Improvements in Pneumatic Actions for Pipe Organs:
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Pneumatic Actions for Pipe Organs:
I, JOHN TURNELL AUSTIN, of 83, Lafayette Avenue, in the City of Detroit, State of
Michigan, United States of America, Organ Builder, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to improvements in pneumatic actions for pipe organs, in
which a series of pneumatic motors corresponding to and controlled by the keys of
the instrument are employed for operating the valves which admit air to the
speaking pipes.
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.. My improvement consists first, in controlling the actuating air current of each of
these motors by an automatically opening valve which normally is held closed by two
independent means both of which must be released before the motor will operate ;
one of these means being adapted to be released by the key corresponding to it's
valve, and the other by the stop mechanism."
A further improvement consists in the construction of these automatically opening
valves and the particular means employed for holding them normally closed. .
A further improvement consists in the manner in which the different couples of
the organ are effected.
In the construction which I preferably employ the valves controlling the pneumatic
motors are outwardly opening flap valves covering the exhaust ports of the motors
and adapted to he opened automatically by the air pressure in said port.
These valves are held normally closed, first by dampers or closing levers
corresponding to the keys of the organ, each damper closing the valves of two or
more different motors and being adapted to be raised to release said valves on the
actuation of its.key. A second means of holding these valves consists of a series of
pins passing through slots in the dampers and resting on the valves, the corres-
ponding pin of each damper being adapted to be simultaneously raised to release the
valve by one of the organ stops. Thus, when all the stops are closed the actuation
of the key alone will not open the valve, but if one or more of the stops are. drawn,
the valves controlled thereby will be permitted to automatically open whenever the
damper is raised by the key. Any number of couples may be made without
increasing the resistance of the key action by providing the proper number of
valves to be controlled by each damper.
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page_text: Improvements in Pneumatic Actions for Pipe Organs.
I, JOHN TURNELL AUSTIN, of 83, Lafayette Avenue, in the City of Detroit, State of
Michigan, U.S.A., Organ Builder, 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 :--
It is the object of my invention to obtain a simple construction of pneumatic 5
action and coupler for organs which is more positive in its operation than those
heretofore..devised, and one in which the leakage of air, unavoidable in many
constructions, is entirely overcome.
In the construction of pneumatic action for pipe-organs it is usual to control each
motor current by two valves, one connected with the key and the other with the 1
stop mechanism. The most common construction of stop-valve is a register-slide
adapted when moved to simultaneously open or close all of the ports of one register.
This construction is objectionable on account of the leakage which always occurs.
My invention consists in a construction in which each motor-current is controlled
by a single automatically-opening valve, said valve being held normally closed 1
independently by the key and stop, both of which must be actuated before the valve
can open:
My invention further consists in the peculiar construction, combination and
arrangement of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described in the accompanying
drawings.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of an organ, showing
my improved action:
Figure 2 is an enlarged view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a detail view shewing the manner of constructing the valves, and
Figure 4 is a diagram in sectional perspective showing the coupler connection.
A A are the keys belonging to the lower bank or "great organ." B B are the
keys of the upper bank or "swell organ," and C are the pedals.
D, E, F, G, and H are bars, preferably of wood, extending across the organ in rear
of the keyboard and pedals, in which are formed the valve-ports and coupling
'connections for the action.
The upper face of the bars D, E, and H form valve-seats in which are formed. a
series of ports a a¹ a², b b¹ b², c c¹ c² respectively opposite each key and pedal A, B,
and C. Each of these ports is controlled by an outwardly-opening valve I, preferably
formed of a flap of leather or similar substance, and all of the valves of each series
are closed by a single lever J, which I shall call the "damper."
The manner'in which the valves I are formed and secured to the bars is illustrated
in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings and is as follows: Each of the bars is first pro-
vided with a series of saw-kerfs d midway between the ports. The whole surface of
the bar is then covered with the leather from which the valves are formed, after which
wires or narrow strips e are driven into the kerfs, carrying down the leather with them
and firmly securing it to the bars. The individual valves are next cut from the
leather and each is turned back to cover the port in rear of the place from which it is
cut, thus giving it a tendency to spring away from its seat.
The dampers J are preferably formed of strips of wood felted on their under faces
and hinged at their rear ends; their forward ends being in engagement with the keys
or pedals. These dampers are provided with apertures opposite each of the ports in
the seats, adapted to receive the pins which latter rest upon the valve-flaps and are
adapted to hold them to their seats when the dampers are raised.
The pins K for each row of corresponding valves are adapted to be simultaneously
"I -
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page_text: raised by a bar M, which has apertures g for each of the pins, the latter being
provided with heads h, adapted when the bar is raised to rest upon its upper face
and lift the pins.
The mechanismn for lifting the bars M comprises links N at each end connected to
rock arms O, which are adapted to be actuated by the stop-rod P through the
medium of the slotted arm Q and rock-arm R.
The bars F and G are provided with connected ports or passages which form the
various coupling connections. In the drawings I have shewn the bar F provided in
the plane of each key with three ports i on its forward side, connected together
by a central port ³, and also to the rear ports and . The bar G is correspondingly
provided with six ports on the forward side i̟ j¹ƒª²º³, and j³, connected together by
the central port and to the rear ports and j The connection between these
ports in the various bars is formed by suitable conduit-pipes, preferably formed of
lead and arranged as follows:-
'
The port a is connected by the pipe k to the corresponding port i, the port a¹
by the pipe k to a port similar to only one octave lower in the scale, and the
port a2 by the pipe k² to a port similar to ³ only one octave higher. In a like
manner the ports a³ a', and a are connected by pipes land with the ports ; ;¹
and, the ports a³ and i being connected in unison, the ports a' being connected
with the port j, one octave higher, and the port a being connected with the port j₁,
one octave lower. The ports, and 62 are also connected by the pipes m, m
and m2, with ports jj and 76 in unison, one octave higher and one octave lower.
The ports and are connected by pipes n and o with the corresponding ports c
and in the bar H, while the ports in said bar are connected by pipe P to
ports one octave higher. Finally the ports is and ja and c² are connected by
pipes q, and 8 to suitable pneumatic devices (not shewn), which control the air
currents employed for sounding the pipes, these motors being of any suitable
construction adapted to be operated by exhausting the air through the pipes q r
and 8.
The parts being constructed as shown and described, the operation of the device
is as follows: The valves I are automatically opening-that is, the pressure of
the air in the ports which each one closes will force it open whenever it is free to
move. In the normal position of the parts, however, these valves are held closed,
first by the damper J, which bears upon the margin of the flap around the port, and
second by the pins K, which rest on the valves immediately above the ports.
Thus neither the lifting of the damper nor the lifting of the pin alone will allow
the valve to open, but both must be lifted. When, however, one or more of the
bars M have been raised by the pulling of the corresponding stops, the pins K,
controlled thereby, will be lifted. If then one of the keys is depressed, it will
lift its corresponding damper, allowing such of the valves controlled thereby as are
relieved from the pressure of the pins K to automatically open, the remaining valves
being still held closed by the unlifted pins.
It will be readily understood by following the connection before described that by
the drawing of the proper stops the great swell and pedal organs may be coupled
either in unison or in sub or super octave, and this may be accomplished without
placing any additional resistance on the keys.
Although I have shewn and described my action as employing flap-valves adapted
to be opened by the pressure of air and to exhaust the air from the pneumatic
motors, I do not wish to be limited to this precise construction, as any suitable
construction of automatically-opening valve which control the motor-current comes
within the spirit of my invention.
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 :-
1. The combination with a key, a stop, and an automatically-opening valve
Fa holdin

page_text: said valve normally closed, the one adapted to be released by the operation of the
key and the other by the stop...
2. The combination with a key, a stop, and a series of automatically-opening
valves, each controlling a motor current of mechanical means for holding said valves
normally closed adapted to be released by the operation of the key, and independent
mechanical means for holding said valves closed adapted to be individually released
by said stops.
.
3. The combination with a key, stop and a valve seat having a series of ports
therein, each forming an exhaust passage for a motor current, of a flap-valve covering.
each of said ports adapted to be automatically, opened by the pressure of air in the
port, a damper holding said valves norinally to their seats apertured opposite each
of said ports, and adapted to be raised by the operation of said key, pins projecting
through said apertures and resting on said valve, and means for separately lifting
said pins operated by said stops.
4. The combination with a series of keys, stops, and a valve-seat having ports
formed thereon arranged in longitudinal and transverse series and forming exhaust
passages for motor-currents, of a flap-valve for each port adapted to be opened
automatically by the pressure in said port, key-actuated dampers normally closing
said valves apertured opposite each port, pins passing through said apertures, resting
on said valves, and a lifting bar for each longitudinal series of pins actuated by a
stop.
5. In an organ, the combination of a bar forming a valve-seat, having a series
of ports therein and a saw-kerf beside said port, of flap-valves for said ports formed.
of a flexible sheet covering the ports and wedged into said saw-kerf, being cut to
form individual valves.
6. In an organ the combination with a bar forming a valve-seat having ports
therein arranged in longitudinal and transverse series and saw-kerfs between said
longitudinal series of flap-valves for said ports formed of a flexible sheet covering
said ports and wedged into said saw-kerfs, the individual valves being cut from said.
sheet and turned, back to cover the ports in the adjoining series. «
Dated this 17th day of November 1897.
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