Improvements in Pianofortes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr.. 1898-Accepted, 23rd May, 1895
Improvements in Pianofortes.
I ROLAND MONTAGUE SQUIRE of 824 St. Lawrence Street in the City of
Montreal, in the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada,
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:-
The object of my invention is to construct a pianoforte so that its resistance of
touch will be variable, and it consists of a yielding resistance device, adapted to be
adjusted to either increase the resistance of the key, to accommodate a heavy touch;
reduce the resistance of the key, to accommodate a light touch; or be neutral, and
not influence the resistance of the key one way or the other. A preferable device
to carry out this end is a partially rotatable bar or sill carrying a series of yielding
resistances in the form of strips of flat resilient metal, one for each key, mounted
rigidly at one end upon such bar or sill, the bar or sill being pivotally carried in a
position to allow the free ends of each strip to act preferably upon the forward
end of the "rocker" of each hammer-operating mechanism, so that when it is
desired to accommodate a heavy touch, the strips, by partially rotating the sill or
har in the required direction, should be caused to bear down upon such rocker, and
thereby increase its resistance, and, through it, the resistance of the key, a light
touch being accommodated by the strips being caused to bear upwardly upon the
rocker, by rotating the sill or bar in an opposite direction.
Having thus referred to the principle and the essential feature of my invention,
I will now describe what I consider to be the most practical embodiment thereof,
although it will be apparent that the arrangement and form of the device can be
changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.
For full comprehension, however, of my invention, reference must be bad to the
annexed drawings, forming a part of this Specification, in which like symbols indicate
corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section of a part of an ordinary upright pianoforte
caeement, showing, in elevation, a key and a sufficient portion of the mechanism for
operating a single hammer, to illustrate my invention, which is applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of same, taken on line rx, Fig. 1;
and Fig. 3 a horizontal sectional view taken through the casement of the pianoforte,
and showing several keys &c., in plan view, and with my invention applied
thereto.
To illustrate and describe my invention, so that it will be clear to those skilled
in the art, it will only be necessary to refer to the key a and rocker b, which are of
the usual construction, excepting that the latter has two finger projections b³¿* upon
its forward face.
A bar or sill c, of a length sufficient to extend over all the keys, and preferably
of rectangular form, has its ends diminished and rounded, and removably set in
brackets y y, secured to the sides of the pianoforte casement. Upon the upper
surface of this sill or bar c, are rigidly secured one end of each of a series of strips d,
of flat resilient metal, there being preferably one strip for each key in use, and the
strips are secured in place preferably by a single clamping plate a' and screw c.
I have found that a better effect is secured, and the resonance of the strips
guarded against, by inserting strips of insulating cloth between the clamping plate
and the strips, and the strips their adjusting screws and the sill.

page_text: The sill is mounted in a position relatively to the rockers b, that will bring
the free ends of the strips d to a point between the finger projections & 63, but in
close proximity to the one b'.
From the under side of one end of sill c, is a downwardly projecting arme, having
a slotted end c, which straddles a lateral pin projection g of a sliding rod g' provided
with graduated slots g' in its under side, to take over a pin g, a bow spring keeping
one of the slots normally in a position registering with pin g.
As a means for adjusting the strips d so as to bring them all to the same level,
I affix to the face of sill e, over which the strips project, a bracket piece k, through
which is passed a number of screws ', one to bear under each of the strips d, and
be vertically adjustable to raise the strips to any level.
It is required that only a very limited degree of spring pressure to reduce the
resistance of touch should be used, as interference with the action of the hammer
mechanism of the pianoforte must be guarded against, and as the resistance of touch
may be increased to an unlimited degree, it is necessary to have a light spring to
act in the former case, and a heavy spring, or one of greater strength, to act in the
latter case.
To provide these differing degrees of resistauce, it is necessary to
either use two strips, as may be done, if desired, or, as I consider preferable, to
use one strip of the lightest required degree of resistance, allowing it to bend
freely in its operation, to reduce the resistance of touch, but shortening the bend,
and thereby stiffening same, and strengthening its resisting power in its operation,
to increase the resistance of touch, which I prefer to do in the following manner:
I place a bar m in a position (when the strips are in their normal position) to bear
lightly upon the upper sides of the strips, at a distance about one quarter of their
length out from sill c, to which such bar m is rigidly attached by brackets n.
This bar, which can have a strip of insulating cloth upon its bearing face, besides
serving the purpose just mentioned, will effectually deaden any undesirable
resonance of the strips, and also serve as a gauge to which the strips may be
adjusted, to bring them all to the same level.
To diminish the resistance of touch, the sliding rod gl should be pushed inward
until the strips d are moved from their normal position (shown in full lines in
Fig. 1) to the dotted position shown at d, and to increase the resistance of touch,
the rod g' should be drawn out until the strips are in the other dotted position
shown at d
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a pianoforte, the combination with the keys, and the hammer actuating
mechanism thereof, the latter having two bearing points, of an adjustable yielding
resistance device, adapted, upon adjustment, to bear upon either of such bearing
points, according as it is required to either diminish or increase the resistance of
touch, and means for adjusting such resistance device.
2. In a pianoforte, the combination with the keys and the hammer-actuating
mechanism thereof, the latter having two bearing points, of an adjustable yielding
resistance device, adapted, upon adjustment, to either bear upon either of such
bearing points, or remain neutral thereof, and means for adjusting such resistance
device, for the purpose set forth.
3. In combination with the actuating mechanism of each hammer of a piano-
forte, and two bearing points in close proximity to each other upon such actuating
mechanism, of a series of resilient strips carried by a rotatable bar or sill, each
one of such series of resilient strips adapted to either bear upon either of such
bearing points, or remain neutral thereof, and means for partially rotating such bar
or sill, for the purpose set forth.
4. In combination with the actuating mechanism of each hammer of a piano-
forte, and two bearing points upon such actuating mechanism, of a series of
resilient strips carried by a rotatable bar or sill, each one of such series of

page_text: resilient strips adapted to either bear upon either of such bearing points, or remain
neutral thereof; adjusting screws mounted in a position to be adjusted to bear
upon such resilient strips; and means for partially rotating such bar or sill, for
the purpose set forth.
5. In combination with the keys and the rocker of the hammer actuating
mechanism of a pianoforte, such rocker having two projections, of a series of
resilient strips carried by a rotatable bar or sill, and each one of such series of
resilient strips adapted to either bear upon either of the projections of the rooker
of said hammer actuating mechanism, or remain neutral thereof, with means for
increasing the pressure of such strips in one direction only, and for partially
rotating such bar or sill, for the purpose set forth.
6. In combination with the keys a and the rocker b of the hammer actuating
mechanism of a pianoforte, such rocker having two projections b' 63, of a series of
resilient strips d, carried by a rotatable bar or sill c, having downward projection c
with slot c', and each one of such series of resilient strips adapted to either bear
upon either of the projections, of the rocker of said hammer actuating
mechanism, or remain neutral thereof; a bar m rigidly secured to sill c by
bracket n; and a sliding rod g', with pin projection g and a spring h, all for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 21st day of April 1896.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.