IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSIC STOOLS AND OTHER SEATS, AND
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carlo Minasi, of 3, Saint James' Terrace, Kentish
Town Road, in the County of Middlesex, Professor of Music, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSIC STOOLS AND OTHER SEATS, AND IN
Sealed the 17th October 1860, and dated the 25th April 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carlo Minasi at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th April 1860.
I, CARLO MINASI, of 3, Saint James' Terrace, Kentish Town Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Professor of Music, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSIC STOOLS AND OTHER SEATS, AND IN STANDS
FOR SUPPORTING MUSIC BOOKS AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in so constructing stools, seats, and stands which are
required to have a revolving adjustable rising and falling motion, that when
adjusted the weight of the sitter or object upon them shall prevent the stool,
seat, or stand from moving or turning out of the position of adjustment. And
in so constructing such revolving adjustable stools, seats, and stands that the
wear of the parts causing or effecting the rising and falling action shall not
necessarily destroy the steadiness between the upper and lower portions. And
in so constructing folding music desks or stands for pianofortes or instruments
having a limited space between the fall or cover and the key board that they

page_text: may fold down in two separate parts, one falling to the right and the other to
the left, and the two parts when unfolded or raised and placed together,
forming a larger and more convenient desk or stand than if constructed in the
ordinary manner could be folded within the space between the fall and the
key board.
And in constructing candle stands for pianofortes or other instruments with
a sliding adjustment for placing them nearer to or further from the music
book or desk.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Carlo Minasi, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th October 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CARLO
MINASI, of Saint James' Terrace, Kentish Town Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Professor of Music, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Carlo Minasi, Her special licence that I, the said Carlo Minasi,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Carlo Minasi, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MUSIC STOOLS AND OTHER SEATS, AND IN STANDS FOR SUPPORTING MUSIC BOOKS
AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Carlo Minasi, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be perforined, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Carlo Minasi, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying illustrative
Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, for the purpose
of such reference :-
It is a frequent objection raised against stools, seats, and stands which are
required to have an adjustable revolving, rising, and falling motion as they are
ordinarily manufactured, that they are liable to be unintentionally turned
round, to the discomfort of the sitter or disturbance of the books or objects
placed upon them, unless the stools, seats, or stands be specially clamped or
keyed in the desired position of adjustment, besides being wanting in steadi-
ness or firmness of connection between the upper and lower portions.
Now, one feature of this Invention has for its object the avoidance of such
objections, and consists in so constructing the said stools, seats, and stands that
their mere use, or in other words, the weight of the sitter or object intended
to be placed upon them, shall maintain or hold them from becoming uninten-
tionally turned round after being adjusted for height, and that the wear of
the parts which cause or effect the rising and falling motion shall not
necessarily destroy the steadiness or firmness between their upper and lower
portions.
And another feature of the Invention is, the manufacture of folding music
desks or book rests for pianofortes, and more especially for pianofortes of small
size, which have a very limited space between the "fall" (or cover over the
key board), and the key board (itself) in such manner as to obtain such
desks or rests of larger and more convenient dimensions (than if constructed
in the ordinary manner could be folded within such limited space) by
constructing them so as to fold them in two separate halves or portions,
one falling to the right and the other to the left, and the two parts when
unfolded or raised and placed together or near to each other, constituting the
desired larger or more convenient desk or rest for the support of the music
book.
And in connection with this improvement may also be introduced the
further improvement of the Invention, which consists in constructing candle
stands for pianofortes or other instruments with a sliding adjustment for
placing them nearer to or further from the music book or the desk or rest for
the same.
The accompanying Drawing representing the mode of performing the
several features or improvements, is presented as an illustration only of such
performance, as it will be evident that various modifications may be made
without departing from the actual features of the Invention, as above
stated.

page_text: Figure 1 is a sketch (drawn to a scale of about one-fifth of the actual
dimensions) of the improved music stool or seat for pianoforte players, shewing
the actual seat a in full lines as adjusted to an elevated position, and in dotted
lines as adjusted to a depressed position, the adjustment to any desired height
being effected by the performer turning round the seat a or causing it to
revolve in the same manner as with ordinary music stools as ordinarily con-
structed.
Figures 2 to 7 arc (full size) geometrical views of the working parts,
Figure 2 being an elevation (partly in section), Figure 8 a general vertical
section, Figure 4 an inverted plan of the plate connecting the working parts
to the actual seat a, and Figure 5 a top plan of the clutch plate 9, hereafter
imentioned; Figures 6 and 7 are sections taken at Z, Z, and Y, Y,
respectively.
In the above Figures b is a plate to be screwed to the base or lower portion
of the music stool, and formed upon or fixed to a tube c, which is to be fitted
within such lower portion, the said tube constituting a socket within which
another tube d fits, and may be raised or lowered without turning round, being
prevented from such rotary movement by means of lugs e, e, (see Figure 7,)
upon a nut f, which by the said lugs is fixed to the outer tube c, and supported
within and at the bottom end of the inner tube d, the lugs passing through
slots or openings in the said inner tube. 9 is a clutch or plate, formed with
serrations or notches, and fixed to or formed upon the upper end of the tube d,
this end of the said tube constituting a socket, within which a third tube h fits,
and may be turned round by the plate i, which is formed upon or fixed to it,
and which plate is to be screwed to the actual seat a (see Figure 1), so that
the turning of the seat a shall also turn the tube h and plate i. This tube is
closed at both ends, with the exception of a square hole left for the square
shank or upper end k* of a screw k, which also will consequently be turned by
turning the scat a. is a spring coiled round the shank k*, between the
lower end of the tube h and a collar on tho screw k, which is thus made to
support the weight of the seat a, and to transfer it by the nut f to the tube c,
and the base or lower portion of the music stool. The bottom of the screw is
formed with a round or cylindrical end, and works easily in a guiding hole or
bush in the closed end of the tube d, and a washer and pin at this end support
the weight of the tube d. The spring is sufficiently strong to overcome the
weight of the parts resting on it, and consequently the plate i is kept clear of
the clutch or plate 9, as represented in Figure 2, a washer and pin being
provided at the upper end of the shank to keep the parts together. While
thus clear it is evident that the seat a, and with it the screw k, also may be

page_text: turned round, and consequently become raised or depressed with regard to the
nut (within which the screw works), and to the base or lower portion of the
music stool, and that thus the height of the seat a may be adjusted; and it is
also evident that the plate ġ and the tube d being supported as above
described, will necessarily follow or accompany such raising or depressing
movement. The plate i is furnished on its under side with two projections or
teeth i*, *, corresponding with the serrations of the clutch g, and when the
performer or sitter sits upon the seat a, his weight overcoines the spring 1, and
consequently the plates i and g are brought closer together, and the teeth i*, i*,
gear or engage with the clutch, which, being prevented from turning round;
as above described, will also prevent the seat a from turning. And it is
also evident that the wear of the screw k and nut f, which are the parts
actually causing or effecting the rising and falling action, will not necessarily
destroy the steadiness between the upper and lower portions, as this is
maintained by the tubular. arrangement above described and represented in
the Drawings. m and n are india-rubber springs or washers for preventing
noise. To ensure a satisfactory action the teeth i*, i*, should be chamfered
off or bevilled to an edge, and the serrations of the clutch plate g should be
made to correspond. If preferred a complete circle or set of teeth i*, or any
other number than two of such teeth may be employed.
It is evident that in addition to music stools other seats and also stands,
such as chairs, ottomans, reading desks, music stands, portfolios, stands, and
similar articles may be made in accordance with the mode of construction
above set forth and described, the weight of the person or object upon the
upper portion (or of the upper portion without the person or object if so
preferred) being adjusted to effect the locking of the clutch.
The Figures 8 to 12 are geometric views (drawn to a scale of about one-
fourth the actual dimensions) of the improved construction of folding music
desk and candle stands or supports for pianofortes. Figure 8 is a front
elevation, shewing the two halves or portions and s* of the music desk
unfolded, or raised and placed near to each other so as to constitute one music
desk or book rest of large size, and the two candle stands or supports t, t,
placed or slided wide apart and away from the said desk or rest; Figure 9 is
a corresponding elevation, shewing the halves or portions s and s* of the music
desk folded down in opposite directions, and the candle stands t, t, as placed
in or slided into a reversed position to that shewn by the Figure 8. The left-
hand side of the Figure 10 is a plan, shewing one halfs of the music desk in
the folded or lowered position, and one candle stand t in the two positions above
mentioned (one position being denoted by full lines, and the other by dotted

page_text: lines); and the right-hand side of the Figure 10 is a plan with the half desk
and candle stand removed; Figures 11 and 12 are transverse sections taken
through the lines X, X, and W, W, respectively. In the said Figures u is
the "fall" or cover of a pianoforte, upon which the improved folding music
desk and improved candle stands are mounted; and v the part to which the
fall is hinged or connected. It is to be noted that each half of the desk works
on two centres, one marked and one markeds, and that the outer centres
,, are placed slightly lower than the centres ³, s³, so as to effect the folding
within the smallest compass. w, w, are metal bars fixed to the fall, as shewn,
and furnished with sliding clips fitting on them. These clips being fixed to
the candle stands will consequently render them capable of receiving the
sliding notion required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carlo Minasi, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
CARLO MINASI. (L.B.)