An Improved Musical Leaf-turner.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1889-Accepted, 14th June, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Musical Leaf-turner.
INGEYUERE LUIGI MUSCI Napoli (Naples) Monte di Dio No. 49 employed to the
Catosto 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 leaf-turner is a mechanism which allows to the players the turning of the
musical leaves without interruption of the playing. There are two kinds of this
leaf-turner viz. 1) with articulated desk which can be a very pocket instrument
2) with nonarticulated desk which serves especially to the players of the pianos. The
sheets of the musical book are clasped by little pincers at the ends of several bars
capable of turning round a cylindrical axis lying the sheet so arranged on the right
side of the book a turning-lever, which is moved by means of a small cord attached
to a pedal transports by moving this pedal a bar to the left side and returns auto-
matically on right ready for turning another sheet.
Essential parts of this instrument are the desk articulated or not and the leaf-turner
properly speaking.
The articulated desk (Plate I Fig. I) is composed of two timber pieces A and B,
the first fixed to the axis of the leaf-turner, the other movable, and of six listels
articulated together and of which c and d are enchased at the extremity & so that the
resulting figure A B dc cannot be deformed on account of the raisings g and h.
The piece A has two appendages land m, the first of which serves to stop the
movement of the bars D on the right of the person who is playing, and the second to
stop the movement of the turning-lever in the aforesaid sense. The piece B has an
appendage p, which serves to stop the movement of the bar D. on the left
hand, and a small pulley, which serves for the passage of the string t. The
aforesaid pieces A and B carry besides two particular pieces n provided with two
pression screws. v, which serve to fix for some time and in any place the leaf-turner
and have also two stopping tassels s, which move perpendicularly to the faces of A
and B and serve to fix the musical book, and moreover, the pin being lined with
leather, the rotatory movement becomes hard and regular.
The leaf-turner axis, 80 millimeters long by 7 mins. diam. is fitted with a block n,
the upper face of which lies in the same plane with the stopping tassel's upper faces
the latter being as the former perpendicular to the leaf-turner axis.
The bars, 170 mms. long and 2 mms. thick are between five and eight in number
and ought not to exceed the latter number according to the easiness and the elegancy
of the instrument: they are crossed by the pin c and are spaced each other of
3 mms. by means of leather washers 36 mins. diam. To avoid letting one bar carry
away another by friction a small tooth is added within the internal circumference of
the washers to be.introduced in a rabbet of the pin. Each bar carries at its fore end
a fork-shaped piece F and the curved or the straight small arms c₁ with a clasp-leaf mı,
which holds the pages that are to be turned.
Two articulated bars H and K form what we may call the turning-lever. One end
of the bar H is introduced within the aforesaid cylindrical axis, while the other end is
fitted with a small block o in order to present a convenient prop for the stopper P,
which limits the rotatory movement of K round H. The latter is fitted with a
cylindrical pin and with a hole into which passes the motive pack-thread t, a spiral
spring rolled on the pulley S, to which it is fixed crosses the piu Q and forces the
latter to resume its position to the right side. The bar K of the turning-lever is fitted
with a curved tooth L, and at its fore end with two articulated sinall blades T
(see Fig II) each exceeding by 7 mms. the edge of K. The aforesaid blades T are so
arranged as to let them describe 90° from their actual site, in which they are obliged

page_text: by two spiral springs v. At the upper part of K and at a distance of 8 mms. from
its face is fixed a stopper M which prevents any further rotation of the turning-lever
when reaching the fork-shaped piece carried by the uppest bar. The said stopper
may be turned in a plan parallel to that of the turning lever itself. A pack-thread a
and a spiral spring b₁ direct the movement which is limited to 90° by means of a
stopper c₁. The pack-thread is fixed by one end to the piece M, by the other to the
disk N and crosses a hole in the curved tooth L. When the turning-lever drives
one of the turning-leaf bars the pack-thread in the meanwhile draws the stopper M,
until the page being turned, the turning-lever becomes free from the turning-leaf
bars.
A pedal is composed by a triangular plate ₁, and a lever z₁ which is articulated to
à support V: the tooth t₁ when reaching the stopper ₁ prevents the further
movement of the bar. The pack-thread t is introduced into a small barrel i₁ and
after having crossed the hole h₁ is fixed to the barrel by means of a hook ₁ so as it
may
be conveniently stretched when the said barrel is in advance transferred to the
right place.
It is now easily understood how the instrument works. After having fixed it to
any table whatever by means of the two screws r fix the book to the desk by the
stopping tassels s excepting the leaves which are to be turned, whic must be ordinately
introduced in the clasp-leaf m₁. Then turn all the bars from right to left and regulate
the length of the pack-thread so as to have it entirely stretched when the tooth t₁
touches the stopper g
lift the barrel i, till it reaches the hook ₁, and force the latter in
the former so that the pack-thread cannot lengthen. This being done, turn all the
bars from left to right, and let the turning-lever come forwards by turning the
stopper P and lovering the lever K₁: then it being left to itself will come back reaching
the fork-shaped tooth F of the first bar, and one of the two blades T meeting that tooth
will bend so as to superpass it. The stopper H prevents that the other blade T
superpass the other tooth F of the next bar. The instrument is now preapered to
work it is indeed sufficient to press a foot on the pedal z and immediately you will
see the first page turned. Give now up the pedal so as to let the spring K being back
the turning-lever, wich is now ready for a second page.
The above described is the articulated leaf-turner for private or public purposes as
it may readily mounted and placed anywhere as well as easily folded and carried as a
pocket parcel. But as for the leaf-turners which are to be used for pianos or such
other instruments the desk is not articulated: this is performed as shown in Fig II:
the pieces D₁ fix it by means of screws to a vertical piano, and to them are articulated
the bars A, which may keep a convenient inclination as the the lover part of a piece D₁
is shell shaped.
The pedal is formed by a lever z, articulated to the vertical plate v₁ perpendicular
to the plate u₁ the latter to be fixed below the piano in the lowest possible position.
To let the pack-thread travel the shortest way a hole is made between two keys of the
piano, and the pack-thread after having crossed it let in a pulley fixed below the key-
ring to prevent any friction with the keys.
The desk vary with the orizontal pianos and may be of different kinds and forms
according to the elegancy of pianos to which they are to be applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare tha what I
claim is :
1. That be reserved only to me the right of constructing and selling in England the
aforesaid instrument as results from the description.
T
1000
INGRE. LUIGI MUSCI.