Improvements in Upright-piano Actions.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 5th May, 1894
COMPLEIE SIEUITIONA
Improvements in Upright-piano Actions.
I, GEORGE MORSE GUILD, of 72 Huntington Avenue, in the City of Boston,
County of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Pianoforte 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 :-
My invention relates to upright-piano actions, and has for its object to dispense
with many of the parts hitherto necessary, and generally to simplify and reduce
the cost of construction, and produce at the same time a light, elastic, and powerful
action, free from liability to be injuriously affected by climatic changes, and in
which the notes can be repeated rapidly and perfectly without removing the finger
from the key; and to this end my invention consists in certain novel features and
combinations of parts as hereinafter fully set forth and specifically pointed out in
the claims.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of an upright-piano action constructed in accordance
with my invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the same, with the parts in the positions which
they occupy when the key is depressed.
Figure 4 is a detail representing in perspective the jack-butt and hammer-heel,
the upper portion of the lifter-rod and jack and the parts adjacent thereto.
Figures 5 and 6 are sections through the damper and the upper end of the
damper-lever.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 are modifications to be referred to.
In the said drawings, A represents the center rail to the top of which is secured
the flange a, to the rear end of which is pivoted the damper-lever B, carrying the
damper b, and to the front end at c, the hammer-heel C, the lower portion of which
is properly shaped and constructed to form the jack-butt D, (sometimes called the
"hammer-butt").
E represents the hammer, d the hammer-stem, G the hammer-rail, and e the
damper-spring, all constructed in the usual manner.
H is a rail having secured to its rear side a flange f, to the upper end of which
is pivoted a lever I, which rests upon and is supported by an adjusting screw
projecting upward from the inner end of the key L fulcrummed at h, the head of
the screw g bearing upon a cushion k applied to the under surface of the lever I.
To the lever I is pivoted at 10 the lower end of an upright rod or bar M, the free
end of which forms the jack, while the opposite end forms the lifter, the entire rod
or bar forming what I term a "combined lifter-rod and jack," the upper or free
end of which lies directly beneath the jack-butt D and acts upon the same to
operate the hammer when raised by the depression of the key L through the
lever I previously referred to, an elastic cushion or stop 12 being provided, against
which the upper end of the lifter-rod and jack normally rests, as shown in
Fig. 2.
The adjusting screw g enables the parts to be readily adjusted to compensate for
wear, the head of said screw 9 being preferably provided with holes to receive the
end of a rod or other implement by which it may be turned to effect the adjustment
required.
7 is a guide-pin and hammer-retractor, which projects forwardly from the lower
end of the hammer-heel, said pin passing. through a bushed slot n, Fig. 4, formed
at the free or upper end of the lifter-rod and jack. The pin 4, which takes the

page_text: place of a guide flange, works smoothly and without any friction in the slot n, and
forms a simple, cheap, and effective guide for steadying and preventing the lifter-
rod and jack from having any lateral movement, whereby it is kept at all times
exactly in line with the jack-butt D as required.
A further advantage possessed by this guide pin is that after the hammer has
struck its blow upon the string and the key has been released, the weight of the
lifter-rod and jack and mechanism connected therewith will be brought upon the
guide-pin by the contact of the end of the slot n therewith, and thus transmitted to
the hammer-heel, operating positively in this manner as an assistant device to
insure the instant retraction or withdrawal of the hammer in case the joints should
be affected by dampness, and rendering it necessary to employ only a very light
and inexpensive hammer-spring, thus materially reducing the cost of the action,
and rendering the touch of the instrument very light and elastic.
The hammer-spring which I prefer to employ in connection with the aforesaid
construction consists of a light spring p composed of straight wire, one end being
preferably secured at 15 to the jack or bar M, while its opposite end bears with
suitable tension against a rest or projection 16 located on one side of the jack-butt
or hammer-heel and having on its inner or rear side an open slot or notch 8,
Fig. 4, to receive the end of the spring p and keep it in place, said spring sliding
in said slot and by its tension exerting an outward pressure upon the jack-butt or
hammer-heel above the level of its pivot or fulcruin c to withdraw or retract the
hammer on the release of the key L..
q is an adjustable throw-off button secured to the end of an upwardly inclined
regulating screw r passing through the lifter-rod and jack M, said throw-off
button co-operating with an incline's formed on the front side of the center-
rail A, whereby as the lifter-rod and jack is raised by the depression of the key L,
its free end will be thrown off its seat t, to allow the hammer to recede from the
string w, and by means of this screw r, the operation of these parts may be
regulated with the greatest nicety.
It will be seen that the throw-off button q is normally situated at a little distance
from the face of the inclines of the rail A, as shown in Fig. 2, and therefore it
does not come into contact therewith until the hammer has nearly touched the
string, consequently the lifter-rod and jack M will remain under the shoulder or
seat of the jack-butt until after the blow has been struck, when it is instantly
thrown off its seat.t into the position shown in Fig. 3, against the back-stop N, the
construction of which will be presently described.
By this means the blow of the hammer upon the string is given with its full
force before the lifter-rod and jack commences to be thrown off the shoulder or
seat t of the jack-butt, resulting in the full. force of the blow upon the key being
always transmitted to the string.
As the key L is depressed, an increased tension in a backward direction is put
upon the spring p by the movement of the parts into the position shown in Fig. 3,
the spring being thus ready to act in the proper direction to effect the recession
of the hammer at the proper time, and as the lifter-rod and jack commences to
fall on the release of the key L, the tension of the spring p under the arrangement
described, acting upon the said lifter-rod and jack in an inward direction, causes
its free or upper end to be instantly returned to its original position beneath the
seat of the jack-butt against the stop 12, as seen in Fig. 2, ready for a repetition
of the blow of the hammer.
By this construction I am enabled to reseat the free end of the lifter-rod and
jack beneath the jack-butt the moment the key L is relieved of the pressure of
the finger, the parts being thus ready for another blow when the hammer has
receded but a short distance from the string, which gives me the advantage of
being able to repeat rapidly without removing the finger from the key, and at the
same time cause the hammer to give a fine and perfect blow each time it strikes
the string.
By arranging the light spring p in the manner described to perform the double

page_text: function of a hammer-spring and a spring for reseating the lifter-rod and jack
beneath the jack-butt, it can be made of very much lighter wire than any hammer-
spring hitherto used, thereby giving the instrument a much lighter and more
delicate touch, as the full force of the spring is not felt upon the key until just
before the blow is struck, the ordinary hammer-spring and hammer-spring rail
hitherto necessary being by this construction entirely dispensed with, thereby
still further reducing the cost of construction.
The back-stop N is secured to the hammer-heel C, and is preferably provided
near its lower end with an adjustable button a', against which the free end of the
lifter-rod and jack contacts when thrown off its seat as before described; said
button a' being secured to the end of a regulating screw 6 passing through the
said back-stop near its lower end, and by thus making the back-stop adjustable as
described, the distance that the hammer recedes from the string after the blow,
may be regulated with the utmost nicety so as to lie as close as possible to the
string without any danger of striking it on the rebound, thus enabling the repetition
of the notes to be made more rapidly and perfectly than heretofore; furthermore,
the location of the regulating screw 6' in front of the hammer-heel renders it
easily accessible for adjustment, which is an important advantage.
If desired, the adjustable back-stop button a' may be dispensed with, in which
case the back-stop may be made integral with the hammer-heel, as shown in
Figs. 7 and 8, and when so made the back-stop will, on the release of the key,
exert an inward pressure on the free end of the lifter-rod and jack, thus acting to
return the same to its original position beneath the seat of the jack-butt, and
rendering the employment of a spring for this purpose unnecessary.
I prefer
however to provide the back-stop with an adjustable button as first described, as
it produces better results.
P is a back-catch or locking device, consisting of a rod or bar projecting out
from the lifter-rod and jack, and having an upward incline or hook 20 at its outer
end, which is adapted when the lifter-rod and jack is raised by the key, to hook
or catch under an inclined adjustable button c', secured to the end of a regulating
screw d passing through the rail Q, whereby as the lifter-rod and jack is raised by
the key L, it is tightly locked in such manner as to prevent it from moving
rearwardly or toward the string, and consequently as the back-stop which projects -
from and forms a part of the hammer-heel, is pressed firmly into contact with the
upper end of the lifter-rod and jack when in the position shown in Fig. 3, it will be
obvious that when said lifter-rod and jack is locked as described, that the hammer
will be securely held from rebounding as soon as it has struck the string and has
fallen back as seen in Fig. 3, the position of the lifter-rod and jack when locked
being regulated by adjusting the position of the button c'.
With this construction the hammer is held firmly whether the blow is a light or
a powerful one, and any extra pressure on the key to produce a powerful blow
of the hammer will cause the outer end of the arm P to be pressed more firmly
against the button c', while as soon as the key is released, the descent of the lifter-
rod and jack will cause the hook or incline 20 at the end of the arm P to
instantly drop out from under the button c', leaving the parts free to operate as
before described, it being impossible for the action to become choked as the release
of the key will always insure the descent of the arm P.
If preferred the adjustable button c¹ and the regulating screw may be
dispensed with, in which case the hook or incline 20 at the end of the arm P will
be brought into direct contact with the correspondingly inclined surface of the
rail Q, properly located for this purpose, as shown in Fig. 9, and said rail if desired
can be made adjustable by any suitable means to effect the same result as is
produced by the employment of the adjustable button c'.
To the rear end of the lever I is secured an upwardly projecting arm R, which
is preferably provided with an adjustable button fl secured to the end of a
regulating screw gl. passing through said arm R, said button f", when the key L'is
depressed, being brought into direct contact with the lower end of the long

page_text: damper-lever B to actuate the same at the proper time, thereby enabling me to
dispense with the intermediate lever hitherto employed to actuate the damper-lever
in all actions known as "long-actions," which are used almost exclusively, and in
which the intermediate lever has been regarded as a necessity; and consequently
by dispensing with this intermediate lever and the flange to which it was pivoted,
I am enabled to materially simplify the construction and reduce the nuinber of
parts; two flanges only being employed in my action instead of three or more as
formerly, which is an important advantage as the flange-joints are the parts which
are liable to stick and require constant attention, hence it is desirable to reduce
their number to a minimum.
By means of the adjustable button f', the movement of the damper may be
regulated as desired, but if preferred the button f¹ may be dispensed with and the
regulation of the damper accomplished by bending the extension wire which forms
the lower portion of the damper-lever.
The damper is adjustably secured to the upper end of the damper-lever B in the
following manner: The wooden damper-block is provided with a vertical half-
round groove for the reception of the upper end of the damper-lever B, which
projects about one-half its thickness beyond the face of the block b, which is
provided on one side of this groove with a projecting screw k¹ having a clamping
nut at its outer end or a head as seen in Fig. 5. Between the nut and the
damper lever is placed a washer m¹ preferably provided with a shallow groove n¹
fitting over said damper lever, and thus by turning the nut or the head of the
screw, the damper-block 5 will be immovably clamped in place as required.
Heretofore the damper-lever has passed vertically through the damper-block,
which was held in place thereon by a set-screw, and much difficulty has been
experienced with this construction on account of the liability of the damper-
block to split in line with the vertical aperture therein; with my improved device
however, the splitting of the damper-block in this manner is entirely prevented,
and much annoyance thereby avoided.
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 :-
1. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the hammer, the lifter-rod and
jack and the jack-butt co-operating therewith, said jack-butt forming a portion of
the hammer-heel, a back-stop projecting from the hammer-heel and adapted to
contact with the free end of the lifter-rod and jack when the latter is thrown off
its seat on the jack-butt, and a back-catch arm or rod projecting from the lifter-
rod and jack and having an upward incline at its outer end adapted to catch or
hook under a rail or a button or projection secured thereto, substantially as set
forth.
2. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the hammer, the lifter-rod and
jack, and the jack-butt co-operating therewith, said jack-butt forming a portion of
the hammer-heel, a back-stop projecting from the hammer-heel and adapted to
contact with the free end of the lifter-rod and jack when the latter is thrown off
its seat on the jack-butt, the rail A having the incline s, the adjustable throw-off
button g projecting from the lifter-rod and jack and co-operating with said incline,
and a back-catch arm or rod projecting from the lifter-rod and jack and having
an upward incline at its outer end adapted to catch or hook under a rail or a
button or projection secured thereto, substantially as set forth.
3. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the lever I pivoted to the
flange of the rail H, the lifter-rod and jack pivoted to the lever I and provided
with the throw-off button q, the rail A with its incline s, the hammer and
hammer-heel, the latter having the jack-butt formed thereon, the back-stop
projecting from the hammer-heel, the back-catch-arm or rod P projecting from
the lifter-rod and jack and having the upward incline 20 at its outer end, and the
rail Q provided with a stop under which the outer end of the rod P is adapted to

page_text: nook or caten on the ascent of the inter-ron and Jack, suustautiany as and for whe
purpose described.
4. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the lever I pivoted to the
flange of the rail H and actuated by the key L, the lifter-rod and jack pivoted to.
said lever I and provided with the throw-off button 7 and the slot n, the rail A
with its inclines, the hammer and hammer-heel, the latter having the jack-butt
formed thereon, the guide-pin projecting through the slot n, and the spring p, the
latter connected at one end with the lifter-rod and jack, and at the opposite end
with the hammer-heel, all operating substantially as set forth.
5. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the lever I, pivoted to the
flange of the rail H and actuated by the key L, the lifter-rod and jack pivoted to
said lever I and provided with the throw-off button q and slot n, the rail A, with
its incline s, the hammer and hammer-heel, the latter having the jack-butt formed
thereon, the guide-pin 7 projecting through the slot n, and the spring p, the latter
connected at one end with the lifter-rod and jack and at the opposite end with the
hammer-heel, the back-stop N, projecting from the hammer-heel, the back-catch-
arm P having the upward incline 20 at its outer end, and the rail Q provided
with a stop under which the outer end of said rod P is adapted to hook or catch.
on the ascent of the lifter-rod, substantially as described.
6. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the damper and damper-lever,.
the latter pivoted to the flange of the rail A, the hammer and hammer-heel, the
latter having the jack-butt formed thereon, the lifter-rod and jack, the lever I
pivoted to the rail H and having the lower end of the lifter-rod and jack pivoted
thereto, and the arm R projecting upward from the rear end of the lever I and
adapted to act directly on the damper-lever to actuate the same on the depression
of the key, substantially as set forth.
7. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the damper and damper-lever,.
the latter pivoted to the flange of the rail A, the hammer and hammer-heel, the
latter having the jack-butt formed thereon, the lifter-rod and jack, the lever I
pivoted to the rail H and having the lower end of the lifter-rod and jack pivoted.
thereto, and the arm R projecting upward from the rear end of the lever I and
provided with an adjustable button fi adapted to act directly on the damper-lever
to actuate the same on the depression of the key, substantially as set forth.
8. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the damper and damper-lever,.
the latter pivoted to the flange of the rail A, the hammer and hammer-heel, the
latter having the jack-butt formed thereon, the lifter-rod and jack provided with
the throw-off button 9, the rail A with its incline s, the lever I pivoted to the flange
of the rail H and having the lower end of the lifter-rod and jack pivoted thereto,
the back-stop N projecting from the hammer-heel, the back-catch rod or bar P
projecting from the lifter-rod and jack and having its outer end inclined upward as
shown, the rail Q co-operating with said bar P, and the arm R projecting upward
from the rear end of the lever I and adapted to act directly on the damper-lever to
actuate the same, substantially as set forth.
9. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the rail A with its incline 8, the
Aange a, hammer E, hammer-heel C, having the jack-butt D formed thereon, the
lifter-rod and jack M provided at its free end with the slot n and having
the adjustable button q co-operating with the incline s, the spring p having one
end connected with the hammer-heel and the other end with the lifter-rod and
jack, the guide-pin / projecting from the hammer-heel and engaging the slot
n, the
lever I pivoted to the flange of the rail H and having the lifter-rod and jack
pivoted thereto, said lever I being provided with the upwardly-projecting arm R
adapted to act directly on the damper-lever to actuate the same, the key L
provided with the adjusting screw g, the back-stop N projecting from the hammer-
heel, the back-catch rod or bar P projecting out from the lifter-rod and jack, and
having its outer end inclined upward as shown, and the rail Q provided with a stop
under which said bar P is adapted to catch on the ascent of the lifter-rod, all.
constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

page_text: 10. An action for upright-pianos, substantially as described, the same consisting
of the rail A with its incline s, the flange a, hammer E, hammer-heel C, having the
jack-butt D formed thereon, the lifter-rod and jack M provided at its free end with
the slot n and having the adjustable throw-off button q co-operating with the
incline s, the spring having one end connected with the hammer-heel and the
other end with the lifter-rod and jack, the guide-pin 1 projecting from the
hammer-heel and engaging the slot n, the lever I pivoted to the flange of the
rail H and having the lifter-rod and jack pivoted thereto, said lever I being
provided with the upwardly-projecting arm R having the adjustable button f¹, the
key L provided with the adjusting screw g, the back-stop N projecting from the
hammer-heel and having the adjustable button a', the back-catch rod or bar P
projecting out from the lifter-rod and jack and having its outer end inclined
upward as shown, the co-operating rail provided with a stop under which the
bar P is adapted to catch on the ascent of the lifter-rod and jack, the damper b,
damper-lever B pivoted to the flange a and adapted to be actuated by the arm R
I of the lever I, and the damper-spring e, all constructed and arranged to operate
substantially as described.
11. In an upright-piano action, the damper-block having a projecting screw
provided with a clamping-nut or head, in combination with the damper-lever
adapted to be clamped by said nut or head against the face of the damper-block,
substantially as set forth.
12. In an upright-piano action, the combination, with the damper-lever, of the
damper-block b provided on one side with a vertical groove ¹ for the reception of
the upper end of said damper-lever, the screw ¹ projecting from the damper-block
and provided with a nut or head adapted to clamp the damper in place upon the
damper-lever, substantially as set forth.
13. In an upright-piano action, the combination of the damper-lever B, the
damper-block 6, with its vertical groove ¹, the screw with its clamping-nut or
head, and the washer m¹ having the groove n', all constructed and operating
substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 20th day of February 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.