IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANO FORTE ACTIONS
Year: 1884

page_text: I DAVID MONTAGUE DAVIS of Maida Vale in the county of Middlesex gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANO
FORTE ACTIONS to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is so to improve the actions of piano fortes that an
extremely quick repetition of a note is rendered sure and certain of attainment
while at the same time a fuller and better tone is also obtained.
I carry out this object by making an addition to the ordinary action as herein
described. The hammer butt is enlarged at its rear part and this enlargement
may include and incorporate with itself the usual little check at the rear or this
check can be attached to the enlargement in the usual manner.
A sticker passes
freely through and works in an aperture in the enlargement and on the lower end
of this sticker is a head duly covered. In its normal position this head is a little
below the level of the notch in the hammer butt in which the hopper engages and
the upper end of the hopper is made rather broader than is usual and is slightly
hevelled so that when the hammer is in the retired position the hopper engages
both the notch in the butt and the head of the sticker. The sticker is kept pressed
against the hopper by a coiled or other spring or by a piece of elastic material in
any form and this may be placed either below or above the enlargement of the
hammer butt. When the spring or elastic material is placed below the butt it is
preferably coiled or placed round the rod of the sticker and would then engage the
lower side of the butt and the upper part of the head of the sticker and when the
same is placed above the butt a suitable bracket is secured on the butt and
the spring or elastic material would then work between the bracket and the end of
the rod of the sticker.
Thus when the key is struck the hopper immediately projects the hammer
against the string in effecting which it disengages itself of the notch as in the
ordinary actions but when this has been effected according to my improvements
the hopper is still engaged with the head of the sticker which through the action
of the spring keeps the hammer in juxtaposition to the string giving a better and
fuller tone and then when the key is released the spring acting through the sticker
on the bevelled end of the hopper instantaneously forces it again under the notch
in the hammer butt in readiness for the next stroke and thus au extremely rapid
repetition is ensured.
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page_text: I DAVID MONTAGUE DAVIS of Maida Vale in the county of Middlesex Gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANO
FORTE ACTIONS 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 so to improve the actions of piano fortes that an
extremely quick repetition of a note is rendered sure and certain of attainment
while at the same time a fuller and better tone is also obtained.
I carry out this object by making an addition to any ordinary action as is
hereinafter described that is to say I form a spring rod or sticker which passes
through the rear part of the hammer butt and engages the bevelled end of the
hopper by which sticker the hammer is kept in juxtaposition to the wire as long
as the key is held depressed while when the key is released this sticker immediately
forces the end of the hopper under the usual notch in the hammer butt in readiness
for the next stroke.
In order to fully explain my invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed I refer to the accompanying drawing which shews an elevation of an
ordinary piano forte action with the addition of my improvements as hereinbefore
stated.
The hammer butt A is enlarged at its rear part and this enlargement B may
include and incorporate with itself the usual little check C at the rear as shewn in
the drawing or the said check C can be attached to the said enlargement B in the
usual or other convenient manner. A rod or sticker D passes freely through and
works freely in an aperture in the enlargement B and on the lower end of this
sticker D is a suitable head E duly covered. In its normal position this head E is
a little below the level of the usual notch F in the hammer butt A in which
notch F the hopper G engages and the upper end of the said hopper G is preferably
made rather broader than is usual and is slightly bevelled as shewn in the drawing
so that when the hammer is in the retired position as shewn in the drawing the
hopper G engages both the notch F and the head E of the sticker D. The sticker
is kept pressed against the hopper by a coiled or other spring or by a piece or pieces
of elastic material in any form and the same may be placed either above or below
the enlargement of the hammer butt. In the drawing I shew the spring H placed
above the enlargement B under a suitable bracket or angle piece K which may be
secured in any position on the butt A or on the enlargement B thereof or on the
little check C as shewn and the said spring H works between the said bracket K
and the end of the rod of the sticker D. The spring H can also be placed below
the enlargement B in which case the said spring H would preferably be coiled
round the rod of the sticker D and work between the under side of the enlarge-
ment B and the upper part of the head E of the said sticker D. In both these
positions as aforesaid also I can use in place of the spring a piece or pieces of
elastic material which also would act and work in manner as herein before
described.
The action of this apparatus is as follows. When the key is struck the hopper
immediately projects the hammer against the string in effecting which the said
hopper disengages itself from the notch in the hammer butt as in the ordinary
actions but when this has been effected according to my improvements as herein-
before described the said hopper is still engaged with the head of the sticker which
through the resistance of the spring keeps the said hammer in juxtaposition to the
said string thereby giving a better and fuller tone and then when the said key is

page_text: released the said spring acting through the said sticker on the bevelled end of the
said hopper instantaneously forces the said hopper again under the said notch in
the hammer butt in readiness for the next stroke and thus an extremely rapid
repetition of the note is ensured.
I have thus shewn my invention as applied to the ordinary piano action but it is
obvious that I do not limit myself thereto for my spring rod or sticker can be
applied to and used with any known action in the same manner to cause the
hammer to be retained in juxtaposition to the spring and to force the hopper under
the notch in the hammer butt as hereinbefore described.
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. The spring rod or sticker substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In piano forte actions the combination of the enlargement B of the hammer
butt the spring rod or sticker D and the bevelled end of the hopper G the whole
combined and operating substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described
and set forth.
3. The improved piano forte action substantially as hereinbefore described and
shewn in the accompanying drawing.