Improvements in Organs and similar Musical Instruments.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 29th May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES MORGAN, President of the Aeolian
Company, of 18 West 23rd Street, New York, in the United States of
America.]
Improvements in Organs and similar Musical Instruments.
1, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:—
This invention relates to "self-playing organs " and particularly to that class
which are adapted to be controlled either by a perforated music sheet or manually.
Heretofore, instruments of the above class, such as the various styles of
Aeolians," have been of very complex and expensive construction and the object
of the present invention is to obviate this disadvantage and to produce an instrument
having the following advantages:-
$6
First. Extreme simplicity of construction, including the employment of a single
set of reeds instead of six sets as used in an "Aeolian Grand," which enables it to
be sold at about one-sixth the price of the latter.
Second. Wonderful tone quality produced from the single set of reeds used in
this instrument, owing to its special construction, so that it is not only a perfect
parlor organ, but its volume, and tone are such as to adapt it for use in small chapels,
churches, and the like.
Third. Adaptability to be played either manually as an ordinary organ, or
through the use of one of an endless variety of perforated music rolls, thus
rendering it capable of operation by a skilful organist, or by a child of five years
old by the aid of the music rolls.
Fourth. Less liability to get out of order than any other form of automatic
musical instrument, by reason of its extreme simplicity and perfection of
construction.
I attain the advantages aforesaid through the special construction and arrange-
ment of parts shown in the accompanying drawing which illustrates my complete
instrument in vertical section.
The casing of the instrument is composed of the sides each formed of a single
board 1; the back also formed of a single board 2; the top formed of the shelf-
board 3 having the cover 4 hinged thereto; and the front and bottom. formed of
the front boards 5, base-board 6, bottom front-board 7 and bottom-board 8; all
these parts together forming a case of particularly economical construction but
neat design.
Within said casing is located the entire operating mechanism, that located below
the base-board 6 and comprising the foot-pedals 9, the exhausters 10, main
bellows 11, together with the connections and accessories for operating the same,
I believe to be of ordinary construction. The function of said parts, is to create a
pressure of air in, or exhaust air from, the main chamber 12, which is, in this
instance (under the arrangement of the exhausters and bellows shown) exhausted
by the action of the bellows which communicate therewith through the channel 13,
and which chamber 12 I term the exhaust chamber.
Arranged within said exhaust chamber 12 is a lever or reed valve 14, hinged
at the point 15 and held up in position against its valve seat 16 by the wire

page_text: spring 17. This lever valve 14 whenever depressed out of its normal position
against the seat 16 permits an exhaust of air through or by its respective
reed 18, and causes the latter to vibrate or sound during the period of depression
of the lever valve. The said lever valve is adapted to be depressed either
through the action of the perforated music or note sheet, as will be hereinafter
fully described or through the action of the manual depression of the ordinary
organ key 19. This key is pivoted at its rear end 20, and guided at its forward
end by the guide-pin 21, all as clearly shown and well known. The novel
features comprise a sub-key 22 arranged directly under and in line with its
upper member or key 19, and receiving motion from the latter through the
screw-pin 23 which is located in a recess 24 wherein it can be adjustel from
the top of the key 19. The said screw pin is provided with a button 25 at
its lower end and is so adjusted that the button will barely touch the sub-key 22
when the ordinary key 19 is in its normal position. The said sub-key 22 is
hinged at a point and supported by the wire-spring 27, while its free end is in
contact with the upper end of the rod 28 which passes through the guide-rail 29.
The lower end of this rod is adapted to operate the aforesaid lever valve,
which latter is obviously depressed or opened by the intermediate devices
simultaneously with the depression of the ordinary organ key 19, thus permitting
the organ to be played manually in the regular way. This special arrangement
not only provides a mechanism capable of being actuated by the most delicate
touch, but leaves an ample space in the front of the key-frame for operating
the swells 30 and mutes 31, and for a free vibration and full sounding of the
reeds 18. The screw-pin 23 permits of conveniently and quickly levelling the
keys 19 and 32 from the top, without raising or removing said keys to file
the screw-pins, and it also obviates the necessity of supporting the weight of
the keys 19 on the lever or reed valve 14, as in most actions of this kind.
Having described the means for operating the lever or reed valve 14 through
the manual operation of the ordinary keys, I will now describe how the said reed
valve is operated by a note sheet 33 quite independently of the said manual
mechanism.
The note sheet 33 is unwound from its delivery spool 34 and drawn over the
tracker board 35 by the revolution of the take-up roller 36, the latter being driven
by any suitable form of motor, such as 37, such parts being of well-known form
require no detailed description. I contemplate using any suitable method of
opening or closing the several ducts 38, so as to permit the pneumatics 39 (each of
which is in communication with the lower end of its respective duct 38,) to succumb
to the influence of the partially exhausted or vacuum chamber 12 and be instantly
opened whenever a perforation in the note sheet passes over the upper end of the
inlet of one of the said ducts, and to instantly resume its normally closed position
when an imperforate portion of the note sheet covers said inlet, as is well
understood. The novel part of this device is to so arrange the pneumatic 39 as to
depress the same reed-valve 14, as that which is independently acted upon by the
manual mechanism. To accomplish this I locate the pneumatic 39 in the exhaust
chamber 12 with the reed valve 14, hinging the said pneumatic at its rear end, and
arranging its free end 40 to be in contact with the top of an adjustment-screw 41
situated in the rear end of the reed-valve 14, and obviously acting to depress said
reed-valve whenever the pneumatic opens or becomes inflated, thus causing the
reeds to be sounded identically as when the ordinary keys are depressed manually;
and, in fact, it is possible, under this arrangement, to operate the organ through a
note sheet and at the same time play an accompaniment thereto by a manual
operation of the key-board.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In an organ or similar musical instrument adapted to be operated either

page_text: manually or by a note-sheet, a reed valve connected to a sub-key having connection
with the ordinary key, and a "pneumatic," controlled by the note-sheet, and
having an independent connection with the reed-valve, for the purposes specified.
2. The improved organ having its parts constructed, arranged and operating
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and for
the purposes specified.
Dated this co 1
1 1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.