses h of soft
paper, which are carried in a semi-circular metal trough i, one end of which is
firmly and rigidly attached to the inner end of the lever f..
The apparatus described may be varied more or less. For instance, the damper
described may be made to act upon some only of the vibrating tongues,--the upper
or lower notes respectively, for example; or two such damping devices may be
used, either or both of which may be used, each acting upon some of
the tongues. Or instead of one, two or more combs or sets of musical
vibrating tongues may be used, arranged in suitable positions under the
revolving disc, which is provided with corresponding properly arranged
projections, the whole or part of the notes in each set being affected by one or more
of the adjustable dampers.
In this way a very great number of varying effects may be produced during the
playing of a tune, by putting the desired dampers into or out of operation; and
I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement,
which may be varied more or less to suit varying circumstances. For instance,
the pad or damper may be applied above the vibrating tongues, instead of below
them, as described and illustrated.
I do not claim generally the application of dampers to the vibrating tongues
of ordinary musical boxes, but having now particularly described and ascertained
the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
I declare that what I claim is:
The combination, in musical boxes having a revolving disc projections upon
which operate wheels or levers by which the proper vibrating musical tongues are
actuated, of the vibrating musical tongues a, the damper or pad e, and the lever f
by which the said damper or pad is brought into contact with or withdrawn from
the vibrating tongues, as desired, substantially in the manner and for the purpose
described and illustrated.
EDWARDS AND CO.,
65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.