Improvements in Pneumatic Actions for Organs.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 26th July, 1892-Accepted, 27th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pneumatic Actions for Organs.
I, GEORGE ARTHUR WALES BEARD, trading under the name of Norman Bros:
& Beard, of Norwich in the County of Norfolk, Organ Builder do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my present invention is to provide a pneumatic action or con-
nection between the keys and pedals of an organ and the sound board thereof
which will be extremely sensitive and reliable and which will allow of a simple
and effective coupling arrangement.
I preferably provide three pneumatic bellows or motors for each key or pedal,—
a primary motor controlled as hereinafter described directly by the key or pedal,
a secondary motor controlled by the corresponding primary motor, and a main
motor controlled by the corresponding secondary motor and adapted to admit the
wind to the corresponding pipe; the motors are worked on the exhaust system-
that is to say they are exposed to external pressure and operate by collapsing when
their interiors are opened to exhaust.
It is usual to provide each of such pneumatic motors with two valves, supply
and exhaust respectively which are operated simultaneously so that the movement
which opens the one closes the other and vice-versa; according to my present
invention each primary motor has an exhaust valve only which is operated by the
corresponding key or pedal and connected to the motor by an exhaust passage, the
supply to the motor being provided for by a small aperture or passage through
the latter which places the interior of the motor constantly in communication with
the wind chest in which it is placed; this said aperture or passage is so small as
not to prevent the prompt collapse of the motor when its exhaust valve (which is
much larger) is opened but is sufficiently large to refill it quickly immediately
the valve is closed.
The action is as follows;- When any key or pedal is depressed, the exhaust
valve is opened, the corresponding primary motor is thus freely opened to exhaust
while its supply is restricted by the small aperture or passage, the result being
that the motor collapses and closes the supply and opens the exhaust valves of the
secondary motor which collapses and in its turn similarly operates the main motor
which admits wind to its pipe.
The coupling arrangement is as follows;-Supposing for example that it is
required to couple the upper manual to the lower manual, I provide for each key
of the lower manual two exhaust passages controlled by the one exhaust valve;
one of these passages leads as already described to the corresponding primary
motor, the other which is used for coupling only is led to a port in a valve face;
the exhaust passages of the upper manual to which the coupling is to be effected
has a branch leading to a port similar to and close above that already described
and the coupling is effected by means of a sliding coupling bar which works against
the valve face; this coupling bar has a cavity after the manner of a slide valve
which always covers the ports of the upper manual and is adapted when lowered
o cover the ports of both manuals so as to couple them together.
Dated this 24th day of October 1891.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pneumatic Actions for Organs.
I, GEORGE ARThur Wales Beard, trading under the name of Norman Bros.
& Beard, of Norwich in the County of Norfolk, 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 :-
The object of my present invention is to provide a pneumatic action or con-
nection between the keys and pedals of an organ and the sound-board thereof
which will be extremely sensitive and reliable and which will allow of a simple
and effective coupling arrangement.
I preferably provide three pneumatic bellows or motors for each key or pedal,
a primary motor controlled as hereinafter described directly by the key or pedal,
a secondary motor controlled by the corresponding primary motor, and a main
motor controlled by the corresponding secondary motor, and adapted to admit the
wind to the corresponding pipe; the motors are worked on the exhaust system-
that is to say they are exposed to external pressure and operate by collapsing when
their interiors are opened to exhaust.
It is usual to provide each of such pneumatic motors with two valves, supply
and exhaust respectively which are operated simultaneously so that the movement
which opens the one closes the other and vice-versa; according to my present
invention each primary motor has an exhaust valve only which is operated by the
corresponding key or pedal and connected to the motor by an exhaust passage,
the supply to the motor being provided for by a small aperture or passage through
the latter which places the interior of the motor constantly in communication
with the wind chest in which it is placed; this said aperture or passage is so small
as not to prevent the prompt collapse of the motor when its exhaust valve (which
is much larger) is opened but is sufficiently large to refill it quickly immediately
the valve is closed.
The action is as follows:- -When any key or pedal is depressed, the exhaust
valve is opened, the corresponding primary motor is thus freely opened to exhaust
while its supply is restricted by the small aperture or passage, the result being that
the motor collapses and closes the supply and opens the exhaust valves of the
secondary motor which collapses and in its turn similarly operates the main motor
which admits wind to its pipe.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention,
Fig. I shows the keys of two separate manuals with their respective exhaust
valves controlling the tubes 6 and 26 respectively;
Fig. II is a sectional view on the line A, A, of Fig. III, and
Fig. III is a sectional view on the line B, B, of Fig. II, of a wind chest to which
the tubes 6 are led, showing the arrangement of the primary and secondary motors;
the spindle 15 and valves 14, 14' being in front of the plane of section are shown in
dotted lines; there is a corresponding wind chest to which the tubes 26 are led.
Fig. IV is a sectional view of a pneumatic sound-board showing the arrangement
of the main motors and organ pipes. Throughout the drawings the same parts are
indicated by the same reference figures and, in the case of sections, the directions
in which they are viewed are indicated by the small arrows placed adjacent to the
letters denoting the plane of section.
1 is a key of the lower manual, adapted when depressed to open the corre
sponding exhaust valve 2 by means of the lever 3. This valve 2 controls both the
exhaust passages 4 and 5, the latter is intended for coupling the lower and
upper manuals together and will be more particularly referred to hereinafter.
The tube 6 connects the passage 4 (Fig. I) with the interior of the primary
motor 7, placed within the wind-chest 8 (Figs. II and III) and exposed to the
pressure of wind with which the said wind-chest is normally filled. The wind

page_text: supply to the motor 7 is provided for by the small passage 9, placing its interior
constantly in communication with the wind-chest 8. This passage 9 is so small-
about one thirty-second of an inch in diameter-that it is immediately overpowered
when the much larger exhaust valve 2 is opened, the result being that the motor
collapses promptly on the key 1 being struck; the passage 9 is however sufficiently
large to refill the motor quickly immediately the valve 2 is closed, as the capacity
of the motor is but small.
The collapse of the primary motor 7 admits the wind to the pipe 10, (Fig. IV),
through the agency of the secondary and main motors 11 and 12, respectively, as
follows: the secondary motor 11 which is also placed in the wind-chest 8, normally
communicates therewith through the passage 13, controlled by the supply and
exhaust valves 14 and 14' respectively, both attached to the valve spindle 15.
The main motor 12 which is placed in the sound-board 16 and exposed to the wind
pressure therein is supplied from the wind chest 8 by the passage 17 which connects
Figs. II and IV, and this passage is controlled by the supply and exhaust valves 18
and 181, respectively, attached to the valve spindle 19. When the primary motor 7
collapses it raises the spindle 15, closes the supply valve 14 and opens the exhaust
valve 14, so causing the secondary motor 11 to collapse, which, in its turn and in
an exactly similar manner, causes the collapse of the main motor 12, which opens
the valve 20 and admits wind to the pipe 10. From the foregoing it will be seen
that as the supply of wind is always inside the motor 7 and its tube 6, the action of
the motor is simultaneous with the movement of the exhaust valve and is therefore
extremely sensitive and reliable.
As the connection of the keys or pedals to their corresponding primary motors is
effected by a simple exhaust valve and passage, the arrangement permits of a very
simple and effective coupling arrangement; this is illustrated in Fig. I as applied
to coupling the exhaust passages of the lower and upper manuals together. The
exhaust passage 5 of the lower manual and a branch 21 from the exhaust passage 22
of the upper manual are led out to perts in the valve face 23 and the coupling is
effected by lowering the coupling bar 24 so that its groove 25 connects both sets
of passages. In this way, when the coupling bar 24 is lowered, the tubes 26, which,
as already stated, lead to an independent wind-chest, are coupled to the lower
manual exhaust valves 2; when the coupling bar is raised, as shown in the drawing,
the tubes 26 are controlled by the upper manual alone.
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 [
claim is:-
1. In pneumatic actions for organs, the use of a bellows or motor having a small
aperture or passage for the purpose of equalising the pressures within and without
the motor and having also a large passage controlled by a valve operated by the
key or pedal, the latter passage being sufficiently large to overpower the smaller
one when the valve is opened, substantially as set forth.
2. In pneumatic actions for organs, a primary bellows or motor 7, placed
within a wind-chest 8 and communicating therewith by the small aperture or passage 9
and having also the larger passage 6 controlled by the valve 2 which is operated by
the key 1, substantially as described and illustrated.
3. In pneumatic actions for organs, the combination of a primary motor a8
claimed in Claim 2, a secondary motor 11, and a main motor 12, substantially as
described and illustrated.
4. In pneumatic actions for organs as herein set forth, the coupling device
which consists of a coupling bar adapted to connect the exhaust passages of the
primary motors of one manual with passages opened by the exhaust valves of the
keys of the other manual, or pedals, to which it is desired to couple, substantially
as described and illustrated.
5. The improved coupling arrangement, substantially as described and illustrated
in Fig. I,

page_text: 6. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved pneumatic
action for organs, substantially as described and illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this 25th day of July 1892.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.